2022 Stinger Driver

When Hasbro Pulse debuted some plans for a 40th Anniversary Joe line, it was full of possibilities.  Everyone assumed it would start small.  But, success would beget more ambitious products and offerings.  To a degree, that was true.  The Transformers sets were bold and used a lot of development resources to come to fruition.  We got an ambitious Haslab Skystriker.  But, the actual figure offerings were small and had a missing set in their numbering.  (It was cancelled.)  The Joe budget, rightfully, moved away from 3 3/4" figures into the 6" Classified line.  Vintage figure collectors were left with few releases.  Among them was one vehicle and it happened to include its iconic driver.  But, the 2022 Stinger Driver is a figure with limitations, even if he succeeds in being a solid homage.

The Stinger release was weird.  It was announced out of nowhere.  It went on sale shortly after the announcement.  And, it sold out quickly, despite a limit of 2 per customer.  They shipped almost right away.  Hasbro was coy by saying that Pulse would have "limited quantities"...implying that another retailer would pick up the rest of the production run.  But, that didn't happen.  Weeks turned to months and there was no further information as to where the remainder of the Stingers would show up.  Desperate collectors started to overpay.  Slowly, some stock showed up at small, independent European toy sellers.  Either Hasbro's intended retail partner backed out.  Or, Hasbro never had one and the production was underway before they realized that no one was going to buy the Stinger as a retail product.  Even now, four years later, the Stinger remains somewhat expensive and less common to find.  And, we never got an explanation as to what actually happened with the release.

The 1984 Stinger Driver is a repaint of the 1983 Cobra Officer.  And, this 2022 figure follows the same path.  Unfortunately, the 2022 Cobra Officer figure had a design flaw.  His right knee will only partially bend.  It's not a huge issue.  But, for a premium priced release, it's not acceptable.  This design flaw carried over to the Stinger Driver, too.  The leg bends enough that you can get him into his vehicle.  But, it does limit his poseability.  It's unfortunate that Hasbro both didn't catch the design flaw in quality control and that they allowed it to carry over to the Stinger Driver.  

My childhood Stinger Driver was a figure that opened possibilities.  While I used him as a "snow" trooper who manned the second seat in the Wolf, the real value was that he suggested that Cobra Troopers and Officers could exist in any color we wanted.  Sadly, this was never explored in the vintage line outside of the Python Patrol repaints.  In the 2000's, Hasbro brought back the Trooper and Officer molds.  But, again, they didn't offer the panoply of colors.  It took factory custom makers to finally fill the niche of Troopers for every occasion.  And, nearly 20 years later, they're still cranking out classic Trooper repaints in new colors.  It's weird that Hasbro could simply never get themselves to do this.  It was such an easy concept.  But, it was one they could never deliver upon.

As a kid, I enjoyed the Stinger.  But, ours broke relatively quickly.  And, Stingers weren't important to me for many years.  Around 2008 or so, though, I got on a Stinger kick.  I picked up a couple of nice jeeps.  And, I bought an army of drivers.  Having ignored the Stinger for so long lead me to a newfound appreciation for it.  That continues to this day.  So, the chance for a new Stinger wasn't something I was going to pass up.  As soon as the vehicle was announced, I was poised to purchase my allotted two.  I was fortunate in that I was sitting in the waiting room for a Dr. appointment when the sales opened.  So, I was able to get an order placed within an hour of the sales starting.  That proved fortuitous when the Stingers sold out.

The Stingers arrived a couple of weeks later.  In hand, they were...fine.  The quality was a bit soft.  But, overall, they weren't bad.  The achieved the look of the original without deviating in any way: good or bad.  The Stinger Driver figure was pretty much what we expected.  He's a near match for the vintage figure.  The only real difference being the plastic quality and the manner in which this plastic holds the colors.  If you didn't have a Stinger Driver, this was a perfect update.  Even if you did have one (or many) it was nice to get a clean one that won't discolor for a few more years.

It's unfortunate that Hasbro didn't try to set up some sort of boxed army builder release for collectors.  It seems like a missed opportunity.  Hasbro was selling Star Wars army builder packs in plain, black and white boxes.  Taking that idea over to Joe would have been great.  The Pulse two figure packs were heavy on expensive packaging.  Hasbro could have sold a boxed set of 4 army builders for about $15 per figure and done quite well with them.  A set with an Officer, Stinger Driver and two Troopers would have been an attractive product and likely sold through.  Even with army building no longer driving the hobby, collectors would have picked up an extra set or two since the figures were available.  That didn't happen.  And, the are no real avenues to army build the Stinger Driver without paying through the nose for one.  

