Blowtorch (1984)

Blowtorch was one of the first figures of 1984 that I was excited–and I mean really excited–to get. I was also excited to find out what the figure’s code name was. At the time, I hadn’t yet bought any vehicles or accessories for the year and thus didn’t know any code names for the new figures. After all, it was

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Sgt. Slaughter (1988)

Holy cow! It’s the Sarge without a tank top and whistle! And he’s wearing a removable hat to boot! Awesome! With this figure, Sgt. Slaughter finally looked more like a Joe than a wrestler. His military look brings to mind his few appearances in the Marvel comic, in which he was outfitted in simple camo fatigues, and was also shown

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Hot Seat (1989)

Butt-ugly. That’s the shortest and most apt description I can think up for this figure. Most of it just doesn’t work for me. From the lack of paint details, to the Lord Dread meets Doc Terror helmet, it’s bland yet ugly at the same time. And the face–yikes! Now I know why the helmet obscures it. Hot Seat has the ugliest 3

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Rock & Roll (1989)

As redesigned Joes go, Rock & Roll is one of my favorites. The mold manages to take what was iconic about the original figure and create something that’s more than just a change of color. Though the old crossed bandoliers are gone, the look is replicated with straps on the chest and waist. The later 80’s more sizable chest and

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Destro (1983)

When I got my first couple of Joe figures I was having fun with toys that were something new and fresh after years of Star Wars fanaticism. It took the addition of the 1983 series to totally bring me around to being a Joe fan first and foremost. At a time when early looks at new product just couldn’t happen,

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Wildcard (1988)

Wildcard is an-looking odd driver for an odd-looking vehicle. The Mean Dog was an interesting concept but made for an unwieldy toy. It detaches into three sections: a gun turret, missile vehicle and scout car. I don’t mind the design, and I think for the most part it’s a quite nice looking vehicle. However I don’t get the turret just

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Ghostrider (1988)

Did you know about a Joe who appeared in the Marvel comic multiple times, yet was never mentioned by name? Such was the fate of Ghostrider, the pilot of 1988’s Phantom X-19, the stealth jet. The Phantom was a truly amazing Joe vehicle. At the time of its release, the public had no idea what the US military’s stealth fighter

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Roadblock (1986)

The original Roadblock figure was a favorite of mine at the time of its release, mostly due to his appearances in the Sunbow cartoon. Yeah, I know it’s not the coolest thing to admit nowadays, but understand that to 11-year-old Rob, the rhyming Joe was a great character. And you know what, I still like Sunbow Roadblock, and not in

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Law and Order (1987)

I’ve been fascinated with the Joe MPs ever since the release of Mutt and Junkyard in 1984. I can’t really explain it, but I think some of it has to do with both the inclusion of an animal sidekick and the accessories for the figure. Mutt had that great MAC-10 and billy club, as well as a muzzle (for himself

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Starduster (1987)

<Munch munch> Oh, hi again! Sorry, you just caught me finishing up my last box of GI Joe Action Stars cereal. It was pretty dry, but I think all that added sugar must act as a preservative. Anyway, I just slathered it in plenty of milk and it wasn’t too bad. Now I can get on with sending away for my free

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