2023 Steel Brigade Ranger (Black Major)

I like very vibrant green colors.  Duller greens are somewhat boring to me.  But, if you get a strong, powerful green color, then it's usually something I enjoy.  In the vintage line, it was rare to find figures who featured a sprightly green base color. But, those who did were often found in my play rotation.  I even like figures such as Blaster: where I'm willing to overlook mold problems in favor of his dominant color.  It's one of the reasons why I do like Action Force as the green color they used is bright, fun and kid friendly.  So, it has been a modern lament that no factory custom maker has been able to adequately mimic the European green seen on Action Force.  But, in the process, there have been some interesting attempts that have still created awesome looking figures: even if the green isn't quite right.  Just recently, though, Black Major released his Steel Brigade Ranger figure.  In my opinion, it's one of the strongest Steel Brigade repaints we've ever seen.  It features a powerful green color, offset by a dark brown torso and opaque cammo patterns on the legs.  In short, it's exactly the type of figure that I would enjoy.

It should come as no surprise that I am not a fan of the Steel Brigade.  To me, the notion of G.I. Joe army builders is somewhat anti-thetical to the notion of an elite military unit.  At the same time, when I was a kid, I had a ton of figures that were faceless army builders so that Cobra could rack up some kills, too.  My main issue with the Steel Brigade is that it was co-opted by the worst elements of fandom and was used as a cudgel to keep Joe fans from ever getting toys that were not rubber stamped by people who had a very limited view of what Joe should be.  The entire debacle of o-ring releases in the 2000's was orchestrated by this group.  And, it's forever sullied me on the notion of the Steel Brigade.

On top of that, many collectors that are newer to the hobby don't recall the days of all the Steel Brigade figures you could ever want available for $5 for a MIB figure on Ebay.  You see them call common variants "rare" with no irony.  There are hard to find Steel Brigade variants.  But, others are quite common.  But, the modern collector seems to have confused popular and rare and simply can't fathom that there are people out there with hundreds of vintage Steel Brigade figures hoarded away.  They simply built their army when it was affordable and easy to do.  We're now in the third decade of online Joe collecting.  So, a lot of what seems to be true today is actually just a result of the actual truth from 25 years ago.

So, what is someone who dislikes the concept of this character to do with the mold in several differently painted themes?  Well, Cobras need someone to kill in my photos.  And, this site is littered with Steel Brigades being blown apart and executed in various ways.  Having nice colors to better mix with Cobras allows for the characters to continually die without me having to waste a main character in the various photos.  I like the idea of the character being cowardly and begging for their life, even willing to turn over their comrades.  Because of this, the Joes don't trust the Steel Brigade and don't tend to interact with them all that often.  They let them die on ill-fated missions against Cobras mainly as a way to gauge Cobra's effectiveness.  So, it's worth having a figure or two for photos like this.  Even if they serve no other role in my collection.

The 2017 era Steel Brigade figures included a backpack, the Recoil rifle, an Airborne rifle and an alternate Chest that was originally used by Airborne, too.  Now, the figures still include a backpack and both rifles.  Gone is the alternate chest.  But, now, they all include JUMP jet packs.  Personally, I'm a fan of the changes.  Hasbro is including a jet pack with their Classified figure that's based on the Steel Brigade.  (They lost the rights to Steel Brigade to a former employee.  Hasbro has since been low key trolling him with their product releases for a while, now.)  So, the inclusion here fits with the current depictions of the character.  But, it's just good to have more JUMP packs.  And, the tan color is neutral and can be used with a lot of figures.  The rifles are not the glossy black of 2017 and are, instead, closer to the charcoal color of the original.  It's still easy to distinguish.  And, the plastic is so different that it even sounds different than a vintage piece.

The biggest issue with the 2017-ish Steel Brigade figures was the quality.  The hands were too small to actually hold the rifles that were included with the figures.  Some collectors were able to shave down the handles of the weapons to get them to work.  But, this was a major detriment to them.  This time around, though, these quality issues have been addressed.  The figures hold their weapons with no issues.  Both the Recoil rifle and Airborne rifles work very well with the figures.  On top of that, the quality of the figure itself is better.  The joints are tight and the figure is poseable in ways that the 2017's just weren't.  So, it's a big improvement over the original releases and definitely worth an upgrade.

These figures are still available.  Individuals run $18.  But, you can buy them in multiples for less.  The last iteration of Steel Brigade figures have taken on nice aftermarket appreciation.  Personally, I feel this wave is far better in terms of quality and colors.  So, you'd expect them to remain desirable well after production has ceased.  I find this Ranger to be one of the better Steel Brigade repaints that have been created.  Not everyone will share that opinion, though.  Some may find this guy overdone.  And, the tone of green isn't everyone's color of choice.  But, it's a vibrant, attractive figure that really works well in a collection.