During the time of the 25th anniversary series, I was hoping that between the annual member figure and convention sets, the Collectors Club was going to continue to carry the torch for the vintage o-ring styled figures. I had been a fan of their convention exclusive sets since the popular Crimson Strike Team set, and eagerly awaited each year’s con
Read moreI suppose since Mainframe didn’t include any weapons, one could assume he might be a pacifist along the lines of Lifeline. However, he breaks the stereotype for what you’d consider a computer specialist. He’s former Airborne and reinlisted as a Marine, and as the file card states, “He’s got brains–but he’s hard.” Though the technology that he carries seems quaint and
Read moreWas the designer of this Scrap Iron a fan of Warhammer 40,000? The shoulder pad shape, and the multi-piece armor remind me of that war torn grim future’s Space Marines. Mix that look with a head and helmet reminiscent of manga art taken into three dimensions, and you’ve got a truly different take on one of the classic named baddies of Cobra.
Read moreOkay, I know Shipwreck looks inherently weird here. He’s long-legged and short-torsoed (is that a word?) like many other figures from the early to mid 2000s GI Joe lines, or what we collector geeks call the “new sculpt” era. But look past the proportions, and you might see a Shipwreck concept that was both new and useful. When most children
Read moreCobra’s basic troops are still an iconic image to me, almost as much as the original Grunt card art. If Cobra Commander was the face of the named villains, the trooper was the face of the organization as a whole. The look varied from figure to package to cartoon to comic, but the essence remained. Character designs were my favorite
Read moreDid you read the Marvel GI Joe comic as a kid and wish that they made action figure versions of the many variations of the main characters? I know I did. My fascination goes back to issue number two, with the very cool arctic uniforms worn by Snake Eyes, Stalker, Breaker and Scarlett. Okay, maybe they were a little plain,
Read moreAs pilot of the Armor Bot, one of the last large GI Joe vehicles produced in the original Real American Hero line, Hawk bookends the line as a driver figure. Sure, his ride isn’t as iconic as the MMS, but it is an imposing and fun toy. I suppose Hawk’s presence in Star Brigade isn’t too farfetched, as he donned
Read moreThe original Beachhead figure is great, but wow did the guy have a huge melon. Of all the many times the vintage mold was re-released, it never got a retrofitted head. I hoped for one as part of the vintage styled comic packs, since those sets seemed to be head-swap happy. The first 25th anniversary Beachhead wasn’t too thrilling, with
Read moreI suppose the Direct to Consumer (DTC) line bridged the gap between the GI Joe vs. Cobra/new sculpt/whatever era and the 25th anniversary/modern lines. By the way, GI Joe fans really like to categorize and name these things, don’t we? The DTC series marked not only a return to single carded figures, but also to a more classic styled packaging.
Read moreNight Force was quite well represented in the 2000’s era, appearing in a couple of army builder waves as well as a Toys R Us multi-pack. This Flint hails from the latter, and I like his inclusion in the group. He’s a prominent command member of the GI Joe team, and I always find him useful in a leadership role.
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