1993 Star Brigade Sci Fi

Star Brigade is one of my favorite Joe concepts.  For a young adult collector who had missed most of the figures released between 1990 and 1994, all of the figure molds seemed new.  The concept of Joes in space was also not that much of a stretch as Star Wars was starting to come back and the sci fi element of Joe that had been present since 1982 wasn't really out of place.  And, even if I didn't want to use the figures as astronauts, many of the molds were very close to the pilot figures that I had always wanted when I was a kid.  Upon finding them at a closeout store, I had to have more.  And, as the 1990's wound down, I found myself snatching up cheap Star Brigade figures at every chance I had.  In this buying spree, I would up with several 1993 Starfighters.  While the ship was just OK, the pilot included, Sci Fi,  is a visual treat that works spectacularly with the space theme.

Sci Fi is interesting as he's the only Star Brigade member to have two, distinct uniforms.  Most Star Brigade figures saw repaints of their 1993 molds.  But, Sci Fi got this 1993 repaint of the 1991 Sci Fi figure and an all new figure in 1994.  There's no real reason for this.  But, Sci Fi had the "space-y" name that could be co-opted into the new series.  And, the figure was futuristic looking.  And, the helmet really works for a space pilot, too.  All of that added up to Sci Fi being a logical choice for the pilot of the 1993 Starfighter.  

The color scheme chosen for this figure somewhat matched the vehicle he was intended to fly.  While the Starfighter was just a mostly recolored 1988 Cobra Stellar Stiletto, the new white coloring made it stand apart from the original design.  And, Sci Fi's white and blue color scheme blended nicely with the ship.  This made Sci Fi a good match for his ride while also hearkening back to the 1983 Ace as a pilot in an all white motif.  The end result is one of the Joe line's more obscure releases.  But, also one that has a lot of different uses and is an excellent way to really make a photo pop due to his limited appearances.

Sci Fi includes two accessories.  The first is his helmet.  It is the same helmet mold from 1991, but cast in white with blue paint.  It's a nice helmet that fits on the head extremely well.  The second is the laser rifle from 1991.  Sans pack and hose, the rifle is pretty useless.  I've never really liked it.  But, part of that is I was introduced to it in the Battle Corps era and the peg on the back of it for a hose was never explained or used in the Battle Corps figures.  The pack, rifle and hose, though, make a pretty nice rig.  And, they look great with the 1991 Sci Fi as well as this 1993 repaint.  Even the 2001 Laser Viper's accessories make for a good companion to this figure.  So, there are easy options to improve the figure and make him more useful.

By 1993, Hasbro wasn't too keen on including drivers or pilots with their vehicles.  But, the 1993 series had more vehicle drivers than the 1992 series.  Still, the slots used for the 1993 vehicle drivers were all repaints of prior figures.  This was likely due to lower production runs of the vehicles that precluded the expense of sculpting an all new figure for the release.  The reused molds add to the perception of 1993 as a repaint year.  But, all of the vehicle drivers offer something drastically different from their mold's original release.  Repaints done right are always welcome and the 1993 series delivered in that regard.  The fact that this Sci Fi matches the coloring of the Starfighter is an added bonus and makes him feel like he was designed with his ship in mind.

This Sci Fi mold got two uses in the vintage line in 1991 and 1993.  It then re-appeared in 2001 as the body for the Laser Viper.  This worked well enough since the Laser Viper's coloring was drastically different from the Joe figures.  And, he included a new head, too.  That was the end of Sci Fi, though.  While the Laser Viper could have used a repaint (maybe in the unproduced color scheme), the real shame is not getting this 1991 mold in 1986 colors.  This mold would have certainly lent itself to green, black and silver.  And, knowing that Hasbro molds like the 1992 Duke, 1991 Low Light, 1992 Wild Bill, 1992 Ace, 1992 Mutt and others, the fact that they didn't update the newer molds in the colors of the V1 seems a missed opportunity that collectors would have loved.

1993 Sci Fi figures aren't overly expensive and also seem to be relatively common.  Mint, loose and complete figures run between $10 and $15 on the open market.  The helmet is the expensive piece as you can get incomplete figures for under $5.  Bagged figures are relatively available, too, but will run $25 or so.  The Sci Fi figure is very prone to discoloration and the white plastic holds stains.  So, you'll find a lot of figures with solid paint and joints that look terrible due to the plastic's poor qualities.  But, for the price, this is both a great Sci Fi figure and distinct enough to own even if you have the 1991 version.