Dominator Art
I promise I’ll stop with the Iron Grenadiers soon. It just seems to be a fascination. Of course, so is package art. The toy doesn’t do much for me, but I dig the painting.
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Peril in Paradise Undertow
By KansasBrawler When it became clear that the GIJCC was going back to Iron Grenadiers for this year’s con set, I figured Undertow was going to be on the GIJCC’s short list for figures they could make. After all, there aren’t that many Iron Grenadier troopers left to cover. Plus, it is a figure with a decent fan following. The
Read moreIron Grenadiers Stealth AGP (2005)
The AGP is one of those vehicles about which I find myself saying, “Oh yeah, that exists.” I’m not trying to be rude, but the thing just doesn’t hold much interest for me. I also have no nostalgia for it, since I wasn’t collecting the toys at the time of its release. Even among the Iron Grenadiers vehicles, it seems
Read moreVR Troopers Catalog Page
In the 90s, I was back into collecting toys, and buying all the latest issues of Tomart’s and Lee’s to check out the latest releases. Both frequently published bits of Toy Fair catalogs each season. I’m amazed that I missed the fact Kenner re-purposed the Firebat for its VR Troopers toy line. Then again, I wasn’t exactly impressed by yet
Read moreIron Mech (2005)
Mechs have been a part of the GI Joe universe since 1983, when the SNAKE armor debuted. Things got more active in the 90s, with offerings like the Armor Bot (okay, not technically a mech, but close) and the 1994 Power Fighters. Both were space-oriented, a natural extension of military vehicles suited for the Star Brigade sub-team. In 2004, both
Read moreSky Havoc Box Art
This stuff has got me seriously hooked. I love seeing the clean art versions of the package paintings. They made even the less interesting vehicles shine (ha!). This painting has me wondering if the collectors club will pull out the Snow Cat mold again and vac-matalize it as a Sky Havoc II for this year’s con set. Sky hope not.
Read morePeril in Paradise Dial-Tone
By KansasBrawler As I’ve talked about before, there are always one or two figures that turn out to be kind of lame in large figure sets. Honestly, this was a review I was hoping I wouldn’t have to write for the Peril in Paradise con set. I really like Dial Tone and I like that he joined Tiger Force, but
Read moreThe Power of Packaging: Captain Zargon and Space Ranger
I hate to sound like a broken record, but damn do I miss the artistry and beauty of vintage toy packaging. It’s a lost art, much like movie posters. Modern packaging, for all its slick style and strong branding, has lost its charm. Captain Zargon and the Space Ranger were no doubt some of the most fanciful Action Man figures.
Read moreCustom GI Joe Moray Hydrofoil
When it comes to toys and packaging, sometimes what you see is not what you get. The 2005 GI Joe Moray Hydrofoil is a perfect example. The box art depicted a white and black colored repaint of the classic Cobra Hydrofoil. It looked something like a law enforcement vehicle to me, and the matching flames on the hull were just
Read moreFirefly (2010 Resolute)
Firefly has usually received some sort of attention in each post-80s iteration of GI Joe. The Resolute animation was no different, although the famous saboteur didn’t get much to do. Granted, the special wasn’t of an epic length, and many beloved Joes and Cobras got only a few second of screen time. Poor Bazooka, for example, showed up on a
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