Dealer catalogs can be a trove of fascinating images. This page from 1987 showcases the LCV and Devilfish, each in detailed diorama fashion. When placed in such an interesting environment and lit dramatically, even the goofy LCV is lent an air of greater realism. The Devilfish of course needs no such help. Image via orangeslime.com
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Mummies and GI Joe go way back–all the way to the 70s. As a kid just barely aware of the large scale Joes that predated my childhood Real American Heros, I was somehow aware of the original search for the mummy set. Maybe it was the Peter Pan book and record. As an adult collector, I think that set perfectly
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Continuing our coverage of the recent release of an assortment of GI Joe themed minifigures based on a certain popular brick-based format, we’ve got a version of the team’s original MP and K-9 unit. Mutt and Junkyard have been favorites of mine since 1984, and it’s great to see them interpreted in this form, even if they’re not an official
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By KansasBrawler I’ve never been a terribly big fan of Dusty. It’s not that I don’t like the character, it’s just I’ve never found his figures to be terribly interesting. It kind of surprises me that I have so many modern versions of Dusty. The Pursuit of Cobra version is great and I find myself strangely drawn to the 50th
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By Past Nastification The modern era has given us new versions of Blowtorch. The first, from 2009, is a modern interpretation of the classic 1984 design. It’s packed with detail and sculpting. Plus extra gear that would indicate Blowtorch has some cross-training as a firefighter, which makes sense. Like many modern era figures, the added articulation doesn’t mean that the
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By Past Nastification Continuing from the 80s original, Blowtorch got a second figure almost 20 years later. I was delighted to see the new color set was a light brown uniform with gold armor and black accouterments. The gold is a little much, but I can live with it. This is a new sculpt era figure with some sculpting issues.
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By Past Nastification Based on his specialty, Blowtorch could have been one of the most fear-inducing characters of the GI Joe team. If you’ve ever seen any footage of their use in WWII, you know that flamethrowers are effective-but-vile business. Blowtorch has several versions over the last 30 years. But there are enough differences between some of them to provide
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If there’s one thing that the ARAH line got right from the get-go, it was the figures’ packaging. From the bold design elements to the focus on the specialty and personality of each character, the success story of the marketing arm of the series was laid. While the figures themselves improved from year to year in those first few assortments,
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By Past Nastification Where does the time go? Two decades have rolled by since Kenner rolled out the second version of the Joes’ first dedicated arctic trooper. Yep, this was technically a Kenner-labeled product following the Hasbro/Kenner merger. A repaint of the original Snow Job, except for the upper arms, Kenner expanded its use of long-dormant molds. Sure, I’m probably
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By Past Nastification Introduced as a Target exclusive for the Rise of Cobra line, the 2009 Grand Slam is my favorite version of the character. The previous 25A-style Grand Slam had silver colored pads instead of this one’s metallic ice blue ones. The silver pad Grand Slam also shared a head with 25A Flash, making it a head-to-toe repaint. The
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