Rarities - 1984 JC Penney Catalog Cobra Set

Retail catalogs sold a lot of product in the 1980's.  Christmas was an especially lucrative time as the catalogs were widely distributed and a staple of gift giving.  To capitalize on this phenomenon, Hasbro teamed up with large retailers to offer G.I. Joe figures.  Vehicles were perfectly designed for the catalog model.  Figures, though, were problematic since they had large packaging and weren't priced for individual sale through a catalog.  So, Hasbro bagged up sets of figures and offered them as exclusive offerings through the catalog retailers.  One such set was the 1984 JC Penney's "Bad Guy" 6 figure bundle.

This figure set included the four new Cobra characters introduced as single carded figures in 1984 as well as Destro and the classic Cobra Soldier.  The set was sold for $17.99.  This was only a slight premium over retail price.  The figures did not include full cardbacks.  They were, instead, bagged up with their full complement of accessories and a filecard.  As with most red backed filecards, the bio cards have become highly desirable and sought after by collectors.

In the fall of 1984, Stormshadow was still hard to find.  My brother had been fortunate enough to get one for his birthday in October.  I would get one for my birthday in December, too.  But, my friend with whom I most frequently played with Joes was not so lucky.  He could not find the figure.  So, his mother ordered him this 6 figure set, even though he had all the other figures in the set already.  Even though she bought it for him for Christmas, she let him open all the figures early so he could have a Stormshadow to play with.  I remember noticing the filecards were different.  But, since the figures were the same, didn't much care after that. 

Years later, I realized how rare these items probably were: at least when compared to standard, carded Joes.  The six figures in this set have the draw of being Cobra and being pretty much all the Cobra bigwigs of that era.  Below you will see pics of the figures, except for Baroness.  I have yet to come across one of her.

Destro:

Firefly:

Stormshadow:

Stormshadow was probably the reason why so many kids actually got this set.  He was hard to find and a sure thing was probably enticing for many kids.  You'll note the figure is extremely discolored, even though it was never removed from the bag.  This shows that the white plastic used on the Stormshadow can get damaged even if it's never been touched by human hands.  Heat, sunlight and drastic temperature changes can all affect Stormshadows and yellow them, even if they are still carded or bagged.

Scrap Iron:

Cobra Trooper:

You'll note that the Cobra Trooper's filecard has the original text and not the text from the 1982 JC Penney mail away set.

Baroness:

Each figure included a red back filecard that had a flag point printed in the cut away area.

Here is the box in which the set was shipped:

Of course, these figures are extremely hard to find.  Uncut filecards will command a substantial premium.  Still bagged figures will fetch a couple of hundred dollars each, depending upon the character.  The figures are no different than retail releases.  But, proof that the figure originated from this set will attract great interest and substantial prices.

Rarities - Zap Bazooka Variants

One of the most frequently asked questions around various Joe forums is in regards to the Zap bazooka variants.  The reason is fairly simple: a few of the variants are among the rarest accessories in the line and command up to hundreds of dollars.  And, a few of the rare variants look very similar to far more common variants.  The only real way to tell is a combination of the bazooka's mold, its color and the markings that appear on the handle.

Below is information and photos I've gathered over the years in regards to the various Zap bazooka variants.  It is unlikely to be complete.  We know Zap had tons of variants released in the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Brazil and India.  And, his bazooka was used with some other figures at various times, too.

Here is another photo showing some of the variants.  From top to bottom, they are:

1982 Double Handle - no #
1982 Thin Handle - no #
1982 Thin Handle - B2
1982 JC Penny Thin Handle - A1
1983 Thick Handle - no #
Accessory Pack - 3
Accessory Pack - 7

Additional info:

1982 Double Handle - No#
Mexican Zap - #B2
1982 Thin Handle - No#
1982 Thin Handle - #B2
1982 Thin Handle JC Penney - #B1
1982 Thin Handle JC Penney - #A1
1997 Thin Handle Stars & Stripes - #B6
1997 Thick Handle Stars & Stripes - No#
UK Red Shadow Thick Handle - #4
US Accessory Pack Thick Handle - #2
1983 Thick Handle - No#
UK Dolphin Thick Handle - No#

A close up of the JC Penny Bazookas

It should be noted that while the B1 bazooka is a JC Penney exclusive, it came with two different figures.  One Cobra Trooper always included a B1 variant bazooka.  But, the Zap from the same 1982 catalog could also come with a B1.  Some Zaps had it.  Others had the B2.  So, the B1 is still pretty hard to find.  But, it's no where near as hard to find as the A1 which was only included with the other Cobra Trooper.

