1992 Stormshadow - Ninja Force

Ninja Force is a bit of a tough nut to crack for me.  The figures have really grown on me over the years.  The mold designs and colors are all top notch.  But, old biases and disappointments from finding them on the shelves back at the time of their release also linger.  My main retail letdowns, though, were the 1993 series of Ninja Force.  The debut year of 1992 was long gone.  And, it's been from these 1992 figures that much of my renewed interest in the figures has sprung.  Most of the figures in the line were sculpts I had ignored.  So, upon finding them again, I was floored at how well done the figures tended to be.  But, in the end, the figures are still defined by their spring loaded action gimmicks.  And, that really costs some figures that should have been amazing...such as this 1992 Stormshadow.

I was out of Joe collecting in 1992.  But, I was still religiously reading the comics.  Really, a lot of the plot from that era just blends together for me, now.  I should go back and re-read the last 50 or so issues, just to re-familiarize myself with the happenings.  But, at the time, I did think that some of the Ninja Force designs were pretty cool.  I thought Slice would be a great toy.  But, on my one trip to Toys R Us in December of that year, I was too focused on some other familiar names and bought Destro, Gung Ho and General Flagg instead of anyone else.  This cycle repeated when I started buying up collections of figures in the late 1990's.  I'd focus on lots with figures I liked (back then, you had the luxury of being choosey) and I'd skip many lots that were heavy on Ninja Force figures.

Eventually, by chance, I acquired all the Ninja Force figures.  I bought way too many lots of 1992 figures when I was after Flak Vipers, Eels and Headhunters.  So, in time, I picked up this Stormshadow.  And, promptly, tossed him into a drawer and never looked at him again.  I was so blase about the figure that I didn't even realize that the 1997 Stormshadow (a figure I liked) was an homage to this 1992 figure.  And, it was only in the mid 2000's that I realized that collectors actually had a fondness for this color scheme on Stormshadow, even if they still hated the actual figure mold.  But, the mold's uses in 2000 and 2002 brought some spotlight to the sculpt and helped normalize it among the more hardcore collectors who comprised the community in the early 2000's.  

I remain steadfast in my belief that Stormshadow only works as a Cobra.  He's necessary as a foil to Snake Eyes.  Without the ying to Snake Eyes' yang, the Joe team's ninja/commando/superhero is just too overpowered.  He lacks the worthy adversary that can keep him from just killing Cobra Commander at any point and ending the whole, pointless conflict.  As I've grown older, I'm also more leery of redemption arcs.  While there's some value in the entire notion, the reality is that you really can't rehab a truly terrible villain.  Once someone will corrupt their morals to follow a dark path, their actions can't be erased by later good deeds.  Stormshadow slashed Gung Ho.  While the physical wounds would heal, every time Gung Ho saw the sword slash scar on his back, he's not be as forgiving of Stormshadow as a new ally.  Sure, you can find some conflict in that story.  But, the entire notion of the anti-hero and the redeemed bad guy have lead us to moral uncertainty where society is unable to grasp that, in real life, bad guys are bad guys and are not to be trusted...especially with power.  

While this figure uses just three basic colors (black, white and gold), the visual that they create is stark and memorable.  You have the white upper body that blends into the black midsection before spotting into white, again for the figure's lower third.  The transitional splotches work really well.  And, it's all offset by the golden highlights painted on the figure's torso.  Stormshadow's arms turn black...allowing for the figure's hands to be unpainted black.  This reduces paint wear.  But, it's also an example of how cost cutting on paint applications can be done in such a way to be un-noticeable.  Stormshadow has no paint applications on his lower arms.  Hasbro designed the figure, though, to make this paint savings appear as part of the overall design.  Stormshadow is no worse for not having paint applications because the blending was so well done.  When you compare this to the cost cutting moves of the 2020's era Hasbro, it's appalling apparent the difference in design skill and approach.  Today's Hasbro isn't afraid of making a stupid looking arm to save a few fractions of a penny.  The vintage Hasbro team did it in a way that no consumer would notice.  And, that's a big reason why the original Joe line resonates so much, even 40+ years after its debut.

I'll go out on a limb and say that if this Stormshadow mold used traditional construction, it would have surpassed even the 1988 version in the collector zeitgeist.  The figure is amazingly detailed and the headsculpt is an even better execution of the design that was introduced on the '88 release.  The body is detailed enough to be interesting.  Much moreso than the blander '88.  But, it's not overdone.  The figure suffers from an oversized torso that's designed to hold the spring loaded action feature that was the hallmark of the entire Ninja Force series.  Sans this feature, the figure would be better proportioned and more in line with other vintage figures.  It's a shame the figure has the action feature as it dominates an otherwise excellent Stormshadow figure.

