1993 Star Brigade Payload - Around the Web

The 1993 Payload was my first exposure to this figure mold.  I found him on clearance at a KB Toy Works that used to be at Lafayette Square Mall in Indianapolis.  Once in hand, he better filled a role that I had devised from my final childhood days.  So, in time, I army built the figure.  His gear is bright pink and kind of sucks.  But, I gave him the dark blue versions of his weapon tree that came with the 1993 Muskrat.  Since then, I've changed is weapon out quite a bit.  But, the 1987 Psyche Out pack remains a constant.

I consider this the best paint job of this mold.  Part of that is nostalgia tainted glasses and the other part is just pure enjoyment of the simplicity of the colors.  Oddly, pretty much all the 1993 Payload visors have yellowed.  Yet, the clear visors on the 1994 Black and Blue figure remain crystal clear.  At this point, I can't recall if maybe Payload's visor was supposed to be an off color.  But, finding a clear one is now pretty much impossible.

Being Star Brigade, there's not a ton of content on this figure out there.  But, what does exist is pretty good.  So, explore the links below and leave comments for the creators if you like their work.  

1993 Payload Profile

1993 Payload by the Dragon Fortress

1993 Payload by relena_warcraft

1993 Payload by Slipstream80

1993 Payload by gen_liederkranz

1993 Payload by dashtacker

1993 Payload by Slipstream80

1993 Payload by thedragonfortress

1989 Payload - Around the Web

The original Payload mold was only used twice in the US and both releases are frustratingly hard to find.  While the 1987 original figure is probably better, this 1989 release is pretty solid.  The colors work for an astronaut.  Hasbro wanted to release the figure on a single card as part of the 1993 Star Brigade.  But, that black and green paint job was never destined to be since Hasbro couldn't find the mold and repainted the 1992 BBQ instead.  There's not tons of Payload content out there.  But, some guys have done some pretty cool stuff with the figure over the years.  Here's the best of the 1989 Payload from around the web.

1989 Payload Profile

1989 Payload by BackyardJoes

1989 Payload by Flint

1989 Payload by slipstream80

1989 Payload by nightforcetunnelrat

1989 Payload by BackyardJoes

1989 Payload by plasticnukes

1989 Payload by albafica

1989 Payload by flint

1989 Payload by davisgrayson

1987 Payload - Around the Web!

Payload is the Joe Team's original astronaut and remains one of the best space themed molds Hasbro ever produced.  The original version has the best coloring on the mold.  But, all three uses of the mold (1987, 1989, Brazil Orbita) are hard to find and somewhat expensive.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

Payload Profile

Payload Pre Production Figure at YoJoe.com

Payload by badgerscratch

Payload Variant at JoeDios.com 1

Payload at 3DJoes.com

Payload at JoeDios.com 2

1994 Star Brigade - Carded Set

In the second half of 1998, I really started to look to G.I. Joe collecting as my hobby of choice.  I had dabbled a bit in a Joe resurgence for a while.  But, the retail stream of new Star Wars figures consumed not only most of my money, but also my time.  However, by the summer of 1998, the Star Wars market was over-saturated.  The huge volume of shipments and new waves that included carry over figures from earlier releases had caused a pegwarming backup that was unprecedented.  While the early part of 1998 had been a great time of constant new figures and refreshed army builders, Hasbro had made too much and the waves planned for later in the year could not get out to retail.  This resulted in a some waves being cancelled, others only showing up in obscure retailers and the complete reboot of the line in early 1999.  To me, though, the retail frustration of Star Wars, coupled with my first major promotion in my adult career lead me down another path along which I could spend my money.  All of this, of course, coincided with the emergence of Ebay as a means to purchase items that were not available from local toy dealers or second hand shops.  As I shifted my collecting priorities, I first focused on a few items from the Joe line that I had long wanted.  Among them were a Hammer, the 1989 Rock and Roll and, at least one Lunartix Alien.

