My Favorite Accessories - Part 2

Part 1 of this series looked at my favorite weapons from childhood.  This time around, I'll be looking at some of the gear that really drove my second phase of collecting.  This period, technically, covers 1988 through 1997.  During that time, I only was able to find a few figures.  So, you're going to see a cross section of accessories.  And, a few classic items will be missing because, while they were released during this period, I didn't acquire them until 1998 or later.  Some of these items appeared in my early teen years when I wasn't collecting or buying Joes, but my youngest brother still was.  So, the limited exposure to them made them loom larger than they otherwise might have.

Early Adult Favorites:

1. Duke/Stalker/Others MP-5 inspired rifle

As I returned to Joe collecting in the mid 1990's, I spent most of my time tracking down the remnants of the line at various retail stores.  Among the first figures I found was the 1993 Duke.  This is a solid figure.  But, the main source of interest in him was the "new" weapons on his tree.  While I was passingly familiar with Muskrat's shotgun (someday I'll tell that story...), the other weapons were ones I had never before seen.  As far as I was concerned, they were completely new sculpts.  It was the MP-5 inspired weapon that piqued my interest, though.  It looked great with Duke.  It was somehow both compact and large.  This was accomplished by having the overall footprint be small while giving the weapon a larger barrel.  I turned this into a story element.  These newer weapons became "Generation 4" weapons.  They were more powerful and could carry more ammo than earlier weapon designs.  As they were new, they were limited to only the highest ranking Joes.  Eventually, Cobra got some and gave them to elite troopers, too.  As I got more and more 1993 and 1994 figures, the weapons became less special.  And, with more colors in tow, the MP-5 like weapon became one of my favorite standards across my Joes.

Even today, this is my favorite weapon to use with 1993 and 1994 figures.  It exists in a plethora of colors...some rarer than others.  But, you can get it in black, gold, yellow, purple and other colors with a bit of looking around.  It remains one of my key weapons.  And, I'll always pick up a new one if the price is right.  I have unfulfilled plans of being able to outfit the entire 1993 carded lineup with these weapons for a photo at some point.  I'm not quite there on the right number of them in my collection, yet, though.

2. Annihilator Pistol

I first saw this weapon at the home of some family friends who had some younger children.  I remember it being awesome.  Around 1995 or 1996, I found my first Annihilator at a flea market in southern Ohio.  I picked him up for the rifle.  Once in hand, it reminded me of the awesome weapons from G.I. Joe #36 back in 1985.  In short order, I bought as many Annihilators as I could find.  The figure was "new" to me and I loved the portable helicopter.  I saw them as the airborne division of the Alley Vipers and they made up a key ingredient in my early notion of Cobra urban death squads.  With plenty of his weapons in hand, I had them available for use with any other figure I wanted.

And, with them in hand, my fascination with the weapon ended.  It was difficult to make the weapon look good with other figures.  And, it was a bit bigger than I had remembered.  It was less of a one handed pistol and more of a two handed weapon that switched up my notion of the weapon's versatility.  I still find it the necessary weapon for Annihilators.  But, I've long since sold off my army of that figure.  I have a couple of spares of the weapon, though, still hanging around.  I'll use them with another figure from time to time.  I do need to get a photo of it in the hands of a Fred to mimic that old comic.  

3. Hit & Run  Rifle

This one is a bit of a cheat.  I actually did own Hit and Run when I was a kid.  I bought three 1988 figures before I quit toys.  And, Hit and Run was one of them.  I immediately fell in love with his rifle.  But, I didn't to use it very often as I left  my Hit and Run hanging on a wall at my grandparents' house shortly after I got him.  Once the figure was recovered, though, my Joes were put away.  So, it was on rare occasion when I'd get them out.  Inevitably, Hit and Run would be among the figures chosen, though.  Part of it was the sheer quality of the figure.  Part was his amazing rope & grappling hook bag.  And, the final piece was his rifle.  Everything about it seemed perfect.  It had a long clip to store extra ammo.  It was compact enough to be used in close quarters.  And, the figures just held it perfectly.  I wanted to use it with pretty much every one of my favorite figures during this time.  But, I had just one sample with no way to acquire more.

That changed in the mid 1990's as weapon trees began to proliferate.  The real joy was finding extra samples of this rifle being included on weapon trees of 1993 and 1994 figures.  With this discovery, I was able to acquire an excellent rifle in a variety of colors.  As the weapon was my preferred rifle for the 1994 Shipwreck, I came to see it as a standard rifle used by all sorts of Joe themed army builders.  So, having it in cream with Snow Storm and even red with Outback allowed some consistency on the weapons used by the troops who supported the Joes.  Note that this weapon is often confused with the 1992 Shockwave rifle.  They are similar, but not the same.  Also, some late run 1994 figures featured the rifle but with a blocked out trigger guard.  Those aren't bad.  But, I do prefer the original design.