As with all the Pulse era releases, I'm glad this Stinger Driver exists.  We didn't get a lot.  But, what we did get was safe and solid.  Vintage Stinger Drivers are yellowing and brittle.  Getting a new one was nice.  But, with no way to acquire multiples, the value diminishes.  I like to outfit my Stingers with a crew.  I can't do that with the Pulse figures.  But, that's OK.  Since I have a bunch  of vintage Stinger Drivers, I can use them instead.  The real thing about this figure is that he's pretty much just an update to any vintage release.  There's nothing new about him other than softer plastic.  That's good since we didn't get anything close to a Stinger Driver in the repaint era.  But, really only having an avenue to get one or two of them kind of sucked.  The thing about classic army builders is that you want them in multiples.  Having one is fine for a display.  But, the I'm still a collector of the early 2000's army builder vein.  I don't need 40 of a figure.  But, I'd like a shot at four or five for fair prices.  And, the main reason I don't really use the Pulse era army builders is because I don't have them in multiples.  I just wasn't keep on over paying for packaging that ended up in the recycling bin.  And, I didn't really have a chance at any more than two Stinger Drivers.

Stingers are one of the few (maybe the only!) Pulse era release to appreciate on the secondary market.  Boxed Stingers can be had around $75.  And, they seem to sell at that price.  Loose, mint and complete Stingers and the Driver tend to sell around the same price.  On his own, the Stinger Driver will run you between $25 and $30. That's a lot.  You're way better off buying up a boxed jeep to have the full set.  In a different world I'd have tried to army build this Stinger Driver.  The grey has always compelled me.  But, the wonky eyes, partially moving leg and lack of weapons has left me just focusing on vintage Stinger Drivers should I want an army.

1988 Tiger Force Dusty - Around The Web Part 2

This Tiger Force Dusty was one my first Around The Web features back in 2015.  Since then, there's a lot more content on him that's out there.  This version of Dusty is a nice alternate look for the character.  It's still desert enough that he's not limited into the Tiger Force theme.  And, you can use him in other environments, too.

This Dusty has gotten somewhat pricey in recent times.  A lower production run, easily broken thumbs and crotches and an easily lost bi-pod all add up to mint and complete specimens selling for a premium.  But, if you can find one, he's a useful figure to have around.  So, check the links below to see how others have used him in their collections.

1988 Tiger Force Dusty Profile

1988 Tiger Force Dusty Around The Web 2015

1988 Tiger Force Dusty by 00zxcvb

1988 Tiger Force Dusty by hobieshinobi

1988 Tiger Force Dusty by backyardjoes

1988 Tiger Force Dusty by G.I. Joe Idaho

1988 Tiger Force Dusty by backyardjoes

1993 Mega Marines Gung Ho

I have few memories of buying Joes in 1993.  In fact, I'm not sure I have any.  In 1993, I wasn't around much.  I was busy at school in the first part of the year.  I went overseas for half the summer.  And, when I returned, I worked constantly to earn money for when I returned to school.  When I went back to school, I had little interest in anything beyond my school life.  I'm sure I went to Toys R Us over Christmas break in 1993.  But, I don't remember it: even though I had to have bought some figures.  My main memories of 1993 Joes, therefore, come not from their release year.  But, instead hunting them down as the dregs of the line remained at retail and shipped to offbeat retailers through 1995 and into 1996.  

In the summer of those two years, I'd go to Toys R Us several times per week.  I worked near the local TRU store.  And, if you wanted to have any chance at finding some of the new POTFII figures from the Star Wars line, you pretty much had to go to the stores multiple times per week.  But, also, during the week, I was bored to tears.  All my friends lived out of state.  So, I had nothing to do on most nights of the week.  So, a quick trip to TRU was a way to pass some time and, maybe, get lucky in finding a new figure or two.  

