1991 Crimson Guard Immortal

My friend, RTG of the Attica Gazette, has long observed that the vintage Joe line tended to run in three year intervals.  After three years, the line would take on a slightly different shape than the previous three years.  The blocks are 1982-1984, 1985-1987, 1988-1990, 1991-1993 and 1994 (which would have set the tone for the 1995 line for sure and probably into 1996 had that happened).  One of the demarcation lines is 1991.  And, the figures from that year have a different tone than those from 1990.  1990 was more muted in terms of color and Hasbro oversaturated figures with accessories.  1990 could be swapped with 1986 and no one would be the wiser.  But, in 1991, Hasbro changed their approach.  The 1991 series features brighter colors, larger and fewer accessories and, of course, the advent of the spring loaded weapons.  Lost in all of this, though, was a single anachronistic release: the 1991 Crimson Guard Immortal.  

The Immortal stands out among the 1991 figures because he is a throwback.  The figure features classic colors, a smaller, sleeker design and monochrome accessories that make him seem like he was released in the heady 1980's and not the dawn of a new decade.  When you look at the roster of 1991 Cobras, the CGI stands out.  His crimson, silver and black look dull compared to the oranges, greens, purples and yellows of his contemporaries.  His sculpting is tighter and more compact.  He lacks the technical accoutrements that adorn the uniforms of his brethren.  If you didn't know any better and found a lot of 1991 figures, you'd think the CGI to be a figure from the prior decade rather than a brand new release for that production year.  

There's no official story on this figure came to be.  We don't know if he was a design that kicked around for a while and finally found a slot in 1991.  Or, if he was specifically designed for that timeframe to bring the Crimson Guards back into the Joe pantheon.  But, the fact that he was so closely tied to the coloring of the original Crimson Guard from 1985 was a feature unique to the 1991 release year.  You are hard pressed to find any two other versions of a Cobra character that better complement each other while retaining the same, fundamental look as do the 1985 Crimson Guard and the 1991 Crimson Guard Immortal.  It was an obvious homage in a year that introduced a drastic change to the look and feel of Joe figures from the 3 prior years.

It has always amazed me that the Crimson Guard Immortal isn't more popular.  In the early days of collecting, collectors were loathe to venture beyond 1987 for any figures.  But, they made a few exceptions.  (1988 Hit and Run, etc.)  Despite that, the 1991 Crimson Guard never caught any fire among collectors.  Everyone appreciates it.  But, it's extremely rare to find a collector who has more CGI's than he would 1985 Crimson Guards.  The CGI is an afterthought.  The wonky accessories and brittle construction are factors in the figure's obscurity.  But, everything else about the CGI suggest it should be among the most desired Cobra figures from the 1990's.  

My first introduction to the CGI came via some early pictures on Evilface's old site.  These photos pre-dated the digital camera age.  He took some photos of his Cobra army out in the rain.  And, riding the back of one of the Hiss Tanks were two Crimson Guard Immortals. (IIRC, he mentioned, in the captions, that he "only" had 5 of them.)   At the time, no one used figures made after 1989 in any Joe content.  And, if you did, it wasn't Cobra army builders who were the focus.  So, seeing these figures being used as basic Cobras was novel.  The next major usage of them that I recall was the old Cobra Command Online site.  He was known for his massive Cobra dioramas.  He had purchased over 100 sets of the 1998 Cobra Infantry.  And, his show of force photos became the standard bearer for the army building craze that dominated the hobby during the early 2000's.  (You'll still see some of his photos floating around.  But, the attribution to him is long lost.)  In some of his early pics, Crimson Guard Immortals stood in places of prominence as Cobra Commander's personal guards.  The hallmark of the photos, though, was that the CGI's were given the accessory complement from the 1985 Crimson Guard.

Despite these early appearances, though, it was the 1985 Crimson Guard that ascended into prominence.  With that version readily available (but, sure, expensive!) collectors let the CGI slip into obscurity.  Part of this was just due to the fact that Crimson Guard Immortals didn't become readily available until well into the 2000's.  If you looked for them between 1999 and 2003 or so, you just didn't find very many.  The kids who had them hadn't liquidated their collections, yet.  As they did so, though, the CGI's became acquirable.  By then, though, the 1985 Crimson Guard had taken hold and was going to remain the de facto standard for any Crimson Guard charater.

The CGI features weapons that were designed as a "finger-flick" accessory.  First introduced in 1990, these are weapons designed to "shoot" their projectiles by a person flicking the butt of the missile that protrudes from the end of the launcher.  That motion will set the missile into flight.  Only a handful of figures feature these types of accessories.  And, it's obvious that Hasbro simply decided to cut out the middle man and introduce spring loaded weapons to the line that fired larger projectiles rather than rely on kids to figure out an esoteric gimmick.  It does help place the CGI or, at least his weapons, as an earlier design since it wasn't intended for the spring loaded treatment.

The entire CGI accessory complement is an exercise in fantastic engineering that resulted in a lackluster toy.  The figure includes 6 missiles, a backpack, two guns and an ammo belt.  The idea is that they all combine into an amalgamation that gives the character some serious firepower.  The practicality, though, is that the ammo belt doesn't stay attached, the missiles flop all over the place and the two guns are just weird.  If you can find spare '85 CG accessories, that's the way to go in order to make the CGI usable.  I suspect that his bizarre weapons play a part in his lack of popularity.  It's tough to get the figure to hold his gear in any way that looks great.  And, the awkward ammo belt and missiles make it easy for a well placed figure to either fall over, or just lose some gear before you snap a photo.  

