1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper

Shadow Ninjas are one of those ideas that seems great in a marketing room.  As a design challenge, it was probably a lot of fun to work on.  But, as an end product, the final result is a toy that's fun for about 5 minutes before you break it.  And, that's not a recipe for success.  And, collectors have responded to the Shadow Ninjas concept in kind.  As all other 1994 G.I. Joe figures see a strong uptick in popularity through the years, Shadow Ninjas remain the forgotten stepchild of the genre.  There is little content on them out there and the figures almost never appear in photos or dioramas.  Their backstory allows for some story telling.  But, it has never caught on with the community, even as concepts like Ninja Force have found more acceptance.  Of the figures in the subset, the Shadow Ninja Night Creeper probably makes the most sense.  

The 1993 Night Creeper sculpt is pretty solid.  It's a look that didn't really exist in the Cobra world prior to his appearance.  I have a soft spot for the 1993 debut of this figure.  I'll tell that story when I profile him.  This Shadow Ninja version, has less going for him.  But, the gimmick that gives the Shadow Ninja name is also the detail the deprives the 1994 release of the vibrant colors that spark the joy like the 1993 figure.  Still, the overall colors on the 1994 figure aren't terrible.  The purplish/pink torso and arms are bright.  But, they fit with the motif of the figure.  And, they are not too far removed from the 1993 colors and that allows a bit of cohesion between them.  The greyish-white pants can make the figure look dirty or discolored.  But, when in the right state, they are a nice complement for the torso.

The real issue with the Shadow Ninja figures is that they are overly brittle.  The figures' thumbs might as well be made of glass for how easily they will snap off.  All of the Shadow Ninjas suffer from this.  And, as their accessories are also made of incredibly hard plastic, it's even easier to snap a thumb just by putting the first accessory into the figure's hands.  It's becoming harder and harder to find unbroken, loose Shadow Ninja figures.  You'll often find nicely conditioned and complete figures, but with broken thumbs.  (Look carefully at the thumbs, too, as even intact pieces usually have cracks already forming due to accessory use.)  It's an affliction that's caused by the design and materials used to make the figures.  So, the only real solution is extreme care or simply not using accessories at all.

The main gimmick of the Shadow Ninjas is that they will turn color in heat and cold.  This was the selling point for the figures and justified the higher than normal price tag.  Today, the gimmick still works on most figures.  You will see large quantities of Shadow Ninjas, though, that are very white or a dull grey.  You'll even see it on carded figures.  You can often recharge the color by putting the figure in the freezer for a while.  But, even this tends to be fleeting.  (Note that the figure's elbows and shoulder joints will remain white, a function of them being designed for stress  when the figure moves.  All of these parts are meant to be white and are not discolored.)  Zartan's color changing as driven by the sun is a better gimmick.  And, it's likely the color change plastic that's the cause of the brittleness in the figures.  But, the differently colored figures you see out there aren't variants.  They're just figures stuck in various phases of their color change.

In speaking to the gimmick, though, the color changing schtick wasn't widely loved.  The Shadow Ninjas were among the last figures from the vintage run that you could find at retail: lasting well into 1996 in most areas.  The high price point wasn't enough to really justify the gimmick.  And, kids and parents bought up the alternate Joe choices long before the Shadow Ninjas were considered.  As the Shadow Ninjas hit clearance prices, many of the early toy store scalpers started buying them: hoping for future riches.  This is how you'd find large lots of them for nearly nothing at various comic book stores and scalp kiosks at the flea market during the 2000's.  Even then, though, collectors mostly ignored them and it took decades for the stock to finally be absorbed in any significant way.

