Boomerang Billie (Lanard CORPS!)

I’m a sucker for Lanard’s CORPS line, particularly the 80s and 90s figures. I’m a little sad to report that apparently there won’t be a big local Lanard warehouse sale event this fall. I was really looking forward to picking up some of the 12 inch K-9 Corps figures. Guess, I should’ve grabbed that chainsaw wielding werewolf figure when I spotted it last year. Oh well, live and learn. Speaking of redecoed Lanard figures, I of course am also more drawn to the repaints from the 1990s. The color scheme on Billie here doesn’t make much sense, but I don’t care.

I can only imagine this figure’s mold was less inspired by a 1980s GI Joe character than it was by the sensation that was Paul Hogan AKA Crocodile Dundee. That guy was everywhere for a while. I suppose you could compare Billie to Recondo, since he’s sporting a boonie hat and cookie duster. However, he’s also equipped with three boomerangs. The weapons are impressive in that they all store handily in his backpack. I always find that kind of stuff really neat. The rifle might look familiar, if you have a GI Joe Lampreys figure close by. As far as other weapons, Billie does have a knife, although it’s molded on. I suppose I could pilfer one from a Joe figure and make a horribly hackneyed “that’s not a knife” joke.

A question for Australian readers: is this sort of imagery considered offensive? He seems to me like he might be seen as a horrible stereotype. Of course, Lanard were no strangers to cultural insensitivity in the 90s (witness Tracker Tom).

14 comments

  • Whoa, whoa, whoa…. you DIDN’T buy the chainsaw wielding werewolf?

  • Boomerang Billie is one of my favorites from the early years of this line. This particular version was hard for me to find. I suppose you could call him Eco-Warrior Boomerang Billie? He always reminded me more of Recondo than Dundee for some reason.

  • @Rob its not offensive [well not to me atlest] its just an example of someone on the other side of the world having a rather narrow view of other countries[see Bart vs Australia fot more] Plus Paul Hogan was probably popular when this guy was on the drawing board. The Dreadknocks on the other hand…

    I’ve never cared much for Australian cinema. Most of the Crocodile Dundee films are set in New York and Mad Max is about a drunk and his car.
    I nearly died of embaresment when i saw the shirtless, beer holding men with their lawnmowers at the opening ceremony of the Sydney olympics.

  • Shouldn’t it be ‘Boomerang Billy’?

  • I’ve gotta say, there’s something appealing about this guy. I don’t know what it is, but I really love the idea of a crazily-colored, boomerang-throwing operative on an elite military team. The design is actually pretty nice and that boomerang honestly looks pretty nice.

  • That’s a nice figure. I really like a lot of Lanard stuff.

  • I think more Recondo. It was “Croc” who had the Dundee hat and was named, well, “Croc”. They double-dipped the Aussie stereotype. Heck, they double dipped the Native American stereotype since John Eagle wasn’t ethnic enough.

  • One of my favourite Lanard o – ring figures which I’m glad I own. I prefer this brighter repaint, its silly but works, afterall, its a toy. Imo he fits in perfectly with the whacky ARAH era figures of their ‘rival’ line. All the colours on him, including his accessories really compliment one another perfectly. I miss the o – ring style Corps figures and wish Lanard would bring them back, either reuse old moulds or make new versions…

  • I prefer the more sensible colours of the v1 but it’s still a great figure.

  • This is a solid figure, weird but cool. Great boomerangs! I guess I missed out when I missed the old CORPS! but I wasn’t collecting at the time….broke college student.

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  • The version I had didn’t have the green splotches of camo.

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