Yesterday’s entry was one of the more obscure driver figures, and today’s is one of the better known. If you were around in the 80s for the small Joe line’s beginnings, you’ll remember this figure, and his vehicle. Though some of today’s collectors scoff at repainted figures and reused vehicles, I find that if they’re well done, the result can
Read moreSome driver figures are classics, to the level of the regular single carded characters. The early Real American Hero years are a perfect example of the drivers being as well developed and as much a part of the cartoon and comic stories as the main liners, when guys like Clutch and Wild Bill were integral parts of the team. As
Read moreWhy does this figure fascinate me? Perhaps it’s because he comes from a time when GI Joe wasn’t at the heights of popularity of the 80s, yet was a bold move in terms of being offered as a mail-in for a new line. The Hasbro direct program of the Real American Hero era was a juggernaut in terms of extra
Read moreWhen the 80s-90s Real American Hero line ended in 1994, I had been heavily involved in buying the latest figures for going on three years. I couldn’t wait to see what was awaiting me the next year after the 30th Salute. Naturally, I was highly disappointed when it all ended. For those like me who were bummed out by the
Read moreMy interest in toy collecting has something of a historian slant to it. I find the behind the scenes stories of creation, production, and even cancellation to be fascinating. With GI Joe, those stories are being unearthed constantly thanks to the efforts of some seriously dedicated fans and collectors. It seems like every toy line has that mythical final series
Read moreThe final assortment of the Real American Hero era included some unsung figures that transcend their 90s origin. That decade at times gets some unfair derision among collectors. While there were a large amount of ridiculous and strange ideas going on, with every sort of sub-team and action feature you could think of, the figure output for those last few
Read moreQuestion: are certain members of Python Patrol meant to be individuals? I know that Cooperhead is, but some of the other figures’ file cards change the terms from previous releases like “these” to “he’s”, and also frequently “this guy” which leads me to believe some may not be troopers, but rather single operatives. Then again, I could be reading too
Read moreUh, yeah. So as you can see, the 80s weren’t the height of cultural sensitivity in terms of the toy aisle. If you thought Lanard’s Bengala or Tracker Tom were bad in terms of stereotypes, check out the face sculpt on Enemy Weapons Officer. He hails from National/American Defense, the same also-ran series that brought us Enemy Leader, the infamously
Read moreThough I have a great fondness for the Sunbow cartoon, I do have a bone to pick with its portrayal of Bazooka. Did he have to sound like such a dunderhead? The file card describes him as a decisive fast thinker, and maybe he is to some extent (witness the ending of the Bazooka Saw a Sea Serpent episode), but
Read moreWow, did Cobra ever branch out their specialized troops in 1989. Talk about diversification. The year gave rise to urban ops, night troopers, anti-tank specialists, land and air drivers, not to mention several funky Iron Grenadier types. Kids who wanted to troop build must have been in hog heaven. By the way, did anyone troop build back then? I think
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