2026 Garindan - Star Wars Retro

At my core, I was a Star Wars kid.  A happenstance find in a Children's Palace in 1978 lead to an obsession that lasted nearly 5 years.  I played with 3 3/4" action figures because of Star Wars.  My obsession with G.I. Joe was a direct result of them supplanting Star Wars as my preferred toy.  This was due to a few factors.  But, the greater accessories, improved articulation and greater variety of vehicles were the driving force to my transition to G.I. Joe.  Despite that, I have a soft spot for vintage Star Wars figures.  Once upon a time, I planned to get a complete set of the original Kenner run.  But, as I got the money to do so, I found that I was far happier using those funds to build out my burgeoning G.I.  Joe collection.  That became my focus.  I ended up selling off my vintage Star Wars figures as I didn't have enough to display and was fine with the 2000's era versions of my childhood favorite characters.  The Star Wars Retro line, though, has scratched that old itch for vintage Kenner type Star Wars figures.  And, I've acquired far more of those releases than I ever figured I would.  My main impetus to get deeper into the Retro figures, though, is that Hasbro started producing Kenner style figures of characters we never got back in the '70 and early '80's.

In this year's set of 6 figures, there was one stand out for me: Garindan.  Ever since I was a kid, I felt that Garindan was a major miss from the Kenner line.  He was more important than Snaggletooth or Hammerhead.  And, his affiliation was known...he was a bad guy.  Not having him as a Kenner figure always seemed like a miss.  

My parents got a VCR very early in the 1980's.  My dad's best friend gave us his as he was more impressed with his new, BETA player.  So, we had a VCR much earlier than most of my peers.  My dad also had a work friend who had HBO when that wasn't something most people even knew about.  My dad spent an uknown, likely LARGE, sum of money to buy a blank VCR tape and gave it to his friend who recorded Star Wars from an HBO broadcast.  So, we had our very own copy of Star Wars that we could watch whenever we wanted.  And, we got more than my dad's money worth out of that tape.  We watched it well over 100 times.  We were still watching it into the early 1990's.  It wasn't until LucasFilm produced an updated trilogy boxed set in 1995 that we finally replaced that worn tape.  (Oddly, the HBO broadcast cut a few seconds of dialog in the Death Star Control Room.  It wasn't until I saw the 1995 tape with it restored that I even knew it existed.  To this day, that scene seems more out of place to me in a Star Wars viewing than any of the Special Editions changes.)  

Seeing the movie so many times lead me to appreciate many of the small characters who had not gotten vintage toys.  I had reveries of a release of Han and Luke in Stormtrooper disguises, Grand Moff Tarkin, Biggs, Sandtroopers, Rebel Fleet Troopers, Cantina Band Members and, yes, Garindan.  When I was young enough to still be playing with Star Wars figures, I wanted them all to fill out my adventures.  When I grew out of Star Wars figures, I still wanted the figures for the memories they'd have created during my younger days.  I just assumed that I'd never get to have most of these characters in plastic form.  But, then, Hasbro brought back Star Wars figures in 1995.  The first two waves were all updated versions of characters that Kenner had also released.  But, as 1996 progressed, Hasbro started to break out a bit.  We saw some new renditions of major characters.  And, Shadows of the Empire brought some great figures that had never been made before to the Star Wars line.  1997 took this even further and released a handful of characters and outfits that had never been released before.  Among these was the first ever release of Garindan.

Something about this Garindan fascinated me.  Mostly, he was the first release of a new character that was on my childhood wish list.  There was something about filling this decade+ old desire that made Garindan more important than he could ever be.  And, when I got the POTFII figure in 1997, he did not disappoint.  Sure, he just stood there with a communicator sculpted into his hand.  But, in 1997, this was light years ahead of Kenner's figures.  It showed all that was possible with Star Wars.  I placed him in a place of prominence on my small, Star Wars shelf.  And, there he stood, representing everything that Hasbro's return to Star Wars could promise.  Over the next couple of years, I picked up a spare Garindan or two.  Toys R Us sold a bunch of overstock figures for $3 or less.  So, it was easy to snag an extra to have around.  I never used him.  But, he would often be among any figures that were on display.  Eventually, though, all my POTFII collection was put away.  And, most of it sold in 2007.  I didn't keep the POTFII Garindan.  

