The Rankings - 1983 Original 13

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

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

#13 - Short Fuse

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

#12 - Grunt

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

#11 - Hawk

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

#10 - Grand Slam

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

#09 - Breaker

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

#08 - Snake Eyes

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

#07 - Zap

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

#06 - Steeler

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

#05 - Scarlett

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

#04 - Clutch

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

#03 - Stalker

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

#02 - Flash

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

#01 - Rock and Roll

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

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

1983 Battle Gear #1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1983 Steeler - Random Photos of the Day

 Steeler was the only original 13 Joe team member I didn't own as a kid.  Now, though, he's one of the few that I find unique enough to still use in many photos.  He's a fun figure who's far more at home in the Slugger or Mauler than the craptastic MOBAT.  I love the subtle differences between his chest holster and Clutch's and wonder why Hasbro went to so far as to make a distinct chest piece for a driver sold with the highest price point vehicle. 

Here's various photos I've taken of Steeler over the years.  He still holds up pretty well.  I don't actually have any of him with his proper headgear.  I'll need to fix that at some point.

The Zeros - Mark V

Once again, for your 4th of July boredom, I present the Zeros.  These are the least popular posts of the past year.  I see a bit of a theme this year.  And, seeing what's really popular kind of reinforces my theory.  Obscure releases and foreign figures seem to be waning a bit in popularity.  While simultaneously, stuff that's relatively common seems to get big traffic.  I suspect it's a function of the influx of new collectors who are drastically overpaying for the common stuff they remember from childhood.  They like stuff they're familiar with, but aren't yet going into the depths that Joe collecting offers.  We'll see how that trend holds up through the the rest of the year.

Without further ado, here are the least popular posts from the past 12 months:

Tocha - Brazilian Blowtorch

Everyone loves Blowtorch.  Estrela figures from Brazil tend to be very popular.  Put them together and you get a dud of a profile that no one cared about.  I think this figure is cool.  But, he's also pretty much indistinguishable from the US release.  

2002 Convention Exclusive Crimson Viper

A somewhat obscure and hard to find army builder who's repainted in a classic way?  Check.  A profile ignored?  Check.  Not sure why no one liked this write up.  But, it's overall engagement was very low.  Generally, classic Cobra army builders do well, regardless of the color scheme.  But, this high quality figure flew under the radar.

Rarities - Unproduced Yellow Gloves Steeler

As unproduced figs go, this one is pretty lame.  The yellow gloves make no sense.  And, the 2004 figure of Steeler is generally unloved, too.  So, I get this guy's low numbers.

1992 Eco Warriors BBQ

Neon 1990's figures have finally found their popularity in recent years.  The releases from this time have gotten harder to find, substantially more expensive and appear far more frequently in fan created content.  Despite that, this Eco Warriors BBQ figure was ignored.  Few people stopped by to read about him.  I guess not all brightly colored 1990's figs can be popular at the same time.

Funskool Buzzer

Dreadnoks tend to be popular.  And, Buzzer is probably the best done of the crew.  But, this Funskool repaint didn't garner any attention at all.  In some ways, early Dreadnoks have become passe.  And, common Funskool figures don't get much love these days.  So, this profile amounted to a big dud.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2020, I have a lot more in store.  

Rarities - Action Force Vehicle Drivers (Bubbled Figures)

Today, Action Force exclusive figures are, once again, hot commodities in the collector world.  Some of the exclusives now command premium pricing that places them among the most expensive figures in the world.  That wasn't always the case, though.  In the late '90's and early 2000's, a London based toy dealer had a massive amount of Palitoy overstock.  Among that stash was a tantalizing amount of bubbled vehicle drivers for the Pality Action Force line.  Aside from the bubbles that made them unique, these figures also included repainted G.I. Joe accessories that had not been available with the exclusive figures in their initial releases.  The dealer sold these figures for cheap for many years.  Around 2001, they realized that they had something more desirable than they had initially thought and the cheap buy it now prices on their figures disappeared and the market began to drive up the prices of the figures.  Now, the bubbled vehicle drivers command massive prices.  

Blades

Blades is a Tripwire repaint.  He's a great figure with super fragile paint.  This bubbled version includes exclusive black versions of his pack and mines.  The detector may be exclusive, too, but I'm not sure.

Red Jackal

This Destro repaint has Destro's gear.  

Red Laser

Red Laser is a Cobra Commander repaint.  The bubbled figure includes Cobra Commander's pistol.

