Rapid-Fire (1990)
61 year ago
by Rob Buzan
I normally try to be positive about these things, but a gentle word of warning–I’m having a real hard time with this one. Rapid Fire is the ultimate Joe copy-and-paste job, and an all around odd figure. First off, he was a total repaint of Super Trooper, the ridiculous 1988 mail-in. He was also the More >
Tiger Force Hit & Run (1991)
51 year ago
by Rob Buzan
I was out of Joe collecting in 1988, the year of the original Hit & Run’s release. As such, I didn’t have a strong connection with either the character or figure. In fact, I probably didn’t pick up his first version well into my Joe re-buying days of the 90′s. The paint scheme seemed boring and the More >
Ninja Viper (1992)
21 year ago
by Rob Buzan
I can’t say it enough–the 1984 Storm Shadow mold is iconic. No matter how many times Hasbro reused it, even as recently as 2004, it still resonated coolness. That says a lot about the designers of the era, to have created something timeless. And it’s not a kitsch factor for me–just good design.
The More >
Breaker (1983)
71 year ago
by Rob Buzan
I have always thought that some of the original thirteen Joes followed very closely from their adventure team predecessors. Breaker was one of the figures that gives me this impression. Most obvious to me is his look, specifically the head sculpt. To me, the bearded Joes looked like throwbacks to More >
Shipwreck (2003)
91 year ago
by Rob Buzan
Spy Troops was a series that held promise with a great concept, but was ultimately wildly uneven in execution. The idea of clip on accessories to transform Joes and Cobras into the opposing force was novel and fun. I enjoy added play value, especially when the feature isn’t molded into the More >
General Flagg (2004)
71 year ago
by Rob Buzan
Deaths in comics have become tiresome. Every major character who’s killed off, no matter how much the writers repeat, “yes he’s staying dead”, don’t stay dead. Even Captain America’s Bucky, long held out in the “staying dead” camp, was brought back to modern comics. General Flagg, the Joe team’s More >
Predacon (1994)
41 year ago
by Rob Buzan
If you weren’t paying attention to Joe in 1994 (and a lot of collectors weren’t) you might have missed the fact that a four armed alien bounty hunter with dreadlocks and a Transformer namesake was part of the GI Joe line. Yeah.
The Star Brigade concept was a bit outlandish for a military group like More >
Agent Faces (2003)
31 year ago
by Rob Buzan
Agent Faces, the Joe team’s infiltrator, was a new addition in the Spy Troops line. A natural Joe counterpart to Zartan, he was even packed alongside the infamous master of disguise. While the secrets of Zartan’s abilities remained a mystery, Agent Faces was revealed to be a gifted mimic who was More >
Major Bludd (1994 China)
51 year ago
by Rob Buzan
As a kid, I always wanted an update of Major Bludd. Unfortunately that didn’t happen until the Sonic Fighters sub line, which was released at a time when I didn’t much care anymore. I still enjoyed his new version, although it would have been nice to see the mold in his trademark colors rather More >
Mercer (2006)
51 year ago
by Rob Buzan
In 2006, Sgt. Slaughter’s Renegades returned as part of a convention exclusive set that also included the Sarge himself. The mold use was a good reuse of some maligned 90′s figures, the Mega Marines. The story for the con set had the Rednegades outfitted in special armor, so instead of each More >
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