The reason for this, though, was because in 2006, Hasbro had produced an updated Garindan figure.  This release featured substantially upgrade sculpting and articulation.  His proportions were better.  But, the real value was his accessories.  Garindan included a soft goods cape.  The material was light years ahead of the Episode I cloth gear that I had appropriated to my Joes.  It was light but held its shape.  It form fitted to Garindan's head and shoulders.  It gave the figure incredible depth.  Along with that, Garindan came with a new blaster that was more in scale with him.  And, he had a removable communicator that he could hold.  For no reason, Hasbro sculpted a perfect belt holster for him to hold both is pistol and the communicator.  Post Prequels, Hasbro did some great things that drove value.  And, this Garindan figure could never be a character who lived up to the level of detail and care that Hasbro put into his figure.

When I first saw this Retro Garindan, he elicited the same excitement as that first release from 1997.  But, upon looking at him in the early photos, he seemed off.  Mostly, this was just due to the quality of the 2006 figure.  That figure was so perfect that no other rendition could really live up to him.  Upon that realization, I was able to reconcile the Retro Garindan.  And, in hand, he's better than I anticipated.  He's kind of wonky.  But, all Kenner figures were.  He looks like a figure Kenner might have made in 1979.  (Though, his blaster seems out of place and doesn't fit with the aesthetic of figure.  It should have been a Han blaster or Bespin blaster.)  The colors are good, the cape is there.  And, the figure has the required hand communicator that is essential to his character.

I didn't know Garindan's name until the dawn of the internet.  I never called him Long Snoot.  I don't like that moniker for him.  But, had he been released in 1979, Kenner would have called him something like that.  And, you'd have sad, pathetic collectors screaming about how Hasbro's The Vintage Collection release of him that used a name placard of both Long Snoot and Garindan ruined their childhood.  Being anonymous worked for Garindan.  His look was distinctive enough that you could describe him to any fan with ease.  He would have made for a great action figure.  I'm sure Kenner's reasoning for their selection of the 4 Cantina aliens exists out there, somewhere.  But, even as a kid, I questioned why someone like Garindan didn't get a figure while Snaggletooth did.

Next year is the 50th anniversary of the release of Star Wars.  It is every collector's hope that Hasbro commemorates such an occasion with ample toys.  The 40th anniversary (which, I swear was like 18 months ago....) didn't get a ton of fanfare.  But, the 50th appears that it's going to be a bigger deal.  At the 2026 San Diego Comic Con, Hasbro offered a teaser image of how many figures could be released in the Retro line in 2027.  I counted 28 slots with an additional 3 large blobs that could be beasts, playsets, multipacks or even vehicles.  In short, next year is going to be intense for Retro collectors.  With that many possible releases, it has left me daydreaming of a perfect lineup.  Questions, of course, still abound.

Will the 2027 releases be restricted to only Star Wars characters or will we see figures from all the movies?

Will we see remakes of classics or will they be all new figures?

Will they be released as single cards, boxed sets or a combination of both?

These questions and many others will be answered throughout the remainder of the year as we get closer to the actual release dates.  Until then, I've let my mind speculate away as to what I'd like to get.  I'm perfectly fine with updated versions of Luke, Han, Ben, Leia, Vader and Chewie.  With proper sabers, soft goods, useful hands and improved heads, they would be a great capstone for the Retro line.  (Yeah, we got a great Vader in the Kenobi line.  But, he's the least likely character to get excluded from a release.)  Beyond that, there are various Cantina denizens that would be fun to own after 50 years.  A Biggs and even another pilot wouldn't be terrible.  But, really, I'm hard pressed to come up with 27 figures that are left from Star Wars that really need to be made.  Along with Tarkin from a few years ago, we've gotten at least 11 all new figures from the first movie in the last two years.  That filled a lot of holes.  And, the characters left are extremely obscure or rather boring.  

