Bullet-Proof (1992)
Drug-Fighting GI Joes battle Headman and his gang of drug thugs for control of “Main Street U.S.A.!” Each drug enforcement agent and villain utilizes a Battle-Flash weapon to elevate this conflict to new heights of danger! So states the cardback of the GI Joe sub-team called the Drug Elimination Force or DEF. Bullet-Proof is the leader of the group, and comes to the Joe team from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
The figure is an all original sculpt, and typical for the 90’s, sports a larger physique compared to the 80’s figures. Atypical for the 90’s is the absence of bright colors, although that would be corrected the next year, when Bullet-Proof was re-released sporting bright yellow in place of tan. Speaking of the 90’s, the head sculpt has a nice period high-top fade. If you ever wanted to make a 90’s Wesley Snipes custom figure, here’s your chance. His uniform sports what can be best described as Tetris camo. I suppose it’s supposed to be urban camo, but the shapes sure look like Tetris pieces to me.
The accessory complement is all new and quite nice. The new helmet and mic certainly have more of a law enforcement than military feel. The backpack is well detailed and features a molded in gas mask. Finally, his unique rifle looks appropriate for urban operations, and I don’t recall seeing it reused for any other figures. The only truly goofy accessory is the flashing missile launcher. It’s nice to see such specific weapons and equipment so late in the line. Within a couple of years, Hasbro would move to the accessory “tree” of more generic weapons.
If only the character would have had the last name Vess, he could have been a cool nod to the future Hasbro COPS series’ leader Bulletproof.
I liked the DEF. It brought back Mutt, Junkyard, Cutter, and Shockwave (plus Muskrat as originally planned) while tossing in a couple of new characters along with a new villain. I wondered too, if there was a connection between this Bulletproof and the head of C.O.P.S. This is nice figure for the era and features a great head sculpt. I would go with Tetris camo as well for the description, good call! LOL.
Love the flat-top haircut!
I’ll have to get your input for some Joe hair and fashion critiques. 🙂
The DEF figures were all awesome. Cutter, Mutt and Shockwave all got respectable updates, and Bullet Proof was an awesome addition to the team. The helmet and back pack were cool, but I thought the stock on his rifle was too long. That rifle was replaced by a Colt 635 submachine gun.
Strictly as a DEA guy, I felt his usage on my Joe team was rather limited, so I reworked his backstory a little making him an Army Ranger first and foremost who went to work for the DEA, and then came back to the military when the Joe’s offered him a spot on the team. A customized recolored (the uniform I mean) version of this figure is a squad leader on my Night Force team.
I’d like to see that. Are you on Joecustoms.com?
The DEF came out the year after I got my last Joes as a kid, so I was not familiar with Bullet-Proof until I found yojoe.com when I was in college. Of all of the subteams the DEF seems the most reasonable and I have been kept an eye out for them over the years.
I just picked up Bullet-Proof at a classic toy show last month, and am glad I did. Very cool figure, definitely would have fit in with my team of Joes “back in the day.” Also picked up Mace, so my DEF squad is off to a nice start.