What’s in a name? With the GI Joe brand since the Real American Hero era’s end, it seems at times a mire of copyright and/or trademark clearances. Mainstay characters like Hawk, Stalker and Scarlett have all been subject to moniker juggling. Heck, even lesser knowns like Starduster have had their code names go incognito and back again over the years.
Read moreHasbro mail-aways were kind of a funny thing. Neither my brother nor I had the Night Raven, yet thanks to Hasbro’s mail-in offers, I have fond memories of the Strato-Viper from my brother’s collection. He saw a lot of use in my brother’s Cobra air force, manning the second seat of the Hurricane just about every time it was used.
Read moreSnake Eyes’ second figure design is one that seems to be high on collectors’ wish lists for remakes each time a new iteration of GI Joe toys appear. I can’t blame folks for wanting it, as the 1985 toy has been one of the most iconic looks for the brand’s most popular character. New portrayals, be they in comic book,
Read moreSo, Major Bludd, did they ever get him exactly right in terms of his original toy appearance? I think the Extreme Conditions Desert set came the closest. This one is meant to resemble his portrayal in the Sunbow animated series. The mold still retains too many bits of Zartan to look exactly like the Major’s cartoon counterpart. With thigh pads
Read moreSay what you will about Funskool’s GI Joe output in the 2000s, but there was no shortage of toy features built into the line. Sometimes there were even a few clever add-ins that had no domestic corollary. Case in point–Law. I can’t think of a figure that I’d be more surprised to see provided with a gaggle of kid friendly
Read moreStalker is one of the Joe characters that I always buy, regardless of whether he’s a new mold or a simple repaint. Released as part of Target’s exclusive Ultimate Battle Pack, he was one of seven figures included in the set. This was one of those times when the word “ultimate” wasn’t just hyperbolic. Heck, the monstrous box also included
Read moreby KansasBrawler I’ve always loved the science fiction elements that are a part of the G.I. Joe brand. Cobra La came at just the right time for my kid brain to latch onto it and I think it’s pretty darn cool even if most Joe fans think it was a terrible idea. Another element I’ve always loved was the idea
Read moreI was so jazzed when the 25th Anniversary series started to break into cartoon and comic subjects. I had longed for Sunbow specific character designs and exclusive ‘toon personalities since the 80s. When I picked up the wave that contained this Baroness, my excitement quickly subsided. It was simply the Cobra five pack body repainted in blue, and with a
Read moreHow many times have we heard about Cobra pilots and the extreme punishment their bodies are put through? It seems if they’re not genetically modified, they’re subjected to some horribly gruelling training regimen. The Nullifiers are no different, as their file cards posit. The color scheme, or lack thereof, is in contrast to the incredible detail of the mold. Strange
Read moreBack in 1984, I bought Deep Six and his vehicle, the SHARC, because of both the Marvel comic and the figure’s action feature. The comic heavily featured Deep Six and his ride in an iconic issue that also fully debuted Zartan. How could I have resisted begging my parents to buy me every toy that showed up in that issue?
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