1982 Flash - Around the Web

Flash is one of the more distinctive original 13 Joe figures.  While lots of collectors like him, it seems most people have him already.  The figure was released around the world in various shades of his American release.  Here's some of the top content on the character around the web.

Flash Profile

Flash Video Review

Flash Video Review 2

Flash Wiki

Plastirama Flash at Leaky Suit Brigade

Flash at JoeDios.com

1983 Cover Girl

At various points in my childhood a mystery would arise.  In these cases, a toy that was relatively new would suddenly disappear without a trace.  It happened to my new Nien Numb figure in 1983.  It happened to my new Major Bludd on Christmas break in 1984.  It happened to one of my 1985 Snake Eyes figures at my Grandparents' house in Dayton in 1985.  It happened to a Leatherneck figure in the bushes in front of my Grandfather's house in Buffalo in 1986.  It also happened to one of the many new figures I received for Christmas in 1983: Cover Girl.  As such, Cover Girl was never a major player in my collection outside of the fact that she simply vanished.

In our house, Christmas of 1983 was spectacular.  There wasn't a Joe toy that wasn't under our tree.  In 1983, my youngest brother turned 5 and was able to have the last of a series of major heart surgeries.  My younger brother and I were shuffled off to spend the entire summer with our Grandparents and Aunt and Uncle in Ohio.  My youngest brother came out of the surgeries just fine and my parents were relieved to a degree that I can not fathom.  As such, my parents went hog wild on presents for Christmas.  Not only did we find tons of Return of the Jedi figures and vehicles under the tree, but pretty much the entire 1983 Joe line was there as well.  My Grandparents came over and bought each of us a few figures.  I could see Gung Ho and Snow Job through the tissue paper wrapping my Grandmother had used.  The presents sat there for a few days, waiting for Christmas morning and building our anticipation.

When the Christmas morning melee was done, our living room was stacked with unopened boxes of pretty much any toy collectors' best dreams.  Our neighbor, a father of three girls, came over and helped my Dad put together all of the new vehicles and the coup de gras: the G.I. Joe Headquarters.  My haul included the APC along with all the figures I was missing from the year.  My youngest brother got the Wolverine.  As it wasn't mine, I didn't pay it much attention for a while.  But, as the year progressed, I grew interested in the Wolverine's potential.  Soon, though, I became flummoxed by the Wolverine's limitation as a toy.  It only held one figure.  On top of that, once the 12 missiles were expended, it was unarmed.  Plus, my brother had broken off the top piece that held the missile launcher to the base: rending the launcher unable to stay pointed any direction but down: directly at the vehicle's body.  As such, the Wolverine fell out of favor.

Cover Girl, though, had a different fate.  At first, I only would use the Wolverine's intended driver with the vehicle.  Cover Girl found a home in this role.  Without a sidearm, though, she was an afterthought if she were out of her vehicle.  However, before I could really develop the character, Cover Girl disappeared.  The figure simply vanished.  While things got lost in our house all the time, they were usually things like small accessories that likely ended up in my mother's vacuum.  It was rare to lose a figure.  One might be gone for a while.  But, once I realized it was gone, I would go on a search of my room, my brothers' room, the toy room, under the living and family room couches and through the basement.  These long searches would almost always find the figure or part that was missing.  Cover Girl, though, never turned up.  I scoured the house and interrogated my brothers.  But, no one had any clue as to her whereabouts and no one had any recollection to removing her from the house.  Thus, Cover Girl forever disappeared from my childhood G.I. Joe collection.

In the grand scheme of things, I think these mysterious, missing figures all evened out.  In later years, a perfectly conditioned Flash, a Track Viper, a Salvo and a complete Tiger Force Recondo all entered into our collection with no knowledge of their acquisition.  Maybe they were left behind by my brother's playmates.  Maybe my Cover Girl was left at one of my brother's friends houses and they simply forgot they even took her there.  But, had Cover Girl not vanished, it's unlikely I'd have anything to say about her.  She is certainly not as cool as the regularly carded 1983 or 1984 Joe figures.  And, she would likely have been relegated to "bottom of the box" duty to only come out when I had no other figures available.  It's odd that her story is one of absence.  But, it has kept the figure in my mind for over 30 years and given me a chance to reminisce about a great time in my life.

