by @DanUthman The idea that “Knowing is half the battle” is one of the most elemental tenets of the ARAH line. But what is 25 percent of the battle? What is 75 percent? Can we — gasp — even know the entire battle? Perhaps no item in the 30-year history of 3 3/4 G.I. Joe allows fans to address these
Read moreLike all of the ’97 Bronze Bomber figures, paint applications are at a minimum. The lack of detail color really strikes me with this figure, since the Strato-Viper mold is so full of detail. The mold origin also hinders my ability to see this as anything but a repainted Strato. Of all the Joe pilot molds used in the ’97
Read moreStar Vipers hold the distinction of being surgically altered to be more effective at piloting their spacecraft. I just can’t see the draw in joining Cobra, unless you’re really hard up for a job. Between these guys and the Toxo-Vipers, I can only imagine the EEOC and OSHA issues that are going on in the organization. Maybe that’s why Cobra
Read moreAlso known as Scalpel and Leplacs. Those who were buying Joes in the early to mid aughts should remember that corny joke. The head mold from these two originated with the Cobra medic, Scalpel. I think it was an ingenious choice to represent the crimson twins. The Crimson Command Chopper, of which the twins were pilots, was an absolute bugger
Read moreWhat do you get the saboteur who has everything? How about a snazzy new outfit that goes with just about anything. Really, anything? If anything means Cobra blue, grey or black then yes. Look at it this way: Firefly is an important guy in the Cobra hierarchy. Cobra Commander himself hired the man years ago to exact revenge on Snake-Eyes.
Read moreThe 1990 version of Overlord is a mystery. Appearing as a driver figure and an apparent new foe for the GI Joe team, he seemed poised to be a replacement for Cobra Commander. However nothing much came of his figure in the toyline or comic. It wasn’t until the 2000’s Devil’s Due comic series that anything of substance was done with
Read moreBy 1992, I was fully back into Joe collecting, and (in those pre-internet dark ages) waited with bated breath every February for the annual Toy Fair issue of Tomart’s Action Figure Digest to reveal the year’s Joe offerings. I won’t pretend that the idea of anti-drug plot within the Joe toyline didn’t seem patronizing and ridiculous when I first saw
Read moreStep into the kinda-wayback machine with me to the era of Spy Troops. So much has happened in the Joe brand since 2003 that this fairly recent era seems almost a distant memory. Imagine a time in this not too long ago past when Joe product was readily available at retail. And in two packs at that. Neo Viper Commander
Read moreAgent Faces, the Joe team’s infiltrator, was a new addition in the Spy Troops line. A natural Joe counterpart to Zartan, he was even packed alongside the infamous master of disguise. While the secrets of Zartan’s abilities remained a mystery, Agent Faces was revealed to be a gifted mimic who was trained to become a make-up artist and create disguises.
Read moreWell, here I am again, trying to spread some love for the 2000’s Joes. There were some genuine diamonds in the rough of this now forgotten era. Case in point: Guillotine, part of one of the DTC/Toys R Us exclusive packs that brought to a close the “new sculpt” era. The multi packs of the time were hit or miss,
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