It’s too bad Hasbro doesn’t feel the need to include file cards with the Retaliation movie figures. An interesting looking new Cobra trooper, the Cyber Ninja I’m sure could have benefited from some sort of backstory. Maybe I’m just being a crotchety old vintage collector, but surely it can’t add too much to the cost, or take away from the
Read moreI really like Star Brigade, the fairly grand experiment at the end of the original small scale GI Joe line. Maybe experiment is the wrong word. Some may say desperate attempt to boost sales. Was Hasbro prescient, foretelling the successful relaunch of Star Wars under their banner? Were they trying to catch some of that galaxy far away’s lightning in
Read moreMost of the impetus for this blog comes from reconnecting and finding a continuing use for my collection, the breadth of which sometimes makes me question my sanity. Earlier in the week, a couple of GI Joe news items got me thinking about Sigma 6 Firefly. First, there was the news of the Toys R Us exclusive Jurassic Park figures based on
Read moreThe Imp is an impressively squat and stocky little one man missile tank with a secret. What look like three large missiles hide an extra surprise payload. Just for this reason, it’s a neat addition to the Cobra ground forces. I also find a lot to like in the design itself. It has a real throwback look to it, and
Read moreWhen movie action figure lines are released, they usually contain multiple versions of the main characters, usually each with a different action feature. I find it a bit strange that the first movie Firefly released is this one, but I can see the reasoning to get the more kid-friendly figure out first. Features are what this figure is all about,
Read moreThe action figure gods giveth. Case in point: a couple of days ago, I raved about the Snake Eyes figure from this same wave, and how it’s a well detailed and articulated figure with a fun action feature. The action figure gods also taketh away. Case in point: this Storm Shadow. I swear I’ve seen this figure before. Heck, I
Read moreNew Cobra troopers are always welcome in my collection. Going beyond the regular blueshirts was exciting to me as a kid, whether they were generic troops or named characters. The Eels and Snow Serpents were the first specific duty troops that got me hooked on Cobra’s increasing diversity. Later in the 80’s, it seemed like Cobra had a new specialist
Read moreDid I mention before that the original Zarana figure was fugly beyond belief? Maybe that was intentional but probably not, since the card art portrayed a more attractive face. I suppose she just ended up with one of those ugly 80’s female action figure heads. Zartan’s little sis was subject to the same issues years later with this figure. When Zarana
Read moreFirefly is one of those classic figures whose original look was never done justice in the modern lines. The 25th anniversary versions had issues with the chest harness, and changed up the main weapon. The Pursuit of Cobra Firefly, while an interesting new take and a very detailed figure, obviously wasn’t meant to emulate the 1984 version. Along comes Retaliation,
Read moreWell, here it is folks, the original Cobra trooper. It’s taken a while. I’ve covered the weird and the wild over the last year and a half, but somehow this guy hadn’t fallen under my gaze till now. Wait a minute, isn’t the code name Cobra? Not according to the file card. Although, the early file cards were odd in
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