But, if you get some Cantina band members, an updated Jawa, a real Imperial Navy Trooper, Porkins, Motti and the Elvis looking guy who was hanging out at the Cantina, I'll probably get them all.  And, I'm kind of in a place where any Retro figures are that nostalgic nectar that I'll imbibe.  So, I'm looking forward to 2027 and really hoping that the Retro figures continue both their relatively affordable price and their widespread availability.  

In recent years, it dawned on me that Garindan is modeled after a medieval plague doctor.  Before they became a common, clichéd Halloween costume, plague doctors weren't something that most people were aware of.  So, Garindan was a design that was alien, but had enough familiarity that you bought into his plausibility.  It was that grounding design that helped make the aliens so remarkable.  There was thought and purpose behind Garindan's look.  And, it was spent on a guy who had a few seconds of screen time and just two lines...spoken in an alien language.  

Collectability wise, these figures are out there.  Target didn't have the glitches that plagued the 2025 set.  And, these 2026 boxed sets seemed to show up at retail stores in numbers while also not selling out online.  So, there should be ample time to get them.  Last year's set is now available for less than retail.  (You should get another one.  The 2025 set might be the best Retro boxed set Hasbro's ever going to do.)  There's no indication that the 2026 follow up won't follow the same path.  A week after I bought these, Target had them on sale for $10 cheaper.  And, that didn't bother me.  I'm happy with the set and the price I paid.  That's the mark of a good product.

Cobra Flying Scorpion (Brazil) - 25 Years Later

I guess it's tradition to post up the Flying Scorpion every 5 years.  Today, though, marks 25 years since I first posted my original profile on the Brazilian exclusive.  At that time, he was an obscure release that no one really cared about.  Now, he's among the more expensive foreign figures and commands a stupid premium.  None of that has changed his importance to me.  He remains the flagship figure in my collection.  He's the most expensive figure I still use with any frequency.  Some of the flair and creativity behind him has faded into the background.  I don't have deep and evolving characterization for him any longer.  But, the figure remains one of my personal favorites and one I love dusting off every few years.

Twenty Five years is a long time.  It's hard to really imagine the world of August, 2001.  It was such a drastically different time.  2001 was really the dawn of the Joe collecting boom.  Starting in that year, prices rose, forums exploded and G.I. Joe looked like it was set to return to the cultural zeitgeist.  The next three years were a blur of hundreds of new figures, constant news about the line and voluminous fan content that kept even the most voracious collector well sated.  

All good things must end, though.  And, Joe took a drastic downturn at the start of 2004.  By the middle of 2005, the line was cancelled.  Hasbro was ambitious, though, and offered the cancelled line as part of their Direct To Consumer (DTC) strategy.  You can't call the Joe items anything but a failure.  They were dumped to Toy R Us in 2006.  But, the DTC idea was the pre-cursor to Hasbro Pulse and was a harbinger of the 2020's online focused toy collecting experience.  O-ring Joes were all but silent for more than 15 years.  In 2022, Hasbro Pulse brought some underwhelming releases back.  They were fine.  But, nothing that really caused any sort of collecting resurgence.  Now, Hasbro has outsourced their o-ring Joes to Super7.  And, fan creators are releasing wave after wave of factory created o-ring figures that were inspired by G.I. Joe.  (Most are more Remco than Hasbro, though.)  So, it's not a bad time to be a collector, these days, provided you are not trying to fill hundreds of vintage holes.  Those prices remain artificially inflated.

It's kind of fun that there are now some figures who match up with the Flying Scorpion.  Not all of them make sense when taken  against the Sky Patrol theme.  But, you can build out a nice collection of similar figures to augment this guy.  

