Short-Fuze (1983)
Short-Fuze is one of those original Joes who never really got his.moment in the sun. He was pretty quickly relegated to history after the first series of figures, and never received a revival in later years like Hawk or Grunt. The closest he came was with Downtown, another blonde mortarman, who could have easily been given the name (and actually was in a 2000’s multi pack). There were homage figures in the revival series of the late 90’s and into the 25th anniversary, but they were either remolds or other molds with reassigned names.
What more can be said about those original thirteen Joes, other than the effective reuse of common parts. Most of those first figures shared a few arm, leg, chest, waist and head molds amongst one another, but a little creative color assignments and gear loadouts differentiated the figures. Short-Fuze shared a chest mold, a horizontal harness, with Zap. The visor wearing figures from the first assortment were always my favorites, and Short-Fuze was sporting one as well.
The comic further separated the character from others by giving him distinctive round glasses, a feature that would later show up in a recreated comic pack figure. The Sunbow Short-Fuze was often seen with a visor and a darker helmet, though his signature harness was present.
Again, if you think these first Joes all look the same, just stand them together in a group and notice the differing shades and uniforms scattered among them. They’re really a diverse bunch, considering that Hasbro could have simply gone the cheap and easy route and recycled the Grunt mold over and over. Thankfully they didn’t, and the original Joes established the trend of distinctive uniforms and personalities that would become a hallmark of the line.
Nice! One of very first Joes! I remember having to ask my Dad what a mortar did. Sadly he succumbed to cracked thumbs but was painted and recycled into a custom Buzzer.
Not my fave of the original 13. But the gear saves the mold. I still think downtown was meant to be short fuse rut they changed him at the last minute.
The straight arm versions of Flash and Short-Fuze were my two very first Joes ever. However, while Flash went on to become a favorite, Short-Fuze never really stood out in my collection. I blame the mortar: It was a lame accessory, especially seeing how each Joe carried gear which suited their combat specialty. Short-Fuze was an artillery man, an engineer who excelled in math. But all he could really do was kneel on one leg. With guys like Zap, it somehow worked better since Zap carried his weapon around. And bazookas always seemed cooler than mortars to me for some reason.
The comic and Sunbow cartoon each had their unique take on the guy, but somehow Short-Fuze never quite made it, at least not the kind of cult status that guys like Grand Slam enjoy nowadays.
Short-Fuze is one of the all time classics. If you ever get any extra visors, paint ’em black. They look really good, just like how the OG13 was portayed in the first pack-in brochure that came with the series one vehicles.
Short fuze and Steeler are my two favoite characters. Who needs ninjas when you have mortar troops!
Great accessories, first mortar weapon in Joes’ weaponry!
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