By Past Nastification Oh, boy. He’ll always win the arm wrestling contests, but never the beauty pageants. This is 2004’s Venomous Maximus. I don’t like too much science fiction in my GI Joe. Dr. Venom’s brainwave scanner was that first step too far in my young mind. However, as I get older I realize it doesn’t really matter and it’s
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The relaunch era vehicles for the most part don’t get much attention or respect. Only a few garner the kind of good will associated with the 80s and 90s toys. Much of the output doesn’t appeal to a collector’s sensibilities, and aspects like scale, realism and fit/finish skew toward a younger demographic than we’re accustomed to. Early 2000s vehicles like
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You’ll have to try very hard to avoid a Wolverine comparison when it comes to Razorclaw. From his masked, dour visage to his retractable claws to his berserker personality, the guy is the most Logan-y of all Cobras. Heck, his helmet/mask even has built-in mutton chops. Razorclaw was part of the Valor vs. Venom series, and as such his background
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Tunnel Rat is a character who benefits from the odd proportions of the new sculpt years. Portrayed as a shorter fellow, his figure is appropriately sized, at least in terms of height. Such things weren’t possible in the 80s-90s, with its more standard and consistent builds, Sgt. Slaughter and Big Boa notwithstanding. T-Rat seems even more suited to his MOS
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It’s always hard to narrow down a choice when one talks about a favorite figure in a series. Most of the brand’s history is filled with multiple figures that I’m really fond of. The new sculpt era of the 2000s isn’t on most fans’ list of great moments in GI Joe history. I take a different view of the time.
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I have said it time and again: I get a lot of joy out of the new sculpt era figures. It started when they hit the pegs back in the early 2000s, and it continues to this day. These figures represent the most fun I’ve had as a GI Joe collector. I get the same kind of sense when I
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By Past Nastification There are figures that I like which defy my own guidelines. For example, I largely dislike ninja figures, but yet I find the Shadow Ninja figures fun. I don’t even like the original versions of those figures. But cloudy plastic holds an inexplicable appeal. So, we know I’m not a big ninja fan. What about Head-to-Toe repaints?
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Sometimes I break out an old figure and I’m surprised by what I find. Of course, that surprise could be positive or negative, but I’m most happy obviously to find a surprise moment of joy. Such a thing happened with 2005’s Gung Ho. I had forgotten he’s a pretty solid figure. Overall it’s a more toned-down version of the Joe
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We’re going back back back with a deep cut today. It’s a figure that dates as one of the earliest entries of the blog, back in the year 2011. Seems like a lifetime ago. I think he’s crazy enough to warrant another look. My feelings about this figure haven’t changed much since I last pulled him from a baggie inside
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Can you remember a time when we didn’t know beforehand about every single product that was scheduled to hit shelves? It seems odd to say that in 2004 an internet connected toy collector Joe wasn’t aware of an exclusive set of figures to be released at a major retailer, but that’s what happened to me. Maybe I missed the write-up
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