Now the rifle is ubiquitous.  And, I had so many of them that it's become a bit passe.  But, the early 2000's brought some weapons into the mainstream to a point where they started to get stale.  Hit and Run's weapon was one of them.  And, while I still love it, I don't see it as the staple for every figure as I once envisioned nearly 30 years ago.  But, I do still find uses for it and you'll see it being carried by other figures in some photos around the site.

4. Bullhorn's Mask

My youngest brother got a Bullhorn in 1990.  I believe he was  the only 1990 figure that we ever had.  While his rifle was amazing and everyone still goes ga-ga over his weapon case backpack, I found the real value in him was his gas mask.  I love gas masks.  And, as a kid, I lamented that the only ones you could get were either Ripcord's airmask or Lifeline's rescue mask.  I gave them to pilots, troopers navigating gassed caves and just to anyone I wanted to look cool.  But, they had limitations (like the hose you had to plug in for it to look good) and always left me wanting more.

Bullhorn's mask, though, solved this problem.  It was a self contained piece and was sculpted with the air filter right on it.  When placed on the figure's head, Bullhorn could be a faceless army builder.  I now had a way for more figures to be outfitted with protective masks.  Unfortunately, though, the specific design of Bullhorn's mask made it so that it was form fitted for Bullhorn's head.  And, that made it difficult or impossible to really use the mask with a variety of other figures.  And, this limited the mask's use.  But, the overall design still works.  I've since found Bullhorn to be a more boring figure than I'd remembered.  The mask, though, overcomes this and keeps the figure relevant to me.  I just wish it was a little more flexible for use on a wider variety of figures.

5. Spearhead's Rifle

I do not know how this weapon entered into our collection.  We never had a 1988 Spearhead.  But, at some point, his rifle appeared among our toys.  It was likely left by one of my brother's friends.  As soon as I saw it, though, the rifle simply enthralled me.  Mostly, this was because it was new.  But, also, the rifle featured a couple of key design elements that I found among the cooler features of Joe accessories.  First, it had a bayonet.  But, we'll talk more about this, later.  The second, and more important feature, was the strap.  I had long loved strapped weapons.  They allowed your figure to carry their weapon without having to always be holding it in their hand.  I never like my Joes climbing a rope if they didn't have a strap on their gun because it wasn't realistic to just have their weapon magically appear at the top if they didn't have a means to carry it.  It's weird what unrealistic elements bothered me when I was a kid and which didn't affect me at all.

Back to the bayonet, though.  While I really liked bayonets, the piece on Salvo's rifle made the weapons footprint rather large.  And, at some point in the early 1990's, I wanted a knife for some figure.  The bayonet on Salvo's rifle was of sufficient size to work as a knife for a figure.  So, since the weapon wasn't key to any complete figure in my collection, I snipped off the bayonet and gave the knife to someone.  The paired down rifle was then smaller and looked even better with the figures to whom I gave it.  At various points, I've found the snipped bayonet and wondered who's knife it was.  Usually, I then remember that I cut this off from the original weapon.  I'm 99% sure that the bayonet is still sitting in a plastic baggie of superfluous edged weapons stored in a shoebox in the basement closet.  And, you'll see the snipped version of the rifle in a photo below.

In the early 1990's, I gave this weapon that mysteriously appeared in our home to a figure who also had a similar origin: Salvo.  I don't know where Salvo came from.  And, our figure just had the helmet.  So, it was another likely leave behind from some unknown friend of my brother.  But, Salvo and Spearhead's gun just seemed to mesh.  And, without having Salvo's real accessories, it made sense for him to have this borrowed weapon.  So, between 1991, or so, and 1999, Salvo always carried Spearhead's rifle.  In fact, if you can find really old Salvo photos on the site, you'll see him carrying it.  To this day, I more associate Spearhead's rifle with Salvo than I do with Spearhead.  But, that's because Salvo is an awesome figure and Spearhead is...not.

Really, these were the dark days of Joe.  I didn't collect for several years.  And, when I got back into things, I was chasing the dregs of the line at retail while also scouring out the not ready for primetime flea market scene that define the pre-internet days.  You didn't find a lot of Joes back then.  And, those that you did find were often those from my childhood years.  Meaning they were figures I already owned.  So, it was hard to find items I didn't have already.  

There were many more, better accessories that were released in this time.  But, I didn't really acquire them until my collector phase began in earnest around 1998.  We'll explore those in the final installment in a few months.  Until then, though, what are some of your favorite accessories from this time?  Let me know in the comments below.