There is a Hasbro Direct Zap figure that was available via mail away around 1986 or so.  This figure has a very slight color variant to the previous Zap figures.  And, as such, there is also a bazooka color variant that is not listed above.  I have only seen the colors and not been able to verify the markings.  So, if you have any info on this Zap bazooka variant, please let me know so I can update the resource.

Rarities - Unproduced 2001 Manimal Vortex

In 2001, KB Toy Stores managed to snare a G.I. Joe exclusive.  Despite the heavy emphasis on "military realism" that dominated the 2000 and 2001 Hasbro offerings, KB managed to acquire the rights to the legendary Manimals figures.  To much fanfare, they released the oddball toys in separate waves.  The first wave consisted of Iguanus, Slythor and Warwolf.  This wave was dead on arrival at retail.  Within weeks, Manimals were backed up at every KB Toy Store in the country.  No one wanted them.  So, the planned second wave of Manimals was cancelled: making them the only twice cancelled concept in G.I. Joe history.

There are a lot of reasons why this all happened.  A powerful person inside the KB family was a huge G.I. Joe fan.  And he, likely, had a lot to do with these forgotten concepts getting resurrected.  But, at the time, the hype of Manimals far outweighed their actual popularity.  While lots of carded Manimal figures had sold for around $1,000 each in the mid 1990's: the same figures were sitting unsold at half that price at the turn of the century.  The collectors of the day found the figures too far removed from what Joe should have been.  And, as such, those collectors had no interest in them: even if they were the most famous unproduced item in the Joe line at the time.

At the time, I was a Star Brigade junkie.  I saw the first three figures in the stores and didn't buy them.  They held no appeal to me.  Finally, after a month or so, I broke down.  KB's online arm was participating in the ridiculous Star Wars clearance sales of that time.  They had Stormtroopers in stock and I ordered a ton of them.  The price was stupidly low.  So, seeing that they had the Manimals in stock, too, I added the three figures to my order.  If not for the cheap Star Wars figs, I'd probably have left the Manimals behind.

But, in relative terms, the second wave of Manimals probably contained the more interesting molds from the series.  In this case, we see the Vortex figure.  As a closed up design, Vortex isn't all that spectacular.  He looks like a bulky, armored knight.  If he didn't open up, the figure would look right at home among a number of mid 1990's toy lines.  The special part of the figure occurs when you open him up, though.  Inside, you find a a super creepy, 6 nippled, smiling alien who's pointing to the sky.  (Or, kind of flipping you off.  Not that there's a message in there.)

Like all the Manimals, Vortex is not great.  But, just for sheer weirdness, the character has some value.  He's just so out there.  It's doubtful that Vortex would be any more popular than the other 5 Manimals had all 6 been released at retail. But, the stupid little alien inside is something a little different and kind of makes me want this guy.

In actuality, the unproduced 2001 Manimals are probably rarer than the 1994 unproduced Manimals.  It's just that no one really cares about the repaints in relation to the originals.  This figure is weird and strange and completely not a G.I. Joe figure.  And, all that makes it better.  Manimals aren't for everyone.  But, things like this Vortex show why.  I'm torn as to whether I'd have bought the 2nd wave of Manimals in 2001 had they been released.  On some level, I think I would have since I was kind of a completist back then.  But, I was also on an extremely limited budget in 2001 and 2002 and it's very probable that $30 worth of Manimals would not have made the cut of items I purchased. 

This Vortex, though, remains a reminder of what Joe could have been.  I think that if KB had, instead, offered a 6 figure set of unproduced 1995 Battle Corps Ranger figures, all six would have been made and they'd be among the most desired figures from the ARAHC era of the early 2000's.  Instead, we got 1/2 of the Manimal run since collector interest wasn't strong enough to justify a second wave.

Rarities - Unproduced 2003 Tiger Force Variants

In 2003, Hasbro released their first Toys R Us exclusive pack of figures.  The popular theme of Tiger Force was the chosen subject.  The production set featured variants on some figures.  The main difference was skin tone.  But, the Big Brawler figure was massively different as there was both a red haired and black haired version.  This was a big deal to collectors at the time.

