Tocha - Brazilian Blowtorch

The 1984 Blowtorch is one of my favorite molds.  I have tracked down any and all international variants I can find.  There's something about both his specialty and gear that just capture my attention.  So, when I had a chance to pick up a Brazilian release of the character, I jumped at it: despite the fact that the figure is nearly identical to his American release.  Each new Blowtorch variant I own takes me back to a spring day in 1984 when my friend bought one at the local Children's Palace.  For the life of me, I can't remember which figure I bought that day.  But, my friend got Blowtorch and, from then on, I wished I had gotten one.  So, to this day, I try to fill that void with obscure releases like the Brazilian Tocha figure.

The biggest difference of the Tocha figure versus the Blowtorch figure is the skin tone on the head.  Tocha has a slightly darker complexion than Blowtorch.  His skin is more sun burned looking.  It's common on many Brazilian figures.  But, it helps to differentiate the South American figure from the American release.  Aside from that, the figures are very similar.  There are subtle differences in the red/orange paint the color of his leg pistol.  But, that's about it.  Basically, Tocha is Blowtorch and vice versa.  Owning one or the other really brings nothing new to the character other than subtlety that is often overlooked in photos of a popular character.  

The notion of Blowtorch's specialty is somewhat interesting.  By the time of Blowtorch's release, the United States military hadn't used flamethrowers in more than half a decade.  Blowtorch's specialty was obsolete before the Joe line was even an idea.  But, Blowtorch wasn't about being up on current military hardware.  Instead, Blowtorch was a throwback to the grandfathers who were veterans of World War II and Korea and even the fathers who served in Vietnam.  They had seen flamethrowers.  So, seeing a toy on the shelf would be a nostalgic trip for them to introduce their sons to military toys.  Blowtorch wasn't alone in this.  Zap's specialty was with a weapon that was almost 20 years out of service when he came to be.  But, both of these figures triggered memories for those who would most likely buy the toys and get their sons hooked.

This juxtaposition of the Joe line being both a nostalgic throwback with roots in World War II and also a modern, technological military force is interesting.  You had both a bazooka trooper and a laser rifle wielding trooper in the first wave of figures.  Blowtorch's contemporaries, though, featured less of this.  The rest of the 1984 series is pretty traditional military fare in terms of specialties even if the actual appearance of the figures is out of the realm of realism.  It was not until 1986 that the line went with more technology and less of the romantic idea of a foot soldier that was mostly obsolete after the early 1970's.  

My fascination with Blowtorch is heavily tied to my memory of the original figure from 1984.  Aside from my friend's acquisition of him, my main memory of him is that my youngest brother was the one in our family who got one.  And, that meant that the figure was not long for the world.  Within short order, Blowtorch's mask was ripped and his flamethrower destroyed.  Without those two pieces, the figure lost value.  Fortunately, the flamethrower appeared in the 1985 Battle Gear pack.  The mask, though, did not.  Somewhere, I still have a Blowtorch helmet that's streaked with black residue from electrical tape where I tried to take the mask on to the helmet.  Obviously, it didn't work.  But, that lasting feeling of not being able to enjoy a nice, complete figure from childhood continues to color my feelings of this figure to this day.  And, I have half a dozen variants of Blowtorch in my collection for this reason.

Tocha includes most of the gear from the 1984 Blowtorch figure.  The mask and backpack are, basically, identical to the U.S. versions.  The flamethrower is a darker green than the U.S. version and matches the "Brazilian Green" that's seen on most of the Estrela figures from the same era.  (See Spirit, Recondo and Ripcord.)  The biggest difference is the helmet.  Tocha includes a yellow version of the 1982 helmet.  Personally, I prefer the Blowtorch helmet since it's designed to better hold the mask and gives the figure's head an appearance of more girth.  It's weird to see the classic helmet in a bright, vibrant yellow.  But, it works on Tocha and, with the mask affixed, isn't all that different in appearance from Blowtorch.  At some point, I need to put an 1982 visor on the helmet for a completely different look for Blowtorch.

Blowtorch saw release in a few different countries.  While the Hasbro release did show up in Europe, it was the same as the US figure.  The international variants start with this Brazilian release.  The mold then appeared in Mexico where Auriken also released an exclusive Blowtorch.  It is similar to the Brazilian release, but is noticeably different when compared side by side.  The final releases occurred in Argentina.  There, Plastirama released Antorcha: which was a similar release to the American Blowtorch.  There were then two significant repaints of the mold.  The first was TNT which is done in blue, silver and yellow.  The second was Backstop which featured green highlights and a silver mask.  The mold then disappeared.  I'd love for factory custom makers to take up this mold as it could be done in various Action Force themes as well as some homages to post 2001 Blowtorch colors.  It's doubtful that will happen.  But, this mold has a lot of potential left in it.

Pricing on Tochas varies greatly.  There isn't a huge supply and most of the figures still originate in Brazil where shipping prices add a great deal to the overall price.  With patience, you can find really nice versions in the U.S.  But, you'll easily pay $50-$80 for a nice, complete version.  If you're not an international Joe fan, there's no reason to really own this figure.  You get everything you need from the American Blowtorch at a fraction of the cost and with higher quality.  For me, though, I really enjoy the Blowtorch mold and feel it was heavily underutilized.  So, having a chance for a figure that has even slight differences is worth the extra price.  But, that's unlikely to be a popular sentiment.