Gaze into the hypno-shield… You will think Crystal Ball is the coolest GI Joe figure ever made… Repeat after me: Crystal Ball is a better toy than ’85 Snake Eyes…Crystal Ball is a better toy than ’85 Snake Eyes…
Yeah, I’ll agree with Dreadnok: Spirit, I had Crystal Ball growing up and I loved the hell out of that figure. I think the striking packaging was probably part of what drew me to him (plus the lenticular sticker on his hypno-shield didn’t hurt). And man, those eyes are spooky as hell on that card art. It’s been so long since I looked at Crystal Ball’s card I’d forgotten that.
All i see is Vincent Price, holding up a hubcap
So; is there a scientific reason this guy is hated or is it just his misfortune of being packed without any weapons?
Totally agree with you both! Crystal Ball kick serious ass!! I bought him for my collection a couple of years ago but seeing his cardback again makes want to get another moc to hang on my wall. I think Crystal Ball is like a mix of Vincent Price, Anton LaVey and Mr. Fantastic.
Crystal Ball is one of those kooky, sci-fi Cobras, so I think a lot of guys that hold onto Cobra Commander as a used-car salesman avoid him. Thing is, as a kid, I used Crystal Ball as an interrogator and he’s great for that. You can ramp up his hocus-pocus powers if you want him as a super villain, or keep him grounded as a con artist with some unexplained ESP. Does he look unusual? Yes, and so does most of the Cobra hierarchy!
“…You can ramp up his hocus-pocus powers if you want him as a super villain, …”
Exactly!
Although the absence of adrenaline pumping accessories left me wanting more, the concepts of warfare on levels beyond the guns and tanks battlefields are realms of imagination waiting to be explored.
Just look at the Crimson twins winning wars and subverting nations with nothing more legal and boardroom action.
The figure is awful. But, as a kid, I did like his shield. I had it kind of like Captain America’s shield where it was, basically, indestructible. That lasted about a month and then Crystal Ball fell into the abyss of my abandoned Joe box.
This is definitely a case of the package being substantially better than the figure. (Raptor is another that comes to mind, man the ’87 Cobras were bad!) I still have no use for Crystal Ball and don’t think I even own one anymore.
CB is in the inner-cadre. End of story. He’s up in the high tower in Trans Carpathia plotting with CC. He’s in the basement interrogating / brainwashing.
He’s better than circus strongman Mindbender, Voltar, Raptor ,S&M Big Boa, Screaming Serpentor, or redundant visor AND goggles Vipers.
2nd biggest shelfwarmer I saw, behind Dee-Jay. The figure itself is mildly interesting (red eyes, hypno shield), though the lack of anything else seemed a detractor in a year when accessories were multiplying (one of the same reasons why Battle Force 2000 figures likely sold little). The concept is strange, but beside Serpentor, not as far-flung as it might seem. He definately looks like an only-in-1987 figure with many of the actual design features (even ignoring the bizarreness of his character and just looking at the mold details). Good card art, certainly better than poor Sneak Peek. In terms of his character, he seemed more like a mystical/horror-themed counterpart to the mad scientist Dr. Mindbender.
it´s famous, appears in a Stephen King novel (maybe because Stephen King wrote his filecard… and some says that designg the character… and then people ask me why I hate Stephen King…)
“Crystal Ball is a better toy than ’85 Snake Eyes”
Damn right he is! I don’t care what anyone thinks, Crystal Ball will always be one of my favorite Joe figures.
Yeah, I’ll agree with Dreadnok: Spirit, I had Crystal Ball growing up and I loved the hell out of that figure. I think the striking packaging was probably part of what drew me to him (plus the lenticular sticker on his hypno-shield didn’t hurt). And man, those eyes are spooky as hell on that card art. It’s been so long since I looked at Crystal Ball’s card I’d forgotten that.
All i see is Vincent Price, holding up a hubcap
So; is there a scientific reason this guy is hated or is it just his misfortune of being packed without any weapons?
This guy was on the pegs at my local Toys R us until late ’93. I finally bought him, only because I had already had everyone else in that store.
Totally agree with you both! Crystal Ball kick serious ass!! I bought him for my collection a couple of years ago but seeing his cardback again makes want to get another moc to hang on my wall. I think Crystal Ball is like a mix of Vincent Price, Anton LaVey and Mr. Fantastic.
Crystal Ball is one of those kooky, sci-fi Cobras, so I think a lot of guys that hold onto Cobra Commander as a used-car salesman avoid him. Thing is, as a kid, I used Crystal Ball as an interrogator and he’s great for that. You can ramp up his hocus-pocus powers if you want him as a super villain, or keep him grounded as a con artist with some unexplained ESP. Does he look unusual? Yes, and so does most of the Cobra hierarchy!
“…You can ramp up his hocus-pocus powers if you want him as a super villain, …”
Exactly!
Although the absence of adrenaline pumping accessories left me wanting more, the concepts of warfare on levels beyond the guns and tanks battlefields are realms of imagination waiting to be explored.
Just look at the Crimson twins winning wars and subverting nations with nothing more legal and boardroom action.
The figure is awful. But, as a kid, I did like his shield. I had it kind of like Captain America’s shield where it was, basically, indestructible. That lasted about a month and then Crystal Ball fell into the abyss of my abandoned Joe box.
This is definitely a case of the package being substantially better than the figure. (Raptor is another that comes to mind, man the ’87 Cobras were bad!) I still have no use for Crystal Ball and don’t think I even own one anymore.
Vincent Price!
CB is in the inner-cadre. End of story. He’s up in the high tower in Trans Carpathia plotting with CC. He’s in the basement interrogating / brainwashing.
He’s better than circus strongman Mindbender, Voltar, Raptor ,S&M Big Boa, Screaming Serpentor, or redundant visor AND goggles Vipers.
2nd biggest shelfwarmer I saw, behind Dee-Jay. The figure itself is mildly interesting (red eyes, hypno shield), though the lack of anything else seemed a detractor in a year when accessories were multiplying (one of the same reasons why Battle Force 2000 figures likely sold little). The concept is strange, but beside Serpentor, not as far-flung as it might seem. He definately looks like an only-in-1987 figure with many of the actual design features (even ignoring the bizarreness of his character and just looking at the mold details). Good card art, certainly better than poor Sneak Peek. In terms of his character, he seemed more like a mystical/horror-themed counterpart to the mad scientist Dr. Mindbender.
it´s famous, appears in a Stephen King novel (maybe because Stephen King wrote his filecard… and some says that designg the character… and then people ask me why I hate Stephen King…)