By the time the 2008 assortments of the 25th anniversary series had been announced, I already had a list of must-have figures in my head. Among them was Torpedo, one of my favorite 1980s Joes, and also one of the earliest figures I recall seeing on the pegs in my local Montgomery Ward. Unfortunately the new figure was incredibly difficult
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By KansasBrawler The generic cop that I dubbed Hi-Po might not have been the greatest introduction to Lanard figures via a garage sale, but the other figure I snagged is actually a pretty great figure if you can look past the ridiculously terrible Native American stereotypes around him. I’ve taken to calling him Thunderbird, but your mileage may vary. I
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Somebody at Funskool was either super high or prone to taking things way too literally. As the pilot of the Skystorm X-Wing Chopper, his original namesake was most likely chosen in relation to the vehicle’s design. It’s not all goofiness however, as Funskool gave his uniform a nice spruce up of color. The original was just an odd combo, and
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Black Major has long cornered the market for Cobra trooper variants. From basic infantry to the elite troops, his customs run the gamut from environmental specialists to Cobra sub-teams, and has even branched into 1984 Storm Shadow and Night Vipers. All look pretty cool in a rainbow of unique colors that Hasbro never made. Crimson Guards in a desert theater
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By 1985, Snake Eyes was equal parts commando and ninja. Just a couple of changes to uniform and weaponry transformed the Joe team’s mystery man/soldier into a mystical warrior. With the introduction of Storm Shadow, an entire ninja mythos was born. It continues to this day. In 2007, the anniversary series met with enough success that the pegs saw the
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By Past Nastification Sgt. Rock figures are frustrating. They could have been amazing, but for the flawed arms. I’ve hit on this in reviews before, but the short arm problem merits its own rant. This was to be a review of the medic figure (quick review: I like it), but those arms have an undeniable gravity I have to address.
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By KansasBrawler When the Joe line reinvented itself in a smaller scale in 1982, they really managed to capture lightning in a bottle. Those first 13 figures were interesting characters and to me, one of the coolest was Rock ‘N’ Roll. KansasBrother and I were both too young to have started with the Joe line when it came back in
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Attendees of this year’s final JoeCon had a chance to pick up a USB drive chock full of Joe-related pics, video and other information courtesy of Joe Declassified. While perusing the content, I couldn’t help but get excited over this DIC animation promo. Not only because I’m an unabashed fan of the DIC ‘toon, but also because the promo was
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You’ll have to try very hard to avoid a Wolverine comparison when it comes to Razorclaw. From his masked, dour visage to his retractable claws to his berserker personality, the guy is the most Logan-y of all Cobras. Heck, his helmet/mask even has built-in mutton chops. Razorclaw was part of the Valor vs. Venom series, and as such his background
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This issue dates back to 2013, well before the current action figure covers became a big deal in the variant cover game. While not photo real like the toy package covers of John Tyler Christopher, the cover is no less interesting and is certainly unique. What’s going on in the issue? I have no idea.
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