Originally, this figure represented a new character in my collection.  He still does.  But, I rarely photograph him in that role.  It's just too difficult to convey his importance and role in a photo unless someone has my 32 years of backstory that began at a boring job in the summer of 1994.  So, he usually appears as a single operator with some troops behind him...not much different than any other named Cobra.  I still like the idea of him as the new leader of Cobra.  But, the practicality of making that evident just doesn't work out.

In the early 2000's, it was pretty easy to get Flying Scorpion figures.  You could find carded versions for around $30.  Loose figures were harder to find unless you had a connection in Brazil.  But, the figures were cheap.  Those days are long gone.  And, you'll pay a substantial premium to add any high quality members of the Patrulha do Ar to your collection.  The figure isn't rare.  He's just popular and his price tag reflects that aspect of the demand curve.

Due to his high pricetag, there's not a ton of Flying Scorpion content out there.  Aside from being expensive, he's also fragile.  So, taking him out in the rain to pose him in the wet rocks doesn't hold a lot of appeal for those who own him.  But, I still do.  So, enjoy all the photos below and I'll see you again in August of 2031.

Flying Scorpion Profile

Flying Scorpion 15th Anniversary

Flying Scorpion 20th Anniversary

Flying Scorpion by comandos_em_acao_gijoe

Flying Scorpion by 00zxcvb

Flying Scorpion by relinquished1979

Flying Scorpion by Scarrviper

Flying Scorpion by Harry Hendriks

Flying Scorpion by relinquished1979

Flying Scorpion by don_zartan

Flying Scorpion by relinquished1979

2026 Flash - ReAction+

If you want to feel a little old, here's my measurement for today.  The Flash figure that was released by Super7 is the heir apparent to the Comic Packs and is one of the missing links to the completion of that set.  The Comic Packs debuted in 2004...22 years ago.  Those Comic Packs debuted 22 years after the original 13 Joes appeared at retail in 1982.  So, this Flash is as far removed from the release of the Comic Packs as those Comic Packs were from the debut of the line.  If you've been around the whole time, I can assure you that the latter 22 years have passed in a flash while the first 22 seem like a lifetime ago.  

With that bit of fun out of the way, this week both the Attica Gazette and I are looking at the Super7 Flash on the same day.  It's been a while since we've done this.  And, it's always fun to take a look at a figure from a couple of different perspectives.  So, check out his thoughts on the figure, too!

The 1983 Flash has a strong argument to be the best of the original 13 G.I. Joe figures.  His design was so strong among those early figures that he remained relevant for several years: even after the others were phased out.  Despite this notoriety, Hasbro utterly failed to get an updated version to collectors during the repaint era.  They planned one for 1997.  But, they "couldn't find" the mold.  We got the character as an astronaut in 2005.  And, then, there was a good enough convention version released in 2007 that used later parts but lacked a helmet and visor...thus limiting him.  Flash's absence might be the most glaring hole from that time period.  He was a character that would have been perfect for an update.  It just never happened in a meaningful way.  

Two decades later, Super7 has filled that gap with a new Flash.  The figure very much feels like an heir to the Comic Pack era.  He has that comic green.  And, his entire aesthetic is based around a pin up drawing of the character peeling potatoes that appeared in G.I. Joe #1.  It's a famous image.  And, the figure recalls that poster upon the slightest glance.  He features a waft of bright red hair that's coifed over his head.  Sans helmet, the hair looks cool.  But, is also drastically out of place among vintage Joe figures.  With the helmet on, he's more in line with a figure from the 2000's.  The rest of him is just...Flash.  He has the pads, the boots and the laser rifle rig that is forever associated with the character.

