1989 Dee-Jay

Dee-Jay!  Really, Dee-Jay!?!  As figures and characters go, there aren't many who are treated with as much disdain as the final Battleforce 2000 member.  His figure is pretty much reviled and his character traits (A DJ who became an electronics expert and was recruited into Battleforce 2000 for this expertise!) are pretty ridiculous.  Most collectors pass this figure by without much of a thought.  That was his fate in my collection, too.  However, the Dee-Jay mold actually has some decent sculpting and the figure, in the proper setting, can be a useful addition to any collection.

Dee-Jay's most legitimate claim to fame is the fact that his head and body were used to make two of the most distinct Brazilian Exclusive Cobra Villains: Abutre Negro and Corrosao.  His other claim to fame is that Larry Hama introduced him into the comic book, only to kill him on the same page.  The real question with Dee-Jay is why was he released as a member of Battleforce 2000 in 1989?  The first 6 Battleforce 2000 members were released at the tail end of 1987.  They were still in the rotation in 1989.  But the addition of one new team member in 1989 really didn't add anything to the team.  The original series was 6 figures, 6 vehicles.  So, Dee-Jay was the odd man out from the get go.  Maybe the designers thought his futuristic look was better suited to an existing sub team than as part of the regular carded Joes from that year.  But, his late release just makes Dee-Jay even more of an odd duck.

When you really look at the Dee-Jay mold, you see why it was so popular on South American Cobras.  His eyes are covered with a villainous visor.  His helmet seems overly ornate for a simple communications officer.  And, he has a random communications device coming out of his helmet.  His entire outfit is bulky and detailed in a way that makes his appear more evil than good.  Beyond that, though, the mold is, in total, fairly strong.  The white and olive green isn't a color combo that should work, but it's actually not terrible.  If not for the splash of blue that protrudes from his grey leg armor, Dee-Jay would be fairly strong figure.  There is definite potential in the mold...even if most of it would be better suited for Cobra.

Dee-Jay's accessories are interesting.  He has the helmet antenna which should, due to its propensity to be lost, should drive up Dee-Jay prices.  But, the antenna actually affixes to the helmet quite well and isn't as loose as those of Heavy Metal or Worms.  So, it is much easier to find.  His backpack is large and not overly detailed.  It doesn't add to the figure's quality, but doesn't really detract from it, either.  The hoses from Dee-Jay's head to his shoulder really make no sense.  Since his face is open, why would he need this type of attachment?  The hose is too big and either restricts movement of the figure's head, or gets in the way of his backpack.  The white attachment points for the hose are nice additions that help differentiate Dee-Jay from many other figures with hoses.  But, the whole apparatus is clunky and rather non-sensical.  Dee-Jay's gun is futuristic and maroon.  I'll say it again...maroon.  Fortunately, black versions of the weapon were available with a few figures from the mid 1990's.  So, it's easy to give him his weapon in better colors.  But, out of the package, the maroon space gun is an awkward fit.

The Dee-Jay mold got a lot of use, just not in the U.S.  After he was released in 1989 and 1990, the mold was sent off to Brazil where it was used for the aforementioned Patruhla do Ar and Forca Eco figures.  In 1993, Estrela produced a final Dee-Jay figure for Hasbro.  This neon colored addition to the mail away Arctic Commandos Set was the final appearance for the Dee-Jay mold.  (This figure was bagged separately from the other three polar figures since it was made in Brazil whereas the rest of the set was made in Asia.  To this day, you most often see the Arctic Commandos Set sold with the three Asian figures together and Dee-Jay either missing or sold separately.)  The mold then died out, mercifully, and has not appeared since.  In the modern line, a Hasbro take on Abutre Negro or Corrosoa would have been cool.  But, that would have been the only reason for the Dee-Jay mold to make a new appearance.

