Welcome to day two of Nice Pants Week, wherein I continue to work out my issues with some of the crazy drawers of our favorite little plastic men. Today we return to another thought-to-be-cancelled Target exclusive from the movie line. Sandstorm is the driver of the RAM cycle from the Rise of Cobra line. He’s an MP who guards vehicle
Read moreI’ve said it before in other entries, and I think it’s time to focus on something I have an inexplicable fascination with when it comes to Joes. I call it Nice Pants Syndrome. In order to heal, one must first admit they have a problem. So this week, I’m focusing on it. Welcome to Nice Pants Week. Let’s kick it
Read moreAction Man, the original UK version of GI Joe, made a return to toy aisles as a series of 12 inch figures and accessories in the 90’s. Its revival was an adventure oriented series, and a limited amount of sets were actually release in the US. Instead of military situations and equipment, the new series had more of a James
Read moreWhile not technically part of the GI Joe line, Palitoy’s Action Force could be considered a close cousin. The original 1960’s Joe line had a counterpart in Europe known as Action Man. Based on the American GI Joe molds, it branched out to include British soldiers as well as venturing into less military territory, much like Hasbro’s 70’s Adventure Team.
Read moreThe Joe team’s preeminent ranger was recently released in the first wave of the 30th anniversary series, which is quite fitting as he’s been an integral member of the team since its beginning in 1982. He’s been through several iterations over the years, but he’s always looked his best when the design goes back to his roots. The base body
Read moreSo it’s football season in the US again. What better figure to cover today than Captain Gridiron, the Joes’ football based figure from–wait. This blog can’t cover that guy, too easy. How about another Joe football figure? This is certainly a highly idealized interpretation of Mr. Perry. It’s not unusual however, as Sgt. Slaughter’s original figure was decidedly more cut
Read moreThe GI Joe Collectors Club recently announced that the 2012 exclusive subscription figure will be Footloose, one of the most requested figures to not get a 25th anniversary style figure. Why is he such a fan demanded character? 1985 is regarded by many Joe collectors as the pinnacle of the vintage line. So many iconic characters and designs that continue
Read moreThe Joe team has had a SWAT specialist since the 1988 release of Shockwave. The team has also had a K-9 specialist since the release of Mutt & Junkyard in 1984. Wide Scope combines the two, which I think distinguishes him from both. A well written bio on his file card brings more interest for me as a character. He’s
Read moreWhen you think of GI Joe, you usually think of epic batttles, bullets (or lasers if you’re watching the cartoon) flying and heroic daring-do. There’s also a part of every military organization (or any organization) that does its job day-in day-out outside of the spotlight and glory. I’m talking about support personnel. For every person in the field, there’s ten
Read moreChuckles is another figure from the 1987 series that’s usually met with derision. Most of the discussion around him seems to centered around his shirt. I’ll agree that at first it’s an odd choice for a Joe to be wearing a Hawaiian shirt. But you’ve got to think that when the designers were thinking up a look for an undercover
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