In my younger days, I was heavily involved in action figure customizing. Most of my focus was on Marvel comics, with a particular bent toward the more obscure corners of their well populated universe. I tackled the likes of weirdos such as Brother Voodoo, Shaman, Spirit of ’76, Wonder Man, Nighthawk, Fixer, the Son of Satan, and even Videoman. I
Read moreCutter was one of those rare “driver” characters that later became a single card release. He joined up with the Drug Elimination Force in 1992, in a move that actually made a lot of sense. His function as a sea operations specialist with the sub-group fit well within the premise of the DEF, since one can easily imagine smugglers running
Read moreBattle helmet or hood? It’s a question that has been in the mind of GI Joe fans since the 1980’s. In the comic and cartoon, the Commander switched headgear quite often, causing kids (including me) to want both versions. Hasbro fulfilled the wish in 1984, with a mail order hooded version. Both the hood and a redesigned battle helmet later
Read moreWhy is it so difficult to portray an attractive female face at the 3 & 3/4 inch scale, even in the modern age? Granted, Helix isn’t as unattractive as the original Scarlett, but her face looks a bit odd to me. Maybe I’m just seeing the eye paint at a weird angle and it looks strange. She does have quite
Read moreThis Duke was a turning point for me in my opinion of the modern construction’s ability to be playable. Not only did the figure live up to the super poseable description given since 2007, it also improved on the already likeable notion of removable gear. Nothing got in the way of anything else, and the vest didn’t look bulky or
Read moreThe BUGG is one of the absolute funkiest vehicles in the Cobra arsenal. An impressive underwater and shoreline attack craft, as well as a truly amphibious personnel carrier, it featured a removable mini-sub as well as deployable jet skis. With its bulbous front end, the thing also looked like a bug. Secto Viper naturally follows suit with a wild design
Read moreBy 2001, I was firmly entrenched in the online GI Joe and toy geek collecting world. Instead of getting info on new releases from Stone Age places like magazines, I was going to the fan sites, message boards and Usenet (can it be considered Bronze Age?) for the latest scoop. I had been buying the Real American Hero Collection two
Read moreMutt was one of my favorite figures back in ’84. Imagine my surprise seeing him as part of Slaughter’s Marauders. I confess to not understanding what these strange repaints were about when noticing them in 1989. Those old molds just looked strange hanging on the pegs. What was I doing in a toy store in ’89? The first Batman film
Read moreA few days back I covered a movie based figure that I found lacking compared to older versions, and today it’s a movie based figure that’s one of my favorite recent interpretations of a classic character. I shouldn’t say exactly that this Shipwreck is a movie figure. He appeared in the movie toy line, but wasn’t actually on screen. This
Read moreWild Bill is one of those figures that not only looks different in his cartoon incarnation, but in his original comic appearance as well. Maybe that’s because he’s usually pictured sitting in the pilot seat of a helicopter rather than running about with his teammates. As a kid, my Wild Bill figure pretty much stayed in the Dragonfly. Being an
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