Speaking of accessories, the Night Creeper is well equipped.  He includes the same weapons tree from 1993 figure.  It's a large complement of weapons, far more than he can hold.  But, all the weapons are well done.  The Shadow Ninja weapons are all made of a super brittle translucent plastic.  So, fine details like those on the Night Creeper's bow will snap with just a bit of pressure.  All told, the Night Creeper includes two swords, two knives, the aforementioned bow, a sickle and a stand.  It's good gear that works with the figure.  (If you look at the 1993 Night Creeper card art, though, it seems he was originally intended to include the accessory tree from the 1993 Slice.)  The swords work nicely without being too big and the Night Creeper's bow is a good call back to the debut of the character in 1990.  You can tie a string to the sickle.  I've done that with a 1993 version and used it like that since I acquired it back in the mid 1990's.

The real question is what do you do with Shadow Ninja figures?  For me, most of them are gimmicks.  But, the Night Creeper works within the context of the stealth idea.  I see Night Creepers exactly as advertised in terms of being an independent group who works for Cobra.  I though, see them as joining with Cobra Commander much earlier in the Cobra timeline.  Cobra likely started in the mid to late '70's in order to grow into the organization we were introduced to in 1982.  In the early days, Cobra Commander had to work with hired mercenaries.  But, he could not yet afford the best.  We saw some of these anonymous early Cobras in the first issues of the comic.  I also see, though, foreign characters like the Cobra De Aco and Cobra Mortal being part of these early days.  As Cobra grew and had greater resources, Cobra Commander could afford the services of Destro, Firefly, Zartan and others.  But, he had the problem of the early leaders who were still around.

As noted in the comic, it's likely that more than a few of these other Cobra leaders eliminated themselves through battlefield ineptitude as the Joe team got more involved.  But, as they were early members of the Cobra command, they likely had access to highly sensitive information about Cobra operations, funding and personnel.  So, the Commander had to have them all killed.  This is where I see the early incarnations of the Night Creepers coming aboard.  They would have been among those the Commander hired to take out some of the hangers-on from the organizations earliest days.  I see the Night Creepers of that era being pre-cursors to Zartan who possessed some advanced stealth technology.  The 1994 Night Creeper is the result.  And, with their suits obscuring them, they were able to specifically kill the Cobra Mortal.  

From here, I'm open to interpretation.  I could see the Commander hiring a young Zartan to take out the Night Creepers and this is where he got his holographic technology.  This would then leave open the possibility that the Night Creepers the Commander sought out nearly a decade later were a different group.  Perhaps one that found the remnants of the original group, re-organized it and turned it into something far bigger and more powerful.  Of course, this reeks of the over dependence upon a single event that revolves around the Snake Eyes story.  So, at some point, I'll have to refine the story down into something less derivative.  But, the notion of these Night Creepers disposing of the Cobra Mortal is one aspect I want to keep.  Someone had to kill all those early Cobra leaders who never appeared again.  These Night Creepers are as good as anyone to be responsible.

This Night Creeper sculpt debuted in 1993 and got the Shadow Ninja repaint in 1994.  It then permanently disappeared.  While many other Ninja Force parts returned in both the Street Fighter Movie and Mortal Kombat Movie lines, Night Creeper was not among them.  There are some foreign carded variants where you can get unique card art for the Shadow Ninja Night Creeper.  (The Shadow Ninjas are the only time that generic card art was used in the US and specific card art was used in other countries.  1993 Star Brigade got generic card artwork, but never got a foreign upgrade.)  In the 2000's, Hasbro dusted off the Ninja Force Stormshadow and Slice molds.  It would have been nice to see a repainted Night Creeper, too.  Done in original colors or some other design, the mold might have been well received.  But, the 1990 Night Creeper was a better choice and Hasbro only repainted it in 1998 and 2004.  So, you can't really fault them for the decision to go that route.

For years, Shadow Ninjas could be purchased in bulk.  Lots of 4-10 MOC figures would sell for a couple of bucks per figure.  You'd get random samplings and figures like Night Creeper were pretty easy to find.  Slowly, though, the dealers who bought those lots split them into single offerings.  The collectors who bought them sold off the doubles in either smaller lots or as individuals.  Even in 2016, you could buy most of the Shadow Ninjas for under $20 MOC and could find them with ease.  But, in the post 2018 Joe world, even carded Shadow Ninjas have started to disappear.  And, with them, the few high quality loose samples have followed.  The upside is that, when you find them, you'll pay about the same for a carded figure as a loose, mint and complete figure.  At around $25 for each, that's not a small outlay for a gimmick figure.  Left to open pricing, though, loose Shadow Ninja Night Creepers will sell for $12 or so.  But, it might take months before you see one that isn't discolored or broken.  

