When I got my first couple of Joe figures I was having fun with toys that were something new and fresh after years of Star Wars fanaticism. It took the addition of the 1983 series to totally bring me around to being a Joe fan first and foremost. At a time when early looks at new product just couldn’t happen,
Read moreWildcard is an-looking odd driver for an odd-looking vehicle. The Mean Dog was an interesting concept but made for an unwieldy toy. It detaches into three sections: a gun turret, missile vehicle and scout car. I don’t mind the design, and I think for the most part it’s a quite nice looking vehicle. However I don’t get the turret just
Read moreComic book heroes can be fickle fashionistas. Even the tried and true bigwigs like Superman and Spider-Man have had their fair share of wardrobe changes over the years. Some second string heroes like Marvel’s Wasp and Wonder Man seemed to change their outfits as often as most of us change our socks, many times only appearing in a single issue.
Read moreGliders, gliders, gliders. The soaring, looping, gliding vehicles made appearances at the beginning and end of the Real American Hero line. I had the Falcon glider as a kid, and it was loads of fun–while it lasted. Even though the glider itself bit the dust after many breakages and careful scotch tape repairs, the exclusive pilot (the legendary tan Grunt) remained. The exclusive
Read moreStalker has the distinction of being one of the Joes to see both the beginning and end of the Real American Hero line. The line really looked like it was heading back to its military beginnings with some of the 1994 offerings. Over the course of the RAH run, Stalker has had two types of looks: the beret-wearing Ranger and the
Read moreDid you know about a Joe who appeared in the Marvel comic multiple times, yet was never mentioned by name? Such was the fate of Ghostrider, the pilot of 1988’s Phantom X-19, the stealth jet. The Phantom was a truly amazing Joe vehicle. At the time of its release, the public had no idea what the US military’s stealth fighter
Read moreThe original Roadblock figure was a favorite of mine at the time of its release, mostly due to his appearances in the Sunbow cartoon. Yeah, I know it’s not the coolest thing to admit nowadays, but understand that to 11-year-old Rob, the rhyming Joe was a great character. And you know what, I still like Sunbow Roadblock, and not in
Read moreI’ve been fascinated with the Joe MPs ever since the release of Mutt and Junkyard in 1984. I can’t really explain it, but I think some of it has to do with both the inclusion of an animal sidekick and the accessories for the figure. Mutt had that great MAC-10 and billy club, as well as a muzzle (for himself
Read more<Munch munch> Oh, hi again! Sorry, you just caught me finishing up my last box of GI Joe Action Stars cereal. It was pretty dry, but I think all that added sugar must act as a preservative. Anyway, I just slathered it in plenty of milk and it wasn’t too bad. Now I can get on with sending away for my free
Read moreThe cynical may consider female Joes “tokens”, or out of place in a boys’ toy line, but it’s refreshing to consider that despite the conventional wisdom of “boys don’t want to play with an icky toy girl”, Hasbro still thought it important to include a female character amongst the Joes from day one. Though there haven’t been a large number
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