2005 Comic Pack Firefly

I'm at a point where revisiting figures is more necessary.  Mostly because I'm running out of figures to profile.  But, also, there are some figures whose status in the collecting community has drastically changed in the time since I first looked at them.  Back in 2008, the Comic Pack Firefly was still considered a peg warmer.  It had been heavily clearanced.  And, the Joe market of the time was saturated with them.  You could get them for a couple bucks with no issue.  In the time since then, though, the Comic Pack figures have taken on a new life.  Figures like this Firefly no longer seem such retail duds.  And, collectors have started to appreciate them for the quality releases they can be.

I'll just say it: this is the best vintage Firefly figure.  He's better than the 1984.  The new head is extremely well done and fits on the body. The updated digital pattern is a better look than the spottled 1984.  And, the grey color is lighter, allowing for more visual contrast.  The original Firefly has no painted details.  This version allows you to see all the things that made Firefly the second coolest Cobra released 21 years prior.  Upon this figure's release, no one wanted another Firefly.  But, Hasbro delivered the best take on the character, ever.  So, that carried the figure into a place of prominence.

It took a while.  Early 2000's collectors were still beholden to their beloved original figure.  Slowly, though, the pull of this 2005 Firefly was just too strong.  And, you began to see this 2005 figure appear among even other 1983 and 1984 Cobras.  More and more collectors found the value in having a great looking figure who also didn't have fragile thumbs or an easily breakable crotch.  And, this figure began to appear in more and more photos.  Slowly, the 1984 figure faded into the background.  If collectors wanted an offbeat Firefly, there were several options.  But, if they wanted to represent Firefly in his original incarnation, they were turning more and more to the 2005 figure instead of the original.

And, why not?  This Firefly has a pretty strong argument for being the best Comic Pack figure.  (The 2005 Stalker is my personal favorite, though.)  Hasbro was finally starting to dial in their heads...just in time for the entire Joe line to get cancelled.  It's weird that a figure that ranks so high would be a character who was entirely played out among collectors and also a direct homage to the figure's original look.  Rarely did these tributes surpass the originals.  But, this Firefly did so with such aplomb that the 1984 now looks quaint when posed against the sterner and more grizzled head.

It's no secret that Hasbro got lazy with accessories on ARAH style Joe repaints.  While the figure's original gear was a staple of 1997 through 2001 releases, Hasbro had mostly abandoned this by 2005 and mostly just released a large volume of random gear with their vintage redos.  Fortunately, Firefly was one of the figures who was not affected by this.  Hasbro released every Firefly mold usage with at least some of his original gear with the exception of the Gift Set Firefly.  This Comic Pack figure includes the classic machine gun, walkie talkie, backpack and socket wrench cover that is necessary for any Firefly figure.  They are all cast in black.  The upside being that Firefly's gear in black got very common in the 2000's so it's easy to find today.  And, the black looks great against the brighter grey base of the figure.  The green, 1984 weapons work well enough with the Comic Pack version.  But, they somewhat wash out with the lighter base.  You can now get Firefly's gun and walkie talkie in a variety of colors from various factory custom makers.  So, you can find a color combo that works if you have some spare time.

It's simply baffling as to what Hasbro would spend money to develop back in the 2000's.  They had a perfectly good Firefly mold available.  Though, it was starting to show signs of wear.  But, Hasbro created a brand new head when the original was beloved by collectors.  It's likely that the body is either an entirely new mold based on the original or it was substantially cleaned up to sharpen the details.  Hasbro paid more to do this.  They resculpted Scrap Iron, Mutt and Lady Jaye.  But, they never bothered to recreate the 1985 Snake Eyes or the 1983 Cobra Commander.  Hasbro would spend on the mundane or the unnecessary while leaving gaping holes of super desirable figures.  They never explained themselves.  So, we have half a dozen amazing Firefly repaints.  But, there was not a single helmeted Cobra Commander figure until 2022.

Comic Pack figures discolor.  This is just a truism at this point.  Hasbro's early 2000's plastics isn't holding up among Joes, Star Wars or Transformers.  This Firefly, though, has tended to do pretty well.  While his pack mate, Scrap Iron, is guaranteed to discolor, this Firefly has held out.  You'll see some tinges of yellow on a few figures.  And, you may see some slight upper arm discoloration.  In the realm of Comic Pack figures, that's pretty good.  And, keeps this Firefly relevant when other figures from his series have fallen off the popularity cliff due to their propensity for discoloration.  

The Firefly mold was used to death.  After the 1984 figure finished it's production  run, it disappeared for a little over a decade.  The mold was planned for use as the 1988 Tiger Force Sabretooth figure.  (More on him in Rarities Month in June!)  But, he was never released.  Instead, the mold spent some time in  India.  Firefly was among the figures released by Funskool and had a production window of a couple of years.  His body was used for a Complan Commandos figure, too.  Hasbro got the mold back ahead of the 1997 series as Firefly was painted up as a possible 1997 release.  That figure didn't make the cut, though.  And, it wasn't until 1998 that Firefly returned to the Hasbro line.  