As I didn't have much money, I'd limit my purchases to a couple of figures per week, max.  As there was still a decent supply of figures, I'd wait to find new figures that I didn't already own instead of buying duplicates of figures already in my collection.  At the local TRU, there were lots of Ninja Force, Street Fighter, Armor Tech and Shadow Ninja figures.  The Battle Corps selection was usually sparse.  But, every now and again, a new case would show up.  Among the dregs of prior years that were left on the shevles, though, were a couple of Mega Marines: Clutch and Gung Ho.  Both figures were somewhat intriguing.  They were characters I had loved as a kid.  Both of them included black weapon trees with some of my favorite molds.  The colors were bright.  But, that didn't bother me.  What did stop me from buying them, though, was the price point.  $5 for a figure was just too much.  I could almost buy two Battle Corps figures for that price.  So, I let the figures linger for weeks.

On my trips to the store, they were always there.  There were at least 2 Gung Hos.  Probably 1 Clutch.  They never moved and stayed on their solitary peg.  After a few frustrating weeks where I had not found any new figures to buy, I decided I was going to bite the bullet and pay the premium price for a Mega Marine.  I'm pretty sure I landed on getting Gung Ho since he had a removable helmet.  So, I went to the Toys R Us, ready to overpay for a figure.  But, when I got there, the Mega Marines were gone!  After weeks of no movement, they had been purchased: just as I decided it was time to buy one.

This development amped up my frustration at finding Joes at retail.  But, it also changed my approach.  I no longer felt I could leave any new Joe behind.  (Well, to a point, I guess.  I still skipped Ninja Force, Street Fighter, Shadow Ninjas and Armor Tech.)  I'd never see the Mega Marines at retail, again.  And, it was not until 1999 that both Clutch and Gung Ho finally entered my collection.  As they were acquired at a time when I was amassing new figures at an alarming rate, I didn't really give them their due.  And, they were infrequent subjects of any photos.  I liked the figures.  But, they had disappeared into the sea of 1992 through 1994 figures that were expanding in my collection.

It was only in the past decade that I've really started photographing the Mega Marines.  It helps that the Monster Blaster APC is among my favorite vehicles.  So, Clutch and Gung Ho appear with it.  The bright colors on both Gung Ho and Clutch really pop in photos.  This visual cue usually makes the photos popular as people stop to check out the colors.  Outside of that, though, this Gung Ho doesn't have a lot of specific backstory.  Had I gotten him in the summer of 1995, he would have found a much more important role in my collection.  Just pushing him back a couple of years, though, drastically changed how important he was to me, though.  

Mega Marines definitely had a shorter production run than other 1993 figures.  Even back in the days when no one cared about 1993 figures, you'd find them with much less frequency than you'd find the Battle Corps series of figures.  That's resulted in them also being harder to find today.  They're not rare, by any means.  But, you won't find them with the ubiquity of the Battle Corps 1993 figures.  The higher retail price point didn't seem to have the popularity that the cheap vehicles of the line's early years had enjoyed.  

Mega Marines are a series of figures that were ideal candidates for repaints.  And, in 2002, Hasbro proved it when they released an amazing Mirage figure.  They then topped it off with an even better version later that same year.  Sadly, though, that figure was packed with a Viper.  And, as such, collectors hated the figure since they had to get so many of them to army build the Viper.  This hatred was misconstrued as backlash against later molds being used in the Joe line.  In fact, most collectors of the early 2000s really loved the Mirage repaints.  They just hated having to buy two dozen of them in order to also get the Viper army they wanted.  Hasbro didn't return to the Mega Marines well for any retail figures beyond even more Mirages.

The club, though, was a different story.  They did like the molds.  They used the Mega Viper to great effect in 2003.  And, in 2005, they repainted this Gung Ho in a dark grey and black motif.  Overall, the figure is...OK.  It's kind of too busy.  But, at the same time, it showed that the Mega Marines molds did have potential.  The upside is that the 2005 release of this mold didn't sell out at the show and remained cheap for many, many years.  So, it was attainable for collectors of that era.  And, for many, it was their introduction to the Mega Marines Gung Ho.  The club dusted off the Blast Off and Clutch molds for use on some of their kitbashes, too.  Unfortunately, none of these figures really took off among collectors.  Some of that was that the color schemes or characters that used the molds weren't great.  Part was that convention items were always passe after their release.  The biggest aspect, though, was that it takes a particular kind of repaint to really make these molds pop.  Overly dark base colors and poor accent color choices quickly render these molds mundane.  The reality is that many of the 1993 figures were sculpted with bright colors in mind.  So, taking that part of their development away actually brings out limitations in the mold.  It's a weird paradox.  But, one that played out with later uses of the Mega Marines.

