Road Bullet (1995)

Extreme times call for extreme firepower, and extreme times also call for extreme motorcycles. Hell, extreme times call for extreme everything.

While GI Joe Extreme left a lot to be desired with regards to figures, especially when compared to the Real American Hero series, I found the vehicles to be quite fun and refreshingly different. Honestly, there’s not a whole lot to the Road Bullet. It lacks a lot in the way of an actual body, looking more like a street luge on steroids when the windscreen is lifted. It’s quite a deceptive thing to see in photos. The seat occupies the most real estate, which makes sense considering the larger scaled figures for which it was designed.

Ultra SLAM firepower was the gimmick of the time, and it both works and is fun. The Nerf missile isn’t new to GI Joe, as it was used to devastating effect on the massive Cobra Detonator in 1993. In this case, you fit the foam missile onto its post, push down on the plunger, and the projectile flies an impressive distance. It won’t quite pummel your cat, but it’s fun nonetheless.

As a small scale Joe collector, I am bound by law to try to adapt this thing to my preferred scale. The o-ring Joes fit in the expansive seat, and while they appear to be swimming, and can’t quite reach the handlebars, the effect isn’t too bad with the windscreen in place. At least it’s not a showhorning affair like all my attempts to fit 3 3/4 inch Joes into Sigma 6 vehicles. Looking at this thing again, I can’t help but wonder it it will fit my 90s Kenner Alien or Predator figures. Corporal Hicks or Bishop look like they might be right at home inside of it.

While the Road Bullet is definitely more of a 1990s Kenner vehicle than a 1980s Hasbro ride, I still found some positives in it. I just can’t stop shooting that cool little foam missile. I really need to grow up. Or not.