1989 Arctic Tundra Stalker - Random Photos of the Day

The 1989 Stalker might be the best 2nd version of any character in the Joe line.  He's just about a perfect figure.  His sculpting is great, his colors make sense.  And, his gear is nothing short of spectacular.  I've been fortunate to get him out in the snow this year.  So, I was finally able to take advantage of his gear and showcase him in his intended element.  He's definitely a figure I'll continue to use as the weather allows.

Action Force Stalker - Around The Web

The Action Force line is fairly large and features some great 5 points of articulation figures as well as some great vehicles.  As the line ended and was going to transition to G.I. Joe, Palitoy repainted a large contingent of Hasbro vehicle molds.  Among them was a black VAMP repaint.  The later releases of this jeep included a repainted Hasbro G.I. Joe figure, too.  In this case, the figure was a 1983 Snake Eyes repaint that was named Stalker.

This leads to all sorts of confusion as it's difficult to refer to the character Stalker but meaning the classic Snake Eyes.  So, most collectors simply use the figure as an updated Snake Eyes.  And, prior to 1997, it was the only Snake Eyes figure with painted details.  That, of course, changed in 1997.  And, since then, the V1 Snake Eyes has been repainted many, many times: all with different paint applications.  They are better than this Stalker figure.  But, Stalker still has the distinction of being the first and also part of the highly popular Action Force line.

The figure appears from time to time.  So, check out all the content I could find regarding the Action Force Stalker.

Action Force Stalker Profile

Action Force Stalker at the Attica Gazette

Action Force Panther Profile

Action Force Stalker by viper_space

Action Force Stalker 00zxcvb

Action Force Stalker by yo_grenadiers

Action Force Stalker by atticagazette

Action Force Stalker by v1per_p1lot

Action Force Stalker by Olly Orc

Action Force Stalker by viper_space

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.

Hasbro Pulse - June 8th, 2022 Reveals

It's that time again where Hasbro does a G.I. Joe livestream and showcases their new products.  This is an exciting time since they usually have a little something for everyone.  Today was no different.  There were a bunch of Classified announcements, including that the next G.I. Joe Haslab will be for Classified.  To me, that's good news.  I'd like the Skystriker in hand before I have to front the cash for another Haslab.

For me, though, there were two main announcements today.  One, Duke and Cobra Commander, was something we have known about for a while.  Now, though, we will be able to pre-order later today and we got a look at the plethora of accessories that are included with the figures.  The second announcement was new.  It's Stalker with a Transformer that turns into the AWE Striker.  I hate this.  I hate this because I don't collect Transformers and I'm now paying $70 to get a figure that I really want. I would have built a small Stalker army since he's such a personal favorite.  Now, I'll get one.

I want to rant more about this.  But, the reality is that the Megatron sold well.  And, it got way more press than a Cobra army builder two-pack that still hasn't sold out after months of pre-orders.  So, the Transformers/G.I. Joe hybrids are likely here to stay.  I'd rather get a real AWE Striker than a Transforming one.  But, there's lots of crossover between Joe and Transformers collectors.  So, a good number of collectors will be happy to see this.

On to the items.

Duke Vs. Cobra Commander:

We knew this two pack was coming.  We saw mock ups several months ago.  Now, though, we're seeing pretty close to final figures along with packaging and all the extra gear.

Cobra Commander looks pretty good.  It's definitely a cartoon based color scheme.  But, this is the first really different take on this mold we've seen since 1984.  So, that's exciting.  In looking at his gear, it seems he includes a new staff and a tablet.  He also has a rifle instead of his standard pistol in the blister.  I assume this a cartoon thing.  And, new weapons are always welcomed.

Duke is less impressive.  His grin is now massive and is exaggerated far too much.  Beyond that, though, the figure looks to showcase an array of 1997 colors.  And, that's not a good thing.  The helmet is shiny and the figure's colors look way too bright.  We'll see how the final piece looks.  But, I'm not as enthused about this figure as I was, originally.  His gear, though, almost makes up for it.  You'll see his full 1984 complement of weapons with the helmet, pack, binoculars and green M-32.  But, he also get's the standard Snow Job rifle, a bazooka and a jetpack based on the JUMP.  It appears that instead of using the standard backpack peg, this jet pack has a harness that goes over Duke.  We'll see how the final configuration appears.  But, it looks like a big upgrade.  I would love an accessories pack to be able to get a few more of them.

For reference, here is the original mock up photo from a couple of months ago:

Stalker:

I hate the Tranformers crossovers.  I don't collect Transformers and don't like paying an exhorbitant surcharge for including them with Joes.  I'm in the minority on this point, though, as Megatron sold well.  But, I love Stalker and seeing him appear is amazing.  But, instead of army building a couple of them as he's one of my favorite figures, I'll just get one since I have to pay in excess of $70 for a Bumblebee in which I have ZERO interest.

