This figure would have built upon the existing Stormshadow look and been an acceptable update to the character. The alternate construction would have been commonplace in 1995 for any ninja figure. So, while collectors may disdain it, it would have been the norm for anyone who was familiar with Joe in the early 1990's. The general color scheme is clean and subtle, though. It looks right at home with the more subdued colors we've seen from the proposed 1995 line.
My favorite Ninja Commando story surfaced in the 2000's. At the time, Hasbro designers were pulling figure parts out of their custom bins to create some of the repaints that were released in that era. One found an odd figure that he couldn't identify. Turned out it was a Ninja Commando. There were a bunch of full production figures just sitting in the junk bins that Hasbro had used to kitbash their toy ideas. I'd have loved a shot to root through those boxes, even for just an hour.
Had these figures made it retail in 1995, I would have passed them by, just like I did with Ninja Force and Shadow Ninjas. However, both of those sets had more garish colors that were not appealing to me. Perhaps, the muted and more realistic tones of the Ninja Commandos would have enticed me to acquire one or two. They were certainly an upgrade over the other figures available on the shelves at the time.
Luchador Storm Shadow!
ReplyDeleteFollowing the events in the comics I wonder if this Storm Shadow would be a Joe or a Cobra.
ReplyDeleteI wish we knew. It's likely the 5 character set would have been 3 Joes and 2 Cobras. So, either Knock Out or Stormshadow was going to be a Cobra. I'd guess Knock Out, though, just due to his colors and Darth Vader mask. But, Hama did return Stormshadow to Cobra in the comic at this time. So, either is possible. For what it's worth, none of the Ninja Commandos had any affiliation markings on them.
DeleteAccording to some reports I've heard over the years, quite a few production-level sets existed at one time, and somebody somewhere got his hands on most of them and was selling them for a price that one might expect to make as a down payment on a house.
ReplyDeleteI'd've loved to have had them, even though I was never a fan of the spring-action feature. Several of the body molds turned up in the Mortal Kombat movie line, including Budo, who was recolored and released as Shang Tsung. The bodies for Ninja Commando Flint and Road Pig were also used.
And that's the one that gets me -- ROAD PIG as a ninja!? There's a file card I'd've liked to have read...!
I've heard rumors of carded sets being sold out of Asia for exhorbitant prices. Some of the loose figures originated there, too. A few people did get loose sets so there's more out there than many people realize. I friend of mine visited Hasbro in the very early 2000's and they had full production level Ninja Commando figures in their fodder pile that they used to hand paint for mock ups of new figures!
DeleteI doubt there's 10,000 sets like some claimed. But, the number is definitely more than a dozen of these figures out there.