1990 Sub Zero - Around The Web

Sub Zero is one of the more obscure arctic releases.  He's kind of the forgotten man when you think of Joe's winter operations team.  But, he's a worthy successor of his predecessors.  He includes a plethora of excellent gear.  He has a solid sculpt.  And, his colors are near perfect for arctic conditions.  And, he's found more acceptance in recent years.  Seeing Joes out in the snow is fun.  So, here's some of the best content on the 1990 Sub Zero from around the web.

1990 Sub Zero Profile

1990 Sub Zero by thedustinmccoy

1990 Sub Zero by scarrviper

1990 Sub Zero by yovalleyjoe

1990 Sub Zero by codename.steve

1990 Sub Zero by gijoecollector

1990 Sub Zero by joes_by_james

1990 Sub Zero by gen_liederkranz

1990 Sub Zero by HCC788

1990 Sub Zero by andrewofsengir6

1990 Sub Zero at Toysfromthepast

1990 Suz Zero by gen_liederkranz

1990 Sub Zero

In the early days of online Joe collecting, the collector base was almost exclusively focused on 1987 and earlier figures.  Finding figures released in the 1990's was very difficult and most were summarily dismissed.  While I've long maintained there were lots of 1990's era gems, the reality is that the 1990 lineup itself is easily on par with any year from the 1980's.  It includes a strong lineup of Cobra army builders, new characters and specialties.  The figures are nicely colored and fit in with the prior years.  The best part, though, is that the figures are accessorized to the max.  Many include more gear than is really necessary.  But, the gear was designed to be specific to the figure and enhance the character.  A great example of this is the unheralded 1990 Sub Zero figure.

The Joe line is full of classic cold weather troopers.  Snow Job and Blizzard are iconic characters with accessories that defied toy conventions at the time.  Iceberg and Frostbite were well designed figures who were perfect in support of their environmentally similar cohorts.  Sub Zero follows in the vein of the first two as he is laden with gear and had a solid design.  His base blue is a bit bright, but works within the arctic context.  (You get some fairly brilliant blue hues in the right icy settings.)  He is loaded down, though, with a massive machine gun, bi pod, mortar, backpack, shells and snow shoes.  The result is a figure that, when all geared up, stands equally proud among his fore-bearers.

The Sub Zero figure has a few odd characteristics.  First, the mortar.  It has no bi pod to stabilize it.  If you stand it straight up, it will retain its position.  But, adding any angle will result in immediate collapse.  The catalog photo of Sub Zero showed a white bi-pod on the mortar.  It appears this bi-pod was the same as was included with the machine gun, just in a different color.  You can not tell from the photo if Sub Zero was meant to include two bi-pods in differing colors to match his weapons.  But, the accessory is shown in white.  The machine gun bi-pod does not appear on Sub Zero's card art, either.  So, it may have been never intended for the machine gun but was added there at a later time.  The second odd thing is that Sub Zero's backpack has three tabs on it.  The largest tab is designed to hold his machine gun.  (I tried for 20 minutes to get the gun to stay on the pack long enough for a photo, but mine just pops off after a few seconds.)  The other two, though, have no purpose.  Were these meant for another, redacted accessory?  It might be that the original design had slots in the mortar shells so they could be stocked on the pack.  (That would have made sense and been inline with the time.)  But, with nothing to store there, Sub Zero's pack appears a bit off.  He seems unfinished and the general appearance of his gear always makes you think you are missing a few accessories.

The biggest source of contention on the figure, though, is his head.  The odd shape of the head coupled with the bizarre design choice for the hood creates a look that is just odd.  Sub Zero looks like a fish peeking through the hole on a barrel.  His face also makes him look pretty pissed off.  But, if you were forced to wear a coat with a hood collar that looked like a blue bonnet, you might be pissed at the world, too.  But, the head limits what is, otherwise, an exceptional figure.  The rest of the mold is solid with enough details to be interesting, but not so many as to be distracting.  The two tone color of blue and white work well together and there's enough grey to make him visually interesting.

For me, though, this figure has never found a real purpose.  He did not enter my collection until after I lived in the desert.  For the time I moved back to a snowy place, any use of the character was represented by the 1993 repaint.  So, while I've long admired the figure's gear and design, the reality is that I've not had any occasion to really photograph him in his native environment.  Maybe one day this will change.  But, that's not going to be for a while.  Until then, this figure just sits in a baggie, in a plastic tub waiting for the rare appearance in a dio or as a vehicle crew member.

Like a lot of the 1990 figures, though, since this guy came after my childhood, I have no memories of him as anything other than an adult collectible.  He was in one my first lots of 1990's figures.  But, was overshadowed by the many figures that attracted me to the collection in the first place.  He was a nice addition and something that I thought had potential.  But, with dozens of other new figures coming into my possession for the first time with the same purchase, Sub Zero was lost in the shuffle.  Were I a kid in 1990, though, I'm sure I'd have found this figure quite strong and it would have had quite a few adventures out in the backyard during the winter.  Timing prevented that.  But, it doesn't cloud another strong entry into the Joe pantheon.

Sub Zero got a bit of use.  After his appearance in 1990, a darker colored version appeared in the 1993 Arctic Commandos mail away.  That figure is probably better than this 1990 version.  But, he only includes a recolored Dodger rifle and is missing the gear that makes the figure.  If you can swing it, accessorizing the 1993 with the 1990 figure's gear is the best way to go.  In 2005, Sub Zero's body made a comeback.  It was used for the spectacular Winter Operations Snake Eyes figure.  The cammo and overall design combined with the Snake Eyes head made for one of the best figures released in the repaint era.  But, the character of Sub Zero was no more.  Arctic repaints are tough to pull off.  And, the few arctic figures that did get the treatment between 1997 and 2005 were, almost to a figure, much worse than the original designs.  So, getting the awesome Snake Eyes instead of a terrible Sub Zero figure was OK.

