1997 Grunt - Around The Web

Grunt isn't a character that's ever resonated with me.  He entered our home on the first day we ever had any G.I. Joe figures when we got him on my younger brother's 1982 birthday.  I immediately took his backpack and gave it to Clutch.  I never really paid any attention to Grunt.  And, as the line matured, Grunt was even less important.

That carried over to the 1997 releases.  I never took Grunt out of the drawer for many, many years.  Even then, it was just for a profile.  But, as the years have progressed, the figure has grown on me.  The intricate cammo pattern and deep green pants are a great look.  He's a great complement to Zap, Short Fuse and Stalker.  So, while the character still doesn't matter, this figure has grown on me.  

This isn't to say it's without problems.  The helmet doesn't fit.  He comes with the antithesis of his classic M-16: an AK-47.  It's weird.  And, the 1997 figure quality isn't the best.  All of that has added up to a figure who doesn't appear frequently.  Here's a bit of content on him from around the web.

1997 Grunt Profile

1997 Grunt by Nekoman

1997 Grunt by hobieshinobi

1997 Grunt by thedustinmccoy

1997 Grunt by gen_liederkranz

1997 Grunt by flatline54

1997 Grunt by atwooddan

Funskool Mainframe

Sometimes, a figure is just a figure.  There's not much special about it.  The design is drab.  The character is somewhat one-dimensional.  The gear is just OK.  And, the general design doesn't spark the joy of the line's most prominent figures.  All of this perfectly describes the 1986 Mainframe.  He's a figure who exists in the Joe line.  He has very important uses.  But, even among just his contemporary 1986 releases, he's one of the last Joes anyone would pick as their favorite.  So, why not go two levels deeper?  Because, Mainframe had a release by Funskool in India.  He was released for many years in colors that are nearly identical to the Hasbro figure.  To get even more obscure, though, Funskool also produced Mainframe for release in Russia around 1999 or so.  And, it is this Russian, Funskool Mainframe that we'll discuss, today.

Mainframe is a perfectly neutral figure.  His colors are solid, but muted.  His sculpt is interesting, but kind of weird.  His gear is amazing.  But, also lacking.  He has enough personality to carry an issue of the comic.  After that, he's just a guy who's there.  The only remarkable thing about Mainframe is just how unremarkable he actually is.  As one of the line's supporting characters, though, this is perfectly OK.  You don't want a computer nerd to be the star of the show.  (At least, in the '80's, you didn't....)  But, you want every figure to be cool enough to buy and play with.  Mainframe balances this, perfectly.  

His biggest knock is the lack of a weapon.  As a kid, I outfitted him with spare Chuckles' pistols, Battle Gear Snake Eyes Uzis or the Uzi version that came with Low-Light.  All seemed fitting choices.  Back then, it was tough to get spare gear that was also decently colored.  Now, though, that's less of an issue and it's easy to get Mainframe the weapon he lacks.  Outside of that, though, Mainframe was a staple of my HQ.  He'd man the computer console.  Here, he could be the hero who held out against the invading Cobras.  Or, he could be the goat who was quickly defeated and allowed Cobra to steal Joe's secrets.  Usually, it was the former, though, as I liked the Mainframe figure and didn't want him to be the loser who lost to Cobra.  

Mainframe then took on 2 different roles in my collection.  The first role was as an experienced, older warrior.  This was a function of his comic introduction.  His older veteran status was something I combined with the character of Kup from the Transformers who was also an older, wiser warrior.  Mainframe was then someone who was an advisor to the Joe command team.  Him being in the HQ also gave him proximity to Hawk.  So, it was a natural synchronicity for the character.  As I really liked Kup, some of that also carried over to Mainframe.  So, he remained more important than he otherwise might have been.