I always had great intentions when it came to the Crimson Guard Immortal.  One of my earliest photos taken in the summer of 2000 was of the 1993 Cobra Commander flanked by my two Crimson Guard Immortals.  It was a grainy photo taken with a disposable camera as digital cameras were still super expensive at the time.  I had plans for the Commander to have a mighty army.  But, that just never came to be.  Over time, I lost focus on the CGI.  And, once the Funskool version became available in 2001, it simply made more sense to buy extras of those for $4 each rather than try to find additional Immortals.  I was able to find a couple at a toy store in Phoenix.  At the time, they were still of the "anything made in the '90's is bad and no one wants it" mindset.  And, I acquired a ton of '90's army builders for a song from them.  

Since then, though, he CGI has been largely absent from my photography.  A big part of this was that all the o-rings in my 1991 Cobra drawer went bad.  So, for a long time, none of my figures could stand up.  And, when taking the one photo for the 2012 profile of this figure, I managed to snap the figure's crotch.  So, I've been loathe to take the figures out for some fun.  Again, I can substitute the Funskool version to good enough affect and not have to worry about breakage.  Each time I look at my CGI contingent, though, I lament that they are used more often.  Now, I've fixed all the o-rings and know to be cautious with the figures.  I'm not sure if they'll start appearing more often.  But, they make great background filler for shots of Cobra hierarchy.

As a kid, I viewed the Crimson Guards as the third best fighters in Cobra.  The best CG's were recruited into the Eels.  And, the best Eels became Snow Serpents.  But, as my Cobra Troopers wore out, the Crimson Guard figures became the de facto ground troops for my Cobra army.  (It helped that we had three of them!)  Despite them being so prominent in my childhood play, the functional CG's didn't carry forward into adult collecting.  Now, I like the idea of the Crimson Guard moreso than I like using the actual figures.  I just can't see dress uniformed guys in red being front line troops.  I see them more as the political class on Cobra Island who creates lots of drama just because they can.  This lead to my Crimson Guard Rebellion story line in the mid 2000's where the CG's were rounded up and mostly destroyed after they tried to assassinate Cobra Commander.  That's been long enough ago, though, that the CG's are back to their old shenanigans.

The CGI, though, gives me that more functional combat Crimson Guard.  While their coloring doesn't make a lot of sense for the battlefield, they look really cool.  And, their heavier armor is more conducive to combat than the classic CG.  They work very well with the various crimson and red Hiss Tanks.  And, are a good match for the 2004 ASP and the SMS.  I do have a display shelf full of crimson vehicles as well as Tomax and Xamot.  I need to get some museum putty for their feet.  But, once I have a way to get the figures to stand, reliably, I can see my CGI's simply joining this shelf where they can be permanently enjoyed.  I think that's a better fate for them than sitting in a drawer, hoping I'll have the temerity to actually accessorize them all and get them out for some photos.  Finishing up my display case should be a priority for me this year.

In terms of the paint job, the Crimson Guard Immortal features just three colors: silver, red and black.  It is the application of those colors that gives the figure its powerful look.  Instead of concentrating the colors in specific areas, they gave the design layering that makes the figure appear far more intricate than the three base hues would suggest.  Each arm features all three colors.  The head does, too.  And, the figure's chest is the same.  The crotch also has details across the spectrum.  It's only the legs where the silver disappears.  The utilization of all three colors over so many body parts gives the figure a depth far beyond what you'd expect.  It allows the CGI to perfectly complement the 1985 Crimson Guard while also standing out as something slightly different.  It's a subtle trick with the paint applications that Hasbro didn't use all that often.  But, in this case, the three color limit is perfect for the figure.  

The Crimson Guard Immortal mold has a long and sordid history.  He was released by Hasbro for just one year in 1991.  The standard figure was released in Europe, too.  However, there is also a very rare European variant figure that uses the 1990 Rock Viper head.  This figure was heavily faked in the early 2010's.  So, be cautious if you're after one.  His weapons were also colored in grey and given to the European General Hawk figure.  At some point in the timeline, the CGI was supposed to be sent to Brazil.  There, Flagelo appeared in promotional catalogs and even on cardbacks.  But, this figure was never released in Brazil.  In 1993, the figure's head was used on the Create a Cobra mail away figure.  In 2001, Funskool released a highly anticipated version that was similar to the Hasbro coloring.  It was one of the most popular Funskool releases of that era and remains relatively available today.  Hasbro recalled the mold, though, in 2003 and promptly used it as the pack in figure for the KB Toys CAT Tank.  This dud lingered online for years and was clearanced out.  Large lots of overstock figures were available from Asia for another decade, too.  Finally, the figure's entire body was used on the lame 2005 Convention Destro figure.  Different factory custom makers have teased CGI's for years.  Black Major did release the heads as part of his Crimson Guard figures in the early 2020's.  But, the entire figure has yet to appear from the factory custom market.

To say there's untapped potential in the CGI mold is an understatement.  Of the army building molds that haven't been redone by factory custom makers, I'd argue that the CGI is the most prominent figure who is missing.  There's a dozen or more excellent repaints that could be extracted from the mold.  And, there's dozens more that are niche or interesting that have appeared in concept artwork over the years.  The limited popularity of the original figure makes me question the market for some of these great ideas, though.  The CGI exists in the perfect world of matching his previous figure and remaining true to the designs of his concept.  Straying from that is only going to diminish usefulness, even if the resulting figure is spectacular.  So, while I'd love a Dreadnok Skyhawk colored CGI, I'm not going to pay $30 for one.  And, I don't think it's going to be a figure that would permeate the community beyond a quick, superficial layer.

Over the years, Crimson Guard Immortals have experienced some heavy rises and falls in terms of pricing.  In the late 1990's, they were far less desirable than a 1985 Crimson Guard and you could get them cheap...if you could find them.  That scarcity lead to a time in the early 2000's when CGI's outpaced their 1985 brethren in terms of pricing.  For a while, they scratched at nearly $35 for a mint and complete figure.  But, as the Joe world cratered in the late '00's, the CGI's went with it.  And, they, once again, dipped below the 1985 figure in terms of pricing and popularity.  The only difference was that, now, you could actually find some if you wanted an army.  

