Is this not the boldest of the bold among GI Joe card art? He’s coming right at you! Airborne is also one of the unique subjects to get just a little bit of environment in his card art thanks to a bit of line presumably coming from a helicopter. It’s a small but powerful piece of business that really places
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Sometimes you just run out of superlatives to describe the things that bring you joy. It’s no secret that I adore the GI Joe packaging of all decades, and primarily the 1980s-1990s. The art just jumped right off the shelves, with literal explosions behind the subjects. There’s some seriously magical lighting going on here, and it’s something that can’t be
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What can I say about a card like this that isn’t apparent just by looking at it. If I could narrow my list of favorite GI Joe package art down to a single piece (which would be incredibly difficult) Destro would vie for a top spot. There’s just so much going on here that makes this a perfect example of
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I’m man enough to admit that I loved—loved everything about Serpentor in 1986. From the idea that Cobra would have an emperor, to the conceit that he was created from the DNA of history’s great leaders, to the super villain costume design, I was all-in for the character. The packaging art is suitably accurate to the figure and vehicle inside,
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The Tele-Viper figure wasn’t one of my faves as a kid, but I sure liked the card art. It’s definitely one of the coolest looking Cobra cards. The figure to package coolness ratio however tilts toward the latter. The figure may not be at Zartan level on the awesome meter, but then again this is one of the most pure
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I am intrigued by the Action Force packaging for a couple of reasons. The bold and angular style of the box layout is an interesting counterpoint to the American GI Joe series of the 1980s. For UK exclusive items like the Roboskull, we unfortunately have nothing with which to compare it. The packages also remind me of Kenner’s Star Wars
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It’s not often that we focus on modern card art in a TPOP feature, but I find the Retaliation line look speaks to an issue that’s all to common in action figure series these days. Without sounding like a grumpy old guy (too late), today’s packages are missing something. Since 2012, package backs (at least from Hasbro) have become even
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Looking back at the first series of 80s Joes, I get a sense that these images more than any others would make a great collage. Has anyone done that yet? 1982’s Joes to me are an excellent continuation of the 60s and 70s package paintings, at least they give me the same feeling of action and adventure. Zap is another
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GI Joe’s short-lived but super funky post-Adventure Team series doesn’t get enough exposure when the history of the brand is discussed. A few sites like 3DSuperJoes and Plaidstallions bring the SJ love regularly, but it’s difficult for me to write much about the toys themselves due to scarcity. I have a few more figures to share, but all require some
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It’s International Women’s Day, and you don’t have to look far in the GI Joe mythos to find characterizations of strong and capable women. Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Cover Girl, and Jinx were on equal footing with their male teammates, and I’m glad to have been exposed to them as a boy. Yes, I bought all the “girl” figures as a
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