The return was overkill, though.  Hasbro released the arctic Firefly in 1998.  A woodlands version was included in the first wave of the ARAHC in 2000.  In 2002, the figure appeared in the BJ's Gift Set. (There is also an unproduced version of this figure that's green instead of red.)  2003 was a banner year.  The mold was used for Wreckage in the 2003 Tiger Force set.  And, then, the club released two convention exclusive figures in  the summer of that year.  If that weren't enough, the amazing Urban Strike Firefly debuted in 2004.  Then, 2005 brought us a Crimson repaint of the mold in the Crimson Guard sets.  And, finally, this Comic Pack figure followed close on the Crimson figure's heels.  In short, there are MORE than enough Fireflies to keep you interested should you simply love the character or his design.

Pricing on this figure is way down over a couple of years ago.  For a while, this was a $25 to $40 figure.  And, you'd see carded samples sell between $50 and $70.  Now, though, the carded sets have settled into the $35-$40 range.  It's a pain to find loose figures, though.  The Serpentor has become the most desirable figure in the set.  So, a carded set is probably the best way to go if you want to acquire this Firefly.  As original Fireflies sell for way more, this figure is a cheaper alternative to a classic character.  Since he's also better, you get a double win for your collection.  

2005 Comic Pack Dreadnok Thrasher - Around The Web

There's not a ton of content featuring this Comic Pack Thrasher.  Mostly, because he's not a good figure.  The original Thrasher is substantially better.  And, he's easier to find.  To top it off, this Thrasher also badly discolors.  So, there's no reason to spend a lot of time looking for one.

None of that takes away from the bizarreness of the figure.  There was no demand for Thrasher and he was never a popular character.  So, the fact we got two versions of him in the repaint era speaks to the perceived popularity of the Dreadnoks, in general.  Many people believed that the Dreadnoks were among the most popular concepts in the Joe line.  But, all of the products themed around them turned into retail duds.  So, they really weren't all that popular.

But, this Thrasher exists.  And, he does have some fun colors.  But, his head is worse than the original and the rest of the mold remains dated.  So, check out the sparse content on him from around the web.

2005 Thrasher Profile

2005 Thrasher by relena_warcraft

2005 Thrasher review at JoeBattleLines.com

2005 Thrasher by themexicangriswolds

2005 Thrasher by yotothejoe

2005 Thrasher by relena_warcraft

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness - Around the Web

The 2005 Imperial Processional set is just weird.  It's got a bizarre amalgamation figure who operates as an army builder, offbeat colors and throne that's barely enough to lift a figure off the floor.  But, it kind of works.  2000's Joe was so banal that anything that took even a remote chance remains a bit more interesting, today.  

This Baroness figure used to be the most unique look for the mold.  But, Lady Jaye Toys rendered this figure moot with their dozens of Baroness mold repaints in the past two years.  This figure does have the alternate head.  But, I'm not sure it's better.  

Regardless, check out the content on her, below.  You'll  find a nice mix of items written upon her release as well as more modern takes on the figure.  I have a real profile that will drop on Halloween.  It should be pretty easy to guess which figure it is.

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness Profile

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by atwooddan

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by yovalleyjoe

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by gen_liederkranz

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by gi_joe_y2k

2005 Imperial Procession Set Review at General's Joes Reborn

2005 Imperial Procession Set Review at Joe Battle Lines

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by gi_joe_y2k

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by rexglewis1982

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by yovalleyjoe

2005 Comic Pack Serpentor - Random Photos of the Day

Serpentor is one of those figures who only has one look.  Every one of his figures has been in his standard, regal armor design.  Sure, the colors have changed...a bit.  But, Serpentor doesn't really have a figure in a look other than one derived from his 1986 debut.  

Serpentor is also a figure, though, who doesn't really need another look.  Attempts to modernize him fall flat.  And, sometimes, the regal emperor's regalia is all a character needs to convey his purpose.  Granted, I wouldn't say no to a debut inspired, shirtless Serpentor.  He and Dr. Mindbender would be twinsies.  I actually hope Super7 gets around to a Serpentor like that.  But, I'm not going to hold my breath.

This 2005 Serpentor is probably the worst of his three o-ring versions.  But, that's a misnomer because all of Serpentor's colorings are great.  This one is just different.  The removable helmet actually works for this figure, too.  The soft pastels are a nice alternate look for Serpentor and give him a less regal and less imposing feel than the golden and black based figures that preceded this release.

I'd really love to do more with this figure.  But, I sold all my spares during my purge.  And, the lone sample I have left is starting to show fraying and wear around the arm holes on his cape.  So, I don't get this guy out much, any longer.  The biggest argument for newer Serpentor figures is that the old ones are all brittle and easy to damage.  Heck, even this figure is now 20 years old.  But, the Super7 Serpentors, so far, haven't really done much to inspire my acquisition of them.  Maybe that will change if they do something fun or interesting with the character.  Until then, I have this 2005 figure for the sparse times I may feel the need to bring the Serpentor character out for a photo shoot.

2005 Heavy Assault Squad Snake Eyes - Around The Web

The HAS set has largely disappeared from the collecting conscience.  Part of that is just due to the late release date and collector malaise at the time.  That left the set as a clearanced out dud.  Few collectors bothered to stockpile extras...even at closeout prices.  So, today, few people have the figures from the set.  And, it's kind of pain to find loose samples when you're out and about.  Despite the set being one of Hasbro's worst efforts, the reality is that Snake Eyes and Roadblock are pretty good figures.  It might be blasphemous to suggest that this is the best paint job on the 1991 Snake Eyes mold.  But, I'll argue that point.