But, there were some pre production variants of the figures that didn't see the light of day.  The main difference was that the Big Brawler figure featured the word "Survival" on his chest rather than "Brawler".  The Survival shirt was an obvious homage to Outback.  Hasbro decided to remove the reference, though, and keep the character closer to the lame Big Brawler meme.

You'll see two Jinx variants below, too.  You'll see the skin color variances...especially in the hands.  These figures show how the figures morphed from the pre-production versions to the actual production variants.  Hasbro got more careful with their exclusive figures.  There was really only one other variant that escaped: the Desert Patrol Gung Ho's tattoo size.  But, the Tiger Force set had so many variants that it seemed kind of cheap.



The next figure is Dial Tone.  While there are pale and tan skin variants of the production figure, you'll see a pre-production variant below with differently colored rivets.  It's not the most interesting variant.  But, it shows that Hasbro worried about such things before the figure went to production.

Rarities - 2004 Desert Patrol Set (Convention Prototypes)

At the 2004 G.I. Joe convention, Hasbro showcased some upcoming Toys R Us exclusive sets.  One such set was the Desert Patrol.  This five figure set showed some promise.  It included the long missing 1991 Snake Eyes figure as well as a spiffy looking version of Stalker and Ambush.  (Though, with Low Light's head.  Tunnel Rat and the odd hybrid figure that would be named Dusty weren't all that exciting.  But, it was enough to get collectors interested.

When the set finally showed up at TRU in 4th quarter of 2004, there were a couple of small differences in the actually released figures.  In addition to Gung Ho being added to the set, the Ambush figure went from a solid cammo pattern (like Stalker) to a combo of the agave green and desert colors that matched Dusty, Tunnel Rat and Snake Eyes.  It took a solid set and turned it into a dud.  But, overall retail sales of the set were strong as Christmas of 2004 saw TRU sell out of most of its exclusive Joe products.  (That the set only had around 16,000 total units produced also helped.)

Today, the production set has actually gotten somewhat hard to find.  There is a ridiculously hard to find set of unreleased Desert Patrol figures, too.  But, these photos from the 2004 San Diego Comic Con show a set that still had promise before Hasbro made it worse.  This was a theme in 2004 and really carried into 2005 as the line died at retail.  The DTC offerings that used ARAH molds turned the tide a little bit.  But, it was too late.

You'll note that the photos below have a combo of what appears to be production figures as well as hand painted samples.  I am not aware of any full cammo Ambush figures actually making their way into the collecting world.  The version below could be hand painted or it could be production.  I can't tell from the old photos.  But, it is a massive upgrade over the figure that was actually released.  With the "final" Joe convention occurring this weekend, it's kind of sad to look back at a time when a convention meant seeing lots of cool, new stuff.

Rarities - Funskool Calcium Sandoz Figures

Funskool is notorious for producing their figures for a variety of corporate tie ins.  As they are owned by a rubber company who makes its fortune in tires, they have a bit different approach to product tie ins that a major American toy company may have.  In many ways, Funskool's corporate partnerships in the 1990's and early 2000's were reminiscent of Hasbro's and Kenner's from the 1970's and 1980's.  Along with Pepsodent, Complan and TV marketing deals, Funskool also worked with Calcium Valdoz for a series of figures based on G.I. Joe molds.

I'm not sure what Calcium Sandoz is.  It's a supplement of some sort that was discontinued in the UK in 2015.  But, in an effort to get children in India to take it, the company that produced the product worked with Funskool to offer some G.I. Joe figures as a promotional opportunity.  The figures were different from classic Funskool releases in two ways.  First, most of the figures are unique color schemes to the Calcium Sandoz premium.  But, more interestingly, all of the figures have a new pair of straight arms on them.  Below you can see some samples of the figures and the exclusive color schemes that go with them.

Hydro Viper:

The Hydro Viper is one of the best recolors of the line.  This blue version would be a great crew-member on a Moray.  The terrible arms, though, mostly ruin what should be a classic repaint.  It's too bad that this color scheme was never offered with the swivel arms on the standard cardback.

You can see a sample of Stormshadow in the photo below.  He is missing the classic cammo pattern from the 1988 mold.

