I have to say that the GI Joe line has had its share of butt-ugly female figures throughout the decades. But I’ve also said to myself, “Self, I really would like to see a butt-ugly British female Joe figure.” Well, I got my wish with the convention exclusive version of Action Man’s Natalie Poole. Using elements of Lady Jaye, Mortal
Read moreAside from O-ring figures, the one thing I’ve been missing in recent convention exclusive sets: new army builders. I know the club’s propentsity for throwing in multiple new troops in a con set probably spoke more toward the expense of including six distinct molds vs. six copies of one mold than a desire to provide collectors with new troop types, but I still
Read moreTop Secret Document: The worldwide movement of international criminal and terrorist organizations is monitored by a classified defense satellite network system code named: Eagle Eye. Recently, Eagle Eye has detected an advance of several of the world’s largest hostile networks. Though its final objective is unknown, this new and dangerous enemy represents a serious menace to the world. In response
Read moreI hear tell that the Oktober Guard is making the news lately in the GI Joe world. While I appreciate all that the modern style has done for bringing realistically styled and proportionate figures to collectors, at heart I’m an old curmudgeon who really loves the old O-ring construction. So Schrage came to us back in the halcyon days of
Read moreStalker is one of the Joes who I think becomes too hemmed in by his original design. Sure, the first figure was iconic, but after a while it’s nice to see something different. He has had a few redesigns over the years, but Hasbro still seems to go back the all-camo well with Stalker. While I enjoyed the deviaton of
Read moreI have to hand it to the collectors club for their membership figures over the last three years. After a great final o-ring figure in Big Lob, and the much requested modern style Dial Tone (even though I found it lacking due to parts choices), they’ve created a very nice new representation of the Joe team’s far out infantryman. Though
Read moreThe first Alley Viper seemed an odd duck to me, from its color scheme to the strange face shield. Urban fighters outfitted in blue and orange, wearing masks through which it appeared they couldn’t possibly see? But hey, it’s GI Joe, I thought, shrugged my shoulders, and moved on. The later 90’s Alley Viper changed up the sculpt, and included a
Read moreIt seems no major Cobra player was safe from the swift pen of redesign and sub-team reallocation at the end of the first Real American Hero line. If they weren’t being placed into robotic spacesuits, they were painted in bright hues or transplanted as ninjas. Such is the case with Zartan. I really can’t fault them for sticking to the
Read moreWhat happens when a survivalist’s best pair of jeans fall into a vat of radioactive sludge? He joins the GI Joe Eco Warriors, of course. Then he dons his official OSHA Inspector yellow hard hat and takes to US military bases, scouring them for negligent and willful violations of proper HAZCOM and HAZWOPER protocols. Outback used to spend his time in
Read moreIf you asked ten year old me who my favorite Joe figure was, I probably would have said the name of the latest figure I had gotten. Yeah, even back then I could find something to like about each one. For a while around Christmas 1983, Airborne was my favorite. ’83 was the year that I really got into Joes,
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