I often use the figure just because he's so obscure.  But, he's also solid and tends to get people talking a bit about him.  There isn't a lot of content on him out there, though.  Even back in 2005, few people bother to really review the entire HAS set because the Joe world was so dead after the "Hiatus" announcement.  So, check out what little I could find on the figure and enjoy one of those weird "end of the line" oddities who's a surprisingly quality release.

2005 HAS Snake Eyes Profile

2005 HAS Snake Eyes by General Liederkranz

2005 HAS Snake Eyes by corpscommandercody

2005 HAS Snake Eyes by Gen_Liederkranz

2005 HAS Set at Joe Battle Lines.com

2005 HAS Snake Eyes by Gen_Liederkranz

2005 HAS Snake Eyes by twindigtoys

2005 HAS Snake Eyes by Gen_Liederkranz

2005 HAS Snake Eyes by Outrider

Rarities - 2005 Red Ninja Viper Pre Production Color Variant

Back in the mid and late 2000's, there were tons of alternate figures coming from Asian sources.  Some were unpainted prototypes.  Others were color tests.  Some were early paint samples.  Some featured slightly different colors in specific areas.  And, others featured entirely different paint masks or parts from the production figure.  There were so many of them coming out, though, that documentation was sparse.  And, the fact that there was so much misinformation about the figures contributed to many people not wanting what was known about them to be published.  Lost in the Tiger Force Steel Brigade and Night Force Tracker figures, though, are obscure and often missed variants like this Red Ninja Viper.

Released in 2005 as part of a Comic Pack, the Red Ninja Viper used the 1988 Stormshadow mold that had been recently returned to Hasbro by Funskool.  Hasbro painted it red and meant it to represent the fan favorite Red Ninja who appeared in the infamous G.I.  Joe #21 issue.  The figure worked well enough.  But, the Joe world was so jaded by the time of its release that the figure didn't really make a splash in the collecting world.  The production figure features a pale, brown coloring on the mask and boots.  But, some of the early figures from Asia changed that color to black.  It's a small change.  But, it's probably better than then production brown.  You'll also note that the pre-production figure has a painted sash on his waist.  Again, this is a substantial upgrade over the production figure where this was left unpainted.  

It's an odd juxtaposition.  And, it suggests that Hasbro was cost cutting on paint applications for the 2005 figures.  (There is a pre-production variant of the Stormshadow from the pack that has painted sleeves instead of bare arms, too.)  But, Hasbro knew the line was in trouble by the time this pack debuted.  It saw a solid production run.  But, much of that run went to clearance and discount outlets where you could buy the retail pack for $5 for over a year after its release.

Most collectors missed this pre-production figure because the change was so slight and there were so many better and more drastic pre-production figures available from Asia at the time.  It's pretty likely that, if you bought cheap army builders from Asian sellers in the early 2000's, you could have some of these pre-production color variants interspersed among your production figures.  These more minor paint changes often went unnoticed and were overlooked in many cheap lots of the day.  And, since the black paint seems like a logical production choice over a light brown, you might not even realize that you're missing the production version since you have this one available.

Sadly, both the swarm of cheap army builder lots and stream of alternately colored figures have dried up.  While it's likely that there are still a lot of them in Asia, they're not readily available.  And, modern collectors who snatched up the bulk of them back in the mid 2000's are holding onto them.  You see some of the big hitters switch hands and even go on public sale with a bit of frequency.  But, the more obscure figures like this Red Ninja Viper are often ignored and are nearly impossible to find outside of a few, enterprising collectors of the day who managed to buy them in bulk when they were just a couple of bucks each.

2005 Heavy Assault Set Duke

In 2003, G.I. Joe was riding high.  Hasbro was investing massive resources into the brand.  Retailers were stocking Joe toys in numbers second only to Star Wars.  And, consumers were buying the toys as fast as the stores could get them onto the shelves.  The collecting community was strong, vibrant and interesting.  The Christmas holiday of that year marked the crescendo of the repaint and JvC era.  At that time, we didn't know that.  But, less than 18 months after that amazing time in the hobby, the Joe line had completely crashed at retail.  Hasbro cancelled marketing pushes and packaging refreshes.  Toys stopped appearing on shelves as retailers had no faith in carrying volume in their stores.  And, Hasbro, knowing the end was near, dialed in some products that were outright embarrassments.  The 2005 Heavy Assault Set (or, HAS set) was as bad as it got.

At the 2005 G.I. Joe convention, Hasbro was getting heavy pressure from the collecting community.  Everyone knew the line was in trouble.  But, Hasbro didn't even acknowledge that elephant in the room.  Instead, they pulled typical subterfuge that was common for them and those in their orbit during the early 2000's.  Hasbro showcased the HAS set at their booth on the first day of the convention.  And, they took flak for how much the set sucked.  By the third day, Hasbro had pulled the HAS set from the display: claiming that what they had on hand wasn't "ready", yet and shouldn't be showcased.  Just a couple of short weeks later, though, the exact set that was shown on Day 1 started showing up at Toys R Us stores all over the country.  It was another bold faced lie from a cowardly team.  The worst thing, though, was that Hasbro knew about the upcoming DTC experiment.  Rather than generating excitement among the fan base over this innovative idea, they simply ignored the fate the line.  This killed collector interest.  So much so that the community shrunk in just the few weeks between the failure of the convention and the announcement of DTC.  This tanked DTC's chances of success.  And, about a year later, DTC was dead and the last remnants of the Joe line were liquidated to Toys R Us for pennies on the dollar.

