Rarities - Unproduced 1997 Stars & Stripes Set

The 1997 Toys R Us G.I. Joe releases were a mess.  The extent to which they were botched is really difficult to comprehend.  Hasbro's plans for the line were both drastically different and more grandiose than what actually transpired.  But, all the signs of a looming iceberg were there.  And, it's never more evident than with the early images of what Hasbro intended for the Stars and Stripes set.

The Stars and Stripes set was supposed to be the flagship product in Joe's triumphant return to retail.  It was going to include 8 of the original 9 carded figures that had started the line just 15 years prior.  (Fun fact.  There's been almost twice as much time that's passed since the release of this set in 1997 as had passed between the Joe line's debut in 1982 and this set's production in 1997!)  The plan was to use all original molds of the figures.  But, to repaint them into a more "modern" interpretation.  Some of this was a response to the collectors of the day who claimed they wanted "gritty and realistic" figures.  But, really, it was a way for Hasbro to massively update the looks of the original Joes.

The idea was sound.  But, the execution was, well, a problem.  All of the Hasbro Joe team from the vintage days had been let go by Hasbro in 1994.  And, the brand had been taken over by former Kenner employees who had been placed in charge of the action figure division.  Their lack of experience with the Joe brand lead to a comedy of errors that just multiplied as the product got closer to production.  But, we'll start with the basics.

Below you will see two images of the original plans for the Stars & Stripes set.  You'll see some figures that look familiar to their production designs as well as some molds that were missing from the production set.  .  

The first image is the image that is actually on the back of the production Stars & Stripes box.  It is incredibly different from the figures inside the window when you turned the box over.  As someone whose first exposure to this product was when they found it on a Toys R Us shelf in 1997, this was weirdly confusing.  The two figures using the 1986 Hawk head (Breaker and Rock and Roll) were obviously out of place in the set.  Not only were they nothing like their vintage counterparts, they didn't fit the aesthetic of the set, at all.  Also missing from the set was Flash.  You can argue that Flash is the most interesting figure from the initial lineup of retail figures.  He was gone.  And, in  his stead, was a figure not shown on the box-back: Grunt.

The choice to originally exclude Grunt is a weird one.  While I'm not a Grunt fan, Grunt was the face of the Joe line for the first couple of years.  If you mention G.I. Joe to a non-fan who grew up in the early '80's, it's pretty likely that their first association with the name is Grunt's cardback image.  It was the brand's calling card.  There's no indication of why Grunt was the original odd man out in the set.  But, his inclusion was a far better choice than adding a 3rd oddball 1986 Hawk/Roadblock mashup repaint to the set.

Aside from the mold fiasco, just looking at this set, you see some other glaring issues that should have been above Hasbro in 1997.  The second photo below is from a 1997 Tomart's magazine where they announced G.I. Joe's return to retail.  It appears to be a different photo shoot of the Stars & Stripes set with a few, key differences from the production box back.  But, many of the figures are the same, too.  We'll go through each figure one by one and review all the chaos that's going on.

Scarlett

Scarlett is the least interesting figure in these images.  This is because she's pretty close to the production figure actually released in 1997.  The purple is more muted and darker.  And, her jumpsuit is more brown.  But, you see all the painted details on her mold.  She is still a repainted 1983 figure in this shot.  But, she's pretty close to the figure in the box.  

Breaker

Here, we have our first major deviation.  The Breaker in both photos isn't the classic figure.  But, it's a close-enough amalgamation.  The figure in both photos uses Clutch's head.  This is close as he and Breaker share the same head in 1982/1983.  But, the black hair makes it Clutch rather than Breaker.  The figure features a tan shirt.  This would have been a great addition to the set.  Adding a 3rd tan Joe to the original 13 would have been a nice homage to Clutch and Grunt.  The darker green pants offset him, nicely, too.  This color scheme would appear on some later figures and in factory customs.  Just on not on this parts configuration.  Breaker's gear shows his iconic headset.  But, for some reason, he doesn't have a helmet.  It's a terrible, aesthetic choice as it makes the figure look incomplete.  The production figure, that used 1986 Hawk and Roadblock parts, did include a helmet.  But, it didn't include the headset.  On top of that, this photographed figure includes Airborne's rifle while the production figure ended up including accessories from the 1982/83 Flash.

Short Fuse

Short Fuse is weird.  The figure in both photos actually features Grunt's torso instead of the classic Short Fuse design.  He has no cammo on his chest.  But, his legs are done in an intricate pattern.  The colors on his legs are very close to the production paint job that ended up on Stalker.  The production Short Fuse used the correct chest for the figure.  And, he didn't have any cammo pattern on him aside from a slight spray on his legs.  You'll note the figure used for the sample is a repainted straight arm Short Fuse.  The Tomart's photo features him wearing a 1985 Lady Jaye backpack.  While the box back shows him with the correct backpack.  

Snake Eyes

In the Tomart's photo, the Snake Eyes is actually an Action Force Stalker figure.  Hasbro had a ton of overstock Action Force figures and both Stalker and Quarrel were dumped as early '90's convention exclusives.  So, Hasbro had spare figures lying around.  His unaltered inclusion is an interesting choice.  It shows that Hasbro always had intention of adding painted details to the 1997 Snake Eyes figure.  Hasbro's original plan was that the 1982/83 Snake Eyes was going to be included in the boxed set and the 1985 Snake Eyes mold was going to be included in the 3 figure pack with Stormshadow and Lady Jaye.  When the '85 mold wasn't available, they went with two '82/'83 figures instead.  Both heavily used grey as the highlight color: reminiscent of the European Stalker figure.

On the box back, Snake Eyes is posed with is back to the photographer.  It's an odd pose for the most popular character in the set.  It doesn't appear that the figure in this photograph is the Action Force Stalker.  But, it's difficult to tell.  The figure is also wearing a backpack.  It's difficult for me to see.  But, it looks like a Zap/Short Fuse backpack painted all black.  It's just an odd choice to see Snake Eyes with a pack.  And, not featuring him prominently was an interesting design choice.

