by Twitziller The Built to Rule Venom Striker, available as part of the second series of BTR sets in limited release in 2004, shares the name and a number of design cues with the Venom Striker from the Valor vs. Venom main toy line released in the same year. In its primary mode, the Venom Striker is a quad ATV
Read moreNo, it’s not the infamous Star Wars bootleg, but a second version of the former Headhunters leader. My, how times change. A character who was once a drug kingpin changed to a smuggler and thief in just one decade. I wonder if what was once an up-front bad guy for the brand was deemed a touchy subject during the early
Read moreGoing back again to the beginning of the Pursuit of Cobra line, I was very impressed that Hasbro was taking familiar characters in new design directions. Consider the original Firefly, one of the least fantastically attired and equipped Cobras of the 80s. As a saboteur, his look and his modus operandi were simple. Armed with explosives and other basic tools
Read moreCan you believe it’s taken me this long to get around to the icon of 80s Cobra troop building? I must apologize; then again, I’m not exactly getting bombarded with requests for certain figures. I suppose I should get a pass, since I’ve covered the mold in several of its later incarnations. I wasn’t a big fan of the Viper
Read moreIt’s good to see a ninja not sticking to one rigorous color scheme over his career. After all, white can get pretty boring after a while. Just look at the movie Storm Shadow. After just one film, he started to add some color blocking to his outfit. You gotta love a ninja with a little style. Released in the Ninja
Read moreSometimes I’m really bummed about missing a few years of the 80s and 90s as a kid collector. 1988 through 1990 were off my radar until I started collecting again in 1991. As such, I often have a more difficult time remembering which toys are from which year. I know, it’s not a big deal, considering all of the web
Read moreThe Ninja Force Storm Shadow has been one of my favorite of the famous ninja’s redesigns, at least in terms of the uniform. There’s something really interesting about the black and white pattern, and the hooded head is a cool nod to his second figure. But being a toy with spring-loaded action, he was hampered by poseability and proportion issues.
Read moreDo not adjust your screens. Your eyes do not deceive you; this is a bubblegum colored Baroness. It’s more popularly known as fuchsia Baroness, but I’ve always thought her outfit exhibits a particularly bubble gummy shade of pink. I don’t know why I sometimes gravitate towards food, and specifically candy, when describing some toys. Maybe I shouldn’t write on an
Read moreHey, wait a second, I hear you say. Didn’t you just cover this guy a couple months back? Yes, I did, but this is a recolor. That’s right, the Moray came in two flavors for 2002. The same thing happened for much of the first series of the relaunch, actually. While the other holds a place of distinction for me
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Many of the o-ring style comic packs had head issues. The Joes in particular seemed to get the short end of the cranium stick. I’ve wondered if the smaller heads were a design choice, or the result of a manufacturing issue. After all, the newly designed figures of the era had more delicate sculpting and generally smaller heads. I hate
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