I never had a Dee-Jay figure as a kid.  He came out after I had moved on from Joe.  As an adult, he was a figure I never really pursued.  Since he was so unpopular, I figured I could always get one cheap so there was no hurry.  When I finally did acquire one, it was for completion's sake.  He stayed in the baggie in which he was shipped to me and has not really emerged in years.  With both Corrosoa and Abutre Negro being such large parts of my collection, I had no reason to find a niche for Dee-Jay.  With this profile, though, I have a new appreciation for the figure.  It is of much higher quality than I ever remembered.  That doesn't mean, of course, that Dee-Jay will take on new prominence in my collection.  But, if the opportunity to display him ever arises, I will take advantage.

Dee-Jay figures are not hard to find.  Even with a small antenna and two small, white end caps to his hose, the figure is easy to track down complete.  The figures do tend to discolor, though, so that can be a problem when finding a truly mint figure.  But, since the figure is pretty much hated, even that's not really an issue.  Mint and complete with filecard Dee-Jay figures run under $8 and can be had much cheaper than that with a little looking.  For the price, Dee-Jay isn't a bad pick up.  The Brazilian figures have gotten hard to find and expensive.  So, cheap Dee-Jays make for perfect customizing fodder.  Even beyond that, the figure isn't terrible.  On the right vehicle or in the right playset, Dee-Jay is actually acceptable looking.  For a cheap figure that's over 25 years old, that's a respectable position.  Really, I only own the figure for completion's sake.  But, I have at least a passing appreciation for the figure.  It's not the worst lot in life for a Joe figure and, to me, makes Dee-Jay worth having around.

Corrosao (Brazilian Exclusive Cobra Eco-Warriors Dee-Jay)

The history of this site is riddled with foreign exclusive Joe figures. Foreign Joes are one of the areas where collectors can continue to grow their collections even after the American line has run its course for them. While many countries have produced exclusive versions of G.I. Joe figures, those from Brazil tend to be the most unique. Indian figures are, for the most part, just recolors of American characters. The same is true of those figures from Europe. (Except for the Action Force repaints.) Argentina produced a few exclusive characters, but the line there was very small. In Brazil, though, the Estrela toy company produced unique repaints of American figures but also churned out many characters who were exclusive to that country. Among them is a hidden gem of my collection: Corrosao.

Who is Corrosao? If you read my profile of Letal, you would know that Corrosao is the same character in my Joeverse. I just can't have two South American bio-terrorists in my collection. As such, it makes more sense for Letal and Corrosao to be one person. The Letal suit is for when he is either in the field or working directly with dangerous chemicals while this suit is more suited for his lab work or after hours business dealings with the Cobra hierarchy. This gives the character more versatility in my collection and gives me uses for both the Corrosao and Letal figures. Corrosao is not a major player in my collection, but he fills the role of a lesser character who helps to flesh out my Joeverse. One of the strengths of the Joe line is the diversity in character. You can find a figure to fit just about any niche, no matter how obscure or specialized. The minor characters give the story depth and prevent the major players from becoming overexposed. While marketing data suggests that kids enjoy major characters, I don think that Hasbro should continue to explore other, lesser players in the Joe world. That will allow for a more diverse line that will maintain the attention of toy buyers for a much longer time. (The same holds true of army builders. All army builders and no characters makes for a dull line!)

Like the other Brazilian exclusive figure the Cobra Black Vulture, Corrosao uses a Caucasian version of the Dee-Jay head. Dee-Jay was released in the U.S. as black but was twice used as a Caucasian villain's head in Brazil. Unlike the Vulture figure, though, Corrosao utilizes the rest of the Dee-Jay and is not amalgamated from other figure parts. Were Dee-Jay a more popular figure, I think this would pose a problem. However, Dee-Jay may be the single least sought after in the entire American Joe line. His obscurity allows me to use his mold on Corrosao without having to worry about both Corrosao and Dee-Jay appearing in the same scene. (Such is not the case with other Brazilian exclusives like Urzor.)

