The 1988 assortments included the unique pack-in premium micro figures, tiny representations of Joes and Cobras in a style and scale similar to the little green army men of old. A brilliant idea, and one that Hasbro might consider revisiting considering the current blind-bag fascination with kiddos these days. Wow, I sound like an old man. Two things strike me
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Posting the 25th anniversary Airborne last week got me to thinking about the original again, and how much I like the figure and character. There’s something timeless about the 1983 figures; they’re slimmer, more muted color-wise and accessorized with some of the most unique weapons and equipment in the line. I wouldn’t describe Mr. Talltree’s uniform as plain; he’s instantly
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Talking figures were a big deal in the early 90s. Not only did the Joes venture into this territory, but the knock-off market did as well. Toymax’s M-PACT line was heavy presence on toy shelves at stores like K-Mart and other discount retailers. Over the years, I’ve come across the figures’ accessories in random Joe lots, but hadn’t found any
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By KansasBrawler The two Resolute-branded comic packs were kind of interesting. The two Joes in the comic packs didn’t show up in Resolute at all (at least in a meaningful way, I can’t remember if either Shockwave or Tunnel Rat were in a group shot) and the Cobras included were in Resolute but looked nothing like the figures released. I’m
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By Past Nastification My hatred of head-to-toe repaints runs deep. Grand Canyon deep. Looking at this “Frostbite” figure takes some mental energy, because it’s just a Snow Job figure with the wrong name thrown on it. Maybe that’s the worst way to look at it. Instead, I’ll try to set aside the naming issue and appreciate the figure on its
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The relaunch era vehicles for the most part don’t get much attention or respect. Only a few garner the kind of good will associated with the 80s and 90s toys. Much of the output doesn’t appeal to a collector’s sensibilities, and aspects like scale, realism and fit/finish skew toward a younger demographic than we’re accustomed to. Early 2000s vehicles like
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If I had to point to a single impressive element of the 25th anniversary series, it would be the detailed accessories. The small GI Joe scale certainly has a history of amazingly intricate weapons, backpacks and other gear, and the revamped figures continued the tradition. As the modern figures have evolved, Hasbro refined its approach to the layered style of
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By KansasBrawler If there’s one thing I’ve always appreciated about the Joe brand, it was the team’s diversity. America’s highly-trained special missions group has traditionally been almost as diverse as the country itself. More importantly, those characters were fleshed out in a way that made their race a secondary thing. It’s not like Stalker and Airborne were tokens on the
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Going back to the 25th anniversary well, Airborne was another figure I really wanted to see recreated for the new line. What we got was not without flaws, but a good looking if not entirely playable figure. If you’re into revisions that look good on a shelf and are able to achieve a few decent poses, it’s a figure for
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A Crimson Cobra Commander. Why not? After all, every good totalitarian madman needs to match not only his legions of jackbooted thugs, but also his elite, more stylishly dressed personal guard. The forces of evil, though they’re always wrong and ultimately vanquished by the forces of good, are nevertheless style mavens of the highest order. Cobra Commander, even from the
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