Like all 1993 and 1994 figures, the vast loose quantities of figures that sat unsold on Ebay for years are mostly gone.  If you're a completist, the hunt might be a challenge to keep you interested for a while.  As a collector, one Shadow Ninja is really all you need to understand the gimmick.  In this case, the 1993 Night Creeper is superior to the Shadow Ninja version.  But, the translucent figure has a bit of charm that is fun to mix with the original release.  In that vein, the figure has some value.  I'm far more forgiving of figures like this now than I was back when they were on retail pegs.  A big part of that is that, back then, they were all I had available to buy.  Now, as something different from the thousands of other Joe figures that have been released and are readily available, the Shadow Ninjas are a fun diversion.  Your mileage may vary.  But, I recommend looking into at least one of the figures for something to break the monotony of the standard Ninja Force designs.

2021 RIOT Commando (Eagle Force) - Around the Web

It's been a few years since this figure was released.  And, it's been completely forgotten.  Despite the overall quality of the Riot Commando, the figure completely failed to make a splash among the pandemic era collecting boom.  To me, this is utterly surprising.  Usually, I'm not much one for 3rd party o-ring figures.  But, I found the Riot Commando a really nice addition to the Joe line.  He perfectly supplemented many other figures and could integrate rather seamlessly with vintage and repaint era figures.

But, my tastes, once again, prove eclectic.  And, today, you don't see the Riot Commando much at all.  This is really too bad.  The figure failed so badly that it was offered at a discount for a while.  And, the future o-ring offerings that were planned for the Eagle Force line never came to be.  (Which is too bad as a couple of them were nice improvements that integrated with this figure.)  

Fortunately, there's a bit of content out there that features the figure.  Much of it was from the time of his release.  But, a couple of people still manage to keep him around and in photos every now and again.  I doubt I'll ever spark a Riot Commando renaissance.  But, I hope a few people will check out the photos below and find some appreciation for the figure.

2021 RIOT Commando Profile

2021 RIOT Commando by atwooddan

2021 RIOT Commando by gen_liederkranz

2021 Riot Commando by saintsyn

2021 Riot Commando by Gigamach

2021 Riot Commando by gen_leiderkranz

2021 Riot Commando by toy_attack

2021 Riot Commando by atwooddan

2021 Riot Commando by GigaMach

2021 Riot Commando by u.n.i.t_gi.joe

2021 Riot Commando at atwooddan

2021 Riot Commando by gen_liederkranz

2021 Riot Commando by gijoe_guy

2003 Funskool Metal Head

Sometimes, you accidentally strike gold.  In the case of the early 2000's Funskool releases, their tendency towards bizarre repaints and random accessory complements created a few different figures who transcend their origins and are very useful for collectors.  It was not likely that this was intentional.  But, the results tended to work.  The differences could be as small as a mustache painted on Law to a full blown repaint like Tripwire.  For some reason, though, Funskool got itself into an orange figure rut.  In fairly short order they released Wild Bill, Grunt, Incinerator and the subject of this profile, the Funskool Metal Head.  In general, orange figures are awesome.  And, this Metal Head combines the color with an exclusive accessory complement to create one of the more offbeat yet cool figures from the repaint era.

Metal Head has always been a solid figure.  My first introduction to him was when I was babysitting some kids down the street who had a 1990 version.  I turned his leg mounted missile launcher into a holster for his pistol and had him pilot an Imperial Shuttle.  It left an indelible impression upon me that followed me into adult collectorhood.  Like many of these early '90's memories that involved figures that I was too old to buy, Metal Head was among the very first new items I acquired as vintage Joes started to become available from online auction sites.  As these figures were the bastion of late 1990's acquisitions, they slowly fell out of favor as other, newer figures entered into my collection.  Now, I find my interest in some of these figure re-piqued just out of nostalgia for my first period of nostalgia.  Which, is kind of bizarre.