Funskool Calcium Sandoz Stormshadow Figures

You see that the arms are not the original Hasbro molds for straight arms.  For some reason, these figures were all given these new arms.  This is odd as the copyright for these figures is from 2003: a timeframe when we know that Funskool was still producing carded G.I. Joe figures and had full access to the original molds.  Below you can see a Captain Grid Iron figure with the exclusive coloring as well as the back of the insert card showing not only Grid Iron's bio, but the copyright date, too.  Also note that his colors are drastically different than the carded figure variants.

Funskool Calcium Sandoz Captain Grid Iron Figure

Funskool Calcium Sandoz Captain Grid Iron Insert & Bio

There are a lot of different figures in the set.  I'm not sure of the entire roster.  I have included the figures of whom I am aware in this post.  But, please let me know of additional figures in the comments below.

Blaster:

Here you will see Blaster with a body colored like the "Vehicle Driver" Blaster that was found bagged inside of specific vehicles in the early 2000's.  It's appearance here actually helps us understand how such a variant came to appear in vehicles.  But, this figure also uses the color scheme from the 2001 Funskool General Hawk.

Deep Six:

Deep Six is colored very similarly to the single carded figure.  There are some variants on this figure with plastic that's more translucent or opaque.

Desert Scorpion:

This Desert Scorpion is an interesting combo.  He has unique lower arms that are still the straight arms.  The figure's general base colors are similar to the single carded figure.  But, the figure lacks highlights and has some color differences such as the color of the figure's head/antenna.

Star Brigade Sci Fi:

Again, Sci Fi has unique lower arms.  But, the figure is colored almost identically to the single carded version of the figure.

Lifeline:

Lifeline uses base colors similar to the carded figure.  But, this version is missing all the paint applications.  The Funskool Lifeline has very intricate paint masks an their absence here makes the figure look unfinished.

Psyche Out:

Like Blaster, this Psyche Out is in the colors of the mysterious "Vehicle Drivers" set.  But, this version has the terrible straight arms.  This color scheme for Psyche Out, but with the swivel arms, has been found in Funskool Halibna and Maldova promotional figures, too.

Big Boa:

Big Boa is blue.  As a figure, this is probably his best base coloring.  The head is also more silver than the grey version from the single carded figure.

The Calcium Sandoz figures have gotten to be stupidly expensive.  Bagged versions can run upwards of $500.  But, like most foreign Joes, these guys were easier to find just a couple of years ago.  And, now, many characters have all but disappeared.  However, as these were 2000's era releases, it's likely that there are more of them out there that will show up as kids from that time start looking to liquidate some toys. Until then, though, these guys are hard to find and expensive.

Rarities - Canadian Consumer Distributing Cobra Combat Tank

Hasbro was always looking for ways to expand the Joe brand.  And, even in the early 1980's, retail partners were keen to cozy up with Hasbro to produce exclusive toys.  In the early days, these items were heavily focused on retailers with large catalog business.  In the U.S., both Sears and JC Penny's were able to carry specially packaged Hasbro products.  And, Sears was even able to secure exclusive toys for sale in their catalog and in their stores.  Sears was even able to secure an exclusive toy for their Canadian stores: the infamous Cobra M.S.V.  And, it is to Canada we look for another exclusive vehicle: the Cobra Combat Tank.

In 1984, the Consumer Distributing chain of stores was able to secure a Hasbro exclusive.  They got an all black repaint of the MOBAT.  This was named the Cobra Combat Tank and included a swivel arm version of the helmeted Cobra Commander figure.  It has since become one of the rarer vehicle repaints and is highly sought by many collectors.

Consumer Distributing was a warehouse store.  It seems to be most analogous to Service Merchandise in the U.S.  You ordered from a catalog in the store and waited for employees to bring it out to you.  (My Service Merchandise store had a conveyor belt on which your items would slide from the back of the store to the front where you picked it up.  So, it is this image I associate with this model of retail...even if other chains may have looked differently.) They were large enough to secure an exclusive repaint.  It would be interesting to know how many of these items were produced.  It's likely that the total number is quite small.

