1993 Star Brigade Invader

Confession time.  I kind of like the Cobra Pogo.  1987 was the last year I played with Joes as a kid.  And, the Pogo was one of those weirdo vehicles that I could incorporate into my world with a little imagination.  In short order, it was a rather effective weapon against the Joes of the day.  At least, until the Joes were able to start recognizing its movement patterns and were better able to swat them from the sky.  But, I had a lot of fun with the Pogo for several of my final months of toy-using childhood.  So, when I found a repaint of the Pogo sitting on the shelves of a local Big Lots at some point in the mid-1990s, I was interested in it.  However, as I still had my childhood Pogo (a bit worse for wear, though) and the new repaint did not include a pilot figure, I simply couldn't pull the trigger to actually buy this new version.  That was unfortunate.  As, the 1993 Star Brigade Invader is not a bad toy at all.

Even in 1987, I recognized the Pogo as a take on the classic Star Wars escape pod that C-3PO and R2-D2 used to crash on Tatooine.  That connection to the sci-fi saga helps carry the design over into Star Brigade where the Invader is no longer a terrestrial weapon.  But, instead, something that Cobra can use in space.  As a kid, the prime feature of the Pogo that was so valuable was the rotating and elevating dual gun that's attached to the rocket booster's rotating base.  It was rare for a Joe vehicle to have a gun mounted with such an array of movement.  And, the 1987 Cobra Commander became an expert at maneuvering the weapon to hit pretty much any target once the Pogo was off the ground.  This feature carries over the Invader and offers it the same flexibility that made the Pogo valuable.

The Invader was among the final vehicles from the Joe line that I would see at retail.  It, the 1994 Manta Ray and the Armor Bot hung around local Big Lots stores well into 1995.  (It's possible the Razor Blade did, too.  But, since I bought one of those, I may have blocked it from memory since I already owned one.)  I didn't buy the Manta Ray or the Invader because they didn't include figures.  And, as my money was stretched thin, I wasn't about to waste it on vehicles with no driver.  I skipped the Armor Bot because I still think giant robots are boring and the figure was Armor Tech which was another line I had no interest in at the time.

In the ensuing years, I had ample opportunity to acquire all of these vehicles.  Even the massive Armor Bot was available sealed in the box for below retail price for more than a decade after I left it sitting at retail.  This Invader, though, is the first of those small, driverless late vehicles I've acquired.  I still don't find them all that interesting.  And, were it not for a cheap, local find, I'd not have this Invader.  In my hands, though, I'm now happy to own it.  Cobra has precious few vehicles that look decent with the 1993 Star Brigade figures.  But, the Invader's colors somewhat blend with both the Astro Viper and TARGAT from that year.  

As a kid, the Pogo was a quick strike weapon, usually helmed by Cobra Commander.  It would hop into a battle, shoot a bunch of Joes, fire off a missile or two and then fire off the rockets on the underside to quickly slip away.  It wouldn't win a battle on its own.  But, it would soften up a Joe defense and create general chaos while the main Cobra attack force bore down on the target.  From time to time, the Joes would shoot down the Pogo.  Cobra Commander's armor kept him alive and suddenly the Cobra objective would shift from destroying the Joe base to rescuing Cobra Commander.  In the end, they'd always rescue him and he's go off to plan another assault.  I originally had the Pogo be unique to the Commander.  But, in time, others would operate it.  And, they'd often meet their doom as the Joes were better able to take them out.

The original Pogo from 1987 was relatively well made.  The basic design, though, lent itself to the toy's legs falling off, especially as you mimicked the jumping movements that defined the device.  The 1993 Invader, though, is worse.  First, it uses gold plastic.  (Well, it's kind of a copper/gold color.)  Gold plastic from the 1990s is notorious in how brittle it becomes over time.  As such, Invaders tend to feel somewhat flimsy.  And, I'm extra cautious in using it.  The legs are much less stable than the those of the Pogo.  But, I have to wonder if that's a feature of my sample versus a universal problem.  But, in total, the Invader feels like it will fall apart if used too rigorously.  And, even the neon hoses feel like they could snap under the smallest amount of pressure.  As we're at a point where most collectors either display their toys or keep them packed away, the lower quality probably isn't as much of an issue.  But, it's definitely something you notice with the Invader.

Hasbro was all about saving money in 1993 and 1994.  So, their use of an existing vehicle mold was that surprising.  The fact that the Pogo, of all things, got a repaint while the Mauler did not really doesn't seem fair.  But, the Pogo mold fit into the Star Brigade motif.  So, we got this second paint job six years after the original release.  The Invader was also released in Europe.  The most notable thing about this release, though, is that it did include a pilot figure.  A 1993 green and black Payload figure was included with the Euro pogo.  He was made a Cobra to match the affiliation of the Invader.  But, the figure is the same as the US release.  The Invader didn't make it to India and never appeared again.  But, for such an oddball item, you can't say that it wasn't properly used.

Invaders remain available and cheap.  The Pogo isn't popular.  And, a brittle gold and neon green version is less so.  You can get boxed samples between $20 and $30.  Dealers will sell a lot of mint and complete loose versions in the $20-$25 range, too.  If you can find one at market prices, it will run you $10-$15.  The upside is that there are a lot of replacement parts for the Invader available.  So, if you get an incomplete version for cheap, it's possible to complete it.  Cheap Joe items are getting harder and harder to find.  So, it's definitely worth seeking out an Invader before they inexplicably also get expensive.