In 1998, the alien figures, MOC, fetched about $15 on the secondary market.  This seems low, but was a princely sum back then.  You could get lesser character 1985 figures MOC for that price at the time.  So, it was a large purchase when I bit the bullet and got a Lobotomaxx figure.  When he arrived, I realized how cool the overall card presentation was.  I liked the colors and look of Star Brigade.  And, I had a connection to the 1993 series that I had found at KB Toys liquidation stores a few years prior.  As I surveyed the other 1994 Star Brigade offerings, I was enthralled by the designs and colors.  At the time, the figures were relatively hard to find, especially if you wanted them loose.  However, you could find them carded: and they were cheap when you did.  So, I put together my first complete series of carded figures: the 1994 Star Brigade.

The '94 Star Brigade line was divided into two distinct series.  The first wave consisted of Cobra Commander, Cobra Blackstar, Sci Fi, Payload, Space Shot, Duke and Roadblock.  The second wave contained Ozone, Countdown, Effects, Lobotomaxx, Predacon and Carcass.  This left an unlucky 13 figures in the retail, single carded line.  But, the overall presentation remained.  Gone were the generic pink cards from 1993 and in was a visual delight of black, blue and purple with a clean G.I. Joe logo running up the card's left edge, culminating in a bright Star Brigade logo at the card's top.  Each character got his own, unique card art along with a yellow "gimmick" tag that touted some feature of each figure.  In short, they were a crisp, clean look for the last unique retail wave of figures to hit stores.

Wave 1 showcased Hasbro's commitment to the line.  5 of the 7 figures featured either mostly new parts, or all new parts.  On top of this, the characters all included a wide array of feature rich accessories that were essential for retail success at the time.  Hasbro did skimp on the overall paint applications, though.  Most of the figures only have three or four minor paint masks.  And, Duke and the variant Roadblock only featured one paint mask on their entire body.  This Roadblock and the Payload figure were repaints of Star Brigade molds that had been released in 1993.  Which, in turn, were mostly repaints of prior years' retail release figures.  So, the line spent money wisely in terms of bringing something new to the market.

1994 Star Brigade Wave 1: Duke, Sci Fi, Space Shot and Cobra Commander

1989 Payload

The 1987 Payload figure was the first Astronaut released in the G.I. Joe line.  As the pilot of the Defiant Space Shuttle, he was designed to be both realistic and militaristic.  In these regards, the figure succeeded greatly.  The Defiant, though, was a large, expensive to produce playset with low production numbers.  In order to recoup the development costs, Hasbro re-released part of the shuttle as the Crusader in 1989.  This scaled down shuttle was more affordable and a good way for Hasbro to get more mileage out of the original mold.  To retain consistency, Hasbro included Payload as the Crusader's pilot as well.  This 1989 version was brighter, but retained the design and accessories that made the original version so great.

Payload was designed to be an astronaut: first and foremost.  The result is that he looks like he's wearing a legitimate space suit.  It has some bulk, is well detailed and fits the look of late 1980's astronauts.  The helmet is a bit stylish.  But, this was still a toy and it was designed to be eye catching.  The figure has the "puffiness" of a spacesuit, while not being bulky.  The helmet bubble is very large and protrudes on the back.  But, this is a less claustrophobic look than that of the Secto Viper or even the 1991 General Hawk body.  (Though it does cause the head to flop a bit inside the helmet.)  The one detail that proves this is a Joe figure is the molded pistol on the figure's leg.  This retains the military bent and adds a bit of a science fiction element to the character since he's carrying a firearm inside of a vehicle that, were it perforated at all by a single bullet, would spell death for each crew member.

There were 2 astronauts released in 1989: this Payload and the original Countdown.  Of the two, Countdown has better coloring.  He is a all white with subtle blue and silver highlights.  Payload is far more garish with his white base offset by bright yellow details.  These yellow parts were done in a brownish maroon on the 1987 version.  (It should be noted that the two figures do use some different paint masks as the knee pads on the 1989 figure are unpainted.)  This yellow hue gives the figure a completely different look.  The result is that the '89 Payload figure is more at home with the 1993 and 1994 Star Brigade figure than is the 1987.  But, this difference is nice as it gives the mold some diversity.  While the base, white color is the same.  The reality is that the starkly different accent colors create two definitive figures.  While the usefulness of bright yellow can be debated, the fact that is starkly contrasts with the original figure can not be.

