By Past Nastificaton As one of the few, very few, collectors who like the New Sculpt era, I gotta give it up for the this version of Scarlett. It’s pretty solid. I’ll throw this out, too: my appreciation for NS figures is on the rise. They lack the detailing or the dynamic aesthetics of the 25A/Modern Era figures, but they
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The original Alley Viper figure was an unknown to me until I came back to collecting in the early 90s. The concept instantly hooked me, and the color scheme and helmet design were extra touches of oddness that drew me to the trooper. When the Battle Corps versions hit, I was able to build a squad of the yellow and
Read moreMany of our familiar friends from the 80s ended up with extra name descriptors during the post-ARAH years. From Agent Scarlett to Sgt. Stalker, the Joes had to adapt to the needs of copyright. Such is the life of men and women of action. Of course, this kind of parsing of character names is mostly a concern of nerdy toy
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Looking through a present day lens, the early small scale Joe convention exclusives have a sense of being a bit of an afterthought in comparison to their later counterparts. While the set was intriguing in terms of bringing along new factions and reusing interesting troop molds, the storyline around them doesn’t grab one’s attention. In fact, this set is probably
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My name is Rob, and I am a HISS IV owner. I can’t quite say how I came to that point in my collecting journey, but being a completist between the years of 2002 to 2006 may have something to do with it. That’s right, I was snapping up every new figure pack and vehicle at the time. If I
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The 2002 relaunch of GI Joe afforded collectors with the opportunity to build their forces in two different scales. Among small scale Joe fans, the redesigned line often gets short shrift. I am still a fan of the period, not only due to the memories of collecting a new line at its beginning, but also for the interesting redesigns of
Read moreDoesn’t look quite so special, does he? Not considering the figure came with a grand total of none of its original accessories. But hey, at least we got a flare gun, which I suppose he can use to call for help when he realizes he’s at sea without his breathing apparatus, flippers or water sled. Instead, the only other equipment
Read moreAs much furor as we’ve seen in the Joe fandom from the reduced articulation of the new movie figures, it pales in comparison to the epic T-crotch hissy fit of 2002. I still find it amazing that Hasbro so quickly did an about-face on the articulation of the GI Joe relaunch back then. It’s interesting to remember the angst about the
Read moreThe first Alley Viper seemed an odd duck to me, from its color scheme to the strange face shield. Urban fighters outfitted in blue and orange, wearing masks through which it appeared they couldn’t possibly see? But hey, it’s GI Joe, I thought, shrugged my shoulders, and moved on. The later 90’s Alley Viper changed up the sculpt, and included a
Read moreFirst off, I’m sorry for your having to see this figure. Accept my most sincere apologies and I beg you not to harbor any ill will toward me. I know that looking upon its hideous countenance may forever turn you away from this site, but please, gentle reader, I plead for your mercy. For as the purpose of this blog
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