Now, CGI's remain underappreciated.  You can get mint figures for $10-$15: which seems cheap.  As you add accessories, the price goes up.  But, mint and complete with filecard figures tend to run in the $25 range.  Which, again, doesn't seem bad for a figure that has a brittle crotch, easily rubbed paint and a plethora of small, easily lost accessories.  Other 1991 army builders are substantially more expensive.  But, 1991 figure availability is weird and uneven.  The fact that Immortal is available is good.  During my heyday, that simply wasn't the case.  Otherwise, I'd have a LOT more of them.  The upside is that factory custom Crimson Guard accessories are now available.  So, you have some nice options to upgrade your loose figures.  This profile proved to me, though, that the figure's quality still isn't enough to get the figure a lot of use in my collection.  I love the look of him.  But, I just don't use them at all.  Their fragility is a big part of that.  But, I need to make it a point to move the Crimson Guard Immortal into a position of greater importance in my Joe collection.

Rarities - Unproduced Brazilian Figures

While Estrela produced around 150 total figures in their exclusive Comandos Em Acao line, they  had intended for there to be more.  In the 1990's, Estrela showcased 5 figures in various forms that ended up never getting released.  These figures not only appeared as cross sells on various cardbacks, but even appeared in catalogs used to sell the products.  The 5 figures were all 1991 releases from Hasbro.  The figures were: Grunt, Crimson Guard Immortal, Mercer, Tracker and Cobra Commander.  (Their names in Brazil would have been Arsenal, Flagelo, Desertor, Correnteza and Tirano.)

Hasbro's 1991 figures were one of the rare years that didn't see a second year of release.  This was due to Hasbro trying to reboot the line in 1992 with familiar characters.  So, 1991 molds became common sights in later repaint lines and international releases.  You'll note that all of the figures that appear in the Estrela promotional material shown below are Hasbro made figures and not the Estrela figures.  So, this marketing propaganda was made prior to Estrela having their own wares to photograph.  

You'll often find international guides that list these figures as being available in Brazil.  But, many of these were from the early days of collecting before it was determined that these figures never saw production.  One early guide even features a few Hasbro figures in the placeholders for these names.  And, one thing that's constant in the Joe line is that mistakes and errors from the early collecting years are often repeated and rarely corrected.

Below are two promo photos.  One features just the 5 cancelled figures.  The other shows them interspersed with some other figures that were released in Brazil.  Seeing them all in one shot suggests to me that they were planned as a new wave at one point.  But, the entire wave was halted.  Maybe Hasbro didn't send the molds for whatever reason.  Or, it could have just been that Estrela determined they didn't want another wave.  These figures would have appeared closer to the end of the Comandos Em Acao line.  And, this was the time when Estrela was starting to move away from the standard carded figures that had defined their line and towards the themed subsets of figures that featured bigger cards and more gimmicks.

It's interesting to note that all 5 of these unproduced figures from Estrela did, later, appear as exclusive Funskool releases.  So, Hasbro did recoup more of their cost as they moved the molds around the world.  And, the molds weren't in an unusable state for Esrela.  But, the reasons for these figures being cancelled in Brazil remain lost.  

2001 Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal

Twenty years ago this month, the Funskool Crimson Guard figure debuted.  At the time, the Joe collecting community was large, vibrant and extremely army builder focused.  This created a perfect storm of collector desire matching up with a potential release.  Once the figure appeared at stores, it quickly sold out, despite dealers of the day over-ordering in anticipation of unprecedented demand.  Large armies appeared in various collecting forums and the figure appeared to have made an inroads in ways that no Funskool army builder save the Night Viper had done.  Time, though, has left this Funskool release a forgotten relic of the army building era.  Gone are the days of cheap access to this figure.  And, newer collectors see little need for a figure that is inferior to the American version while still costing about the same as one.  

In 2001, the Joe world was on fire.  Collecting forums sprouted up frequently.  And, many were able to grow quite large.  Aside from the larger retail presence Joe started seeing in early 2001, there was also a new comic book.  This fueled the fire, especially as the comic publisher opened a forum that quickly became the most visited Joe community online.  In those early days, collectors were relatively collaborative and tended to all be in the same place.  Most of us were relatively new to collecting and had a shared childhood duration that was heavily focused between 1982 and 1987.  The community always had things to discuss since every Joe topic had yet to be beaten to death.  And, more importantly, there was constant news being released about Joe: be it new Hasbro toys or some new comic.  This Crimson Guard Immortal figure, though, was the first new Funskool figure announcement.  When YoJoe.com started selling Funskool figures in February of 2001, every offering seemed new.  When SmallJoes.com came online a few months later, there was one new figure, the 1991 General Hawk, but photos of him surfaced during the website preview and his discovery was malaise rather than anticipation.  The Crimson Guard Immortal, though, was announced to the collecting world before he would appear for sale anywhere.  Images followed the announcement.  Then, the figure appeared.

Upon the CGI's release, he followed a pattern that would appear on highly popular Funskool figures of the day.  He'd initially sell out almost instantly.  Then, when more stock arrived, he'd last a few days.  After that, the figure was a solid seller, but rarely sold out.  Collectors who had anticipated triple digit CGI's in their collection found themselves not fulfilling that boast.  First, the figure itself has some limitations.  Orange and yellow gear combined with the golden head and spotty 2001 era quality on the initial figures all helped to temper some collector demand.  But, the bigger factor was that right around the time of this guy's release, Hasbro also released the Laser Viper and Fast Blast Viper.  It was followed with the less popular Shadow Viper before Hasbro announced the sculpting change for G.I. Joe figures that debuted in 2002.  In short, the CGI quickly became old news in an era when Joe updates were fast and furious.  In time, you saw more and more collectors saying they "should" get some more CGI's.  But, since the figure was always available, there was no hurry.  By the time Hasbro's heavy army building releases relented in 2005, Joe interest faded away with them.  And, despite having been out of production for a few years, CGI's were still available at retail prices at Joe dealers all over the internet.

