2004 Anti Venom Charbroil - Around The Web

Charbroil isn't a very popular character.  And, his figures don't really resonate with collectors.  (Well, aside from the Night Force version that is overpriced based on its more limited availability.)  So, it was a surprise to see him return in 2004 as a member of the Anti Venom set.  Sadly, the original bug-eyed helmet was replaced with an anonymizing Steel Brigade helmet.  But, that is something you can work with.  There was a surprisingly good amount of content on this figure available.  So, enjoy the 2004 Anti Venom Charbroil from around the web.

2004 Anti Venom Charbroil Profile

Anti Venom Charbroil by wigramjoe

Anti Venom Charbroil by yojoe_it

Anti Venom Review at generalsjoesreborn.com

Anti Venom Charbroil by Gen_Liederkranz

Anti Venom Charbroil at JoeADay.com

Anti Venom Review at JoeBattleLines.com

Anti Venom Charbroil by Slipstream80

Anti Venom Charbroil by Gen_Liederkranz

Anti Venom Charbroil by alpha1creative

2004 Anti - Venom Sgt. Lifeline

If you follow G.I. Joe's resurgence in the 2000's, you can see a progression.  In 2000 and 2001, Hasbro discovered there was a nostalgic market for figures.  In 2002, they re-imagined the brand, put a bunch of resources into it and found a general market for their toys.  In 2003, the Joe brand hit it's second stride.  The figures were drastically improved, produced in abundance and hit the market just at the right time.  In 2004, Hasbro kept up the improved designs.  But, retail interest was cooling.  By 2005, Hasbro knew the end was near and the innovation and quality of the releases began to slide.  The last retail releases where ghosts of the toys released only two years earlier.  Nearly 20 years later, though, some of these figures have held up better than others while some that were somewhat ignored have found new life among more recent to the hobby collectors.  The Anti Venom set, though, found some interest fairly quickly.  Within a couple of years, they were about the only Toys R Us figures that sold above retail.  And, in the years since, the Anti Venom figures have gotten expensive.  The Lifeline figure that was included with the set features a great mold and awesome accessories.  But, it's hard to see him as Lifelin.

The Anti-Venom set has held up pretty well over the years.  Of all the Toys R Us exclusive G.I. Joe figures, the Anti-Venom has the strongest lineup top to bottom.  While there are individual figures in other sets that are way better than the best AV figure, no other sets hold up as well when taken as a hole.  Part of this is that the AV set included almost all the original accessories for the figures that were included.  This little detail alone is enough to elevate the set over the anonymous weapons that dominated the Night Force, Desert, Greenshits, Winter Ops and HAS sets.  But, the figure molds in the set were also, at the time, not heavily overused.  Roadblock, Barricade, Mutt and Charbroil were all the first time we had seen those molds return.  Duke was overdone.  And, Stretcher hadn't appeared with his original head.  So, the set seemed fresher than many of the releases that brought the same molds we had just seen back again.

It seems that this figure went through many machinations before the actual production figure was settled upon. Early in the development stages of the Anti-Venom set, the figures were to be cast in a dark blue hue. This color was too close to Cobra's traditional look. But, of the figures that were designed in that design, the Lifeline figure had the head from the 2002 Side Track instead of the Stretcher head. From this design, the Anti-Venom morphed to a lighter blue color scheme. This was less traditionally Cobra, but wasn't a great color on most of the figures. In this set, though, Lifeline had an African-American Stretcher head and may have been planned to be Stretcher instead of Lifeline. Finally, Hasbro settled on the tan and green version for production. The head was painted in caucasian skin tones and made Sgt. Lifeline instead of Stretcher.  Sadly, the production head was painted in flesh paint instead of molded in flesh colored plastic like the pre-production figures were.  With the plastic heads available in different colors, you really see how much better they are than painted skin tones on a figure's head.

For me, it's always useful to have a medic who is in field colors.  While red medics are great, I have always liked to have some diversity so that the medics who tag along on missions aren't brightly colored give aways to the Cobras looking to kill the Joes.  This Lifeline works for that.  But, even in that capacity, I don't use the figure all that much.  I still see this mold as Stretcher.  So, it's tough to shake that notion and see this figure as anything too different.  But, Lifeline features an abundance of paint applications and a nice complement of colors that aren't really seen outside of the Anti Venom set and the 2005 HAS figures that used the same upper bodies as the 2004 AV figures.

This Lifeline includes all of Stretcher's gear.  Just like the 2001 Side Track, this 2004 figure is enhanced by including the full array of gear meant for the figure mold.  The one thing that the Anti-Venom set did better than any other set (save the 2003 Python Patrol) is that it included the original gear meant for the figures.  So, we got Barricade's proper rifle, Roadblock's array of 1984 weapons and Charbroil's flamethrower and pack.  With Lifeline, we got the sled, windshield, control stick, backpack, antenna, flare gun, hose and the tiny communicator that, did it not connect to a hose, would be a $40 accessory.  The windshield this time around is black, giving it a different appearance than the clear shielded versions that were previously released.  Lifeline was the only figure in the set to not include a Steel Brigade helmet adorned with his name.  The hat on the figure's head precluded the helmet's usefulness.  So, he was the lone figure to omit it: and is better for it as he's not anonymized by the uniformity of the helmets.

The Stretcher mold saw a bit of use in the modern Joe line. Despite only appearing in 1990 during the vintage years, Hasbro liked the mold and brought it back in the 2000's. In 2002, the entire body and full accessory complement was used on the Side Track figure from Wave V of the A Real American Hero Collection. This figure, though, featured a new, caucasian head and got a different name. This version of the mold with another character change and the caucasian head was released in 2004. At the end of 2004, the head appeared again, only modified for a desert theme, in the Toys R Us exclusive Desert Patrol set.  Sadly, we never got a proper Stretcher repaint.  And, it seems a bit out of place to have Lifeline wearing his uniform and using his gear.  I didn't like that Stretcher was erased as his character was strong and there was simply no reason for Side Track to exist in 2002 nor was there any reason that this Lifeline could not have used the full 1994 Lifeline mold.  