Like all white plastic figures, Sub Zero is prone to discoloration.  However, his backpack is extremely prone to discoloration and you'll often see pristine white figures and mortars paired with yellowing packs.  So, it can take some doing to find a completely brilliant white figure and accessories.  But, they aren't expensive.  You'll see mint and complete with filecard figures selling in the $9 - $12 range.  Dealers will charge up to $20 for the same figure, though.  You can get carded figures in the $30 range, too.  For me, it's a worthwhile price just to complete the 1990 run.  The figure's head somewhat limits his value.  But, the great gear and decent coloring make up for it.

1993 Sub Zero - Arctic Commandos Mail Away Exclusive

1993 was the year of the mail in. By 1993, Hasbro had lost its focus with the Joe line. They released nearly 100 figures to the market that year and none of them had any real direction. With the line's demise a possibility, Hasbro turned to mail in premiums to help move old stock that was clogging the retail shelves and diminishing retailer's confidence in the line's selling potential. 1994 was on the horizon and that was G.I. Joe's (as a concept, not just ARAH) 30th anniversary. Hasbro wanted the brand to be front and center for this milestone but was hampered on the 3 3/4 end by the surplus of product that stores just couldn't liquidate. To help facilitate retail sales, Hasbro offered nearly a dozen new mail in exclusive figures that required the flag points from the shelf warming product. However, day glow neon color schemes and poor character choices limited the mail in figures' appeal and the demand simply was not realized. (This was not the case, though, in 1994 when they offered Joseph Colton as a mail in exclusive.) As such, the retail product sat on the shelves well into 1995 and the mail in figures ended up being liquidated at insanely cheap prices so that huge quantities ended up in the hands of dealers. (Many of whom still have large stocks of these figures today.) Lost in the disaster that was 1993, though, are a handful of excellent figures. Among them are a few mail ins that I've already profiled. Of the mail in sets, perhaps the most ubiquitous and well know is the Arctic Commandos. While most pine away for some of the Snow Serpent figures from that set, it is one of the Joes who will be my subject today: Sub Zero.

Sub Zero was originally released in 1990. Like most 1990 Joes, he has a good sculpt and awesome accessories. However, he did suffer from one little flaw. To complement his basically white design, the designers chose to augment him with powder, baby blue. While it kind of works for an Arctic trooper, it does limit the figure's appeal. When you couple that with the fact that Sub Zero is an Arctic trooper and they, as a whole, tend to be much less popular than other figures, it is easy to see why this figure has been largely overlooked by the fan community. The 1993 Arctic Commandos set, though, finally offered us a Sub Zero with better color choices. While the new dark blue color would blend less with white snow, it does make for a more aesthetically pleasing figure. It also highlights the strong points of the figure mold. Showcasing lighter colors off of a darker base shows the level of detail that this figure still received. It also helps to make him more believable as a true Arctic soldier.

For me, that's what this figure is. He is just another Arctic soldier. He is not named and I utilize him as an army builder for the Joes. Snow battles are fun and this figure offers a range of specialties that make him vital for my Arctic operations. He can be outfitted with the original Sub Zero's accessories (he has a great machine gun and a large pack) and made into a more specialized Arctic gunner. I also give him smaller, lighter rifles and make him the basic Arctic foot soldier who forms the frontline against a Cobra Arctic attack. His darker colors also work well if you want to use him as vehicular support for your Arctic tanks. He has a wide range that you can take advantage of if you utilize his lack of characterization in Joe media to create your own persona.

Had Joe survived to 1995, there would probably have been another Sub Zero figure offered. As the Battle Rangers figures would have brought Joe back towards its more military roots, it appears that Hasbro was also going to offer other, smaller subsets that would follow the same theme. YoJoe.com has a picture of mocked up box art for a set of proposed Arctic Commandos that would have been released in 1995. From the box art, the set would have come with a repainted Mudbuster jeep (which is a fun toy to have!) and a repainted Locust helicopter. (The one from the '90's, not the '00's.) It would also have included two figures. One appears to be a repainted 1993 Beach Head. The other figure appears to be this very version of Sub Zero. The color scheme closely matches what was released on this figure and the Beach Head appears to be holding the version of Dodger's gun that was this figure's matched accessory. Whether that figure would have been a third repaint of the Sub Zero mold or just a retail release of the mail in exclusive figure will probably never be known. At any rate, it is just another footnote to what Joe would have become had it made it into 1995.

The 1993 mail in Arctic Commando set is not hard to find. If you are patient, you can usually get an entire MIB set of 4 figures for under $20. (Be sure any complete set includes the Dee Jay figure. He was bagged separately and is often missing from most of the Arctic Commando sets that tend to be offered.) As you get the super cool Snow Serpent as well as this figure, it is money well spent. Really, it is easier to find this mail away figure than it is an originally colored, complete, mint Sub Zero. As I like this color scheme better, though, that's not a problem. This guy is a great example of an obscure original figure that was redone as a more obscure mail in. As he is readily available, though, he makes a great way to add a lesser known, but high quality figure to your collection. A guy like this tends to be what I like most about Joe collecting. Sure, finding "rare" and expensive figures is fun, but the guys like this make the hobby. You can use them for their intended purpose with no fear of a high replacement cost. As Joe prices continue to rise as the new releases gain popularity, figures like Sub Zero are a breath of fresh air that remind you of why we got into Joe collecting in the first place.

I've got all the Sub Zeros that I need. I would, though, like another Artic Commando Dee Jay, or the International Action Team mail in set. If you have any of those for trade, email me.