What can I write that hasn’t been said about the Dreadnoks, some of the most iconic, colorful and well remembered GI Joe villains of the Real American Hero era? Heck, I’d venture to say they’re some of the most remembered villains of any 80’s property. At least more remembered than the likes Mon*Star, Buttons McBoomBoom, Hun-Dred or Darkstorm. I can
Read moreTorch is one of my faves of the new sculpt era. There’s so much to like about this figure. It’s another example of taking an existing design and tweaking it for a new generation. Let’s be honest, as iconic as the Dreadnoks are, that old biker look is darn goofy these days. I like to see each iteration of Joe
Read moreSo Zartan’s brother finally gets the modern treatment, and I have mixed feelings about it. The original figure never made a whole lot of sense to me, particularly in comparison to his uber-cool brother. Most of this new figure from the BigBadToyStore exclusive Dreadnok battle pack is a straight interpretation of the original, though there have been some welcome improvements.
Read moreWhile the original Road Pig was impressively buff for Real American Hero line, I found it lacking the imposing face portrayed on the card art. The head sculpt was based on a Hasbro employee of the period, who had an entirely too friendly face for a roughhousing Dreadnok. The remainder of the original figure was well done and effectively accessorized
Read moreSo who knew that Zartan’s extended family would eventually be represented in action figure form? Can’t say that I ever did. Let’s see, we have brother, sister and daughter. All that’s missing now is Zingo, Zartan’s dog. Zanya is an amalgamation of her comic look and her auntie Zarana, thanks to the reuse of parts common to the Dreadnok battle
Read moreI suppose you could say that Zanzibar here is stretching the bounds of believability, even for the GI Joe line. Even taking into account the fact that a lot of the Cobra characters (especially the Dreadnoks) dress rather dramatically, you’d be hard pressed to find another figure that looks more like he’s on his way to a costume party. You
Read moreGnawgahyde is a character who I always found annoying. I suppose there were several reasons why: his background (a poacher, really?) the figure’s design and his portrayal in the DIC animated series. In the Operation Dragonfire mini-series, he was a doofus, and played way too big of a role in Cobra’s plans. Finally there’s the name itself: naugahyde is fake
Read moreThe original Thrasher is one of those figures who is pretty good from the neck down. I don’t know if its the hairdo or the actual head size that contributes to his melon-headedness. On top of the huge noggin, he just had too much of a friendly look on his face. Maybe that was meant to reflect his spoiled rotten
Read moreNew Dreadnoks are always a welcome sight for me. Ever since their introduction in the ’80’s, I’ve enjoyed the anarchic elements they bring to the line in terms of both character and design. I always thought that the Mad Max films would have made for a great toy line, and the Dreadnoks exemplify that kind of post-apocalytpic look very well.
Read moreWow, looks like someone spent a little to much time in the Dreadnoks’ tanning bed. I haven’t seen such an inhuman pallor since the talking General Hawk or Jersey Shore. Now that I think of it, Hawk was from the same sub-line as Road Pig here. What was going on in the Hasbro factory? Was the color mixer asleep at
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