Payload's accessories are the same as the 1987 version, only in different colors.  The figure's helmet is yellow, to match his highlights.  He then includes the astronaut backpack with extender arms.  It is, though, colored light grey as opposed to the white from the 1987 version.  The result is that Payload looks like an astronaut with gear that was appropriate for the 1987 release year.  The 1988 Astro Viper and 1989 Countdown, though, both went in a different direction and included gear that was less realistic, but more fun to play with.  It's a somewhat stark difference from just 2 years of design.  But, it shows where G.I. Joe was going as the '80's wound down and the '90's were beginning.

In the comic book, the Payload character was portrayed as African American.  Both of his figures, though, were Caucasian.  As such, there was a disconnect over the figure's race at some point between the Hasbro final figure design and the source material that Marvel used for the comics.  (Or, it was just an artist error that they kept up for a while.)  It's about the only interesting thing about this figure/character from the Joe canon.

Astronauts are among my favorite figures.  The reasons vary from time to time.  But, the notion that you could get astronaut figures in a line that was, otherwise, military was a great way to expand the core G.I. Joe concept.  My affair with the action figure began in 1978 with my first Kenner C-3P0 figure.  The science fiction element of Star Wars appealed to me.  As I got older, though, I found that play more based in realism was more to my liking.  G.I. Joe astronauts enabled me to appease both facets.  I had realistic space based figures, but could use them in science fiction settings.  I desperately wanted a Payload for part of 1987 when I added an old Slave I ship to my Joe vehicle stable.  Payload would have been the perfect pilot.  Without him, I settled for Knockdown.  The limitations of that figure quickly ended the Star Wars/G.I. Joe vehicle crossovers and my interest in the line diminished.

The Payload mold was used for the two American figures in 1987 and 1989.  After that, the mold was sent down to Brazil where Estrela released the Crusader with a version of Payload named Orbita.  Orbita was, basically, the same as the '89 Payload, but is still a fun figure to find.  Hasbro planned to bring Payload back in 1993.  Early 1993 Star Brigade cardbacks featured an airbrushed 1987 Payload mold, colored in a green and black color scheme.  With the mold being in Brazil, though, Hasbro could not use for the 1993 figure.  So, they chose the 1992 Eco Warriors Barbecue mold as the Payload repaint and promptly created three unique paint schemes for the figure that was released in the two years of the Star Brigade line.  It's likely that this original mold would have seen the ad naseum repaint treatment has Hasbro found it.  It would be interesting to see what a trio of late run releases that would have been clearance fodder would have done to the value of the first two Payload figures.  Especially if the final three repaints were deemed to be better paint jobs.  It's likely that they would have greatly devalued these figures from the 1980's.  But, we'll never know.

1989 Payloads are no where near as expensive as 1987 figures.  The figure is still not overly easy to find, though.  Mint and complete with filecard figures sell between $30 and $45.  That's about half the amount of the 1987, but still pretty pricey.  Every astronaut aficionado needs to have at least one version of the original Payload mold in their collection.  He's unique and offers something that 1993 and 1994 Star Brigade figures do not.  But, if you're going to do a high dollar purchase for a version of this mold, the higher priced 1987 is a better figure and is worth the extra money.  This yellow version is a nice placeholder and has uses.  But, that's a small fate for a figure with such a high price-tag.  I was able to get my copies of this figure back in the days before they got overly pricey.  I'm grateful for that since it is a great mold and I'm a sucker for space figures.  Some day, I'll have a full Defiant.  Until then, these figures wait for their turn to be out on prominent display.

