While not technically part of the GI Joe line, Palitoy’s Action Force could be considered a close cousin. The original 1960’s Joe line had a counterpart in Europe known as Action Man. Based on the American GI Joe molds, it branched out to include British soldiers as well as venturing into less military territory, much like Hasbro’s 70’s Adventure Team.
Read moreThe Joe team’s preeminent ranger was recently released in the first wave of the 30th anniversary series, which is quite fitting as he’s been an integral member of the team since its beginning in 1982. He’s been through several iterations over the years, but he’s always looked his best when the design goes back to his roots. The base body
Read moreSo it’s football season in the US again. What better figure to cover today than Captain Gridiron, the Joes’ football based figure from–wait. This blog can’t cover that guy, too easy. How about another Joe football figure? This is certainly a highly idealized interpretation of Mr. Perry. It’s not unusual however, as Sgt. Slaughter’s original figure was decidedly more cut
Read moreThe GI Joe Collectors Club recently announced that the 2012 exclusive subscription figure will be Footloose, one of the most requested figures to not get a 25th anniversary style figure. Why is he such a fan demanded character? 1985 is regarded by many Joe collectors as the pinnacle of the vintage line. So many iconic characters and designs that continue
Read moreThe Joe team has had a SWAT specialist since the 1988 release of Shockwave. The team has also had a K-9 specialist since the release of Mutt & Junkyard in 1984. Wide Scope combines the two, which I think distinguishes him from both. A well written bio on his file card brings more interest for me as a character. He’s
Read moreWhen you think of GI Joe, you usually think of epic batttles, bullets (or lasers if you’re watching the cartoon) flying and heroic daring-do. There’s also a part of every military organization (or any organization) that does its job day-in day-out outside of the spotlight and glory. I’m talking about support personnel. For every person in the field, there’s ten
Read moreChuckles is another figure from the 1987 series that’s usually met with derision. Most of the discussion around him seems to centered around his shirt. I’ll agree that at first it’s an odd choice for a Joe to be wearing a Hawaiian shirt. But you’ve got to think that when the designers were thinking up a look for an undercover
Read moreGreg Scott was a brilliant scientist who designed robotic suits. His lab was attacked by Destro, his technology stolen and he was left for dead. And you thought you’ve had bad days at work. So the Joe team finds him and uses his own tech to “rebuild” him. Now he’s a cyborg. I wonder if when they turned him on
Read moreMajor Bludd is definitely one of the seminal Cobra villains. His nature as a mercenary was played up in the comic, but not as much in the cartoon. In the comics he was given a depth of character not possible in a 22 minute toy commercial. While he was heavily involved in the power struggle between Cobra Commander, Destro and
Read moreHave you ever seen a snow ninja? How about a snow ninja who wears a samurai helmet? How about a snow ninja who hails from Hollis, Queens, NY? How about a snow ninja from Hollis, Queens, NY who also wears high top sneakers? Well, you’ve seen it now. This is Bushido, the Ninja Force’s snow ninja. Why does the Joe
Read more