Firefly (1993)
What can I say about Firefly that hasn’t been said before? He’s the ultimate mystery man of Cobra, a saboteur garbed in grey camouflage, his face forever hidden behind his trademark mask. His figure origin dates back to the watershed year of 1984, when all-time Joe classics like Storm Shadow, Baroness and Thunder were unleashed for the first time. Okay okay, put away the torches and pitchforks, I’m only kidding about Baroness.
So yeah, most folks think urban camo when they think Firefly. Maybe a few also think of his repainted arctic and jungle camo versions in the 2000’s. Still more may also think of the departure from form that was the green and grey 1992 release. But do you recall, the least famous Firefly of all? You know the one, with 1992’s light grey bits repainted black. No? Well, it was something of a trend among the 1993 Battle Corps releases. Others, like Gung-Ho, General Flagg, Wet Suit and a few more also received a switched paint app here and there. I found a few of them to be intriguing, especially Firefly. The light grey and green combination of 1992 never really appealed to me. When I saw this one on the shelves a year later, it became a favorite.
I’m all for fresh redesigns, and the 1992 version was one of the biggest departures from fans’ visions of an iconic design. The new elements of the figure, the padded armor and odd tie-down boots more befit the character’s ninja background in the later GI Joe comics than his saboteur roots. He still maintains elements of the old Firefly, including an array of explosives, pouches and equipment all over his uniform, though I do miss his signature backpack. Also missing are green paint apps for the headgear worn over his mask, which are even shown in the card art.
The arctic Firefly actually came out in 1998, in the three-pack with an arctic Night Creeper and a repaint of the V2 Snow Serpent. I actually like the look of this figure–I’m surprised Hasbro never thought of reusing this mold in the 2000’s. Personally, were I on that design team, I would’ve done a ratio of which places the molds would be used:
-2000 Firefly (1984 mold)
-2003 Convention Firefly (1992 mold)
-2004 Urban Strike 6-pack Firefly (1992 mold)
-2005 Comic Pack Firefly (1984 mold)
-2005 Crimson Guard Force Firefly (1992 mold)
What do you think?
When I think Firefly, I don’t think green. That’s my main beef with this figure. I think lime, I think recycle, anything but saboteur. In addition, his ninja retcon didn’t wash at all with me. That was one of Larry’s more contrived ideas. It was all cool when he explained that the BATS had dug a way out for him, but making the guy yet another member of the freaking ninja family in that photo was too much to swallow.
By the way, I want a Thunder spotlight now. One of the most underrated figures ever.
While I’m not big on the idea that this is Firefly, it’s still a pretty good figure. Call it “Something-Viper” and I’m sold. Also, that sniper rifle seems a favorite among certain circles, neon green notwithstanding.
In 1992, I bought only three figures and Firefly was one of them just because it was Firefly and his gun was cool. I would have loved to see this mold repainted in classic colors in the modern rehashes. The fact that Hasbro never did it really speaks to their lack of understanding of the ARAH world. His rifle is also one of the better sculpts of the line. I would have liked to seen it return as well, in better colors. But, this figure really stands as a testament to wasted potential.
It ended up being reused in more decent colors: the 2006 Convention Coil trooper had it in gray, while the DTC (courtesy of the Club) Munitia had it in black.
Not a good Firefly!
Wow! People are passionate about Firefly! Nice post!
I always liked this version of FF
The light gray version of this figure is the only Firefly I ever had. Thank God I was blessed to own it. It was really one of my favorite figures.