Here’s an example of a toy’s packaging doing its darndest to sell the item that lurks inside. I think this copter is on many Joe collectors’ “oh yeah, that exists” lists. I haven’t tracked it down personally, but maybe someday I will. There’s a reason why no figure is pictured riding in the vehicle on the back of the box.
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The Sonic Fighters repaints are an interesting lot. Straddling the years of 1990 and 1991, they seem to be of two worlds. Based on older molds, the figures bring back memories of what came before. Equipped with enormous noise-making backpacks and a few strange color choices, they serve as a kind of herald of what was to come. Gimmicks, sub-teams
Read moreIn the 90’s, I frequented the Half Price Store as part of my regular action figure hunting rounds. The store was a sort of close-out seller, much like Big Lots. Back in the early to mid 90’s, they regularly closed out Hasbro and other toy makers’ stock from the previous year. I can still picture the large deep bins holding
Read moreThe ’86 Viper mold. A fan favorite design that continues to resonate to this day. It’s also a mold that’s been repainted more times than my uncle’s 1974 Monte Carlo. Speaking of the 70’s, what’s more representative of the horrid decor of that decade than brown and gold? I think Cobra Commander was pining for his days as a young
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
Read moreInsufferable. That’s the one word that describes for me the GI Joe animated movie’s portrayal of Falcon. Here’s a guy who’s a lieutenant, right? He should have been an all-business type, yes? No. He was Don freaking Johnson, and he was a slacker/hotshot who later helped save the day. Ugh. Oh, and he was also Duke’s younger half-brother. Talk about
Read moreThe character of Zap, a bazooka soldier, was one of the Joe team’s original members. The first group of Joes released in 1982, usually referred to as the “original 13,” were made up of simple molds, many of whose parts were shared among the figures. Simple paint schemes set this first group apart from later releases; most were simply a
Read moreThe 90’s Joes often catch flak for their outrageous color schemes, wonky gimmicks and myriad sub-lines. There’s no denying the shift from subdued traditional military colors as the 80’s ended and the 90’s rolled on, and Hasbro’s throw-gimmick-at-wall-and-see-what-sticks mentality didn’t always succeed. However not everything from the time is all bad for the collectors who like their figures more realistic
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