1994 Action Sailor

Twenty five years ago, today, I wrote about the second version of the 1994 Action Sailor.  The orange wetsuit made for a compelling figure.  In that profile, though, I also showcased the original, single boxed version of the figure that wore a black wetsuit.  This original Action Sailor is less visually interesting than his repaint.  But, the Sailor is the final member of the Action Series quartet that I've profiled and is a vital piece of Joe history.

As part of G.I. Joe's 30th anniversary, Hasbro rolled out a solid lineup of commemorative products.  They heavily focused on the burgeoning 12" figures as it was a space that was growing and was a direct homage to Joe's 12" origins.  There were some 3 3/4" products, too.  The crown jewel was supposed to be the 3 3/4" Joseph Colton figure.  And, collectors bought that in such numbers that he remains an easy and cheap acquisition to this day.  The retail throwbacks, though, were 4 individually boxed figures that were imitations of early 12" Joe figures.  The Soldier, Marine, Pilot and Sailor all came in individual boxes with artwork meant to evoke those first 12" figures.  There was also a boxed set with some paint variations and a new Astronaut figure to round out the product line.  

The entire point of these figures was to draw in the emerging adult collector market.  By 1994, adults were enough of a market that targeting products to them made sense.  Kids would buy up the rest.  And, by 1995, with the return of the Star Wars line to retail, the notion of a collector friendly toy line became mainstream.  In the case of the 30th Anniversary Joes, though, the appeal to adults meant higher prices, special packaging and extra accessories.  On some level it worked.  But, on  another, it failed.  The 30th Anniversary figures were bought up.  But, most were left boxed and unwanted.  When the failed to take off on the secondary market, disappointed 12" collectors liquidated them, often for below the original retail price.  And, even in 2025, the figures remain common and affordable.

I do have one memory of seeing the 30th Anniversary boxed set of 5 figures at a Toys R Us on a busy day right before Christmas in 1994.  It was a big set that was expensive.  For someone who was working in a deli for 10 days to raise enough money to survive the entire next semester without working again, it was just too much.  So, I bought some other carded Joes that day that were more affordable.  I don't remember much about the set: other than knowing it existed.  And, I forgot about it until 1999 or so.  At that point, I became obsessed with the Action Series figures.  They were cheap at the time ($5 for less for a boxed figure) and very available.  No one wanted them.  So, for a few weeks, I snatched up multiples of most of the figures with intentions of army building them.  Once I had a few in my collection, though, my interest in the figures cooled.  This was both a combination of them no longer being new and also a result of my finding the figures not as exciting as I had hoped one I had them in hand.  So, my quick obsession turned into a memory as I moved on to other areas of collecting.

In 2000, I had my first pool.  So, divers were a priority.  By then, though, the notion of using the Action Sailor had somewhat passed.  I was high on the 1998 Diver set.  And, they were my focus for army building diver figures.  I did get the Action Sailors out.  And, one of the very few photos I have of the waterfall that fell into that first pool features both versions of the 1994 Action Sailor.  In 2001, no one really photographed the figure.  (Not too many people photographed Joes, in general as digital cameras were just becoming a thing.)  So, I wanted to take a chance to showcase the figure and that it was cool.  

When I opened my first version of this figure, I found him odd.  There was something about the figure that seemed...off.  Sure, the design was an homage to a frogman from the 1960's.  But, that was fine.  It was the actual figure, though, that felt a bit out of place.  Part of that is the scuffed up mask.  This was an intentional choice by Hasbro.  (Originally, the mask was going to be orange and the figure appears that way in  the 1994 Toy Fair Catalog.)  And, it makes every figure appear to be worn.  It was disconcerting to see on a figure fresh from his box.  The gear didn't help.  It is awkward to attach the figure's hose.  It fits great once it's in place.  But, getting it there is more of a hassle than it should be.  The sled and backpack, though, also felt cheap.  They were hollow.  This was a hallmark of a knockoff line trying to save pennies rather than G.I. Joe where quality was the calling card of the brand.  

The Action Sailor has ended up being my least used member of the Action Series.  I've rarely used him in photos.  When I do get him out, he provides some visual interest since you don't often see the figure used in Joe photography.  But, it's difficult to find a setting where his appearance makes sense.  His gear and sculpt really require him to be used in water.  His retro design and coloring, though, makes him a tough match for later Joe vehicles that are contemporary to his release.  He can work on the Whale.  But, even there, he feels like a relic.  The lack of characterization means he's perfect for army building.  Again, though, there are other diver figures in the line who are also prime for army building and include better gear with more intricate colors.  