The 1992 Ninja Force figures actually look amazing when all displayed together.  The color theory used to create the entire series works very well.  Again, this was all intentional on Hasbro's part.  How figures looked when displayed together on retail shelves was of utmost importance.  And, seeing all the first series Ninja Force figures together creates a sum greater than the value of the parts.  The 1993 series is similarly constructed.  And, once you see it with a full set, you realize how visually impactful all the colors can really be.

Stormshadow included three accessories.  The first is the standard black battle stand.  From there, he includes two, white bladed weapons.  He has a long, thin white sword.  It is in scale with the figure and is more lithe than most of the other swords in the Ninja Force line.  The final accessory is my personal favorite.  It's a white scythe with a spiked handle end.  While you can debate the practicality of a weapon like this in real life, it's a really cool weapon.  It's also small enough to be easily wielded by any figure.  It's is somewhat of a legacy weapon, too.  The original Stormshadow included distinctive accessories that helped define the figure.  The 1988 figure included the unique bow and claw.  This 1992 figure has the scythe that carries on that tradition.  And, even with just two weapons, Stormshadow has originality that hearkens back to his origins.

This Stormshadow mold was used too many times.  While Stormshadow didn't get a 1993 repaint, the entire mold was reused for T'Gin Zu.  Hasbro then gave the body parts a new head and used released it for two versions of Ken Masters in the Street Fighter II subset.  Stormshadow returned in 1994 when the mold was used in the Shadow Ninjas set.  In 2000, Hasbro decided to release a new Stormshadow using this mold in the first wave of the ARAHC series.  The mold returned as a Red Ninja in the BJ's set in 2002.  It was planned for inclusion in the ill-fated 2003 Wal Mart parachute figure set.  Plenty of the unproduced figures made their way to the collecting community, too.  In 2004, the mold was finally retired after it was released in the Urban Strike set.  It's worth noting that there are two unproduced variants of Stormshadow from this set: both of which were also heavily imported from Asia by collectors of the early 2000's.  So, there's plenty of this mold available.  

If all that's not enough, though, this figure's paint design is homaged on several other figures.  The first is the 1997 Stormshadow.  The coloring then appears on some anniversary figures.  And, in the 2020's, Black Major had co-opted the colors and released them on several different bodies.  So, if you like the way this figure looks, but not the actual parts which were used, there are alternatives to get the visual appearance into your collection, too.

The upside to this Ninja Force Stormshadow is that he remains cheap.  While dealers will fail to get $30 for a mint and complete figure, you can get really nice versions for around $12.  Just the figure will run you slightly more than half of that.  But, I recommend getting the figure's gear because it complements him so well and is only a slight premium from the loose figure.  Be sure to watch out for discoloration on the white plastic.  And, look out for loose o-rings as they are extremely difficult to replace and will require you to slit the figure's glue apart to fix it.  For the money, this is a worthwhile acquisition, though.  It's a neat look for Stormshadow, even if the actual toy is lacking.  But, standing on the shelf, that's less of an issue than it was in the days when everyone used their new figures for photos, dios or other showcases.

Funskool Tunnel Rat - Around The Web

The prices on this figure are still dumb.  I'll just open with that statement.  Because, it seems everyone has forgotten that Funskool figures were widely available in the US and every collector who was active during the early 2000's had all the Funskool figures they could ever want.  But, memories are short.

Not a ton of people use this figure.  But, there's some fun stuff out there showcasing him.  The bright colors are a hallmark of Funskool but also create a really nice visually distinctive toy.  I really miss Funskool.  It's been over 15 years since they've made G.I. Joe figures.  So, I don't think we're ever going to see the line return.  But, it was fun while it lasted.

Funskool Tunnel Rat Profile

Funskool Tunnel Rat by corpscommandercody

Funskool Tunnel Rat by The Dragon Fortress

Funskool Tunnel Rat by Funskool Rony

Funskool Tunnel Rat by Toy Gyani

Funskool Tunnel Rat by corpscommandercody

Funskool Tunnel Rat by The Dragon Fortress

Funskool Tunnel Rat by corpscommandercody

Funskool Tunnel Rat by codenameflint

Funskool Tunnel Rat by corpscommandercody

Funskool Tunnel Rat by corpscommandercody

G.I. Joe #36 - Marvel Comics

I had bought just 9 other G.I. Joe comic books when issue #36 came out.  And, even with that limited experience, my initial thoughts about #36 were pretty much, "what the heck is this?!?".  There was something off about the book.  From the different artwork and perspective on the cover to some of the artistic choices in the book itself, #36 stood out as something different.  In looking back at it, now, the differences are less obvious.  But, at the time, this issue was a departure from those that had come before it.  (Though, to be fair, the artwork in #35 also stands out as something different.)  Hidden inside the issue, though, is a plethora of toy introductions, foreshadowing of upcoming, major plotlines and some closure of the "Zartan" arc that began about a year earlier.

