I’m not too proud to admit it–I was into the Street Fighter II Joes. Of course, I also went whole hog into every other wild and wooly experiment Hasbro was pushing during the waning years of the Real American Hero era. As someone who has continued to appreciate the toy aspects of these…toys, the entire period struck my fancy. Ryu
Read moreEnvironmental specific figures have been favorites of mine since the 80s. I enjoyed playing with the arctic, desert and aquatic characters and imagining them in their unique locations. Living in the midwest, I had snow in the winter, and summer sandboxes stood in for the desert. Outside of the seasons, things like bedspreads and books represented snow fields and mountains.
Read moreby KansasBrawler I’ve mentioned before that a lot of what I’m reviewing is what I currently have on display in a small curio cabinet on my wall plus a couple of additional shelves. It’s impressive to say the least that all five figures from the last wave of the 30th Anniversary line all managed to make the cut and stay
Read moreThe modern construction style lends itself to differing body sizes and heights. The same was true with the o-ring to an extent, but was not exploited as often as it has been among more recent figures. Tunnel Rat, one of the more diminutive GI Joe team members, finally received a figure that reflected his intended stature during the 25th Anniversary line.
Read moreThe Kre-O GI Joe figures have been at their best because they manage to distill the essence o classic character designs into just a few basic shapes and broad paint details. Some might call it a Lego knock-off, but the line is getting a bit of its own kind of vibe as it goes along. Sure, the brick figure concept
Read moreI never thought I’d use the terms generic and ninja commando in the same sentence, but this early 2000s coloring book has forced my hand. I’ve found the most interesting coloring book covers of the past incorporated either a multi-character scene, or even an out of the ordinary fourth wall breaking subject. Speaking of which, and I know I’m straying
Read moreThe ninjas just keep on comin’. Seems like at times you just can’t swing a plastic nunchaku in a GI Joe line without hitting one of the masked marvels of PJed mayhem. The Rise of Cobra movie series was no different, as the two most prominent ninja in the storyline were released over and over. Storm Shadow in particular was
Read moreUntil the recent Toys R Us product, the Rise of Cobra seemed to have been the last great gasp of GI Joe store exclusives. I was figuring that when Retaliation hit last year, there would have been the usual run of repaints, repacks and multi-figure sets at Target, Walmart and Toys R Us. Such was not the case. Too bad.
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Crossing chasms via ropes must have been a popular pastime in 1987. It’s the Joe A Day Moment of Zen…
Read moreby KansasBrawler Lifeline has always been a bit of an odd duck. My brother had him and we used him a lot since you can’t have a Joe team without a medic, but that pacifist angle is a bit difficult to deal with. I’ve always followed it more along the lines of the filecard…which actually doesn’t mention his pacifistic tendencies.
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