The Action Sailor's sculpt is an excellent example of where less is more.  At first blush, the figure sculpt appears bland.  But, once you get past the all back obfuscation of the sculpted details, you realize that there's a little bit going on with the Sailor's mold.  It is, easily, the best sculpt of the 5 Action Series figures.  The figure has straps that suggest they hold his air tanks in place.  (The Action Marine is missing anything to hold his pack to his body.)  There is a silver zipper on the front of the wetsuit.  His dive belt features weights and is far more intricate than other belts on his series mates.  The final detail is a shin knife sculpted on the figure's right foot.  It's a small detail.  But, everything adds up to make the Sailor more intricate that he, at first, appears to be.  

The Action Sailor's gear is interesting, useful and ridiculous.  To start with, all of his gear is bright blue.  Wearing it gives the Sailor more visual depth.  The orange Action Sailor does include black accessories.  But, putting the black gear on the all black body simply washes the figure out and makes the gear difficult to discern.  So, the blue gear is better on the single boxed figure.  The figure includes a good amount of gear.  There is an air tank backpack.  To this, attaches a hose that wraps around the figure's head.  It features a pin that plugs into the Sailor's face to affix the hose in place.  The figure also includes two flippers and a flashlight that are similar to those from the 1986 Wet Suit.  His features a long spear gun.  As spear guns go, it's the weakest design in a line that is full of far better renditions of this underwater weapon.  It works with the figure.  But, overall, it's weak.  The package is rounded out by the requisite spring loaded missile launcher and missile.  The oversized accessory that was used to justify the higher retail price is a sea sled.  It's the lamest of the additional set pieces included with the four figures.  It looks cheap and out of place among Joe accessories.  Again, there are many sea sled like accessories in the line.  And, they are all better than this one.  But, it's big, blue and hard to miss.  So, it was used to justify a higher retail price tag.

The Action Sailor was used twice.  Both were in 1994 and were, basically, concurrent releases.  The black version  was available as a single figure in a box.  And, the orange repaint was available as part of the 5 figure gift set.  The mold didn't reappear again.  In the late '90's, a company made some keychains that were based on the Action Series figure molds.  You can find both orange and black Action Sailor keychains.  When they were a $2 novelty, the keychains could have some value.  But, you're far better off tracking down the actual figures.  It's certain that Hasbro had the Action Series molds in the early 2000's.  But, the Sailor never reappeared.  That's probably not a bad thing since we got plenty of better diver sculpts, characters, colors and gear from the figures that Hasbro released instead.  

None of the Action Series figures are popular.  And, they all exist in massive quantities.  (It's likely they are more common than any other 1994 G.I. Joe releases.)  This combination leaves you with a very cheap to acquire figure, these days.  While dealers will ask an average of $25 for a loose, mint and complete figure, you can buy all the boxed figures you want for around $17, each.  That's the only way to go.  And, if you want to get a lot of all four of the 30th Anniversary boxed figures, you can often lower the overall price to well under $15 per figure.  It's a paltry sum for a Joe figure.  So, there's no reason that price or availability is a barrier to owning the Action Sailor.  Desire, though, likely is the reason you don't have one.  Every diver figure in the line is better than the Action Sailor.  His value is as both an homage and an oddity.  Outside of that, there's little reason to bother with the character.  

2019 Night Force Snake Eyes - Black Major Exclusive

I've looked at two of the many flavors of the Black Major V2 Snake Eyes figures already.  There isn't much to say about a mold that was criminally underused and is now the exact opposite.  But, sometimes, a figure hits you in a way you weren't expecting.  I'm not a huge fan of the vintage Night Force subset.  To me, all the figures look the same.  Having one or two in the Night Force colors is really cool.  But, having 12 of them is just a boring, banal team that really flies in the face of what Joe is supposed to be.  But, it remains the most popular vintage Joe subset and really is something that needed a few more members.  Especially when you consider that Snake Eyes was not part of the original team.  Fortunately, Black Major corrected that in 2019.