Gung Ho included the classic weapon tree that became ubiquitous in 1993.  Fortunately, he came with one of the best trees and, it was colored black.  These black weapons alone were usually enough to get me to buy a figure.  But, Gung Ho's higher price point and the fact that I had the tree in black from other retail figures, deterred me.  I actually like the commonality of the black MP-5 inspired weapon of this era.  It gives the Joes a bit of uniformity.  Having grown up with diverse weapons for every figure, seeing several of my favorite new figures including the same weapon was actually kind of fun.  The only reason I didn't buy Gung Ho was his higher price point.  As a broke student, I economized as much as possible.  It's why I missed many figures as I just didn't have the money to buy more when I'd find a stash.  Eventually, I wore down, though.  And, I made up my mind that I was going to buy Gung Ho and Clutch.  I had seen them for so long I had justified the extra cost.  So, I went to my local TRU where I'd seen the figures hanging for months.  They had been there just a couple of days prior.  But, now that I'd decided to buy them, the figures sold out.  I found only empty pegs at the Toys R Us store. 

Thinking back, I wish I'd scoured the store for a closeout section.  Toys R Us didn't do that often during those days.  But, it's possible the stock was reduced and moved.  In later years, this disappearing act would also occur with Street Fighter, Shadow Ninja and even Armor Tech figures.  Maybe they were boxed up and sold off to close out stores.  I'll never know.  But, I've never forgotten that hesitation with the Mega Marines.  It lead me to more impulse purchases with the POTFII Star Wars line.  I didn't want to end up passing something by for a long time and then find out it finally sold on the day I decided to buy it.  

Gung Ho's helmet is the closest thing to a classic fireman's helmet that we'd see in the vintage Joe line.  This similarity, though, was never explored.  I felt you could easily make a classic BBQ using the helmet and some of the body molds that were around.  In fact, in my early collecting days, I managed to snag a lone Gung Ho helmet expressly for the purpose of customizing it into a fireman character.  I never did that.  In fact, that helmet still sits in a bag of extra helmets from 1982 through 1984.  A lone, neon reminder of unfulfilled ambition.  Maybe I'll get around to it when I retire.

The Hasbro Joe team was big on color theory.  Even starting from the first wave of Joe figures in 1982, they approached each year as a retail experience unto itself.  They mixed, matched and combined various colors to create an attractive display in the store.  Figures were given complementary colors so that parents felt they matched.  It was a subtle way to sell more figures.  It was also a way to quietly convey quality.  You may not have realized why Joes looked so good.  But, you did notice that the toys really seemed to tie together.  This practice continued through the line's demise.  And, within subsets, the same practice was applied.  

When you look at the Mega Marines as a team, they work.  When you look at the Cobras as an enemy, they also work.  You see many of the same colors used across he figures.  Gung Ho uses an olive green that's incorporated into his base.  Mirage uses a similar base.  Gung Ho's orange accents tie him to Clutch, Mirage and Blast Off.  His yellow makes him appear unique.  But, the other colors faintly tie him to the rest of his team.  You know they are coherent while maintaining their individuality.  You see this throughout the line's history.  And, it's why you can find near perfect Joe pairings among figures that were released a decade or more apart.  This approach died on o-ring figures after 1994.  But, Hasbro did utilize it to a lesser degree on their early waves of the JvC figures in 2002.  

One of the great things about the Joe world from about 2015 onwards was that the anti-neon crowd had mostly moved on.  The smaller collector base who remained tended to appreciate the neon figures.  By the early 2020's, neon figures were seeing a resurgence and had gotten actively expensive and desirable.  In the past year or so, though, you've started to see more takes of "neon ruined the line!".  Most of them are driven by click-chasers who are vying for attention.  You see some that are just older toy collectors who are dipping their toes back into Joes and think their tired '90's takes are still relevant.  It's an unfortunate development.  I hope it's a passing fad.  But, it's a facet of the online Joe world that's rearing its ugly head, again.  