But, these offerings are probably the future because they sell well and lots of people who aren't old curmudgeons really like them.  I'll buy one, too.  So, I'm the real sucker when we get down to it.

Overall, not an overwhelming day.  But one where I'm going to drop nearly $200 for the privilege of getting these figures in the mail in 6 to 8 months.  But, that's toy collecting in 2020 in a nutshell.

1983 Stalker - Around The Web

Stalker is one of the most visually distinctive members of the Original 13 Joes.  His character is just below Snake Eyes as one of the most important in the G.I. Joe franchise.  And, fittingly, there's a lot of content out there on the original release of the character.  Sadly, original Stalker figures are getting brittle.  So, there's more risk when you take one out for a photo shoot.  But, the original is worth it as he brings life to any photo.  Here's the best of the 1983 Stalker from around the web.

1983 Stalker Profile

1983 Stalker by gen_liederkranz

1983 Stalker by Flint

1983 Stalker at Whenitwascool.com

1983 Stalker a JoeADay.com

1983 Stalker by gijoedirt76

1983 Stalker by actionfigurefotos

1983 Stalker Video Review by Michael Mercy

Stalker by masterbungle

1983 Stalker Video Review by Formbx257

Stalker by slipstream80

Stalker by floydarmstrong.9083

Stalker at 3DJoes.com

1983 Stalker - The Power of Packaging at JoeADay.com

1983 Stalker by themichaelmercy

1983 Stalker by gi_joeisthere

1983 Stalker by playfulmonkeycosplay

2005 Comic Pack Stalker

The Comic Packs were an ingenious idea.  They were a cheap way to sell kids a lot of toys with a built in story.  But, more importantly, they were a way to get collectors some figures that they had been clamoring for since the beginning of the internet.  Sadly, though, the promise of the Comic Packs was wasted with poor figure choices.  The most damning release in the first few packs, though, was the reuse of Stalker in the first wave of 2005 packs while the first use of him was still collecting dust on pegs around the country.

Hasbro was clear that the Oktober Guard wave of Comic Packs saw a truncated production run.  For about a month in the spring of 2005, you could easily find them.  Then, they were gone.  Usually, when this happened, more would show up a few months later.  But, that didn't happen with the Oktober Guard packs.  Collectors of the day were, mostly, able to find them.  But, within a few months, Horrorshow began to appreciate a bit on the secondary market.  This was a pre-cursor to what was going to happen over the next 15 years.  Slowly, the Oktober Guard packs increased in value.  Horrorshow would spike and then come back down a bit.  But, it was a slow progression to where, in 2021, he's more than a $100 figure.  Which, frankly, is insane.  But, modern collectors aren't keen on the actual availability of the figure at the time of his release and mistake current market scarcity for real rarity.  You see it with a lot of the 2000's era Joe releases as well as Funskool and even some Plastirama stuff.  The market, though, should be correcting soon.

Stalker got a lot of re-issues in the repaint era.  The best, though, is the 1997 figure.  And, it's really not even close.  The Vietnam figure is next in line.  It's the best use of this new head.  This 2005 figure and the 2004 figure upon which he's based just don't stack up.  They offer nothing that you can't get in a different figure that was done better.  The green on this 2005 version is nice.  But, it was so close on the heels of the 2004 version that it seemed overdone the second it hit the shelves.  The painted details are pretty strong, though.  If you can forgive the yellow boots, his knife and grenade are painted silver.  But, the grenade has a black handle.  It's an unnecessary detail that gives the figure more depth than a single colored weapon would have.  The red collar is similar.  It's not essential.  But, because it's there, this Stalker isn't as monochromatic in appearance as the 1983 original.

This Stalker holds but one memory.  Around 2013, my parents moved out of the home in which I grew up.  They had owned the house for over 40 years.  So, there was a ton of crap to remove.  I hoped I'd find an old Joe figure or two and snap a couple of last pictures in the backyard.  But, none showed up.  So, I set out upon a quest to hit up a couple of local flea markets I remembered from the old days.  I struck out at the first couple.  But, the last, and largest provided a single score.  Here, I found a bag that included a bunch of military dollar store junk figures along with mint copies of Horrorshow, Stormavik and this Stalker.  The price?  $1.  So, I snatched them up and took them back to get a final pic of them in the yard.  Sadly, the pics really didn't turn out.  So, I've never posted them.  But, that's the only memory this Stalker holds for me.  (Oh, and the cheap, generic figures in the bag?  They are now at my mother's new house where my nieces and nephews still play with them.)

