This figure was inspired by the unique looking version of the team’s popular commando seen on an early sticker set. I picked up a ton of extra comic pack sets to flesh out my original thirteen Joes in the format, so I found it easy to piece together a version of the Snake Eyes figure that never was. The legend
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By KansasBrawler Going into Joe Con 2016, I had some pretty strong ideas about what the souvenir sets were going to be. However, I was almost completely off base compared to what the GIJCC actually did. The one exclusive that I really didn’t have any idea how they were going to handle was the annual parachute drop figure. My best
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Released as a member of the mail-in International Action Force four pack, Big Ben was repainted to reflect the more colorful palette prevalent in the last two series of 90s Joes. His original 1991 version is one of the best of that under-appreciated bunch. By the 2000s, collectors had been treated to several more releases of the character, and I
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By Past Nastification Hawk is my favorite of the OG 13. But so is Stalker. And Scarlett… and Steeler, and Short-Fuze, and Grand Slam. It’s a good problem to have. When the 25th Anniversary/modern era figures launched in 2007, Hawk was missing from the lineup. Sure, Hasbro rolled Duke towards kids and collectors, but the character most deserving of getting
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By KansasBrawler With the main set covered, it’s now time to move onto the souvenirs from Joe Con 2016. This is the first time I’ve been able to cover these pieces in a series of con reviews since the Crimson Strike Team set, since I was actually able to attend. For Sky Patrol vehicles, the GIJCC picked one vehicle that
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By Past Nastification “Deformed” toys typically hold little appeal for me. Star Wars Galactic Buddies, or whatever they’re called… The cutesy Marvel figures with oversized eyes… Anything ever made by Pop… I just don’t get the adoration. So imagine my self-loathing when I discovered that I liked the GI Joe Micro Force mini-figures from 2012. Micro Force was one of
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Okay, GH needs to get some sun. Milky and somewhat translucent, the odd skin color was symptomatic of the RAH collections years’ Caucasian figures. Some folks prefer the vintage plastic skin tones over painted skin, but it’s all subjective. While the early 2000s crew are a departure from their predecessors in terms of deco, I find them to be an
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Clutch was my favorite character in the early Marvel comics issues. Rather than a cookie cutter personality, he was a colorful and opinionated (to put it mildly) presence among his teammates. His back and forth with his comrades made for the kind of character interaction that drew me into the world. As a figure, he’s also unique. It would have
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Hawk is one of those first series 1980s figures that I hoped would get a revisit in his original garb. The 2000s comic packs gave us the (then Colonel ranked) interpretation of the Marvel version of the Joe team field commander. The comic Hawk featured a newly sculpted head. The result was an appropriately comic book colored affair, albeit with
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Sci-Fi was a worthy update to Flash, although I still have a soft spot for the original laser rifle trooper. I had no problem with the character’s bright uniform, and I absolutely loved this package art. It strikes you immediately and really sells the specialty. For a Star Wars kid, it was a no-brainer pick.
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