It does appear that the fervor for the Anti-Venom set is starting to subside.  While dealers will ask (and sometimes get!) $60-$80 for a mint and complete figure, the going market rate is about $20.  You can get just the figures for 1/2 of that price, too.  Lifeline's probably among the less desired Anti-Venom figures.  So, that plays a role.  And, you will wait a while before find a high quality, complete sample sold at market prices.  But, you will find them, eventually.  If you're missing the set, it's probably still easier to buy a carded set and open it.  The tape will turn yellow with time and the package will come apart.  So, you get the pleasure of knowing you aren't destroying something that time will eradicate, anyways.  In the end, though, you don't need this figure.  Stretcher is better and either the 1986 or 1994 Lifeline figures are way better renditions of the character.  And, even the Tiger Force figure from 1988 is a more useful combat appearance than this 2004 figure.  I'd never pay the going rate for him.  But, I also don't have to make that call since I got him at retail.  So, my opinion of the figure may not match the approach that others wish to take with this Lifeline.

2004 Anti Venom Duke

In the 2000's, Hasbro continually returned to long time fan favorite molds.  The issue, though, is that while collectors loved the original releases, the post vintage takes on fan classics were rarely upgrades over the vintage figure.  Instead, many of the redos of the pinnacles of the vintage line were sorry retreads that more showed the flaws of fan favorites rather than improving upon them.  This is personified in no greater way than the absolutely terrible repaints of the version 1 Duke mold.  The 1997 figure was an embarrassment.  Hasbro's second attempt to take on the character's iconic look was in 2004 and it wasn't much better than the version from 7 years prior.  The Anti Venom Duke is not a good figure and really doesn't have much going for it.  But, it's a take on the classic Duke and is a part of the best G.I. Joe themed 6 pack of the repaint era.

Duke was simply out of place in this pack.  The set included the Roadblock and Barricade molds from 1992, the 1988 Charbroil, the 1990 Stretcher, a remade 1984 Mutt and this Duke.  While Duke kind of pairs with Mutt, the reality is that the mold is skinny and doesn't fit with the bulkier molds from later years that made up the majority of the set.  In 2004, it had been a long time since the original Duke mold had appeared.  And, the 1992 Duke (which is a great update for Duke) had been used in 2000 and planned for 2003.  So, it made some sense for Hasbro to return to the original look for the first sergeant.  But, we later learned that Hasbro had access to the 1993 Duke mold.  This set would have been a great opportunity for that mold to appear.  But, that Duke features a molded helmet and would not have meshed with the idea of Steel Brigade helmets that Hasbro used as the Anti Venom set's primary gimmick.  A quick kitbash might have solved that.  But, instead, Hasbro brought back this old mold.

This figure really has two flaws.  The first is that he has a painted head.  Instead of the head being cast in flesh colored plastic with eyes and hair painted on, it is covered in flesh toned paint.  This is problematic for two reasons.  First, the paint just looks terrible.  Secondly, the figure is meant to wear a helmet.  And, the act of putting that helmet on and taking it off will wear off the paint.  So, the figure has a design flaw at its core.  This is especially maddening because the unproduced variants of the Anti Venom set featured plastic molded heads instead of painted.  They looked immensely better and would have held up to wear much better.  Duke's second major flaw is the Gung Ho arms.  These arms are scrawny as they were meant to be bare arms with no sleeves.  They are smooth and without detail.  Painted up, they look out of place.  Full arm sleeves are particularly egregious as there's no folds or seams to give the figure more heft.  While also overused, the 1984 Thunder arms would have been a much better choice and done wonders to improve this figure.

As such, this Duke is pretty terrible.  The head looks too big for the chest.  The arms are way to skinny.  And, the juxtaposition of the green upper body and tan lower body really doesn't work as well as you'd think it would.  This is especially unfortunate because the chest is actually kind of nice.  The silver against the dark green is a nice look that brings out the Duke mold more than the golden highlights against tan did in 1984.  With proper arms and a non-painted head, this Duke would be a worthy successor to the original version.  But, those two pesky choices by the designers really limit this figure and ruin an otherwise useful release.

The Anti Venom set has aged well.  The choice of molds combined with good colors and original gear has kept it a fan favorite.  The AV set was well received (as far as Joe themed sets went!) in 2004 and was the first non army builder to really appreciate on the secondary market.  With only around 16,000 sets produced, a little bit of popularity will drive up demand artificially.  But, the set has always been held in high regard by collectors.  The Duke, though, is usually the lone exception.  With some other sets, there are only one or two good figures and you'll pay a premium for them while the set's duds linger for a fraction of the price.  In this set, all of the other 5 figures are good.  Duke is lone misfire.  But, as you're 5/6 of the ways to a complete set with the good figures, Duke gets caught up in the completist mentality and many collectors finish the set with him just to have the entire team.

While this was just the second repaint of Duke in this parts combination, Hasbro quickly overdid it.  Aside from the fact that there are two unproduced Anti Venom Duke variants (dark blue and light blue), Hasbro used the mold with a new head for a comic pack in 2005.  This Duke was based on the coloring of the original figure.  But, it's much worse.  It's one of the more terrible releases of the 2000's as the paint is bad and the figure quality is poor, too.  If that weren't enough, Hasbro released this mold in the HAS set in 2005.  That Duke just has differently colored pants.  That's it.  It's one of the laziest figures Hasbro ever did.  But, in some ways, it's better than this Anti Venom figure since the colors don't clash as much.  Hasbro planned to bring the body with the comic pack head back in 2010 or so for a "Then and Now" set.  Unproduced samples of this figure exist.  It would have been better than the Comic Pack figure and the HAS version and, probably, this version, too.  It didn't happen, though, and collectors are just left with terrible takes on the V1 Duke mold.  At least Chinese Dukes were cheap and plentiful for a while in the early 2010's....

