2002 Mirage - Random Photos of the Day

Hasbro got Mirage happy between 2002 and 2005.  In that short time, they released no less than 4 repaints of the obscure 1993 Mega Marine.  The thing is, all of them were pretty decent.  While the repaint still didn't fully accentuate Mirage's details, they did bring a more muted paint scheme to the mold.  Unfortunately, collectors quickly tired of Mirage.  Not only was it because of the multiple uses in such a short time span, but also, Hasbro made the mistake of packaging the first two repaints with Viper repaints.  As this was the height of the army building era, collectors quickly amassed dozens of Mirage figures.

And, with that, a once acceptable character from the '90's quickly became a collector nightmare.  And, the repaint era releases were quickly disregarded and tossed into boxes or custom fodder bags in frustration.  More than 20 years later, the figure still doesn't really have any cachet.  You don't see any  of the modern versions used very often since old habits die hard and few collectors who were around in the Mirage heyday still consider him a useful figure to have around.

This is too bad, though, as the all the Mirage figures are a nice and cool way to update the Mega Marines.  Personally, I think the 2003 Hoverstrike figure is the best version of Mirage.  But, this 2002 version that was first released in Wave 1.5 in the early summer of 2002 is also really nice.  So, enjoy some random photos as you stroll down memory lane to a time when Hasbro was really pumping out the figures at retail.

Rarities - 1993 Mega Marines Toy Fare Catalog Pre-Production Figures

Back in the days before the internet, toy companies sold their wares at Toy Fair each year.  Smaller brands would seek out retail partners.  While, the big companies would put together impressive solicitations designed to wow their partners at the huge, national retailers of the day.  In 1993, Hasbro's catalog featured the full Joe line.  But, as the catalog was put together before the figures were in production, it contains a large number of pre-production figures that feature differences from their retail release.   

Below is the page for the Mega Marines.  There's a few, fun little differences you can spot among the figures.  Starting from left to right, you first see the original Mega Viper.  This figure features a slightly green face shield instead of the retail yellow.  You'll notice the odd purple color of his gun, too.  This color was never used in production.  But, it matches the figure quite well.  I always wonder what would have caused a change like this.  Instead of getting weapons that matched his purple trim, the Mega Viper received accessories that matched his yellow instead.  To me, that would see like a personal preference/coin flip type decision.  But, knowing Hasbro of the day, it was very likely a conscious decision that was made to make the figures more attractive to buyers.

The Joe side of the page features the biggest differences.  Aside from the fact that the figures have been given random accessories that Hasbro likely just had lying around, there is one major change from the retail figure.  You'll notice that in this photo, Clutch still has his goggles and Mirage's eyes are uncovered.  Originally, these goggles were meant for Clutch.  (See this Rarities post from 2016.)  And, they appear on the figure in the solicitation photos.  

Again, this would be an interesting piece of trivia to track down.  Why were the goggles changed from one figure to another.  Mirage's head looks bare without them.  But, that's a function of the fact that we've always seen the figure with the goggles.  Had he not included them, it wouldn't seem so out of place.  And, Clutch's specialty as the driver makes more sense for a goggled head.  But, this reasoning is probably lost to time.

The whole diorama is action packed.  Hasbro did similar things for Street Fighter and the DEF.  And, those pages also feature some interesting early takes on the toys that were ultimately released.  As far as this page goes, though, the figures frozen in the plastic blocks got a lot of attention when this image first surfaced.  Many thought they might be unproduced figures.  But, they are likely just production figures painted white for use in this display.  But, really, the idea of people frozen in ice is a bit macabre for a child's toy solicitation.  But, the intended audience was adult buyers.  And, there are monsters in the toyline.  So, I can see this just being a fun modeling session for the photographer.

Old Hasbro print pieces are chock full of pre-production and prototype toys.  They are a treasure mine of original intentions and also provide the provenance for many pre-production and VSP figures that survive to this day.  As I'm a Mega Marines fan, this layout is really cool to me.  But, even if the Mega Marines aren't your thing, the earlier designs for the toys are a valuable part of Joe history.