Zap

Zap appears to have been two very different figures in the different photos.  In the Tomart's photo, Zap is a swivel arm figure.  Instead of the solid color with some overspray paint job that ended up on the production figure, he features the paint job that was, eventually, used on Grunt.  His legs are not painted, though.  And, appear very close to the colors of the production figure.  He is wearing his backpack and is the only figure to be wearing a visor.

On the box back, the Zap figure is very different.  He's heavily obscured by the figures in front on him.  But, he's a repainted straight arm figure.  Worst of all, he has two broken thumbs!  Hasbro actually put a broken toy on the back of the packaging!  Aside from that, the figure features a helmet with cammo paint.  Hasbro never painted up an original helmet.  Zap's entire body, including his legs, are done in the same cammo pattern.  It is not a pattern that was actually used in the set.  But, most importantly, Zap has painted on facial hair.  It's at least a goatee and might be a full beard.  The facial hair would have been a new paint application and made for an interesting take on Zap.  Sadly, it was not to be.

Stalker

The Stalker figure in the two photos appears to be the same.  He's even in nearly the same pose between the two photos.  He's wearing a Zap/Short Fuse backpack in the Tomart's photo.  The production Stalker toned down the tan portion of the cammo.  And, it ended up using a darker green base.  The actual colors for Stalker's cammo are pretty close to what appears on Short Fuse's legs.  But, the figure in these early photos is a decent representation of what the production figure ended up being.  

Flash

Flash is the biggest what-if in this set.  Hasbro was never able to reproduce the classic Flash mold: despite collector calls for it to return for a decade after the Star & Stripes set's release.  Flash's entire character was pulled from the set and replaced with Grunt.  However, Flash's laser rifle was, baffingly, included with the Breaker figure in the set.  Flash is a repainted swivel arm figure and it appears it's the same figure in both photos.  The darker green base and yellow pads were a strong update for Flash's look.  I'm not sure they would have supplanted his original red pads as his iconic look.  But, it would have been nice to have another Flash version.  On  the box back, Flash is wearing the only visor.  Though, in the Tomart's photo, the visor is given to Zap.) The fact that factory customs have failed to deliver this Flash version  is another glaring omission.  It seems like such an easy win for a figure.  And, I'll opine that Flash's absence from this set is the greatest loss in the changes from concept to production.

Rock and Roll

The final figure in the set was Rock and Roll.  We all know that the terrible 1986 Roadblock/General Hawk mashup figure that was released as Rock and Roll in this set happens to have a very rare, race changing variant.  But, the real story is that Rock and Roll was supposed to use his original mold for the character.  The figure featured in both photos is a repainted straight arm.  He is armed with  the 1986 Roadblock's machine gun.  This gets weird because the production figure ended up using the 1986 Roadblock body but included the 1982/83 Rock and Roll's M-60 and bi-pod.  The figure is wearing the Lady Jaye backpack on the box back.  But, not in the Tomart's photo.  

Rock and Roll would have rivaled Stalker and Scarlett as the best repaint in the set.  His black shirt, cammo pants and updated bullet strap paint job would have made a striking figure.  Personally, I lament his absence the most just because Rock and Roll is a figure that I use way more often than Flash.  The upside is that the 2018 Hollowpoint figure from Red Laser Army is based on this 1997 Rock and Roll and is a good enough representation of the planned paint job.  

From the box back, you can see examples of all the shortcuts that Hasbro took when creating the 1997 lineup.  Granted, it was a low production run line that was sold only at Toys R Us.  But, the vintage Hasbro team would never have created such a lackluster presentation for their packaging.  It's sad that missing molds did in so much of the plans for 1997.  1983 Cobra Commander, Destro, Rock and Roll, Flash and Breaker would have been much more beloved than the figures we got.  And, a repainted 1985 Snake Eyes might have been the character's definitive appearance in toy form.  But, none of that happened.  Instead, we have ghosts of the plans that live on in early photos like these.

The Rankings - 1983 Original 13

Everybody loves rankings, right?  There's no better way to start a pointless argument than to rank items that hold unique, special places to each collector.  Once upon a time, I tried to write up a completely objective ranking of the original 13 Joe figures.  But, even with the stated goal of erasing childhood nostalgia from the equation, the list was pretty much my personal favorites with a few guys bumped up a spot or two.  So, why bother with any of that pretext?  Instead, I'm going with a straight ranking of my favorite figures: starting with the original 13.  I'm only using swivel arm versions as I don't collect straight arms.  And, I'll do the "new" 1983 figures some other time.  I'm not sure I'll get to every year because I'll get bored of it long before I would ever endeavor to slog through all the 1993 releases.  But, I'm going to start with the year that's sure to elicit some opinions.  

The thing is, there are no wrong opinions about these figures.  If Short Fuse holds dear, core memories for you, that's a story worth telling in the comments.  The point of this isn't to challenge your beliefs.  Instead, it's to memorialize mine and prompt a modicum of discussion.  So, on with the show....

#13 - Short Fuse

I just can't get into Short Fuse.  He was never a player in my collection.  He didn't have much of a characterization in the comic other than being an annoying hot head.  And, his weapon wasn't conducive to childhood play.  But, really, he's kind of boring.  His chests harness isn't the greatest design.  But, he's also in a green that's similar to other figures.  So, you don't really feel like you're getting anything special with this figure.  Zap is a better use of the mold.  Hawk is a better use of the head.  I know we had one when I was a kid.  But, mostly, I remember him from the fact that I noticed his mortar mold changed and it was also knocked off by, I think, Galoob for some of their action figure lines.  That's not much of a legacy.