The Anti-Venom accessories, overall, were pretty good.  Duke's, though, were not.  While Barricade, Roadblock, Charbroil and Lifeline all included at least some parts from their original releases (or, in Roadblock's case, from his classic 1984 release), Duke did not.  Instead, he was given a black pistol from the 1986 Lifeline (that's oversized and always been a release I felt was lacking) and a JvC era newly sculpted weapon that featured a sight and grenade launcher.  This gun is, actually, well sculpted.  But, it's also useless since it doesn't have a stock to hold it in place with the figure.  It's one of those weapons that looks OK until you try to use it.  And, once you realize how worthless it is when trying to pose a figure, you grow to hate the gun just on its lack of merit.  Duke, of course, includes the modified Steel Brigade helmet with "Duke" emblazoned across the back.  It's good for Cobra to know who they're shooting in the back, I guess.  You'll see in all the photos below that I've attempted different accessory combos with this figure to find something that really works.  The Ripcord rifle seems to have distinguished itself as my favorite.  Which is kind of odd considering that in all my years of collecting I've only ever used Ripcord rifles with Ripcord, Airborne and a custom character made from Flint, Footloose and Snake Eyes parts.

So, Anti Venom pricing is just dumb.  While carded sets were running around $125 for a while, they seem to have fallen back into the $80 range on the open market.  But, here's the thing: even this craptastic Duke is expensive if you want him on his own.  Dealers will get $30-$40 for a mint and complete figure.  But, even open market figures will top $30.  If you want to sacrifice the helmet, you can get a copy of the figure for around $10.  But, there's really no in between.  If you don't have the Anti Venom figures, I'd still suggest buying a carded set and opening it as it's the cheapest way to get all the figures.  (Oddly, you can get loose, mint and complete sets for about the same price as a mint and complete Roadblock.)  Aside from that, I'd NEVER buy this Duke.  He's awful and not worth anything more than a couple of bucks.  But, newer collectors don't really understand that there's way more of these figures in the collector market than there are collectors.  And, once old timers realize they can get $30 for shitty figures like this, they will come out in force.

Rarities - Light Blue Anti Venom Stretcher

In the 2000's, it was common for unproduced Hasbro concept figures to become available from Asian Joe sellers.  At first, these figs were somewhat controversial as people talked about them being midnight runs (hence, the term Midnight Chinese) or being stolen.  Usually, these things were propagated by collectors who were hoping to scare away competition as they bought up the initially scare figs.  In time, though, Ebay became flooded with most of the figures and they sold for pittances.  Some figures were always more desirable than others.  Once such figure that captured collector attention was the light blue alternate Stretcher.

In 2004, Hasbro released the Anti Venom set as their summer companion to the Cobra Urban Strike.  The set was received cooly by the collecting community at the time...mostly because it wasn't Night Force and it wasn't Cobra army builders.  In time, though, the set was more appreciated by the collector world and the members have become relatively popular today.  Prior to production, though, the set went through some changes.  At first, the set was done in dark blue.  They, it was shifted to light blue.  Finally, they settled on the tan/green combo that was actually released.

The light blue set, though, featured one other significant change: Stretcher was still black.  In production, Stretcher was given caucasian skin and renamed to Lifeline.  But, for a while, Stretcher was the original character.  It's possible that the different skin tone was simply a function of the Stretcher mold instructions featuring the original skin color.  But, this figure became the only update of Stretcher that was ever available...despite his body mold being used twice in the 2000's.

During the time of common alternate Asian figures, this Stretcher was in the second tier of popularity.  He sold higher than Duke, Charbroil or Mutt.  But, was nowhere near scarcer figures.  15 years later, though, this figure is highly sought after and usually commands a triple digit price tag.  That's more than 10 times what I paid back then.  But, is a testament to this figure's unique design and place in Joe history.

Rarities - 2004 Light Blue Anti-Venom Roadblock

For whatever reason, the 2000's Toys R Us G.I. Joe exclusives had many unproduced variants.  It may have just been inattention to early details that lead to the changes.  Or, it might have been that collectors had occasion to learn about these figures just due to the Asian action figure sellers who were able to get a hold of them.  But, massive quantities of these unproduced figures were made available to collectors and thousands upon thousands of the figures were moved from Asia into collections...many to never be seen again.

The 2004 Anti Venom set went through a few iterations.  First, there was a dark blue version of the set.  Then, a lighter blue set appeared.  Finally, we got the tan version at retail.  The retail figures are held in high regard and tend to fetch decent prices today.  I was never a fan of the dark blue figures: mostly because the blue was too Cobra.  The light blue set, though, was better since the color kind of work for law enforcement type figures like Mutt and Barricade.  For Roadblock, though, the light blue pants are out of place and the production figure is substantially better.

In the mid 2000's, you could buy these figures on Ebay, on a website, or just by emailing the seller.  Depending on what the most recent Ebay auctions ended at, you could get these figures anywhere from $10 to $20.  The light blue Anti Venom unproduced figures were among the more common sets and you could get Duke and Charbroil for 1/2 the price of this Roadblock.  Obviously, this isn't the case today and this figure will fetch a substantial premium.  But, there are a lot of them out...probably almost as many as the convention set character figures.  You just don't see them as often as you used to.

Below is a photo of the retail Anti Venom Roadblock, the unproduced light blue version and the production HAS figure which used the same paint masks as the Anti Venom set, but changed the plastic color on the pants.  You'll notice that in addition to the light blue pants, the unproduced Roadblock also has a slightly darker shirt.  Other than that, the figures are very much the same.  Personally, I think the HAS figure is the best use of this mold with the Anti Venom production figure being second.  But, the unproduced figure gives collectors something more to seek out.