Jammer

In a fun twist of names and molds that consterns collectors to this day, the Stalker mold was released in the Action Force line as Jammer while the Snake Eyes mold was released as Stalker.  That's still fun to sort through.

Gaucho

Gaucho is a Gung Ho repaint.  This figure features an exclusively colored backpack that matches the color of his pants.  This gear is probably the most famous exclusively colored driver gear.

Hunter

Hunter is a Cobra Officer repaint who is now a good guy.  As if that's not odd enough, he now includes his AK-47 as a member of the SAS.

Steeler:

Steeler always included his exclusive red helmet and binoculars headset.

Other figures were available in bubbles, too.  All of the figures above were relatively available with Jammer and Gaucho selling out first with the Cobra molds as fast followers.  Now, high quality Action Force drivers are tough to find in general.  But, getting the exclusive gear loose is darn near impossible.

2004 Comic Pack Steeler - Around The Web

The Comic Packs got a bit stale rather quickly.  But, a figure like Steeler was nice because it took a classic character and updated him with later parts that made him more compatible with a larger group of vintage figures.  Steeler had some good gear, even if the parts weren't perfect.  Being a later release, there's a good amount of content on him from around the web.

2004 Steeler Profile

Unproduced Yellow Gloves Steeler

Comic Pack #5 by JoeBattleLines.com

Steeler by guiltridden

Steeler by Otto the Otter

Steeler by Cobra Freak

Steeler by 16Bit.com

Steeler at General's Joes

Steeler at JoeADay.com

Rarities - 2004 Yellow Gloves Steeler

There were lots of oddball figures that appeared in Asia in the 2000's.  Some were full bore unproduced variants.  But, there were also weird figures with random colors that made no sense.  It's possible that many of these were factory mix ups in terms of planned paint colors.  But, it's left collectors with some figure that simply aren't necessary to own even though they are a frustrating relic of Joe history to track down.

Below is a 2004 Comic Pack Steeler figure that has bright yellow/orange gloves.  I'm not sure why he has bright yellow/orange gloves.  But, he does.  This guy showed up in the mid 2000's at some point.  But, he wasn't overly common and, since he wasn't popular, there aren't too many of them out there to track down.  If you bought lots of pre-production figures during that time, it's possible you have this figure lying around.

1983 Steeler - Around the Web

Steeler was the only member of the original 13 Joes that I did not have as a kid.  I finally got one in 1988, just as my Joe days were ending.  As a figure, though, Steeler is noteworthy for both his original gear and his distinct sculpt.  The character was not revisited until the 2000's, though, he was available via mail away for many years through the '90's.  Here's the best of his content around the web.

1983 Steeler profile

1983 Steeler at JoeADay.com

PreProduction Steeler at YoJoe.com

Steeler at JoeDios.com 1

Steeler at JoeDios.com 2

Steeler at JoeDios.com 3

Steeler at JoeDios.com 4

Steeler at JoeDios.com 5

Steeler at JoeDios.com 6

Steeler Video Review

2004 Comic Pack Steeler

Steeler was the only original Joe that I never owned. In 1981, my father's best friend had given my brothers and I remote controlled tanks. They were the cheap Radio Shack types that were typical of that time period. They were too small to be useful with Star Wars figures and far too large to be useful with the standard, molded plastic toy soldiers you got in a bag for $1 at the grocery store. In effect, they were fun for 2 minutes and then just collected dust in our toy room. In 1982, I asked for the MOBAT for Christmas. I didn't really want the tank. But, I did want the Steeler figure. Upon seeing that the MOBAT was a motorized tank, my mother promptly said that we "had three tanks already that we didn't play with". So, the MOBAT was eliminated from ever joining our childhood collection.

That was not true for a friend of ours who lived around the block. He did get the MOBAT. His Steeler was a straight arm figure. But, in 1982 and early 1983, that was all we had and they were still substantial upgrades over the 5 points of articulation Star Wars figures. That Steeler became my favorite figure to use when I went over to this friend's house. The shoulder holster was reminiscent of my favorite feature of Clutch and his binocular helmet accessory was a great way to add depth to any Joe figure. In short, the figure was as cool as I had imagined and my collection always felt incomplete since I did not have a Steeler.

