Who didn’t take their Joes into the tub or swimming pool with them? How could you resist playing with Eels, Torpedo, the Water Mocassin or the WHALE in the water? Heck, Deep Six, with his diving action (an action feature in ’84–gasp!) was made for water play. Of course, the unfortunate side effect of throwing your Joes around in the
Read moreZartan? I don’t know any Zartan! You could have fooled me, buddy, because you sure look like him. Well, kind of, anyway. And hey, where’s the box o’ junk?! Now that I think about it, this is one half-arsed Zartan. Yet I can’t seem to look away… Regardless of how you feel about the 2000’s era 12 inch figures, this
Read moreI’ve thought that most of the JoeCon parachute drop figures from have been hit or miss. There have been some real disappointments, like the Jungle Viper and Prison Uniform Flint, but also a few that I kind of enjoy, like the Sky BAT and Air-Viper. But 2009’s Crimson Guard stands out as my favorite. The 2009 convention was a great
Read moreBattle Helmet Cobra Commander. Bumper Face. Rust Breath. While I find the original Cobra Commander figure to be the iconic portrayal of the character, I’ve always wanted to have him more closely resemble his cartoon version. Though the RAH line only gave us one battle helmeted Commander, the lines that followed made up for the lack. The new sculpt series
Read moreCrystal Ball is one of those lovable losers upon which some fans of the stranger side of the RAH line have built a foundation. Yes, many think the man is a joke. But I say, look closer, and maybe there’s a spark in him that could be fanned into a greater flame. I wouldn’t mind seeing a horror aspect make
Read moreIn my lingering memory of the Pursuit of Cobra and the 30th anniversary lines, frustration is equally a part of my impressions as wonderful sculpts and amazing accessories. I didn’t want to be negative today, but I feel like I have to be realistic when talking about collecting. There are ups, downs and potholes in the road. The Pursuit of Cobra
Read moreAs much as I liked the Pursuit of Cobra line, I found its versions of Cobra Commander to be lacking. The Pursuit of Cobra relied too much on the movie look, which didn’t work for me; even the third wave version’s addition of the classic helmet didn’t impress. In fact, I haven’t found a Commander figure that has really struck me since
Read moreWhen I first saw pictures of the Retaliation Cobra Trooper, I thought, hey, looks like the Joe line is getting back some color, albeit electric blue. The design doesn’t follow what we’ve seen of the movie troopers in trailers and pictures. They seem to be outfitted in an urban camo and black helmets, resembling a paramilitary security force more than
Read moreBlack Out is one of my absolute favorite figures and characters of the new sculpt era. The 3 & 3/4 inch figure, which I’ve covered before, is as another Man in Black might say “a victim of the time.” That figure, while it isn’t without a host of issues common to the era, still intrigues me thanks to an interesting
Read moreWhen I covered the Renegades Storm Shadow figure, I mentioned that Ihoped to see the mold again, since the movie sequel appeared to be ninja heavy. Man, I hate love being right. This is one of two Red Ninjas in the first wave, the other obviously being the single pack. This one differs not only in paint scheme, but in accessories.
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