On the one hand, Snake Eyes' absence from Night Force in non-sensical.  Of any Joe, Snake Eyes seems the singular, logical choice to either lead the team or at least be part of it.  I can only imagine what the pricing would be today had the 1985 Snake Eyes mold gotten its only repaint in the 1988 or 1989 Toys R Us exclusive Night Force sets.  But, his omission has more to do with the peculiarities of his release years and their lack of overlap with the TRU sets.  I actually have to give Hasbro credit for not including Snake Eyes in the 2004 Night Force set since Snake Eyes was overused at the time.  Though, the 1989 Snake Eyes mold in 2004 Night Force green might have been pretty cool.

The 1985 Snake Eyes holds a prominent place in my collection.  In 1985, I was reading the Joe comic and was well versed in Snake Eyes being the most prominent character.  His new figure personified everything that kids of that era wanted Snake Eyes to be.  He was still a commando at heart.  But, now had a ninja element, too, so he could battle the best Cobra figure ever released in the 1984 Stormshadow.  As such, to me, the 1985 sculpt is Snake Eyes.  Even moreso than his 1982 original design.  The placement of this figure at such a prominent point of my childhood blinded me to the obvious weaknesses in the figure's design, though.

As Black Major repainted the mold in a variety of colors, my blinders to the sculpt began to fade away.  I would now see that the head is a little bizarre, with the sculpted mouth.  The figure also has a little pooch in his stomach.  These flaws, though, were offset by finally seeing the mold painted in a way that accentuated the details that made us all fall in love with the figure back in 1985.  So, I still hold 1985 Snake Eyes repaints in higher regard than they might deserve.  There's something about this mold that remains magical due to its prominent placement during my childhood.  It's helpful to understand those old feelings and how they shape my view of toys based on the classic figure.  And, it's why I try to stay out of very valid debates about how good this figure actually is.  To me, I can't have a rational debate over a toy that was so central in my formative years.

It's interesting to me that I've owned a version of the 1985 Snake Eyes for 40 years, now.  Despite that, I still don't feel I've ever adequately appreciated the figure.  It always seems like I can not do anything that lives up to the greatness of this mold.  Photos don't do it justice.  Paint jobs make it better, but it still seems like there's more to be done.  This is legacy that is hanging on from childhood.  The result of these inadequacies is that I don't use 1985 Snake Eyes figures as often as I should.  He'd work great in many photos.  But, I end up taking one of the repaint era figures based on the 1991 or 1983 Snake Eyes instead.  With those figures, I never worry about capturing the essence of the figure in a perfect way.  With the 1985 mold, I want to do that.  And, I've scrapped many photos and writings about the 1985 mold for that very reason.

This Night Force version of the figure got a bit of use for a while.  I loved the added colors on the character.  But, since then, the figure has stagnated.  I haven't taken a photo of him in years.  Other Snake Eyes colorings have grabbed my attention and are more likely to be used.  And, I'm not sure why that is.  I still really enjoy this color scheme on the mold.  But, it suffers from the general malaise that I feel towards using this classic look for Snake Eyes.  I'll choose other Snake Eyes costumes long before I turn to the '85.  In some ways, I should rectify that.  The '85 is still my preferred look for Snake Eyes.  And, using some of these older Black Major colors does give photos more flair.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow.  Maybe, I'll take this figure down to the creek and try to find a cool spot for a showcase.  

Aside from one detail, this Snake Eyes uses colors that are callbacks to the vintage Night Force figures.  The black base and grey pants match up with the standard motif of the vintage era.  And, the green highlights hearken back to the Toys R Us figures using that color, too.  None of the colors on the Snake Eyes are an exact match for the vintage figures, though.  He's one of those guys who looks good on his own.  But, if you posed him with the '88 or '89 figures, you'd notice that his coloring is off.  The main difference, though, is the red visor.  The red is somewhat of an homage to the red highlights used on Night Force vehicles and isn't a feature of the vintage figures.  It actually kind of works for me, though.  It gives the Snake Eyes more visual distinction from his other figures.  And, it also allows you to use this as an alternate look for Snake Eyes rather than just a Night Force addition.

My favorite element of this Snake Eyes is his accessory color.  While the figure includes the full complement of 1985 Snake Eyes gear (backpack, Uzi, sword and wolf), it is the base, brown color of the figure's gear that is most striking.  The rich hue isn't often seen.  And, while it may not make sense for a sword or firearm, it looks cool.  I'm a sucker for oddball accessory colors.  And, this Snake Eyes pulls it off with aplomb.  (There's tons of Black Major Snake Eyes gear available in more standard colors, now, should you want to give the figure more traditional weapon colors.)  The brown is a nice offset to the black and green base.  It complements the figure's coloring and gives him even more pizazz.  