1994 Payload - Black & Blue Version

Fortunately for Star Brigade, most collectors still hold the Eco Warriors as the worst subset ever in the Joe line. If there had been no Eco Warriors, though, Star Brigade would surely hold that dubious honor. If you are looking at the Star Brigade figures from 1993, this reputation is probably somewhat justified. However, if you look at the 1994 Star Brigade offerings, you see that while the colors are bright, the figures themselves are appealing in many ways. As a team, they have a cohesiveness that is aesthetically pleasing while using molds that complement each other and that are visually interesting. I have long been an ardent supporter of the Star Brigade concept and think the figures deserve another look from most collectors.

Originally, this mold was not intended for use as Payload. If you look at the back of the earliest 1993 Star Brigade cardbacks, you will see a V1 Payload mold painted in green and black. This was the original intention for the Payload figure and would have made sense in a series of astronauts. However, Hasbro could not locate the V1 Payload mold (most likely because it was in Brazil where Estrela released it as Orbita) so they dusted off the Barbeque mold from the now cancelled Eco Warriors line and used it for Payload.

In the spring of 1995, I purchased my first 1993 green Payload at a KB Toy Liquidators in Indianapolis. Initially, I wanted to use the figure as a pilot as, at that time, I was really interested in pilot figures. After I got him home, though, I found the figure's design was not in line with what I wanted from a pilot. However, it was in line with another specialty that had long been part of my collection.   When I was a kid, I used Joe army builders. I felt that the Joes would need bailing out in certain situations and that they had a highly trained support force that was available to help them on large missions. These "Special Missions Commandos" (Yes, they were named after the Joe comic of the same title. I was 12....) were represented by the 1983 Ace figure as I felt they would wear suits capable of deep sea diving or surviving gaseous environments.

My Ace figure got lots of use due to this assigned role and eventually died from overuse. When I looked at the '93 Payload, though, the similarities between his design and the original Ace became apparent to me. So, I updated my specialty unit to now be only comprised of Payload figures. I give them all various grey or dark blue versions of the weapons that were included with Payload and give them either Torpedo's or Psyche Out's backpack. The resulting look is a specialty unit that is more modern, more militaristic and very useful.   As this figure has 3 distinct coloring variations, I use each paint scheme for a different specialty. The green figures are the most basic combat troops. The white figures are more geared towards rescue or medical operations. This blue figure, though, is somewhat problematic for me. I never really had a role into which he fit. As he is the hardest to find, though, this Payload has ended up being the unit commander for both other colors of figures. Much like the colored clone commanders, this figure uses his color as a designation of rank. It's a somewhat useless designation, but does explain the color differences and allows me to use the rarer figure as someone a bit more prominent than the more common army builders.

The exact origins of this figure are not known. In 6 years of searching and after having viewed hundreds of carded Payload figures, I have come to the conclusion that the black and blue Payload was only released on a 1994 Star Brigade card. He did not appear on the '93 cards as some collectors may suggest. This is puzzling, though, as this figure uses the same paint masks as the '93 Payload yet the '94 Payload card art clearly depicts the red, white and blue Payload that is the more commonly seen '94 figure. It is possible that the blue trimmed figures were either early samples to test the paint mask, or later samples to test the blue paint. Hasbro then made enough of them that they just went ahead and released them in the earliest shipments of '94 Star Brigade Series 1 figures. Of course, that's all speculation as no official information has ever surfaced in regards to this figures origins. The other notable change in the figure, though, is the clear visor. Every green 1993 Payload I have seen has a yellowed visor. However, the blue versions feature clear visors. So, it could have simply been a visor test in an attempt to get clear plastic.