2002 Mirage - Wave 2

In 2002, the brand new sculpting style of the JvC figures debuted.  And, unsurprisingly, collectors hated it.  The lack of o-ring was just unforgivable at the time.  Hasbro, trying to save face, quickly announced that they'd be moving to an o-ring construction starting with Wave 2.  However, this meant that Wave 2 of the line would be delayed.  To both fill in the retail gap as well as appease collectors, Hasbro quickly threw together Wave 1.5.  This was a wave of repainted vintage Joes that featured two popular army builders.  Collectors accepted this bone that was thrown to them and enjoyed the wave.  Shortly thereafter, Wave 2 appeared.  Again, Hasbro had tossed two collector themed backs into the case assortment.  Along with newly sculpted JvC figures, there was a repainted Alley Viper/Big Ben and Viper/Mirage pack.  While only 1 per case, each figure was available in ample quantities for collectors of the age to get their fill.  Of course, the focus was on the army builders.  And, collectors tended to ignore and even loathe the Big Ben and Mirage figures.  But, once again, Hasbro had thrown a couple of underappreciated gems into the line.  And, the 2002 Mirage from Wave 2 is one of the better repaints of the 2000's.

In the summer of 1986, I moved all my toys out of my room and into our basement.  My parents weren't big on air conditioning and the basement was much cooler in the hot summer months.  Here, I created the first aspects of a larger Joe world.  When I moved my toys back up to my room in the fall, I had a very different approach to the Joe vs. Cobra conflict.  Among the new additions to my world were "commandos".  Essentially, these were nameless, faceless cannon fodder minions of the Joe team.  The named Joes were "warriors" who were excellent at their jobs and rarely died.  Commandos, though, ranged from semi-competent to outright terrible in their performance.  Thousands upon thousands of them perished against Cobra.  Who, now equipped against a more equal adversary, was far more effective.  The problem, though, was which figure to use as this army builder?

At first, I put together a lame kitbash of unloved parts leftover from broken figures.  These guys were terrible and died often.  I didn't want to make any of my good Joe figures these army builders as I liked all of my characters.  Flash and Grand Slam would be appropriated for the army builders of a 3rd faction who aligned with Joes.  And, eventually, I made the 1983 Ace a "Special Missions Commando" and the Mission to Brazil set figures followed as "Special Forces Commandos" (Leatherneck), "Diver Commandos" (Wet Suit) and Science Officers (Mainframe).  Years later, I even made the 1994 Shipwreck a "Special Commission Commando" who was a group of soldiers just below the Joes who would, eventually, see promotion into the Joe ranks.  But, for the basic commando, I was still stymied.

As my collection grew in the late 1990's, I tried various figures as this basic trooper.  But, none would stick.  Finally, in 2000, the blue Dusty with red beret became my default Commando.  It was a figure that didn't really work as Dusty, but was amazingly cool.  And, it was easy and cheap to army build.  The main issue with that figure, though, is that he had no armor and was relatively unadorned with gear.  In 2002, though, the first Mirage repaint was released.  This figure looked like someone that I could use as my commando character.  He was well colored, was covered in gear and armor and had a decent weapon.  Plus, he was packed with a Viper so I'd definitely end up with a few of them.  And, within a few weeks of me starting up a small squad, Mirage became my default Commando figure.  When this more olive version was released in the fall, he just joined the ranks as a different coloring of the same character.  And, to this day, Mirage figure represent army builders in my collection.  They are more advanced than "greenshirts".  But, still find themselves getting wasted by Cobras at various junctions.

In the early 2000's, Mega Marines were not a popular subset of the Joe brand.  There were some collectors (like me!) who advocated that the molds were excellent and would prime candidates for a repaint.  But, we were a minority.  Someone at Hasbro, though, agreed that Mega Marines had some potential.  Aside from Mirage, we'd eventually see the Mega Viper, Monster Blaster APC, Gung Ho, most of Clutch and even parts of Blast Off in the repaint era.  Only the Cyber Viper and the larger sized monsters did not see any type of re-release.  No other subset of figures got as much attention as Mega Marines did.  Yet, it still feels that the subset didn't live up to its potential.  Mirage certainly did.  But, it still seems as if all the figures could be repainted again without being too redundant.  But, as a whole, collectors rejected the Mega Marines repaints and didn't find them as compelling as excellent molds redone in more muted colors should have been.  It was probably too soon.  And, if Hasbro had released the Mirage repaints in 2018 instead of 2002, they'd have been much more popular.