The Comic Packs all had bad gear: at least until they switched over the DTC.  But, at retail, the packs just featured a hodge-podge of weapons that sometimes might make a bit of sense but otherwise were just crap that Hasbro could cheaply pump into production.  This Stalker did include the newly sculpted M-16 that had debuted a year earlier.  While not a great weapon for Stalker, it was always nice to get another version of this weapon.  He then also included a remake of the 1990 Ambush's rifle.  It's not a bad weapon.  But, outside of Ambush, I see it as a Cobra weapon.  (I got a version of it with my 1994 Flint and gave it to a 1994 Viper back in 1995 or 1996.)  Despite having Stalker's M-32 mold in 1997, Hasbro never released it with another Stalker figure after that.  This was a shame as I still associate that weapon with Stalker and he looks off with any other guns.

These days, this Stalker will sell for $30.  That's stupidly high.  The figure isn't that good.  And, this is the type of figure that will fall precipitously when the market corrects.  Carded versions, though, will cost nearly $200.  But, almost all of that value is in the Horrorshow figure with the remainder in Stormavik.  If you're going to drop serious money on a Comic Pack Stalker, buy the Vietnam version.  It's more expensive, but a substantially better figure.  The 2004 figure that uses the same mold can be purchased for about 1/5 the price of the darker green version, too. So, there's still a cheap option to get the head if it's something you want.  For me, this is an example of the folly of new collectors.  There's enough of these figures out there and not too many people really like it.  But, it appears "rare" to those who are new to the hobby and you see prices that far outweigh the figure's demand.  It makes this an easy figure to skip.

1992 Talking Battle Commanders Stalker - Around The Web

The 1992 Talking Battle Commanders Stalker is a pretty solid mold with a weird head.  Sadly, this is the best coloring of the figure.  We did get one repaint in 2003.  But, that Tiger Force version also has limitations.  There's enough on this guy out there to enjoy.  But, there's so many other Stalker figures that are better that it's kind of rare to see this version be featured.  Here's the best of the 1992 Talking Battle Commander Stalker from around the web.

1992 Stalker Profile

1992 Stalker by fun_time_at_serpentors_lair

1992 Stalker by 73lairbear

1992 Stalker by bruxovigo

1992 Stalker by Slipstream80

1992 Stalker by darkstar_vintage

1992 Stalker by fun_time_at_serpentors_lair

1992 Stalker by Lava Boss

1994 Stalker - Neon Highlights

 As I hunted down the last bastions of vintage G.I. Joe at retail in the mid 1990's, I used both cardbacks and catalog inserts to tell me which figures I should expect to find.  What these reference materials didn't tell me, though, was the multitude of repaints that also existed on figures.  Some differences, like the 1993 blue and orange vs. the 1994 black and grey Snow Storm were obvious.  Others, like the slightly fewer painted black details on the 1994 Shipwreck were harder to spot.  It was not until online references really got completed in the late 1990's that I was fully able to understand the vast amount of variants and paint differences that exist among figures produced between 1992 and 1994.  Some of these repaints are good, some are bad and most are just...there.  That is the case of this 1994 Stalker.  My experience with the figure from retail was the black and green version that's one of the best figures from the 1990's.  But, the other version...this original release with neon painted highlights also exists.  With a better Stalker figure available, this neon version is easy to skip.  But, it's a quintessentially 1990's toy and that's what makes it fun.

It's no secret that I love this design for Stalker.  He was among the first figures I ever profiled on the site back in 2000.  And, I took another pass at him in early 2013.  Both of those times, though, I focused on the black and green figure.  The base colors are a perfect match for vintage Night Force and, when not overdone, make for a good figure.  I don't want every figure in this color scheme.  But, getting one of the four or five most important characters in the Joe mythos in that scheme was important.  In black, Stalker can better match up with vintage Snake Eyes figures and even meshes well with other figures from 1985 or 1986.  That's a rarity for figures sculpted in the line's final years.  But, it shows how good work that's true to a character can transcend year.

To me, this Stalker perfectly captures the essence of the character as he evolved in the comic.  Here you have Stalker as a powerful fighter.  But, you also see him more out of his Green Beret specialty and more of a urban, covert operative.  This Stalker would take on missions like Borovia and live to return.  He could also fight Cobra in the streets of the U.S. while better blending into the background.  In short, he seems a more commando version of Stalker.  And, for a guy who palled around with Snake Eyes, Stormshadow and Scarlett, that seems like a role to which he's be best suited.  

I found the 1994 Stalker figure at retail.  Mine, though, did not have the neon highlights.  But, quickly, this figure became one of my favorites.  The excellent weapons and sleek design made him on the best figures I found at retail in the mid 1990's.  And, 25 years later, the figure still remains a popular choice for my photos and dios.  Part of that is holdover from him being one of the top two or three figures I had available to me.  But, another part of it is that the figure is just solid and works well in a variety of scenarios.  You know the figure is Stalker, too, and that's a huge help when working with such an iconic character.

