Tuesday, March 13, 2018

1989 Darklon

I was pretty much out of Joe toys in 1988.  I still followed the comic, though.  And, as such, was familiar with Destro's new Iron Grenadiers faction.  My younger brother got an Iron Grenadier figure and I was enthralled with its design.  But, it wasn't enough to entice me back to toys.  As 1989 dawned, I kept Joe at arm's length.  I still bought the comic and read it.  But, the stories didn't speak to me in the same way that the earlier issues had.  I didn't like the splintering of Cobra and the fact that Destro had gone out on his own.  The 1988 through 1990 comic story lines became a string of largely forgettable arcs for me.  Among these stories was the introduction of Darklon: a distant relative of Destro's who didn't seem to serve much purpose.

The Darklon figure is interesting.  If you start at the head and work your way down, it takes a while for the issues to come to light.  The figure's head is strong enough.  The helmet is odd and weird.  But, that's not bad and it fits the Cobra theme.  His painted, reddish eyes beneath the mask are a spectacular touch that give the head far more depth.  As you move to the figure's torso, the green and black remain quite strong.  Sure, the traditional military colors are more a fit for a Joe.  But, Cobra needed some green and Darklon brings it.  From the waist up, this is really a figure everyone should love.  But, the design completely goes off the rails starting at the figure's waist.  It's red.  And, not a cool, crimson red that would tie to Cobra.  No, it's an off red that simply looks out of place everywhere.  Add to that brown highlights and a golden cluster of grenades on his right boot and you've suddenly got one hot mess of an action figure.

Fittingly, Darklon doesn't see much press these days.  He's a rare participant in Joe photos and isn't often seen on any favorite figure lists.  He's just so odd that he doesn't resonate with collectors.  While his Evader vehicle is a nice match for the Iron Grenadier vehicles, the figure is not.  Darklon simply doesn't match up with any of Destro's other compatriots.  That leaves Darklon without a real purpose.  He's not cool enough to stand on his own.  But, he's so different from other Iron Grenadiers that he doesn't match with them, either.  In the comic, Darklon was selling the Python Patrol technology to Cobra.  If you look at his filecard, you can see that the artists had him in a more python-esque theme with his shirt pattern.  If that had found it's way to the figure, you might have more collectors who viewed Darklon as a Python Patrol member or leader.  But, as he was released, he doesn't work in that capacity, either.

Personally, I have no use for Darklon.  As the figure isn't that good, I have little reason to find a place for him.  And, since I was out of Joe in 1989, I have no nostalgic sentiment attached to the character.  I've found the Bronze Bomber version of Darklon to be somewhat useful.  But, even that figure couldn't survive my collection downsizing of the early 2010's.  So, Darklon becomes a figure I own for completion's sake and little other reason.  His weird gun is kind of fun.  But, it's also so bizarre that it's tough to take it too seriously.  And, it really looks like Darklon's weapon and that makes it difficult to attach the gun to other figures.  So, Darklon languishes in obscurity, even for me.

As a character, Darklon is all but forgotten. He is as a figure, as well.  Hasbro never reused the Darklon mold.  They thought so little of it, they sold it Olmec Toys in the mid 1990's.  Olmec found value in the mold when Hasbro did not.  They released what is probably the best Darklon figure in their 1997-ish Bronze Bombers set.  Crazeblaze, a full repaint of the Darklon mold in dark purple (almost black) and tan is easily a far better figure to represent Darklon in any collection.  If that weren't enough, there is a "good guy" figure in the set who utilizes Darklon's body mold in grey and blue.  He's a great match for a Snow Serpent and can work with a simple Darklon headswap...assuming you can find a cheap Bronze Bomber with which to work.  The mold died with Olmec as they ran into legal problems and was, likely, sold for scrap.  Darklon did see two releases in the anniversary line.  One a convention exclusive and the other a club exclusive.  Both figures are overly expensive and not great alternatives when you consider what else you could get with that kind of money.

Dealers sell mint, complete with filecard Darklons in the $16 range.  But, left to the open market, you can get them for just a hair under $10.  Sacrifice the filecard, and you can get them for $6.  You can still get mint in bubble figures for around $12, too.  For a figure that's susceptible to paint wear and breakage, that's not a terrible price.  But, Darklon is a terrible figure.  So, he's never going to be overly popular and will pretty much remain the lost member of the Iron Grenadier fraternity.  The upside is that you can add a bizarre enemy figure to your collection for peanuts.  The downside, though, is that you have a figure that really doesn't fit anywhere.

1989 Darklon, Evader, Iron Grenadiers, Metal Head, 1990, 1988 Voltar

1989 Darklon, Evader, Iron Grenadiers, Metal Head, 1990, 1988 Voltar

6 comments:

  1. I never realized how asymmetrical Darklon is. I guess that was sort of the calling card of the whole IG vs. BF 2000 sub-series

    Darklon is a very odd figure, though you're right about how pythonized his filecard art. That might've been a better use for the figure. How close is his green to the Python Patrol?

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  2. The Bronze Bomber that looks like Darklon is named Justice.The "good guy" figure in the set who utilizes Darklon's body mold in grey and blue except if you notice those three ridges on Daeklon's right arm has been reversed on the Crazeblaze and Justice figures.If I hadn't already put a Darklon head on "Justice" already,I would jump at the chance to get that "Justice" Darklon figure for less than 9.00! https://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-Bronze-Bomber-Vintage-3-3-4-Olmec-TRU-GI-Joe-Scale-Action-Figure-Lot-6/272766043351?hash=item3f821f84d7:g:aA0AAOSwacdZbO5i

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  3. Always liked Darklon's vehicle, maybe even better Destro's. The figure is weird but not too weird for my taste. But then again I actually like Raptor so what do I know?

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  4. I never disliked Darklon or found him that much odder than the oddballs that came before. I supposed Destro clan are a bunch of eccentrics, maybe because the cartoon.

    Some people seem to think that the green is his skin, and that's a weird thought.

    Not sure why Hama linked him to Python Patrol. He did have his own legit country, making him the most successful villain.

    Or why Dic didn't use the character for Operation Dragonfire.

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  5. Objectively speaking Darklon isn't a good figure, and typically I forget about him. However, I do like him a fair bit personally. I think the idea of using him with the Python Patrol actually makes him more interesting, I may do that in the future.

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  6. I, for one, love Darklon. I don't know why, except that he's a blank character-wise, for the most part, has a really detailed sculpt that is unlike most anything else, and his mask is dope.

    I'm a fan of the Iron Grenadiers for sure, though I have more Joe-Con Mars Attacks IGs than I do regular IGs. But this guy and Voltar serve well as colorful eccentric generals that are clearly not Cobra or GI Joe, and I like that a lot.

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