#12 - Grunt

I'm not a Grunt fan.  Never have been.  I've always found him to be boring.  To be fair, I missed the silver knife on his chest...a feature that captivated me when we got a Tan Grunt in 1983.  But, I still see this guy as just a basic infantryman.  His M-16 never clicked with me, either.  It broke thumbs in 1982.  I did love his backpack.  I gave it to Clutch so I didn't waste it on Grunt.  There's not much too him and he lacks the skills to really set himself apart from his more specialized team mates.  At some point in late 1982 or early 1983, we buried a bunch of Joes behind some bricks that lined the stairs up the hill in our front yard.  I remember pulling a well worn Grunt and Stalker out of the space a few years later.  That's about the extent of his use.  He and Short Fuse remain my least used figures of the original series of Joes.

#11 - Hawk

Let's face two facts.  Visually, Grunt is a better figure than Hawk.  And, the debut figure of Joe's leader kind of sucks.  But, I give Hawk the edge over Grunt due to the silver trim dominating the figure.  It gives him a more commanding presence.  And, the over abundance of silver does give Hawk a defining look.  There's not much else going on here, though.  So, he ranks pretty low.  I snapped the thumb of my 1982 Hawk when I tried to give him a Battle Gear M-16.  After that, the character disappeared until the amazing 1986 upgrade came around.  Hawk looks good.  But, if I want to use Hawk, I'll almost never choose this figure.

#10 - Grand Slam

Grand Slam and Flash  share the same mold.  The darker green on Grand Slam is a definite downgrade over the brighter green that Flash uses.  As a kid, we only had a straight arm Grand Slam.  The Silver Pads version was my Grand Slam.  I used him as a derivative of Flash, though.  The lack of accessories drops Grand Slam down a bit.  But, this figure does get a lot more use from me now.  Mostly, that's due to the fact that Grand Slam has remained pretty obscure over the years.  And, he's a guy who holds a certain, undeserved reputation for being rarer than other figures.  This is a function of the Silver Pads version.  But, photos with this original Grand Slam tend to do well since people don't see him all that often.  I definitely use this guy more than this low ranking would suggest.

#09 - Breaker

Breaker was my first Joe.  It pains me to rank him this low.  But, Breaker kind of marks a point in the line where every figure from here on out is pretty strong.  I ended up ranking him lower because there's not a lot of paint on him and he lacks a firearm.  That's made up for by his strong accessories, though.  His communications headset might be my favorite single accessory from the original 13.  And, it was a staple of my Joe world: even long after Breaker had fallen apart.  He's a mainstay in my HQ: helming the computer console.  And, I even use him as the second passenger in the VAMP.  Breaker remains a nostalgic favorite.  And, his low rank is just indicative of how strong the first wave of Joes was.

#08 - Snake Eyes

Yeah, I get it.  The "all black" was a design choice.  But, it's also limiting on this figure.  And, the 1997 and later repaints that added just one or two paint applications showed that just a little bit of color would break this guy up and make for a better figure.  But, Snake Eyes also features some unique parts.  The bomb on his leg is a feature that's really ignored and speaks to the figure's intentions of being a commando instead of a super human ninja.  His gear was also pretty strong.  The Uzi is synonymous with Snake Eyes and remains a mainstay of the character to this day.  There is something about the all black appearance of the original design that is lost when you paint up some details.  But, were this figure not super popular and somewhat expensive, he'd have little reason to be used over the later repaints of this mold.

#07 - Zap

My youngest brother got a Zap when he went to visit my grandparents in early 1983.  Before the figure came home, both Zap's thumbs were broken.  So, Zap wasn't a part of our childhood collection.  But, he's a figure whose importance grew as an adult collector.  Very early on in my collecting journey, I got obsessed over Zap.  So, he was among the only early figures I sought out to add to my collection in 1999-2000.  He didn't disappoint.  His unique color and strong gear add up to a fun figure.  Were mine not suffering from a snapped o-ring and stuck back screw, I'd use him in photos much more often.  No later homage to this original Zap was able to live up to this original version. (Though, the Super Sonic Fighters Zap is among the better character upgrades Hasbro ever did.)  The swivel arm version remains expensive due to the ubiquity of snapped thumbs.  But, he's worth having around.

#06 - Steeler

If you were missing just one of the original 13 figures back in 1982 and 1983, it was probably Steeler.  Being the driver of the line's most expensive vehicle meant he was often absent from otherwise complete collections.  Steeler features a unique chest piece.  That alone makes him useful.  But, he's also a great match for the Mauler and Slugger, giving him some versatility among later vehicles that was often lacking from his contemporaries.  His binocular helmet attachment was neat and gave him more visual distinction.  And, he even included an Uzi, something also unique to him as a vehicle driver.  I use Steeler more than most of the other original 13 figures.  Though, that's also because I have a spare that's easily accessible.  But, he's deserving of his spot.

#05 - Scarlett

Scarlett's a tough one.  From a sheer design standpoint, she might be the second best figure in the original lineup.  Her sculpt is amazingly detailed.  And, that's often glossed over.  Her unique color really stood out among the sea of Green that was the original wave.  And, it allowed her to evolve with the line and remain complementary with figures that were released years later.  It's tough to find a Scarlett that hasn't discolored.  And, that really limits her.  And, the 2003 repaint of this mold was better.  Even the 1997 is strong, though, it's very different from the 1982 coloring.  So, her lower ranking here is a function of those later figures being more interesting than the first design.

#04 - Clutch

Clutch was my favorite Joe right from the get go.  His unique chest with the holstered pistol was a drawing point.  I gave him a visor, Stalker's gun and Grunt's backpack to make him the most badass fighter the Joes would ever see.  Years later, even a straight arm Clutch retained relevance in my collection because he was so well done.  He's at home when he's behind the wheel of any early Joe vehicle.  And, you can use him sans vehicle as well.  I still refer to this head sculpt as the "Clutch" head as I feel he owned the design the best and made it his own.

