Tiger Force Recondo (1988)

Repaints. If you ask collectors about things that bother them about their hobby, it’s a word that often comes up. Many see them as a cheap way for toy manufacturers to get a new toy on the shelves with little added expense. Take figure A, slap a different color of paint on him and presto-change-o! you have Figure B. I can’t blame them for doing it, and when it works well, the resulting figure can turn out great and sometimes even highly desirable.

In 1988 and 1989, Hasbro released a series of older Joes and vehicles repainted in what was intended as jungle camouflage. This group was called Tiger Force, and all of the figures and vehicles were painted with tiger stripes. This was also the first of what would become a series of special teams; groups that had some kind of unifying purpose and design. Recondo seems a perfect choice for this team, since he was originally the Joes’ Jungle Trooper, released in 1984. Granted, yellow stripes and a purple hat won’t blend in to most jungles, but hey it’s a toy. Just go with it.

Actually, by this time he wouldn’t be spending much time on the ground, as his specialty was changed to a helicopter pilot. I guess he got tired of the heat and humidity of the jungle and the pit stains it caused on all of his Banana Republic shirts and traded up for a helicopter. A nice one, with A/C.