I am not ashamed to say that I love the Dino Hunters. I’m not taking about an ironic or hipster love, but a straightforward nerdy adult who collects toys love. And there’s not much of a nostalgia angle to it either, since my childhood Joe years were 1982-1987. No, the Dino Hunters set came around when I was in full
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The Hall of Fame talking Duke was pretty impressive for its day. Although sound chip toys were all over during the 90s, most didn’t offer the kind of randomization feature included with this figure. Hasbro must have been quite confident in its potential as is featured a full page spread in the 1993 catalog. They hooked me with the toy,
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By the end of the Real American Hero era, the blueprint concept had become an afterthought. Rather than being printed on the back of the instruction sheet as a dedicated item, some were stuck on the first page and others left off entirely (I’m looking at you, Cobra Rat!) While it’s a shame to see the idea watered down, I
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General Hawk returned to the pegs in 1991, and his look was one of the most significant departures from established lore. After all, he was first an artillery colonel, then a field equipped general. Neither too out of the ordinary. ’91 saw him adopt a full-on Rocketman-like flightsuit and jet pack. Yikes! Never one to ride a desk, Hawk was
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Lift-Ticket made his way into the modern era along with the amazing Eaglehawk helicopter, part of the Retaliation toy line. Of course, neither the vehicle or driver appeared in the film, but that’s not a bit deal. At least we got a new version of the classic Tomahawk and a nicely accessorized pilot out of the deal. Time has really
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By KansasBrawler For me to like an international figure, it has to be a pretty big departure from its American counterpart. That’s why I’ve always been interested in Python Patrol Airborne and Python Patrol Ripcord and am absolutely fascinated by the international Sky Patrol figures. There’s one other international figure that has strangely caught my attention over the years— the
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The 1991 international catalog is a great source of the kind of diorama setups that the US pack-in catalogs had moved away from. There’s something compelling about these toys in a simulated environment. There’s an artistry that’s missing from straight studio shots against plain backgrounds. For me, the dio catalogs evoke memories of Toho kaiju films, with their painstakingly detailed
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Snake Eyes gives old Storm Shadow the judo what-for in today’s coloring page. I like the clear view of Snakes’ wrist arrow-thingie. Unfortunate that we didn’t see him use it more often.
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The Real American Hero series’ package art style gave equal weight to both the ridiculous and sublime. Sneak Peek has never been one of my favorite figures, but his card art is certainly interesting. I rarely think of this figure’s M-16, considering that his field imagining device is such a dominating accessory. The portrait work catches my eye, and it’s
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By KansasBrawler I’m already on record here with my love of the old Cobra Rocket Pack and my love of B.A.T.s. For a souvenir set this year, the GIJCC decided to mix my peanut butter and chocolate and create the B.A.T. Rocket Pack. The fact that this souvenir was still available after Joe Con was a bit part of what
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