Who didn’t take their Joes into the tub or swimming pool with them? How could you resist playing with Eels, Torpedo, the Water Mocassin or the WHALE in the water? Heck, Deep Six, with his diving action (an action feature in ’84–gasp!) was made for water play. Of course, the unfortunate side effect of throwing your Joes around in the
Read moreLt. Clutch stops in for another Field Report. Check out his take on the classic Amphibious Personnel Carrier, or APC if you’re syllabically challenged.
Read moreI almost get tired of saying this, but some of the less regarded later figures are pretty awesome, if you can see beyond some garish colors. Take this Sci Fi, for example. He’s got some really nice things going for him. Considering some of the shortcuts that were happening late in the line, like the weapons trees and limited paint
Read moreCrystal Ball is one of those lovable losers upon which some fans of the stranger side of the RAH line have built a foundation. Yes, many think the man is a joke. But I say, look closer, and maybe there’s a spark in him that could be fanned into a greater flame. I wouldn’t mind seeing a horror aspect make
Read moreCarcass is a perfect fit into the whacked-out end of the Real American Hero era, coming from the second series of Star Brigade, in which the fiction suddenly included interstellar travel and an alien empire. The figure design itself, which recalls something I think I may have doodled in the margins of my third grade English workbook, crosses an alligator
Read moreAnyone up for an intense baseball analogy today? No? Well, too bad, because here’s Hardball, the Joe team’s grenadier. The baseball references are so thick here, its hard to see much else in the midst of them. He’s wearing a jersey and cap. Fine, no big deal. His name sounds suspiciously similar to that of the supposed inventor of baseball.
Read moreFor me, if there’s a posterboy for goofball Joes, it’s this version of Muskrat. Yeah, I know there’s the cult of Crystal Ball, and even the Esoteric Order of Big Brawler, but those guys are also fringe weirdos for other reasons. Musky here is an everyman’s fool. The poor guy just looks damn goofy, and it’s not purely due to
Read moreI’m really excited to share this figure with you today. It’s the kind of later Joe figure that makes me smile. The bright primary colors of some of the 90’s figures spark some kind of basic joy for me. Maybe it’s the superhero comic fan in me. Whatever the case, I’m fascinated with the Mega Marines figures. The combination of
Read moreWhy do some villains have to look like utter fools? Was it something in their childhood that twisted their psyches like creeper vines, choking out not only the decency in their hearts, but also their ability to dress themselves appropriately? Take a look at Headman here, and tell me that any of his henchmen aren’t laughing every time he enters
Read moreThis may be unpopular to say, but the 1992 version of Ace is my favorite o-ring iteration of the Joe team’s quintessential jet pilot. Don’t get me wrong, I also have a soft spot for his original 1983 mold. But for me that figure is so closely tied to his vehicle that he seems out of place if he’s not
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