I’m a big fan of the also-rans that cropped up following GI Joe’s 1980s success. Looking back at the imitators illustrates the impact the Real American Hero line had at retail. It also serves as collector ground that hasn’t been fully excavated. I’ve covered a few of Olmec’s Bronze Bomber 1997 figures that were based on Hasbro molds, but I’ve
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This year’s new batch of CORPS! figures from Lanard have incorporated not only an improved articulation model, but also the brand’s first female characters. We’ve previously covered the villain Puma, a member of The Curse, the series’ new group of antagonists. Man, the line just seems to be bursting with new concepts and molds these days. It’s all a welcome
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Hasbro’s 80s and 90s GI Joes were no strangers to animal companionship. Wait, that didn’t sound appropriate. I meant animal partners. Okay, not good either. Animal sidekicks. That’s better, I think. From Freedom to Lamont, the small Joes have had a great history of being paired with members of the animal kingdom. I wonder how much of that is a
Read moreNo, it’s not the CORPS! attempt at creating an anti-drug mascot. Instead, we have another of the Construction series figures. This time, it’s a surveyor. The code name is appropriate, I think. I didn’t even realize these civilan offshoots of Lanard’s me-too 3 & 3/4 inch action figure line even had code names until I found some packaged samples at
Read moreNational Defense, a series of budget, me-too GI Joe clones, is an odd and confusing story, to say the least. The line, available at K-Mart, utilized molds that would also be used by Galoob in its Gen. Patch series. The line also saw release as American Defense, a name later used by Remco for a series of K-Mart exclusive figures
Read moreNot Iron Man’s huge armor from the new Avengers film, it’s part of a two-pack of figures released during the last Hulk film. Hulkbuster had a totally different context back then, as they’re a squad of soldiers, led by Emil Blonsky, who later became the Abomination. According to the package, the group is made up of highly trained soldiers with
Read moreHey kids, tell mom and dad to run you down to the local K-Mart (you know every neighborhood has at least one or two) and grab the latest American Defense figures by Remco! They play with ALL 3 & 3/4 inch soldiers! Choose from pilots, infantry, flamethrowers, karate and ninja fighters, even guys who vaguely resemble Rambo! K-Mart, the Savings
Read moreIt’s the most wonderful time of the year…for a GI Joe knock-off enthusiast and weird toy collector. Lanard Toys’ local distribution center opens its doors around Thanksgiving most years, and presents a treasure trove of playthings, from the mundane to the sublime. This year, we’ve got a more in-depth walk through of the sale that hopefully gives you a more
Read moreIf you’re like me, and I know I am, you probably mixed your play among action figure lines as a kid. If they were the same scale, I was all over it. Well, to a point. I didn’t cross over Joe and Star Wars too much. I guess I just couldn’t rationalize an AT-AT inhabiting the same toy universe as
Read moreWhat would you do if I said the words Lillian Vernon and Lanard toys in the same sentence? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Maybe you would quickly click the back button on your browser, and come back tomorrow for an actual GI Joe figure? That would be fine, but I think you’d be missing out. In
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