#03 - Stalker

Stalker stands out due to his cammo pattern.  It was a unique look among the original figures.  And, it gave him depth beyond the reuse of the standard grenade and knife torso.  His head also featured a sculpted head covering with his green beret.  It made the figure a quick favorite.  The prominence of the character in the comic helped hold him over and made Stalker among the more popular characters in the line.  Stalker had a ton of great character updates.  (I'll maintain the '89 Stalker is one of the best updates any character ever got.)  But, none of them treaded over this original version.  Even today, an original Stalker can intermingle with figures from all years and not look out of place.  I wish the Comic Pack versions had been better.  But, we have the 1997 figure, which might be even better than the 1983.  Any way you look at it, though, the combo of figure and character puts Stalker near the top.

#02 - Flash

Flash is the best designed figure of the original 13.  He features a nice shade of green on his base layer.  He is then accentuated by a brilliant red chest, leg and arm pads.  These give him a startling appearance among his peers.  Were that not enough, though, the entirety of the red is outlined by a silver trim.  All of these colors carry over to his back, too.  In short, the sculpting was miles ahead of what other toy lines were doing.  And, then, Hasbro gave us the real kicker: his accessories.  Flash got the standard helmet.  But, you really get the impression that the standard clear visor was actually designed for Flash first and then ported to other figures.  His backpack is an intricate mess of technology.  And, it all culminates in a laser rifle that can plug into the pack.  The combo of sculpting, color and gear makes Flash tough to beat.  In fact, he should be number 1.  But, he's beat out for one simple reason that you'll see next.

#01 - Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll isn't the best figure among the original 13.  But, he's the one I use the most.  Part of it is that his simplicity works for his specialty.  But, he also features a unique torso and an amazing weapon.  I happen like the character, too.  I remember Rock and Roll as the crazed madman from "Hot Potato" in the first issue of the comic.  But, he later became a bit more mellow.  And, this made him interesting.  He was supposed to be "replaced" by Roadblock.  But, he stayed on the team and remained an integral part of the story until the very end.  The gold bullets really make Rock and Roll stand out.  And, it gives him more bulk, even if he's the same size as the rest of his friends.  I use this figure constantly.  I bought a spare just so I could use him more often.  It happened to the mail away version, which was a nice surprise.  (Things like that used to happen all the time.)  So, Rock and Roll gets my top spot just because he's a guy who resonates with me and gets used all the time.  It's no more complicated than that.

So, there you have it.  That's my ranking of the first 13 G.I. Joe figures.  What are you thoughts?  The great theme of the Joe line is that was designed to appeal to every kid.  So, different parts grabbed then attention of different kids as the time.  I have plans to continue this series.  It won't be chronological.  But, you'll see them pop up and we can discuss some of the different years and how the figures stack up.

1997 Grunt - Around The Web

Grunt isn't a character that's ever resonated with me.  He entered our home on the first day we ever had any G.I. Joe figures when we got him on my younger brother's 1982 birthday.  I immediately took his backpack and gave it to Clutch.  I never really paid any attention to Grunt.  And, as the line matured, Grunt was even less important.

That carried over to the 1997 releases.  I never took Grunt out of the drawer for many, many years.  Even then, it was just for a profile.  But, as the years have progressed, the figure has grown on me.  The intricate cammo pattern and deep green pants are a great look.  He's a great complement to Zap, Short Fuse and Stalker.  So, while the character still doesn't matter, this figure has grown on me.  

This isn't to say it's without problems.  The helmet doesn't fit.  He comes with the antithesis of his classic M-16: an AK-47.  It's weird.  And, the 1997 figure quality isn't the best.  All of that has added up to a figure who doesn't appear frequently.  Here's a bit of content on him from around the web.

1997 Grunt Profile

1997 Grunt by Nekoman

1997 Grunt by hobieshinobi

1997 Grunt by thedustinmccoy

1997 Grunt by gen_liederkranz

1997 Grunt by flatline54

1997 Grunt by atwooddan

Rarities - Auriken Grunt

In Mexico, the Auriken toy company released a small line of exclusive Joes.  There are a few different series.  The initial series, though, features all straight arm figures.  In fact, it features all of the straight arm figures that were also released in the U.S.  All nine Joes are available, as well as both the Cobra Trooper and Officer.  But, two of the figures featured some "updated" artwork.  One was Snake Eyes.  The other was Grunt.  Instead of the classic Grunt artwork on the packaging, the Auriken Grunt featured Footloose's artwork.  

Footloose matched Grunt's specialty of "Infantry Soldier".  So, it's  possible that the artwork got mixed up as it traveled around the world.  But, the proper Grunt artwork was used in Brazil and Argentina.  So, it getting mixed up when it went to Mexico seems less likely.  The Footloose figure was also released in both Brazil and Argentina.  He didn't see release by Auriken.  Though, all of the Auriken figures that were released were also released in Brazil.  It seems the line went straight from Brazil to Mexico for figure releases.  The mechanism and timeline of how that happened, though, is murky at best.

As a figure, Grunt sucks.  Footloose is awesome, though.  So, getting another crappy Grunt and missing out on another international Footloose release is disappointing.  But, the Auriken figures have kind of dried up and it would be unlikely that a Footloose release would be something I had been able to track down.  

The real story is the box, in general.  It is a unique way for Joes to be presented.  Each figure being affixed with a twist tie is also unique.  During the early days of collecting, when Auriken figures were a bit more common, many collectors gravitated towards them due to the unique packaging.  It's weird that the figure's filecard would be displayed if you folded the box flap over the figure's window.  The whole design seems rather inefficient.  Regardless, it's a good example of how Joes were sold around the world.

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.  

