Sometimes parts reuse just doesn’t turn out as well as expected. As a former action figure customizer, I can appreciate having a vision for a base figure and thinking that vision will be borne out in the end. I’ve also had experiences in which the limitations of the base figure couldn’t be overcome, and the final figure didn’t match what
Read moreDespite being pretty much a flop, and not well remembered even among a less popular era of GI Joe, I found the Built to Rule series fun, especially the vehicles. Among the figures released, a few were quite memorable. My favorite was Firefly, covered some time ago on the site. Gung-Ho was another figure that impressed me, if for no
Read moreI’d like to call this post part of my “cleaning house” entries. Here’s a little peek inside how I manage this crazy endeavor that inexplicably continues despite my flagging sanity. Every few days, I venture into my collection, which is divided into sections consisting of 1) Vintage figures painstaking stored in those cute little tackle box thingies with the movable
Read moreMuskrat’s file card paints a picture of a pretty interesting individual, and someone who seems like a unique presence to add to the team. Just reading his background reminds me of an old Jerry Reed song. It’s unfortunate that the 1988-1989 figures (including Muskrat) fell into a no man’s land of Joe animation, with only a few getting a moment in the
Read moreAdding core Joe team members like Flint to the Eco Warriors sub-group didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Barbecue, on the other hand, fits into the concept pretty well. Like the file card states, he’s used to functioning in a hostile environment, only now he may be dealing with more caustic elements than just the average fire.
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The modern collector’s frustration with one of the great vintage RAH figures began in 1997.The prospect of a remolded Viper, well remembered from 1986 as a replacement for the original Cobra blueshirt troopers, was a welcome sight on store shelves in the 90’s. Unfortunately, we only got half of the Viper. The waist and legs had gone missing, replaced by
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I’m a huge fan of the 1991 figures. There’s not a one that I don’t find some reason to like. It’s a series that, for better or worse, seems to bridge what came before with what would come to be. It was our first exposure to spring-loaded weapons as a routine. It also featured several reinterpretations of existing figures. Wherever
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In the annals of GI Joe, there have been many and varied animals, both friend and foe. The Adventure Team era had its tigers, gorillas, octopus and others. The Real American Hero line presented animal companions for the Joes as well as the Cobras. What would the 80’s line be without stalwart animal compadres like Freedom, Junkyard, Polly, Order and
Read moreI always found it strange that a late 80’s Cobra like the HEAT Viper was revisited just a few years after its original release. However, the late 80’s Alley Viper was also given new life in the Battle Corps series. I find both to be well done and worthy successors to their earlier figures, but with their own distinctive 90’s
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When did Nintendo’s Mario join the Joes? In all seriousness, figures like Slip-Stream amaze me because the face is not an idealized, chiseled image of an idealized male, but more of an everyman. It’s something that the small Joe line has done since the beginning. Just look at Grunt from the first series. Not an attractive guy. Sure, the team
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