The initial 25th anniversary Firefly encompasses a lot of what I find successful and unsuccessful about that line. With the recreated vintage cardback and added modern detail and articulation, one might think of the series as being the “GI Joe figures we always wanted”. I tend to think of 25th figures like this Firefly as the “GI Joes better left
Read moreAs much as I appreciate and enjoy the figures from early in the Real American Hero period, some of those older figures don’t quite fit in when displayed alongside some later releases. As the line went on, sculpting styles, proportions and color palettes evolved. I like to think of it as a natural progression, much like changes in fashion. You
Read moreLast weekend, I spent some time organizing and sorting my 2002-2006 figures. When I was buying these figures new, I wasn’t bothering to put accessories in little baggies, but rather throwing both figure and gear into plastic tubs. Not a big deal, unless you’ve decided to write a blog and take photos of figures. If you collected the era, you
Read moreOdd is an appropriate one word descriptive term for Sneak Peek. It’s quite an unassuming figure. The sculpt is on the chunky side, both in the face and torso. The overall design seems like it would be more applicable to another laser trooper, with its padded upper body. The accessories are another source of oddness. While the idea of a
Read moreI’ve said this many times: I admire figures that can store their equipment on their person. There’s something impressive and realistic about a character schlepping his gear around. It shows just a little more attention to detail on the part of the toy maker, and I’m always appreciative of the effort. Operation Sand Sting presents a look that exemplifies the
Read moreJust how many apprentices has Snake Eyes had over the years? The guy’s had more students than Prince has had girlfriend/proteges. Seems Snakes has been picking up students throughout his time as a Joe. If he were a shrewd businessman,he could have sold his secluded cabin in the High Sierrras, opened up an Arashikage ninja dojo at a Staten Island
Read moreLow Light was a part of the 2008 convention exclusive attendee figures, and came in a three pack that also included Shockblast (AKA Shockwave) and Long Arm. Like the other figures in the set, he’s outfitted in a color scheme much different from his original classic version. The story line of that year’s con set involved the Cobra Headhunters, which
Read moreRemember the scene in Rise of Cobra when Duke climbed the sheer face of a glass skyscraper with a giant yellow suction up, shot through the plate glass window and attacked a squad of Neo-Vipers with his samurai sword, all while wearing fabulous Jackson Pollock camo pants? No? Maybe I remembered wrong, and it was just part of the GI Joe
Read moreThe domestic release of Blizzard is another figure that I pined for back in the days of my return to Joe collecting. He was another snow trooper, a speciality that always did (and still does) spark my interest. Much like other figures of the years I missed, he was also packed with an abundance of gear. He can also store
Read moreSince 1984, there have been ninjas of some sort in GI Joe. I suppose they’ll always be a part of whatever the current line is doing, regardless of focus or scale. Sgt. Savage is the only post-80’s small scale Joe line I can think of that didn’t have a ninja or at least a figure with ninja like qualities. Even
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