Croc Master, being part of the Cobra class of 1987, sometimes gets the business from collectors. The year is often cited as the beginning of the Real American Hero series’ downhill slide from the heights of early 80s greatness. If you look back at the year as a whole though, there are quite a few fantastic figures, and some that
Read moreThe 25th anniversary series mainly appealed to me as a way to obtain some of the old card art without paying out the wazoo for them. Card art was probably as big a factor for me in what made GI Joe stand out from other toy lines as the figures themselves. The individual portraits were eye-catching and held the promise
Read moreZartan? I don’t know any Zartan. I don’t either, at least not one that rides a Power Wheels version of the Chameleon. Sorry to start out with that observation, but it is the poorest excuse for a vintage homage in all the 25th anniversary line. Zartan can’t even sit on this truncated mess of a swamp skier without looking like
Read moreThe Night Creeper from 2009’s Defense of Cobra Island multi-pack is another example of a mostly well executed take on a vintage figure design. The Flint arms are a bit of a bummer, but the positives about the rest of him manage to outweigh the poor parts choice. This updated figure does a better job of recreating the look of
Read moreShould a Cobra pilot really be considered an army builder? I know the answer is yes in the common sense, as a generic trooper type of which Cobra may employ hundreds. But as a collector, is it at all useful to pack them with infantry types when the pilot is for the most part useless without his signature vehicle? The
Read moreThe hits just keep on comin’ with another Defense of Cobra Island multi-pack figure. It’s another fine marriage of parts that serves to make one of the most odd looking Cobra troopers of the past into a more cohesive and menacing looking figure. Again, like his pack mate Lamprey, the Range Viper benefits from being based on an old figure,
Read moreAs an action figure collector, I’m a sucker for variants. Some folks don’t care for repainted and re-released figures, preferring to stay with the main versions of their favorites. Not me. I’ve always gone in for the recolors and remolds. I think I can trace it back in general to the Masters of the Universe toys. I know that even
Read moreHere’s a first, both for the blog, and for Nice Pants Week. It’s one of the few 25th anniversary figures that I don’t have loose. Back when the series was going on, I was buying one to keep carded, and one to open. This is from a time before I had two children, by the way. These days, I’m much
Read moreThe beginning of the 25th anniversary series held a lot of promise. Sure, the first multi pack releases had their share of construction and articulation issues, but the availability of small GI Joes on store shelves again was cause for excitement. When the initial offerings performed so well that a second set of Cobras were released, I was ecstatic. At
Read moreThe first of three Lady Jaye figures released in the 25th anniversary series, this version follows closely to the original 1985 figure and its card art. Her most…uh…distinguishing feature is her impressive decolletage. If you ever needed a sign that the modern GI Joe lines are aimed at collectors, Lady Jaye is equipped with two good reasons. So the question
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