By Past Nastification 1987 was a great year for GI Joe. It arguably gave us the last wave of strong characters (or it could be that this was the last year I was solidly into toys). Among these characters was Psyche-Out, the team’s deceptive warfare specialist. That figure was classic, but its lime green quilted short sleeve shirt, could have
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A few years ago, I never would have expected an embarrassment of Starduster riches. I was fortunate to be buying Joes in the early 2000s when the original version was much cheaper, and I was jazzed when a couple other versions came out during the 25th Anniversary years. While it was great to get the character in the modern style,
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When I look at some of the new sculpt era figures in relation to where the small Joe figure style would go, I can see something of a progression. Now hear me out before you grab your torches and pitchforks. Although it wasn’t the first Joe line to feature it, the use of removable belts, holsters and other flexible gear
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It’s the debut of a new video feature for the site: That’s How I Found It. In this series, I’ll be focusing on toys and other miscellanea in their natural state. No clean-up or restorations, just used stuff as it’s been found. For the first edition, it’s the GI Joe Night Striker, part of the Night Force series of vehicles.
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The Toys R Us exclusive Night Force multipack was an odd duck, particularly in comparison to its 80s predecessor. Re-imagined as a squad clad in darkly patterned uniforms, it was a much more cohesive looking group than the original. It was nice however to see the set appear as an exclusive at the same retailer where it originated. Remember when
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Quick, everybody! Look! Get to Toys R Us! Oh wait, this is an old ad. Check out the name references here. I have to wonder whether the copy writer didn’t bother to use the names of the toys, or if the ad was produced before names were finalized. My favorite aspect of this ad is just how gosh-darn shiny that
Read moreSeems my favorite New York ninja has traded in his sneaks for some leg wraps. What is it with Joe martial artists and their odd footwear? In the meantime since his Ninja Force days, he’s also become the Joe team’s martial arts instructor. Why not have the big guns like Snake Eyes of Storm Shadow train the troops? Maybe that
Read moreSo you’re an ’82-86 fan. You’ve heard the conventional wisdom that post-’86 figures just got too colorful and lost too much of Joe’s military look. Now you’re looking for a post-86 Joe to debunk the idea. Well, look no further than the Toys R Us exclusive Night Force sub-set of ’88-89. According to the packaging: “NIGHT FORCE is a covert
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