The card art itself is taken from the 1983 Major Bludd figure. So, neither the mold nor accessories match what was actually included with the figure. You see some English and non some non-English text combined on the cardfront. The safety warning being in English is odd. But, that warning mentions children under 36 months old while additional safety text at the bottom mentions the boy being suitable for kids 5+ years old. It's a constant contradiction. You will note the Hasbro logo on the bottom, indicating the figure was Hasbro made and is comparable to other, vintage Joes in terms of quality.
The cardback shows the Chinese line. Again, you have an eclectic mix of figures with 1983 molds right alongside those from the 1990's. However, in the case of Destro and this Major Bludd, the molds used were from later figures. Duke and Cobra Commander used their classic molds. (With slight modifications on Duke.) While Roadblock was actually the Tiger Force version of the original mold.
Over the years, I've tried to translate Major Bludd's filecard a few times. However, I have yet to be successful. So, if anyone can translate it, please leave the info in the comments.
Through the years, there's been lots of speculation as to the audience for these figures. However, large quantities of overstock Chinese figures were sold in U.S. liquidation and close out stores in the mid 1990's. That is the source for the vast majority of the figures that populate collections today and is responsible for the cheap availability of the figure.
They were sold in large quantities in stores here in Belgium as well. That's how I got my Chinese Bludd, Duke and Roadblock figures. In fact, this Chinese Bludd figure was the first Major Bludd figure I came to own at the time (I was too young when the 1983 Major Bludd figure was released here under the Action Force brand in the mid 80's). I find the figure is so well designed that it is still my go-to Bludd figure for diorama's and such.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, great website!
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese filecard generally corresponds to the substance of the Sonic Fighter (91) file card: here's a quick and dirty translation:
Original Name: Bludd
Military Specialty: Terrorist activities, assassination
Place of Birth: Sydney, Australia
Major Bludd is despicable, disloyal, mercenary scum who would betray his own family for the right price. He has committed criminal acts all over the world, and is on the most wanted lists of several countries who intend to bring him back to face justice. Bludd specializes in the use of various evil weapons, including explosives, rifles, garrotes, truncheons, small arms, and various spiked weapons. When he discovered that Cobra had successfully developed an invincible sonic weapon, he immediately stole an arsenal for himself.
“Major Bludd loves writing poetry - yet his works are invariably unintelligible and worthy of ridicule. Despite this, he never tires of it, often presenting poems as gifts to others.”