In some ways, this was a sad fate for this figure.  The Funskool CGI is pretty solid and a nice replacement for the harder to find and rather brittle Hasbro CGI.  Even the off color accessories aren't really that bad since you can limit the figure to his silver launchers and they match his silver accents quite well.  In the days of cheap army building, there were only 4 or 5 options that surpassed the Funskool CGI that had any kind of legs.  And, as this figure was many collectors first exposure to the CGI mold, it had the added value of expanding some people's vision of the Joe line past figures that were made prior to 1988.  The comeback for this figure is that he remains relatively cheap and easy to find, even while all the other 2001-2004 new Funskool releases have gotten hard to find and even rather expensive.

In general, the Funskool CGI is pretty similar to the Hasbro figure.  The red is a deeper maroon color and is not a match for the crimson red of the 1991 figure.  The Indian version also has much more silver paint used to accentuate the mold's highlights.  The biggest visual difference is the golden paint on the figure's head.  There's no real reason for this paint application to exist.  And, the gold paint isn't as great a match for the figure as the silver.  And, a silver head would have probably worked better for this figure's overall appearance.  But, in general, the Crimson Guard Immortal is a pretty solid design that fits with other 2000's era army builders.

The Crimson Guard Immortal has a short history.  The original figure was released in the U.S. in 1991.  From there, the figure was released in Europe, too.  Some European examples, though, have a 1990 Rock Viper head instead of the head originally intended for this mold.  This is a rare figure.  And, large numbers of fakes were produced in Asia around 2010-2012.  They were bagged and still float around, passed as originals, with alarming regularity.  The CGI's gear was also recolored and released with a 1991 General Hawk in Europe, too.  It's possible that the Rock Viper head CGI's are a function of the fact that the CGI head appears on the 1993 Create a Cobra mail away figure, too.  The mold was meant to go to Brazil.  Estrela cardbacks feature a figure named Flagelo, using the CGI mold.  But, this figure was never actually produced.  (An American CGI is incorrectly listed as Flagelo in some early international Joe guides.)  Funskool then got the mold that went into production in 2001.  Funskool CGI's can have gold painted bullets on their left leg, silver painted bullets or unpainted (black) bullets.  The silver and black are the harder variations to find.  Funskool dropped a final production run of CGI's in April of 2003, right before they returned the mold to Hasbro.  Most of these were bagged, but are the highest quality CGI's that Funskool made.  

In 2003, Hasbro quickly got the mold into production and released it as the driver of the KB Toys exclusive CAT Tank.  This blue version was different.  But, wasn't overly popular with collectors of the day.  In 2005, the body mold was used for the convention exclusive Destro.  It's an odd look for Destro.  And, again, didn't make for a really popular figure.  The mold then disappeared...never seeing use either the Crimson Guard set from 2004 or the Crimson Shadow Guard from 2005.  Hasbro getting the mold back seemed like wasted opportunity...especially since it removed the Funskool CGI's from production.  But, the ubiquity of the Funskool figures has helped soften that blow.

The Crimson Guard Immortal mold has a lot of life left in it.  A Cobra blue repaint seems a no-brainer.  But, a black and silver paint job to match the Shadow Guards would also be a hit.  Alas, these are never to come from Hasbro.  In the late 2010's, though, a factory custom maker floated the idea of CGI repaints.  Spec sheets appeared that showed the CGI in a variety of colors.  Among the excellent blends of classic Cobra colors were also some oddball items with the CGI painted up as Boba Fett and Darth Vader.  I'm not sure of the board appeal of something like that.  But, I'd have probably bought at least one Boba Fett CGI for the curiosity of it all.  As of 2021, though, these figures have yet to materialize.  They may be pipe dreams at this point.  But, they do show that the mold still garners some collector interest and many realize the untapped potential of the design.

So, in an odd bit of irony, the huge popularity of the Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal has made him one of the cheapest Funskool figures to acquire in the 2020's.  Today, you can get MOC figures for around $20.  Loose figures are harder to come by and tend to sell for similar prices.  But, since dealers imported massive amounts of Crimson Guard Immortals in the early 2000's, there's lots of them available today.  Now, figures that were ignored by collectors of the early 2000's have gotten hard to find and, in some cases, stupidly expensive.  The Crimson Guard Immortal, though, remains relatively affordable.  We're two decades removed from the days of buying all of them you wanted for $4 each.  But, because so many collectors did, there's lots of them out there.  And, the collector demand got lots of toy dealers to also buy up overstock as Funskool liquidated the last of their Joes in the mid 2000's.  So, now, we have a figure that's much more common than other figures who were ignored in the Funskool heyday.

That's good since these CGI's are still attainable for a new collector.  But, at collector prices, the usefulness and desire to army build these guys fades away.  You don't see too many Funskool CGI's in photos these days.  There are just better options available and few collectors who came of age in the post Funskool collecting landscape ever paid the figures attention as an army building option.  I still love this figure, though.  He reminds of a great time in the Joe collecting world.  He also reminds me of the silliness that pervaded that era, too.  I stick around because figures remind me not only of childhood but also of collecting related events that were relevant to young adulthood, too.  It's weird to realize that this figure was released and I first reviewed it prior to 9/11.  But, that just shows how much of an impact Joe continues to have on my life.

