Back in 1984, I bought Deep Six and his vehicle, the SHARC, because of both the Marvel comic and the figure’s action feature. The comic heavily featured Deep Six and his ride in an iconic issue that also fully debuted Zartan. How could I have resisted begging my parents to buy me every toy that showed up in that issue?
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Since the 80s, Ace has been one of those Joe driver (or in this case, pilot) mainstays that you can be sure will make an appearance in whatever current form GI Joe takes. He’s been around for most of the various reboots and scale changes over the decades, even making it into the modern era along with a remade Skystriker.
Read moreJust what happened to Slip Stream’s face mask? Shouldn’t these things have a hose of some sort that connect to any oxygen supply? In fact, the Ace mold on which the body is based had a helmet that plugged right into the figure’s chest. You can still see the little hole, in fact. Maybe there’s some sort of new pilot
Read moreI’ve often wondered why Cobra didn’t have more traditional looking pilot figures over the years. While Wild Weasel was a classic character, and one of my early favorites in the line, he didn’t look much like a real world pilot. Later figures such as the Strato-Viper were interesting designs, but not the most functional. Available as the driver of the
Read moreI really really dig the version 2 Alley Viper, even though it’s yellow. Heck, I think I like the funky orange and blue repaint even more. I never picked up this version at retail in 1997, and waited until the early 2000s to get one along with his ride, the Rage. I was on something of an Alley Viper squad
Read moreHoly cow, did the GI Joe world need forty seven Big Ben figures between 2002 and 2006? At least with this one, the old body was replaced with another. The only problem: it was General Hawk, whose Talking Battle Commander look is just too easily identified to be a good substitute. On the other hand, it is nice to get
Read moreThere were a few figures in the relaunched o-ring era that hold up well when compared to their Real American Hero predecessors. Wild Bill’s initial figure release was one of my favorite Spy Troops molds. With an updated uniform design not too heavy on the cowboy aesthetic, more naturalistic proportions, and a removable hat, he was a welcome follow-up to
Read moreI’ve become a Night Fox fan. Night Who? He’s a recent arrival on the scene, and thanks to the lack of truly detailed file cards or a presence in any media, he’s a bit of a blank slate. His original figure, a driver from the Pursuit of Cobra line, immediately became a favorite of mine among the modern driver figures,
Read moreCan we get a little love for Steeler? The man’s been there from the beginning, one of the first driver figures, and he seems to be either left out or when he does appear, to be given the half-arsed treatment. The sadness of this figure rivals the depths of laziness plumbed by some of the 1997 rereleases. We’re not up
Read moreLeave it to Destro to finally give us an enemy trooper who wears sensible pants. I wouldn’t think that tank drivers would normally wear khakis, but then again their boss is known for odd fashion choices. The Ferret sports one of the most incredible helmets in all the line. Looking like a cross between a Roman and Cylon Centurion, it
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