The Power of (Knock-Off) Packaging: The Devil Warriors

Somewhere in an alternate dimension, there’s a Bizarro version of 3DJoes that catalogs and restores the artwork of lines like Devil Warriors. Wait–that’s happening right here, today. Whoa. There’s a scummy sort of beauty to these knock-off packages. They certainly deserve to be seen in better condition than they’re often presented, if only for historical purposes. However, I doubt many

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Oculus (2015 CORPS! Super Soldier)

Last year, Lanard surprised collectors with their first-ever female CORPS! action figures. While these girls wowed fans with their added articulation (including more mobile ball-jointed hips), other new offerings joined them on shelves. Alongside new vehicles, Lanard introduced two new scales of toys to their CORPS! universe. One was a bucket of traditionally-sized “army men” and the other was a

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Ninja Flames Kamakura (2007 Sigma 6)

Who’d have thought that Kamakura, Snake Eyes’ green garbed apprentice would show up wearing electric blue? But that’s what you get with Sigma 6; it zigs just when you think it will zag. Since his introduction to the GI Joe mythos, Kamakura has been the victim of both odd color choices and weird gimmicks. Remember the lemon-headed, sword-drawing figure? If

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Spirit Iron-Knife (2005 Sigma 6)

I’ve said this before, but I think it bears repeating as many times as possible: the Sigma 6 years of GI Joe get undeserved short shrift. The common excuse for entertainments that fail often revolve around either the public at large not “getting it” or the product being ahead of its time. I think the latter applies in this case.

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Doctor Isotope (2015)

For the last several years, the collectors club has been peppering their exclusive twelve inch figure releases with.a sort of expanded universe of Adventure Team era characters. I’ve found the new ideas intriguing, particularly from the standpoint of a small Joe collector who’s not been entirely thrilled of late with the club’s past extensions of the Real American Hero mythos.

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