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal - Around The Web

The 2003 Crimson Guard Immortal is a solid repaint.  It's different enough to stand on his own.  And, he's not so bizarre that he's too out there to be enjoyed.  During the heyday of Joe collecting in the early 2000's, this figure was rather popular.  Now, he's seen less often just due to his obscurity.  I had to go way back to find much of this content on him.  And, old-timers like me will see many names from collecting ages long gone.  I hope that much of the now 15 year old material that remains is saved from destruction.  There was so much excellent Joe content back in those days.  Now, you see less and less of it.  And, some of the extravagance that made for excellent shots has been lost.  Enjoy this trip down memory lane, though!

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal Profile

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by Outrider

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by yotothejoe

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by joerizzo2025

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by violentfix

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal at GeneralsJoesReborn

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by Stormer

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by Slipstream80

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by Flatline

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by 00zxcvb

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by 4-Cobra

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by Outrider

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal by Dreadnok Dread

2001 Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal - Around the Web

16 Years ago today, I profiled the newly released Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal figure.  At the time of this figure's release, it was one of the most anticipated army builders of all time.  Collectors salivated over being able to buy them by the dozens.  And, they did.  Dealers constantly sold out of the figure as people built up massive armies of CGI's at insanely low prices.

There area  few variants of the figure with him having gold, silver or black bullets on his leg.  You don't see much interest in those variances, now, but they were something fun to differentiate the figure back in 2001.  Today, the Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal is harder to find and is no longer a cheap army builder if you buy carded examples.  And, with lots of army builders to now choose from the limitations of the mold are more evident.  But, this figure is a reminder of a much different time in the Joe world when every month brought news of an upcoming release.  Here's the best on this figure from around the web.

Funskool CGI Profile

Crimson Guard Immortal at Serpentor's Lair

Crimson Guard Immortal by funskoolrony

Crimson Guard Immortal at JoeDios

Crimson Guard Immortal Dio

Funskool CGI by yihad77

Funskool CGI by The.Faceless.Master

Funskool CGI by viper_space

Diorama - The Arrival of the Commander

I took this picture in early spring in 2002.  It was still pretty cold out and we got a late evening rain on a Sunday.  I went out and set this up as the sun was setting.  Mainly, I wanted to show off the Air Devil figure and my Crimson Guard Immortal figures.  This was in my grove of trees where I'd get a nice lake with every rainstorm.  Most of my Indiana photos were taken in this spot with various trees or rocks added to showcase the water.

1991 Crimson Guard Immortal

It's been 15 years since I began following the Joe collecting world online.  In that time, the sites of influence have changed greatly.  Originally, it was small, fan run sites that were the backbone of the community.  Then, message boards sprung up on licensed Joe properties and the world changed.  Then, the anniversary and the movie brought enough money into the Joe world that for profit sites have become the community du jour in the Joe world.  In the early days, though, the collecting world was rather quaint.  Digital cameras weren't really around for affordable prices, so pictures of action figures were in short supply.  As such, sites that did host diorama pictures of figures tended to have a great deal of influence.  One such site was Evilface's domain.  Here, Evilface's immortal customs served as the main attraction.  But, buried deep within the site were random diorama pictures taken with a camera.  Among these was a Cobra convoy that featured the first real online display of Cobra army building (be it ever so modest by today's standards).  Riding on the back of the HISS Tanks were Crimson Guard Immortals.  For most collectors of the time, this was their first exposure to a great figure that was actually fairly hard to find during that era.

In the late 1990's, it was easy to find all Joe figures from 1982 through 1987 online or at toy shops or shows.  1988 was fairly available, but some of the more obscure figures didn't show up all that often.  1989's were mostly only available in lots as kids from that time started to sell their childhood collections.  1990 fell into this category as well.  1991 figures, though, were extremely hard to find.  This was a combination of the fact that most of the 1991 series of figures were only produced for that one year and not carried over into 1992.  But also, those who had played with Joes during this time weren't quite old enough to have started selling their collections.  In the early days of Ebay, it was not uncommon to go two or three weeks without seeing a Crimson Guard Immortal offered for sale.  Usually, when they did appear, they were only included in large lots with other 1990, 1991 and 1992 figures.

At the time, I was heavily interested in all figures from the 1990's and was actively acquiring all the lots of figures from those years I could find.  Though that effort, I acquired 2 Crimson Guard Immortals.  The fact that I had a pair of the figures, along with the fact that others were difficult to find at the time gave the figure a mystique that has lived with me in the decade and a half since.  Of course, Crimson Guard Immortals are much easier to find these days and are actually cheaper than they were in 2002 - 2005.  But, that hasn't changed the way I feel about the figure nor has it sated my desire to always have a nice cadre of Immortals in my collection.  The armored uniform makes for a perfect Crimson Guard gunner for the ASP, Hiss Tank or SMS.  The colors being true to the original CG also tie this figure into Cobra's roots and help it rise above the other army builders of the time.

As far as accessories go, the Immortal isn't great.  His weapons are interesting, but not special.  The backpack is nice as it does feature three removable missiles that fit into the guns.  The launchers are designed to be action activated by a flick of the finger.  Hitting the exposed rear of the missile will "shoot" it out of the weapon.  This type of thing is common in 1990 and 1991 and was the precursor to spring loaded weapons.  The launchers aren't great and are awkward for the figure to hold.  The ammo belt that connects to the figure's leg is neater in idea than execution and really only come across as a hindrance when you try to display the figure.  They are distinct accessories, but nothing good enough to enhance the figure.  Again, though, I go back in time to the early days of Joedom and reference Cobra Command Online.  This site was the first to really take army building to the heights that defined 2001 through 2005.  But here, amidst the dioramas of hundreds upon hundreds of 1998 TRU Vipers were random groups of Crimson Guard Immortals.  Not equipped with their standard accessories, but the gun and pack from the 1985 Crimson Guard.  This look completely changed my viewpoint on the CGI.  With these accessories from 1985, the figure became even more useful.  Now, the infantry look of the CG's original accessories were matched with a combat uniform.  The result is a great enhancement to both the weapons and the figure.