In 1994, Hasbro started to experiment with the Joe figure design.  As such, newly sculpted figures like this Stalker have more heft to them.  It was an attempt to slowly upsize the figures to better stand tall against the larger figures that were dominating retail of the mid 1990's.  The most noticeable aspect of this figure is his large torso.  Seeing that Stalker is wearing a tactical vest helps to explain this away.  But, the real issue is that Stalker's arms are lower on his shoulders.  Big shoulders started appearing in 1994 and would have gone to even more extremes in 1995.  When posed with 1993 and 1992 figures, this Stalker's proportions are less obvious.  But, when stood next to 1985 or 1987 figures, the design changes are notable.  The Joe line always evolved.  From swivel arms to ball heads, Hasbro was contantly improving the figures.  By the 1990's, though, the "improvements" were no longer about leading the market and making the best action figure available.  Other properties had surpassed Joe as kind of the retail toy stores.  And, Hasbro spent effort trying to keep up with other companies while still trying to maintain some semblance of connection to the 12 years of toys that preceded the 1994 run.  The result is that this figure doesn't work all that well with many vehicles from the 1980's.  And, for many collectors who grew up in Joe's early years, the proportions seem off enough to dismiss these late figures.  When you understand the evolution of the line, though, that is forgivable.  And, a good figure is a good figure.  This Stalker delivers on that.

In the Star Wars world, the right Country of Origin (COO) stamp on a specific figure can be the difference between a $10 common and a $100+ rarity.  In the Joe world, there are COO variants, too.  Generally, collectors don't much care.  This is due to the size of the vintage Joe line, the obscurity of the differences but also, most importantly, the fact that most Joe COO figures seem to be evenly distributed.  So, it's not materially harder to find one over another.  Most collectors are oblivious to the fact that most of the 1994 Joe line features COO variants.  In the middle of the production timeline, Hasbro moved manufacturing from China to Indonesia.  There doesn't appear to be much, if any, difference in the figure's materials or paint.  But, their is a unique COO stamp for each country. 

With this Stalker, though, it appears that both variants were made in China and this yellow version also saw production in Indonesia.  Longtime collector theory has been that the extra paint applications were removed to save money.  However, the first Stalker figures released on the horizontal cards had no highlights.  The neon highlights started appearing on later Chinese figures that were on the vertical cards.  (There are no highlight figures available on these same cards.)  Then, the highlights carried over to the Indonesia factories.  It's possible that these paint applications were added to make the figure stand out more at retail.  Maybe they were trimmed for initial cost but then added back in later as more production runs warranted additional resources.  It would be interesting to get a final answer from the Hasbro team of that era.

So, there are really three versions of the Stalker figure: no highlights with China COO, yellow highlights with China COO and yellow highlights with Indonesia COO.  For the record, the figure in the photos below is an Indonesia version.  With multiple production runs, it's difficult to know how common one figure is over the other.  Since no on really seems to care, I have no idea if any of the variants are actually harder to find than others.  In my experience, it's hit or miss.  One of my five 1994 Metal Head figures, one is from Indonesia.  But, at the same time, 9 of my 13 1994 Vipers originated there.  So, more work would be needed to truly understand if there's any material difference in availability for one over the others. 

In looking at Stalker's card art, it seems that Hasbro may have had more intended for this figure, though.  You will note that the card art is two tone.  But, in the artwork, Stalker is definitely wearing a vest.  It looks as if the original artist intended for Stalker's short sleeves, grenades, v-neck and turtle neck to also be green.  These changes would have added a tremendous amount of depth to the figure since the well detailed chest is lost in the sea of black color.  Had these colors been applied, the figure's weird neck would be resolved and the too dark chest would have been broken up so you can better see the excellent sculpting of the figure.  It's too bad these weren't the changes that were made to the figure for it's final releases.  Even in a color other than the green to match the legs, these details being changed would have made this figure better stand out among the greats of the line.

Sadly, this Stalker had a short life.  There were the two versions in 1994 and that was it in the vintage line.  In 2002, Hasbro surprised the collecting world when the figure's body re-appeared in the infamous Wave V of the A Real American Hero Collection.  Sadly, this figure was given a new, terrible caucasian head and was colored in drab green.  Again, none of the body's details were painted and the Sidetrack figure is just a pasty blob of green plastic that's been completely forgotten by the collecting world.  Despite Hasbro having access to Stalker, they never repainted this figure again.  The 1992 Stalker appeared in 2003.  And, the 1989 Stalker appeared partially in 2004 and fully in 2005.  Frankly, I can't argue against any of these uses.  Both of those molds are good and worthy of repaints.  I couldn't justify choosing the 1994 over one of them.  Though, this mold's place was in the 2004 Night Force set.  And, replacing the terrible Roadblock figure with this Stalker would have been a great improvement in the set and given this mold a new lease on life.  But, that didn't happen, this mold was criminally underused after being teased and collectors are left with a great example of a figure whose potential was never realized.  But, that's the story of the 2000's era Joes in a nutshell.

