During the 25th anniversary series, there were many figures on fans’ want lists. The Defense of Cobra Island seven pack put a few of most wanted Cobra army builders in our hands. The original Alley Viper was one of them, and most of that mold continues to show up in modern versions of the popular urban assault trooper. Less accessorized
Read moreWell, I thought winter was finished around these parts, but I guess there’s one last blast coming through. In honor of that, and this crazy season of apocalyptic snowfall, here’s Snow Storm. Part of the Battle Corps series, his claim to fame with collectors comes from a variation. This figure, along with the same year’s redesigned Outback, was intended for
Read moreIt’s too bad Hasbro doesn’t feel the need to include file cards with the Retaliation movie figures. An interesting looking new Cobra trooper, the Cyber Ninja I’m sure could have benefited from some sort of backstory. Maybe I’m just being a crotchety old vintage collector, but surely it can’t add too much to the cost, or take away from the
Read moreI really like Star Brigade, the fairly grand experiment at the end of the original small scale GI Joe line. Maybe experiment is the wrong word. Some may say desperate attempt to boost sales. Was Hasbro prescient, foretelling the successful relaunch of Star Wars under their banner? Were they trying to catch some of that galaxy far away’s lightning in
Read moreI find it a little odd that so far there’s not been a truly decent movie accurate version of the top Cobra ninja. After all, the second wave Snake Eyes turned out to be a wonderful figure. The Storm Shadow in that same assortment was, well, less than stellar. Over the years, GI Joe has had several figures equipped with
Read moreHi-Tech by his name only would seem to be yet another GI Joe in the vein of classics like Mainframe, a computer specialist. But his abilities lie along the lines of an all ’round Mr. Fixit. As an Operations Support Specialist, he’s tasked with being able to repair any kind of technology. In this way, he strikes me as a
Read moreMost of the impetus for this blog comes from reconnecting and finding a continuing use for my collection, the breadth of which sometimes makes me question my sanity. Earlier in the week, a couple of GI Joe news items got me thinking about Sigma 6 Firefly. First, there was the news of the Toys R Us exclusive Jurassic Park figures based on
Read moreSacre bleu! Tank tread boots! Zeut alors! Up until a short time ago, I actually thought his name was Hat Trick Lemonade. Can you believe that? I think that name is much more fitting than LeMonde. It certainly matches the figure in terms of sheer wackiness. Part of the funky Corps! sports series figures, he was released alongside other classic
Read moreI have to say that I’ve been somewhat disappointed in the amount of Retaliation product on the shelves so far. Maybe that will change in the weeks to come, but it sure doesn’t seem like retailers are very high on ordering mass quantities. Can you blame them, considering how the Rise of Cobra performed, and then last year’s delay for
Read moreDusty had one of the most easily recognizable designs in the vintage era, with his all-over desert camo and distinctive helmet with cloth attachment. The new sculpt era, for all its perceived issues, got quite a few things right, especially in terms of character selection. Sure, the poster boys Duke and Snake Eyes were present, but many other familiar Joes
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