Here’s one for all you fans of figure recipes. Let’s see who went into making Rumblerstein. Footloose gave his head, Crankcase loaned his helmet. Heavy Metal bestowed his arms, torso, and weapon, and Bazooka provided his waist and legs. Wow. This patchwork figure begs the question: was the R/C Crossfire a rush job, or was the figure a last minute
Read moreAs much as I appreciate and enjoy the figures from early in the Real American Hero period, some of those older figures don’t quite fit in when displayed alongside some later releases. As the line went on, sculpting styles, proportions and color palettes evolved. I like to think of it as a natural progression, much like changes in fashion. You
Read moreOdd is an appropriate one word descriptive term for Sneak Peek. It’s quite an unassuming figure. The sculpt is on the chunky side, both in the face and torso. The overall design seems like it would be more applicable to another laser trooper, with its padded upper body. The accessories are another source of oddness. While the idea of a
Read moreThe domestic release of Blizzard is another figure that I pined for back in the days of my return to Joe collecting. He was another snow trooper, a speciality that always did (and still does) spark my interest. Much like other figures of the years I missed, he was also packed with an abundance of gear. He can also store
Read moreIceberg was the opposite of Snow Job, accessory-wise. Where the Joe team’s first arctic trooper came equipped with snow traveling gear, Iceberg has nothing. Not even a pair of snow shoes. He did get a rifle, and a handily colored white one at that. I’ve often wondered why Snow Job didn’t get a white rifle, or at least one wrapped
Read moreThere are so many ’82-83 Joes that to me seem so iconic, I have a hard time deciding which one would be my choice to be the definitive early figure. Sometimes I think it’s Grunt, other times it’s Flash or Clutch, or even Snake Eyes. Then again, it could be Rock ‘N Roll. I guess I’ll never decide. Even though
Read moreSpearhead and Max are a weird, inexplicable pair. First, there’s the weird, inexplicable colors. Spearhead wears the orangiest of camo patterns. I don’t know what alien planet’s vegetation he’s meant to blend into, but he’s certainly not bland. Even his backpack is orange. Was somebody colorblind at Hasbro? The fit of accessories was an important feature in the small Joe
Read moreAs much as the Interogator was an incredible figure attached to a throwaway vehicle, the Heli-Viper tips the scales back. You wouldn’t think that Hasbro would spend a lot of effort including a great newly designed figure with a vehicle that was all gimmick. I’m sure the designers figured the kid that bought it would zip the thing into a
Read moreFinally, I’m covering a Joe astronaut figure that wasn’t first a Star Brigade member. The mold did get repainted to death for the later astronaut sub-line, but I find this original version to be the best. Like other 1989 GI Joes, his interest for me lies in his accessories. I recall seeing this figure listed on the back of 1990
Read moreSurprising that it took a few years to get round to another version of the Crimson Guard. Then again, probably not surprising, as the fascination with the elite troops I think is largely part of the older collector consciousness. I don’t recall my friends and I being overly enamored with the original Crimson Guard back in the day. As a
Read more