Which brings us to the Funskool release.  The early 2000's were a rather uninspired time in vintage themed G.I. Joe.  Hasbro churned out the same figure molds in similar colors for a few years and took extremely few chances on anything.  We're left with a rather banal roster of figures that, while having some gems, is largely forgettable.  One of the shining stars of the era, though, was Funskool.  While Hasbro was failing to properly interpret what collectors actually wanted during that time, Funskool was busy churning out figures that they felt would appeal to the youth in India.  As such, Joe collectors of the time had access to some brightly colored figures that brought a substantial amount of diversity to the contemporary releases.  In truth, the Funskool Joes of that era were more true to the spirit of the vintage line than the Hasbro offerings.

But, as Funskool was trying to appeal to kids, it also managed to largely alienate adult collectors.  This wasn't something Funskool actually cared about.  But, online Joe collectors sure liked to act like Funskool should care about them.  You'd see the standard diatribes lambasting Funskool for releasing obscure molds in bright colors.  While Hasbro was struggling to sell 16,000 units of o-ring Joes, Funskool was pumping figures out in quantity for their own market.  The few thousand units of each figure that were imported to American based dealers were just an extra bonus for Funskool.

That collector sentiment lead to figures like Metal Head being lambasted.  And, in that process, collectors missed out on a neat update to a cool mold.  The orange base isn't much more ostentatious than Metal Head's original red and yellow combo.  And, the inclusion of the Star Brigade Sci Fi helmet adds a completely new element to Metal Head.  You probably didn't know you wanted a Star Brigade Metal Head.  But, you could now have one.  Or, with the helmet on, this Metal Head could be a completely new character.  The possibilities were broad.  But, collectors of the early 2000's couldn't get past the "neon" of the orange base.  I do wonder how this would have fared as a 2018 or 2019 timeframe release.  Collectors were more accepting of bright colors by then.  And, they might have seen this Metal Head for what he is: a solid repaint that brings some needed color to a collection.

Personally, I scooped up this Metal Head the minute he became available.  You can see him in various photos I took back in the late summer and early fall of 2003.  There were so many Cobras coming to retail at that time that including Metal Head as a new character among them made sense.  Really, I just saw him as a different look for the Metal Head character.  But, he was used more often than many other, obscure Funskool repaints of that time.  He did, though, fall out of favor.  And, my original was part of my Funskool purge in the early 2010's.  I regret selling those off since many have not only gotten expensive but, in some cases, impossible to find.  (Look for an orange trimmed Funskool Hawk.  You'll turn grey before you find one.)  I was able to re-acquire him before Funskool pricing got stupid.  So, it's nice to have him back in the collection where he can once again join in with Incinerators, HEAT Vipers and other 1990's Cobra's where he looks most at home.

While we never had a full inventory of the molds that were sent to India, figures like Metal Head indicate that the number was far greater than just the figures that Funskool produced.  At one point, a Funskool contact informed a dealer that they had well over 100 molds available to them.  So, they large roster of figures from which to choose for release in India.  We're unlikely to ever know why Funskool chose a figure like Metal Head for release over any number of other molds.  Nor are we likely to know the full roster of which figures they had available.  One of the joys of Funskool of that era was the 5 or so new figures they put out each year.  You never knew who would be next.  And, that was part of the fun.

One thing collectors didn't really know was that, by 2002, the Funskool G.I. Joe line was starting to flounder.  It had enjoyed a retail run in India that rivaled the Hasbro run in terms of years.  So, the brand was a bit stale...even if Funskool was pretty good at supplementing it with classic vehicles and large roster of older figures that remained in circulation.  This Metal Head includes gear that was indicative of Funskool's last ditch efforts to attract new kids to the brand.  His grenade maker was an innovative idea for a figure add on.  We'd also see an ink pad and stamp with Grunt and some weird decoder thing that was included with Law.  Funskool was trying to attract kids to their figures with something new.  Hasbro tried the same thing in 1992 and 1993 with all the subsets.  But, in both cases the writing was on the wall for Joe's retail future.

