This year at JoeCon, Hasbro displayed a group of conceptual figures, some of which were modern versions of classic designs, and others were new concepts. One of my favorites, which also made an appearance in the customizing class, was the Lawn Viper. What’s that got to do with a jungle specialist like Pathfinder? Well, I would like to posit that
Read moreHawk as a general seems to get three distinct looks. First, there’s the original ’86 comeback special, and a vintage look of sorts, with the leather bomber jacket. Another is the more traditional dress uniform, more appropriate for flying a desk than anything else. And speaking of flying, we finally have the flight suit with jet pack from the anything
Read moreTo say that this figure’s style doesn’t resemble the usual Major Bludd is an understatement. A couple of the Bludd hallmarks remain intact. A classic styled helmet still sits atop his head, this time with a nifty attached eyepatch and spiked center section. Very 80’s metal, I must say. The head is my favorite element of the figure, as it
Read moreI hope everyone’s not tired of my gushing over the Sky Patrol figures. To me, they’re all just wonderful examples of the effective repurposing of parts. Maybe they all work so well because, aside from the heads, they were each taken from an entire existing figure. As such, each figure was at least assured a unified look from the neck
Read moreYes yes, I laughed at the name too, but it’s not any worse than Skidmark. The CORPS! line had a few figures that looked like they could be villains, but were not. With his gas mask and shirtless look, Gasman sure looks like he should be a member of the enemy forces. Wait, as near as I can tell, there
Read moreWhen did Ethan Hunt discover the Nintendo Power Glove? When I happened upon the Adventures of GI Joe 2010 series, some of which I remember seeing during their time of release in the late 90’s, I was intrigued by the look and the audacity of the concept, but my interest was never piqued enough to pull a figure from the
Read moreI almost get tired of saying this, but some of the less regarded later figures are pretty awesome, if you can see beyond some garish colors. Take this Sci Fi, for example. He’s got some really nice things going for him. Considering some of the shortcuts that were happening late in the line, like the weapons trees and limited paint
Read moreCarcass is a perfect fit into the whacked-out end of the Real American Hero era, coming from the second series of Star Brigade, in which the fiction suddenly included interstellar travel and an alien empire. The figure design itself, which recalls something I think I may have doodled in the margins of my third grade English workbook, crosses an alligator
Read moreI thought in honor of Father’s Day, I’d cover a figure that’s not only the father of all subsequent GI Joe figures, but also the father of all toys that could be considered “action figures”. I don’t pretend to know 1/100th of what’s known of the history of the original GI Joe, but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating its
Read moreFor me, if there’s a posterboy for goofball Joes, it’s this version of Muskrat. Yeah, I know there’s the cult of Crystal Ball, and even the Esoteric Order of Big Brawler, but those guys are also fringe weirdos for other reasons. Musky here is an everyman’s fool. The poor guy just looks damn goofy, and it’s not purely due to
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