Joe Moment of Zen: Action Packs!
Crossing chasms via ropes must have been a popular pastime in 1987. It’s the Joe A Day Moment of Zen…
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30th Anniversary Lifeline
by KansasBrawler Lifeline has always been a bit of an odd duck. My brother had him and we used him a lot since you can’t have a Joe team without a medic, but that pacifist angle is a bit difficult to deal with. I’ve always followed it more along the lines of the filecard…which actually doesn’t mention his pacifistic tendencies.
Read moreWe Need a Medic! (Again)
When searching through my figures for new subjects, I often come across items that I’ve already covered. Sometimes I look at them and think they deserve more exposure, or I just feel the need to talk about them again. Such is the case with this figure. The Medi-Viper is a character that will be familiar to the Marvel comic readers
Read moreBarrel Roll (2003)
Barrel Roll is one of the coolest figures of its time. What? Yes. How much cooler can you get in a GI Joe line when a new character not only starts an intriguing storyline, but also includes a disguisable vehicles? To start off, Barrel Roll introduced a new specialty that’s interesting, a high altitude sniper. The concept is simple, and
Read moreCaptivating Cover – Operation: Night Flight
I used to love Night Flight, with its eclectic mix of music videos, old-timey short films and just plain oddness. It’s too bad such a thing doesn’t exist any longer, and probably won’t ever again. I long for the golden age of cable TV, a time before an endless mess of instantly available viewing material was available at one’s fingertips.
Read moreRazor Trooper (2004)
No, it’s not the code name for the Cobra barber. Instead it’s a trooper based upon another named Cobra agent. Razorclaw was an individual released during Valor vs. Venom, and as such, had been genetically modified by Dr. Mindbender. Surprisingly, the man was given his own cadre of troops to lead, all of whom shared a similar uniform and weaponry.
Read moreRetaliation Joe Colton
by KansasBrawler Yipee-kai-yay, Mr. Falcon! Sometimes, a toy run surprises you. I called an audible on a trip where I was actually flying solo for a change and swung in to Toys ‘R’ Us even though I wasn’t really looking for anything. Imagine my surprise when, after all their post-Christmas reorganization, there was a fresh display of Joe figures—something I
Read moreBelt Buckle Week – Day 6: Cobra Class of ’87
The Bad Guys got in on the action in a big way in 1987. These are some seriously bodacious buckles, people. I suppose the villains are expected to be more ostentatious, but this year seems to eclipse them all in terms of style. I would expect a yahoo like Raptor to go all out with theme imagery, and he’s no
Read moreBelt Buckle Week – Day 5: Razor Trooper (2004)
So if wearing one cool belt buckle is good, then wearing two must be even better. However, the Razor Trooper from 2004 apparently couldn’t make up his mind. He was available in two different (well, slightly) two packs: one with Neurotoxin and one with Sand Scorpion. If you bought one pack, you’d get a figure with two belts, but if
Read moreBelt Buckle Week – Day 4: Armadillo (1988)
One of the most undercooked GI Joe uniform designs gave rise to an impressive belt buckle. It’s the sort of thing you’d expect to see on a cowboy type, with a longhorn skull emblazoned across it. The fancy buckle actually works within the confines of the design of the figure’s lower extremities. Up top, he’s fairly plain, including his decidedly
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