Now, before you roll your eyes at the name, consider the figure before you. As a Lanard CORPS! character, one might expect something along the lines of a GI Joe of the 80s. Speaking of which, although this figure was released in the late 90s, it carries a real 80s vibe in terms of its modeling. The o-ring CORPS! figures
Read moreIf there’s one thing that the GI Joe line has lacked, it’s civilians. What is a kid to do if he wants to populate his battle scenes with background characters? Where are the support personnel–you know, the police, bystanders and general onlookers? Nowhere in the official Hasbro offerings. Luckily, Lanard Toys came to the rescue with a couple series of
Read moreIf you’re not a fan of repurposed and repainted action figures, you would do well to avoid the 1990s CORPS! figures. This version of Hiro Yamato popped up sometime in the 1990s, along with others, like his fellow martial artist teammate Dragon Han. There were several rounds of repeated camo and other uniform decos in the years following the line’s
Read more, Lanard CORPS!
Read moreAt times I like to stretch the premise of this site and reach out into other corners of what could be considered connected to GI Joe. I’ve always been interested in history in general, and that interest also sometimes strays into toys. I’m amazed by the number of times that Hasbro reused GI Joe figure and vehicle parts over the
Read moreYeah, now here’s a blast from the past. I had one of these cool vehicles back in the day. It was quite an exciting toy, since the actual GI Joe line at that point only had the MOBAT, which although it was very cool as a motorized tank, wasn’t quite the same. This thing was remote controlled! How cool is
Read moreFrom its beginning in 1982, the small GI Joe line had an impressive tank. The MOBAT was a battery powered workhorse in my army, and was a brilliantly designed fast attack tank. Its smaller size in comparison to later Joe tanks spoke to the early team’s purpose as a force that could be deployed quickly in any number of locales.
Read moreAs extensive a line as the CORPS! action figure series is, it’s no match for GI Joe in terms of vehicles and playsets. In just their first two years, the Joes and Cobras had amassed a force of tanks, artillery, aircraft and bases that was unmatched in the action figure aisle. Lanard’s initial vehicle offerings were a bit paltry by
Read moreI’m a sucker for Lanard’s CORPS line, particularly the 80s and 90s figures. I’m a little sad to report that apparently there won’t be a big local Lanard warehouse sale event this fall. I was really looking forward to picking up some of the 12 inch K-9 Corps figures. Guess, I should’ve grabbed that chainsaw wielding werewolf figure when I
Read moreDo I kick myself in the butt for not buying up a pile of the 1990’s Bronze Bombers set that showed up at Toys R Us? Sure, but hindsight is 20/20. When these guys were on the shelf, I think my reaction was wonder at the use of actual GI Joe molds, then bemusement at the sight of some of
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