Mirage's paint scheme is actually pretty good.  His legs are the same green as the torso from the Wave 1.5 figure.  So, you can kitbash a few different combos of Mirage figures together to make different sets of army builders.  He has a G.I. Joe tampo on his right shoulder.  I'm not a huge fan of this.  But, the logo is crisp and shows how far paint masks had come by 2002.  The torso is olive.  But, being offset by the brighter green and silver makes the common color less noticable.  Mirage's head features the clear goggles.  While there's still many details left unpainted on the figures (grenades, ammo, wires and hoses, etc.), it's got enough details to showcase the mold's quality.

Mirage's gear is kind of generic.  But, he has a few weapons that help detract from the blandness of it all.  It seems that Hasbro lost the molds to the weapons trees that were endemic to the 1993 and 1994 figures.  And, while the trees were reused a lot, Mirage's gear was less often seen and seemed to fit well with him.  But, fortunately, the 1992 General Hawk rifle is also a very nice fit for the mold.  The Big Ben rifle is a tougher sell.  It is definitely Big Ben's.  So, seeing it with other figures is less impressive.  And, it was ended so overused by Hasbro that it lost any of it's wow! factor.  The knife is fine.  Some people will give to the Viper instead of Mirage, though.  So, it's up for debate if the figure is complete without it or not.  The most noteworthy factor about these weapons, though, is that they are a unique graphite color.  There is a sheen to them not seen in other gear.  And, this coloring is specific to this version of Mirage.  So, when looking for a complete figure, be sure to ensure that the rifles and knife are the correct color and not the silver and black versions which were released with several different figures during this era.

Today, this Mirage remains in his original role.  I pull him out occasionally for photo shoots.  But, usually, he's in the background, supporting the main subjects of the photo.  I have him on standby, though, and available for when the situation calls for his presence.  My kids actually found a few of this figure sitting out a couple of years ago.  They played with them for a few days.  But, they managed to break the crotch on one of the figures.  This is a rarity for the 2000's era softer plastic.  But, they figured out how to do it.  Their handling of the figure also showcased the fragility of the o-ring design.  They handle modern Star Wars and Spinmaster Batman figures with no breakage.  But, even Joes designed for more flexibility didn't withstand their play.  So, there's an upside to some of the modern designs.  

Mirage was overused by Hasbro.  After his vintage release in 1993, the first repaint in Wave 1.5 debuted around May of 2002.  This Wave 2 version followed in the early Fall.  In 2003, Hasbro released another Mirage with the Hoverstrike vehicle.  This awful toy featured the best Mirage who incorporates colors from the other figures and features yellow goggles that were omitted from the Wave 1.5 figure.  Then, in 2005, Hasbro dropped Mirage into the Winter Operations set.  On the surface, Mirage seemed an odd choice.  But, the actual figure was made clear to showcase Mirage's purported abilities that match his codename.  As something different, the Winter Ops figure is pretty strong.  But, 4 releases in 4 years was a bit much and collectors never wanted to see Mirage again.  I'll argue that Mirage never had a bad version of him released, though, so collectors have a lot of fun stuff to find for the character.

In this age of stupid G.I. Joe prices, Mirage remains a hold out.  Even with a highly popular Viper repaint, you can buy carded figures for under $25.  Dealers will sell mint and complete with filecard figures in the $8-$12 range.  But, if you can find one left to the open market, it will go for half that price.  Be wary as this Mirage includes Graphite colored accessories that were exclusive to the Wave 2 figures and not the more common silver version of the 1992 General Hawk rifle.  But, as the price of this figure remains low, there's no reason for anyone to be missing him in their collection.  Had this figure been released in 2019, he'd be hugely in demand with massive aftermarket spikes.  But, the collectors of 2002 weren't quite ready to admit that later Joe molds and characters had merit.  So, we can be grateful that we got figures like Mirage while also lament that other figures weren't popular enough to warrant an updated repaint.

