New Field Report: Cobra Rifle Range Unit by KansasBrawler
A new Field Report is up! It’s the 1985 Cobra Rifle Range Unit by reader and frequent commenter KansasBrawler. Check it out!
Read moreMonth: August 2012
Swamp Rat (2004)
How many GI Joe figures can you think of that have a tail? Okay, outside of animal sidekicks, I mean. And the aliens or mutant monsters of the 90’s. I honestly had forgotten that Swamp Rat had a tail until I pulled him out of his slumber at the bottom of a plastic storage tote. I’ve got to get a
Read moreTele-Viper (2003)
As a kid, I found the Tele-Viper to be a very lame Cobra troop. Some of my feeling was based on the sculpt, which was both plain and odd looking. Some was based on the specialty (how cool could a communication trooper be?). Some was based on the accessories (was that a Wham-O Air Blaster he was carrying) and some
Read moreEels (1992)
What’s even cooler than sharks with frickin’ lasers attached to their heads? How about robotic sharks with frickin’ missiles in their mouths? Whereas the ’85 Eels were the embodiment of the early RAH line’s quasi-realistic military with a sprinkling of adventure, the later Eels evidenced the toy for the sake of toy sensibility of the line’s final years. In place of grey, black and
Read moreNunchuk (2003)
Seems my favorite New York ninja has traded in his sneaks for some leg wraps. What is it with Joe martial artists and their odd footwear? In the meantime since his Ninja Force days, he’s also become the Joe team’s martial arts instructor. Why not have the big guns like Snake Eyes of Storm Shadow train the troops? Maybe that
Read moreTorch (1985)
What can I write that hasn’t been said about the Dreadnoks, some of the most iconic, colorful and well remembered GI Joe villains of the Real American Hero era? Heck, I’d venture to say they’re some of the most remembered villains of any 80’s property. At least more remembered than the likes Mon*Star, Buttons McBoomBoom, Hun-Dred or Darkstorm. I can
Read moreNeo-Viper (2004)
In a recent episode of Flag Points, we spoke to former GI Joe marketer Kirk Bozigian about what he felt made the line great during the 80’s, and what could be done to return it to its former glory. Kirk said that in his day, the toyline was marketed in a way that made it seem bigger than in was.
Read moreLampreys (1990 Sonic Fighters)
In the 90’s, I frequented the Half Price Store as part of my regular action figure hunting rounds. The store was a sort of close-out seller, much like Big Lots. Back in the early to mid 90’s, they regularly closed out Hasbro and other toy makers’ stock from the previous year. I can still picture the large deep bins holding
Read moreFlint (2008 Cobra Disguise)
When I grabbed this figure up to take photos, I remembered back to the time of its release, and how excited I was to get it. A Flint based on a never before made Sunbow look; should have been a no-brainer great figure, right? Then I remembered how bummed I was when I actually opened it up. Flint and the Cobra
Read moreFlint (1991 Eco Warriors)
So Flint finally got out from under Duke’s smirking shadow, and was assigned to head up the Eco Warriors. He’s not the first person I would think of to lead the group. Airtight would have been my first choice, but he’s not a top tier character like Flint. The file card doesn’t make any ado about specialized hazmat training to
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