Now I can finally be an official pilot for that shuttle I picked up at the flea market! Thankfully, this thing kinda fits my pinky finger. Now my Sgt. Slaughter figure won’t berate me every time I try to fly the Crusader around my living room. I feel like a kid who got a cool Cracker Jacks prize–back when that
Read moreBy KansasBrawler I’ve never had any special affinity for Recondo. I never had him growing up so I don’t have any real memories of him and by the time Pursuit of Cobra Recondo came out, I’d only had the Assault on Cobra Island Recondo for a short time and he really hadn’t made an impression on me. Honestly, the strongest
Read moreAction Man in the 90s became a catch-all character, working in both the spy arena as well as sports themes. I suppose that shouldn’t be too surprising, as the UK’s cousin to GI Joe also delved into sports with a footballer and cricketer. In the 90s, sports were all about extremes, and this figure showcases the decade’s focus on out-there
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What could be a better 80s comics nostalgia blast than a GI Joe comic cover released as part of Marvel’s 25th Anniversary back in 1986? The special portrait covers still stand as some of my favorite Marvel covers, and even the Joe comic got in on the act. Judging by the illustration style, I think it’s done by Mike Zeck,
Read moreAs a kid, I had only Flash (my first Joe figure) and Snake Eyes in the straight arm format. Both figures were well loved by little me. Flash’s right thumb breaking off (a side effect of putting his laser rifle in his hand a lot). Snake Eyes often accompanied me on trips to visit relatives (there weren’t a lot of
Read moreThat’s a mouthful, huh? I wanted to be able to differentiate from the other Cobra Commander figures released as part of the Retaliation line. I was actually surprised to see the Commander as a driver figure. It’s kind of an oddity, considering that named command level Cobras have usually been paired with smaller vehicles, like Serpentor and Overlord in the
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I’ve been fortunate enough for the past two years to be a regular part of the Flag Points podcast. Unfortunately, it came to an end last week with the release of Episode 45 Part 2. It was an epic, fun and positive end to a podcast that was a great experience for me. I appreciate Dave’s kindness in allowing me
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For the past few years, I’ve covered Kansas City’s Planet Comicon, and the appearances there of the GI Joe costuming club The Finest. Each year they’ve featured characters such as Flash, Major Bludd, Flint and Lady Jaye. This year, they’ve added a new element: a life-size playset. The Bivouac battle station has been recreated down to small details like original
Read moreBy KansasBrawler Ah, phantom waves…the bane of every collector’s existence. It always seems like some really good stuff gets shunted off into final, hard-to-find waves of toy lines. Be it the WarriorsThree from Thor, Kwinn and company from Retaliation or the great figures in the last wave of Pursuit of Cobra, it’s always maddening when Hasbro brings the heat in
Read moreThere just aren’t enough shouting bearded men on kids’ toys these days. What the hell, toy companies? In all seriousness, there just aren’t enough painted packages any more. I liken it to the almost lost art of the movie poster, in which photographs and photorealistic renderings have taken the place of evocative and stylized art. Oh well, at least we
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