The 1994 Star Brigade figures were split into 2 series. The first series is more common, though you are starting to hear some complaining among collectors at how it is somewhat difficult to track down a few of Series 1 figures like the orange Star Brigade Roadblock. Series 2, though, was the short produced wave that featured the 3 Lunartix aliens. Supposedly, these figures were limited to a production run of only 10,000 figures. While the aliens themselves aren't too hard to find, the three Joes who shared a case with them: Countdown, Ozone and Effects, have become rather difficult to find. As such, you don't see too many complete 1994 Star Brigade Joe displays. You will see a figure here or there, but it's rare to find a collector who has taken the time to assemble the complete team, loose. This is nice as it allows you a way to distinguish your collection a bit if you do have the full array of Star Brigade figures. (I know that when I view pictures of other's collections, my personal measuring stick is how many obscure 1993-1994 figures they have out on display.) It can also be frustrating, though, to track down all the figures and then find a place to display them if you do not own the Defiant.

All of the 1994 Star Brigade figures are somewhat hard to find. None were produced in great quantities and many collectors were long gone by that time so they are figures that are often absent from modern collections. The fact that this was a paint variant that was quickly replaced with white version of Payload leaves the black and blue figure as one of the harder figures to find in the entire line. That isn't to say he's rare or anything, though. If you go looking for this figure, you'll find him soon enough and he will likely be cheap. If you just hope for one to show up as part of random purchases over the years, though, that is less likely to happen as this isn't a figure you see too often. Since Payload is Star Brigade, though, he is always cheap. While I've seen MOC versions of this figure sell for over $20, I've also bought loose samples for $1. The price at any given time will reflect who is in the market. If only a few people are actively searching for this figure, you will probably find him MOC (which is still the easiest way to acquire him) for rather cheap. If you are at a time when a more than a few collectors are looking for this version, then you might see the MOC price closer to the $20. But, those prices are usually short lived. As Star Brigade will never be considered a must have subset by the collecting community as a whole, you will never see the figures priced in accordance with their rarity in relation to figures from the rest of the line. The demand will simply never be there. If you are like me, though, and find the redeeming qualities in the Star Brigade line, the cheap prices make it easy to start, finish and multiply your astronaut collection. I know that I have done so for years now.

1987 Payload

Just about every collector out there has a "Holy Grail" in their collection. It is that one piece that they have sought after for a long period of time but, for some reason, have not been able to acquire. Usually, a grail is either a very rare or very expensive piece that either does not appear for sale all that often, or requires a great deal of saving over time. In other cases, though, a grail is just an item that should, on the surface, be easy to find. This was my situation. Long time readers of this site know that I used to post my collecting goals for each year. Some goals were ambitious. Others were less so. One common goal that ran through my attempts at defining what I wanted to do with my collection in a given year was the acquisition of a 1987 Payload figure. Most of you know that I am a Star Brigade junkie and consider space themed figures my favorite subset of the line. The original Payload figure is the pinnacle of the space themed Joes. Aside from starting it all, he features a great mold and is rather difficult to find. I narrowly missed acquiring a Payload almost a dozen times. Often, I just didn't want to pay more than $15 or so for him and would end up outbid by just a dollar. Other times, I would get distracted at the time the auction was ending and miss my sniping opportunity. After a while, though, Payload became that elusive grail item in my collection. For years, he stood as my number most wanted figure. When the time came that I finally added him to my collection, I found the wait most worth it.

Payload figures were only available with the Defiant. Unlike Keel-Haul or the AVAC, Payload was never available as a mail away figure. (There are some bagged Payloads out there, but these are more likely salesman samples rather than actual mail in figures.) The Defiant was also a harder find than earlier large playsets. The USS Flagg was fairly ubiquitous at retail in late 1985. The Terrordrome was less so, but I still remember seeing them. The Defiant, though, was not as common. It is the most ambitious playset Hasbro ever created in the Joe line and was the most expensive. While it was grand in scope, though, its reception at retail was not so. The Defiant failed to make the impact on toy buyers that the USS Flagg and even the Terrordrome had. Even among collectors today, far more can boast of complete Flaggs or Terrordromes in their collection than can for Defiants. For a myriad of reasons, the Defiant was never the stalwart of the Joe line that I'm sure Its designers had hoped for. All this has made Payload and Hardtop among the rarest figures of the entire line.