1983 Battle Gear #1

After Christmas of 1982, I owned four G.I. Joe figures.  But, between Snake Eyes, Clutch, Hawk and Breaker, I had just one gun.  Three of the four figures did not include weapons.  This greatly limited my play options.  I went so far as to find an HO-scale coupler for train cars that kind of looked like a pistol and used it for Breaker.  I desperately wanted additional accessories so that all my figures could not only have at least one weapon, but even a choice of some of my favorite weapon designs.  My wishes came true one day when we were in Buffalo, visiting my grandparents.  We were there for a short trip early in the year.  We hadn't taken many toys, confirming the trip was shorter than our normal week.  But, when out shopping, I found a new pack of G.I. Joe accessories at a local store.  It was the original Battle Gear pack.

The pack was cheap enough that my mother bought one for both my younger brother and I.  With these weapons, I now had the ability to give Clutch a visor as well as offering a spare Uzi to Breaker.  I could choose any weapons I wanted for Hawk and Clutch, too.  Of course, Clutch got Stalker's M-32.  But, I also added some accessories to the VAMP.  The new Breaker headset would fit behind the seat with the wire tucked into the seam between the seat and the bottom of the vehicle.  So, this allowed for anyone riding shotgun in the VAMP to be able to communicate with the rest of the team.  I also placed a spare Uzi on the same spot.  This way, the VAMP had a backup small arm if it crashed or just ran out of gas.  Hawk, well, I learned a hard lesson with him.  I tried to get Grunt's M-16 into his hands and it immediately snapped his thumb.  That was the end of that Hawk figure.  And, it's part of what pushed me back to Star Wars figures as 1983 crept on.  

The odd thing about the Battle Gear pack was that the accessories were colored differently from those included with figures.  The weapons themselves are a lighter grey color than the original gear.  Even in 1983, I could easily tell the difference between the Battle Gear and original weapons.  But, the weapons are close enough in color to be useful.  The visors are identical to the originals, though.  The helmets and backpacks, though, were very different.  The helmets were dark brown and did not match any figure.  The packs, though, were worse.  They were a tan color.  Again, they matched no figures until the 1983 Falcon Glider Grunt was released.  There was no explanation for the color changes.  In fact, the 1983 promo catalog showed original gear in the set.  So, the color change was a later decision that was never explained.  

The 1983 Battle Gear set includes every accessory from the 1982 line.  There are 4 visors, two Uzis and even Snake Eyes' ammo pack.  There were three exceptions, though.  Short Fuze's mortar and stand were omitted as was Zap's bazooka.  These three pieces would later show up in white in the 1984 Battle Gear set.  But, again, there was no explanation as to why they weren't included.  It was made weirder by the fact that their shared backpack was included with the 1983 set.  The fact that both those accessories underwent design changes could explain it.  But, both the 1982 Snake Eyes Uzi and Stalker M-32 are different from the 1983 releases of both accessories.  So, other weapons were modified, too.  The exclusion of these weapons remains a mystery nearly 40 years later.

The biggest new feature of the Battle Gear set is the battle stands.  These little rectangles of plastic brought a whole new element to Joe collecting.  The stands allowed kids to pose their figures and stand them up in any pose they desired.  The Battle Gear included two stands.  Starting in 1984, differently colored stands would be included with several small playsets.  By 1993, every figure included a stand on their weapon tree.  This ingenious idea allowed kids to display figures.  But, it also allowed them to put their toys away on a shelf using vertical space and keeping their gear on.  

In the early days of Joe collecting, the ubiquity of 1983 Battle Gear weapons allowed customizers to accessorize their creations with great aplomb.  They were free to paint, slice up and otherwise modify the Battle Gear weapons without worrying about their original accessories.  For dealers, though, the 1983 Battle Gear provided a great way to bilk unsuspecting collectors out of their hard earned money by offering them as original gear with original 13 figures.  Even today, you'll see many seller "mistake" Battle Gear weapons for the original.  But, the colors are blatantly different and there's no excuse for any mistakes by a seller.  

The value to a collector today is that this Battle Gear is an excellent option to properly outfit factory custom figures.  Many of Red Laser Army's figures are obvious homages to various foreign and unproduced characters from the Joe line's earliest days.  They, though, lacked gear that was a perfect match for them.  Battle Gear allows you to give these characters the weapons they deserve.  And, while the 1983 helmets and packs aren't great for many figures, the weapons are a great way to update the homages.  Having some cheap alternatives for that purpose is a definite plus.

Back in the early 2000's, before people got stupid with Joe prices, it was relatively easy to put together a small team of original 13 figures in a tan style.  With Grunt, Clutch and Doc bodies, you could make a tan Breaker, Hawk and Stalker.  If you were handy with a little paint, you could put together a decent Snake Eyes, too.  And, the Battle Gear weapons are a perfect match for this set.  To this day, I store my Tan Grunt with the Battle Gear backpack and M-16 since they are so closely aligned in color to the figure.  The tan works with Scarlett, too, as a way to better accessorize her.

For me, the real value of the Battle Gear came many years after its initial release.  In 1986 and 1987, I often had third faction terrorists or freedom fighters (really, they're the same thing just with different marketing depending upon which side they battle against) who would interject into the Joe vs. Cobra conflict.  My favorite was having them drive up to a ceremony in the A-Team van, open the door and pop out with small sub machine guns and mow down the dignitaries in attendance.  As small weapons were not overly common in the Joe line (and, most of the ones that did exist were in use by their original owners!) the Battle Gear Uzis were a great means of making these civilian fighters a more formidable force.  I'd toss in some of the larger rifles, too, as part of their getaway plan.  