The issue's cover is distinctive as it heavily features a pale cranberry red background.  This color hadn't been seen on a G.I. Joe cover since #8.  It was a dramatic splash of color to offset the dark Cobra blue and olive drab of the Hovercraft.  The perspective of the cover flows from left to right.  It's reminiscent of the #29 cover which also featured the Hovercraft: just in a a different role.  There's a lot of action packed into just a few items.  And, the Rattler, Hovercraft and ASP all convey aspects of the story.  Comic covers were never meant to be 100% representations of what was inside the book.  Instead, they were a composite to give the feel of an issue.  And, the #36 cover delivers on that.

The book opens with a strong portrait of Cutter, Deep Six and Doc.  This version of Deep Six, wearing standard clothing instead of his bulky dive suit, is actually how I think of the character.  He appeared more in  the comic in this outfit than that of his actual "action" figure.  Yet, we never got a toy version of Deep Six that was anywhere close to this above water look.  It really seemed that Larry Hama liked the Deep Six character.  He played significant roles in several comic issues.  And, he got more comic time than many of the standard carded figures that were released through 1984.  And, while we got a nearly perfect update to the Deep Six undersea diver in 1989, we never did get a way to represent the character out of the water.  Topside is the closest representation.  And, the "crewman" Deep Six was a staple of late 1990's and early 2000's customizers.  It's one of the missing figures that I'd gladly buy in the ReAction+ line just because it's never been done.

This issue went on sale in March of 1985.  It has a few notable debuts.  It is the first time we see Cobra hydrofoils that were based on the Moray design.  They are Cobra blue, though.  At the end of the issue, we see the debut of the USS Flagg.  (Though, it's not really noted as being significant.)  The odd thing is that this also marks the debut of the MMS.  For some reason, the MMS didn't appear in G.I. Joe #1.  (I don't think the FLAK did, either.)  And, it wasn't until this issue, four years later, that the 1982 toy finally appeared in a comic panel.  It got to blow up a Rattler and was then destroyed in the fiery aftermath.  The most notable debut, though, is the notion of a "Sea Rattler" and their white-clad pilots.  In the early days of online collecting, the white Rattler pilot was an oft requested new figure should the Joe line return.  The line did return.  But, we never actually got this white Rattler pilot.  In an alternate reality, there would have been a #36 Comic Pack with the proper Deep Six, the Rattler Pilot and one of Fred's "thugs" or a "Rubber Mask" Snake Eyes.

This issue spins three central plots.  The two aquatic adventures are intertwined, but also separate.  The destruction of the G.I. Jane was done to pave the way for the USS Flagg to appear later that summer.  The land battle at the atoll was a somewhat self contained story that had no bearing on the overall except for a throwaway line as the Cobras watched the Joe triumphantly depart.  A Cobra Trooper mentions the larger Gulf operations as foreshadowing for that summer's primary plot.  The Snake Eyes/Scarlett plot, though, was another step forward in converting G.I.  Joe into the Snake Eyes story.  

The Hovercraft arc is interesting because the Joes pretty much decimate the Cobras.  But, the real takeaway is that the good guys are always smarter than the bad guys.  It's a trope that's all too easy.  But, as a kid, seeing the good guys blow up the capable, but not quite smart enough bad guys was a lot of fun.  The crew of Torpedo and Snow Job is kind of random.  It seems like this is a last ditch effort to show off some '83 characters as their figures would have been selling through for the last time.  Seeing Torpedo on the Whale triggered another memory for me.  I had a standard crew for my Whale.  Cutter and Shipwreck manned the helm.  BBQ sat behind them as the requisite firefighter.  But, Torpedo always manned the hidden recon sled underneath the Whale.  I never remembered he was there when I was a kid.  So, I had forgotten about his involvement on every Whale mission I undertook during my childhood heyday.  