1993 Mirage - Around the Web

Mirage is a one of the great examples of excellent '90's sculpting that was ruined by less than stellar colors.  But, within a decade, Hasbro repainted the figure several times and created some of the best re-releases of the 2000's.  The Mega Marines have taken on a bit of an afterlife in recent years and have become somewhat popular.  Mirage always lead the way, though, and was the first Mega Marine to really get a following...mostly due to those 2000's era repaints.  Here's the best of the Mirage figure around the web.

Mirage Profile

Mirage at JoePedia

Mirage at 3DJoes.com

Mirage on Instagram

G.I. Joes of the '90s by General's Joes

Diorama - Snow Blind

In early 2003, we got a lot of snow.  One Sunday evening, I took some Joes out to get some snow pics.  It was late in the evening, so I had to use the flash.  But, I liked how the flash photos looked.  This photo set was planned to be the showcase for the 2001 Big Ben figure.  But, he didn't come out well enough in the photos and this was the last real snow I saw before I moved back to the desert.

Diorama - Hiss Attack

In the fall of 2002, I came home every day at lunch to let my dogs out since I didn't have a doggy door.  One mild fall day, I came home in a gentle rainstorm.  I saw the lighting in the yard was good and that the rain was bringing out the green that was left in the leaves.  I got out some recent figures and vehicles and took some pics.

The scene is heavy on 2002 figure releases since they were new at the time and still somewhat exciting.  The Night Rhino was one of my de facto Joe vehicles of the time and has remained so ever since.  My favorite part was getting the Convention Paratrooper Dusty out and into action.

The scene is quaint today.  But, it was a lot of fun at the time and reminds of the lusher locations I used to have available for dios.

2003 Mirage - Hoverstrike Driver

In 2003, Mirage was a dirty word in the Joe collecting world. Hasbro released 2 awesome versions of the character in 2002. Both versions were nicely recolored and showcased how great the original Mirage mold was. But, both of them were packed with a highly popular Viper figure. As such, collectors got their fill of Mirage right quick. When it was announced that yet a third version of Mirage (one that was eerily similar to the most recent previous version) was coming, collectors let out a collective moan. The upside was that this new version was not going to be included with a highly desirable army builder. Instead, it was packed with an all new vehicle. The Hoverstrike was supposed to be a working hovercraft. It was radio controlled. It was also a dud. With a high price point, uninteresting design and dubious workability, the vehicle was largely ignored by collectors and other retail shoppers. This has left us the version of Mirage that I consider the best being the most difficult version of the character to find.

You can see from the comparison photo below that this version of Mirage is distinctively different from the previous two releases.

The most obvious difference is the yellow goggles. But, a closer look shows this figure is more of an amalgamation of the two previous designs. It is darker and more muted that either of the previous versions and better blends with the more militaristic Joes that were his contemporaries. The not quite black pants mesh well with the olive torso. The brown and metallic highlight showcase the mold's detail. They also create a more realistic look than either of the previous versions. It is unfortunate that this version lacked any accessories beyond the goggles. However, anyone who was collecting in 2002 and 2003 probably has plenty of spare Mirage figures lying around so outfitting the Hoverstrike version with decent accessories is an easy task for most collectors.

As a character, Mirage is pretty much a blank slate. With no canonical characterization, collectors are free to develop his personality as they see fit. For me, though, Mirage remains a Joe army builder. In that capacity he works the best for me. This is the mold that I see as the backbone of the Joe reinforcements...not the terrible "greenshirt" figures we saw at retail. In that capacity, this figure gets a lot of use. But, now that I have a more distinctive version of Mirage, I've started to rework the character into my collection. The reality is that we now have lots of figures that can be used as Joe army builders. Many of whom become stale if for no other reason than you use them all the time. (I find that I also rotate through Cobra army builders. A figure who's hot today might end up in the box for years after I get tired of him. If you scroll through the pictures on this site, you can see some of the figures as they fall in and out of favor with me.) Bringing back the character of Mirage becomes a way to reinvigorate the figure in my collection.