As a mold, Cover Girl certainly has limitations.  The body mold is fairly strong with lots of nice details.  The head sculpt, though, is not good.  Cover Girl's head definitely shows the sculpting limitations of the time.  It is overly large with close cropped hair.  You realize how much of a leap forward the 1984 Baroness figure really was with the separately sculpted hair piece when you look at Cover Girl.  Her pursed lips give her a sterner appearance than you'd expect from a former fashion model.  But, that might be the reality of the male dominated 1980's military.  The coloring is very well done with earthy browns juxtaposed with splashes of bluish grey detailing.  She does have painted flesh hands, which are both prone to paint wear as well as general breakage.

While Cover Girl was relegated to a vehicle driver role in the U.S. and Canada, she found a second life in South America.  The mold was used to create a new character named Sparta in both Brazil and Argentina.  On top of the new character, the mold was also released with new artwork as a single carded figure.  Both Sparta figures are heavily reminiscent of the American Cover Girls, but are still different enough to be worthwhile additions to any collection.  The great thing for American collectors is that large caches of carded Sparta figures from both Plastirama and Estrela were found in the early 2000's, putting large quantities of the figures into the collecting community.  The mold likely died in South America.  Were it available, it's likely it would have been used since Hasbro released multiple Scarlett, Lady Jaye and Baroness figures.  A high quality Cover Girl repaint would have been nice.  Even if the character had been named Sparta, but been given a completely different paint, it would have been a great way to update the mold.  But, collectors have a couple of options for the figure that, while somewhat expensive these days, aren't all that hard to find.

In the 1990's, before the rise of the internet, all female figures from the Joe line were considered "collectible".  This attitude carried over in the 2000's, even though it was now evident that the female figures from the line didn't exist in substantially different quantities than their male contemporaries.  But, it made Cover Girl figures expensive.  In those days, she was a $20 figure all the time.  As the 2000's wound down, the figure got substantially less expensive.  Now, though, she is fairly pricey again.  Mint and complete with filecard figures sell in the $22 range.  You can get a mint figure for around $17.  If you sacrifice a little condition, the price falls pretty drastically.  But, it rare to find a nice Cover Girl for under $10.  So, she's going to cost you.

In the days when Plastirama Spartas were available MOC for $10, that was the way to go to get the mold.  Now, though, Spartas are more expensive, so Cover Girl is the preference if you want the mold.  For the price, the figure doesn't seem worth it.  The mold has limitations.  But, females are few and far between in the vintage Joe line.  So, Cover Girl's lone appearance makes the mold more desirable than if she had been revisited as a repaint or an updated character.  The lack of childhood connection has left this figure as an outcast in my collection.  But, it's nice to have her around for the rare occasion when her appearance makes sense.  I doubt I'd pay the current prices to acquire a Cover Girl.  But, it's also unlikely I'll part with the one I have.

1991 Cobra Night Vulture - Around the Web

The Cobra Night Vulture is an amazing mold that is very reminiscent of Snake Eyes.  The colors are a bit loud, but he's definitely worth another look.

Cobra Night Vulture Profile

Night Vulture at JoeDios.com

Night Vulture at JoeBattleLines.com

Night Vulture at Action Force.dk

Night Vulture at G.I. Joe Wiki

Night Vulture at Joeaday.com

2005 Comic Pack Flint

2004 had all the makings of a remarkable Joe year.  First, Hasbro reacquired 18 of the most popular figure molds from Funskool.  Secondly, they were knee deep in producing two near quarterly vintage Joe exclusives for Toys R Us.  Finally, they were launching a line of retail release comic book figure packs.  These were three figures in vintage style and a comic book for a retail price of 9.99.  There was so much potential, collectors were salivating.  At the end of 2004, though, things had drastically changed.  The Funskool molds were used sparingly and the classic accessories were mostly missing from the sets.  The Toys R Us army builders that showed so much promise fizzled into poorly accessorized and oddly colored banality.  And, the comic packs were a sea of the same green colored bodies over and over again.  As 2005 came and went, so did the retail Joe line.  Unable to find retail partners willing to sustain the line, Hasbro turned to their fledgling online toy store to sell Joes exclusively.  The line launched with much fanfare.  Among the solid vehicles and army builder packs were some new comic packs.  At first glance, they were a departure from the retail norms: using later issues and figure molds.  But, the issues that plagued the line in 2004 were too deeply rooted.  The potential for greatness was there.  But, the ability to execute on that potential was not.  Among the forgotten releases of the initial DTC waves is the Comic Pack Flint.