The second role was as parts for some of my early custom characters.  We had an early Mainframe that belonged to my brother.  When I got a newer one, I took the old Mainframe apart.  I split up his pieces onto several other figures.  The one I mainly remember was a character named Havoc who had a built in hand cannon on his gloves.  He used Mainframe's chest.  I really liked this character.  I think he used the '86 Hawk head.  But, at some point, I wanted to put that Hawk back together.  So, I killed off Havoc.  He became a martyr for the Joes.  And, his name was invoked as a rallying point against Cobra.  Mainframe's arms ended up on some other characters that survived a lot longer in my collection.  It was these early customs that really expanded my story telling.  They were less constrained by the military realism that grounded the early '80's filecards.  And, while I don't have many of them left, all the parts are still in a box in the basement.  Someday, I'll buy a bunch of o-rings and screws and remake some of them.

One things I've wondered about Mainframe is if the designers had hoped that his microphone could be attached to his body.  This way, the figure could carry it around.  But, in 1986, they just didn't have the ability to do it.  But, the kept the idea kicking around.  And, by 1990, had figured out how to make it a reality on a figure.  It's pure speculation on my part.  Hasbro was very evolutionary in their accessories and figure sculpting.  And, you could see ideas that didn't quite work at their initial stage then later appear with the proper seasoning as gear that did now work for another figure.  

The Russian Funskool figures are kind of weird.  They were produced around 1999.  You can read the full story of their production at the Dragon Fortress.  Sadly, 1999 was during the beginning of Funskool's quality decline.  So, it's quite common to find fused swivel joints that prevent the figure's arms from moving.  As this is a key element of Joe articulation, it's an incredibly annoying trait of the Russian production run.  In the days when you could get these for about $4 per figure, it was less of an issue.  But, you're now paying a premium for Russian Funskool figures.  So, opening one up to find a useless arm is more of a pratfall, today.  So, definitely be aware that this is an issue for these figures.

Mainframe includes all the gear from his Hasbro release.  The computer and backpack are very slight color variants to the Hasbro figures.  You'll notice the poorer plastic quality before the colors, though.  He has a hose.  Mine is among the best hoses I've ever seen from Funskool.  But, this could be a function of the Russian figures being manufactured in the late '90's rather than a feature of the figure itself.  The only real variation on the figure is that his microphone is grey instead of black.  This works since it makes the piece more distinctive against the black hose into which it plugs.  It's also easier to see the sculpted details.  I'm a sucker for alternately colored accessories.  So, I find more value in this piece than most other collectors will.  But, the Funskool version will feature this uniquely colored piece.

Mainframe has a solid life.  He was used twice by Hasbro in 1986.  First as the grey carded release and then as an odd tan and red version that was included in the Mission to Brazil set.  After that, the mold was sent to Brazil.  The Estrela version, also codenamed Mainframe, is nearly identical to the Hasbro figure.  Most collectors aren't even aware it exists as there's nothing special about it.  From there, the mold went to Funskool.  Mainframe was a staple of the Funskool releases for many years.  He was widely imported to the U.S. in the early 2000's and was part of the 2009 series of Funskool releases.  There are even super weird uses of Mainframe parts in exclusive colors on Halibna releases.  These are rather rare, though.  The figure mold is either still in India or was destroyed there.  If we ever see another 3 3/4" Mainframe, it should mean that the ReAction+ line has enjoyed a decade plus long run and they've exhausted most of the other figures who are more deserving of an update.

Funskool Mainframes aren't that difficult to find.  They were massively imported during the early 2000's.  And, while the figure was never all that popular, his similarity to the original, Hasbro figure helped make him one of those guys that a lot of people did buy.  If these 2001-2005 imports weren't enough, Mainframe was among the 2009 Funskool re-releases, as well.  As such, you can still find carded versions for around $30.  It's tough to find any loose common Funskool figures, these days.  If you can, Mainframe will be cheap.  I'm pretty sure I'd never pay $30 for one of them.  But, getting one for $4 back in the days of heavy Funskool imports made a lot of sense.

1983 Snake Eyes - Around the Web

It's tough to find things to say about the 1983 Snake Eyes that haven't already been said hundreds of times.  He's the most iconic member of the original 13.  And, he was one of the most distinctive action figures released during his heyday.  Hasbro released at least half a dozen repaints of this mold.  And, every iteration of Joe since the vintage line has had a Snake Eyes figure based on this original appearance.  Factory custom makers have exploited the mold for dozens of different homages.  And, there are foreign variants from Europe, South America and India.

