Sigma 6–in the end, it should have been called Stigma 6. Sorry, couldn’t resist. The series came along just as it seemed like Hasbro was putting out some nicer product in the Valor vs. Venom and DTC lines. To some fans, the series couldn’t be seen as anything but Hasbro ‘killing’ the small Joes in favor of a more kid-friendly
Read moreThe saga of the Payload figure is one of sadness and missed opportunity. When the Star Brigade line was launched (no pun intended) in 1993, early pictures and even the back of the packages depicted a Payload figure using the original 1987 mold. For me, this was an exciting prospect, as I never had the Defiant or Crusader, and therefore
Read moreI miss the days of Joe vs. Cobra/Spy Troops/Valor vs. Venom. Say what you will about the articulation, designs and proportions, I loved the fact that Joe was back on toy shelves. The concept of offering Joe figures in two packs was a great value and a good concept, whether it was a Joe/Cobra combo or a Cobra troop builder
Read moreGather round all ye Joe fans and let Uncle Joe A Day tell you a story of the dark days of the mid to late 90’s. They were dark times indeed. With nary a small Joe on a shelf, wandering bands of collectors were forced to venture into the wilderness of flea markets, garage sales and swap meets to stifle
Read moreDusty is one of those Joe mainstays who didn’t get a single card release in the 25th line, so we had to make do with his inclusion in a DVD battle pack. For me, the battle packs became increasingly difficult to find, culminating in the ridiculously hard to track down fifth pack featuring another great ’85 character, Alpine. Much like
Read moreWhile the original 1983 Destro remains the iconic vintage interpretation of the character, I always liked the 1988 Destro, with its bigger build and ball jointed gold head. The addition of the cape and sword (which could hang on the figure’s hip!) was icing on the cake. The whole look had a pirate-y feel to me, which was a refreshing
Read moreDial Tone is a fan favorite who’s gotten a lot of play among Joe fans in the last year. His exclusion from the 25th anniversary line was remedied when the Collectors Club released him as 2011’s membership figure. Even better, he was also released carded at the con, and included in the new Mission Brazil set. I think his original
Read moreIn 1987, the year 2000 seemed so far off. I’m sure some people thought flying cars would be the future. In fact, they’ve been saying that since the 50’s, and I’m getting upset about it–hey, future–where’s my flying car? In the GI Joe universe, they apparently thought the future would be crazy looking modular vehicles which offered their drivers no
Read moreAs the 90’s dawned on the vintage Joe toy line, things were taking a stronger turn towards sci-fi elements. This is particularly the case with Cobra. Decimator and his vehicle, the Hammerhead are a case of Cobra vehicle and driver design meshing perfectly. The design of the figure’s helmet takes the vehicle name literally, as it resembles a hammerhead shark’s
Read moreMost Joe fans can’t stand the DIC produced animated series. There’s good reason not to like it, particularly its second season, which is more unintentionally funny than anything else. The DIC series started strong however, with the Operation Dragonfire mini-series. The storyline mirrored the Sunbow formula: Cobra creates or discovers device/weapon of Incredible Power and intends to use said device/weapon
Read more