Flint (1994)
The final assortment of the Real American Hero era included some unsung figures that transcend their 90s origin. That decade at times gets some unfair derision among collectors. While there were a large amount of ridiculous and strange ideas going on, with every sort of sub-team and action feature you could think of, the figure output for those last few years had its share of gems.
Flint was part of the main line Battle Corps series, and I can remember being impressed with the figure when it was released, but also feeling like something was missing. He was given a cool, more basic military look than recent years had offered, but the desert specialty initially left me a little cold. I thought, why wasn’t this Dusty?
While the outfit and specialty of desert paratrooper seem out of type for him, remember that Flint has been one of the big names in the brand since his debut. I can understand why he was included, particularly if Hasbro was attempting to pull the line back closer to its roots. Flint is the perfect choice to include as a solid leader, regardless of the environment he’s working in.
Like Duke from the same period, Flint received an excellent new headsculpt. It’s a great rendition that captures his attitude while giving us a Flint without headgear. The weapons tree is thankfully done in black this time around, and the selection isn’t totally nonsensical. He’s also equipped with the usual ginormous missile launcher, though this one at least has a unique look. My main concern with these launchers is not always with the concept or look, but with the fact that too many of them can’t be held by the figure while posed. Poor Flint’s launcher is constantly pointing at the ground.
The missing element to this figure for me are paint apps. The lack of painted detail on some of the final Battle Corps figures affects the look of a few key characters. Some examples of this Flint have no painted straps on the legs. A bigger issue for me however, is that all of the 1994 Flints lack paint on the beret. The package art shows it in familiar black, but on the figure is all tan. Just this bit of paint could have made a big difference, and tied it into the original.
I like this figure but I somehow don’t view it as Flint, either. The lack of paint apps also hurts it a bit. He could have been Dusty if given reddish brown hair instead of black, or a brand new character altogether. It’s certainly a welcome addition to the ranks since desert specialists aren’t as common as the arctic ones. The potential for an even better end result is clearly there.
As it stands, it’s still one of the better figures from the line’s swan song year.
This was the only Flint i ever had as a kid. While every other 8 year old in ’94 was going mad for that thing with the teenagers in spandex, i was still picking up Joes and trying to keep the flame alive
I think the reason so many of these last year figures have missing paint apps was because the money had run out
I also really dont like his bare arms. Lady Jaye probably likes it but i think it makes him look too much like Muskrat
I’ve actually wanted to get this Flint for a while, and an extra to paint the beret. I’ve also wanted to get the repaint from 2001, the confusing Flint/Rock N’ Roll.
A solid figure, especially with the paint apps touched up, but it isn’t Flint. In my Joeverse this is desert paratrooper Scarab!
Great figure. It really could have been Dusty, couldn’t it?
When I was “evaluating” my favorite versions of figures for each character, if it weren’t for the desert tan, this figure was close for my Flint pick.
Flint, as I see the character, is huge. I mean, cartoon and comic appearances are fairly common. But then, as a toy, Flint started as a Warrant officer (and rotary pilot), and was a part of Tiger Force, and the (led?) Eco-Warriors, and then he’s para-deploying in the desert, not to mention he got a Desert Striker VAMP for himself…., just a talented character across all spectrum.
To me, he’s a commando near the level of Snake Eyes’ skill. This ’94 version felt very commando/ delta to me, but the desert tans limited my use of this figure to the desert. But, that was the figures mission, after all, on this one.
The head is my favorite Flint. It looks like the ’85 head, but several years older and wiser, and tougher.
I remember having to get my mom to take me to TRU (which was about 35 miles away) to get this figure as well as Shipwreck and Dial-Tone. To me, this was the final hoorah of the ARAH line’s glory days before the line started getting weird and confusing. With the exception of the Cobra Viper, it seemed like the G.I. Joe line was going back to its roots (well, maybe the stem). I really liked this figure as well as Shipwreck and Dial-Tone (hint, hint, Rob. 😉 ). It was sad to see the ARAH line end, but atleast it ended on a high note.
Flock’n Roll!
It’s available from Hong Kong sellers, some with the file card (I wish mine had the card). Get one! Sometimes these things are around for a long time then just vanish.
Really? What’s the price range?
I got my Flock & Roll from a local flea market. He’s an OK figure, but not something I would’ve tracked down. I got Wreckage, Big Brawler V2 redhead, and Tomax in the same lot. Wreckage was by far the coolest one from that bunch!
My idea is that I would swap out the legs on the “Flock N’ Roll” with some Budo ones I painted, give him some goggles and a beret, and have a “early-90’s Image Comics” Flint.
Nice 1994 figure!
I definitely appreciate this figure more now than I did back when it was first released. I was relatively unimpressed when it was available in 1994. It just didn’t look Flint-like enough to me. Flint was one of my favorite characters, and he really didn’t have the vibe that the original (or in my case Tiger Force) version did. However, looking at it now, there’s a lot to be appreciated. The sculpt, even without his trademark beret does look like Flint and it really shows how much things had changed in Hasbro’s toolbag since the 1985 version had been released. I think what killed it for me was some of the color problems. I didn’t pay that much attention to the card art, so I didn’t know that thing for his headgear was supposed to be his beret with goggles and a desert headwrap. Had that beret actually been painted (and some of the additional details on the body), I probably would have bitten down hard on this version.
Wow, I only noticed his beret now that KB mentioned it and looked at the header. All these years I thought it was a helmet. That’s gotta be the stiffest beret I’ve ever seen. The lack of paint apps on his headgear totally killed it.
$5.50 with free shipping, but be prepared to wait some weeks, as shipping from China takes awhile.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FREE-SHIP-NEW-GI-JOE-G-I-JOE-1993-ROCK-N-ROLL-WITH-CARD-ACTION-FIGURE-SU78-/370792430688?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item5654f37c60#ht_2147wt_928