Skimobile (Polar Battle Bear)
Does it get any sweeter than the Polar Battle Bear? I think not. Since 1983, this has been my go-to winter/arctic vehicle. Yes, I even elevate it above the Snow Cat. Why? Well, you can easily amass a fleet of them, and more importantly it’s the only driverless vehicle that I instantly identify with a single-carded figure. Who? My favorite cold-weather Joe: Snow Job. He’s a top ten Joe for me, and his ride is right up there with him in my estimation.
I never had one until I picked one up at a flea market a few years after release. Meant a lot to me because how much it was used in media.
”With the combination of The Polar Battle Bear Ski Mobile, and Polar Assault Trooper -Snow Job, both from 1983,combined together..That is a set that can’t be beat.-Yo Joe!”
The Snowcat has a somewhat interesting history here in the UK…..
We didn’t get it in 1985 when many of the orange carded/boxed versions GI Joe toys, inc Snow Job, were released as Action Force.
It didn’t come out in 87 either, when the Action Force line returned with the US art packaging and what were the US 85 figures.
It eventually was released in 88, alongside the US 86 figures. So it’s driver for us was Iceberg! The box though retains it’s original art and continues to tease us by showing Snowjob ….. who by that point had been unavailable for 3 years!
Always LOVED the polar battle bear – just amazing that Hasbro made such detailed, cool and reasonably priced toys with SO much play value.
And how they taught us that missiles could be mounted anywhere….on skis, right next to someone’s noggin, etc….
One of those Joe vehicles I had early on when I lived in Texas. Yeah, not much snow in Texas usually. And I never got Snow Job back in the day. Yet, I wanted to the play with the toy because of GI JOE issue 11 and that it had cool weapons.
The tow hook struck me as odd.
Both comic and toon made it a two seater, because they’ve always got to alter the vehicle in a way that will leave kids disappointed with what they actually get!
The flaw with the toy is the skis and tabs that hold them in are prone to breaking as the plastic ages.