My other random memory of the Battle Gear weapons comes on a cold winter's day, probably in either 1984 or 1985.  It was a Sunday and I had been playing with my Joes in the garage.  (It was warmer in there than outside, but still counted as outside play.)  I picked them all up and took them in.  A few hours later, right before dinner, I went back out to put away some bikes or balls and happened to find a Battle Gear M-60 on the floor.  It wasn't part of my team that had been in the garage that day.  And, it was a neat find as we didn't have a regular Rock and Roll and this Battle Gear version was the only copy of his weapon in our possession.  I took the weapon inside.  Really, though, it's not finding the weapon that was memorable.  Instead, it was the feeling I had as I picked it up off the floor.  For some reason, I got an overwhelming feeling of sadness that it was Sunday night and I was back to school on Monday.  To this day, I get the same feeling on some Sunday afternoons as the sun goes down.  Every time I do, I think back to that day in the garage, finding Rock and Roll's gun and then being saddened by the fact that my fun was over and it was back to work early the following morning.

You'll see some dealers command premiums for various accessories in this set.  The Uzi tends to command the highest price and sells for around $7, even as dealers ask double that.  But, the real value in the set is the visors.  As such, you'll usually find sets that are sold sans visors.  A whole loose set with no visors will run about $20.  On their own, though, visors sell for around $20.  So, getting the visors, too, will be expensive.  You can get carded sets in the $85 range.  Which, with 4 visors is a little lower than the loose price.  For just the weapons, the price is probably decent.  Original Uzis aren't easy to find and this is a cheap way to get them.  My only real lament is that the other Battle Gear packs in subsequent years didn't follow the close coloring of the originals like this first attempt at additional accessories did.

1983 Grunt

I want to say that I hate Grunt.  However, that is unfair.  The reality is that I don't care about Grunt.  At all.  As a figure and as a character, Grunt has never been particularly relevant to me.  I'm not sure why this is.  While not the most interesting of the original 13 Joe figures, he's not the least interesting, either.  In fact, it his general blandness where he's neither great nor bad that is the cause of my indifference to the figure.  All of that, though, doesn't belie Grunt's place in Joe history and his importance to the fledgling line back in 1982.

My first encounter with Grunt was during my brother's infamous birthday in October of 1982.  He got most of the carded Joes along with the VAMP and HAL.  As the figures were opened and each kid took one to play with out in the front yard, the only thing I found interesting about Grunt was his backpack.  I quickly grabbed it, affixed it to Clutch's back and moved on.  It's likely that Grunt's thumb was quickly broken in those early days.  But, I have no real memories of Grunt at all beyond his pack being stolen for my "super" Clutch figure.  I can still recall the day that pretty much every original Joe character entered into my collection.  My only real recollection of Grunt was finding pieces of one buried behind bricks in our front yard after we had entombed him in 1982.

Grunt was so inconsequential to me that it wasn't until a year later when my brother acquired the Falcon Glider and the Tan Grunt that I paid any attention to the original figure.  I noticed the silver knife on the Tan Grunt's chest.  I loved this paint detail and it was enough to make the Tan Grunt interesting to me.  By that time, most of our 1982 straight arm Joes were broken and had been tossed in a box.  I thought there was no way I'd have missed the silver knife on the original Grunt or else I would have liked that figure better.  I dug the dirty and broken 1982 Grunt torso out of a box of broken and discarded Joes.  To my dismay, the original knife was silver, too.  I had just missed it.  But, even with this new bit of information, I didn't feel the need to go out and get a new swivel arm Grunt that was then available.  I just shrugged it off and largely forgot about Grunt for a long time.

In the comic, the Grunt character didn't begin as all that interesting, either.  His early runs are not memorable and he was overshadowed by Clutch, Rock and Roll and Hawk.  Heck, even Short Fuse got a few memorable lines.  But, this lack of defined story helped Larry Hama do something with Grunt.  He left the military to go to college.  He then aided the Joes in a few story lines and, ultimately, returned to the team.  (Though, his awful 1991 figure isn't really representative of his look during the transition.)  So, the Grunt character that I know is mostly based on the late 1980's story arc for Grunt and his interaction with characters from that time of the book.

My experience with Grunt, though, tends to be unique.  There are a great number of collectors out there who count Grunt as their introduction to the Joe line.  He was supposed to be the standard American fighting man and his appearance on Joe product packaging of the early '80's indicated this.  So, Grunt was often the figure chosen by adults for gifts or treats.  So, you'll see him occupy high slots on many collector lists.  While I'd rank Grunt firmly in the lower middle of the original releases, he remains a hugely important part of many people's collections.

Grunt's enduring legacy was that he was the "face" of G.I. Joe in 1982.  In fact, many kids assumed he was "G.I. Joe" himself.  Grunt's iconic artwork appeared on most of the Joe promotional material.  He was used as the background for merchandise that wasn't tied to Hasbro's 3 3/4 figure line.  Grunt represented the American fighting man.  And, his look was used to convey that fact.  And, that may be part of the reason that Grunt isn't all that interesting as a toy or character.  He was meant to represent the everyman.  And, everymen are bland by design.  Extreme character traits alienate them from their base.  So, they are just there.  Grunt provides a connection to soldiers from prior wars and allowed an entry point for parents and grandparents to introduce G.I. Joe to their kids.  So, he was hugely successful in that regard.

As a figure, though, Grunt is well done.  Not only does he feature more paint applications than most of the other carded 1982 designed Joes, he also has nice accessories.  The figure has brown, black, silver and green paint to accentuate the figure design.  (And, note the bright green pockets.  Neon was part of the Joe line since 1982.)  And, he includes a helmet, backpack and classic M-16 rifle.  If you were a kid in 1982 without the story that would come, there was little to differentiate Grunt from most of the other figures hanging on retail shelves.  But, for me, Grunt lacked the "it" factor.  Stalker, Snake Eyes, Rock and Roll and Flash were all must buys.  While I didn't much care for Scarlett, she was memorable.  Zap and Short Fuze were interchangeable and not all that interesting.  Breaker's gear pushed him ahead of Grunt.  When you add in vehicle drivers, Hawk is non-descript.  Clutch is awesome.  Steeler is right behind him.  And, if you like Flash, you kind of have to like Grand Slam.  Caught in the space between good and bad leaves Grunt as forgotten.