The HAS Set was bad in a lot of ways.  It used three figure molds that had all appeared in Toys R Us exclusive sets in 2004.  And, in each case, barely recolored them outside of the pants.  The Greenshirts were a bad figure mold.  And, Greenshirt sets were still backed up at every Toys R Us store in the country when the HAS set was released.  And, those Greenshirts included helmets, backpacks and an armory of weapons.  The figures in the HAS weren't even different from those in the Greenshirt set.  They just had crappier gear.  

It didn't have to be this way, though.  Originally, the HAS set was going to include Ace and Mutt.  We don't know which molds would have been used.  But, they still have filecards on the back of the package.  You can't determine their molds or color choices, though, as the artwork used on the filecards was art Hasbro made for other releases of the characters in the JvC line.  Poor Roadblock, though, doesn't have a HAS filecard: showing he was a late edition to the set.  You wonder what would have happened if the HAS set had included a repainted 1992 Mutt and 1992 Ace.  Even the Anti-Venom Mutt and the 1983 ACE would have been interesting choices that would have given the set more cachet.  

This Duke figure, though, isn't all that great.  The grey pants with dark cammo spots jus don't really work.  And, when matched against the dark greenish/blue shirt, the whole figures clashes.  The figure's chest, though, has potential.  It's nicely painted.  And, set against a different pair of legs, it might have worked.  Black Major produced a similarly colored Steel Brigade figure in the mid 2020's and it turned out very nice.  So, the color can work.  But, the terrible 1984 Roadblock arms suck any usefulness out of the design.  The arms are just too scrawny for the chest.  And, the thick face paint on the figure's head makes it too large for the chest, too.  So, you have this weird visual where the figure is top heavy while being puny at the same time.  The whole package just doesn't work.

G.I. Joe conventions used to be well documented.  Every collector who attended took photos.  And, every Joe website hosted massive convention galleries.  There were first hand write ups and recording of the various sessions.  All of that, of course, is now gone.  The forums have all disappeared.  Most of the websites have gone dark.  In short, much of the documentation that we have on the history of the Joe line of the early 2000's is now lost.  It's an unfortunate byproduct of the internet era.  And, with social media ravaging content outside of their walled gardens, there's little hope we'll ever recover that information.  Again, looking at the current slate of online videos that document the Hasbro livestreams of the Classified era, we think that they are permanent artifacts of the line's history.  But, our legacy is that these relics will also, at some point, be lost.  It probably doesn't matter.  But, for those of us who were around during those days, it's tough to confirm our memories as their original sources have all disappeared.

Duke's gear is terrible.  Hasbro gave up on the HAS set and we were just given a couple of overstock, commonly used weapons with the figures.  Hasbro didn't even go the extra step of loading up the pack with a bunch of superfluous weapons like they had with some other dud sets.  So, Duke just gets a silver version  of the 1986 Low Light Uzi and a black shotgun that was sculpted in the 2000's and released with just a ton of different figures.  The gear isn't sensical for Duke and doesn't look good with him at all.  Sans helmet or pack, Duke feels lightly covered and the flaws of the Duke parts become more obvious.  You'll note that I try a variety of different gear combos on my figure in the photos below.  This is just an attempt to find a look for this figure that works since he didn't include any accessories that improved the figure beyond his paint applications.

This is a 20 year old figure.  The ARAHC figures that started Joe's return to full retail in 2000 are 25 years old.  This Duke is now as old as the 1985 Flint figure was when this Duke was first released.  It's difficult to wrap my head around this figure being two decades old.  It seems like the Joe line was at retail not that long ago.  What I do find interesting, though, is that the Joe team of the early 2000's never really understood collectors.  It took them years to find a way to appease collector wants.  And, even when they scored a hit, it was never followed up upon.  Hasbro's current Joe team, though, are not long time collectors.  And, yet, they seem to have a pretty good idea of what collectors want.  The Classified Haslabs are bona-fide hits.  Each new figure release seems to be met with, at worst, tepid enthusiasm.  And, most releases are considered solid if not great.  Maybe the designers not being collectors is what makes them good at getting items for collectors.  But, it's sad to see a team lead by a "collector' fail so miserably to get collector wants fulfilled in the 2000's while a new team consistently nails every release even though they don't really have a conduit into the fandom like the Hasbro team of the early 2000's did.

It's tough to price this Duke.  Dealers sell loose figures for between $20 and $30.  And, they try to get $40 or more for a complete with filecard figure.  But, those figures sit and sit with no interest.  You'll see carded HAS sets sell in  the $120 range.  Which is appalling on its face.  Most of the interest seems to be around Roadblock and Snake Eyes who make up over half of the carded pricing.  If you can find a market priced seller, this is probably around a $10 figure.  And, frankly, that's too much.  This is a bad figure from a bad release that really has no purpose in your collection.  He doesn't match the two good figures in the set and isn't even a useful Duke.  If you want the character, buy the 2022 version.  He's about the same price, has better coloring and includes amazing accessories.  

2005 Winter Operations Frostbite

When you see this figure, you'll instantly recognize the mold as that belonging to the 1983 Snow Job.  Despite this easy connection, though, Hasbro actually released this mold as many times with a different character name as they did under the name of Snow Job.  Between 1998 and 2010, Hasbro never used the mold for the titular character who is forever associated with the beard, hood and goggles.  Instead, it was used first for a new character and then twice renamed and released as Frostbite.  Were it not for the ill-conceived "Then and Now" Snow Job who bombed at retail in 2011 or so, this mold would have been used the same amount of times for Snow Job and Frostbite.  And, that seems like something that shouldn't have happened.  Snow Job is iconic.  And, even while writing this, I actually wrote Snow Job in reference to this figure instead of Frostbite on multiple occasions.  So, really, I just take this release as another color scheme for Snow Job.  And, in that vein, this figure works way better than it should.