After its release in 1987, the Payload mold was pulled out again in 1989. A yellow version of Payload was released with the Crusader Space Shuttle. My feeling is that this vehicle was released as a way to help recoup more of the design costs for the Defiant. It was much cheaper than the Defiant and offered a way for Hasbro to make money back on both the figure mold and the vehicle. Shortly after the Crusader was done in the US, it was released in Brazil. Payload was included with this international release, too, though in colors nearly identical to the '89 American figure. Again, this would help offset design costs. The final appearance of this figure mold, though, came in 1993. This version of Payload was supposed to be released instead of the recolored Eco-Warriors Barbeque. Early 1993 Star Brigade packaging shows a green and black '87 mold Payload. However, if you look at the photo closely, you can tell that the picture has actually been airbrushed to look black and green. (They couldn't even hand paint an existing figure!) Hasbro never had the mold back in their possession so they scrapped their plan and just went with later edition mold that they had handy. My guess is that this mold is still down in Brazil and is not available for Hasbro to re-use.

I had an '89 Payload in my collection long before I acquired an '87. As such, I was able to appreciate the mold even though I did not yet have the figure I consider to be the most important piece of any Joe astronaut collection. It is this original Payload, though, that I use most. His better colors and greater historical significance have made him a much larger part of my collection that his more brightly colored successors. His mold makes him look more like a traditional astronaut than the more combat-oriented Star Brigade figures. As such, he is a more realistic portrayal of a true shuttle pilot and is more in line with the Joe releases of his time. He is not the whacked-out science fiction type character who goes off to battle aliens. Instead, he is a more traditional astronaut who looks the part in both mold and accessories.

My lone remaining Holy Grail of Joedom is a complete Defiant playset. At some point I hope to have one and finally be able to put my legions of Star Brigade figures to constant use. Until that point, my Payload won't see a whole lot of use. He is simply biding his time until he can take his rightful place at the helm of the Defiant. In the meantime, I use Payload as a test pilot or consultant. He is a Colonel and would be among the highest ranking Joes. So, Payload can be seen, from time to time, conferring with my Joe leadership. However, as I don't have him out of his space suit, he does look a bit awkward. He also gets used, albeit seldomly, as a radioactive worker who deals with nuclear elements that Cobra tries to steal. That is mostly an excuse so I can use the mold in an earthly setting. The figure is just so well done that leaving him in his drawer seems like a waste.

If you want a mint, complete Payload, be ready to pay for him. These days, a really nice one will set you back at least $50 with some going for even higher. The good news is, if you can find one in a second hand shop, a lot of those places may not know what they have and will sell him for less. I will say, though, that doing that is going to be tough. There just aren't a lot of Payload figures out there. If you just want the character or the mold, I recommend finding an '89 Payload figure. The figure and accessories are the same. He is just a different color and a lot cheaper. For those completists out there, if you don't have a Payload, I wish you luck. While he's not impossible to find, he is a challenge and the competition for a nice specimen can be fierce. He is, though, worth it as Payload remains the pinnacle of the Joe space-themed figures. Now, I just wish I could pick up a few more of them!

With Payload in my collection, my Joe astronaut series is complete. Is there a specific area of the line you concentrate on? Let me know.

1993 Star Brigade Payload

When I was a kid, I decided that G.I. Joe needed army builders. While we have already explored figures like Recoil and Salvo, they were later additions to my collection. In the mid '80's my army builders for the Joe side were relegated to a custom I frankensteined out of Airborne, Ripcord, and Duke. I decided, though, that I needed an elite unit. The guys I used were cannon fodder. I needed some guys that were the creme de la creme of the enlisted units and were only a solid mission or two away from becoming full fledged Joes. As G.I. Joe Special Missions had just started up, I named them Special Missions Commandos. The figure I used to represent these guys was the 1983 Ace figure. I loved that figure, but didn't like only using him as a pilot. I always thought his uniform made him look like a deep sea diver, so I had taken to using him as such. Since I wanted my Special Missions guys to be able to handle any environment, I naturally turned to Ace. I outfitted him with Torpedo's backpack and Sci Fi's gun. He became the elite unit trooper of which I was so desperately in search. As time progressed, though, I loved the idea of the Special Missions, but Ace was dying a slow death. His joints were all too loose, his crotch broke, and, the final straw, I broke his thumb and he could no longer hold a gun. I kept the concept of the Special Missions alive for many years, but lacked a figure who could fill the role. In 1995, I walked into a discount toy store and found several 1993 Star Brigade figures on clearance for $2.00 each. When I saw Payload, my search for a new Special Missions Commando was over.

