Spirit got his due in the 90s with a newly designed figure, and a command as well. The leader of the Air Commandos, a group of figures who piloted gliders, the long time Joe team member shows up in an interesting 90s uniform. The original Spirit is one of the more iconic figures for those of us who grew up
Read moreWow, it’s a tactical, battle ready version of Cobra’s elite troops. The Crimson Guard Immortal had a less decorative look than its predecessor, but having the basic Guardsman trooper in an assualt uniform is a nice addition to Cobra Commander’s scarlet hued operatives. As a figure, Hasbro again comes through with an interesting modern take on a classic in the
Read moreWet-Suit has just never looked like a combat diver to me. That’s not really a complaint, because I’m not always hung up on military realism with GI Joe. Ever since I bought Torpedo back in 1983, I’ve been a fan of the diver figures. Though they’re limited in use on land, the appeal of the underwater outfits and accessories, and
Read moreWhen I first saw the packaging for Retaliation, and its focus on ninja themes, I was more than a little concerned. Even the back of the package, which mentioned the GI Joe team having top-secret ninja training, made me wince in anticipation of what that could mean for the movie. Would Roadblock really be a ninja commando? Would Snake Eyes
Read moreAs my area is beset with an unseasonably hot month of September, my mind goes back to the beginning of this year, to a day when 12 inches of snow was on the ground, and I brought out many of my arctic figures for an impromptu photo shoot. Among them was a figure I’m surprised I haven’t covered yet, 1985’s
Read moreIt’s too bad the greatest small scale GI Joe astronaut figure was released at a time when I had stopped buying the large sets. The Defiant looked like a cool vehicle, and I loved the look of Payload, but I just couldn’t bring myself to seek out such a huge toy at the time. 1987 was the last year that
Read moreI’ve gone Kra-Z for Kre-O! Okay, sorry for the lame joke, but I’m really excited by these little guys. More so for the mini-figs than for most of the actual building sets. However, some of the vehicles are pretty nicely done, even though most aren’t based totally on existing GI Joe equipment. The figures, however, continue to be great little
Read moreThe partner figure of the Storm Shadow covered a while back, Snake Eyes is even more intriguing to me. The old school aspect of these new 12 inch styled GI Joe figures, as a contrast to the recent super detailed and hyper articulated toys, fascinates me. They’re simplistic in terms of construction, and though the throwback nature of the figures
Read moreI’m a sucker for Lanard’s CORPS line, particularly the 80s and 90s figures. I’m a little sad to report that apparently there won’t be a big local Lanard warehouse sale event this fall. I was really looking forward to picking up some of the 12 inch K-9 Corps figures. Guess, I should’ve grabbed that chainsaw wielding werewolf figure when I
Read morePart of the last few classic o-ring style figures, Jammer was an homage to the Z-Force repaint of the Stalker mold. Made up mostly of parts seen previously in a comic pack, including a smaller scaled head sculpt, Jammer also incorporates the Cobra Officer torso. This small change really helps to take the figure beyond the Stalker repaint of his
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