When the initial 25th Anniversary five-pack sets made their way to toy shelves, I believe we all assumed Hasbro was simply going to revisit the most popular characters in a limited commemorative run intended for collectors. As such, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope that the toys would be as playable or as popular as their forebears. Both
Read more
I am intrigued by the Action Force packaging for a couple of reasons. The bold and angular style of the box layout is an interesting counterpoint to the American GI Joe series of the 1980s. For UK exclusive items like the Roboskull, we unfortunately have nothing with which to compare it. The packages also remind me of Kenner’s Star Wars
Read more
Black Major has been producing interesting variants of Cobra troops using the 80s trooper mold for some time. His most recent offerings include a new troop type code named Hercules. With a deco based on the Palitoy Action Force range’s SAS detachment, this new figure joins the ranks of familiar faces like Blades, Stalker and Hunter. The color scheme echoes
Read more
If you hadn’t made the connection between the designs of Mad Max and the Dreadnok concept in its first year of release, you sure couldn’t escape the comparison by ’86. The Thunder Machine is a straight-up toy rendition of a vehicle Lord Humungus and his crew might have rocketed through the wasteland. This was one nutso vehicle–and I loved it.
Read more
Looking back, I sure am disappointed to not have gotten in at the ground floor with the 1988 series. My childhood Joe collection stopped in the midst of the 1987 series. I like the ’87 releases, but the Cobras were…odd. With several cool new Joes as well as Cobra army builders, the followup was a fine year. I recall spotting
Read moreThings are a mite busy here at the JAD HQ (hence the missed post yesterday). Nothing super heavy is going on, just everyday life being what it is. Tonight we’ll have a rerun, inspired by the fact that Shark Week is upon us again. Take a trip back to 1992 and enjoy the Eels and his robotic partner.
Read more
Action features are a sticky wicket. While kids love ’em (and they do, believe me) collectors tend to loathe them. I’m okay with action features when they’re integrated well with the figures. Weirdly scaled limbs, giant buttons or fall-apart bits tend to turn me off. However, when the feature is themed with the character and still allows for playability beyond
Read more
We’re down to the final figure in the Desert Duel set, and we saved the best for last. Okay, maybe not. However, I do find myself being more impressed with this figure than I initially thought. The Elite Horseman comes to us as the driver of the new Cobra Basilisk. All right, so the Basilisk is not really new. More
Read more
By YT I’m not a fan of the GI Joe live action movie Storm Shadow costume. I just don’t care for the aesthetic and don’t even get me started on Ninjas wearing tennis shoes. That being said when Hot Toys announced their Retaliation figure line I was thrilled. For those who may not know, Hot Toys is an Asian company
Read more
Over the course of the Kre-O GI Joe run, there have been quite a few different variations of the classic “blueshirt” Cobra Trooper. Some were straight copies of the ’82-83 baddies, while others were new adaptations of the familiar helmeted henchmen. At a first glance of photos online, I thought that the figure was based on the 25th Anniversary Cobra
Read more