As a character, the Crimson Guard Immortal is nothing more than a Crimson Guardsman.  The filecard makes no reference to the "Immortal" in the name and adds nothing new to the character that was not introduced in 1985.  That isn't a bad thing as it leaves a lot of interpretation open for kids and collectors.  The CGI's can be just an alternate uniform for Crimson Guardsman.  Or, they could be a more militaristic branch of the elite force.  The CGI gives collectors a way to grow the CG ranks without having tons of conflicting divisions developed by different generations of Joe designers.

The Crimson Guard Immortal mold has an interesting history.  After its release in the US in 1991, the figure was also produced by Hasbro for release in Europe.  At some point, though, Hasbro co-opted the CGI head for use on the mail away 1993 Create a Cobra.  At this time, the European Crimson Guard Immortals saw a very truncated run of figures that used the Rock Viper head in lieu of the traditional CGI head.  (These are among the rarest figures in the world.  But, before you spend $400 on one, be sure to get the provenance.  The Euro CGI's with Rock Viper heads are also heavily faked out of Asia.  So, be careful when you are in the market for one.)  At some point, the figure was slated for release by Estrela in Brazil.  A figure named Flagelo appeared on Brazilian cardbacks and in the catalogs.  But, this figure was never actually released.  In 2001, the mold resurfaced in India as the highly anticipated Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal.  This figure was imported en masse to the U.S. by dealers at the time and collectors bought them by the dozens and even hundreds.  Again, though, this figure was very similar to the American version with just some minor color variances in the figure and accessories.

Hasbro reacquired the mold from Funskool in 2003.  But, in their great wisdom, never really utilized it effectively.  A Crimson Guard Immortal was released in late 2003 in a KB Toys exclusive remake of the CAT Tank.  This blue and red figure never really caught on in the collecting world.  The Tanks were eventually clearanced for below wholesale prices and large quantities of 2003 CGI's were available cheaply from Asia.  In 2005, Hasbro released a Toys R Us exclusive Crimson Guard 6 figure set.  This set featured 4 Crimson Guards, either Tomax or Xamot and...Firefly.  So, they split up Tomax ans Xamot, but left collectors to buy 2 Firefly's with their duplicate sets required to complete the Twins.  The box art, though, was suspicious and Firefly used the exact paint masks as the 2004 Urban Assault Firefly.  The implication was that Firefly was a last minute addition to the set.  A CGI would have been a perfect command figure to include.  But, the reason for that molds absence was made apparent when the 2005 Convention set was released.  The entire CGI body was used for the under appreciated Convention Destro.  After that, the mold never appeared again.  Really, there is much that could be done with the mold and released in blue, black, silver with reverse red highlights, etc. would have been gobbled up by collectors.  But, that never came to be.

The result is that the Crimson Guard Immortal retains some of his mystique.  Since the figure wasn't overused and the mold only really appeared in 2 really different varieties, the original CGI remains somewhat unspoiled.  I would have enjoyed seeing the figure redone in black with the silver highlights.  Or, in Cobra blue.  A companion figure to the Crimson Shadow Guard would have at least given us something different with the mold.  But, it was not to be.  That's OK, though, since this figure hasn't suffered from the same character degradation that occurred when Hasbro repainted the Viper and Alley Viper to death.

Today, Crimson Guard Immortal figures still command a premium.  Mint and complete with filecard, the figures run as high as $23.  Lose the filecard and you can get them for around $18, though.  Still, in this post army-building world, that's pretty steep for a later edition army builder with some limitations.  But, it is a testament to the figure's quality, its relative scarcity and its propensity for breakage that the price remains high.  (In relation to the breakage, I had crotch snap right off of the figure you see in the photo below as I was posing him for additional pictures.  So, it can happen to the best of us.)

Personally, I find the Crimson Guard Immortal to be one of my favorite army building figures.  He has the look of a commanding soldier while retaining the regalia of the Crimson Guard.  The armor is well designed and the colors are a near perfect blend of crimson and silver.  With the elite status of the Crimson Guard already established, the CGI fits perfectly into the existing Cobra hierarchy without introducing new colors or ideas.  Really, that is a great way for Hasbro to handle a new aspect of an existing faction.  As such, the Crimson Guard Immortal is one of the few figures who still exists in numbers in my collection.  For the price they fetch these days, I still feel this is a worthwhile addition to a collection.  And, going forward, it is a figure that I will continue to acquire as the opportunities to add them to my collection appear.

2003 Crimson Guard Immortal

There has always been just one word that I've used to describe the Crimson Guard Immortal mold: mighty. It seems the only fitting adjective for a mold that radiates power not only in character of the man wearing the uniform but also the might of the weapons associated with it. I have long been fascinated by this mold and spend a lot of time in the late '90's trying to acquire many of them. Back then, though, it was rather difficult to find complete CGI's. But, in 2001, Funskool came through and released a very nicely done version that was made available to American collectors for cheap prices. Sometime in early 2003, though, Hasbro re-acquired this mold from Funskool and threw it into a craptacular KB Toys exclusive vehicle. The new color scheme didn't make much sense considering this is a CRIMSON Guard, but the result was a figure that is actually very nice and worth owning.

