The Power of Packaging: Star Brigade Armor-Bot
Even late in the Real American Hero era, packaging art was impressive. The Armor-Bot as a toy is itself marvelously huge for a 90s Joe vehicle. Heck, the painting of Hawk in his Armor Tech duds is much more interesting than the actual figure. Now there’s a fig that needs to be revisited in the modern style. I wonder if Boss Fight is going to do some sci-fi stuff in the future?
I passed this by at Big Lots for several years. Never really regretted it, though. I’ve never liked robots a. nd the lack of a standard figure left this as one of the few Joe toys I didn’t feel compelled to buy.
” Star Brigade Armor Bot.Big and Tall,This G.I.Joe w/Hawk kicks the most Cobra butt of all.”
Cool package art! A little ED-209?
There’s a line you toe when the package art is SO cool that it makes the toy underwhelming. It’s neat and over-engineered to compete on the toy aisle, but it’s a better playset than a mobile armor suit. This wouldn’t have sated my Battletech/Mechwarrior crossover desires. And it’s another Joe WMD that Cobra has no answer for! Are they just going to bombard it with a swarm of Pogo-Invader pods?
I never really studied the box at retail back in the day. I don’t recall seeing too many of these either as I think about it now. If price had been no object, I would have had this; that might be why I never really looked at it on the retail shelf that closely. Even as things were winding down with the A Real American Hero line and local stores were discounting things (among other various buy 2 get one free deals in stores and what not) the Armorbot supply may not have been that large. Biggest discounted vehicle I was able to snap up was the Blockbuster during these years.
This package has a very dynamic and exciting upper looking Armorbot on the upper half, loaded with guns and rockets and even a claw! I would like to get behind this and try it out someday.
I just watched a youtube commercial for this, and I still think it looks fun, but the non-walking legs would have been a let down for me. In the commercial the Armorbot is moving fast running over figures. A reworked lower section to something similar seen in Terminator with a more tank like chassis might have been more fun; a chance to add some extra play features like hatches, cranes, tow hooks, a jail, etc.
This Armorbot will not fit in the Defiant, either. (one of my favorite comic stories)
I got one of these recently at a really great price, complete with original box. I love this thing. I’m probably going to have the box art framed, it’s so badass.
Mine is a Cobra vehicle. It’s too vicious to be used by Joes. Hell, in the old commercials you can see Cobra forces building the Armor Bot. Then it was apparently commandeered by Joes.
Strange days…the ’90s…
Careful when handling that version Hawk. He’s made from that lousy gold plastic