The Night Force Snake Eyes is of decent quality.  In 2020, the Snake Eyes mold began to wear out.  And, some of the later paint jobs tend to have loose arms.  But, that doesn't affect this Night Force version.  The backpack mold, though, has a flaw that prevents the sword from fitting into the slots.  It's annoying as it renders one of the better features of Snake Eyes' accessories moot.  You can awkwardly slide it in, sideways.  But, it's precarious, at best.  Aside from this, though, the figure is solid and works very well with vintage figures.

When this figure was first released, he was only available to those who purchased an entire 9 figure set of Snake Eyes repaints.  After that, a few select figures were raffled off.  And, a few were sold on auction sites.  Those figures started over $100 and continued to sell for $70+ for quite some time.  By the fall of 2019, though, the figure had fallen in price and you could get one under $30 at online auction sites.  As with all Black Major figures, future pricing is tough.  Were there fewer Night Force Snake Eyes figures made than the other repaints that were released at the same time?  Will collectors continue to want this particular paint job when there are, literally, at least 18* others to choose from?  If you like the figure and find it at a price you like, snatch it up.  The one constant is that after factory customs sell out, they get harder to find.  So, even if the figure drops in price, tracking one down might be worth the extra bucks today.

*I started writing this profile in April of 2020.  I just got around to finishing it, more than 5 years later.  Now, there's dozens of '85 Snake Eyes repaints available.  Some are great.  Some are bad.  And, some are weird.  But, there's something for everyone.  This Night Force version sits, unsold, at $40.  And, his contemporaries seem to have settled in the $25-$30 range.  That's a good starting point should you want to buy this Snake Eyes in 2025.

Funskool Lady Jaye - Around The Web

There are many different Funskool Lady Jaye figures.  Some are more interesting than others.  My version  of the figure isn't too far off from the Hasbro release.  Her colors are a bit brighter.  And, most noticeably, her face paint application is poor.  So, it's not much of a difference from the 1985 Lady Jaye.  But, I've always liked Funskool figures and appreciate foreign releases with slight nuanced differences from the Hasbro figure.

There's not a ton of content on this figure out there since she's not all that common.  Heck, the photos you see below were taken 8 years apart.  I don't even use her that often.  The figure is definitely one you don't see often enough.  So, take a look at what little I could find.  

Funskool Lady Jaye Profile

Funskool Lady Jaye by kushviper

Funskool Lady Jaye by v1per_p1ilot

Funskool Lady Jaye by toysjoy357

Funskool Lady Jaye by aicrtm

Funskool Lady Jaye by ogtoys

Funskool Lady Jaye by v1per_p1lot

Alado - Plastirama Crazylegs (Argentina)

Crazylegs is not a figure that mattered to me during my childhood.  In fact, I kind of hated the figure because, before I saw the figure in stores, I assumed that a new parachute figure would be even better than the 1984 Ripcord.  That didn't turn out to be the case.  Crazylegs was such a disappointment that I never used the figure at the time of his release.  A few years later, though, Crazylegs was one of a very figures available to me.  And, in this capacity, he found a new niche that suited the figure.  It was far from his airborne trooper roots and was something I made up to fill a need I had in my Joe world.  

One of the halllmarks of the Joe line was improvement.  Each year, Hasbro improved the quality of their figures or the innovation of their gear.  It's a weird concept because Hasbro wasn't really chasing anyone in the marketplace.  And, no toy lines were competing behind the Joe line, trying to unseat it, either.  (Transformers and He-Man occupied very different spaces than Joe.)  So, getting a figure like Crazylegs where he was a huge step down from a figure released 3 years earlier was a disappointment.  The weird parachute rigging didn't make for a useful figure when Crazylegs was fully accessories.  and, while you have to give Hasbro points for trying something different, the reality is that Crazylegs' parachute is light years behind the rig designed for Ripcord.  

