The original Croc Master, one of the 1987 Cobra crew of crazed concepts often got short shrift due to his incredibly specific duties as well as his look. Did Cobra really need a reptile trainer, when they didn’t even have a dog handler? Croc Master could have easily been a Spider-Man villain with his black facemask, croc themed shirt and
Read moreFast Draw is one of those Joe figures that make you wonder just how the idea came about. Granted, there have been many far-out almost science fiction elements in the line since the beginning. The JUMP jet pack stands out in my mind as one of those things that have been dreamed of, but will probably never be a practical
Read moreDuke, like Snake Eyes is one of those Joe characters who seems to be on an equal number of Joe fans’ love and hate lists. How do I feel about him? I suppose it changes depending on which facet of Joe I’m talking about. The Real American Hero toys, comics and cartoons weren’t tied too closely together, so one could
Read moreBack in the day, I bought a lot of my comics at 7-11 of all places. I didn’t get the chance to pick up issues each month, so my following of the Joe comic was sporadic. Even so, I had a good time reading the issues I could get, sometimes many times over. It’s almost hard to remember the times
Read moreThe 2002-2006 Joe lines, being a more kid-friendly approach to the brand than today’s offerings, had a strong play-oriented focus. It began with the two-pack figure concept, a battle-on-a-card. Kids got two figures for the price of one, usually a Joe and a Cobra. How can you beat that? Naturally, with a kid-oriented line, action features are a given. Action
Read moreWhat is it that causes a madman with aspirations of ultimate power to also dress up like a complete snickerdoodle? Nobody brings together so many mad scientist elements like addle-brained former orthodontist Dr. Mindbender. Let’s see, shirtless–check; bald–check; monocle–check; mustache–check; cape–check; purple pants and jackboots–check and check. Joining the likes of mustache champions Mutt, Gung Ho and Wild Bill, his
Read moreI 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 only figure to include a
Read moreI 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 camo pattern looked
Read moreI 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 Ninja Viper, a 1992 mail-in offer,
Read moreI 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 the fuzzy-head days of old. Another aspect that strikes me
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