There is an interesting anecdote about Grunt.  At one time, there was a person who wanted to make a massive military diorama.  He would choose to only use 1983 Grunt and 1983 Tan Grunt figures to comprise the humans in this endeavor.  It never came to be, though.  And, in the mid 2000's, tons of Grunts who were still in their bubbles, but had the rest of the card torn away became available.  (A monstrous supply of Tan Grunts still in the bubble became available, too.)  It's not known if this person got the figures from Hasbro or just bought them at retail.  But, it's an interesting story and the reason why you'll still find bubbled Grunts on torn away cardbacks to this day.

As with all the original 13 Joes, Grunt was a world traveler.  The straight arm figure was released in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.  His parts were used for exclusives in Argentina, too.  The swivel arm figure was repainted in 1983 and appeared through the years in various mail aways, catalog premiums and promotions.  Hasbro reformed most of Grunt in 1997 for inclusion in the Stars and Stripes set.  But, after that, Grunt didn't really appear.  His shared chest appeared a in the 2000's in comic packs and convention sets.  But, a repainted Grunt character never did.  Grunt's comic pack release was a new head on a repainted 1994 Action Series body.  (It's a cool figure, but not an homage to this Grunt.)  While I don't really miss Grunt repaints, there's no reason he didn't appear later in different colors.  But, there's enough Grunt releases from outside the U.S. and U.S. releases repaints to keep the Grunt collector busy for quite a while.

As Joe prices have risen drastically since the fall of 2017, the early Joes have been heavily caught up in the tidal wave.  Beware figures with the incorrect rifle.  Grunt's rifle is unmistakable, but many dealers will still put an incorrect version with the figure to command a premium.  Mint and complete Grunt figures sell between $35 and $45 with some dealers even getting $70 with far too much frequency.  But, the figure is very prone to discoloration, paint wear and joint degradation.  This does mean, though, that you can get slightly off condition figures for cheaper prices.  But, we're long past the days of cheap Grunts making up a slew of greenshirts for a casual collector.  Grunt is still cheaper than many of the more popular members of the original 13.  But, I'd never pay those prices for one since the figure just doesn't resonate with me.

1991 Grunt - Around The Web

 The 1991 Grunt is not a good figure.  The head is atrocious.  The chest is bad.  And, the colors leave much to be desired.  He doesn't even include good gear.  In short, he's one of those figures that just missed on every cylinder.  But, that's really what makes him compelling.  The figure is so out of place that he's recognizable and really helps bring a photo to life.  There's some fun content on Grunt out there.  

1991 Grunt Profile

2003 Funskool Grunt

1991 Grunt by Slipstream80

1991 Grunt by tituslester32

1991 Grunt by gen_liederkranz

1991 Grunt by jogunwarrior

1991 Grunt by gijoebarcelona

1991 Grunt by thedustinmccoy

1983 Tan Grunt - Around The Web

In 1983, Hasbro released its first repaints.  Grand Slam, the Viper Pilot and this Grunt were all newly colored rehashes of figures that were otherwise available.  It was a cheap way to get an exclusive figure into a vehicle pack.  But, it produced some of the rarer figures of 1983.

You'll note, though, that this Grunt isn't anywhere near as rare as the other two repainted figures.  This is heavily due to the fact that a well funded collector acquired untold dozens or hundreds of these figures for a diorama.  That dio never came to be and tons of bubbled Tan Grunts and regular 1983 Grunts were tossed into the collecting community where they forever altered the availability of what should be a harder figure to find.

With that, the Tan Grunt remains the basis for a team of tan Original 13 Joes.  And, there's a good deal of content out there on him because he's from a classic year and is such a different look for figures of that era.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

1983 Tan Grunt Profile

Grunt by cyko

Grunt at Memories of Toy Morrow

Grunt at Joe A Day

Grunt at JoePedia

Grunt by Hit and Run

Grunt at 3DJoes.com

Grunt by discovolante

Grunt by slipstream

1997 Grunt

The 1997 Stars and Stripes promised so much, but delivered so little. Collectors were anticipating a great remake of the figures from the original year of the Joe line. Instead, they got a hodge-podge set that included some remakes, though in less than stellar paint schemes, and some newly amalgamated versions of classic characters. The result was a relative dud in the collecting world and the set became a remarkable pegwarmer for a few years. In retrospect, though, the set did have it's ups and downs. Stalker is a figure for the ages. Scarlett is a decent repaint that is something very different. Snake Eyes was interesting at the time, but watered down by the mold's later overuse. Breaker and Rock and Roll were just awful versions of those characters, though the Rock and Roll figure would work as someone new. The last three figures in the set, though, fall in between. Zap, Short Fuse and Grunt all use the classic molds with most of their vintage accessories. The figures have a similar color palette that is different from their original release, but similar enough that the figure's don't distinguish themselves. As such, these three figures have been basically forgotten by me since I first acquired them during their retail release window. Of the three, though, Grunt has some very redeeming characteristics and some unforgivable flaws.

This Grunt figure uses the basic mold of the original Grunt for the head, chest and arms. The legs, though, are from the original Snake Eyes figure. Snake Eyes had the most elaborate leg molds of the vintage line due to the molded bomb on his left leg that was lost in the sea of black from the original figure. Adding these legs to Grunt makes the figure more interesting to me. And, since the original Joes were just rearrangements of many similar parts, doing so again for this homage set is a nice way to get some figures to stand out. This version of Grunt also features black hair. Hasbro at least tried to differentiate the hair color of the includees in the set. Grunt in black still makes him seem too much like Zap. And, since the Zap in the set features the same colors, the figures look like twins. This is somewhat problematic since it's not great to have two figures with identical heads portraying different characters. But, the original 13 did it to an extent so I can forgive it here.