In short, this figure takes just the one chance with the drastic hair.  Aside from that, it's a pretty solid update to Flash.  He's not done up in 1990's style sculpting.  He didn't get a modern makeover.  It's the same guy from 1982 with a bit of a bulkier sculpt, more vibrant colors and a general flair that makes him a figure that seems like he could have been a 2000's release while also feeling newer and different.  It's a weird balance.  Initially, it works.  Flash seems fun to have.  As he's been in my collection for a couple of months now, though, his appeal is starting to wane.  He's fine for what he is.  But, the oversized head and not quite 2004/2005 green plastic as his base color prevent him from really integrating with the Comic Pack figures.  He seems like more of an outsider.

The biggest cause of this is that the general color palette for Super7 figures is different from that of both vintage Joes and those from the repaint era.  Vintage figures have a sheen to them that allows for vibrant colors without them being overpowering.  The repaint era figures tend to be dull and flat.  When you mix them, you really notice the difference.  On their own, both work really well.  But, it can be tough to find figures from both eras that work well together.  Flash brings a third vibe to the line.  He's bright, but doesn't have the finish of vintage Joes.  He's kind of a mix of the two eras but is also not really able to blend well with either.  I'm going to have to try some HQ shots of him to see if that softens him against his predecessors.  But, outside, his coloring is tough to integrate with toys from either era.

The Super7 o-ring Joe line has been light on two things.  Those are army builders and repaints.  Sure, there's been a few of each.  By and large, though, the line has focused on specific characters in each wave and hasn't filled the case assortment with repaints.  Instead, those have been the domain of exclusives for either retail partners or conventions.  Army builders have been even less frequent.  So far, we have the BAT, Royal Guard, Hydro Viper, Viper Gunner and, if you want to count them, Fatal Fluffies.  Ok, there's been 4 BATs.  But, the overall army builder contingent has been small.  I count both of these traits as positives.  Each wave feels fresh and isn't heavy on rehashes.  I'm at a point in my collecting life where I have enough army builders.  And, factory custom makers do a better job of keeping army building molds in circulation.  So, getting characters, especially ones that have been missing from the line is far appealing than a set of tepid army builders like we got in the 2000's.

Flash's accessories are a weird balance.  On one level, they're pretty good.  On another level, though, they have some flaws and issues.  The hose that connects the laser rifle to the backpack is excellent.  It's more pliable and flexible than the old black hoses that Hasbro used in the '80's.  And, it looks better, too.  It's soft enough to not force the weapon into certain poses because it holds too much tension.  Yet, it's strong enough to hold together when you pose it.  I'd love for more hoses of this variety to appear in the line as they bring a great look to the accessories.

Flash's rifle is missing the stock.  The reason for this is that in the comic book pin up photo, Flash's rifle's stock is blocked by the potatoes on the floor.  There is, obviously, a stock below the vegetable line.  But, Super7 just truncated it off.  So, while it's true to the image, it's also deathly wrong.  And, this is one of those things where Super7 needs to improve.  I get having homages.  The hair on this Flash is a perfect example of them getting it right.  You instantly recognize the Flash pinup when you see the hair.  But, the mistake on the rifle is one of those corner cutting measures that limits the figure to a degree.  One second of introspection would have created a proper laser rifle and made the figure better.  Super7 seems to get it better than Hasbro and, certainly, the club ever did when it came to collector appealing figures.  But, they still have work to do and should be taken to account to make it happen.

Flash's helmet and visor are decent.  They got the helmet to fit over the massive hairdo on his head.  The result is that, when on, the helmet does make the figure's head a bit too large.  It's one of the reasons that my interest in this figure has faded with it in hand.  Sans helmet, the figure's hair doesn't mesh with other Joes.  With it, though, he's too bulky and also stands out.  As a stand alone piece, the figure really works.  But, when integrated with other figures, he becomes more problematic.  The visor is nice and clear and captures the essence of the 1982 figures.  So, it was a nice inclusion.  I'd like to see them dial in the head sculpts and get them more proportional to the body, though, before we see any more helmet/visor combos like this.