If you fast forward to late summer of 1987, I was on a kick to build a specialist Joe team. My parents were talking of selling our house and I wanted to finish out some adventures in our back yard in the event we moved. (We didn't.) This group of Joes was my "Bunker Cracking Team" and consisted of all original 13 Joe figures who drove around in an APC that was full of all the gear I could find. This group had sandbags, roadblocks and ammo boxes from the various battlefield playsets that had been released over the years. They had rope pulleys and radios from other, knock off military toy lines that were Joe compatible. At their core, the group had the equipment to pull off any mission. For weeks, I scoured the bottom of the toy boxes of all my friends, looking for any nugget that would fit the profile of this team. The friend around the block acquiesced and let me finally have his Steeler figure. He didn't use it much and didn't mind giving it away. I promptly took a pair of arms from a spare Wild Bill figure and updated Steeler to swivel arm mode. He became the driver of this loaded APC.

Alas, the Bunker Cracking Team was short lived. The summer was hot and humid by the time I got the group together and playing outside was deferred. By the time the weather cooled, school had started and playing with Joes took a backseat to soccer, baseball, football and throwing walnuts at any toy that had the misfortune of being in the yard. As such, Steeler didn't get much development from me since he was only in my collection a short time. By the end of 1987, after I had moved all my toys inside for the winter, I was pretty much done playing with Joe. Steeler went into a box and stayed there until I realized he had Wild Bill's arms. That figure was sold off for custom fodder years ago and the Steeler character remained one that didn't get much definition.

Hasbro had long teased collectors with updates of the classic Joes in new uniforms. Snake Eyes, Stalker, Grunt, Zap, Rock and Roll and Hawk all saw upgrades in the vintage line. (I hesitate to call the 1993 Scarlett or Mega Marines Clutch an "upgrade", but at least the characters got a new version.) In the modern line, Hasbro brought back many old favorites in terms of characters. But, some proved problematic. Flash, Grand Slam and Steeler all had unique molds that Hasbro was not able to recreate in adequate forms. In 2004, though, the opportunity for Hasbro to make new versions of classic characters that could be sold to a full retail audience appeared. With the concept of comic book packs, Hasbro was able to reinterpret many of the characters who appeared in early issues of the comics. Some were boring repaints. Others were all new amalgamations for figures that included new parts. It was one of these creations that finally brought Steeler back to the line.

This Steeler figure is a combination of a few figure molds. The legs and chest are from the 1993 Mace figure. (The same combo was used on the 2004 Clutch figure.) The head is brand new, but was also used on the 2007 Convention Exclusive Steeler figure. The arms are...interesting. The lower arms are from Snow Job but the upper arms are from the 1986 BAT figure. The result is that Steeler has rolled up sleeves, but still more sleeves underneath. On top of that, the Snow Job arms were designed with gloves. But, Steeler has flesh painted hands. The result is an odd set of lines molded onto the figure's skin. The overall body, though, is very bulky. Mace was a 1993 mold and features a larger chest mold than most other figures. So, Steeler appears improperly balanced. On the Clutch figure, the use of bulky arms and small head really make the figure awkward. Steeler has skinnier arms that help the visual proportions of the figure. Sans helmet, though, the Steeler head is slender and looks out of synch with the body. But, with the bulky helmet on, the effect is muted.

From an accessory standpoint, Steeler was actually armed to the teeth. The highlight of the figure is the newly sculpted helmet with a white visor. This combination hearkened back the original, but gave it some modernization. Really, from a collector standpoint, this helmet/visor would have been enough. But, Hasbro actually came through with more. Steeler was also given the ubiquitous 1991 Dusty backpack in black, a black knife and 2 rifles. The rifles are the newly sculpted M-16 that was introduced in the first wave of comic packs and a black version of the 1992 Shockwave's rifle. It is a great complement of gear and allows for Steeler to be fully armed should he be separated from his tank.

Included in comic pack #5 with General Flagg and a Cobra Officer, Steeler was part of the second wave of comic packs released in the fall of 2004. Like the first wave, the second was a mix of some pretty decent amalgamations and some pretty timid new heads on existing bodies. While figures like Steeler and Grunt and General Flagg were decent enough attempts at either reinventing those figures or bringing them to the line in the first place, they still felt a bit retreaded. This Steeler would be much more interesting had Clutch from just a couple months earlier not used the same body. As such, within the context of his release window, this Steeler didn't get much praise from the collecting community since it seemed that he was just a Clutch imposter. Of course, Hasbro tried to play it off as trying to make the characters "similar" in appearance like their vintage molds. But, the result was that the comic pack concept quickly started to feel like a bargain basement cost cutting endeavor rather than a fully supported and financed retail line.

