GI Joe Commando Attack Game (1985)

By Jeremy

As a Joe Collector, I’m always interested in any ancillary Joe items in general, and play sets in particular. I’m very fond of my Joe Headquarters, Terrordrome, Checkpoint Alpha, the Transportable Tactical Battle Platform, and even the Rise of Cobra PITT! So when I saw a strange box labeled the G.I.Joe Commando Attack Game at a recent Comic/Toy show, I was intrigued. For a paltry ten dollars,it was an easy sell.

Mine unfortunately, did not come with that cool Flint patch . From what I can gather, it’s often missing in loose samples. In addition to the 19 game pieces, the game came with battle stands that not only hold the game pieces, but your Joe figures as well! http://www.yojoe.com/archive/games/commando_pieces.shtml Now where have I seen these strange looking stands before? Yes, dear Joe-A-Day reader, it’s the same type stands that came with various Funskool Joe figures.

Imagine my disappointment upon setting the game up, only to discover the game pieces are NOT in scale to your standard o-ring figure. “Add even more realism by using your G.I. Joe action figures and equipment (!) on the giant size play set!” screams the copy on the back of the box. Well, if you have a few of those micro Joes, yeah,then maybe.

There are HQs, Supply depots, and most disturbingly, POW camps for both Joe and Cobra factions .I know POW camps are a part of war, and maybe you put your captured game pieces inside of the fenced in structure ( my game was missing the actual instructions), but concentration camps creep me out. Interestingly enough, a year or so later, Larry Hama wrote a gripping story in the Joe comic about Snow Job,Quick Kick, and Stalker trapped in some gulag deep in some old Soviet block country.

In 2002, Hasbro revisited the Commando Attack Game concept with an all new board, complete with new structures (still not in scale), Joe and Cobra crdboard vehicles and a gun that shot foam discs.