The Comic Packs were an ingenious idea.  Three figures and a story to act out for a cheap price should have been a home run.  And, initially, they were.  The first wave sold well enough.  But, over ordering on the first wave created backups around the country.  For collectors, the first three packs were great with the long awaited release of Kwinn, new takes on Clutch, Hawk and Stalker and a Cobra Trooper.  But, after they had two of each pack, collector interest turned elsewhere.  The problem was compounded when the 2nd wave of packs looked very much like the first wave.  Confused parents saw the familiarity and thought they had already bought the pack.  Wave 2 ended up on clearance throughout the country and the third wave (with the Oktober Guard) ended up getting a truncated production run due to lack of retailer interest.  Hasbro's initial insistence to go chronologically likely doomed the packs since there was too much homogeneity in the initial 10 issues of the comic.  Had they skipped around to get a more diverse figure crop, the outcome might have been different. (Sadly, Hasbro learned from the Joe mistake and didn't repeat it when they introduced comic packs into the Star Wars line and later brought them into the Anniversary style Joe releases.)

By the time Comic Pack #76 was released in DCT, collectors had tuned out the comic packs.  They were generally thought of as clearance fodder and many people simply waited for discounts rather than pay full price.  The additional shipping cost caused by the comic pack's bulk also made online ordering far less attractive.  The pack, in the package, looked decent.  A redesigned 1986 Hawk, 1987 Tunnel Rat and this Flint were a compelling cast of characters.  The execution of them, though, was deeply flawed.  Hawk was overly bright and the recast 1986 chest did not mesh well with the Talking Battle Commandos version's legs.  The figure was a definite downgrade for the Hawk character, even if the flat topped blonde head was a welcome addition.  Tunnel Rat was awful.  The new head was far too large.  Tunnel Rat's trademark gear was missing and the base colors were too similar to the '87 versions.  The two figures seemed like a wasted opportunity for Hasbro to appease the neglected vintage Joe collecting base.

For me, though, Flint was the most disappointing.  V1 Flint is my favorite mold in the entire Joe line.  The prospect of getting a new version of it, even with a new head, was tantalizing.  But, the actual figure was not.  This Flint is done up in colors too similar to the original's.  At the time, Funskool Flint's were readily available for $4: and those included the original accessories.  If you wanted a V1 Flint derivative, the Funskool was a vastly superior option.  Aside from the color snafu, though, the new head was underwhelming.  Flint's cocky grin shaped his personality.  This figure's blank stare showed a laissez-faire attitude by the Hasbro design team that was obvious to collectors of the time.  It was a dismal showing for my favorite character.  The main redeeming point was the inclusion of the newly sculpted M-16 rifle.  It was a staple of the comic packs, but actually looks decent with the figure.  The newly sculpted shotgun, though, was awful and a dreadful reminder that Hasbro didn't use the vintage accessories that were available from Funskool.

To say that DTC was a failure understates the epic failure that it was.  Hasbro cut bait on the experiment in 2006 and sold all their lingering overstock to Toys R Us for deeply discounted prices.  Toys R Us rolled out the line nationwide and promptly saw the items collect dust on their toy shelves, too.  Comic packs were available well into 2008 in most parts of the country.  Toys R Us's online arm as well as the Hasbro Toy Shop discounted the comic packs down to around $4 each.  Even at these slashed prices, the stock was slow to move.  Collectors were leaving the hobby in droves and the figure offerings just weren't compelling enough, even at below wholesale price for a pack.

As such, this figure is worthless today.  Collectors don't care for him and there are multitudes of better Flint alternatives available.  Even MOC, this set can be had for less than original retail from a decade ago.  It's a fitting fate for figures like this.  Hasbro mailed in their design efforts.  Those who threw this junk at collectors, though, have moved on: sometimes to better things.  As they aren't collectors and weren't really concerned with the legacy of the franchise upon which they were working, it's unlikely that the general absence of this figure from the collecting conscience is something they even consider.  For those of us still left, it's a bitter reminder of how the line was treated as it's second retail run sputtered to an ignominious end.