Consumer Distributing tanks are expensive.  It's rare to find one in mint and complete condition.  They aren't as rare as the M.S.V.  And, they only have one really small, easily lost part whereas the M.S.V. has several.  As a repaint, it's kind of boring.  It's just a black MOBAT.  And, the MOBAT, in general, sucks.  But, as a rarity, the tank is somewhat useful.  It matches well with Hiss Tanks and Stingers and would be an excellent addition to a pre-1985 Cobra army.

In 1985, Hasbro repainted the MOBAT for the U.S. market with the Sears exclusive CAT Tank.  Hasbro got their money out of the MOBAT mold.  But, it's somewhat odd that Cobra actually got more releases of the MOBAT than Joe did.  So, you can make a case that it's actually a Cobra vehicle, now.

Here you can see inside of the battery compartment.

Below are the blueprints for the CDT.  You will note that they still feature Steeler being placed into the turret.  You can see the instructions in both English and French.

As a cheap novelty, I'd love to get a couple of these to match up with my classic Cobras.  But, as an expensive, hard to find item, I have no interest in the Cobra Combat Tank.  I never liked the MOBAT and don't see an all black repaint of it being worth the hundreds of dollars or so it would cost to get a nice one.  Many collectors like the MOBAT, though.  That, and the fact that it was a Canadian exclusive, keep this item more desirable and expensive than I will ever find it.  But, this item is a great reminder of both how strong toy lines used to be and how powerful retail chains once were to commerce.

Rarities - Unproduced 1998 "Chocolate Chip" Dial Tone

In 1998, Hasbro planned to release a repainted 1983 G.I. Joe Headquarters.  It would be in a desert color scheme and would have been the flagship item in the 1998 Toys R Us exclusive line.  The HQ was slated to include 5 figures: Outback, Dusty, Law, Pathfinder and Dial Tone.  Hasbro, though, was unable to procure the HQ mold.  And, the showcase item for 1998 could not happen.  It seems, though, that Hasbro tried to resurrect at least three of the figures from this set in Dial Tone, Outback and Pathfinder.  They may have been for a planned 5th 3 pack of figures.  If this were the case, it is possible that the case logistics for 1998 would have been too skewed.  (The three packs shipped in 6 set cases with 2 each of the Oktober Guard and G.I. Joe Divers and one each of the Cobra Infantry and Cobra Polar Assault.)  Whatever, the reason, the figures were cancelled and a very few samples of the unproduced items made their way into the collecting world.

Of the three figures in the set, Dial Tone remains the rarest.  But, since you can count the number of each figure on your hands, rarity is relative.  But, you can see the intricacy of the Dial Tone design in the photos below.  Dial Tone is full of intricate paint masks, even if the colors are somewhat obscured by the camo pattern. (I'd have preferred some of the straps and pads on the figure to be black so they better stood out against the pale tan of the figure's base.)  The camo pattern is unlike anything we'd seen up to that point.  If you compare these figures to the 1993 Duke (a recent desert figure) you can see the upgrade in paint technology that Hasbro employed on these figures.

The Dial Tone would have included a black version of his gun and a black version of Firefly's walkie talkie.  In some ways, this makes sense.  Dial Tone should have his gun.  But, when the figure finally showed up in 2000, Dial Tone's original rifle was gone and replaced by a 1991 Dusty weapon.  His packmate, General Tomahawk, though, included a silver version of the Dial Tone rifle.  It was a shame the figure didn't include the signature backpack.  But, none of the future releases included it, either.  So, it's possible the mold was lost or damaged.

Collectors really missed out by these figures not being released.  Aside from the fact that Outback never returned to retail, the entire set featured a look that would never appear again in the Joe line.  (The 2004 Desert Patrol had some similar figures and the Stalker would have been a great companion to this set.)  While Hasbro did release all of the characters except for Outback in the 2000's (and, the mold was sort of used on the awful Big Brawler character) none of them were in a paint scheme as intricate or unique as these unproduced "Chocolate Chip" versions.  While I love all the 1998 3 figure pack figures, I'd gladly trade either the Oktober Guard or Joe Divers for these three figures.  And, I think collectors would have, too.  The two retail packs lingered at Toys R Us stores well into 2001.  It's hard to imagine that this unproduced pack would have suffered the same fate.  But, we'll never know.