2004 Anti Venom Roadblock

Larry Hama loved Roadblock.  He was introduced in the comic with superhero level flair.  He then remained a mainstay of the comic plot for the remaining decade of Joe media.  As if this weren't enough, Roadblock was a staple of cartoon, too.  He was that rare character who crossed over into both mediums and was appreciated by fans of each.  He was also a favorite of Hasbro.  Just as his iconic 1984 mold disappeared from retail shelves, Hasbro released a newly sculpted 1986 figure.  This figure hung around until 1988 when the Tiger Force repaint of the 1984 was released.  Roadblock then, though, went on a bit of a hiatus and did not appear again until 1992.

Roadblock's return to retail in 1992, though, was extremely well done.  The new mold brought some heft to the character that had been missing in 1984 and only slightly improved in 1986.  For the generations of kids who had grown up in the '80's, this 1992 sculpt was a missed redo of a favorite character.  And, as collectors started to come of age, the 1992 Roadblock was one of the very few figures from that decade that were sought after.  Hasbro helped this along in the early 2000's when they got the mold back from India and repainted it for the 2004 Anti Venom set.  Gone were some of the more gaudy hues from the '90's and in was a palette of black, tan and deep green.  It was extremely rare for the 2000's era Hasbro to produce the best paint job on a figure.  But, with the Anti-Venom Roadblock, they succeeded.

Hasbro had planned a repaint of the 1984 Roadblock as part of the 1997 Toys R Us exclusive G.I. Joe assortments.  While all of the other replacements from the original hand painted samples could be explained away by "lost" molds, Roadblock's absence was odd.  While he was not replaced in that year's lineup, his 1986 sculpt did.  The parts were used for Breaker and Rock and Roll in the Stars and Stripes set.  But, then, those parts disappeared and the 1986 Roadblock was never repainted.  In 2001, the 1984 Roadblock returned to retail: renamed as a new character.  It was revealed the copyrights were an issue and may have been part of the 1997 snafu.  The 1984 mold was re-done several times: to the point of annoyance in the collecting world.  Finally, Hasbro got the 1992 mold back from Hasbro.  While I'm not too keen on Hasbro's handling of the molds returned from Funskool, they did right by Roadblock.  He was released twice, both times in a solid color scheme worthy of the character's importance.

When I talk about Joes of the 1980's, the memories are of childhood play.  For figures from the 1990's, it is of my re-entry into collectordom and the recollections are a mixture of childhood regret of not having some of the toys when I was a kid and adult happiness for finding a fulfilling past time.  My 2000's remembrances are of the acquisition of figures and the sentiment of the collecting community at the time of their releases.  Each era has value to me.  But, it also shows why many of the 2000's figures have faded with time.  They lack any real connection to me aside from the community aspect.  And, the community during that time was fun.  Sure, there was nonsense.  But, less than today and more guys got along since it wasn't a big competition like so many want to make collecting now. 

For this Roadblock, though, I have found uses.  I like Roadblock to appear in photos since he's a popular character.  The 1984 has its uses.  And, I no longer have the 1986, 1992 or 1993 figures in my collection.  So, the Anti-Venom Roadblock and the HAS Roadblock see a good amount of use in various photos and dios.  The colors are strong and the accessories are good.  That's about all you can ask of a decade old repaint.  But, that's also the extent of my involvement with the figure.  He had no great adventures.  I lack any anecdote about losing him somewhere or playing with him in a place that's long gone.  (I have no nostalgia for any homes I've sold other than my first.  If I liked them enough to stay, I'd still own them.)  In short, he's something cool that's there.  But, without his connection to my childhood toys, I'd have no reason to own him.  I'm happy I have him.  But, at the same time, I also realize that he's never going to be more than a box checked for some mythical collection goal.

I've talked about the Anti Venom Steel Brigade helmets before.  For characters that had a unique helmet, the common theme detracted from the figure.  But, for Roadblock, the helmets are less problematic.  The original figure release did not include a helmet.  So, the inclusion here doesn't replace something better.  The helmet, of course, doesn't fit on Roadblock's head.  So, it's value is minimal.  The rest of Roadblock's accessories are derived from the 1984 original.  He includes a black version of the 1984 .50 cal machine gun and stand.  I consider this Roadblock's iconic weapon.  So, its inclusion is a welcome one.  The figure also includes a black version of the 1984 backpack.  However, this is the modified version from earlier in the 2000's that lacks the peg for the tripod and has the ammo pack molded to back body instead of having it as a separate piece.  It's a downgrade from the original.  But, it also is less prone to breakage and loss.  The final piece is a black figure stand.  The fact that the Anti-Venom set included well thought out accessories seemed inconsequential at the time.  But, this proved to be the only Joe set that ever included gear that really matched the figures.

The 1992 Roadblock mold had an interesting life.  Originally, the 1992 figure was released with a spring loaded spinner and cool new machine gun.  However, the spinner mechanism broke easily and was "recalled".  Roadblock was then removed from later 1992 shipments.  However, in late 1992 or early 1993 the 1992 Roadblock paint scheme was re-released on 1993 cards.  This time, though, the figure included a weapons tree and the cool machine gun was gone.  Once this stock was cleared out, the mold was repainted in a neon 1993 color scheme and shipped for the rest of the year.  Hasbro sent the mold to India in the late 1990's where Funskool then released the figure in colors similar to the 1992 figure for many years.  The Funskool release brought back the "recalled" 1992 machine gun and gave collectors a chance to easily get it.  Hasbro got the mold back in 2003 when Funskool returned 18 molds to Hasbro.  They then released it in this Anti Venom set.  There are two different unproduced color schemes of the Anti Venom Roadblock: a light blue and a dark blue variant.  Both are now expensive and hard to find.  In 2005, Hasbro used the exact paint masks from the Anti Venom Roadblock for the HAS Roadblock.  The HAS set was terrible, but the Roadblock and Snake Eyes figures were useful.  The mold then disappeared and never appeared again.  There's lots of paint jobs of the figure for collectors to track down.  But, the mold probably had a couple of more uses in it if the line had continued for a few more years.