1986 Claymore - Around the Web

Claymore was the only original character in the 1986 Toys R Us exclusive Mission to Brazil set.  He has potential as a character.  But, the figure is bright yellow.  Were he a 1994 release instead of 1986, collectors would have a very different opinion of him.

1986 Claymore Profile

1986 Claymore at Joe a Day

Claymore at 3dJoes

Claymore at Wikipedia

Claymore at JoeDios.com

1987 Zanzibar

1987 was a good year for me.  It was a wet spring and summer that filled my pockets with lawn mowing money and there was lots of great stuff available on which I could spend my hard earned cash.  Throughout the spring and summer, it was rare that a trip to Target didn't net me some sort of new toy.  It might have been an '86 figure upgrade, a small battlefield playset or one of the many new figures that were released in '87.  My parents grew uneasy with the amount of money I was spending on toys.  But, I had earned it and it was mine to spend.  But, I got more and more pressure to reduce my buying as spring turned to summer in 1987.  

Zanzibar looked intriguing as a toy when I first saw him in the 1987 catalog.  I found him at a local Kohl's store in the spring of 1987 and quickly snatched him up.  Zanzibar immediately became a favorite figure.  His cool pistol was fun.  But, the best part was the air skiff.  In the Joe world I had at the time, flying machines were very rare.  Outside of jet packs and a few jets, they pretty much didn't exist.  The reasons were mostly practical in that in made no sense for Cobra to constantly ground assault G.I. Joe headquarters if they had aircraft.  Take the aircraft away and the strategy made more sense.  Because of the lack of flight, little vehicles like the Air Skiff became incredibly powerful.  While Zanzibar could not outfit an entire legion of Cobra Troopers, the flying contraption made him a very deadly foe to the Joes.

Zanzibar would often swoop in just as the Joes were leaving the confines of their base to chase of the Cobras.  This left them susceptible to attack and Zanzibar was able to inflict heavy casualties.  (In 1986, Serpentor's Air Chariot had played the same role.  But, the Joes managed to shoot it down and, ultimately, kill Serpentor.  The '87 Cobra Commander made this possible.)  He became the most dangerous Cobra out there.  The Joes made him public enemy number one.  As the summer wound down, Zanzibar maintained his status.

In the early fall, I took a small batch of Joes with me when my parents rented out a cabin in Southern Indiana for a week.  I saw this time as one of the final Joe stories I would play out.  I'd be starting 8th grade in the fall and was too old to be playing with toys.  (On another note, it was during that trip that I first visited the college I would end up attending.  That 1987 visit was enough to pique my interest and a 1991 official visit cemented my attendance there.)  I found a stream in the woods and built up a dam.  Here, the small group of Joes and Cobras played out their final endgame.  In the skirmish, Zanzibar was finally killed.

Upon my return home, my interests turned to a more teen aged pursuits. One day, some friends and I found a few Joes and decided to hand them from a string out of the 2nd story window of my parents garage.  This left the figure dangling in front of a cinder block wall.  We all went as far away as we could we in the yeard and began to throw freshly fallen walnuts at the figures.  Zanzibar and Monkeywrench were the two figures who were chosen.  Monkeywrench was pretty much destroyed.  But, Zanzibar survived with just some minor scuffs and paint chips.  Around 1991, though, my little brother had dug my Zanzibar out of my closet and left it on the floor. My parents' new puppy found the figure and chewed off his arm and pulled out most of his hair.  Thus died the vintage Zanzibar.

Zanzibar's first comic appearance was in G.I. Joe #60.  It has a great cover and the story inside introduces a wide array of 1987 characters.  When I first bought the issue, though, it didn't sit right with me.  The artwork used was very out of whack with prior Joe comics.  It was too different from the artwork to which I had grown accustomed.  If you collected comic books in the early 1990's, though, there's a good chance you are aware of G.I. Joe #60 for other reasons.  At that time, comics drawn by Todd MacFarlane were widely collected and would sell for decent prices.  (At least, decent for recently published works.)  As such, you'd often see G.I. Joe #60 tossed in with MacFarlane Spider Man titles at various comic shops in an attempt to capitalize on the artist's popularity.  (When the Joe comic was cancelled in 1995, a special re-issue of G.I. Joe #61 with artwork from Todd MacFarlane that was not, originally, used in the issue was released as the final issue of the Joe comic.  It is worth a good amount today, but more due to the rarity and obscurity of the fan favorite title than Todd MacFarlane.)  It explained the bizarre muscularity of Chuckles in #60 and the rest of different artwork.

