Effects (1994)
Effects is one of those figures you dig out of your bin and say, “Oh yeah, this guy came out.” And that’s about all you can say about him. No cartoon or comic appearances, he’s just kind of—there.
I have to wonder if this mold was even intended as a Star Brigade character initially. He looks more like an Eco Warrior to me, and a villainous one at that, with his odd haircut and hateful grimace. Then again, maybe he wasn’t intended for that series either, since he has exposed hands–not good for space or toxic environments. Regardless of the mold’s origins, it’s well detailed and proportioned. The only real downside is the lack of paint apps. I hate to bang that drum again, but the end of the Real American Hero line really suffered for it.
The character’s specialty of creating diversions with special effects is far fetched, but at least he’s not an interstellar mercenary space freighter pilot, like one of his 1994 teammates.
One of my fave G.I.JOEs!
Never owned him before and he’s one of the few o-ring Joes I might want to buy at some point. I dig this guy. ‘Specially that wicked headsculpt, it was all too rare for vintage face sculpts to be anything but neutral/bland. This dude’s face is way cooler than Thrasher or Ozone’s (whose likenesses were both based on the same Hasbro employee).
Is it just me, or does that head sculpt look like it belongs to Rabban Harkonnen? If there were ever a Dune cartoon, this is what Rabban would look like, I’m certain of it.
Effects was the final “new” Joe created for the RAH line before its demise in 1994, so he has that minor distinction going for him. The head sculpt looks more Dreadnok than Joe, though. Certainly far meaner than Road Pig’s mug! Too bad about the lack of paint apps on this one as well. I wouldn’t mind seeing him reissued at some point but given how the o-ring has seemingly been laid to rest, I sincerely doubt it.
I’m an atheist, but that head sculpt provoked a “Dear God in Heaven” from me. That thing is bastard ugly.
I love reading about these later Joes, I stopped collecting by 1990, and jumped off the Hama comic around issue #75ish – but have recently been reading the collected versions in G.I. Joe Classics (the trade paperback format). I am up to Volume 13 which is the era of drug enforcement and eco-force. Reading your posts is a great supplement to these classic comics.
Effects is one of those off characters that doesn’t really fit in anywhere. He doesn’t really work for Star Brigade, and his colors don’t lend itself well to general infantry. Never really figured out how to use Effects to his fullest potential as I never really had a need for a special effects technician on a covert ops military team. Maybe he’ll work as part of the combat engineers or something.
Someday I’ll figure it out.
He is one ugly SOB to boot.
Evil Neal McDonaugh.
He looks like a character from M.A.S.K. or VENOM.