By KansasBrawler I haven’t mentioned how I decide when to review a certain figure, but it’s actually important to talk about it here so bear with me on this little tangent. I refuse to review a figure until I’ve had it in my collection for at least a month. It’s primarily to allow the “NEWNESS!” effect to wear off. I’m
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Another high ranking driver figure, with unique mold elements and accessories to boot. Hasbro didn’t have to pull out all the stops with this figure, but it makes sense considering he came with the line’s most expensive early vehicle. The MOBAT was a beast for its time, and I think it remains a must-have fast attack Joe tank. Steeler was
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Every team of heroes needs a leader, and Hawk fulfilled that role capably in the Marvel comic and many latter episodes of the Sunbow cartoon. Looking at the initial action figure version however you’d have to read his file card in order to tell he’s the commanding officer. I suppose his silver straps and pockets might be a tip-off in
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Grand Slam is one of the few original team members to get a variant in the second series of figures. He was originally the operator of the HAL, but also appeared on the packaging for the JUMP. The next year he was given a cool silver padded suit and included with the JUMP. His original red padded suit is similar
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By KansasBrawler After Psyche-Out and Repeater arrived in the first FSS 3.0 shipment, the GIJCC took a while to release more characters I really wanted. I liked a lot of the other figures in that subscription series (otherwise I wouldn’t have bought in), but I was really looking forward to Big Ben and Crimson Guard Immortal, so of course, those
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When you think of a GI Joe “driver” figure, your mind probably goes immediately to Clutch, the famous man behind the wheel of the VAMP, the first series Real American Hero’s general purpose ground vehicle. The concept of a vehicle with an included action figure was a brilliant piece of marketing, and something that have Hasbro a leg up against
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You have to hand it to Hasbro for including a variety of characters in its first assortment of the relaunched GI Joe. They could have gone the easy route and populated the series with a cookie cutter set of guys in one shade of green with nondescript weapons and little to no character. As we’ve already seen, the Joes were
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What’s Zap got going for him that’s not inherently cool? He’s different from the other team members and carries the most devastating weapon in the group. Who else can take out a tank all by his lonesome (aside from Sunbow Storm Shadow)? He also almost got his own unique head mold, complete with what would have been the Joes’ earliest
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Personalities were as big a part of the 80s GI Joe reintroduction as the toys themselves. Thanks to the three (and often divergent) tie-in media available as file cards, comics and cartoon, kids were treated to characters that had some definition beyond the plastic. Don’t get me wrong, the development wasn’t equal, as the older guys and gals were often
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Simplicity of design is one of the great strengths of the 1980s Joe line’s first year. We’ve seen already that even with an economy of parts, Hasbro was able to create a varied group of characters. Despite the fact that several figures shared head molds, the toys still read as individuals. Simple changes in uniform color, hair color, and accessories
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