2001 Destro

So, one of the great failures of the Joe line is that Hasbro has a long history of releasing overly similar figures over and over again.  This didn't happen too often prior to 1997.  But, for some reason, post 1994 Hasbro got into barely repainting certain molds.  This practice hit its crescendo in 2001 when, in Wave III of the ARAHC, Hasbro released a 1987 Cobra Commander homage and 1992 Destro homage that were so similar to their vintage counterparts that it was nearly impossible to tell them apart unless you had them in hand.  This was a frustrating development as, at the time, both the '87 Cobra Commander and the '92 Destro figures were alarmingly cheap and available.  In fact, you could get these figures for only slightly more than you'd pay for the new retail versions.  Worst of all, both figures could have been amazing repaints and we never got an opportunity to explore those possibilities.

The biggest frustration with this 2001 figure comes from the fact that the mold has a number of sculpted details that were not painted on the 1992 release.  But, Hasbro didn't update the paint masks to make a better figure.  A little silver paint on the legs and arms would have gone a long way towards refurbishing the figure and drastically improving it.  The only real difference between this 2001 figure and the 1992 is that the 1992 has red dashes running down his legs.  There is a slight color difference in the collar's red color.  But, it's tough to see without the two figures sitting side by side.  In 1997, Hasbro had given this figure a chromed head.  But, they didn't do that with this 2001 figure.  And, it suffers for it.

The real question, though, is why wasn't this figure at least an Iron Grenadier homage with a golden helmet?  That seems like a no-brainer, especially since Hasbro didn't know they had the 1988 Destro mold available until 2005.  But, in 2001, the Iron Grenadiers were not, yet, a truly accepted subset.  Collectors were still 1987 and prior focused.  And, while Iron Grenadiers weren't hated at the time, they weren't popular, either.  You could get all the 1988 Iron Grenadier figures you wanted for cheaper than pretty much any other infantry type army builder.  

This Destro mold got a bit of use.  He was one of the new 1992 molds that was not carried over to 1993, though.  So, he didn't get a subsequent repaint.  However, around 1994, this Destro appeared on Chinese cards.  These were widely available at discount stores in the U.S.  That Destro is the pretty much the same as the 1992 figure, but includes a different rifle.  The mold then appeared in a great purple in 1997.  It was repainted for this 2001 figure and then the body appeared again in a Comic Pack in 2005.  The Comic Pack had a new head.  But, the color scheme was, basically, the same as the 1992 figure.  The head was used for the 2005 Convention Destro.  But, the body was not.  So, despite 5 uses of the mold, there are really only two color schemes: the original and the 1997.  The mold had lots of potential and it's a shame that it was never repainted in Iron Grenadier colors with a golden mask.

Destro only includes his pistol and a black battle stand.  The spring loaded launcher that was used in 1992 and 1997 didn't make this release.  That's probably not terrible.  Though, Destro's launcher is one of the better and more useful spring loaded accessories.  I do love Destro's pistol.  It's the main reason I bought the figure back in 1992.  But, it would have been cool to see a backpack that was a homage to Destro's 1983 weapon filled pack.  I've found a few smaller pistols that also work well with Destro.  You'll see him with a variety of weapons below to give him a bit more depth.

This Destro isn't worth much.  The 1992 figure isn't hard to find and is relatively affordable.  So, there isn't much demand for the 2001 figure.  Despite the fact that this figure was only released in Wave III and includes the surprisingly good Fast Blast Viper, you can buy carded sets for about $17.00.  Dealers will ask $30.  But, those don't sell.  Mint and complete with filecard loose figures sell for about $2 if they are left to the open market.  Making this guy one of (if not the!) cheapest figures in the line.  Dealers will ask $8 or so.  But, it's better to just buy a carded version to also get the Fast Blast Viper.  If you just want a Destro that looks like this, the 2001 is probably a better option than the 1992 as it's has softer plastic, doesn't discolor like other 2000's era figures, includes proper gear and is substantially cheaper than the 1992 release.  But, if you already have the 1992 Destro, there's simply no reason to obtain this 2001 version.