Blue is a tough color to make work on a Joe.  Blue is Cobra's color.  And, an especially dark blue color as an accent is even more closely associated with Cobra.  So, having the blue coat on this figure doesn't make much sense.  For a time, I had designs of getting a few extra Comic Pack Trooper or Officer heads and trying them out on this body for a Cobra snow trooper.  But, I never really got around to trying it.  The hues of blue are off just enough that it would be a tough match. And, my fascination with a Cobra head on every 1982-1984 Joe body has been played out now that there are 100's of Cobra Troopers to choose from.  

I'm not sure why they just painted the inside of the figure's arms blue.  It's a weird design choice.  But, the hint of color does help break up the figure.  The one thing that is really nice, though, is that Frostbite's coat is painted onto his waist.  So, you can see the full sculpting of the coat and how it extends below his belt.  The black gloves and details, along with the rich blue, make this a more serious looking figure.  The brown beard takes a bit away from the Snow Job visage.  But, I can see his hair turning darker as the character aged.  Sadly, vintage Joe plastic is a different finish that than of the 2000's.  So, that makes a vintage Snow Job head a difficult replacement on this Frostbite body.  The sheens just don't match up.

Beyond the blue, the figure features a difficult to see but amazing detailed cream colored splatter pattern on the legs.  The color difference is subtle.  (I'm not sure if the plastic is white with the brownish strewn cream color as paint, or vice versa.)  It's difficult to see.  But, it's there.  And, it probably cost a great deal of the entire set's production budget.  You'd have thought it would be on something easier to spot on the figures.  It's not until you really examine the figure that you notice how intricate the paint masks really are.  They are easily on par with the Vypra figures from a few months prior.  With the pattern and other, detailed paint applications, this Frostbite is more akin to a convention figure than a TRU release.  Collectors don't really notice, though, because winter figures aren't overly popular and this set was out of the collective mind before it even had a chance to collect dust at retail.

Frostbite's gear is both OK and also underwhelming.  By 2005, Hasbro had given up on the notion of matching accessory complements to a figure mold.  And, they had really given up trying to give any of the Toys R Us 6 pack figures any memorable gear at all.  Despite Snow Job's ski pack, skis and ski poles being ubiquitous during the 2001/2002 release years, they were not included with this set.  Instead, the set came with a series of 1988 Blizzard snow shoes and skis.  They aren't bad.  But, they aren't as fun as the 1983 skis, either.  In addition, the figure included a 1992 Gung Ho backpack, a sniper rifle from the JvC era and the Comic Pack inspired M-16 rifle. The sniper and Gung Ho's pack with the molded rope always reminded me of Snow Job climbing the Alps in the opening panels of G.I. Joe #23.  With this gear, he'd have made a good Comic Pack figure.   As a whole, the gear isn't bad and makes for a decent looking figure.  But, it's tough to see the Snow Job mold without his iconic XMLR and ski gear.  

Despite the character choice, the enemy specific colors and the bland gear, though, this figure does work.  It looks really nice.  It's not discoloring...yet.  The more pliable plastic is preferable for any winter accoutrements you wish to pair with the figure.  And, the figure looks close enough to Snow Job that you can easily just make it Snow Job in whatever mechanism you have for the figure.  This is one of those releases in the repaint era that holds up pretty well: even though it was completely forgotten during its release window.  It's not not a figure you remember like the clear Mirage or the excellent Snake Eyes.  But, you don't hate is like you do the Backblast figure.  He's just another repaint that was blasted out to retail during a time when  Hasbro was dumping everything they could before pivoting to the DTC model.  

That, though, lead me to rediscover this figure nearly 20 years after his initial release.  I had no need for another release of Snow Job mold back in 2005.  But, now, he's much more palatable.  1983 Snow Jobs discolor very easily.  The 1997 repaint and Whiteout are both pretty close to the 1983 colors, too.  The 2003 Frostbite is a nice match for the 1994 Windchill.  But, he had no gear.  So, that leaves this figure as an alternative to the more traditional Snow Job role.  This, certainly, isn't a figure that I'd go out of my way to include in a photograph.  But, 2 weeks of snow this year has given me an opportunity to better explore my winter themed Joes and has rejuvenated a bit of interest in the hobby that I've lost in the past couple of years.  

Winter Operations figures aren't all that common to find.  By 2005, Hasbro had reduced the production run on the G.I. Joe themed sets to around 16,000 total sets.  That's down from the 20,000 that were typical for Cobra sets.  On top of that, collectors were leaving the hobby in droves by the time this set was released.  Couple that with the general malaise towards the overall set, and few collectors even bothered to buy it.  Those who did almost never bought multiples.  So, the set didn't find an afterlife from disillusioned 2000's era collectors liquidating their duplicates in the early 2010's.  You'll see dealer pricing on this figure in the $20-$25 range...which is entirely too high.  At best, he's half that on the open market.  But, there is simply no supply right now.  So, your options to  acquire the figure are limited.  But, really, if you have the 1983 Snow Job, the 1997 Snow Job, the 2001 Whiteout or the 2011 Snow Job, you have much more useful figures to represent any character you choose.  So, those are the better route to seek should you want a cheap representation of this mold in your collection.

