The Power of Packaging: Tiger Force Topo
Confession time. In the early 2000s, I bought a carded Tiger Force Tunnel Rat via eBay. I didn’t pay a whole lot for it, at least not in comparison to what the international Tiger Force figures would later begin to fetch. Being a collector who preferred loose figures, and after a bit of vacillating, I opened the packaging, albeit carefully with an X-acto blade. Yep. Oh well, at least I still have a pristine figure, and a nice card to feature here.
The distinctive art style is a variation of the domestic art, and it presents a more stylized look than we’re used to seeing on 80s and 90s GI Joe packaging. Very intriguing.
”Very Interesting.”
I love that you left some of the accessories behind. I found the Flying Scorpion and Black Vulture cardbacks that I opened in the early 2000’s. Both still have gear sealed to the card, just the figure is removed.
On one level, I’m glad I opened those foreign figures. While they’re really pricey now. I do know that 15 years worth of having the loose figure and enjoying it is worth something. Just, likely, not a grand….
The way he’s holding that knapsack out it’s like he’s trying to make friends with some kind of animal he’s met while digging a tunnel. If the sailor and the burnt ninja commando can have a pet, why not Tunnel Rat?
Its a TNT Satchel Charge. 😉
The art has that kinda of “old Joe” quality to it. Odd that he’s such a less-Asian clone of Tunnel Rat, but maybe Nicky & Severin are best buddies, having grown up in Brooklyn and gone through EOD training together.