I grabbed this image way back in the 2000s from an eBay auction. If you were into collecting back then, you probably remember the plethora of auctions originating from China. Among these were pre-release offerings of figures that made it to retail, but more interesting were the toys we never saw on shelves. This Cobra Officer image was labeled as
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Many of the figures pictured in dealer catalogs are early mock-ups or prototypes. Case in point today are the Renegades from 1987. Whether it’s the hand painted or rough head sculpt aspects of the figures, a peek into the production process is always interesting to see. Mercer in particular looks quite a bit different from his final version. Image via
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Toy Fair and retailer sale catalogs are always interesting to look at for their propensity to showcase not-quite-retail release versions of well-known toys. The subjects can range from kitbashed concepts to almost-finished product that differs only in paint scheme or small details. The toys in these shots appear to be similar if not the same as those appearing in the
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While looking through the inventory of GI Joe pics I’ve collected over the years, I happened upon this image that I captured from an eBay auction many years ago. If you were collecting Joes during the new sculpt era, you may remember that new releases were fairly regularly previewed via online auctions coming out of China. Some of the figures
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Here’s another shot of early versions of some first series 80s figures, courtesy of the 1982 Hasbro catalog (thanks again, Flag Points Dave). This time, it’s The Enemy AKA Cobra Officer and Trooper. These guys look to be kitbashed from Mego o-ring figures, from Buck Rogers, the Black Hole, Dukes of Hazzard or CHiPs. Whatever their origins, they’re a couple
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