If you had asked me who was my favorite Joe figure back in 1983, I would have said Flash. He’s still high on my list, but you can understand why things would change considering the constant release of amazing characters throughout the 1980s. Coming from the world of Star Wars, I imagine the mere concept of a guy with a
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GI Joe wouldn’t be nearly as long-lived and remembered if it weren’t for the depth and breadth of toys available to spark kids’ imaginations. From the 1960s line’s plethora of gear and weaponry to the Adventure Team’s motor pool of fantastical vehicles and accessories, the brand had gained a firm foothold with a variety of product in the boys toys
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By Past Nastification Oh, boy. He’ll always win the arm wrestling contests, but never the beauty pageants. This is 2004’s Venomous Maximus. I don’t like too much science fiction in my GI Joe. Dr. Venom’s brainwave scanner was that first step too far in my young mind. However, as I get older I realize it doesn’t really matter and it’s
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By KansasBrawler Hasbro made some pretty great exclusives during the 25th Anniversary line. While I thought it was a bit overpriced considering how much of it was stuff I already had, the Ultimate Battle Pack from Target was pretty impressive. You got six figures, two large vehicles, one small vehicle and a JUMP pack. I couldn’t afford it at its
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Imagine if you will catching the commercial for the original assortment of the 1982 GI Joes on morning television. You’re outfitted in your favorite PJs (Empire Strikes Back, or course), enjoying a bowl of Cap’n Crunch while taking in the latest episode of The Great Space Coaster before getting ready to head off to school. What should catch your bright
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Yesterday we covered Grunt, the Everyman figure of the initial 1980s series. Today we start to venture into the more specialized individuals. Versatility is the keyword for the mix of characters produced in the first year of the Real American Hero series. With just a few different body parts and key paint app choices, Hasbro was able to introduce enough
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It’s a new year, and I thought a fresh start was in order to ring in 2019. With that in mind, we’re going back to the beginning of GI Joe’s reintroduction in 1982. My plan is to continue most weekdays in release order, covering each of the straight and swivel arm figures in one post each. Who better to start
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The Cobra Mortal has quite a reputation among international releases. The silver and red version is highly prized, and the even rarer primarily white figure from Venezuela is something of an international grail for collectors. The Collectors Club covered both versions in convention sets, and based them on classic o-ring and modern construction Snake Eyes figures. Custom figure purveyor Black
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By Past Nastification Munita was a delayed figure that ended up being released as a Direct to Consumer figure through the GI Joe Collectors’ Club. Maybe because of the delay, or maybe because Hasbro had moved on to the 25th Anniversary style figures at retail, Munitia just didn’t catch on. The character was intended to be a ruthless bounty hunter,
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By KansasBrawler As a kid, I never really delved into The Corps! by Lanard all that much. I remember seeing them on the shelves, but I was never really all that taken by them, even when they were much cheaper than name-brand Joes. I bought a few Lanard figures here and there, but when I did, they were definitely doing
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