Army General (1996)

A year before large scale Joe returned to regular retail with a newly designed highly-articulated body, Target offered up a series of Hall of Fame based interpretations of World War II officers. I had to make a trek to Wichita in order to pick up the set, as my area didn’t get a Target store until the 2000s. At the time, I was super jazzed to get them, as I had been dabbling in 60s Joes for a few years. Being able to pick up inexpensive WWII era figures was an opportunity too good to pass up.

I normally picture flight jackets of the era with sheep-lined collars, but obviously not all were of the type. My mind has most likely been imprinted from photos of General Patton. This Joe General sports a more typical collared jacket.

Getting a unique uniform like an Army General, which wasn’t covered in the ’64-68 era was a treat. Although the quality of the materials and cut/sew is higher than the Real American Hero twelve inch releases, the underlying body really doesn’t lend itself well to the thicker fabrics and multiple layers. The overall look is stiff, and there’s little play value in a figure that can’t be posed much. Thankfully 1997 would usher in a new era of poseability for the big Joes, and the 2000s produced many wonderful military-based sets.