The CGI mold remains my favorite appearance for any Crimson Guard. The armour plating, cool helmet and overall combat feel of the mold make one that just exudes power and might. The mold is intricately detailed with ammo pouches, knives and clips holding the armour in place that show an attention to design that was advanced even for the vintage Joe line. It is a shame that the most common version of the mold is actually the version that was intended to only be released in India. Armies of CGI's of any color look good, but are hard to find. Few collectors who have been able to amass large quantities of non-Funskool versions of this mold take the time to display them.

When I first got this figure, I didn't have much in the way of a story for him. At the time, he was just another figure I needed to complete my collection. However, as I looked at him, I wondered what I could do with him that would explain his odd uniform color. As I mentioned in my Cobra Commander profile, I don't think highly of the Crimson Guard concept any more. Mostly, they are corpulent slugs who have degraded into a disease festering on Cobra Island. However, even the most corrupt and vapid organizations have bright spots. Surely there would be a few decent members of the CG left. Shortly after I acquired this figure, I began to map out the plans for the next story arc in my Joe world. Cobra had spent the past decade in South America and was wrapping up their operations there. The next target had been selected and my South American commander, Ramen, was beginning his exploration of Africa.   Lead by Skeres, Operation Dark Cloud is Cobra's push into Africa. Their motives there are unclear to all but Ramen and his cabal, but their success in South America has given them the freedom to retain that type of secrecy. Skeres leads the 1st Afrikaaner Division in Africa. They are a cadre of Cobra's most battle hardened troops: most of whom earned their wares in South America. They are a close knit group who are skeptical of anyone who has yet to prove himself. But, are fiercly loyal once someone is welcomed into their group. They believe whole-heartedly in the Cobra cause and are willing to sacrifice their lives for the fulfillment of the aims of Ramen's Cobra.

This all leads to the origin of this figure. I use this figure as a man who was a newly appointed CG. As part of the initiation in the Crimson Guard, new recruits are left as Crimson Guard Immortals. Basically, this means they are still on combat duty and are often assigned to head up combat operations at small Cobra installations. It is a way for the new recruits to grow into their responsibilities as well as mature within the nepotistic system of the CG's that rewards politicking more than it does valor. This CGI was appointed to guard a remote Cobra research installation in South America. It was a mundane duty that became suddenly dangerous when a group of American commandos stormed the compound. The CGI had orders from the Crimson Guard hierarchy to save himself in the event of an attack, but his sense of duty lead him to personally fend off the attackers while the Toxo-Vipers in his charge successfully destroyed all evidence of their facilities' purpose and then escaped to a just arriving Cobra transport chopper. As the pilot prepared to take off, the head Toxo Viper ordered him to wait for the CGI. The CGI managed to escape, carrying the limp body of the lone Toxo-Viper who had been left behind.

These heroic actions caught the attention of both Skeres and Ramen. They invited the CGI to the South American headquarters and asked him if he was interested in joining with the Afrikaaners. The CGI tentatively accepted and then returned to Cobra Island. Here, he was accosted by the Crimson Guard hierarchy and pressured to join the Afrikaaners as a spy for the Crimson Guard. The CG were leery of Ramen's success since they were not part of any of it and they looked at this opportunity as a way to finally infiltrate Ramen's most trusted circle. The CGI agreed and promptly left Cobra Island to return to South America. Shortly thereafter, Afrikaaners had a confrontation with some Crimson Guards in a Cobra cafeteria. It escalated to a point where the CG's felt it was time to announce their plant within the Afrikaaner forces. When they called for this CGI to appear before them and Skeres, he came as requested. Only, instead of wearing the crimson uniform of his unit, he had changed his uniform color to this grey-blue as a symbolic break from his Crimson Guard past.  Disgusted that members of his organization were more concerned with political power than overall organizational success, he then fully joined the Afrikaaners and is now a trusted high ranking member of Ramen's most effective combat unit. (Shortly thereafter, the Crimson Guard Rebellion took place on Cobra Island. It is thought that the defection of this CGI was one of the last straws in the Commander's lack of patience with the CG's.)

As is the case with most figures for whom I have developed an intricate backstory, this figure is now an integral part of my collection. He is almost a named Cobra, but not quite. It is my expectation that at some point, he will become a named Cobra, but he is still learning and it will be a while before he sees another promotion. (Plus, I have to find a new figure to represent him. I have pretty much exhausted all the available Cobra molds from around the world that could be used as unique characters. Hopefully, Hasbro will put out a figure or two at some point that will be useful in this capacity.)

The CGI mold has a well traveled history. He was released by Hasbro in 1991. He was not carried over to 1992, though. He was released in Europe almost simultaneously, but a few of the European figures were released with the V1 Rock Viper's head in lieu of the CGI head. From there, the mold may have gone to Brazil where it was intended to be released as Flagelo. It is unlikely, though, that this figure ever saw production beyond the artwork in Brazilian catalogs and cardbacks. However, in 1993, Hasbro resurrected the head for use on the hot pink Create a Cobra mail away figure. In 2001, the mold appeared in India where Funskool used it for about 18 months before Hasbro re-acquired it. It was used by Hasbro for this figure in 2003 and then again for the convention exclusive Destro body in 2005. Most notable, though, is the mold's absence in the Operation Crimson Sabotage set, the Crimson Guard 6 pack Toys R Us exclusive set and the Crimson Shadow Guard. Hasbro passed by three prime opportunities to use the mold again. With the overall number of ARAH releases dwindling and the fact that the mold was used in a convention set, I would say that it is highly unlikely we will see this mold used in any sort of army building set in the near future. That is unfortunate as this mold isn't as stale as some of those that will certainly be used but also nice in the sense that the mold won't get overused like the Cobra Trooper, Cobra Officer and newly sculpted Crimson Guard molds have.