Zanzibar has great accessories...depending upon your definition of what his accessory complement consists of.  Not in dispute is the figure's pistol.  It is a larger weapon that was unique to Zanzibar.  The two components in question are the spear and hammer.  Many collectors consider these to parts to the Air Skiff rather than accessories for Zanzibar.  Others consider them part and parcel to the Zanzibar figure.  (It should be noted they were included in the bubble with the figure, implying they are part of him.)  When buying a "complete" figure, it's important to know if you are getting all the pieces you intend as the definition of completeness varies.  The spear and the hammer, though, are solid additions to the figure.  For years, the spear was used by a Budo figure on my cactus shelf: guarding an incense burner sculpted like a Mayan temple.  But, it remains a fun accessory for Zanzibar and is a slightly different notion of Dreadnok weapons.

The Zanzibar mold was used twice. Once for this original figure and then again in 2004 for the Convention Exclusive Zanzibar figure.  With the pirate motif in full bloom, it's doubtful that any of the parts could have been seamlessly integrated into any other figures.  And, there really is no need for more than 2 Zanzibar figures.  So, you can't say the mold was wasted.  This 1987 version is about perfect in terms of design.  (There is a variant on the V1 figure in terms of how Zanzibar's facial hair is painted.  One release is fuller than the other.  But, I'm not sure which variant corresponds to the mail away figure versus the retail release.)  The Convention figure is different, but not better.  So, there's at least something more than one release for the Zanzibar fan to track down.

Zanzibar figures are not expensive.  You can still buy mint in bubble figures for around $10.  (It seems there was a lot of overstock Zanzibars that made their way into the collecting world.)  Mint, complete with filecard figures can be purchased for around $5.  (You can still get sealed in box Zanzibar and Air Skiffs for around $20.)  For whatever reason, there is a large volume of high quality Zanzibar figures still out there.  The result is that the modern collector can get a solid figure for almost nothing.  That's a good thing.  Sadly, the cheap price will color this figure in the eyes of many collectors.  But, as I had the vintage connection, Zanzibar remains a valued member of my collection.

1987 Croc Master - Around the Web

Croc Master was one of the few 1987 villains that became a viable part of my collection.  He's a solid figure, even if he maintains the bizareness that was the 1987 main carded figure line.  He's some of the top content on the character around the web.

Croc Master Profile

Croc Master at JoeDios.com

Croc Master Video Review

Croc Master by _toyler_

Croc Master at JoeWiki

Croc Master at OAFE

Croc Master at Generals Joes

87 Cobras at Joe A Day

Croc Master at Joe A Day

1983 Breaker - Around the Web

Breaker was my first Joe figure.  His gear features an elegant simplicity that keeps him relevant more than 30 years after his release.  Here's some of the surprisingly sparse content around the web on him.

1983 Breaker Profile

1983 Breaker at JoeADay.com

1983 Breaker at Memories of Toymorrow

Breaker at JoeDios.com

1989 Deep Six

In the summer of 1984, I bought my first G.I. Joe comics.  One of the central characters of these early stories was Deep Six.  He was surly, but had a decent look that made me want to get the Sharc and his figure.  When my younger brother got one, though, I was shocked to find the hunk of useless plastic that was the Deep Six figure.  Encased in the bulky deep sea suit, Deep Six was not compatible with any of my other figures.  With that, Deep Six and his Sharc were dismissed from my collection and were the bane of my toy room for many years.  When I returned to Joe in the '90's, though, I discovered that Hasbro had taken another pass at the Deep Six character.  While he was still in a deep sea diving uniform, the 1989 Deep Six brought standard Joe construction to the character and finally made a worthwhile design.

In 1998, I went to a local comic chain in Mesa, AZ.  I stopped in from time to time to look for vintage Star Wars figures.  This time, though, they had a display case full of G.I. Joe figures from the late '80's.  Most were severely overpriced, even for 1998.  But, for $3, there was a Deep Six figure that I simply could not pass by.  I snatched him up and was very pleased to have this new figure in my collection.  Within a year, I was buying lots of Joe figures on a routine basis.  In due course, more Deep Six figures entered my collection.  It was then that I realized that the cool black faceplate on the figure's helmet was an aftermarket addition by the figure's owner.  That somewhat colored the figure for me.  I acquired a bunch of the mail away figures in 2000 and those figures took the Deep Six role.  In all the pictures I took in my pool from that timeframe of my life, you only see the 1993 Deep Six and not the '89.

