We’re back again with more patent drawings from the wonderful Google Patent archive. And what could be more exciting to examine than the inner workings of the spring loaded mechanisms that collectors love so much? Plus it’s time to set clocks forward for springtime in (most of) the US. Hooray for lame date-related tie-in posts! This item from Hasbro should
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The internet never fails to bring up interesting historical tidbits about, well, everything. Basically the whole of human knowledge is at our fingertips. What does that mean for a fellow like me? It means I can search Google for toy patent drawings. Today I managed to dig up the MOBAT. These things can be a bit difficult to locate due
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By Past Nastification Based on the real world Saab Draken, the Cobra Liquidator is also close in design to the Cobra jet flown by Major Bludd in the opening scene of Sunbow’s The MASS Device. It was probably a coincidence that Hasbro chose to source the Draken as a Cobra Jet, as Sunbow had nothing to do with the GI
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Here’s an example of a toy’s packaging doing its darndest to sell the item that lurks inside. I think this copter is on many Joe collectors’ “oh yeah, that exists” lists. I haven’t tracked it down personally, but maybe someday I will. There’s a reason why no figure is pictured riding in the vehicle on the back of the box.
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One of the things I really enjoy about the Adventure Team package art are the mixing of depictions of the product in both fictional and real-world settings. The Windboat illustrates Joe in his craft at the left, yet the right panel shows a kid hand assembling the toy. Better yet, a closer look at Joe on the windboat reveals that
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While the Kre-O series nailed many a minifigure version of classic GI Joes, the vehicles in the line left a lot to be desired. There were attempts to replicate classic playsets, like the Checkpoint and Outpost Defender. The Terrordrome set was probably the most successful in bringing an 80s favorite into the building blocks concept. Venerable Joe rides like the
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Is there anything that can’t be made cooler with a animal mouth motif painted on the front of it? Not that the Devilfish needed any help in the coolness department. For a small vehicle, it sure rose to the top of my list quickly in ’86 and saw tons of use both in the living room and pool. I suppose
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We’re back again (it’s been too long) with a quick-hitting review of the Karate Chopper box. Yeah, we couldn’t find the actual toy, so this is what you get. I don’t have a whole lot to say about it, so Will saves the day, as usual.
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My most vivid memory of the Stinger goes back to a friend’s birthday party back in the summer of 1984. At the time, I had amassed a few early figures and some of the first and second series vehicles, including the original VAMP. My friend made out like a bandit for this birthday; the VAMP Mark II and Stinger were
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By KansasBrawler During my Joe Con coverage, I mentioned that the loose, complete figures I picked up all had something in common. Major Storm should have been a hint, but here we go—all those characters were featured on the box art of The General. I got ridiculously lucky at my local comic shop and ran into a 99.9% complete General
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