Ahh, but what to do with him? I toyed with the idea of using the character as the Joe foil to Zartan. But, that idea didn't lend itself to great uses. As this figure is more militaristically colored, I see him taking on more of an infantry type role. Also, his colors do mesh well with the 2007 Star Duster and Grand Slam pack. So, I could also see Mirage as being teamed with them. Overall, though, I think the character will simply join in with figures like Hit and Run, Recoil, Repeater and a few others who comprise my Joe backup and support teams. They are not the main players in a display, but are there to complement the key figures who are represented. This version of Mirage fits in nicely with many of those classically colored figures and I think it is in that role that he will see the most use.

No one really knows why Hasbro got on such a Mirage and Big Ben kick in the early '00's. But, the overexposure left both molds, though high quality, rather tired. At this point, collectors have 5 versions of Mirage to choose from. Three are very well done, one is vintage and the other is gimmicky. So, there really isn't any valid reason for the character to return. The parts of Mirage fit together very well and it would be hard to see them used on another figure. (Oddly, there was a test shot figure from Asia cast in all black that was the Mirage body with a Flak Viper head. But, it's not likely that this was anything more than mold tests. Though, it did get some people interested at the time.) As such, I think Mirage is a mold and character that simply could be retired. What we have is great and there is no real reason to damage the legacy of these decent figures with more and more takes on a character that is obscure at best.

If you wanted a Mirage figure back in 2003 and 2004, they were pretty easy to find. The Hoverstrike was a retail dud and most Toys R Us stores around the country were knee deep in them well into 2004. At $30, the retail price of the Hoverstrike was well inflated beyond the value it provided to all but the most serious completists. In 2004, though, Toys R Us marked down the Hoverstrikes in an attempt to finally rid their shelves of them. Many collectors were able to pick up the vehicle and figure for under $15. Even at this price, many people balked. But, this clearance was the final straw that put a large amount of Mirages into the collecting community. However, not too many people bought extras. Once the clearance did its job and the Hoverstrikes were gone from retail, there weren't surplus Mirages on the market. In fact, it is rather rare to find one of these figures for sale...especially without the Hoverstrike. But, in one of those great ironies of Joe collecting, no one cares. You see, Mirage is a collector pariah. A figure and character of whom collectors were sick and tired when he was released again. This version isn't different enough from the widely available 2-pack figures for most collectors to care that it is missing from their collections. As such, even though this figure is very hard to find today, when you do find one, it is unlikely that you'll have to spend even $7 to acquire it. (Truth be told, if you buy a Hoverstrike with the figure, you'll probably pay more in shipping than you do for the actual toy.) To me, things like this make no sense. Joe collectors will pay through the nose for easy to find army builders. But, a high quality repaint of a great mold that is hard to find, but an unpopular Joe character, is scoffed into bargain bins. For the savvy collector, that's not a bad thing.

1993 Mega Marines Mirage

In 2003, collectors were simply sick of Mirage. He had been released 3 times: twice with Vipers that collectors army built to extremes and once with a really crappy hover vehicle. Despite the fact that all three repaints of the mold were well done and were perfect examples of how Hasbro should have approached the retail repaints, the Mirage figures were generally loathed by collectors just because they acquired so many in their army building zeal. A few years removed from this, though, Mirage doesn't have quite the same reputation. Now, he has fallen back into semi-obscurity even though a clear version was released in the Winter Operations set. Collectors have gotten over their overwhelming animosity towards this figure and that has lead me to re-examine his role in my collection. As I finally had a chance to acquire his original version, this visit to the Mirage mold is for the first version of Mirage.

The reality is that this is not the best version of Mirage. In fact, it is only the 4th best version of the figure and that's only because I find it hard to use clear figures. But, as it is the original, it has a significance due to the quality of the mold and the then-unrealized potential of the figure from 1993. The Mirage figure shows a remarkable attention to detail as it features a wide array of molded accouterments that hearken back to the golden years of Joe sculpting. Mirage also features a detailed head mold that is complete with colored goggles that affix to his face. The goggles complement the detailed head gear that is molded onto Mirages head.   The Mega Marines were an interesting subset of figures. They were designed to fight against Cobra genetic "monsters". They all included moldable "bio-armor" that was playdoh that could be stretched over horrid plastic "armor" shells. All the figures in the set were also very bright. They all featured various neon hues of red, yellow, green or blue. The worst part, though, was that they were higher priced at retail due to their included armor. This just added to their pegwarmer status and kept them around gathering dust at retail along with Armor Tech and Shadow Ninja figures.

