The original GI Joes based on the four branches of the US military were released in the small format as part of the 30th anniversary celebration in 1994. The molds were well done interpretations of those venerable 60’s toys, with a Real American Hero twist. Fast forward a few years and the molds showed up again, this time as keychains.
Read moreIf the Joes got their top pilot in 1983 with Ace, Cobra followed suit the next year with Wild Weasel. The two even had a very memorable dogfight in the pages of the Marvel comic. However, that’s not my first memory of him. I first recall seeing him in Marvel issue 25 during the swamp battle with Zartan. Seeing a
Read moreTalk about a turnaround on a figure. The first Deep Six was a toy with a fun action element, but was also essentially a brick with moving arms. This one finally gets the Joes’ deep diver into the traditional articulation style, but not without one disappointment–the helmet. While the first Deep Six was outfitted in a bulky pressure suit that
Read moreI first got into GI Joes when the toys had shrunk down to become the Real American Hero of the 1980’s. I didn’t have much knowledge of or exposure to the Joes that had come before. A neighbor had a few Adventure Team figures and the AT HQ, but I had no idea what they were at the time (being
Read moreThis figure, from the Retaliation Ninja Showdown three-pack, looks nothing like what we’ve seen of Storm Shadow in previews for for the new movie, and I have no problem with that. I’ve not been a fan of his movie look thus far. I would have been impressed had the movie version sported this more comic book inspired style. Or more
Read moreI figured that it’s not enough work to write this stuff every day, and I needed to branch out. So check out my first video review. It’s another Big Brawler!
Read moreI’ve generally not been impressed by the modern driver figures. Many have been repaints and parts swaps of existing figures, with new heads thrown in here and there. That’s a far cry from the 80’s and 90’s, when most drivers were all new molds, and exclusive to their vehicles. Exclusivity and newness of driver figures were brilliant marketing concepts from the glory
Read moreWow, is this ever a Cobra Commander for special occasions. It’s Fancy Dress Ball Cobra Commander. In the annals of tastelessly attired villainry, this one deserves a Hall of Fame spot. I suppose the red is meant to convey a sense of the regal and formal, but the plastic used make him look like a cheap Christmas ornament. It’s oddly
Read moreIf there’s one Joe character that gives me a Halloween vibe, it’s serpentor. When I say a Halloween vibe, for me it’s more about sitting down and watching the old Universal horror films of the 30’s than costumes and trick or treat. His very origin is the stuff of horror. Dr. Mindbender operates like HP Lovecraft’s Herbert West at a
Read moreThe comic pack figures have been fun little self referential detours in recent years. They’ve been the source of not only quite a few comic specific characters, but also four-color versions of our familiar favorites. I can remember noticing more than a few times as a kid reading the comic that some of the characters didn’t resemble their toy versions
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