Flash seems to be fairly popular.  He fills the gap from the Comic Packs and is appealing to people like me to don't, otherwise, really delve into the Super7 figures.  He's readily available right now and has been for several months.  Some Super7 figures sell out.  Others linger a bit longer.  Lately, the characters have been maintaining some decent availability over a six month, or so, period.  This is ample time for collectors to acquire one.  And, it's a nice compromise where the figures don't linger too long and make the line seem dead.  But, they aren't a flash in the pan that is gone instantly and leaves everyone wanting more.

While this Flash is really nice, I don't want to see a bunch of figures in this style.  Super7 has been pretty good about mixing it up and not doing too much of one thing.  A Silver Pads Grand Slam with a JUMP pack and new head in like 2028 would be fine.  But, getting the full set of 8 to 10 Joes like this would create the same redundancy issues from the Comic Packs and give every figure diminishing returns.  Flash works because he never got a proper updated in the 2000's.  Most other characters did.  So, no need to rehash them until we're a few hundred figures deep in the Super7 line.

1997 Short Fuse - Around The Web

Short Fuse is my least used member of the original 13 Joes.  He never resonated with me as a character or a figure.  His 1997 update, though, is kind of nice.  He's a good blend with Zap, Grunt and Stalker.  And, the addition of a bazooka makes him more useful than when he only had his mortar.  But, he's never going to really matter to me.  

That's OK, though.  You need a lot of figures like Short Fuse in a successful line.  Guys who are just kind of there.  But, for someone, the character or figure will resonate and be the reason they still collect today.  Short Fuse fills that role.  There's not a ton of content on the 1997 figure out there.  So, check out what I could find.

1997 Short Fuse Profile

1997 Short Fuse Brown Pants Variant

1997 Pre Production Short Fuse

1997 Short Fuse by Outrider

1997 Short Fuse at the Attica Gazette

1997 Short Fuse by gen_liederkranz

1997 Short Fuse by Evilface

1997 Short Fuse at OAFE

1997 Short Fuse by gen_liederkranz

2002 Night Rhino

When G.I. Joe returned in 1997, it was not just a figure line.  It also included a full array of vehicles.  Hasbro understood that vehicles were integral to the Joe line.  And, between 1997 and 2000, Hasbro was keen to get classic molds into collector hands, often in new colors.  Starting in 2001, though, the vehicles took a turn.  Instead of all classic remakes, Hasbro started interspersing some new molds from other toy lines and even took a hand at updating a classic mold.  Sadly, the results weren't great for sales.  And, the 2001 vehicles lingered at retailers throughout the year.  They'd eventually find their way to close-out and discount retailers for 1/2 their original price.  As the vehicles slowed, so did the figure sales.  And, Hasbro announced that the o-ring renaissance of that early collector era was ending in favor of an all new approach to G.I. Joe.  The final wave of ARAHC figures was cancelled at retail.  But, one final release did squeak out in early 2002: the Night Rhino.

The main reason this vehicle managed to get to retail was because it was a Toys R Us exclusive.  Toys R Us was a strong retail partner for Hasbro.  And, during this time, TRU was both a dumping ground for cheap, overstock Hasbro toys as well as collector themed exclusives that would drive foot traffic.  Toys R Us was the only retailer willing to take a chance on o-ring Joes in 1997 and 1998.  It was the success of these lines that lead to the broader retail presence in 2000.  Even then, Hasbro partnered with them on exclusives like the Hiss III.  And, their 2002 exclusive was this repainted 1988 Warthog.  

The Warthog was one of those rare post 1987 vehicles that was generally acceptable to collectors of the early 2000's.  If you go even further back, into the late 1990's, when anything made after 1985 was suspect, you'd still find the Warthog was an allowable vehicle for your collection.  (You just had to ditch the Sgt. Slaughter as he, at the time, was not cool.)  It had good colors, featured one of the last tow hooks in the line, was armed to the teeth and held a huge amount of figures.  It was everything you could have wanted from an armored vehicle at the time.