One of the great attractions of this figure to me was the fact that he included black weapons.  While the dregs of Joe retail didn't really allow a collector to be choosy, my wallet of time did.  And, as such, I had certain rules for purchasing figures.  Anyone with black weapons was at the top of the list.  So, when I found this Stalker, his weapons were the final hook that landed me.  Getting a childhood favorite character in a cool color scheme in an updated design that was true to his character and included an array of well colored weapons was simply too much.  I bought the figure right away.  It's likely I never found another, though, as I'm sure I would have picked him up for the weapons alone.  Stalker includes the standard black MP-5 inspired weapon from the 1991 Tracker, a version of Muskrat's shotgun and machete, a black stand, a black version of the 1991 Grunt's terrible weapon and the requisite spring loaded missile launcher and missiles.  The launcher is pretty strong, which was fun the one time I used it.  For 1995 me, the shotgun was great, the MP-5 was amazing and the machete was useful.  The launcher went into an Air MOAB shoe box: where it still sits today.  The awful Grunt weapon found use among old, beat up figures who made up roving gangs of thugs that the Joes would beat up on when I needed them to kill some random bad guys who weren't Cobra.  25 years later, this guy's weapon assortment isn't as good as the 1994 Flint or 1994 Shipwreck's.  But, it holds up well enough and the MP-5 is Stalker's iconic weapon whenever I break out this mold.

Pricing for this figure is all over the place.  Dealers ask upwards of $50...trying to cash in on naive collectors who think the yellow highlights constitute a late run, hard to find variant.   You can get mint figures for around $5.  Near complete versions will run $10 or so.  You'll see some mint, complete with filecard versions fetch high prices.  But, many of those are sold by pseudo dealers who always get way over market for their wares.  But, there's plenty of affordable options and market pricing seems to be between $12 and $15 for a mint and complete with filecard figure.  The upside is that you can buy a loose figure and easily complete him from other figures, too.  For cheap, this guy is a must own.  If you're going to pay a bunch of money for a 1994 Stalker, buy the non-neon version.  It's better, easier to find and, usually, a bit cheaper.  But, as an oddity or something just different enough to attract attention, this neon highlight version has a lot of merit, too.

2004 Desert Patrol Stalker

From 2003 through 2005, Hasbro produced exclusive packs of vintage style Joe figures for Toys R Us.  These packs were 6 figures (aside from the first set) and were priced at $20 per set.  They were designed to appeal to collectors, but also be interesting to casual consumers who were looking for a gift at a targeted price point.  I am both an ardent supporter and harsh critic of these figure releases.  I loved that we got vintage style Joes.  But, in almost every case, the actual figures that were released left something to be desired.  In looking back a the sets now, I see that many of them had one or two great figures.  But, those were offset by an equal number of terrible figures.  This dichotomy lead to me overlooking many of the figures in these sets from a review standpoint.  In the 16 years since these sets started shipping, I've looked many members of these sets: mostly Cobras, though.  For the Joes, I usually hit one or two sample and then move on.  For the Desert Patrol set from 2004, I've only reviewed the Snake Eyes figure.  And, that was a half hearted pseudo profile.  The highlight of the Desert Patrol has had to wait more than 15 years to get a moment in the spotlight.  But, the Stalker figure from this set is one of the best toys that Hasbro produced during the repaint era and deserves some praise.

It's not 100% true that this figure has waited so long to appear on this site.  In late 2005, the unproduced version of this figure (with white skin and blonde hair) was one of my entries.  That profile was mostly about the rare oddity of the figure, though.  It didn't touch on the overall quality of the Hasbro release.  When looking at this Stalker, though, it really only has a single flaw: the unpainted mustache.  Hasbro was terrible at painting facial hair.  I suppose this was a function of them either attempting to make the figure distinct, or just trying to save a fraction of a penny.  The upside is that a missed mustache is easily fixable.  But, I'm not someone who enjoys altering things on a figure that should have been done right the first time.  But, the rest of the figure is such high quality that I will overlook a small flaw.