Grunt's coloring, though, is actually fairly strong. The figure's chest is cast is a tan with a slightly greenish tint. This is covered with swaths of green and brown cammo pattern. The green is a rich, deep hue that matches Grunt's pants. The color is somewhere between Action Force green and standard olive green. It's a color that is vibrant, but also realistic and believable. Sadly, though, Grunt's details are a mixed bad. Lost is the silver from the original figure's knife that was so distinctive. But, the bomb on his leg is painted. The result is a good figure, but not a great one. The colors and cammo allow for a new interpretation of Grunt and make him appear more modern. But, for a collectors set where the figure's retail cost was nearly $4 per figure, more was expected for the set's members. Short Fuse and Zap fall into the same category. Taken in conjunction with Grunt, the figure's are OK, but not spectacular. Seeing the Scarlett, Stalker and Snake Eyes from the same set, though, shows that Hasbro was capable of more and really leaves this Grunt figure as a disappointment for what could have been.

Grunt's accessories are, basically, non sensical. He includes a helmet based on the original design. The problem is that the poor plastic quality prevents the helmet from fitting on his head in any way that is not awkward. As such, it is useless. Grunt also includes a black version of the backpack from the 1986 Hawk. While I would have liked to have seen Grunt's original pack (it was included with Stalker, though), it is a small accessory and the larger packs from later years still work on the figure and help flesh him out as more of a long range infantryman. It is Grunt's weapon that is most consternating. Rather than include the iconic M-16 that defined the American fighting man of the '80's, Grunt includes an AK-47 (originally from the Cobra Officer) that defined the Russian fighting man of the '80's. It isn't just an oversight. Such a mistake really calls into question whether the designers of the time really understood the Joe toy line at all. Fortunately, it's not hard to find M-16's from original Grunts or the 1983 Accessory pack. Even the more modern M-16 introduced in the comic packs in 2004 will work well for this figure. But, displaying this figure with his original gear just looks odd. (Though, it would have been nice for that AK-47 to have appeared again during the repaint era either with the 2004 Cobra Infantry, 2004 Comic Pack figures or the 2005 Night Watch.) It is likely the reason why this figure never much mattered to me since Grunt missing his iconic weapon rendered the figure rather moot.

As a character, Grunt never did much for me. Even as a kid in 1982 and 1983, I didn't find the figure interesting at all. In fact, when my brother got his first Grunt figures in October of 1982, I took the backpack and gave it to Clutch since he was such a better figure. The 1983 Tan Grunt brought me a bit of appreciation for the original figure due to the prominence of the silver knife. But, it wasn't enough to bring the original figure into my primary use rotation. I think that is one of the other reasons why this figure was so discarded in my collection. Since Grunt was never relevant to me, there was no reason to really appreciate the 1997 repaint. But, when I set him out on display with Zap and Short Fuse a few months ago, the figure's quality was a pleasant surprise. As supplemental crew for a VAMP Mark II or Locust Helicopter, this Grunt works very well. So, I have some new appreciation for the figure, even if the original character never intrigued me.

In general, though, the entirety of the 1997 releases have really grown on me over the past 15 years. When the set was released, we were only 3 years removed from the vintage line's retail run. (It was possible to find straggling vintage Joes still on remote retail shelves even through 1997.) So, the comparison of the 1997's to vintage was poignant and critical. That soured me on the figures as they had shortcomings in comparison to the vintage line. But, since 1997, the release of ARAH Joes actually devolved quite a bit from the 1997 releases. While the plastic quality did improve, the accessory complements and paint applications got worse. And, while Hasbro had issues with missing or incomplete molds, at least the amalgamations in 1997 tried something. Many of the later Frankensteins were lazy, haphazard of just non-sensical. To me, the '97 and '98 figures stand as a bridge between the vintage line and the modern repaints that started in 2000. The '90's figures seem to have more care in their design and accessories than was shown in the 2000's. And that has made the '90's figures hold up better than I would have ever thought possible back in 1997 when I was reading the scathing criticisms of the new retail Joes on the burgeoning Usenet and mailing lists.

Grunt was released all over the world. After the mold was used in the U.S. in 1982 and 1983, the straight armed mold was sent off to South America. There, Grunt was released in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. The swivel arm Grunt mold showed up in both Argentina and Brazil as a single carded figure. However, it is likely that Hasbro never lost all the parts to Grunt and the molds sent to other countries were actually additional molds that were created for the early figures. The Grunt character did not appear again in a form that was an homage to his original version after this release in 1997. But, the Grunt character did return in other forms and with new mold amalgamations. It's possible that Grunt's gear was lost in South America. But, the fact that Hasbro had the gear for Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Rock and Roll, Flash, Zap and Short Fuse (most of whom were also released in other countries by other companies) would indicate that the missing original weapons for Grunt may have just been laziness.

There was a time in the early 2000's when this Grunt figure was hard to find and expensive. All of the Stars and Stripes figures were considered "rare" for a few years. The fact that Grunt included an AK-47 also made him attractive to army builders who were desperate for decent accessories for their scores of recent release army builders who were so lacking in the weapons department. For a while, this figure would easily cost $15 - $18. In time, though, the army builders found better alternatives for weapons and collectors realized that there were a lot more 1997 figures produced than they realized. (It is rumoured that the Stars and Stripes set saw a production run of 30,000 units: much higher production numbers than any of the TRU exclusives from 2003 through 2005.) As such, prices on all the figures fell with releases like Grunt becoming mostly forgotten. Today, this Grunt is a $6 to $7 figure. Not a terrible price for a decade and a half plus year old figure. And, when you consider the accessories and the fact that the mold's colors are a nice way to modernize the character, it's an easily justifiable amount. However, had I not bought the Stars and Stripes on a whim back in December of 1997, it's unlikely this figure would be a part of my collection. Owning the original Grunt, though, is more than enough to make up for not having this figure. But, he is a nice edition of a classic character and does bring an interesting diversity to some displays of the original Joe characters.