So, Crazylegs wasn't used.  His gun, though, was.  To me, Crazylegs' rifle was the closest approximation of the Cobra weapon from the cartoon.  So, I used the weapon with various Cobras.  But, I never found it a good fit.  So, instead, the weapon found its way to other Joe figures whose gear had been lost or broken.  Even with the removable stock long lost to the sea of junk in our toy room, Crazylegs' rifle was useful to have around. In the late 1990's, I co-opted the rifle for Sneak Peek.  I viewed this figure as a "commander" who lead the nameless legions who supported the Joes.  For some reason, I liked the way the rifle looked with him.  And, to this day, you'll find photos or Sneak Peek with Crazylegs' rifle on this site.

Now, I do appreciate the Crazylegs sculpt for what it is.  He is a nicely detailed figure.  And, the Night Force version has given me a useful version of it to blend with other figures in my collection.  I did make up a character of a "Sessions Officer" that you can read about in my 1987 Crazylegs profile.  But, these days, I mostly use him as intended, just in the background of a helicopter or other aircraft photo.  The red is useful for photography.  And, since I didn't overuse him in my childhood, there are few legacy memories associated with the figure.

There were just two post 1985 figure molds released in Argentina.  Sgto. Slaughter is the first.  And, Alado is the second.  Alado uses a 1987 mold and is the latest mold to be used in Argentina.  It does appear that Plastirama had more figures planned.  Alado's cardback shows Flint and BBQ as upcoming releases.  Neither was ever released in Argentina.  Though, both figures did show up in Brazil.  There's no real explanation as to why Crazylegs and Sgt. Slaughter were the sole late run mold representatives in the Plastirama line.  When you look at the catalog of 1986 and 1987 molds that were produced by Estrela, it's robust.  While I, personally, would have preferred a cheap way to get a slightly repainted Sci Fi or BAT, you can't fault Plastirama for their mold selections.

Alado is 100% based on the 1987 Crazylegs figure.  He used the grey base with red highlights.  But, the Plastirama Alado has some drastic color differences that make him easy to spot.  They also, though, make him a less useful figure than the other Crazylegs colorings that exist.  Alado uses a darker grey as the base color for his pants and shirt.  His gloves are a darker shade of tan.  The overall paint details on the fine, black paint are softer.  And, his skin color is more peach than that of Crazylegs.  The biggest difference, though, is the overall red color that was used.  It is not glossy.  So, Crazylegs' helmet and chest are very dull.  It's a weird look as flat colors were rare in the vintage Joe line.  The red on Alado's torso is also different than that on his waist and arms.  It makes Alado look like his a custom rather than a real release.  The final photo below shows Alado alongside a Hasbro Crazylegs.  But, sadly, the photo doesn't do the differences in the red colorings real justice.  And, Alado is much more recognizable in hand than the photos in the profile suggest.

Crazylegs traveled the world.  The timing of his appearances is odd, too.  Hasbro used the mold in 1987 and 1988.  Along with the original red version, Hasbro produced an exclusive Night Force version in 1988.  Shortly after that, the figure appeared in both Brazil and Argentina.  Both of the South American figures are named Alado.  And, both are very similar to the 1987 Crazylegs figure.  These figures had to start production after the Night Force run of figures.  So, they are, likely, 1989 releases at the earliest.  If that weren't enough, the Crazylegs mold then showed up in India.  Funskool produced a red suited Crazylegs whose real calling card is his red parachute.  They also used his head on the Skydiver figure.  So, Crazylegs fans have a lot to track down.  

Crazylegs was not among the molds that Funskool returned to Hasbro in 2003.  He was not among the 2009 Funskool update figures, either, though.  So, it's likely that Funskool had the mold but chose not to release Crazylegs when they tried to drum up interest in the Joe brand when the movie debuted in India.  The character was forgotten in the early 2000's.  But, eventually, he did appear in the Anniversary sculpt era.  And, he's even been ported over to the Classified scale in the 2020's.  Crazylegs is one of those guys who had no place in the community for the first 10 years or so of online Joe discussion.  But, he was able to move up the ladder and become a solid 3rd tier character.  And, I'm still not sure how that happened.