The Night Rhino is actually very square.  It is a rather tall vehicle.  So, in person, it's a bit blocky.  The shapes work for its purpose, though.  And, its that height that offers much of the Night Rhino's play value.  The main feature is the three person crew who each have their own command seats.  There is a slot for a driver.  One for, I presume, the commander and maybe missile controller.  And, one slot for a gunner.  Each features the two position seating option that debuted on the 1984 Slugger.  You can insert the figures all the way into the seats so they are completely protected.  Then, you can close all the hatches above them to seal them in.  The fun part is that the driver's door slides over his position while the other two have flip-up doors.  It's one of those little things that you don't really think about.  But, the engineering to make the three position crew work was quite amazing.  

The vehicle is armed to the teeth...kind of.  The main weapons are two huge missiles on the vehicle's rear.  They are massive, but work against the size of the overall vehicle.  There are 12 "smoke grenade" launchers on the vehicle's side.  As a kid, these would have been a devastating weapon.  But, also one whose usefulness would have waned in time.  I liked my armor to have anti-infantry capability.  Otherwise, it was too easy for an enterprising Viper to get up close and pop a grenade into the driver's visibility slit.  This is where the Night Rhino is just OK.  It gets a lone, mounted gun in the gunner's position.  Mounted guns like this weren't overly common in the vintage Joe line.  So, each appearance was something I loved.  But, this machine gun only swivels 360 degrees and does not move up or down.  It's also positioned where it's awkward for a figure to properly hold it.  But, the idea of the machine gun is enough and makes the Night Rhino a formidable weapon.

The third play feature is that the Night Rhino is a troop carrier.  Two bay doors open in the back to reveal a large, open area where you can store figures.  They can sit on the bench seats and are held into place with a seatbelt bar.  There's just enough room to carry a small squad.  You can easily get a fully accessorized crew of 7 figures into the Night Rhino.  And, you can probably fit a few more if the figures you choose happen to have a light accessory complement.  Joe hadn't gotten any sort of personnel carrier since the Whale in 1984.  So, this design filled a few holes in the Joe team's motor pool.

The Night Rhino also floats.  The wide plastic base needed to house the full crew and carrier compartment meant a wide, flat bottom plastic piece.  This allowed the Night Rhino to be amphibious.  In the water, the vehicle sits much lower.  And, the overall profile is much sleeker.  I'd go so far as to say that the entire vehicle looks cooler when it's partially submerged than it does when it's on land.  Any vehicle that was going to hold figures was likely to float.  And, Hasbro took full advantage of this in the 1980's.  

I only had one encounter with Warthog in my pre-collector days.  Around 1990, I babysat a kid who lived behind us.  His parents had just moved into the neighborhood.  He was fairly young.  But, he had a magnificent collection of G.I. Joe vehicles in his basement.  Here, I had my first and only encounter with the Hiss II, MCC and the Warthog.  His toy room was well put together, though.  So, I was loathe to get all the vehicles out for fear of making a mess.  I did look over the toys, though, and marvel at how much improved the 1988 and 1989 designs were from those I had stopped buying in 1987.  For a brief moment, I considered buying a Warthog.  But, that never came to pass.  I did buy a lone 1989 Night Viper that summer.  But, that was the last Joe purchase I'd make until December of 1992.

One of the great strikes against the 1988 Warthog is that is has turned very brittle in the 35 years since its release.  Sadly, the Night Rhino is following the same path.  Part of this is the cheap plastic that Hasbro used during the early 2000's.  But, the other part is that the Night Rhino mold features lots of small and precisely measured pieces that don't use much plastic.  And, these tend to be door hinges.  So, they are meant to get lots of use.  It's left me being wary of using the Night Rhino too much for fear of snapping off one of the rear, bay doors.  Every time I open one, it makes a cracking sound that leaves me certain I've broken the door.  

