Blowtorch was one of the first figures of 1984 that I was excited–and I mean really excited–to get. I was also excited to find out what the figure’s code name was. At the time, I hadn’t yet bought any vehicles or accessories for the year and thus didn’t know any code names for the new figures. After all, it was
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There are a few GI Joe figures that have passed beyond the realm of simply being well made and memorable to the die hard fans. Figures like the original Cobra Commander, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes I think are recognizable even to those who only have a casual knowledge of the toys. Then there are others, who may not be
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Man–it’s hard to believe I’ve been chronicling the amazing toy line that is Large James for almost eight years! As you know if you follow this blog regularly, I hold a special place in my heart for the weirder corners of the BJ mythos. Whether it’s the mid-70s P,A.C.K. (featuring package artwork by none other than Jack “King” Kirby) or
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By KansasBrawler All right, loyal readers, I have a confession to make. I bought the 25th Anniversary Blowtorch and had buyer’s remorse pretty quickly. I don’t know why, but I just really didn’t like the figure once I got it out of the package. I think part of it was that the facemask on mine didn’t fit properly and made
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In the days of the Sunbow cartoon, I couldn’t quite fathom why Spirit was set up as an antagonist for Storm Shadow, when Snake Eyes was also about. Maybe it was merely the philosophical bent that both characters were given in the animated series, that the writers determined the two were a good match. Then again, maybe it was due
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I am a sucker for the towed artillery that peppered the early years of the Real American Hero line. These weapons bring a variety to the battlefield beyond tanks and fast-attack wheeled attack vehicles. It’s a shame the trend didn’t continue into the later 80s and 90s. I suppose Hasbro figured cannons just weren’t as interesting as variations on tanks
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Does it get any sweeter than the Polar Battle Bear? I think not. Since 1983, this has been my go-to winter/arctic vehicle. Yes, I even elevate it above the Snow Cat. Why? Well, you can easily amass a fleet of them, and more importantly it’s the only driverless vehicle that I instantly identify with a single-carded figure. Who? My favorite
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By KansasBrawler Overall, the 25th Anniversary line, while far from perfect, did a great job at referencing just about every facet of the small scale Joe brand’s history. One of the biggest surprises for me was the Cobra Night Watch set. I passed on the original set pretty easily when it first came out during the new sculpt era. I
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One of the great elements of the relaunched Joes of the 80s were the options in lower price points. For a little more dough than what you’d spend on a figure, you could pick up a nice accessory like the SNAKE armor. If Mom and Dad wouldn’t plunk down a tenner for a VAMP, they might just go for an
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The entire run of Flag Points is now available at 3DJoes! It was an honor to be a part of the show, and I can’t wait to listen back to the adventures with Dave, Don, Page and all the amazing Joe fans and creators! Big thanks to Carson for hosting the content. Now you can peruse the Knock It Off
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