The Anti Venom set was actually relatively popular upon its release.  At the time, collectors generally ignored any set that didn't include army builders.  But, the Anti Venom set found some interest.  While the Urban Strike set was reduced to $15 at Toys R Us stores around the country, the contemporarily released Anti Venom set never saw such reductions.  While it hung around in stores through most of the rest of 2004, it did sell out.  By 2006 and 2007, loose figures from the set were selling for double retail: a feat not even achieved by many army builders of that era.  Now, too, the figures have gotten rather scarce.  It's actually kind of hard to find mint and complete versions of the characters from the set.  But, scarcity doesn't equal rarity and pretty much anyone who collected in 2004-2006 has this figure safely tucked away.

Still, though, a mint and complete version of this figure will run you between $15 and $30.  That's quite a lot for a mold that was repainted twice and was heavily concentrated in collector circles.  But, all Joe figures are pretty stupidly priced these days for things so common.  If you can find collections amassed during the early 2000's, this guy will be there.  And, that's probably your best way to get him cheap.  This version is easily the best paint job on the mold and is a worthy addition to any Roadblock collection.  With production numbers around 16,000, there's plenty of these guys out there.  You just have to have some patience to find one for a fair price.

2004 Anti Venom Barricade - Around the Web

The Anti-Venom set was pretty well done and it a nice update of many figures.  Barricade is among them and this was his only release in the repaint era.  It was good to see him, though, in a color scheme that really made the mold more valuable.

Barricade Profile

Unproduced Anti-Venom Figures - Dark Blue

Barricade at GeneralsJoes.com

Barricade at JoeADay.com

Barricade at HalfTheBattle.com

Rarities - 2004 Dark Blue Anti Venom Set

In 2004, Hasbro produced a Toys R Us exclusive 6 figure product named the Anti Venom set.  In it were several figures that were making a return to retail for the first time since the vintage days.  Even among the army building obsessed collectors of the day, the Anti Venom set found an audience.  It was appreciated by most collectors and the gripes with it were generally overwhelmed by the set's positives.  As the year progressed, though, variant Anti Venom figures started appearing.  Initially, these were light blue.  There was also another change, the caucasian Lifeline figure was now an African American Stretcher figure.  These figures were also well received by collectors and became rather common as they were brought over from Asia.  But then, another set of variants appeared.  These were dark blue variants that looked very Cobra.

It quickly became apparent that the dark blue figures existed in much smaller quantities than the light blue figures.   And, as such, even when these types of figures were an Ebay staple and would go unsold, the dark blue Anti Venom figures fetched much higher prices and were highly sought after.

First up is Barricade.  In addition to the dark blue, his armor is now silver.  It is a good looking figure and a very striking contrast.  But, with his helmet on, this figure would have had a very Cobra vibe.  I think that is likely the reason for the color changes.  The blue was too close to Cobra and on a figure like Barricade, his affiliation might have been lost.  You will notice the figure's head is painted flesh color: just like the production figure.  This is notable as the light blue variant of this figure had a molded flesh colored head.  The molded flesh would have had much less propensity for wear and tear as the figure's helmet was removed.  But, Hasbro went with the painted heads in both cases.

The next figure is Mutt.  In Mutt's case, though, I think the dark blue works.  I've always seen Mutt as having at least some affiliation with law enforcement and security within the Joe ranks.  So, seeing him in this darker blue fits into that image.  As such, I don't mind the Mutt in these colors and would actually like one of the figures.  Unlike the production figure, this Mutt features a flesh molded plastic head.  The production figure has a painted flesh head.  Not sure why the painted head was chosen for production as this head looks much better.  The molded flesh head also appeared on the light blue version of the figure.

The next figure is Charbroil.  With Charbroil, like Barricade, the obscure character and need for a helmet would make him appear very Cobra.  As such, I find the production figure to be better.  But, this is a very different look for the character.  Again, this Charbroil has the molded flesh head.

Next up is Duke.  I can't stand the painted sleeves on this Duke figure, just like I can't stand them on the production figure.  The only cool thing about this figure would be if you put a Cobra Trooper/Officer head on him and made him a Cobra Trooper.  But, even then, the sleeves look terrible.  Again, the flesh molded head appears here whereas the production figure has a painted flesh head.

Roadblock is the next member of the set.  It was great to see this Roadblock mold, late of Funskool, make an appearance in an American set.  This dark blue version, though, is very close to the upper body look of the 1993 figure.  The dark blue pants are also a bit too much.  Were they black, this figure might be really cool.  But, in general, I prefer the 2005 HAS version of the this Roadblock mold.  Of note is that the blue pants to match the shirt on this version were not repeated on the light blue version.  The light blue version only has light blue pants, and an upper body that matches the matches the tan production figure.

The final two figures in the set are the most interesting.  Two, you say?  I thought this was a 6 figure set?  Well, it was.  However, it appears that the last figure, Lifeline, went through a lot of changes before the final, production version.  The Lifeline figure uses the 1990 Stretcher mold.  For some reason, though, Hasbro had something against the Stretcher character.  In 2002, they released the body, but with a new head as Sideswipe.  In the Anti Venom set, they forewent the new head and simply recolored Stretcher's head as a Caucasian.  The result was Lifeline.

However, there were a couple of oddities.  In the light blue set, Stretcher was still African American and had a molded plastic head.  But, in this dark blue set, there were two differences.  The first is that Lifeline features a molded flesh colored head.  This is more consistent with the other figures in the set.  The second set of images, though, show a Sideswipe figure also released on the dark blue body.  Was Sideswipe planned for the release?  If so, why was he replaced?  Lifeline is a more popular character than Stretcher.  But, using the same body, with a different race as a different character seemed some lazy.

Of the dark blue figures, the Lifeline/Stretcher/Sideswipe figures are the most desirable.  Sideswipe is the rarest of the dark blue figures.  And, as such, tends to command the highest prices.  You will often see people selling a set of the 6 figures, including the Lifeline rather than the Sideswipe, just due to Sideswipe's rarity.