The figures themselves, though, were actually well done. Each figure had a nicely detailed mold that was just colored wrong. In subsequent years, we have seen repaints of Mirage, Mega Viper, Gung Ho and part of Blast Off. All of these repaints have been light years ahead of the originals and have showcased that these molds can be made into memorable figures with just a sane paint application. I wish Hasbro had taken this approach with more of their ARAH releases. There are still so many well done molds from the line's later years that would be great figures with a decent paint scheme. Instead, they focused on bringing back molds who were done right the first time and revisiting them. In time, this got too repetitive and I think that some of the waning retail interest in the product could be attributed to this lack of ingenuity.

Mirage is an decent figure. In fact, he is about 70% perfect with his base colors of olive and black. Unfortunately, the remaining 30% of the figure was colored bright blue and neon orange. This odd mix of colors doomed the figure. (Though, sadly, Mirage is the best colored of all the Mega Marines figures.) In his time, though, Mirage was somewhat useful. Back in '93, the bar for good Joe figures was actually rather low. While I think that 1993 did produce a wide array of very good figures who stand up against the line as a whole, the sheer number of overall figures produced lead to some real clunkers. These simply overwhelmed the year and left it as being perceived as a terrible year despite the hidden gems. As such, Mirage was one of the more popular Mega Marines figures and did not hang around on the pegs as long as Clutch, Gung Ho or Blast Off.

For years, the Mega Marines were a customizer's favorite. The mix of classic characters, good molds and bad colors lead to many new interpretations of the Mega Marines. Many of these custom pieces showcased the level of detail inherent in all the Mega Marine molds. While more recent years have featured less of this as the part base for customizers has grown and Hasbro has filled many of the character gaps with their vast amount of retail releases, you can still find some customizers who revisit the Mega Marines molds and use their skill to bring out the details that the Hasbro sculptors felt were important but the people who designed the paint masks did not.

While I lament the fact that there weren't more post '00 repaints in the spirit of the '02 Mirages, the sad reality is that collectors really aren't interested in them. One thing I have noted about the Joe collecting community is that we, as a group, do not reward ingenuity and originality in our Joe releases. Since Hasbro brought Joe back in '97, the most popular figures have been the molds of major characters or significant army builders all done in color schemes that are similar to the vintage figure. In the case of a few army builders, collectors have flocked to the newer color schemes, but that was mostly in situations like the Alley Viper where there was no non-neon vintage figure. Yet, even then, collectors lament that the Alley Vipers released were not straight repaints of the V1 figure. Master Collector has been the one outfit that has attempted to create some original figures. Yet, all of their figures with the exception of the Crimson Strike Team have featured waning interest in them after their initial release. It appears to be no coincidence that the lone convention set that has kept collector attention is also the least original in terms of figure mold choice and color scheme. While the Cobra Infantry figures who are slight retools of the vintage mold in almost matching colors are heralded by collectors, a figure like the Nullifier (Who is in the exact colors of the Infantry figures!) who updates a great mold that most collectors don't have in multiples with perfect colors is relatively ignored. It all points to the result that we really only have ourselves to blame for the repetitive releases who feature the same characters, colors and molds over and over again. While this seems to be what the main base of the collecting community has wanted, though, I would suggest that this has been off-putting to the newer, more casual collector and has, over the past half decade, eroded the fan base to the point where they are not a great enough purchasing entity to keep the line afloat at retail.

I have yet to really determine this Mirage's role in my collection. While I use the later Mirage repaints as faceless army builders, that was more due to the fact that I had amassed them in quantity and liked the mold and color schemes so much that I wanted to use more than one of the figures at a time. This version, though, is more unique and really needs to be used as the character of Mirage. While Mirage was intended as a heavy gunner, but I can not see him in that role. I think of him more as a technological foil to Zartan: someone who uses new technologies to hide in plain sight and mimic invisibility as a means of infiltration into enemy territory. Going forward, I may flesh the Mirage character out a bit more. But, for now, he remains one of those figures who doesn't see a lot of use but does get pulled out of his drawer when I stumble across him in a search for another '93 figure.