This guy is just about perfect. The mold is very basic, but the colors are great. Unlike many of the other Star Brigade figures that utilize light colors or neon, this guy is just green, black, and silver. He can easily be used in combat situations. The minute I got him, he became a crew member on my Sharc 9000. I use him primarily as a deep sea combat diver. While Deep Six is a rescue trooper, this guy is purely combat. I've given him Psyche Out's backpack and the blue pistol that comes with the 1993 Muskrat. It gives him a slight sci fi look without being too over the top. I've also found that the pack from Deep Six or the Hydro Viper also works very well with him. Just about any dark air tank pack and dark weapon look good with this guy. His color scheme is very inviting for most of the Joe accessories that came out in the earlier days of the line. Since dark weapons look so good with him, Hasbro, of course, included a neon pink weapon tree for him. This awesome figure carrying a neon pink gun doesn't do much for his macho image. Muskrat comes with darker versions of Payload's weapon tree so the guns work perfectly. Once properly outfitted, this guy just screams for use. I've spent a good amount of time tracking down multiples just to build my armies. When I can finally get a Defiant, my crew of Payloads will certainly be on the maiden voyage. They work great as divers, pilots, astronauts or combat troops. He is another versatile figure of whom every collection needs many.

Payload is the only 1993 Star Brigade whose color scheme was worse in 1994. All the other re-releases were improvements. Payload, though, has a slight twist to his existence. There are actually 3 Star Brigade versions of him. He came in the black and green trim you see below. He was then re-released in white, red, and blue in 1994. However, sometime in between these two figures, there was a third version made. It is cast in black, but the green trim you see on the figure below is in a dark blue color. Some say this guy was released in 1993 and in 1994. I have found him on 1994 packaging, but have never, ever seen one on 1993 packaging. This is one of the hardest figures to find in the entire run of G.I. Joe figures. He saw a very limited run in a sub series that wasn't all that popular to begin with. I've only seen two of these guys offered loose, but they do appear about once a month or so if you want them carded. The blue trim Payload is one of the most obscure figure variations in the whole line, and is one of the figures many collectors need to complete their collections. In my opinion, though, the black and green version is the best color scheme this mold ever saw. (The same mold was originally cast in red and used for the series 2 Eco Warriors Barbecue in 1992.) The other are good, but the the dark green and black just make a visually pleasing figure to own.

Payload, like all of the 1993 Star Brigade figures, is incredibly easy to find. They came in terrible pink packaging where the G.I. Joe logo was downplayed. As such, most of them found their way to clearance outlets. You can now find them both on the card and loose with great ease and with little expense. (Carded figures, though, tend to have the discount store's price tag still affixed. It is an affliction that affects most of the existing carded samples.) These guys were never popular. The normally articulated '93 Star Brigade figures were readily available at retail well into 1996. The Armor Tech assortment was still available at retail when the Arizona Mills Mall opened around Christmas of 1997. Needless to say, these guys are the figures that doomed the awesome '94 Star Brigade figures. They wouldn't sell even at discounted prices. That is really a shame, as many of the figures are good. At least, though, it allows you to acquire Payoads cheaply and easily. Beware, though, as Payload's face shield tends to yellow. I have 5 of them out of the package and they all have yellowed visors. Finding one with a clear shield is a challenge, but the figure works well regardless. The obscured shield only enhances this guy's position as a faceless minion in my collection, though. Once you have a Payload, though, you realize the army building potential and will welcome any additional specimens into your collection.