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes - Around the Web

Hasbro probably made way too many homages to the 1983 Snake Eyes figure.  None of them really make fundamental changes to the way you can view the Snake Eyes character or figure.  But, each of them is slightly different and can bring a bit of depth to any photo that otherwise features the classic version of Joe's most popular character.  This 2005 Comic Pack version, though, did bring about a new head to update Snake Eyes.  It's a neat upgrade for Snake Eyes and gives the figure a different look.

There's a nice cross section of looks at this figure from the time of his release, a few years later and then more modern looks.  So, take some time to check out the content on the 2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes from the creators below.

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes Profile

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes at Joe Battle Lines

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by corpscommandercody

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by joesandtoys

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by gijoe_for_fun

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes at JoeADay.com

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by joesandtoys

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by mrmikevinthepit

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes at Generals Joes Reborn

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by gijoe_for_fun

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by Flatline

2005 Crimson Shadow Guard - Random Photos of the Day

The Crimson Shadow Guard was a low effort release that Hasbro dropped at the end of the retail line.  It joined the HAS Set as the final sets Hasbro would give to Toys R Us as exclusives.  But, sometimes low effort is still OK.  And, in the case of the Shadow Guard, the black uniform take on the Crimson Guard worked out quite well.  We didn't need 6 of them in a single set, of course.  But, as an army builder, there were many worse releases in the repaint era.  

Of course, the Shadow Guard were flawed as they included terrible, non-sensical accessories that were mostly ninja weapons.  But, by 2005, Hasbro had all but given up when it came to the weapons included with figures.  The aftermarket had also stepped in and Marauder's Gun Runners was able to fully take advantage of Hasbro's lazy weapon complement.  

The real oddity was the inclusion of 6 identical figures.  Even the Cobra Infantry had made each figure unique.  And, later, the Viper Pit would break up the weapons and offer 1 exclusive figure among the identical soldiers.  But, this set was produced to be cheap.  So, 6 identical figures with easy to produce gear was the order.  Of course, that meant that army building collectors stopped at one or two sets since they were able to fill out obscure squads with small purchases.  But, even army building had become passe by 2005.  So, the Shadow Guard somewhat faded into obscurity.

Hasbro pretty much killed the online Joe collector community in 2005.  Their bizarre handling of the line drove away collectors en masse.  So, sets like this Shadow Guard got clearanced out.  And, when they dropped to $4 for a set, I bought way too many.  For under a buck per figure, it made sense to buy up more than I wanted.  Now, twenty years later, the Shadow Guard is still one of my most numerous army builders.  And, since they don't discolor and feature the pliable plastic of the 2000's, I actually use them way more than most figures I actually do like.

In the photos below, you'll see a version with a Fred head from the Comic Packs.  There's another with the Agent Faces head, too.  These two customs help break up the Shadow Guard.  And, with these "commanders", my Shadow Guard has a bit of characterization to it that has kept it somewhat relevant in recent years.  The Crimson Guard remains loyal to Cobra Commander.  But, the Shadow Guard is less certain in their allegiance.  If I ever want to work some intrigue within the Cobra ranks, the Shadow Guard are the first figures to come to mind.

The Shadow Guards remain pretty unloved.  While people will comment about how they like the design, the sales prices say that everyone has the figures they want.  Of the Toys R Us releases, Shadow Guards are among the cheapest figures to acquire.  And, while lots of dealers still cling to 2021 era pricing for repaint era Joe toys, they struggle to move any of them.  $15 is about the going rate for a figure.  But, you can get a carded set for under that price...indicating that the few sales are about frustrated collectors giving in to low demand.  The real price is probably half that.  But, you're going to grow grey waiting for them to come around in numbers.

2005 Stomavik - Random Photos Of The Day

The Oktober Guard Comic Packs saw a truncated production run.  This was due to the slow sales of the prior waves during the 2004 holiday season.  For about 6 weeks in the spring of 2005, you could find the October Guard figures.  But, after that, you were pretty much out of luck unless a collector had a spare to trade.  That's lead to a series of figures that tend to be fairly pricey, these days.

Stormavik was my favorite Oktober Guard character.  I thought he had the coolest rifle and I loved the white and blue undershirt.    So, I was looking forward to his first figure.  Sadly, though, the figure's head was not great, his signature weapon was nowhere to be found and the parts used for his body appeared far too often during this time to make a really unique figure.  So, I was vastly disappointed in the result.

In the 19 years since his release, not much has changed on that front.  I don't use the Oktober Guard figures all the frequently because they didn't live up to their comic appearance.  But, to be fair, I'm not sure that even a perfect figure could exist that lives up to the artwork in the second G.I. Joe Yearbook.  But, we're never going to see another Stormavik figure.  So, this one is as good as it's going to get.  So, enjoy the few photos below of the 2005 Stormavik.  Hopefully, I'll get inspired to try to use him a bit more often in the future.

2005 General Hawk (Comic Pack General Abernathy)

The Comic Packs were an inspired idea that lacked proper execution.  That's a thesis statement that I've held true for 20 years.  Because, yes, the first Comic Packs debuted in the summer of 2004: 20 years ago.  And, this poses the fundamental issue with figures like this Hawk that debuted a year later in 2005.  If you were around upon his release, this figure doesn't feel anywhere near as old as vintage Joes felt back during that time.  So, despite the advanced age of this figure, he still feels new enough that his flaws are accentuated and his attributes are left behind.  So, with fresh eyes, I took a look at this figure because the 1986 Hawk was a childhood staple and this updated look for the Joe general seemed like it should have been a great figure.