Mint and complete Mirages are actually somewhat hard to find. The Mega Marines was an unpopular, higher priced subset at the end of the line that was still hanging around retail in 1995. As such, many collectors passed these figures by. With the majority of them going to kids, many Mirages were played with, damaged and suffered lost accessories. Now, a complete with filecard Mirage typically will run you around $11 or so. Some will be more expensive and others can be cheaper. It seems this is one case where overused repaints of the mold actually helped the original release as collectors realized that it was a quality mold and discovered (as they tried to find one) that the original figure is actually tougher to find. Now that there are better versions of the figure available, I find my need for the original Mirage to be diminished. This version is still rather visually interesting, though, and could find a place in various base situations. But, if he's going into the field, this version is put away and some of the 2002 figures will come out. Most collectors are the same way and, these days, you will not often see this version of Mirage being desired for anything more than completion's sake.

2002 Mirage

Back in the late '90's, I was on a quest to find many of the neon figures from the final years of Joe's original run. For some reason, I was really drawn to wacky, offbeat colors that many of these figures offered. In my zeal to build my collection in this direction, I made 1993 the single most common year of figures in my collection. As such, there were very few 1993 figures that I do not have. However, one of the few I am missing is also one of the most unique and cool figures produced that year: Mirage. For whatever reason, he was the lone member of the Mega Marines subset that I was never able to pick up in any of the large figure lots I used to buy. However, earlier this year, news of a new wave of classically articulated Joe figures leaked out. While most focused on the return of 2 classic army builder molds (the Viper and Alley Viper) I focused on a new Joe repaint. It seemed that Hasbro was going to re-release Mirage, but in a radically changed color scheme. Once I saw the first pictures, I was hooked. Once I was actually able to acquire the figure, my opinion of him did not change. He is something that I've long wanted and a figure who immediately became a staple in my collection.

Frankly, this Mirage figure is what I've been wanting to see out of the repainted classic Joes since they were first released in 1997. As any fan of this site knows, I'm a big fan of many of the later release Joe figures. The reason is that many of the sculpts are nothing short of fantastic, but they suffer from unfortunate paint schemes. The repaints offered an excellent opportunity to reproduce many of these under appreciated molds in new color schemes that really showcased how cool the figure truly was. However, while we did see many later mold figures redone, they were, for the most part, completely uninspired and showed a lack of creativity and originality that left me feeling unfulfilled. However, this Mirage figure is finally a step in the right direction. Hasbro took an awesome mold and colored it in a way that makes for a great figure. The sharp green and black contrasted with subtle brown and silver makes for a striking visual while not sacrificing any realism or usability. This figure proves that not every new release has to be colored the same as the '01 Sidetrack. Back in that profile, I warned of this practice, yet that was what we got. It is nice that they finally deviated from that a little with the Wave 1.5 figures, but it is sad that it was only at the end that they realized the potential many of these figures held that can be unleashed with a little creativity.

When I first saw this figure, I knew what role he would play in my collection. I've long been a fan of Joe themed army builders. In fact, I probably have more Joes for the purposes of army building than I do Cobras. As such, I immediately saw Mirage as my new basic grunt trooper figure. I've been using the '00 Dusty as my primary Joe soldier for a while now. With the acquisition of Mirage, though, that figure will become a more elite trooper while this guy will be the rank and file infantryman. His look just says that he is a basic soldier. (I like my foot troops to be a little on the futuristic side.) He has the communications device molded to his head, a strip of grenades across his chest and the cool goggles. (Note, early production test figures came with green goggles. There are several loose, green goggled samples out there. However, all of the carded Mirages that were released to retail outlets came with clear goggles. While some may call this a variation, I consider the green goggles to be a prototype, pre-release item. As such, they are not something that I would seek out for completion's sake.) The fact that he comes with the same gun I've assigned to that Dusty figure just makes him a more perfect fit.   (On this note, there is some controversy surrounding the accessories that belong to Mirage, specifically. While the silver gun you see in the picture and the version of Big Ben's gun surely belong to him, the black backpack and knife are more ambiguous. Some say they belong to Mirage, others say they belong to the Viper. Some say that the pack is Mirage's while other say just the knife is. Without any way to tell for sure, judging a Mirage figure's completeness should be something that you define to the accessory level. Not every person will consider a Mirage complete with the same accessories. Personally, I give him the 2 guns and the knife. The pack is traditionally Cobra, so I've assigned it to the Viper.)

