Flint (1991 Eco Warriors)
So Flint finally got out from under Duke’s smirking shadow, and was assigned to head up the Eco Warriors. He’s not the first person I would think of to lead the group. Airtight would have been my first choice, but he’s not a top tier character like Flint. The file card doesn’t make any ado about specialized hazmat training to prepare him for the job, but rather talks up Flint’s tough and no-nonsense approach to dealing with enemies. He does appear to be dedicated to the cause, as the file card says the last person he caught smoking on an elevator met his wrath. I have to wonder if that was the Joe HQ elevator, or somewhere in the civilian world. I can imagine Flint giving some poor guy the what-for on the elevator at Macy’s. Seems more than a bit harsh, but it was the PC 90’s.
The Eco Warriors made an appearance in the DIC cartoon and Marvel comics, and yes, the episodes and issues in question are as much goofy fun as the toys themselves. In a change from the Sunbow portrayal, Flint was played as a kind of John Wayne type in the cartoon, complete with the kind of Western twang suitable for a Kansas native.
I don’t mind this mold at all, in fact I think it’s very solid, and my favorite of the group next to Clean Sweep. Someone at Hasbro must have liked the suit for Flint, because it was repainted in the 2000’s in a desert color scheme. As an Eco Warrior, the outfit is appropriately bright and appears to be well sealed from the dangerous he’ll encounter. Well, maybe not, since his neck is uncovered. The helmet is refreshingly different with its insectoid lacrosse player design. The wrap around goggles remind me of a praying mantis, and the mesh face mask is plain strange. As cool as the helmet looks, the lack of painted detail on it is disappointing, as the package art depicts the goggles in a different color.
Yes, the guns are huge, and yes one of them squirts water and yes the figure has color change paint, but come on, aren’t toys supposed to be fun? If I had been eight years old in 1991, I would have absolutely been in love with this concept. Wait a minute, I was 18 and in love with the concept. Maybe I’m not the typical example for this analogy. Never mind.
I loved the Eco-Warriors.
Flint and Ozone especially. I ended up just giving them regular or as close to regular weapons as I had. Luckily the 90s Joes came with Weapon trees in a hilarious range of colours (taste the Painbow).
But this was my Flint.
And I’ll always love the Cobra Septic Tank, it was my HiSS stand in.
I wouldn’t mind seeing an Eco-Warrior theme for a future JoeCon…just as long as they avoid the militant political correctness (“You dropped a piece of paper on the ground? YOU’RE MURDERING MOTHER EARTH!!!”).
Love the writeup!
Steven B., I bet they will do an Eco Warriors Con set within the next two years.
I was 19 in 1991 when I first quit collecting Joes. I’d stopped reading the comic around then, so when I finally got the trade collection reprinting the Eco Warriors era, I couldn’t help but cringe watching Flint get drafted to lead these guys. I grew up with the Sunbow Flint and this guy wasn’t him. His portrayal in the DIC cartoon was way more in tune with the character.
The figure is okay for the neon era, but again, the helmet went without any paintwork love.
I’m an Eco Warriors fan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zE9n_hZao8&feature=plcp
That is awesome!
I can’t say I’m big on the EcoWarriors, though bioterrorism doesn’t seem too far out for Joe v. Cobra. This figure is great for his M.O., and I like using that head on Flint customs. It’s got a slight smirk, but not so goofy as his v1 (with the lopsided beret). And nice peek at the Eco-Buggy; that’s a repaint I don’t mind too much, for some reason.
Confirmed: I was 6 in 1991 and I loved this Flint.
Oh man, I found this guy complete at a thrift shop with V2 Sci-Fi, Mega Marines Gung-Ho and Updraft! I actually tried to activate the color change feature, but no dice so far. Does it need to be warm water?
Also, hopefully one of you can answer me this, but the right arm on mine seems to have a shoulder that’s a little too big for the arm socket on the torso–it causes the torso to almost split, there’s a gap between the front and back halves because of it. Any way for me to fix this? Have you encountered this on your Eco-Warrior Flint figures?
Great memories!
I’m not a fan of the helmet, but other than that, I really like this figure.
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I was 15 in 1991, and still buying toys. I actually liked the water guns and color change paint, even though I wasn’t all in on the eco warriors…. I had this Flint, and either clean sweep or the other guy….. The concept was a bit of a stretch even for me. I was still buying Joes and other toys at the time.
Five years later and this figure still works well. I wish the helmet had been painted. But, this isn’t a bad figure by any stretch.