Rarities - Rubiplas Fang II (Venezuela)

There is a fairly direct line between exclusive G.I. Joe toys produced by the Plastirama toy company in Argentina in the 1980s and those also produced by the Rubiplas toy company in Venezuela.  Most collectors know about the Venezuelan Cobra Mortal exclusive who is all white instead of red, chrome and black like the Argentinian release.  But, Rubiplas produced a robust line of G.I. Joe figures and vehicles, all of which are exclusive to Venezuela.

Below is a FANG II produced by Rubiplas.  This toy was likely released in the early 1990's.  It's possible there was an accomopanying line of figures that are less known that accompanied this toy.  (For example, the 1989 Snake Eyes was also released by Rubiplas around this time.)  But, it is interesting to see an exclusive vehicle produced for the Venezuelan market.

Rubiplas releases are the most difficult foreign exclusives to acquire.  (Yes, there are individual items from other countries rarer than Rubiplas toys.  But, overall, you can get samples of Funskool, Estrela, Plastirama and even Nilco more easily than you can find Rubiplas items.)  For a brief window in the mid 2010's, there were a few avenues to acquire the items directly from Venezuela.  But, as Venezuela has faced political crises, many of those doors have closed.  As such, you'll pay a premium for any Rubiplas release.

Generally, the Rubiplas vehicles are based on the Hasbro color schemes.  (There are a couple of notable exceptions like the Thunder Machine.)  But, there are the traditional shading and hue differences in the plastic colors.  But, to most collectors, the differences on these vehicles are slight and would be difficult to notice.  So, these items are more interesting as an obscure something to have from a different continent.