The Desert Patrol set was released in a flurry of Joe activity.  Starting in 2002 and continuing through 2004, Hasbro flooded the second half of the year with heavy releases.  They would release two figure waves in the first six months of the year and then bombard the market with three or four additional waves, exclusives and vehicles in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the year.  This made sense from a retail perspective since holiday purchases drove toy sales and Joe, at the time, was geared towards kids and their parents.  For collectors, though, this left some choices.  In the final months of 2004, collectors had not only retail two pack army builders that were released, but a TRU exclusive VAMP set with three vintage style figures, the KB Toys exclusive Operation Crimson Sabotage, but also a TRU exclusive Ninja Strike set that brought about the long awaited return of the 1984 Stormshadow mold.  In short, if you had a limited budget, the Desert Patrol set was the most likely candidate to skip.

And skip the set many collectors did.  The allure of army building cheap Crimson Guard, Hiss Tank and Red Ninja armies was simply too much.  Many collectors pinned their hopes that the Desert Patrol sets would be sitting around well into 2005 and they could acquire them at their leisure.  But, that didn't really happen.  While 2004 saw a slowdown in Joe sales overall with the Venom Vs. Valor theme, the product moved very well over the Christmas holidays.  As 2005 dawned, most of the Desert Patrol sets were sold out at Toys R Us stores and many collectors were left either without the set or scrambling to find a trading partner who had a spare they'd give up for army builders.  This left the sets as rather sparse items on the secondary market.  And, the Snake Eyes figure and this Stalker quickly began to command premium pricing, even as the other figures in the set were mostly worthless.

Stalker himself, though, is well worth the hype.  The figure uses the 1992 Duke body with the 1989 Stalker head.  It's a combo that works wonders.  The 1992 Duke body is excellently made.  But, the details of it were heavily lost in the tan and gold combo.  On Stalker, the raised details are painted in a darker brown/grey color that heavily offset against the light tan base.  The pistol is a nice black that showcases it on the figure's chest.  The grenades are painted in silver and green to also bring out the details that were always present but not always highlighted on earlier uses of the mold.  The cammo pattern is intricate and well done.  The 1992 Duke arms used to have super short sleeves that really kind of ruined him.  Stalker abandons that theme and has bare arms with these odd silver rings around them.  They are somewhat bizarre.  But, far superior to the super short sleeves from 1992.  Stalker also features a yellow tattoo on his right arm.  It's somewhat disconcerting and the figure would be better without it.  Especially when you consider that tight paint applications like that tattoo probably cost more to make than an additional weapon or backpack per figure.  I'd have much rather foregone the tattoo and gotten more accessories.

The Toys R Us sets featured terrible accessory choices.  Of the sets, only Python Patrol and the Anti Venom set really featured any of the figures' original gear.  The remaining sets contained a hodge-podge of common weapons that Hasbro used with many other figures.  The Desert Patrol set is among the worst gear offenders.  It contains no backpacks, no weapons originally included with the figures and a few weapons that were mostly released with Cobras of the time.  Other sets at least included a ton of superfluous gear.  So, while the weapons weren't great, there were a lot of them.  The Desert Patrol just included a handful of weapons.  This Stalker only includes one rifle.  It is a remake of the 1992 Shockwave rifle.  So, it is an excellent weapon and it looks great with this figure.  It's rare that a figure including just one rifle would have the best gear from an entire set.  But, that's the case with this Stalker.  Fortunately, it was easy to get spare black backpacks at the time that could be given to the figure.  Many found other weapons for the top figures in this set.  But, I appreciate the rifle that was included and use it as Stalker's only weapon to this day.

The legacy of the Toys R Us figure sets is complicated.  Looking back, there were more misses than hits.  But, when Hasbro did get it right, they really produced a great figure.  This Stalker, to me, is the highlight of the repaint era.  There are few figures who can stand up to his combination of different parts, paint applications and quality.  (Most who do are also convention releases...with a higher bar.)  But, this figure doesn't look like the 1992 Duke, even though they share the same base color.  The amazing paint applications help distinguish this figure from his predecessors.  And, it shows that just slight changes to a parts and excellent paint could make for amazing figures.  Sadly, though, Hasbro didn't do this often enough.  So, figures like this Stalker are the exception rather than the norm for the 2000's era Joes.

Desert Patrol Stalkers are somewhat tough to find.  The set only saw production of around 16,000 units.  Dealers will routinely sell mint and complete figures in the $13-$18 range just due to lack of other options.  But, left to his own devices, you can still get the figures for around $5.  You may have to wait for several months, though.  In my opinion, though, the figure is worth the higher price.  It's an excellent version of Stalker.  But, it's just a great figure in general and may be the best desert figure Hasbro ever made.  I'm very glad I picked him up and have him to this day.  The rest of the set isn't that important.  But, this Stalker is one of the highlights of the 1997-2010 repaint timeframe.