The Jane arc balances out the Whale story since Cutter, Deep Six and Doc lose.  While they destroy the Rattlers (it was still a bit jarring to see pilots and others die in the comic when I was 11), the Jane is also destroyed.  The Joes hadn't lost a piece of equipment of that size since the pre-fab HQ was blown to bits back in #19.  I suspect this was done to remove the Jane and bring in the USS Flagg whose toy would appear on retail shelves later in the year.  When taken in that context, the Jane's demise seems kind of cheap.  But, as a kid, the story was pretty intense.

The Snake Eyes/Scarlett story line is also pretty good.  It features Fred along with a group of Cobra goons.  These generic guys appeared a few times in the early issues.  This might have been their final comic appearance.  They are '30's mobster archetypes.  But, they work in conveying that they're bad guys and dangerous.  Scarlett and Snake Eyes dispatch them.  Seeing them all killed with impunity is, again, kind of jarring.  But, they were foils to show the capability of the protagonists.  The culmination is that Fred "dies" by falling off the ferry into the cold water.  (He lives, of course.)  But, the big reveal is that Snake Eyes's face is so horrid that Fred loses his mind upon seeing it.
 

One enduring memory associated with this issue is the carton that says "Snax" on it.  It appears in one of the integral panels to the Snake Eyes/Fred story.  It seems a silly thing to fixate upon.  But, my friend down street always thought this spelling of the word and its appearance in  the comic was hilarious.  Even when we were in high school, he'd mention Snax from time to time and we'd chuckle.  I remember this issue, specifically, for this reason.  It's that one weird thing that makes this issue matter to me.  We all have weird pneumonic devices that recall certain aspects of childhood.  For me, it's "Snax".

The main thing that bothered me about this issue, though, was some of the internal artwork.  Look at the faces and body positions in the panel posted below.  The grotesque mouth poses seemed out of place.  In looking at the creative team, the entire issue was penciled by 4 different people.  So, that may explain some of the oddities among the pages.  I did love the guns that were drawn in this issue, though.  Until the end of my childhood collecting days, I wanted weapons that matched up with those wielded by Fred and his minions in this issue.  

Early Joe comics aren't worth much.  They were printed in massive volumes.  And, many copies survived through to today.  In pretty good condition, this is a $5 or $6 book.  Of course, graded copies will cost more, especially the 9's and 10's.  But, just a couple of years ago, all the non-key Joe comics were about $1 or $2 purchases.  The pandemic pricing destroyed comics, too, I guess.  I'm not sure I'd pay $5 for this issue.  But, comics from the '80's seem like they should be cheap.  The fact that they're over 40 years old isn't as much of an issue as it was when looking at items from the 1940s back in the 1980's.  These '80s items were produced in unfathomable numbers and lack any real sense of rarity.  Even with a strong childhood connection to the comics, I haven't been compelled to finish my original Marvel run.  I'm not missing many.  (I was pretty thorough when I was a kid.)  But, maybe it will become a focus now that my desire to find any unowned figures is pretty much at a dead end, too.  Rereading these old issues is fun because you do find some new stuff when looking at it for the first time in 2 decades.  But, the real value is remembering stupid things like "Snax" and fondly recalling those bygone days when such things were fresh and funny.

1986 Dialtone - Random Photos of the Day

Dialtone remains a personal favorite of mine.  Ever since my younger brother found him sitting on a random shelf at Target and got our first 1986 figure, I've felt that Dialtone was a figure I missed out on.  I've never been able to overcome that initial disappointment.  So, to this day, I use the figure way more than I should.  And, it's nearly impossible for me to express how much I like the figure.  I can't have a rational discussion about him.

So, here's a bunch of 1986 Dialtone figures taken over the years.  My favorite is the last one where he's in the Hum-Vee.  I miss those cheapo, generic military toys you used to be able to find at Toys R Us and, for a short while, Amazon.  They were a great way to expand the Joe line.  After that non-sequitur, enjoy the photos below. 

1993 Iceberg

Sometimes, a simple little change can be all the difference between a figure that is loved and one that is ignored.  The 1993 Iceberg isn't a figure you see all that often.  He's a definite downgrade from the 1986 character debut.  And, the figure's calling card of bright yellow highlights definitely hurt his appeal.  But, when you look at the original card art, you see that Iceberg was originally meant to look a bit different.  And, had those original coloring choices been followed, this version of Iceberg would be much more accepted in the collecting world today.  

If you look at Iceberg's card artwork, the figure should be amazing.  The details on the mold really pop.  His bullets are golden instead of yellow and all of his details are clearly visible.  The most important difference, though, is that the character's mask and gloves and details are green instead of bright yellow.  We can argue about whether green really works in the arctic.  But, the green highlights really look much better than the bright yellow. The figure on the card art would have some vehement fans.  The released figure, though, does not.  Many 1993 and 1994 figures seemed to have changes like this from the art colors.  Some may have been due to cost cutting and others may have been choices to brighten up a retail assortment.  But, in almost every case, the card art showcases a figures superior to the actual toy.