In all the dark blue Anti Venom set is interesting. But, I think the production version, minus the painted heads, is better.  This is a good insight into how sets do change over time and having access to some of these unreleased concepts is a rare way to see the evolution of a product before it reaches production.

2004 Anti Venom Charbroil

Time brings perspective.  Things that were terrible during their height are often mellowed after a few years have passed.  A great example from the Joe world is the Anti-Venom set from 2004.  When first released, collectors were lukewarm to it.  On the surface, it should have been a hit.  Sure, it had the requisite Duke figure.  But, it also featured molds from Stretcher, Roadblock, Barricade, Mutt and Charbroil.  None of these molds had been seen at retail in some time.  (Well, Stretcher minus the head had been released in 2002.)  The figures had a decent, if uninspired, color scheme, a full complement of accessories and new helmets based on the Steel Brigade.  Really, the set should have been a slam dunk in terms of collector popularity.

But, at that time, collectors were heavily focused on things like army building.  And, sets, no matter how well done, that didn't feature army building components were quickly cast aside.  As such, the Anti Venom set lingered at retail for the rest of 2004 and only finally disappeared after the holidays.  For years, the set languished in obscurity.  But, as time passed, collecting tastes changed.  With army building falling from the sole goal of many collectors, interest turned to many of the figures that had been released during the repaint era that offered something different.  The Anti Venom set achieved that in spades.  So, the popularity of the set has increased, even if the individual figures within have not seen great appreciation in value.  One of the surface gems in this set is the Charbroil figure.  But, deeper analysis spots the issues that many collectors had with this set upon its release.

As a character, Charbroil is an open book. As a figure, he is a forgotten mold whose biggest claim to fame is inclusion in the original Night Force set in 1989.  Beyond that, his flamethrower specialty is something of a bygone era while his mold design simply can't live up to the likes of Blowtorch or even Ice Cream Soldier.  He is caught in the middle of the Joe timeline and his mold shows it.  But, seeing as how collectors had not seen the mold at retail in 15 years and the fact that the Blowtorch mold was gone, Hasbro can be commended for trying something different.  They found an obscure mold, recolored it decently and, subsequently, saw collectors yawn over the release.

Personally, I was no different.  While I liked the idea of the anti venom set, the execution left a lot to be desired.  The Roadblock figure was very well done.  But, the painted heads on the rest of the figures left me wanting something more useful.  So, even today, the Anti-Venom figures rarely see the light of day in my collection.  Of them, only Roadblock and Barricade really get any display with Mutt appearing from time to time.  The Lifeline, Duke and this Charbroil sit in their baggies in a plastic tub.  Maybe, someday, they will come out and be put on display as a vehicle crew or manning an HQ.  But, until then, they remain unused, forgotten and unappreciated.

Charbroil's accessories are decent.  The flamethrower is well detailed.  But, it appearance with figures like the Shock Viper made it seem less unique to Charbroil than it was when first released.  His backpack is large and detailed.  Missing, though, is the lenticular hologram that was part of the original figure and the Night Force release.  It is a small detail.  But, it added substantial depth to the original pack.  (Though it is a good way to differentiate a hard to find vintage Night Force backpack from an easy to find Anti Venom version.)  The hose to connect the pack to the weapon, though, fails.  Instead of using flexible plastic that would have allowed the hose to have some natural look, Hasbro used rigid plastic.  The result is that the hose is basically unusable.  If you look at the photo below, you see the hose straight out, as inflexible as the day it was opened.  This is due to the plastic and further reduces the usability of the Charbroil figure.

As a concept, the Anti Venom set made great sense.  A group of specialized Joes to fight the Venomized Cobras.  Even taking away the character choices as not the best for this specialty, you are still left with a group of figures that had not been, for the most part, recently released.  The set featured mostly original accessories for the figures.  And, those who had updated accessories had acceptable choices.  But, the set suffered from some major issues.  First was the fact that the figures had painted heads.  Prototypes of the sets included figures with flesh colored head molds.  For whatever reason, this was changed to the painted heads in production.  The result are heads that are easily chipped, worn or damaged.  When you add the fact that each figure (except Lifeline) included a helmet, the set was designed to ruin the figures in it.  The helmets were the second issue.  While the Steel Brigade inspired helmets have their merits, the reality is the the original Mutt, Barricade and Charboil figures all included distinct helmets.  Replacing these with the generic Steel Brigade stripped the Joe characters of their personalities and reduced them to nameless army builders.  This struck at the essence of Joe.  Joe is about character.  Take that away and the line has little to differentiate it from most other toylines from its vintage days.

The Anti Venom set's most compelling claim to fame is that it had two sets of unproduced variants.  The first set of variant figures were cast in a very dark blue color scheme.  It's likely that this palette was too close to traditional Cobra colors.  The next take is a light blue set.  Again, this was abandoned and Hasbro finally released the colors you see below.  Both of the dark blue and light blue sets were available from Asian Joe sellers, though.  The dark blue sets are extremely rare and will cost a substantial amount.  The light blue sets are much more common.  A light blue Charbroil will likely sell in the $40 - $60 range.  So, if you're in the market for something additionally different for Charbroil, these unproduced figures are a great way to get more takes on the character.

Anti Venom sets have gotten somewhat popular in recent years.  Mint and complete with filecard sets have sold for as much as $50.  Individually, the figures are a lot harder to find than they were a few years ago.  But, prices aren't terrible.  Charbroils tend to sell in the $5 - $6 range when offered by themselves.  That's not a terrible price by any means for the figure.  But, it is still Charbroil and with the figure's shortcomings, I still wouldn't consider this a must have figure by any means.  As part of a broader set of figures, the inclusion of an obscure character like this is fun. The figure isn't perfect and has substantial shortcomings.  But, Hasbro should be lauded for at least trying something different.

