The Buzz Boar brings to my mind an alternate universe in which Journey to the Center of the Earth was adapted to film by Toho Studios in the 1960’s. With its saw blade in place of a nose drill, it looks like the kind of thing one might have seen burrowing into the earth in an Eiji Tsuburaya orchestrated symphony
Read moreWho would’ve thought that the words memorable character and DIC GI Joe could co-exist in a sentence? They can to me, thanks to this guy. The series was crawling with lukewarm characters, due to some pretty pedestrian writing and voice acting. There were exceptions of course, and Metal-Head was one of them. Now, I have to explain that memorable doesn’t
Read moreThis figure as a concept is a nice change-up from the usual idea of what a GI Joe combat medic does. While Stretcher is a medic, and can patch up wounded troops, he is primarily known for transporting them from the field of battle. A flying platform is a nice piece of equipment to have in accomplishing that task. This
Read moreOut of all the 80’s Dreadnoks, I think Monkeywrench most resembles a regular biker gang hooligan. He doesn’t have any new wave hairstyle, funky glasses or armor plated jeans. Instead, he’s decided to accessorize with patches and bandanas. In the end, he’s not too wild looking, just a long haired dude in jeans, vest and grenade bandolier. Okay, forget what
Read moreHow’s this for an improvement over a Cobra driver that’s as fondly remembered as any in the line? I don’t dislike the original HISS tank’s driver, but I’ve also felt like it was missing something. For an early line figure, it was impressive, but even as a kid, my excitement for it quickly faded. Maybe it was the big honkin’
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Backblast is equipped with an impressive weapon that is also unfortunately one of the most difficult to get a figure to hold while maintaining its balance. I hate to harp here, but I feel you must share my pain in getting this guy posed for a photo. I try not to use figure stands in my shots, so there’s a
Read moreI suppose since Mainframe didn’t include any weapons, one could assume he might be a pacifist along the lines of Lifeline. However, he breaks the stereotype for what you’d consider a computer specialist. He’s former Airborne and reinlisted as a Marine, and as the file card states, “He’s got brains–but he’s hard.” Though the technology that he carries seems quaint and
Read moreAs pilot of the Armor Bot, one of the last large GI Joe vehicles produced in the original Real American Hero line, Hawk bookends the line as a driver figure. Sure, his ride isn’t as iconic as the MMS, but it is an imposing and fun toy. I suppose Hawk’s presence in Star Brigade isn’t too farfetched, as he donned
Read moreWhat do you get when you cross the Wolverine and the Mauler? A pretty mean looking little tank, that’s what. As a one man mini tank, the Lynx comes out looking less humorously small than the Armadillo. Actually, since the GI Joe vehicles have always been scaled down, this one doesn’t look all that small. The entire trio of Marauders
Read moreCutter was one of those rare “driver” characters that later became a single card release. He joined up with the Drug Elimination Force in 1992, in a move that actually made a lot of sense. His function as a sea operations specialist with the sub-group fit well within the premise of the DEF, since one can easily imagine smugglers running
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