One of the issues I have with all Comic Pack figures is the heads.  While I appreciate the attempt to update the heads to better match their comic appearances, the heads didn't quite match up to the bodies of the figures with which they were matched.  The more modern sculpting done on the Comic Pack heads was in too great of a contrast to the figure bodies on which they were placed.  So, you have a hyper detailed, stern Hawk face set against the softer details of a sculpt that was done with technology of 20 years prior.  It's one of the reasons most Comic Pack figures feel just a bit "off" to me.  The early 2000's Hasbro wasn't so much interested in creating a perfectly aligned figure.  They were just about smashing together whatever was good enough to quell backlash and sell some toys to desperate collectors flush with their first real money in their lives.  And, the result are heads that, on their own, look nice.  But, they really stick out when posed among vintage Joes.

And, that's how you get this Hawk.  From afar, this mold amalgamation looks ok.  But, when in hand, many of the limitations become apparent.  The Talking Battle Commander waist and legs are long.  They seem too long for the resculpted 1986 Hawk chest.  (We'll talk about that, later.)  The TBC arms are also too puffy for the torso.  So, the whole figure looks improperly proportioned.  While all Joe parts are interchangeable, they are not always aesthetically compatible.  This Hawk proves that out.  The new head is well detailed...too detailed to match the sculpting appearance of the rest of the figure.  But, the blonde flat top is a great look for Hawk and finally gave collectors a figure that featured Hawk's signature look from the comics.  Hawk also features blue eyes.  There are not many other figures in the line with blue eyes.  But, it's a super subtle detail on the figure that most people will miss.  Beyond that, the colors are nice and the details are painted.  The green and brown are much brighter than those of the original 1986 figure on which this is based.  But, the colors work and do create a stark visual when the figure is photographed.

The biggest issue with the figure, though, is just the overall quality.  Many figures from this era will  have legs that stick out and waists that don't align.  Hawk is a perfect example of this.  It can be difficult to get the figure to stand up on his own just due to the poor materials used for the o-rings and t-hooks.  O-rings from the early 2000's are notoriously breakage prone, even if you never remove the figure from the package.  Some of the wonky legs might be fixed with better o-rings.  But, that seems a lot for a figure like this when you could just get a 1986 figure at the time for about the price of the comic 3 pack.  These Hawks aren't as prone to discoloration as many of his contemporaries.  But, you will see arms and torsos whose coloring doesn't always match.  This was a factory mismatch during production, though, and not later discoloration.  Overall, though, the plastic used in this era was not good and your vintage figures will likely age better than these 2000's releases in the coming years.

In 1997, Hasbro reused the entire 1986 General Hawk mold for release in the A-10.  This well painted figure is fairly obscure.  But, Hasbro had the full mold and made a cool figure with it.  In 2002, the mold was planned for the collector-friendly Wave 1.5.  However, for some reason, Hasbro could not locate the mold, despite it being used just 5 years earlier.  So, instead, the Talking Battle Commander mold was used instead.  That lead Hasbro to, in 2005, resculpt the 1986 Hawk torso.  This was common practice by this time.  But, there was no rhyme or reason to which figures got newly sculpted parts.  Hasbro made new molds for this Hawk, Lady Jaye (despite the mold being used sans issue in 2003), Scrap Iron (whose mold was in use in India at the time) and Mutt: among others.  Missing from this list, though, are fan favorite molds like the V1 Cobra Commander, 1985 Snake Eyes, Shipwreck and even Destro.  I will give Hasbro credit for re-doing the Cobra Trooper, Officer and Crimson Guard.  But, you can't help but wonder why so much of the vintage Joe budget went to remaking 2nd tier characters or molds that were recently used instead of hitting just a couple of the missing classics.  A V1 Cobra Commander could have been repainted 10 times with minimal collector pushback.  Instead, we got the Talking Battle Commander mold (flat back and all!) multiple times.  At least factory customs have finally filled some of those gaping holes.

One item of note is the figure's name.  While I call him General Hawk, the official name is General Abernathy.  Hasbro's name copyrights of the early 2000's were all over the place.  And, the Comic Packs are full of oddball naming conventions where you see some characters released under their original code names, some given additional qualifiers to their old name (Double Clutch) and lots of figures released under the character's file name: like this General Abernathy.  To me, he's just Hawk.  And, that's how most will refer to him.  But, the official name is General Abernathy which is much less of a mouthful than Lonzo R. Wilkinson.

Comic Pack accessories weren't great.  They were too generic to the later figures.  Hawk is no exception.  He includes a newly sculpted M-16 rifle that debuted in 2004.  It's a nicely designed weapon that does work well with many other figures from that era.  And, while, as a kid, I have the 1986 Hawk the M-203 from Leatherneck, I just don't see this M-16 rifle as a good fit for Hawk.  It is nice, though, to have a few extras lying around.  He then includes a pistol that's oversized and has a grip that is so wide it will permanently disfigure Hawk's hands and a knife that, again, is OK even though it's out of character.  Hasbro did sculpt a new helmet for Hawk.  It's skinny and narrow and barely fits over Hawk's hair.  And, on the figure, it makes his head look squished.  It's very soft.  So, it won't rub paint when applied to the figure.  It was a noble attempt.  But, the execution was lacking.