The real question is what to do with this figure. As Steeler, he works. But, the abundance of gear, general appearance and other, quality alternatives for the character can leave this as an odd figure out. But, fully equipped with the pack, helmet and rifle, this figure actually makes for a better "Greenshirt" than the actual Greenshirt set that was available as a Toys R Us exclusive in 2005. The binocular helmet attachment gives him an anonymity that works in the setting of Greenshirts. And, his gear is adequate for a generic infantry trooper. Given that I was able to acquire several of this figure when his comic pack was clearanced out, that is the main role I have for the figure. As Steeler, though, this isn't a bad representation. The coloring is a bit bright, but he still works with the MOBAT, as a second chair on the Mauler or even as the primary driver of any of the tanks from the Slaughter's Marauders subset. He's not my first choice for the Steeler character, but he's not a bad one when he's all that's available.

The G.I. Joe comic packs were an ingenious idea. Three figures with a play inspiring comic for $10 was the closest thing to an actual 1980's toy that Hasbro released during the repaint era. The idea was so good that it was quickly co-opted into the Star Wars line as a way to put more and more expanded universe characters into circulation. But, for such a great idea, the retail reality of the comic packs was much more stark. While the first wave of packs sold well, they weren't really the revitalizing item Hasbro had hoped for. Joe's renaissance really occurred from late 2001 through Christmas of 2003. Starting in 2004, retail enthusiasm for the Joe brand really started to falter. Steeler was part of the second wave of comic packs. Despite being released in the fall, the packs didn't fare as well. After Christmas in 2004 and into 2005, it was very easy to find Comic packs 4 and 5 discounted and clearanced for around $5 per pack. This lead to packs 6, 7 and 8 being underproduced and the ultimate cancellation of the entire general retail Joe line in 2005.

The retail realities of modern toy lines played a part in this decline. But, Hasbro shoulders some of the blame, too. While the comic packs were a great idea, the notion to release them sequentially was not. The first year of the Joe comic was largely homogeneous in look. For parents unfamiliar with the brand, there was little incentive to buy packs 1, 3, 4 and 5 since the figures in those packs looked mostly the same. With no diversity, the line quickly stagnated. Hasbro tried to pump life into the comic packs by moving from 6, 7 and 8 to 21, 24 and 49. But, by then, it was too late to salvage the concept for Joe. The comic packs became clearance fodder with all but the #26 and modern comic pack sets being blown out for as low as $3 per pack.

The fact is that this Steeler figure is worthless. You might find someone selling them in the $5 range. But, that is probably an overstated amount. You can get lots of 15 to 20 mint and complete comic pack/TRU figures for around $1 to $2 per figure quite often. So, paying much more than that doesn't make much sense. But, mint and complete version 1 Steeler figures and the Convention Steeler figures are both very expensive. And, due to that expense, are not overly conducive to use, customization or oft-churning displays. So, as an inexpensive alternative, this is a great option. This Steeler is close enough to the character to work and the mold is acceptable, if not spectacular. Important characters should have inexpensive options for quality figures, even if there are iconic versions that are substantially more expensive. This Steeler fits that bill perfectly.

2007 Steeler - Convention Exclusive

Much has been made of the demise of the promised convention Mauler tanks. At the time, they were a neat surprise that excited many collectors. Their cancellation prompted anger, disappointment and resentment. But, in their wake, the two figures who were included with the tanks have been largely ignored. Sure, there was the usual chatter around the time of the convention. But, these tank drivers were quickly overshadowed by the Grand Slam/Starduster set and its meteoric aftermarket price rise. However, collectors were quietly given a real gem. The convention Steeler is probably the best version of the character ever released and is a microcosm of the 2007 convention figures as a whole.

As a character, Steeler has been someone that I wanted to use, but never really could as his figures didn't really fit with the others in my collection. Of the original 13 Joes, Steeler and Clutch have the 2 molds that are easiest to integrate with figures from later years. But, neither of them really made the transition into my modern "use" collection. The comic pack Steeler was OK, but just OK. It was oddly proportioned and the colors really didn't do anything for me. This figure, though, solves all those problems. The mold is more natural looking and better fits with figures from all years. The colors are richly textured and the layers of brown, tan, black and green with silver highlights just makes for a figure that blends perfectly with a variety of collector favorites. The helmet lets you know that this is Steeler and the view finder is even in red: a subtle homage to the UK Action Force Steeler. The one downside is the figure's gloves. The hands are not quite flesh colored, but too close to it. As such, they look jaundiced rather than leathery. It's a small complaint, but something to note. The figure also includes 2 weapons: grey versions of Low-Light's uzi and a sub machine gun from the Sgt. Savage line. While the uzi is a throwback to the original figure, the version included is actually a larger version that was cast from the original mold. So, neither of Steeler's gun are all that great as they are a bit large for the figure. But, it's easy to get black uzis these days, so that problem is easily solved.