You can acquire an Alado figure in three ways.  The first is the standard carded figure.  You can also find Alado in a C.O.P.S. box.  There's no guarantee you'll get his accessories inside the box, though.  C.O.P.S. boxes are full of random parts and it's common to get Battlefield Accessories or Pac-Rats in them in lieu of the figure's gear.  You can also find Alados on Jhony Quest cards.  He will be packaged with the Jhony Quest figure...which uses parts from the Power Commandos.  Jhony Quest Alados are likely to have his full complement of gear, though.  Both the C.O.P.S. and Jhony Quest items tend to have collectability that is only partially related to the G.I. Joe figure that's included.  So, you'll pay a premium for these alternate packaging releases versus a standard, MOC Alado figure.

Once upon a time, Alado figures were easy to find and wouldn't cost you $5 for a MOC figure.  Now, you don't see the figures all that often.  And, dealers are able to get high prices for them.  You'll see figures sell in  the $70+ range for a carded figure.  You'll probably pay about $30 for a mint and complete figure.  But, that's an even tougher find.  Of the Crazylegs figures available, the Plastirama Alado is the weakest.  And, if you're not a huge fan of the character or the figure, is worth skipping.  Just get a 1987 or a Night Force figure to experience the mold.  It's a shame that Crazylegs only really exists in the two color schemes.  The Night Force figure, though, might be the perfect rendition of the character.  So, any new paint jobs would be vying for second place.  I'd still have loved to have seen something more on the Crazylegs sculpt...just since it's do well done.  But, that never happened.

The Plastirama Alado figure on the left vs. the Hasbro 1987 Crazylegs figure on the right.

2004 Unproduced White Pants Night Force Flint

You all know that Flint is my favorite figure in the Joe line.  I spend way too much time trying to find little, nuanced releases of Flint that I can add to my collection.  And, while there are a lot of figures that are based on the 1985 coloring, there aren't too many Flints that fall outside his main motif.  You have the 1988 Tiger Force version.  And, then the 2004 Night Force version.  And, that's it.  Well, almost.  There is one more main variant of Flint.  And, that is this unproduced version of the 2004 Night Force figure.  It's not materially different from the production figure with the exception of the figure's pants color.  Instead of the retail version's black pants, this pre-production figure features white pants.  This should create a lesser figure.  But, in a lot of ways, the white pants version of Flint is more interesting than the production figure and offers one of the few alternatives for a Flint figure in the vintage line.

I can't really argue that the white pants on these pre-production Night Force figures are better than the black pants that were used on the production versions.  They aren't.  The black is a better match for the hunter green of the upper bodies and is more true to the vision of Night Force than the white pants would have been.  What the white pants variants do offer, though, is a visual contrast.  As a production figure, they would not have worked.  But, as pre-production variants, they do.  These aren't supposed to be better than the production samples.  And, the white pants bring a different visual to this Flint while also not making any sense within the context of his release.  So, you can see why Hasbro changed them from white to black.  

For me, I just like having alternate looks for Flint.  From the waist up, the production and pre-production figures are essentially identical.  But, when the figures are out and about, the white pants and black pants differences are enough to make both useful.  The golden belt buckle really pops on the white pants figure.  And, that sticks out, to me.  As such, you'll see the white pants figure appear more often in the background of photos here than you do the production figure.  Much of that is the element of scarcity and the fact that you don't often see the alternate figures used these days.  The white pants get people to double take and question why the figure looks different.  It's a petty use.  But, it's one of the reasons I enjoy the figure.  And, were the white pants version  the production release and the black pants the pre-production figure, I'm sure I'd use the black pants version in a similar vein.

The Night Force set was one of the more intricate retail releases of the early 2000's.  The figures featured convention level paint masks and color combos.  These features would be stripped away as the sets matured and Hasbro tried to squeeze every last penny out of them.  And, the poor accessory complement included with the Night Force set was also a harbinger of the cheapness to come.  But, as just figures, the Night Force set features convention quality paint masks.  This Flint features at least 8 different colors.  That's more than most vintage figures would receive.  And, it shows that Hasbro invested money when they developed the Night Force set.

Night Force gear was bad.  And, Flint's accessories from the set were no exception.  He included a hodge-podge of common weapons that would appear over and over again during his era.  For some reason, Flint got a near complete set of Firefly's gear...missing only the backpack cover.  The upside is that this gear is easy to find.  So, equipping one of the pre-production figures with it isn't difficult or expensive.  But, the weapons make no sense and are so tied to Firefly that it's tough to see anyone, especially an iconic Joe character, using them.  Funskool had the full array of Flint accessories.  But, those never saw another Hasbro release.  So, there's no telling what happened to them between the end of the Funskool production run in 2003 and the appearance of this figure in 2004.  