Gung Ho's mold was used twice.  The Mega Marines figure saw release in 1993.  A dozen years later, in 2005, the figure was repainted for a convention attendee exclusive set.  That was the end.  Hasbro used the 1992 Gung Ho mold far too many times.  And, you really wonder if this 1993 mold would have worked in a TRU set during the repaint era.  If you painted this mold up in the blue that is similar to the 1983 Gung Ho, the sculpt would likely work.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone attempt a V1 Gung Ho color scheme on the Mega Marines mold.  I think it could work.

Pricing on these Gung Ho's is tough right now.  The market is cooling pretty fast for non-premium items.  So, you'll see some mint and complete with filecard figures sell for more than $35 while others will remain unsold for $20.  It seems the biggest draw to increased prices is the canister of playdoh.  And, as the playdoh is certainly a dried ball of compacted dust, it really makes no sense to pay a premium for a can that probably belongs in the garbage.  As a figure that, likely, exists in lower numbers than almost all of his retail contemporaries, this Gung Ho isn't a bad buy at $20.  But, he's better at $15.  For me, this figure conjures up college age memories.  So, I find value in him that others may not.  But, he is cool and makes for a can't miss display item.

SuperCop (Funskool Exclusive) - Around The Web

In 2001, a weird figure popped up.  It was a previously unknown toy that used G.I. Joe molds.  The figure was named SuperCop.  Using the head from Sgt. Slaughter and cast in all blue, the figure was a really nice representation of a law enforcement officer.  The figure was very expensive when compared to other Funskool figures of the era.  But, even with the high price, SuperCop proved popular and sold through rather quickly.  For a while, he'd appear in all sorts of content.  Slowly, though, that all disappeared.  Now, you see the figure very infrequently.  Few people have him these days.  And, those who do are rare to use him.

I've had this draft sitting around for about 5 years.  As such, there's a bunch of links form back then that don't even work any longer.  More ghosts of the Joe world that are just gone.  None of that detracts from the figure.  He's stupidly expensive these days.  There's tons of guys who haven't been active since the early 2000's who have no idea that those extra Super Cop vehicle sets they bought now command premium prices.  

I don't use this figure often enough, any more.  I just don't have the interest in him that I once did.  At some point, I should do more base photos with him and some Law army builders.  Until then, enjoy the content below.

SuperCop Profile

SuperCop Packaging

SuperCop at JoeADay.com

SuperCop by atwooddan

SuperCop by yojoeroadhouse

SuperCop at Action Force.dk

SuperCop Video Review

SuperCop at Leaky Suit Brigade

SuperCop Rescue Jeep

SuperCop by atwooddan

1988 IMP

While I didn't buy many Joes in 1988, my younger brothers still picked up quite a few toys.  When no one was around, I'd dig them out and play with them a bit to check them out.  As newness was always paramount to the the most used toys in our house on any given day, I found the fresh items to be the type of thing I wish I had owned just one year earlier.  It was how I stayed connected to the Joe line.  But, my brothers weren't as into G.I. Joe as I was.  And, when it came to vehicles, they didn't really push for any of the larger 1988  releases.  They did, though, get quite a few of the smaller vehicles that debuted that year.  Along with the AGP and Desert Fox was an oddball Cobra vehicle that had some callbacks to the classic Hiss Tank.  The Imp was one of Cobra's new vehicles for the year.  It wasn't overly impressive.  But, a deeper look finds it to be a pretty solid toy that's fun to have around.

1988 was a weird year when it came to vehicles.  You had these extremely grounded G.I. Joe vehicles like the Warthog, Mean Dog and Desert Fox that were juxtaposed by oddball Cobra items like the DEMON and Bugg.  The flagship toy of the year, the Rolling Thunder, was substantially less impressive or large as the mainline cornerstone pieces from 1985 through 1987.  You had the Battle Force 2000 vehicles that were meant to replicate the Transformers experience in G.I. Joe.  Cobra (and the Iron Grenadiers) got a submarine, boat, 3 aircraft and 3 ground vehicles.  The aforementioned DEMON was large and impressive.  The Adder was much smaller and mean as support.  This left the IMP as Cobra's only foray into a mid sized ground vehicle for the year.  And, as the 1987 line didn't have any Cobra tanks, either, 1988 was a weird year where Cobra itself only had a half hearted, mid sized missile launcher to battle your Joe vehicles.