2004 Unproduced Anti Venom Mutt

In 2004, collectors were likely to lament the figure choices that Hasbro has offering in the ARAH-style.  The year had started off strong with the Cobra Infantry.  As such, anything following that was going to look worse than it really was.  Plus, in 2005, Hasbro continually lowered the bar in terms of figure offerings.  As such, the 2004 figures have fared much better in retrospect and even the Joes have found some after market life.  However, originally, many of the Joes offered in 2004 had very different looks.  Most times, collectors would never know of these alternate designs.  But, in 2004, Asian Joe sellers were able to get their hands on large quantities of unproduced Joes and made them available to American collectors.  At first, people went nuts for these alternate figures.  Then, demand died down and prices fell: dramatically.  Since the, though, the source of most of these figures has dried up and we are finally able to look back on the figures for what they were: a great opportunity to augment a Joe collection with rare, unproduced, full production level figures.  In many cases, though, the choices that Hasbro ultimately used at retail were the right ones as some of the unproduced figures are awkward, uninteresting, or just plain goofy.  But, in some cases, collectors missed out on a great rendition of a character.  Such is the case with the alernate Anti-Venom Mutt.

Mutt is one of my favorite early characters.  I liked him in the comics and his figure was one of the most interesting offerings in the first three years of the line.  Plus, to this day, I am a dog lover and find an affinity for those who care for their animals properly.  As such, Mutt got a lot of use in my childhood collection...until I broke him.  After that, it was many years before I was able to acquire another, high quality Mutt figure.  To this day, it is a great temptation whenever I see a nicely conditioned, complete Mutt for sale at a cheap price.  While I don't have any real use for multiples of the figure, I do like to have extras of my favorites lying around.  (I have several V1 Flint figures and try to acquire one every so often for the same reason.)  Mutt fits that category.

But, I was highly disappointed in Hasbro's Anti-Venom Mutt figure.  The tan coloring really didn't do anything for me and the lack of V1 accessories made it hard to enjoy the figure.  The worst part, though, was the painted head.  I hate painted heads when the dominant color is flesh.  It makes no sense to me to paint a figure that way, especially one with a removable helmet.  The paint rubs all too easily and leaves you with a damaged figure after just a few uses.

This figure remains one of the best versions of Mutt.  While I like Mutt's combat roots and look of the V1 figure, I actually see him as more of a law enforcement type.  As such, having a version in blue is perfect.  He can match the 2000 Law figures, Supercop and the vintage versions of Shockwave.  I have law as the leader of the Joe law enforcement forces.  He is the most tenured but also the most battle hardened.  As such, for going after the types of criminals who require the Joe's attention, Mutt is the perfect the leader.  He is the type of hard core fighter who will get nasty when he has to and isn't afraid of the consequences.  To Mutt, the ends justify the means and he isn't going to let law, rules or pro

There are lots of theories surrounding these figures.  First, there are two distinct versions of unproduced Anti-Venom figures.  There is the more common light blue set which features the subject of this profile.  There is also a much more scarce dark blue version.  It is likely that the dark blue set was a failed concept due to its similarity to Cobra colors.  From there, the blue was lightened.  But, that was also rejected for whatever reason.  That ultimately lead to the tan colored figures who were released at retail.  Of course, that is only the theory.  The true story has not come out at this point and it is unknown if it ever will.  But, these figures are now part of the collecting mythos and should be treated as such.

The V1 Mutt mold has had a long life.  The figure was released in the US in 1984 and 1985.  It was also available in various gift sets.  In the late '80's, the mold went down to South America where it was released in Brazil and Mexico.  For some reason, though, the mold was altered in South America and the tell-tale patch on Mutt's chest was removed.  In 1989, Estrela produced a Mutt as part of the Slaughter's Marauders subset that was released in the US.  This figure is also missing the insignia.  In the early '90's, Hasbro reacquired the mold and produced another exclusive Mutt figure in Europe.  This figure was also missing the insignia.  After that, the original Mutt mold disappears.  The mold used for this figure is actually a re-make based on the original.  You will see that the insignia has returned.  If you take Mutt parts from the Anti-Venom Mutt and try to match them with arms and heads from any vintage Mutt, you will find the parts do not match.  The look on this Mutt is similar to the original, but is actually an all new mold rather than a product of the Hasbro warehouse.  As it was so new, I find it odd that the figure was not used again beyond the Anti-Venom set.

If you want an alternate Mutt, the days of easily finding one are gone.  For a time, these figures went in the $15 range on Ebay with some going even less.  There were many samples, though, that went for substantially more than that during the availability window.  These days, though, you are pretty much going to have get lucky and go through a collector who either bought multiples or who is liquidating their unproduced collection.  As such, you're going to pay a premium for this figure, too.  While it's not going to set you back $70, it might cost you $50.  Truth be told, there are hundreds of these figures out there.  But, they were absorbed by the collector market and the type of individual who tended to be interested in these figures when they were available is also the type who is unlikely to part with the figure unless they have extraordinary circumstances.  But, it can be done and those patient enough to seek out figures like this Mutt can do so.  From my experience, the search is very worthwhile as this is one of the best versions of Mutt ever created...even if he is unofficial.

2004 Barricade (Anti-Venom)

For years, I have felt that Hasbro's approach to repaints has been misplaced. They have largely focused on releasing figure molds that have been repainted a number of times and represent major characters. In some cases, this approach has worked. Most of the time, though, collectors are left with a figure that is inferior to the original paint job, yet not something different enough to overlook the poor color schemes. There have been a few times, though, where Hasbro has really gotten it right. In select cases, Hasbro has pulled out an obscure mold from the '90's who was poorly painted the first time around and given the mold a new lease on life through a superior repaint. In my opinion, most of the figures released prior to 1991 were properly colored and are difficult to improve upon. (There are, of course, exceptions.) It is the high quality molds from 1992, 1993 and 1994 that were poorly painted the first time around that are in so desperate need of a quality repaint. While Hasbro has, for the most part, ignored this tactic, they do pull a specific example out every once in a while. The most recent example is the Anti-Venom Barricade.