There's more content on this figure out there than is listed below.  But, I just went with some of my favorites from recent years.  It's tough to imagine that a the majority of the photos of figures like this Snake Eyes are lost to internet history.  But, there's enough left to enjoy if you like this look for the character.  So, check out the links below and let the creators know you stopped by.

1983 Snake Eyes Profile

Red Backed Snake Eyes

1983 Snake Eyes by DreadnokDread

1983 Snake Eyes by mikesjoetography

1983 Snake Eyes by 00zxcvb

1983 Snake Eyes be Relinqueshed1979

1983 Snake Eyes by yojoe_collectibles

1983 Snake Eyes by incrediblebulk

1983 Snake Eyes by DreadnokDread

1983 Snake Eyes by still_a_big_kid

1983 Snake Eyes by darkstar_vintage

G.I. Joe #49

Serpentor is one of those characters who is divisive in the Joe community.  In the early days of online fandom, Serpentor was the line of demarcation between comic and cartoon fans.  And, as comic aficionados dominated the fandom in those days, you'd see Serpentor mocked and criticized and noted as the "deth of the line".  But, by the early 2000's, the line for collectors had shifted from 1985 to 1987.  And, with that, came acceptance of Serpentor.  While there were still diehards who disliked and outright hated him, there was another faction who found him superior to Cobra Commander as a character.  In the ensuing decades, it was these later collectors who won  out.  And, now, Serpentor is viewed a major character in the Joe mythos who is generally accepted.  His figures are all popular and he remains one of the most visually striking characters in the entire library.

What is odd about Serpentor, though, is that he originated in the comics.  Sure, he was forced into Hama's world by Hasbro as a way to shake up the standard Cobra hierarchy and sell a LOT of toys.  But, Larry Hama pulled off the this licensor mandate with a deftness that defined his run on the Joe comic line.  He made the Serpentor origin story in G.I. Joe #49 amazing.  It was captivating, fun, mysterious and eye-opening: all at once.  For a kid in April of 1986, reading Serpentor's entrance into the G.I. Joe world showed that the comic writers were willing to commit to the concept and create something enduring: even if the underlying idea was somewhat corny.

I have one enduring memory of this comic.  Shortly after the issue was released, I was reading it in our faux wood paneled station wagon after my parents had picked me up from the local comic book store.  I left it in the car.  And, on Saturday, I had a soccer game.  Either going to the game or coming home from it, we ended up taking several of my friends in the car.  They found the issue flopping around in the back seat.  And, each of them read it.  To a person, they thought it was a really cool story.  Even though most of them had aged out of toys in recent months, they were enthralled by the story in the issue.  For a brief moment, I had that feeling of kinship with friends who, otherwise, had grown out of my hobby and entertainment.  Our station wagon had one of those "hidden" third row seats.  It folded down to create the trunk.  Or, you could put it up for an additional two seats.  The kicker...these seats faced backwards instead of towards the driver.  As a kid, it was great for me.  And, I spent all our long distance family trips in this seat, looking at the road after we had passed it by.  But, on this spring day in 1986, someone put the seat down right on top of my new comic.  One of the clasps passed through the entire book, tearing a huge hole.  The upside: nothing was torn out.  And, I was able to push the rip back into place and the comic remained readable.  Back in those days, I had a subscription to the G.I. Joe comic.  But, since it took a few days to arrive, I'd usually buy an early copy at the local comic shop.  So, I had another mint copy to keep nice.  But, to this day, I have that original #49 with the hole torn through it by that crazy car.

