Sgt. Slaughter (2006)
Love him or hate him, there’s no escaping Sgt. Slaughter if you’re a small scale GI Joe collector. Granted, his appearances haven’t been as numerous since his 80s heyday. Heck, this figure is his sole appearance during the time referred to as the new sculpt era, and he showed up again in the modern style only as an elusive SDCC exclusive. Not exactly the easiest guy to track down in action figure form these days. You can’t even get his Joe-scaled WWE figure without sinking a mint on him. The story of his recent rarity is supposedly due to licensing issues with said wrestling entertainment company. Whatever the case, it’s frustrating for a collector.
Slaughter’s Renegades were a part of the 2006 con set, and the three members were outfitted in matching armor with individualized details. It made for a cohesive looking group, a plus for a set of figures meant to be presented together. The Sarge himself takes his mold from the Battle CORPS version of Gung Ho, one of the better figures in that sub-set. The uniform fits the character well, although the painted-on gloves are a bit of a cheap looking compromise.
My copy of this figure is still on its, card thanks to the fact that Sarge signed it at JoeCon. The card art and layout is consistent with the DTC style, which I found to be an interesting nod to the classic 80s look, albeit with a modern twist. At the time, the club wasn’t offering many small Joes in cards, and this special situation with the Sarge’s anniversary was noted on the card. Big points for the club on their presentation with this one. My only wish was that he could have signed “at ease, disease” on the card. Oh well.
Ugh, the only character more obnoxious than this guy was Dick Gautier’s Serpentor. Throw in Dr. Mindbender’s over the top voice and that’s the 1986 triumvirate of caustic noise. Plus, in real life he was borderline fat, not ripped like in the cartoon or comic.
”Sgt. Slaughter should take his renegades with him to the W.W.E. world.” ”I was NEVER a fan of him AT ALL.”
Desert Sarge isn’t bad. I need to get one one of these days. He’s not as good as the ’88 figure. But, it’s pretty good for the parts they used.
I would have preferred that this figure had used the head, and the removable hat from the 88 version. I have always wondered about what happened to the mold of the 88 Sgt. Slaughter. What was the reason that they did not at least, used that figure’s head, and the hat, for the 89 version, instead of the 85-86 head, with the non removable hat? Also, the waist piece of the 88 figure would have also been perfect to have used for this one, and the 89 version, because that one has a belt buckle that says USMC on it. And besides a desert Sgt. Slaughter figure, I would have also liked an o-ring repaint with a jacket, or a coat, molded, or painted in white, so the sarge would have been able to join his fellow Joes in places that have cold environments.
If I remember right, they said they couldn’t locate any vintage ARAH Sgt. Slaughter molds and had to recast the head. Why they went with the original head and not 1988 is unknown.
That’s impressive
Why do people “quote” themselves?
I’ve been trying to figure that one out for a while. “hmm”
I was surprised when I started hearing the dislike for the Sarge. He’s over-the-top, but I always thought he fit in pretty well with the equally fantastic world of GIJoe. Better than the Fridge, who really felt shoehorned in. And Super Trooper – there’s a guy who deserves criticism. A Captain America rip-off dressed in chrome? Anyway, this is a great card, probably better than the actual figure, and the signature makes it a fun collectible. Cyko says, “Nice specimen, Joe-A-Day.”
Super Trooper makes more sense when you realize he was released in 1988….GI JOE’s 25th anniversary (Silver anniversary).
I was also surprised about that when I found out about it years ago, because I remember going to school, and all of the guys who were fans of G.I. Joe, actually liked the sarge. Or maybe they were just acting like they did. But they were always imitating him, and quoting lines that he had said in both, the 1986 cartoons, and the 1987 movie. So I always thought that everybody liked him, and not just me. By the way, I have always liked the inclusion of The Fridge, who should have been given a blue helmet to match his shirt, Super Trooper, Starduster, and every other character that was ever added to the G.I. Joe universe, including the Street Fighters. I just don’t care for Mortal Kombat been added, even though I am a huge fan of Mortal Kombat. And I did not like that Rowdy Roddy Piper was made into a bad guy, an Iron Grenadier. Even though I like the Iron Grenadiers very much. Heck, I’m still waiting for an o-ring Mr. T figure. Or better yet, an A-Team cross over. Just imagine Mr. T, and B. A. Baracus, hanging out together at the G.I. Joe headquarters, with the sarge, talking about wrestling. Of course.
I’m surprised that no one has noted the adult collectible label on the top of the card. I sure hope that this is never ever, ever, ever, ever again repeated. Shame on those 2006 convention folks. What were they thinking? Or smoking? By the way has anybody seen this animated movie called Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery? I plan on getting it on DVD, or Blu-Ray, just because the sarge is in it.
YOU… ARE… A… TOY!!! … You’re an action figure! You are a child’s plaything!
It’s probably a disclaimer, since the club does child safety test stuff.
Great action figure!