Aside from O-ring figures, the one thing I’ve been missing in recent convention exclusive sets: new army builders. I know the club’s propentsity for throwing in multiple new troops in a con set probably spoke more toward the expense of including six distinct molds vs. six copies of one mold than a desire to provide collectors with new troop types, but I still
Read moreToday’s figure inspired me to write a haiku: Beachhead brave ranger. Always longing for command. Are you a pumpkin?
Read moreThe 1990 version of Overlord is a mystery. Appearing as a driver figure and an apparent new foe for the GI Joe team, he seemed poised to be a replacement for Cobra Commander. However nothing much came of his figure in the toyline or comic. It wasn’t until the 2000’s Devil’s Due comic series that anything of substance was done with
Read moreA lot of us Sunbow freaks have a laundry list of “cartoon only” characters we’d like to see in action figure form. Sparks was always at the top of my list. His presence on the cartoon confused me, since the Joes had a communications specialist (Breaker) since the first mini-series. I still liked his look however, with his odd helmet
Read moreWow, who upset Dr. Mindbender’s new intern? This is Hotwire, the Cobra BAT Mechanic from the 2008 convention exclusive set. The theme for the year was Cobra Headhunters, and the main boxed set included both some cool new frankensteined BATs as well as the awesome Headhunter and Headhunter Stormtrooper molds. Hotwire, a character originating from the 2004 GI Joe card game, was a
Read moreThe 25th anniversary series began (with Pilot Scarlett) the modern line’s fascination with homages to vintage foreign release figures. The collectors club picked up the ball and ran with it in 2009’s attendee exclusives. 2011’s con set also offered up some non-US subjects. As a collector who embraces the odd and unusual, I find them to be nice additions. It
Read moreWho do you think would be the least likely member of Tiger Force, the Joes’ jungle specialist team? How about a guy who drives a huge gantry that launches a space shuttle. Right. Wow, the color scheme rivals something out of Funskool. First he was saddled with a baby blue outfit, and now this. Although when you think about it,
Read moreIn 2006, Sgt. Slaughter’s Renegades returned as part of a convention exclusive set that also included the Sarge himself. The mold use was a good reuse of some maligned 90’s figures, the Mega Marines. The story for the con set had the Rednegades outfitted in special armor, so instead of each member’s unique look, the team shared a common body,
Read moreThe international figures are a source of fascination for many Joe collectors. The mysterious and sometimes weird repaints take something familiar to us American collectors and make it refreshingly new. I didn’t know much about them until I saw them in a publication (a magazine I believe it was called) in the dark days before the internet. Back then, those
Read moreThis version of Steeler serves for me as a reminder of the disappointment that was the 2007 convention exclusives. The set, titled Tanks for the Memories had members of the original Joe team as its focus along with–guess what–tanks. The Collectors Club intended the centerpieces of the set to be a set of Joe and Cobra–guess what–tanks. Unfortunately, the vintage
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