What kind of strange forgotten items do you come across when you’re a Joe completist randomly rummaging through storage bins? How about a repainted Snake Eyes from a Rhino DVD set. This 1983 Snake Eyes remold (with 1986 Roadblock’s waist) was released umpteen times. Did I really need another–this time in blue with brown pouches? Probably not. But it is
Read moreI’ve said it before, I’m a sucker for clear and translucent figures. I can’t explain why; the best I can liken it to is the old mountain climber adage: because it’s there. Mirage was the strangest part of the Winter Operations Toys R Us exclusive of 2005. The package art and the file card make no mention of what the
Read moreDespite being a relatively popular character and making frequent comic appearances, Cover Girl only received two figures (23 years apart) in the course of the GI Joe non-movie lines. I’d rather not mention the straight up fugly movie version. Released as part of a fans’ choice comic pack that also included Devil’s Due versions of Spirit and Serpentor clone Hannibal,
Read moreFast Draw is one of those Joe figures that make you wonder just how the idea came about. Granted, there have been many far-out almost science fiction elements in the line since the beginning. The JUMP jet pack stands out in my mind as one of those things that have been dreamed of, but will probably never be a practical
Read moreDuke, like Snake Eyes is one of those Joe characters who seems to be on an equal number of Joe fans’ love and hate lists. How do I feel about him? I suppose it changes depending on which facet of Joe I’m talking about. The Real American Hero toys, comics and cartoons weren’t tied too closely together, so one could
Read moreBack in the day, I bought a lot of my comics at 7-11 of all places. I didn’t get the chance to pick up issues each month, so my following of the Joe comic was sporadic. Even so, I had a good time reading the issues I could get, sometimes many times over. It’s almost hard to remember the times
Read moreI normally try to be positive about these things, but a gentle word of warning–I’m having a real hard time with this one. Rapid Fire is the ultimate Joe copy-and-paste job, and an all around odd figure. First off, he was a total repaint of Super Trooper, the ridiculous 1988 mail-in. He was also the only figure to include a
Read moreI was out of Joe collecting in 1988, the year of the original Hit & Run’s release. As such, I didn’t have a strong connection with either the character or figure. In fact, I probably didn’t pick up his first version well into my Joe re-buying days of the 90’s. The paint scheme seemed boring and the camo pattern looked
Read moreI have always thought that some of the original thirteen Joes followed very closely from their adventure team predecessors. Breaker was one of the figures that gives me this impression. Most obvious to me is his look, specifically the head sculpt. To me, the bearded Joes looked like throwbacks to the fuzzy-head days of old. Another aspect that strikes me
Read moreSpy Troops was a series that held promise with a great concept, but was ultimately wildly uneven in execution. The idea of clip on accessories to transform Joes and Cobras into the opposing force was novel and fun. I enjoy added play value, especially when the feature isn’t molded into the character in such a way that it restricts movement
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