This figure's availability was annoying at best. First off, the Crimson MOBAT was made a KB exclusive. This alone would have made it tough to find. However, KB ended up only offering this vehicle on their website. As such, it became a de facto online exclusive. This made it very expensive to acquire as the Crimson MOBAT was $20 and very expensive to ship. This deadly combination resulted in the tanks sitting on KB's website for some time. Finally, in 2004, KB began to clearance the tanks. First, they went down to $15. Then $10. Finally, they sold out at an $8 price tag. For that price, many dealers and collectors were buying them, tossing the tank and just selling or keeping the figures. The result is that this figure is now more widely available for decent prices than many might have originally anticipated. It doesn't hurt that many collectors have also done as I have and use these figures either as individuals or highly specialized army builders so they don't require more than 1 or 2 examples in their collection.

Now, you can usually get this figure for around $10 or so. Frankly, that isn't a bad price considering that Hasbro has now produced 3 subsequent Crimson themed sets and this mold has not appeared in any of them. The CGI mold is very high quality and would be hard to produce in a bad color scheme. This silverish blue version is a great way to use the mold outside of the ranks of the Crimson Guard and offers some diversity that most of the other Crimson themed molds have always lacked. I enjoy this figure for what he is and for what I have made him in my collection. It seems that many other collectors do, too.

2001 Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal (Indian Exclusive)

Earlier this year, one of the preliminary name lists for the new Joes that surfaced listed Zartan and a Crimson Viper as one of the upcoming packs in Wave 4 that would see release this fall. This Crimson Viper immediately spawned rampant speculation and widespread anticipation of what could be a great new Cobra figure. Needless to say, controversy broke out. Official lists from trusted sources said the figure was definite. Other people who had internal Hasbro sources said that neither a figure of that name, nor any of the speculated molds would be coming out. This even lead to a prominent Joe site issuing a public challenge to anyone who thought this figure would come out. Alas, Zartan is going to be shipped with a repainted Astro Viper who will be called the Shadow Viper. For many collectors, this was a huge disappointment. The Crimson Guard family is probably one of the most loved hierarchies in the entire Cobra army. The fact that a new Tomax and Xamot are coming out later this year as well, just added to the frustration levels. However, a couple of weeks ago, some information was released to the Joe community. There would be a new Crimson Guard figure released this year. There was just one caveat, the figure would not be released by Hasbro, it would be released in India by the Funskool toy company.

I've profiled Funskool figures before. As most of you know, there are now many American importers who sell Funskool figures for about the same price you pay for the new Joes at Toys R Us. This has enabled many collectors to build armies of many figures that would otherwise have been impossible to find. Many of you have seen my profile of the Funskool Desert Scorpion and know how much I like that figure. If you've paid attention to many of the photographs contained in many of this site's profiles, you may have noticed that one of the figures I like to use to fill out my dioramas is the mighty Crimson Guard Immortal. While I've profiled the other 2 versions of the Crimson Guard here, I've never had the occasion to add the final member of the triumvirate. With the release of this new Crimson Guard Immortal, though, I've finally decided to break down and profile one of the best molded figures who was ever released in the line.

The great thing about the Funskool CGI is that he is very similar to the American version. Like the Funskool Night Viper, he is very true to his roots. The red in his uniform is slightly darker and more blood in color. He has a few different paint highlights, but they are all tastefully done and keep the figure very nice. The biggest difference is the head. The head of the Indian figure is painted gold. It's an odd look, but it still works. The gold dome makes this guy look like he could be the leader of all the CGI's and the colored head denotes his rank. Conversely, the gold could also denote the rank and file CGI's as the harder to find American figures could be the leaders. Either way, this figure works. The weapon colors that were given this figure are also decent. He has silver launchers and a black ammo belt. They work very nicely. The yellow missiles are a forgivable choice, but the orange backpack is not. However, as you can see from the picture below, the figure works great without the pack. Of course, I've never liked the CGI's accessories anyways. That's why a visit to Raven's Castings is in order. He does great work and I've found his versions of the original Snow Serpent AK-47 to be a perfect fit for all CGI's.

Right now, I don't what I'll use this guy for. He is a figure of whom I'll build armies. When the first pictures of this guy surfaced, I heard some Joe collectors only half facetiously say, "I'll take 65!". That sentiment alone tells you how anticipated this figure has been. Collectors have been clamouring for a cheap alternative to the Crimson Guard for years. Now, for the first time, that has been made available. Sure, Funskool figures are of lower quality plastic than American figures. However, that will keep this guy's thumbs from breaking. I've already got three of these guys and see my army growing to around 12. As these guys are newly released, they should be around a for a good long time. Still, though, there are lots of people, like me, who will snatch up large numbers of these guys. If you have the chance to add them to your collection now, I would do so. You never know what the future will hold. How many people passed on extra Firefly/Undertow two packs and now regret it?

The American Crimson Guard Immortal is a very tough figure to find. Even if you can easily afford his $25-$30 price tag for a mint, complete specimen, you usually can't find enough of them to really build a nice army. Also, the American version is also very brittle and is subject to broken crotches and thumbs. It makes finding them even more troublesome. There are also reports of a European variation of this figure. It seems, somewhere in Europe, the Crimson Guard Immortal was released with a repainted Rock Viper head. I've never personally seen one of these, but would like to one day own one. As for this Indian figure, well, his availability is just starting. He is a newly released figure in India and will be available from many American sellers. In fact, I acquired this figure from The Store On 44. The owner is a good guy and is an active Joe fan who participates in the Joe community. He sells tons of Joe stuff at his site, including this figure and many other Funskool exclusive figures, for very reasonable prices. Head over to his store and let him know I sent you. Once you have this figure, you will find him a nice piece of your collection. He is sure, over time, to become one of those foreign figures that most contemporary collectors will consider a necessity for any collection.

If you've got one of the European variants of this figure and want to trade it, email me.