Lanard’s Corps! line didn’t really follow the typical 80’s good guys vs bad guys logic of action figure lines like GI Joe. Because there weren’t media offshoots like a comic or cartoon, and the mythos wasn’t as strongly portrayed on the packaging, kids were left to interpret how these guys related to one another. Whenever I saw Corps! figures in
Read moreWas the designer of this Scrap Iron a fan of Warhammer 40,000? The shoulder pad shape, and the multi-piece armor remind me of that war torn grim future’s Space Marines. Mix that look with a head and helmet reminiscent of manga art taken into three dimensions, and you’ve got a truly different take on one of the classic named baddies of Cobra.
Read moreOkay, I know Shipwreck looks inherently weird here. He’s long-legged and short-torsoed (is that a word?) like many other figures from the early to mid 2000s GI Joe lines, or what we collector geeks call the “new sculpt” era. But look past the proportions, and you might see a Shipwreck concept that was both new and useful. When most children
Read moreI suppose the Direct to Consumer (DTC) line bridged the gap between the GI Joe vs. Cobra/new sculpt/whatever era and the 25th anniversary/modern lines. By the way, GI Joe fans really like to categorize and name these things, don’t we? The DTC series marked not only a return to single carded figures, but also to a more classic styled packaging.
Read moreNight Force was quite well represented in the 2000’s era, appearing in a couple of army builder waves as well as a Toys R Us multi-pack. This Flint hails from the latter, and I like his inclusion in the group. He’s a prominent command member of the GI Joe team, and I always find him useful in a leadership role.
Read moreBattle helmet or hood? It’s a question that has been in the mind of GI Joe fans since the 1980’s. In the comic and cartoon, the Commander switched headgear quite often, causing kids (including me) to want both versions. Hasbro fulfilled the wish in 1984, with a mail order hooded version. Both the hood and a redesigned battle helmet later
Read moreBy 2001, I was firmly entrenched in the online GI Joe and toy geek collecting world. Instead of getting info on new releases from Stone Age places like magazines, I was going to the fan sites, message boards and Usenet (can it be considered Bronze Age?) for the latest scoop. I had been buying the Real American Hero Collection two
Read moreFor me, childhood memories of GI Joe and Christmas are intertwined. That’s how I received most of my toys, especially the large ones, as a kid. 1983 was the first big Joe Christmas for me, as I received most of the year’s figures as well as the Cobra Missile Command HQ. Amazingly, I still have most of it, though the
Read moreThe new sculpt era was filled with new troop types for Cobra. I totally dig that. After all, why create a new line if it ends up being solely a recreation of something we’ve already had? At the beginning of this new era, Cobra was free from classically styled blueshirts, Vipers, Crimson Guards, and the like. They were replaced with
Read more1986 Vipers are the darlings of vintage army building collectors. I have a few; enough for a squad. I never bought dozens and dozens of them to stand in neat rank and file, even when they were plentiful and cheap. Such is not the case with the Valor vs. Venom Viper mold. I went nuts on buying this figure. Why?
Read more