The Barricade mold has appeared on this site only once before, but as the character Gears. That figure was profiled for its rarity, not the quality of the mold. This figure is showcased for the simple reason that is a repaint done right. While Barricade mold has always been very detailed, it took this figure to finally offer collectors a version with a paint application that brought that detail to life. The metallic olive paint on Barricade's body armour showcases that particular feature in a way that breathes realism into this figure mold and accentuates, for the first time, the level of detail that was given to this character. The cammoed tan base color allows this figure to be used in both desert and urban settings and offers the versatility in color that I look for in a Joe figure.

I've long used Barricade as more a specialist on the Joe team. I've never looked at the Joe team as being totally comprised of the best of the best of the best at everything. In a setting like that, egos would be massive, toes would be stepped on and the team as a unit would have inherent dissension that would undermine its effectiveness. As such, I've viewed the Joe team as a different hybrid. There are a few "superstars" on the team: guys who are capable of amazing feats who are highly gifted and even more highly trained. However, the bulk of the team is guys like Barricade. They are people who are the best at one particular task. Taken out of their specific element, they are entirely average. As such, the team has the environmental or situational specialists who are along to perform a specific task or series of tasks on a particular mission. After they are done, the other Joes know they can be counted on to do their best when the circumstances call for improvisation. But, the other Joes also know that these specialists are not ideally suited for changes in a mission and can not be expected to perform on the same levels as other specialists might. This creates a more realistic symbyism for me as it makes the Joes more human and keeps the team more in line with what you find in the real world.

The Anti-Venom set is a mixed bag. To me, it succeeds on a few levels, takes some daring chances but still fails spectacularly in one of the most important elements. First off, the character selection of this set is well done. It is a given that all Joe sets of this nature are going to require the presence of some major characters. Whether collectors like it or not, this is how it is going to be. As such, this set features the mainstays of Duke and Roadblock. The Roadblock is the high quality 1992 version. This figure hasn't been seen in the US in over a decade. However, the fact that he was a widely available Funskool release coupled with Roadblock's presence in the Night Force set makes this figure less likable. He is, though, a solid color scheme and a useful figure. The same can not be said for Duke. Duke is the highly dated V1 mold from 1984. (There are some modifications to the construction, but they are minor.) He is just goofy and his lack of accessories make this figure absolutely useless. Hasbro just used part of the 1993 Duke in a Comic Pack. Why the lousy '84 mold was chosen over that one is beyond me.

The next two characters are Lifeline and Mutt. Both of these figures are what I would consider secondary characters. They have a fan following, but are not in the first tier of popularity. As such, they are great inclusions as they do increase interest in the set. The Lifeline figure is actually the Stretcher mold. In what I think is a first for a US figure, though, the black complexion of Stretcher was changed to a Caucasian Lifeline. This is a rather daring maneuver on Hasbro's part and I think it worked. The Lifeline figure is not easily confused with Stretcher and Hasbro added some new looks to Lifeline's persona. As this figure includes all of Stretcher's original gear, it makes it a top notch figure. The Mutt is less so, though. Mutt is mostly the 1984 version with some new parts. That mold still looks good and is a welcome sight since the V2 Mutt mold was just used in the Convention set. Mutt's colors are solid and he does include Junkyard. Where he fails, though, are in his accessories. But, more on that later.

The final two figures are what makes this set so interesting. Charbroil and Barricade are two obscure characters who have almost no fan following at all. The fact that Hasbro dusted them off for this set is really a treat after we have been subject to rehash after rehash of the same tired Joe molds for nearly 3 years. Charbroil is visually interesting but not spectacular. However, his mold is difficult to really energize. He does include most of his original accessories and this is a great way to put an older, forgotten character back in front of collectors. Barricade is the star of the bunch, though. He is painted in a way that accentuates his mold without being overbearing. He does not have the contrasting colors that you see on other figures in this set and includes his original gun. He is a perfect update to an underutilized original mold.

Where this set fails as a whole, though, is the same area in which the other 6 packs have failed: the accessories. This set starts strongly enough with Roadblock including the original Browning .50 cal (even if it is now overused) and backpack. Lifeline has all the accessories that were included with the mold's original release. Charbroil has most of his original accessories and Barricade has his original gun. Duke and Mutt, though, were simply given overstock weapons of which we have seen too many. They lack the special accessories that are integral parts of their character. Mutt is defined by his mask. Lacking that, the character seems half finished. The biggest sacrilege of all though is the helmets. All the figures save Lifeline include a hollowed out Steel Brigade helmet. In and of itself, this is OK as the accessory is new. However, putting 5 Joes into the same, nondescript helmet run counter to the very notion of what Joe is about. G.I. Joe is not about anonymous army guys fighting bad guys. Instead, it is about the characters and the personalities who comprise that team. Putting these helmets on these figures strips them of their individuality and firmly carves out the very thing that made Joe so popular for over 2 decades. On top of that, these helmets were included in lieu of 3 distinct helmets: Charbroil, Barricade and Mutt that defined the characters who wore them. As such, this entire set fails as it takes these characters out of their element and makes them closer to the generic military lines that clog the clearance aisle of every discount store in America.

No version of Barricade is expensive. While the red version from 1993 can be tougher to track down, you can still buy one for under $8. This version of Barricade will be no different. Toys R Us ordered somewhere around 20,000 of these sets and, as there are no army builders in it, they will be hard pressed to sell them all without the Christmas holiday. Collectors who want this set can easily find it (You can get them from Amazon.com, too.) and will get their fill at this point. As such, I don't foresee there ever being a collector demand for this set that will push the figure prices to much over the original retail cost. That isn't to say, though, that this figure isn't one that collectors could enjoy. He is one of the best Joe affiliated figures to be released in a 6 pack in a long time and is a great update to an obscure character. That alone makes him worth adding to your collection.