I appreciate ninjas. What can I say, I’m a child of the 80’s. I’m not talking about a modern, ironic appreciation either. I’m talking about something that goes back to the heyday of ninjas in the 80’s. A time before Real Ultimate Power, and before Pirates vs. Ninjas. A time when you couldn’t pass a magazine rack without seeing a one-off
Read moreIf you go back to the early comic issues and cartoon episodes, most Cobra troops were the basic blueshirts of 1982-83. Then the organization branched out, and before you knew it, there were Cobras for every occasion and situation. Then a strange thing happened in the 2000’s–out of the blue (or the black) a new Cobra force was born, the Night
Read moreThe presence and popularity of the 1986 Viper within Joe fandom goes without saying. The updated faceless Cobra trooper appeared more battle ready than the previous ’82-83 blueshirt, and is many a fan’s favorite army builder. The design continues to resonate into the most recent toyline. The 1994 Battle Corps figures were rife with re-dos and repaints of previously released
Read moreWhen 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,
Read moreIn a recent interview with Flag Points podcast, former GI Joe Brand Manager Kirk Bozigian related a story about a trip with his son to the toy department back in the day. He was going to buy an $.88 Hot Wheels car, and when he handed it to his son, the boy responded, “What does it do?” That statement became
Read moreWhile I appreciate the modern era GI Joe figures, I do miss some elements of the 2000’s lines. Most of all, I miss the deluxe figure concept. It’s something that was somewhat specific to the era, and though it wasn’t a part of the Joe line in the 80’s, there was a sort of precedence for it. The low price
Read moreWhat do you get the saboteur who has everything? How about a snazzy new outfit that goes with just about anything. Really, anything? If anything means Cobra blue, grey or black then yes. Look at it this way: Firefly is an important guy in the Cobra hierarchy. Cobra Commander himself hired the man years ago to exact revenge on Snake-Eyes.
Read moreComic book heroes can be fickle fashionistas. Even the tried and true bigwigs like Superman and Spider-Man have had their fair share of wardrobe changes over the years. Some second string heroes like Marvel’s Wasp and Wonder Man seemed to change their outfits as often as most of us change our socks, many times only appearing in a single issue.
Read moreGliders, gliders, gliders. The soaring, looping, gliding vehicles made appearances at the beginning and end of the Real American Hero line. I had the Falcon glider as a kid, and it was loads of fun–while it lasted. Even though the glider itself bit the dust after many breakages and careful scotch tape repairs, the exclusive pilot (the legendary tan Grunt) remained. The exclusive
Read moreThe new sculpt period produced four new versions of the venerable cobra android trooper, some of which were repainted time and time again during the era. The initial redesign bore a certain resemblance to the original 1986 BAT, but with a modern robotic twist. However, the initial version was missing the interchangeable arm, the most memorable element of the
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