By Past Nastification In a forum conversation I read years ago, someone threw out the idea that maybe “Night Force” and “Tiger Force” worked better for GI Joe not as actual sub-teams, but simply as environment-specific uniforms that all Joe team members would be issued to wear when appropriate. I can’t remember which website or forum member had the idea,
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Leave it to Lanard to make one of the coolest bad guy figures ever in 12 inch scale. The company’s CORPS! series didn’t introduce a group of villains until the 2000s Marauders. Hac is a member of the terrifying team that combats the heroes. I don’t recall his appearance in the small scale line, and that’s a shame, because this
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By KansasBrawler Sometimes, it’s hard to improve on a classic, but other times, a character’s original design isn’t the best. Hawk (then a colonel) was first released in 1982 alongside the rest of his team as the operator of the Mobile Missile System. However, due to a combination of being a vehicle driver and sharing a lot of his look
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By Past Nastification Sometimes Hasbro does fun things with GI Joe molds. For its Incredible Hulk movie line, it used recolored GI Joe figures as part of the Hulkbuster team. Hulk, schmulk. To my eye, this is just a disguised GI Joe figure. This Hulkbuster utilized the 2004 Shipwreck mold, done in slate-colored plastic, topped off with a helmet. There
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General Hawk returned to the pegs in 1991, and his look was one of the most significant departures from established lore. After all, he was first an artillery colonel, then a field equipped general. Neither too out of the ordinary. ’91 saw him adopt a full-on Rocketman-like flightsuit and jet pack. Yikes! Never one to ride a desk, Hawk was
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One of the unique features of the 1960s boxed GI Joe sets were the photo packages. Most were also different from other offerings in that the photos pictured more contemporary subjects than the World War II and Korea era featured on much of the painted packages. I particularly enjoy the juxtaposition of the gritty photo at left with the highly
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Heavy Duty has been saddled with the label of Replacement Roadblock for some time. I’ve never thought of him in that way. My initial introduction to the character came from the original 1991 figure, which was still available when I came back to Joes as a collector. I simply saw him as his specialty described, rather than another Roadblock Sure,
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Hi-Tech encapsulates most of what I enjoy about the eight inch Sigma 6 figures. A large, durable toy (especially in kid-sized hands) as well as multiple, modular accessories with sensible action features. Finally, a funky, stylized look that injected freshness into a brand that had been rejuvenating the themes and styles of previous decades. I really, really like Sigma 6.
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“Hombre” Means Man! Such says the Montgomery Wards 1973 Christmas catalog. I suppose some folks had to have the word explained to them back in the day. Regardless, Hombre is a GI Joe knockoff in the vein of the Adventure Team, although he looks more akin to Mego’s Action Jackson in the face. He’s sporting some mighty fine sideburns. I
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If there was one 90s Joe figure that I could hold up to others as a prime example of Good Stuff You Might Have Missed After 1986, it would be the Headhunters. Even with bright green paint here and there, the figure is–allow me to get a bit crude–badass. As enforcers/guards for Headman, these guys look the part. Both stylish
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