Ralph “Steeler” Pulaski (2008)
Can we get a little love for Steeler? The man’s been there from the beginning, one of the first driver figures, and he seems to be either left out or when he does appear, to be given the half-arsed treatment.
The sadness of this figure rivals the depths of laziness plumbed by some of the 1997 rereleases. We’re not up to Stars and Stripes Breaker levels on the suckitude meter, but the needle comes close. Released as part of the monstrously sized Target exclusive Ultimate Battle set, he also included a remold of the original MOBAT. That’s a positive, right? I know I still dig all of the original ’82 vehicles.
While it was good to see another of the original thirteen reproduced in the modern style, the result is less than stellar. First off, why was he done up in a desert paint scheme? Was this a nod to the tan Grunt and Clutch figures, also both drivers? Maybe it was a marketing decision:”We can’t possibly put three green guys in one pack. Paint him tan!”
The biggest bummer about Steeler is the lack of his distinctive visor. Instead he cam equipped with a solid black version of the normal ’82-83 visor. Nice try, but come on, that’s totally cheap. Could it have been a problem to remold the original? Well, probably, considering the difference in size of the vintage helmets and these newer figures. It probably would have required a new mold altogether, and these store exclusive usually don’t feature newly tooled parts. Then again, the solid black visor was also featured in the first pamphlet included with the vehicles. Maybe it was an homage. Nah!
On a positive note, the harness is nice, although mine has since broken, as you.can see in the photo. Quite a shocking development for a Hasbro product, having a part just snap like that. The plastic appears to be very thin at the belt. You know, the more I look at this figure, the more it’s ticking me off. Excuse me, I’m gonna go dig out my original Steeler; I know he’s not broken. And if he is, all I need to fix him is an o-ring and a precision screwdriver.
This version of Steeler is a very light pale green in color, not tan. The original was a lighter shade of green than any of the other year one figures. I think this was just an attempt to give him a lighter color scheme similar to the original. It’s not a match for the green used on the vintage figure, but it is definitely not tan. Put him next to Doc or Airborne or any other figure that has a lot of tan and the pale green hue is obvious. I agree it would have been nice to get an all new figure, especially for an original 13 character but at least they made him. I think this one is much better than the one that came with the 25th Armadillo, as that one was in the same shade of green used for many of the other 25th versions of the 82 Joes. As for the visor, yeah, the original was much cooler, but I kind of like the black visor as well, it’s not a terrible look. At least they didn’t use a a clear one.
I think they could have at least changed the hands out–AND put a pistol in his ankle holster. I missed out on the first 25th Steeler and this one, and it’s too bad, since he’s one of my favorite characters.
Actually this version of Steeler came with a submachine gun, two black pistols and a black and silver knife.
I too like this version over the previous green one that came with the Armadillo. The color may be a bit off, but the details are better. Black boots, black gloves, black thigh gear? Check. The green version had brown boots and the dreaded Duke arms. This one is MUCH more accurate to the original. That said, I really wish they would have used 25th Buzzer torso to replicate the open collar.
Yeah, an open colar would’ve helped, and a gold under shirt.
They also left off the gold arm bands on his upper arms. That was a really unique detail to the 1982-83 Steeler.
http://www.3djoes.com/steeler.html
It’s a cool idea to use removable belts and gun holsters, but most of the time (like Steeler here) it just looks clunky. The molded holster on 1982 Steeler is much less distracting.
Alright. Steeler is one of my favorite characters. A pitty this versions paint job seems a bit uninspired. Hasbro needs to make a version of him based on WORLDS WITHOUT END [either as a skeleton or in the midst of a breakdown]
Or just cartoon colors.
Steeler is right up there among my favorite characters from the very first year of the franchise, but Hasbro has yet to top the original version. The comic pack and 25th anniversary Steelers failed miserably in that regard. And don’t even ask about his binocular visor. It’s arguably Steeler’s coolest feature along with the gold under shirt, arm bands, and open collar, but yet to be successfully updated in my book.
Medium level action figure…
The figures makes me wonder why 25th was as popular as it was. Very knock-off looking effort.
This guy is lame, but I switched heads, web gear,and gave him an extra jump pack, and now he’s my version of tan Grunt. Believe it or not, if you can find a helmet to fit an Air-Raid head, a vintage Steeler visor fits on nicely!
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