If you can find a version of this Dial Tone, you'll probably drop a couple of grand on him.  The figure is incredibly rare and has always been pricey.  A complete three figure set would set you back $5,000 in 2007.  I can only imagine what such a set would command today.  This figure is far, far rarer than the Pimp Daddy Destro.  He's so rare that his unavailability works against him.  No one knows he exists because there are so few of them out there. It's a cool figure because there is nothing else really like him in the history of the line.  So, he stands apart from many other post vintage unproduced repaints for that reason alone.  Of all the figures we didn't get in the repaint era, this version of Dial Tone and his packmates are the ones I lament the most.

Rarities - European Force Knock Offs - Round 3

European Force figures remain one of the most popular rarity items I've posted.  They've appeared in Rarity Months in 2016 and 2017 and are now showcased for the 3rd series in a row.  This year, there is some info that enlightens us as to what these figures included.  But, it also muddies the water as it introduces the reality that the figures had construction, color and accessory variants.  For something so rare, that makes tracking them down that much more difficult.  But, for items that are, essentially, bootlegs, such inconsistency is to be expected.  The good news is that a lot of new images of these figures, especially carded samples, came to light in the past year.  So, we now have a lot more reference material from which to gather information about this line.

Below you will see some images of carded European Force figures.  They provide a great insight into what accessories were included with each figure.

Based on the various carded images I've been able to find, the figures' accessory complement is as follows:

Eclair includes a black rifle based on the 1986 Leatherneck's M-203.  He also has a marbled green backpack from the 1986 Hawk figure as well as binoculars from the 1984 Duke.

Randon includes a remade 1984 Baroness rifle and a General Hawk backpack.

Mirage includes a Dragunov sniped taken from the Cobra Trooper and a version of Dial Tone's backpack.  (I can not tell if it has the microphone, though.)

Thomis includes Dial Tone's gun and Buzzer's pack but does not include the gas can that attaches to the frame.

Le Colonel includes a Mainframe backpack, Major Bludd's pistol and a rocket launcher from Footloose.  It's difficult to tell if all Le Colonels include the pistol.  As you'll see below, it's common for the smaller accessories to move around.  So, some of the carded Le Colonels appear to be missing the pistol.  It's possible, though, that the weapon is simply behind the figure or other accessories after moving in the bubble.

Tonnerre includes a black Leatherneck M-203 and a green Dial Tone backpack.

MyGal includes the same Buzzer backpack frame as Thomis but also adds in the Dr. Mindbender electric prod.

Acarie includes a green and brown version of Airborne/Duke's backpack and Iceberg's long rifle.

Longue Vue includes the Duke binoculars, a Falcon pack and a 1986 Beach Head rifle.

Mains Dancier includes a Falcon pack with antenna, the gas can from Buzzer's pack (but no frame), a Low Light sniper rifle and a Low Light uzi.  You'll note how the uzi moved around and is hidden by the figure.  These smaller accessories tend to float.  So, check around and get lots of pics if you can find a MOC version to ensure what gear is included.

Scorpion includes a 1987 Falcon shotgun as well as an Airborne/Duke backpack.

The final figure is Comando.  This Flint/General Hawk hybrid is the only figure of which I have been unable to find a carded photo.  The cardback shows the figure with a 1986 Viper rifle.  I have images of a loose version.  So, the figure does exist.  But, for now, he remains the elusive, final figure from this series for which I need to verify his gear.

However, it's important to note a few things.  There is a carded Eclair figure that does not include a rifle.  But, it includes a marbled green version of Falcon's backpack and Duke's binoculars.  As such, it seems that there might be variants among the accessories of these figures.  With so few carded samples to go from, though, it's extremely difficult at this time to determine the scope of the variances within each figure.

Here is a cardback showing the figures:

You'll notice the weapons mostly match up with the carded figures.  Le Colonel and Mains Dancier are notable exceptions, though.  Both are show with weapons that were not, otherwise, included in this set of figures.  With so few carded samples being available, it's possible there are examples of these characters with the alternate weapons.  So, if anyone has any additional information regarding them, please contact me.

These figures are rare.  But, as they're not branded as G.I. Joe figures, they do slip by the wayside and you can find them, mislabeled, from time to time.  But, loose figures that are in decent shape will still fetch over $100.  I'm sure some of the rarer figures would go for more.  Carded versions are few and far between.  Though, more have appeared in the past year.  But, anyone after a complete set is going to spend quite a bit of money along with a great deal of effort to track these figures down.