This isn’t the first time the Joe team has had action figure versions of its “greenshirt” force, a group of generic soldiers that first filled out the ranks among the named characters of the Sunbow animated series. If there was a battle scene, chances are these guys were running around in the background, shooting or running to man a cannon.
Read moreMan, has Hasbro been in love with Heavy Duty since his debut or what? Being a recent addition from just two years earlier, he got a spot on the Armor Tech team alongside longtime Joes like Duke, Hawk and Rock N Roll. Considering the color scheme, I would have assumed that he was Stalker, but not so. Then again, a
Read moreDespite being pretty much a flop, and not well remembered even among a less popular era of GI Joe, I found the Built to Rule series fun, especially the vehicles. Among the figures released, a few were quite memorable. My favorite was Firefly, covered some time ago on the site. Gung-Ho was another figure that impressed me, if for no
Read moreThe Real American Hero era came to a close with a whimper in terms of the number of vehicles. Just four were released in that last year. However, within this small group were I think some real hidden gems. The Scorpion is one. Obviously, this isn’t the first time Cobra had added an ATV to its arsenal. The Ferret is
Read moreI’d like to call this post part of my “cleaning house” entries. Here’s a little peek inside how I manage this crazy endeavor that inexplicably continues despite my flagging sanity. Every few days, I venture into my collection, which is divided into sections consisting of 1) Vintage figures painstaking stored in those cute little tackle box thingies with the movable
Read moreMuskrat’s file card paints a picture of a pretty interesting individual, and someone who seems like a unique presence to add to the team. Just reading his background reminds me of an old Jerry Reed song. It’s unfortunate that the 1988-1989 figures (including Muskrat) fell into a no man’s land of Joe animation, with only a few getting a moment in the
Read moreAdding core Joe team members like Flint to the Eco Warriors sub-group didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Barbecue, on the other hand, fits into the concept pretty well. Like the file card states, he’s used to functioning in a hostile environment, only now he may be dealing with more caustic elements than just the average fire.
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I’m a huge fan of the 1991 figures. There’s not a one that I don’t find some reason to like. It’s a series that, for better or worse, seems to bridge what came before with what would come to be. It was our first exposure to spring-loaded weapons as a routine. It also featured several reinterpretations of existing figures. Wherever
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When did Nintendo’s Mario join the Joes? In all seriousness, figures like Slip-Stream amaze me because the face is not an idealized, chiseled image of an idealized male, but more of an everyman. It’s something that the small Joe line has done since the beginning. Just look at Grunt from the first series. Not an attractive guy. Sure, the team
Read moreCannonball is another driver made entirely of reused parts. It’s not surprising considering he was released as a driver of a Direct to Consumer vehicle, the Rhino. The DTC line utilized a lot of existing molds, with some strategically inserted new parts and weapons. Cannonball’s body is made up of Barrel Roll and Switch Gears, two of my favorite figures
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