Hawk was released in the first wave of Direct to Consumer sales.  This meant that collectors were initially excited by his release.  But, they quickly moved on and the entire comic pack was available at clearance prices for a long time.  I bought several extras for gear and custom parts because, even after shipping, you were paying under $2 per figure.  You'll find some flattering reviews of this figure from the time.  But, the lack of photography of the figure and it's relative absence among collector usage today is a telling sign that the figure fell pretty flat in the collecting world.  The blonde hair was universally lauded.  But, the rest of the design just didn't resonate.  The figure wasn't an upgrade over the original and simply couldn't overtake the vintage design.

It has long been rumored that there will be an updated 1986 style Hawk figure that will be released by Hasbro at some point as part of their Transformers Cross Over line.  So far, the figures in that line have been disappointing because they tread no new ground and don't really offer cheaper alternatives to now expensive vintage Joe figures.  So, while I'm not really in favor of Hasbro releasing any more o-ring Joes, I will hope that, if the Hawk figure comes to be, that Hasbro takes a cue from this Hawk and finally brings a proper 1986 style Hawk to collectors.  While I'd love a black jacket figure from issue #50 of the comic, I'll take just a 1986 Hawk homage with blonde hair.  That little detail will be enough to make a new Hawk figure worthwhile.  

The 1986 Hawk mold was released by Hasbro in 1986 and 1987.  There is a very rare mail away General Hawk from 1992 or 1993 that includes the golden rifle from the 1991 Cobra Commander.  It's one of the more difficult bagged figures in the line to find.  The entire figure was then released in Brazil and India.  Both the Estrela and Funskool figures are very similar to the Hasbro releases with the Brazilian figure featuring darker green and the more common Funskool versions featuring lighter green.  Hasbro got the mold back and released a repainted figure in 1997.  The full Talking Battle Commander Hawk was released in 2000 and 2002 before the parts were cannibalized for this 2005 Comic Pack figure.  This newly sculpted head and torso, though, never appeared again.  There is an alternate Asian variant of the figure that features a completely green torso.  But, that was the end of this Hawk mold.

All the Comic Pack figures got caught up in the market hype of the pandemic collectible world.  Now, you will still see high prices for individual figures and carded sets just due to incredibly low supply.  Collectors are holding their items, hoping the prices continue to rise.  But, they have not only leveled off, but actively fallen on more common and less desirable items...like this Hawk.  While dealers will still ask $40+ for a loose, complete figure and over $70 for a carded set, the reality is that the figure sits unsold for $20.  Carded sets are worth between $35 and $45.  You can argue over Flint or Hawk being the top figure in the set.  But, really, they're both about the same level of usefulness.  So, don't fall for the dealer hype and overpay for this figure.  In hand, he's kind of disappointing.  For a couple of bucks, that's OK.  But, for dealer prices, you'll feel cheated.

2005 Comic Pack Zartan - Around the Web

Zartan took Cobra to new heights of super-villainy.  He was just a bizarre character who bordered on super natural.  But,  he worked quite well.  And, to this day, he remains one of the most popular Cobra characters and figures.  In 2005, he got a Comic Pack release that was OK but not a substantial upgrade over the original.  At the time, it was a cheap alternative to the more popular original.  That remains true today.  But few people really care about this figure.  And, that makes content on him somewhat hard to find.  Most of the items I dug up are actually from the time of the figure's actual release.  So, it's an interesting look into the past.

2005 Comic Pack Zartan Profile

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at the Attica Gazette

2005 Comic Pack Zartan by joesandtoys

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at JoeADay.com

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at JoeBattleLines.com

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at GeneralsJoesReborn.com

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at Mike's Collection

2005 Crimson Firefly - Around the Web

This 2005 Firefly has no reason to exist.  It occupies this weird space between the excellent 2004 Urban Strike Firefly and the even better 2005 Comic Pack Firefly.  It's not better than either of those figures.  And, with them in such close proximity of this Crimson figure's release window, the Toys R Us exclusive should be overlooked.  But, surprisingly, I found a lot of good content on this figure out there.  He looks great in photos and, did not the better paint jobs exist, he might have been the best Firefly ever released.  

There's lots of fun content below.  It ranges from articles written upon the figure's release: nearly two decades ago, to more recent uses.  All this shows the figure's popularity remains strong.  

2005 Crimson Firefly Profile

2005 Crimson Firefly at the Attica Gazette

2005 Crimson Firefly by relena_warcraft

2005 Crimson Firefly by instachampa

2005 Crimson Firefly at JoeBattleLines.com

2005 Crimson Firefly by elevatemetoahigherhumanform

2005 Crimson Firefly by gen_liederkranz

2005 Crimson Firefly by mikesjoetography

2005 Crimson Firefly by instachampa

2005 Crimson Firefly by slaughters_free_time

2005 Crimson Firefly at Generals Joes Reborn

2005 Crimson Firefly by relena_warcraft

2005 Crimson Firefly by instachampa

2005 Crimson Firefly by elevatemetoahigherhumanform

2005 Crimson Firefly by mikesjoetography

2005 Crimson Firefly by yojoe_collectibles

2005 Crimson Firefly by gen_liederkranz

2005 Crimson Firefly by viper space

2005 Crimson Firefly by yotothejoe