So, that leaves you searching for proper gear for Flint.  In the photos below, you'll see some different options.  As I often lost Flint's shotgun back in my childhood days, I often had to find alternate gear for even the vintage figure.  My two go-to's were the sub machine gun from the 1985 Night Landing and the charcoal Ripcord rifle from the Tactical Battle Platform.  But, I've tried many other weapons with this Flint and found that many look really nice with him.  When a figure is as nicely done as Flint, the accessories are just an adornment that enhances an already amazing design.

The alternate, Asian figures that dominated discussion forums in late 2004 and early 2005 have faded into the obscure recesses of the Joe world.  Many of those who bought up every variant as it appeared are no longer active in the community.  Newer collectors who came aboard during the Anniversary era have no real recollection of these figures or their widespread and cheap availability.  Now, most of the alternate, Asian figures are stupidly expensive and seldom seen.  It's too bad.  As, the alternate looks were often a fun way to differentiate a photo or spark conversation in a forum.  Now, they are the domain of well-heeled collectors who have financial interest in downplaying just how common the figures actually are.  

With the Toys R Us exclusive sets, Hasbro started out by offering new looks for classic sub teams.  The first three sets were Tiger Force, Python Patrol and Night Force.  None of the TRU sets featured figures in color schemes that were homages or even matches for the original members of those sub teams.  Instead, Hasbro tried something different.  The Tiger Force featured some European inspired blues and oranges.  Python Patrol offered figures that were better matches for Python Patrol vehicles.  Night Force just went in an entirely new direction.  The figures didn't match vintage Night Force figures.  Nor did they match Night Force vehicles.  And, this was good.  The original Night Force figures are bland and mostly two tone in green and black.  The 2004 set offered a more complex look for some figures.  You can't really make this Flint the leader of a faction of 1988 and 1989 Night Force figures.  But, he does look great as a stand alone figure when mixed with other 1997-2010 releases.  

And, this works.  Within just a few months of the Night Force set's release, I was already noting how the figures worked very well as, well, figures.  The Night Force theme was less important to the overall, long term success of set.  It was more of a marketing term to get Joe fans interested than it was a continuation of a team from 15 years prior.  And, that's part of the reason that Night Force (and, really, all of the 2003 and 2004 Toys R Us sets) has held up so well.  It was about as big a chance as the Hasbro of the early 2000's was willing to take.  It was enough to make the set memorable and allowed the figures to find lives of their own.  

You can't discuss the 2000's era repaints without touching upon how crappy the plastic is and how likely it is to discolor.  The Night Force figures, with their dark hues, have been mostly immune from those plights.  These white pants figures, though, are susceptible to discoloration.  The white will take on a yellow hue, even on properly stored figures.  There's nothing you can do to stop it.  You can just slow it down a bit.  It's a sad legacy of early 2000's Hasbro that their plastics were so poor.  All of the toy lines from this time suffer from easy discoloration.  And, that would discourage me from splurging on a mint piece.  Eventually, time catches up with the materials and they will decay.  Yellowing figures are a personal pet peeve.  They bother me over other afflictions.  I'll take paint wear and loose joints every time over an otherwise mint figure that features a tinge of yellow.  Others have different tolerances.  And, for many Joe figures, discoloration is so common that newer collectors don't really know what a mint figure is supposed to look like.  It's something to be aware of with figures like this Flint.

It's time to break some hearts.  Between 2005 and 2007, this figure was pretty easy to find.  He'd go unsold on Ebay for under $5.  You could buy a complete set of 6 alternate Night Force figures (including the Night Force Tracker!) for $60.  And, they sat and sat and sat.  You could get one whenever you wanted.  Slowly, though, the stock got absorbed.  Once it was gone, no one cared for a while.  Around 2015/2016, you started to see old timers talking about how the once common alternate Asian figures had turned scarce.  Then, in 2018 or so, prices started spiking.  In 2020, these Flint figures sold between $75 and $100.  Really, that's way too much.  And, for such an uninteresting variant, there's really no bang for that kind of scratch.  But, the market is stupid and filled with new collectors who don't really understand how common figures like this really are.  It will correct soon enough.  Until then, I'm glad I was able to get figures like this when they were cheap.  And, I'm sad that this figure is one of the few that I have remaining.