Snow Storm (1994)
How’s this for a late run RAH figure? Snow Storm had three color schemes in two years. Pretty amazing, but not too surprising when you consider just how many of the 1993 Battle Corps figures were repainted in 1994. I suppose the heavy mold reuse that year was part of the writing on the wall near the line’s end.
The three color versions give different options for various collector preferences. If you’re into the 90s’ wild colors, there’s the almost Eco Warriors version. If a colorful but less audacious deco is your thing, the white and blue may be the way to go. Finally, if you like your Joes on the subdued side, there’s this guy. Grey and black is an interesting variation on the usual white arctic scheme.
The outfit is different from other cold weather Joes, presenting a totally enclosed trooper. It’s a near future wrinkle in the usual arctic style. Here’s a guy who is absolutely shielded from the elements. It may be a little too sci-fi for some, but I’m actually surprised that the concept didn’t happen earlier in the line, especially on the Cobra side. Then again, I doubt Cobra Commander would be willing to shell out the bucks to outfit a lot of his troops in such expensive gear.
Being a Battle Corps release, he’s sporting a Big Missile Launcher. These things usually go straight into the surplus weapons bin, but I find a select few to be either interesting or useful enough to give a try. Naturally, the large size poses a challenge in terms of poseability, but this launcher at least has a handle that allows the figure to brandish it without aid.
I’ve noticed that on Snowstorms file card it mentions he was part of a movement that tried to overthrow a dictator. When you consider that he is Cuban, it implies he was part of the Bay of pigs fiasco.
Of the three versions, I think the blue one will be the first I acquire, followed by the blue amd white one.
I always liked this figure. Snowstorm was one of my faves of the end of the era. Plus he had huge custom potential. I always liked using Snowstorm’s boots w/ Barricade’s torso as the base for an armored soldier. #JoeMemories
As a Cuban American, I’m very happy that Snow Storm made it into the line. I’m fine with all three different versions as well. The orange one was originally going to be an Eco Warrior along with Outback’s yellow helmet variant, but they both ended up in the main Battle Corps line instead.
This grey and black scheme is by far the most versatile. I could easily see him as a bomb removal expert or another laser weapon specialist rather than an arctic-themed Joe.
If memory serves, the enormous rocket launcher also kinda snapped onto the figure’s arm, adding stability when he was holding the weapon. That was a little detail I always appreciated, and helped make this spring loaded rocket launcher a little more playable than most of the other ones.
I interpreted the repaints late in as being a new version of reissuing the previous year’s figures at lower numbers (that seemed apparent with 1992’s repaints in 1993), though from 1993-94 and some getting a few recolors in the same year, it seemed like throwing anything at the wall and seeing what sticks (which seems to be why there were 3 arctic troopers in 1993, 2 with the same neck-breaking head bazooka- Mace & Muskrat). Snow Storm’s rocket launcher looks like a gatorade cooler.
It bugs me a little that Snow Storm hates the cold SO much that GIJoe had to outfit him in a space suit. Earlier in the mythos, the best of the best were sent to do their respective things. I can see Snow Storm getting forced to go to the arctic in the regular service, but not GIJoe.
I normally always prefer the original colour scheme of any mold but this guy might just be the exception.
@Skymate – without resorting to Google, I think the Pay of Pigs was 1961 or 62 so he’d have to have been pretty young! Strangely enough I went to the Bay of Pigs a few years ago and didn’t see a single pig but there were some of the biggest mosquitos I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world…!
@Dekkard
I just guessed thats what he was part of as he is Cuban and attempted to overthrow a dictator. Though his file card says he was successful at the operation.
A friend of my parents’ worked for the CIA and helped train the guys who were in on the Bay of Pigs invasion. It happened on 17–19 April 1961. The main landing sites were Playa Girón (named after a French pirate) and Playa Larga.
It’s thought to be called the Bay of Pigs because of the orangeside triggerfish which inhabit the coral reefs. These fish are referred to as “cochinos” which is Spanish for swine, likely due to their grotesque appearance.
In 1993, I first assumed that the file card info was hinting at a generic dictator in a fictitious location given that Snow Storm would have been too young to have fought at TBOP. But after reading about the Hasbro designers being military enthusiasts or actual vets themselves, I now believe that it’s indeed a Cold War reference to the botched operation. I would imagine a guy like Ron Rudat coming up with that since Ron lived through the era, but I’m not sure if Ron was still working on the Joe line in the early 90’s. Larry Hama would certainly have known about TBOP, but I don’t think he was writing the file cards anymore by that point.
@Clutch
My grade 12 history teacher was obsessed with the cold war [especially the missile crisis] so we spent 90% of our last year of classes looking at the Kennedy assasination, Mcarthisim [though i think thats from the 50’s] and the bay of pigs when we should have been looking at the first world war.
Yeah, McCarthyism (and the ensuing U.S. Red Scare) was an early to mid-50’s phenomenon, but the Cold War in general is always a popular topic in the halls of academia. It’s mostly centered around the Kennedy era because the world came very close to nuclear Armageddon over issues such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
I believe that World War II is the only other recent time period which rivals it, mostly for the same reasons: The threat of worldwide conquest by a demagogic regime determined to extend its military and political reach through satellite states. In historical terms, the Cold War is basically a continuation of WWII. (Call it the sequel, if you will.) The main difference being that the Communists replaced the Nazis, and the West balanced things out a lot better than they did before 1939.
@Clutch
Interesting theory about the triggerfish, I did dive in the BOP; Idon’t remember any triggerfish but that doens’t mean you’re wrong…
The repaints probably represent the changing retail marketplace of the time. Previously Hasbro had released a year’s new figures in nondescript waves usually in the early part of the year, some even showed up late in the previous year. This wasn’t very noticeable until 1991 when 6 figures who weren’t on the first wave’s cardbacks didn’t show up until significantly later. Battle Corps really started the distinct waves.
It’s probably connected to retailers wanting fresh “new” product through the year…not sure when that started but you had Playmates doing waves of figures, some repaints or retools…with Star Trek and Wild CATS…McFarlane did variants, too…Toy Biz, probably as well. Nowdays, waves are standard operating procedure….though lately stores never stock much past the first wave.
The near-future wrinkle angle as you say is what kept Snow Storm from really standing out for me. Every other ‘Joe character is layered up for cold weather battle, but Snow Storm seems so not part of the team in his comfort suit.
However, this figure could go just about anywhere, and with three different flavors of coloring to choose from. The guy really could be EOD (as mentioned before me), or NBC/CBR/hazmat, fire/ rescue, deep sea diver, or even shuttle pilot.
One of my faves G.I.JOE winter/snow/arctic soldiers!