1993 saw the continuation of the previous year’s DEF, albeit in a less obvious manner. Each of the second year Joe drug fighters and Cobra criminals were folded into the regular Battle Corps assortment, and given normal accessories in place of the previous Battle Flash weaponry. Gristle comes to us as either a lieutenant or successor to the drug kingpin
Read moreAll black Snake Eyes figures are things of beauty to me. There’s something great about the simplicity of that first figure from 1982, clad in just one cast shade of black plastic. Through the years, there have only been a handful of figures to go this route, one of which I’ve covered here before. The Target exclusive Rescue Mission boxed
Read moreby Twitziller The Built to Rule Sledgehammer, available as part of the second series of BTR sets in limited release in 2004, is a new design with a new name. In its primary mode, the Sledgehammer is a low-slung one-person mini-tank with working treads, an armored body, and a dual missile launcher with an articulated “remote” swivel mechanism. The Sledgehammer
Read moreIn 2014, the year of GI Joe’s 50th anniversary, what sort of figures are being released to pay tribute to the brand’s 1960s origins? Well, none to speak of. In fact, the only homage toys celebrating the first generation of Joes, outside of a Collectors Club convention exclusive offering, are Kreons based on 1970s figures. More than a bit of
Read moreKamakura had quite a bit of exposure during the 2000s relaunch line. In just three years, he had three small figure releases, plus a 12 inch figure. His first version, the dreaded banana headed, Action Attack monstrosity, stands as one of the downright goofiest figures of the era. This one succeeded it, and improved upon its unfortunately masked predecessor. Included
Read moreby KansasBrawler Ultimate Cobra Commander is one of the reasons I was glad I just bought the entire Retaliation super wave online. I’m not sure what I would have thought of him the first time I saw him in person. He was a bubble figure. I wound up with a lot of versions of “classic” Cobra Commander (both helmeted and
Read moreThe Kre-O love train just keeps rolling on. In the midst of so much angst about the status of the GI Joe brand, these little guys (and now gals) are tiny bricky bits of happiness. The overt cheeriness of the Lego-esque Joe world is a welcome counterpoint to all the doom, gloom and outright speculation about GI Joe’s future. Wave
Read moreThe Eco Warriors sub-set hasn’t generally been regarded as one of the Real American Hero line’s shining moments. Part of the ever increasing trend toward splintering the GI Joe concept into action feature filled offshoots and more socially conscious action toys, the set remained only for one year beyond its debut. Of all the detours of the time, I found
Read moreby Twitziller The Built to Rule Night Prowler is the first of two micro sets offered in the second series of BTR in 2004. Like other second series sets, the figure is no longer visible through a clear window on the front of the box. In its primary mode, the Night Prowler is an armed go-kart or perhaps an attack
Read moreby KansasBrawler Every time a new wave comes around, there’s a dangerous temptation to name a new figure the best version of its character ever. During the Pursuit of Cobra line, Hasbro had this tendency to make an amazing version of a figure in one wave and then just a couple waves down the line make something even more amazing.
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