The 2007 convention figures offered collectors something that had been promised for many years but simply never delivered: great updates to classic characters where the new designs are on par or better than the original figures. This set was not a complete hit (none of them have been except for the Crimson Strike Set and it only had 4 figures....) but it was the most ambitious convention set to date and really upped the ante in terms of future expectations. Of the figures, Grand Slam, Starduster, Clutch and Steeler are the best versions ever released of these characters. Rock and Roll, Grunt, Rip It and Zap are perfect updates that used unique and different parts. While I still like some other versions of these characters better, these figures were all welcome additions and were more innovative than any of the figures we saw in the retail comic packs. Doc and Lt. Claymoore were great new additions and featured distinguishing combinations of parts and colors. In all, the entire set was a fulfillment of the promise that the comic packs failed to deliver: the classics redone in ways that were true to the character but different enough to be more relevant. It's a pity it took this long to see such realization of a concept that seems so simple.

I'll be honest, I really didn't care about the cancellation of the Maulers. Sure, the Mauler is a fan favorite mold that is fairly expensive on the second hand market. So, it's inclusion in the modern releases makes perfect sense. But, to me, the Mauler has never lived up to the hype. It's a neat looking toy, but was never much fun to play with. It only holds 4 figures and 2 of those are hidden in the cockpit and the other two barely fit onto the footholds on the turret. It takes up a lot of space and doesn't have nearly the play value of something much goofier like the Havoc. So, not seeing these new tanks produced didn't really matter to me since I would not have ever integrated them into my collection anyways. However, the manner in which the whole fiasco was handled was rather odd. It is well known that the Hasbro had the Mauler on its radar back in 1997. But, it couldn't happen then due to bad/missing molds. So, how could anyone think that a full decade later, that situation would have improved? Especially when you consider that some of the players involved in 1997 are still around and were involved in this. While fans got excited about the tanks, the resulting disappointment by their cancellation more than offset that. Had just the drivers been available at the con, no one would have really cared. Some might have asked why these two figures were chosen, but most wouldn't have much cared since the figures, in and of themselves, are nicely done. Then, had the tanks been able to come to fruition, they could have been a nice surprise for the collecting world near the end of 2007. If the tanks ended up cancelled, then fandom would be none the wiser and Master Collector would not have taken yet another HUGE public relations and credibility hit.

As a mold, this figure works well. It uses the body from the 1989 Dogfight figure and the head from the comic pack Steeler. (Only with blonde hair this time.) Neither of these molds have been used previously on any figure other than their original releases. As such, the figure appears fresh and is a great update to the Steeler character. The Dogfight jacket is reminiscent of the jacket that Heavy Metal wears and it adds a level of consistency to the classic Joe tank drivers. This Steeler also shows that it is still possible to create great figures from ARAH molds...figures that are the best representations of a character in 25 years. As such, it's hard to really accept the rhetoric that the original molds are "wearing out" or "there isn't much left" when you see figures like Steeler, Grand Slam, Clutch, Doc and Starduster from the 2007 convention season. It shows there is still a wealth of untapped potential in the hundreds of vintage molds and shows that just a little ingenuity can still create some iconic looks for our classic characters.

For whatever reason, the 2007 convention attendee exclusive figures have captured the attention of collectors like never before. The Grand Slam and Starduster exclusives are still selling for nearly $100 per figure. At first, this Steeler and the Rip It figure weren't all that popular. They didn't sell out at the convention, but at $80 for the figure and the tank, I could see how collectors would be a bit hesitant. However, after the tanks were cancelled, collectors got a bit nervous, especially as Master Collector hinted that stock was running low. As such, panic set in and the remaining Steelers and Rip Its sold out quickly. But, it seems that these figures aren't as popular as the jet pack troopers as Steelers are currently selling for around $25 each. (Rip Its, though, are at least double that!) That's about what they cost originally, so this figure isn't seeing the aftermarket interest that the JUMP figures have. With only 500 of these figures made, though, I don't see that remaining the case. Long term, these figures will dry up and become rather hard to find. As this is the best version of Steeler, I think there will continue to be demand for the figure for a long time so now really is the best time to add one to your collection.