From time to time, I like to venture off the beaten path a bit as far as the blog’s premise. The Mortal Kombat action figure line used GI Joe molds extensively, and to this point I’ve used that as a tenuous connection to cover a few figures here and there. With Kano, I’ve got another foot in the door to
Read moreLanard’s CORPS! toy line has had a long long history of repaints. In my time of collecting the series, I’ve found that the original versions of the figures are increasingly harder to find than the myriad of repaints produced through the 90s. The Max Power series featured many of the original molds in a variety of odd camo patterns. Cybor
Read moreWhen the 80s-90s Real American Hero line ended in 1994, I had been heavily involved in buying the latest figures for going on three years. I couldn’t wait to see what was awaiting me the next year after the 30th Salute. Naturally, I was highly disappointed when it all ended. For those like me who were bummed out by the
Read moreUh, yeah. So as you can see, the 80s weren’t the height of cultural sensitivity in terms of the toy aisle. If you thought Lanard’s Bengala or Tracker Tom were bad in terms of stereotypes, check out the face sculpt on Enemy Weapons Officer. He hails from National/American Defense, the same also-ran series that brought us Enemy Leader, the infamously
Read moreDespite having one of the most insufferably cutesy code names, Justin Case is one of my favorites of the later o-ring Corps! molds. Like many of his line mates, he was repainted and repackaged for a variety of series. The STAR Force sub-line presented him in a very unique color scheme that was a far cry from his more subdued
Read moreWith all the ninja action that promises to take place soon in GI Joe Retaliation, and the plethora of ninja action figures soon to be on the pegs, I figured that covering Lanard’s CORPS! ninja would be appropriate. Like a few other figures from the line, I was initially confused about whether the guy was a hero or villain, and
Read moreIt’s been a long while since I covered a figure from Action Force, the UK’s sort-of cousin of GI Joe. The initial years of that line shared a construction style similar to Kenner’s vintage Star Wars line. Five points of articulation were common, as was a more pliable plastic. The figures have a completely different feel from the domestic GI Joe line,
Read moreLanard’s Corps! line didn’t really follow the typical 80’s good guys vs bad guys logic of action figure lines like GI Joe. Because there weren’t media offshoots like a comic or cartoon, and the mythos wasn’t as strongly portrayed on the packaging, kids were left to interpret how these guys related to one another. Whenever I saw Corps! figures in
Read moreWhat do you get when you cross the Buzz Boar with a Big Wheel? The Lanard Corps line’s craziest vehicle, the Chopper Trike, also known as the Desert Digger. As far out as some of the Corps figures were, the early vehicles generally had been quite restrained in their design. There was a patrol boat, a tank and helicopter near
Read moreI can’t lie, I think this is Airman John, the pilot character in Remco’s GI Joe wannabe, American Defense, but I can’t be sure. The mold was repurposed many times for the line and its offshoots. Just off the top of my head, Remco also produced US Forces, American Force and US Military using the same group of molds. There
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