This leaves the IMP in a weird position where it didn't really get a fair shake.  It was asked to be more than it could deliver in its release year.  But, when taken against the line as a whole, the IMP stands up better.  When it doesn't have to shoulder the burden of being Cobra's primary attack vehicle, you can find some serious value in its supporting role.  Imps could shoot down aircraft.  Or, they could block infantry to dust with the landmines that dropped from the missile shafts.  The rotating gun near the cockpit was useful in keeping pesky Joes away, too.  It had just enough play value to be useful.  For a relatively cheap toy, that was all you could ask.

I have a few fleeting memories of the Imp.  Being beyond my toy playing years, I mostly admired the vehicle.  In the rare times I'd play with it, the adventures were quick.  Usually, it was a one off where the missiles would bomb some crappy Joes into oblivion.  I do recall spilling the mines over figures on at least one occasion.  In the mid 1990s, though, the Imp was among the few vehicles that were lying around.  So, it would get picked up as a way to grind some newly acquired 1993 Joe army builder beneath its treads.  That was the extent of its use.  As a collector, though, I found some good use for the Imp.  It's fun to photograph and provides some diversity from Hiss Tanks or Stingers.  The idea of Cobra having long range missile launchers is kind of fun.  It makes Cobra so much more of a real threat as they can destroy massive civilian life and infrastructure from close proximity.  This means there are no countermeasures and cities would live in terror of the next attack.  For me, it was this fear that made Cobra powerful.  The Imp was a means to that end.

The Imp's colors are...OK.  The maroon body with the silver launcher is pretty strong.  The black treads work well, too.  But, the bright yellow gun is distracting.  Not because it's bright yellow.  The color is a high contrast against the maroon and can be visually distracting.  It's also tough to match figure colors to the Imp.  The box (and, therefore, 95% of collector photos!) shows the 1988 Toxo Viper manning the vehicle.  He's not a nice match.  Really, the Astro Viper is a better fit from a color perspective.  There aren't many other options from the depths of the line, either.  Maybe Gristle would be a nice match up.  I didn't think of that until my Imp was boxed up.  So, it will be on the list when I get around to an Around the Web post about the IMP in 2030 or so.

It's actually a shame that the IMP didn't get a repaint.  In Cobra blue, black or crimson, it would fit perfectly with a Cobra convoy of Stingers, Hiss Tanks and STUNS.  It even fills a purpose that those other vehicles really don't cover.  It could have been a cheap repaint in the 2000's that could have been used in one of those 3 figures/1 vehicle/1 towed battle station three packs that Hasbro really liked in 2004.  I daydream of a set with an Imp, a repainted Mountain Howitzer along with a Hiss Driver and two Cobra Troopers.  But, the mold was likely lost in India.  And, Hasbro lacked the creativity to make something fun like that happen.  And, let's be fair, collectors of the early 2000's would have vehemently complained had a vehicle like IMP been reused when the Stinger had not.

Speaking of India, the IMP had a decent life.  After its retail run through Hasbro, the mold was shipped off to Brazil.  Estrela released the Aniquilador.  The colors are very similar to the Hasbro version.  The red is a bit darker.  And, the body mold is stamped with an Estrela marking.  After that, the mold was to India.  The Funskool Imp is a brighter red color.  It was among the early imports of Funskool vehicles to American dealers in 2001/2002.  It wasn't a good seller.  And, vehicle imports were then limited.  So, it's kind of hard to find a Funskool Imp today.  Without the imports, it's tough to determine when Funskool ceased production on the Imp.  But, it's very unlikely that Hasbro ever got the mold back.  It could still be out there.  It's just not something anyone's ever going to endeavor to track down.

Imps are cheap.  Mint and complete versions can be had for between $10 and $20 depending upon how quickly you want it.  Despite the small mines, complete versions are common and easy to find.  So, there's no reason to not have an Imp or two in your collection.  It's a solid alternative to the staid Hiss Tank.  And, it makes a very nice backdrop for photos.  It's no more ridiculous than any other Cobra vehicle.  It doesn't even take up very much space.  Combine that with a cheap price and you have an entry to the Joe line that is useful and fun.  The Imp is never going to be as popular as the more traditional Cobra ground attack vehicles.  It has its place, though, and is worthy of being a part of any collection.