One thing of note about this figure is how visually striking he is. This figure features eight different colors on the mold. Even in the vintage run, you will be hard pressed to find very many figures that have that many different colors on the same mold. Most of the earlier repainted classic Joes suffered from the same color plights that plagued the '94's. They had decent schemes, but only three or four total colors on any given figure. Frankly, this does not allow for the full details of the mold to be explored and showcased. Giving a figure a more complex color scheme allows for the mold's details to really be accentuated. On Mirage, all of the figure's different layers have a different color scheme. His pants are black, with silver and brown highlights. However, before you reach the torso, he has a darker green belt that helps meld the two colors. The sharp green of his chest is kept in check by the muted brown trappings as well as the darker green bandolier that holds little canisters. If you follow up to his face, the figure is capped by locks of blonde hair.  The overall presentation creates a figure who is a remarkable remake of formerly under appreciated mold.

As time goes on, I see this figure remaining a large part of my collection. The early shots of the V3 Mirage repaint don't strike me the way this version did. As such, while the new version will have a place in my collection, it is this figure who will become the definitive Joe infantry army builder in my collection. As such, I don't mind having him packed with a Viper. Should I acquire multiple Vipers, the extra Mirages are well worth the extra cost to me. I like the Joe vs. Cobra concept and my stance on retail release army builder 2-packs is well documented. Frankly, I've seen these guys on the shelves several times and have not had any trouble acquiring them. (Of course, if you do, check out ToysRUs.com as they currently have them in stock.) Were the Mirage not part of the pack, I highly doubt that would be the case. Still, my only lament is that the ingenuity used to create this figure did not manifest itself earlier in the A Real American Hero Collection repaints from the past two years. Were more of those figures done in this style, I think many people would be calling that run a true Renaissance rather than just a re-release period.

This figure's availability is yet to be determined. The Wave 1.5 of which this figure is a part has only shipped to retail for about two months. Now that it appears that Wave 2 of the new sculpt Joes, that will include a repaint of Mirage, will not ship until September. While there are still 2 cases of repaint figures that have yet to really ship to retail, I think we will see Mirages through the summer. With that in mind, this figure will be very common. Of course, there is another factor to this. Mirage is packed with a repainted Cobra Viper. (My second favorite repaint of the mold. I'm not too partial to Vipers in general, but I really like the '02 version.) As such, there are MANY collectors out there who have acquired 20 or more of these figures. As they get Mirages with the Vipers, they are stuck with some surplus figures. While I have found a use for them, most other people won't see the value in dozens of Mirages and will liquidate them for very reasonable prices. As such, I don't ever see this figure being hard to find or very expensive. (Though I would imagine that the carded version with the Viper will probably rise in price on the secondary market. However, that will not be due to Mirage's presence in the pack.) If you would like a Mirage army, now, though, would be the time to act. Many collectors are looking to unload surplus Mirage and Big Ben figures. As both of these repaints are very well done and include some great accessories, you can get a couple of really nice figures for almost nothing. That's the type of thing that makes Joe fun. I'm now to the point where I really don't care for or need more than a few of every Cobra army builder. (Really, I rarely use more than 5 or 6 Cobras in any given scene. Besides the Cobra Count, you will be hard pressed to find more than a few examples throughout the site.) Being able to acquire superior repaints of obscure Joe figures from the later years of the line is something that I have found to bring a bit of the innocence back to Joe for me. While I can't say if this phenomena will repeat itself for you, I know that I've found this version of Mirage to be a most welcome addition to my collection. I think you will, too.

If you have some spare Mirage figures that you want to get rid of, let me know. I might be interested in acquiring them from you. However, I won't be offering very much for them as they are quite common. If you would like more information, email me.