The Dee-Jay mold was released in the U.S. in 1989. Shortly thereafter, it was sent down to Brazil. Here, it was used as part of exclusive amalgamations. However, in 1993, Hasbro re-released Dee-Jay as the 4th member of the Arctic Commandos mail away set. This new Dee-Jay was produced in bright, neon colors that would have made him easy to find in the ice and snow. However, the Dee-Jay figure was bagged separately from the other three members of that set. The reason was that the Dee-Jay figure was actually produced in Brazil for use by Hasbro. Rather than re-acquire the mold, Hasbro contracted Estrela to manufacture the new Dee-Jay figures. They were then bagged and sent to Hasbro who packaged them with the other figures to make the set. As such, you may notice a few similarities between Corrosao and the arctic Dee-Jay. The reason is that they were produced by the same people. (Whether Estrela got to choose the color scheme for the arctic Dee Jay, though, remains a mystery.)

While this figure is interesting enough, I don't feel the need for Hasbro to ever release the Dee-Jay mold again. I think it is one of those that is best left on history's scrap-pile. However, I do think that Hasbro could look to some of the foreign figure concepts as a way to expand the ARAH-style Joe mythos. While I don't want Hasbro to re-release their renditions of foreign figures, I do think they could look at how some of the other Joe producing cultures have interpreted the line. I think that, done right, a Cobra Eco-Terrorism figure set could be very well done. Toxo-Vipers are cool figures that have long suffered from a color scheme that collectors tend to dislike. BATs are perfect for toxic waste duty. (And Cobra can then avoid unpleasantries like the Toxo-Zombies!) And, it would be fairly easy for Hasbro to create a new Cobra villain who would lead such a brigade. In my opinion, a set like this could draw upon the international legacy of the Joe line while still capturing the essence of the American story-line. It could also tie the new toys into some of the more glaring realities (like bio-terrorism) of the modern world. I think that this would be an interesting avenue for Hasbro to attempt with their ARAH-style Joe re-releases. Done right, I think collectors would respond favorably.

If you look at Corrosao's card art, you might think it seems familiar. While the artwork itself is unique, the pose on the card is not. It is a near match for the art on the American Toxo-Zombie figure. If you look at the other Brazilian Eco-Warrior's cards, you will notice the same phenomenon. In fact, Funskool continues to mimic Hasbro art poses to this day on their exclusive card art. Chances are, the Hasbro art templates that were used to create these eye-catching sketches were (and still are!) used by foreign toy companies as the poses could easily be adapted without the artist having to re-evaluate the space available to him on the canvas of the cardback. The poses worked in their intended space so foreign companies could use them to save design time. (You will note that Brazilian Eco-Warrior cardbacks are oversized, just like American Eco-Warriors figures.) This also kept a unified look of Joe releases the world over. Even if an American were not familiar with the "Commandos Em Acao" moniker, the design of the cards were such that they would remain familiar despite the language barriers.

Corrosaos can be difficult to find. A few years ago, a large toy dealer got ahold of a large amount of carded Brazilian Eco Warriors. The dealer sold these off for reasonable prices. The stock lasted for quite some time and many collectors had ample opportunity to acquire all 5 exclusive Force Eco figures. However, as is typical in the Joe community, the unique Cobra figure, Corrosao sold out first. As such, he became the hardest to track down of the 5 figures and remains the most highly sought after member of this subgroup today. That isn't to say, though, that Corrosaos are all that expensive. He can still be had MOC for under $35 and loose, complete figures (if you can find them!) can be had for under $20. While that may seem a bit pricey, it is cheaper than many other Brazilian exclusive Cobra figures. Even were I not an aficionado of odd, brightly colored figures, I would think this a good deal for a figure this unique. Like other foreign oddities, Corrosao works since he was released in Brazil. This exotic pedigree allows for some leeway in color choices and keeps this figure as one of the favorites in my collection.