This is a shame as the yellow obfuscates a fairly decent Iceberg sculpt.  The chest has some heft to showcase the bulk of the cold weather coat and gear.  But, the sculpting of the ammo belt, powder horn, grenades, hoodie collar and fur accents on the gloves all show that Hasbro was still more than capable of making great toys in 1993.  Sadly, the yellow is a tough sell and really takes away from the quality of the mold.  It takes a figure that might be among the better 1993 releases and relegates him to near the bottom of that year's popularity.  Despite the classic character, solid gear and great sculpt, Iceberg languishes in obscurity: overshadowed by not only his original figure, but other cold weather figures like Snow Storm and Frostbite who were his contemporaries.  

My only real memory associated with this version of Iceberg comes from a random lot of figures I bought off Ebay back in 1999 or so.  In it was a figure with this Iceberg's head painted olive green atop a 1990 Big Ben body.  As lazy customs go, it wasn't bad.  My main takeaway, though, was how well the head was painted.  It was only after scratching at it a bit that I could tell the painting was done by a steady handed person instead of a factory.  I bought the lot because it was dirt cheap and included a bunch of accessories as well as a full Night Viper body with a Laser Viper head.  Back in those early collecting days, you could find lots like that no one wanted because they were "ruined" figures from later molds.  I still have the parts sitting in a box buried in a basement closet.  Someday, I might put the head to a different use.  

Aside from the yellow highlights, Iceberg also features some brown painted snowflake designs that are meant as cammo or just eye-filler.  I get the idea of snowflakes.  And, really, they kind of work as a means of breaking up the otherwise very brightly colored body.  They look, though, like the bullet hole stickers you'd see on model kits of the era.  So, when I look at the figure, I think he got shot up in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.  It makes me chuckle and prevents me from taking the figure too seriously.  But, if I put that association out of my head, you can see what the designers were going for.  And, they did succeed in making the figure more visually interesting than he would otherwise be.

Iceberg's gear is about as good as it gets for 1993.  As far as I know, Iceberg's weapon tree was unique to him.  It included resculpted versions of the 1988 Blizzard's rifle and pistol.  These were great throwbacks to earlier arctic themed figures.  Iceberg also included a machete from Muskrat and a knife from Hit and Run.  There is the requisite missile launcher, missiles and battle stand.  Iceberg also includes a snowboard.  This unique accessory puts him over the top for 1993 figures because Iceberg has something to interact with.  The "jet-powered" snowboard was an idea that Hasbro used often.  There's jet powered skis, missiles and snowboards throughout the line.  The absolute bonkers notion of such an item wasn't important to kids.  It was just fun.  The snowboard also has a variant where the G.I. Joe logon on the underside can be printed in both directions.  It's small, but something to look for. 

This Iceberg was also released in Brazil.  The Estrela made figure is named Pantano and is a nearly identical paint job to the Hasbro release.  Pantano is noteworthy for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, Pantano was also the name of the Python Patrol Copperhead that was released in Brazil.  The characters aren't related.  But, seeing the same name twice is fun.  Secondly, Pantano is a Cobra.  The masked face made for an easy affiliation swap.  And, Pantano joins many late run Brazilian figures who switched allegiances for their Estrela debuts.  Finally, Pantano's card artwork removes the green coloring from the figures's head and replaces it with yellow to more closely match the actual toy.  The artwork was also updated to remove the snowboard that wasn't included with Pantano.  The mold wasn't used again.  It's pretty likely that Hasbro had access to the mold in the 2000's.  And, while I'd have loved to have seen it in the Winter Operations set in 2005, the reality is that we're probably better off with the mold just having been used the two times.

Dealers will ask anywhere between $10 and $25 for mint and complete versions of this figure.  With the full set of accessories and filecard, the figure seems to be worth about $10.  Carded versions are higher priced than I would have thought, though.  They top out around $35...which seems high for an unliked figure from a late run year.  But, the once plentiful carded 1993 and 1994 Joes have heavily dried up.  So, you're paying a premium for low supply.  I'm not sure I'd drop $10 on this guy.  He's a neat look at what Hasbro was still capable of doing in 1993.  But, he's also a showcase of some wrong decisions from that era, too.  I've gotten out into the snow for some pics.  But, really, I'd much rather use the other cold weather figures from that era instead.  They just work better than the yellow highlights you see on this Iceberg.