No, it’s not a fight between two Mortal Kombat ninja–although in 1994, it could have totally been possible. It’s our final Toy Fair Flashback for the year, and I think this one is a doozy. Well, I am partial to catalog diorama shots. The shot impresses not only for the dramatic posing of the many figures featured, but also for
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Wow, if you hadn’t known that GI Joe was changing within a year, you would think that a large tank-like vehicle like this would signal a return to form in comparison to previous 90s offerings. Unfortunately, the Blockbuster represents the final large vehicle of the RAH era. The diorama shot here in the Hasbro catalog showcases it nicely. It’s a
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It’s Toy Fair time again, and no Joe news to report from Hasbro. That’s why we’re reaching into the catalog vault to dig up an advert of what was coming soon—in the past. My favorite of these 1993 offerings are the Steel Brigade branded vehicles. It wouldn’t be Tonka without a bulldozer and dump truck. And it’s the most literal
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Just thought I’d throw out a little bonus flashback coverage, since the real Toy Fair was a pretty sad experience for those expecting some Joe news out of Hasbro. But hey, there’s always some new product at Comic-con and JoeCon. For now, pretend for just one more day that you’re really pumped to see something new, like say…this. Pumped–get it?
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Our look back at 1993’s Toy Fair catalog continues with one of the flagship offerings of the year. Hasbro even gave it an amazing two-page spread to showcase it. The Ghoststriker certainly deserved the attention, and was an impressive jet for a late line release. It’s feature-laden yet maintains a nicely scaled silhouette. Of course, none of the Joe vehicles
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Twelve inch GI Joes are making a comeback! In 1993, that is. Of special interest here are the weapons in the hands of the mission gear equipped figures. It’s too bad we didn’t actually get some of these in the final product. I think Duke is wielding a 1/6 scale version of the original Dusty’s rifle. Pretty cool.
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It’s Toy Fair time again, and unfortunately there’s no GI Joe news to share from Hasbro. So why not take a trip in the wayback machine to February of 1993 to check out all the new Battle Corps series? Enjoy these scans from the 1993 Hasbro dealer catalog. It’s just like being there–sort of.
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It’s amazing to think that Hasbro would focus a segment of the 1994 GI Joe line on a different scale, and continue the all-out sci-fi vibe of Star Brigade’s second assortment. The set seems like it might have had a chance among the competing Turtles and Rangers in the early 90s toy aisles. However, we’d not find out how these
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I’ve been fascinated for a while with the yearly Toy Fair catalogs that were common in the days before the internet. Paging through them is akin to a trip back in time, and at times even more enjoyable than looking through old Wish Book and Christmas catalogs. The industry catalogs definitely boast much higher resolution photos than what was available
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Look out, it’s the LCV! I wonder if buyers at Toy Fair asked–what the hell is this!? Proof that the GI Joe design team could do whatever they wanted after a few years of huge success. I also never was able to sit a figure on it motorcycle style, as Bazooka is in the inset photo. Need to check if
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