This comic's other legacy for me was it serving as my introduction to Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian general.  Something about Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants simply enthralled me.  I read what little I could find on him in my grade school library.  As I got older, I learned more about him.  And, I even used obscure Hannibal military victories against the Romans in assignments I had in college.  It was one of those little details (the Potemkin from Special Missions #1 was another) from the comic that lead me down a path of learning.  One of the hallmarks of a great writer is that they open your mind and introduce you to new things that you'd otherwise never learn of.  Larry Hama was great at that.  And, because of what I read in the Joe comic, I'd go on fact finding expeditions at our local library to learn more about obscure things that no one else cared about or dared to explore.  And, I owe Larry Hama that lasting legacy of my personality.

There's also this fun little bit with a young girl pulling out a Dirty Harry .357 Magnum.  It wasn't that image that was so memorable, though.  It was her chilling knowledge that a bullet fired from the gun would leave an exit wound the size of a frozen pot pie.  As a kid in the '80's, bullets weren't really real.  Movies spent them like air.  And, shooting victims weren't portrayed in a realistic light.  To hear the utter brutality that a weapon like this would wreak upon it's victim was shocking.  It brought to light the power of some of these weapons.  And, that changed how I viewed wounds in my Joe world.  They were less the quickly recovered from scratches that had defined my younger days and were now devastating injuries that could have permanent impacts...if the victim survived at all.

My enduring issue with the character of Serpentor is that, once created, he can never live up to the epicness of his origin story.  The means by which Serpentor was created was a master class in applying loose scientific principles to a young audience.  Serpentor seemed entirely  plausible.  (Though, the appearance of the simalcrum they used for his body left a LOT of open questions.)  But, with such an amazing origin, there was no way Serpentor was ever going to live up to his original hype.  And, he really didn't.  Within a few months, Serpentor was played out.  And, by the time of his death, the character was nothing less than tedious.  I will say that he served a purpose in forcing the original Cobra Commander to show his dedication to his principles as he reformed Cobra and retook his rightful place atop its hierarchy.  But, beyond that, there is little lasting legacy of Serpentor beyond a neat looking action figure and his amazing origin story.

I will say that it's a damn shame that no one has been able to recreate Serpentor's look from his debut issue in action figure form.  Everyone always goes for the full regalia armor instead of this subtler and more primitive look where he has the bare chest under a flowing cape.  It's a look that works surprisingly well.  And, it one that could have been recreated using parts of the time.  If we're going to see future Serpentor figures, one of them needs to be his debut appearance rather than another armor themed figure.  We have enough of those.

All comics from this era of G.I. Joe are common and worthless.  G.I. Joe was one of Marvel's best selling titles during the '80's.  And, copies of all the issues during the heyday are common.  Of course, high grade versions will price out according to their grade.  But, the value in the comic is the story and the artwork.  So, locking it in a slab seems counter production to the nature of the book itself.  The upside is that #49 was reprinted for a Comic Pack in 2005.  Once upon a time, those were common and cheap.  Now, the figures have dried up and you don't really see people selling the comic reprints.  I've got about 5 of the 2005 issues leftover from opening up a bunch of the Serpentor/Firefly/Scrap Iron packs.  So, I can read those without risking further deterioration to my original.  But, pulling out my childhood copy and seeing the hole still ripped through  it by a 40 year old car opens the floodgates of memories.  And, that is the real value that this comic holds for me.

1983 Dragonfly - Around The Web

It's tough to beat the Dragonfly.  It's a drastically superior toy to the over-rated Skystriker.  And, even after 11 years of additional releases, the Dragonfly held up and remained a necessary element of any collection.  It both displays well and doesn't take up a ton of space.  It has a lot of details and features that give it depth that makes it visually interesting.  And, it works perfectly with the figures from that era.

There's plenty  of content on the Dragonfly out there.  So, stop by all the links below and check it out.

1983 Dragonfly Profile

1983 Dragonfly by cyko_9

1983 Dragonfly by cobra_florence

1983 Dragonfly by jonita_rodriguin

1983 Dragonfly by darkstar_vintage

1983 Dragonfly by gen_liederkranz

1983 Dragonfly by thedustinmccoy

1983 Dragonfly by codename.steve

1983 Dragonfly by still_a_big_kid

1983 Dragonfly by littlegreenmentoyz

1983 Dragonfly by Evilface