Once I no longer had a pool, the need for Deep Six diminished.  While I had once army built the figure, I found that I didn't really have any use for him.  So, Deep Six went into the drawer and didn't come out.  Like many specialized figures, if I didn't have need of his purpose, it was likely that he could get buried for a  very long time.  But, when the time arises, the figure is still there and available for whatever purpose I have conjured up.  For Deep Six, it was his appearance in this profile.  Long term, though, he'll go back into the drawer.  It's not that he's a bad figure.  In fact, he's actually quite good.  But, deep sea divers are tough to use and Deep Six looks best when fully accessorized within the context of his specialty.

Of course, this figure is flawed.  Few collectors would consider a figure with bright orange highlights to be among the classics of the line.  It is, though, far and away the best release of the Deep Six character.  But, were you to rank Joe characters in terms of their overall importance and popularity, Deep Six would likely be the lowest rated character through at least 1987.  But, if you look at this figure, you see the quality still shine through.  The designers approached Deep Six with the same level of care brought to Rock and Roll, Backblast or Recoil.  In the depths of the ocean, bright orange and blue make more sense.  The mold is full of small details that enhance Deep Six's specialty and make him more realistic.  He has a classic, old timey diver feel that is an obvious homage to the Jules Verne imagery.  In short, this is a figure that is likely worthy of more appreciation, but will always remain one of the unheralded gems from the line's middle years.

Deep Six's accessories are extremely well done.  While his orange helmet is an opaque mass, it fits onto his body quite well and doesn't make the figure appear too bulky.  His pack is huge, but in line for what someone who was hundreds of feet below the surface of the water would need in order to get down to depth, carry out his mission and safely resurface without getting decompression sickness.  The diving bell/buoy is interesting.  It really doesn't add anything to the figure.  But, it is rather long and would be useful were you to take the figure out into the pool.  The figure's gun is nothing short of odd.  But, then again, taking a weapon down to such depths is an inherent danger in and of itself.  It's likely anything that could withstand the depths to which Deep Six dives would have to be substantial and specially designed just like his dive suit.  As such, I can forgive the bizareness of the weapon.  Within Deep Six's context, it works well enough.  It's distinctive, decent colored and easy to find.  So, I can accept a weird design.

This Deep Six mold saw three releases.  After this high quality release in 1989 and 1990, the figure was picked up by Hasbro Direct in 1993.  A bright yellow Deep Six was offered only via mail away offer.  The brightness of the figure is a deterrent for many collectors.  But, it works in a deep sea environment.  The figure was not popular, though, and would be rather rare except for the fact that most of the Hasbro Direct overstock made it's way to the collecting community in the '90's.  Bagged mail away Deep Six figures were available for around $3 for many years.  It is the unique filecard that is the true rarity of this figure.  At some point in the late 1990's or early 2000's, the Deep Six mold was sent to India.  There, Funskool released for many years.  The Funskool Deep Six is colored after this 1989 figure, though in slightly different shades of blue.  The original accessories are present and the figure is a great complement to this 1989 version.  The mold has not reappeared since then.  Funskool did produce more Deep Six figures around 2009, so it's likely that the mold is still there.

While this version of Deep Six is an excellent figure, he is generally forgotten by collectors.  As such, he remains very cheap.  Carded versions can be easily acquired for $20 - $25.  Loose, mint and complete with filecard figures sell in the $5 to $6 range.  That's a paltry sum for a figure made in the '80's who is a recognizable character and is so well done.  But, it's also a lot to pay for a figure that has very limited uses and doesn't really work on many of the aquatic vehicles.  At the price point, though, there is no reason why any collector should go without a Deep Six figure.  He's worth getting for something different and the intricate design does display nicely.  Specialties like Deep Six's were what made the vintage Joe line so much fun.  You had a figure for every locale and environment of which you could imagine.  Sadly, though, the more obscure that environment was, the less popular the figure is.  But, the diversity of the Joe line has always been it's hallmark.  And, the designers didn't skimp on specialty figures like Deep Six.  Hopefully, collectors can appreciate that.