I couldn't remember when the Night Rhino actually appeared at retail: early in the year or late in the year.  Fortunately, my photo library answered that question.  The first photos in which the Night Rhino appears were taken on March 10, 2002.  So, it was an early in the year release that hit right around the same time as the infamous Wave V that was an internet exclusive.  I do recall opening mine in a cold, dark garage after getting home from work one night.  I couldn't wait to get it into action.  And, you'll see it among photos I took in 2002 and 2003.  

Today, the Night Rhino remains an oft used vehicle for my photos.  It's just interesting enough for people to spend time reviewing any photo in which it appears.  It has limitations on how it displays figures.  But, you can get some really nice photos of armor operators in action when they are positioned in the command positions at the vehicle's front.  It's more difficult to get good photos of figures disembarking from the carrier compartment in the back, though.  The steps are steep and the doors are high off the ground.  So, it's tough to get figures into a realistic looking pose.  The opening doors do provide a good support for figures to hold onto.  So, that helps getting one or two figures into a fun photography position.  That's where you'll still see it most often.  

The Night Rhino's one of the vehicles that, in hand, is incredibly useful.  But, had it not been released at retail during the repaint era, it's unlikely I would have one.  There were several vehicles that I really wanted to add to my collection when I first started being able to buy any Joe I wanted.  Sadly, one of the first was the Hammer.  The Hammer looks great in photos.  But, as a toy, it SUCKS.  It was brittle, impossible to use with figures and just a general piece of junk.  That soured me on spending time and money on further childhood vehicle desires.  So, I never actually bought a Warthog and it was only through the acquisition of this Night Rhino that the mold entered my collection.  I suspect that, had I acquired one at a late date, I'd have regretted not picking it up sooner, though.  As, in hand, the Night Rhino delivers pretty much what it promises.

The private equity planned destruction of Toys R Us has left retail devoid of any options to release toys like this Night Rhino.  Now, the sparse 3 3/4 vehicles are the domain of "Fan Channels" or crowd funding...if they exist at all.  Even the mighty Star Wars line has nary a vehicle as part of its retail presence.  It's a shame.  During the 1990's and even into the 2010's, Toys R Us was a reliable partner for major toy companies to release vehicles and playsets.  It offered the shelf space and was willing to let a high quality item sell out in time.  It's national presence meant it could afford to finance a full run of toys like this Night Rhino.  With TRU long gone, there is no place left to fill that niche.  Some larger online toy sellers have tried.  But, usually, those were with items that companies had already produced and needed to dump somewhere.  So, the days of fun, unexpected releases like this Night Rhino are pretty much over.

The Warthog had a few uses.  Hasbro's version was released in 1988.  In Europe, there is an exclusively colored variant of the Warthog with a slightly different green base color.  It was then lost until 2002 when it appeared as this Toys R Us exclusive.  The final use came in 2006 when a desert version of the Warthog was released as a convention exclusive.  This is the most difficult of the 4 versions to track down.  There was a decent amount of potential left in the Warthog.  I once said I wouldn't hate a Cobra colored version that was released as a new version of Hiss Tank.  But, every single version that was ever made was extremely well done.  So, you can't be too mournful for the lost opportunities.

During the upswing in Joe pricing, mint and complete and boxed Night Rhinos crossed $150 and sometimes even went over $200.  Now, prices have subsided quite a bit.  You can get boxed versions for $80 or less.  If the plastic is holding up, that's not a terrible price.  Original Warthogs will cost the same or more.  And, they are much more likely to be too brittle to use.  So, the Night Rhino remains one of the best alternatives for a version of the vehicle.  In looking back, I kind of wish I'd picked up a couple more when they were at retail.  It's a nice vehicle.  But, the more I think about it, the more I realize that one is probably enough.  The vehicle has some display limitations and the idea behind all the great play features remains a better idea than practical usage.  It remains a vehicle that's worth owning, though.  And, every collector should at least give a thought to adding a version of the Warthog to their collection.