Sadly, Metal Head's quality isn't great.  It wasn't until April of 2003 that Hasbro got on Funskool's case about figure quality and forced them to start producing higher quality figures.  So, it's tough to find a Metal Head made after that date.  The 2002 figures feature some blotchy paint and are very susceptible to having sonic welded arms that simply won't swivel without breaking the arm off.  (This figure began production in very late 2002 in India.  It didn't  appear for sale from U.S. dealers until 2003.  So, you'll see it referred to as both a 2002 or 2003 release.  With late in the year debut figures, it's tough to pin down an official release year.  But, this is the reason for the discrepancies you'll find.)  It's too bad since he's such a nice figure.  If you can find a figure that was opened back in 2003, it's less likely to have bad joints.  Or, see if you can find a figure made after April of 2003 (the date of manufacture is on the back of every Funskool card) to get a higher quality sample.

Metal Head debuted in 2002.  Funskool pretty much ceased G.I. Joe production around 2005.  As Funskool Metal Heads weren't heavily imported, it's tough to determine if Metal Head was among those late run figures.  To date, I'm not aware of Metal Head variants.  He may not have been in production long enough to get any.  But, at the same time, his lack of popularity among collectors drove the lack of later imports of the figure.  So, there could be undocumented variants out there, especially on his gear.  Metal Head did not return for the 2009 Funskool re-issues that were created to support the movie's release.  We haven't' seen vintage Joe molds used in India in 15 years, now.  We know that Hasbro destroyed all their o-ring molds in the late '00's/early 10's.  We don't know the fate of the molds that Funskool had in their possession.  I'd love to think that the molds are still  out there and could show up in some oddball release at a future time.  But, that's getting less and less likely with each passing day.

Metal Head's accessories are where he really shines.  The blue weapon from the 1991 Cobra Commander isn't great.  But, it actually works with this figure.  Funskool used that weapon mold often during this time.  And, they also really loved the blue plastic for the accessory color.  But, it matches with the figure.  So, that helps.  The real surprise, though, is the Star Brigade Sci Fi helmet.  Released in yellow with a red visor, this helmet actually fits Metal Head near perfectly.  It creates a drastically different look for Metal Head and, if you're so inclined, gives you another named Star Brigade Cobra figure.  The figure is rounded out by the "incentive" accessories: a grenade maker.  You get some grenade molds, some wicks and a couple of tubs of a brightly colored Play-Doh like substance.  You'd take the dough, put it in the molds with a wick in the top and Metal Head now had custom grenades to toss at your Joes.  It was a weird idea.  But, it had precedence in the 1993 Mega Marines and did offer younger kids some ancillary play value.  The idea wasn't repeated.  So, you wonder if it was considered a success or was just too expensive to replicate.

One fun fact about the playdoh substance that you could use to make Metal Head's grenades: it stunk!  When I opened this guy fresh off the card back in 2002, the substance was chemically pungent.  It was awful.  I packed it away in a plastic bag, inside a sealed plastic tub.  Every time I opened the tub, the room would become permeated with the stench.  However, when I opened another one in 2019 or so, the smell was gone.  It was likely a function of the age and the moisture having been sucked out of the substance.  So, the smell isn't likely to be still around unless you get your nose up close and personal with the drying out putty.  But, it was something at the time and remains one of my more poignant memories of first acquiring this figure.

This Metal Head also features additional paint masks that were not included on the Hasbro release.  First, his chest knife is painted.  It has a gold handle and silver blade: a nice upgrade over the original.  The figure's upper arms are not painted, like the Hasbro version is.  But, the Funskool version features painted gloves.  This breaks up the arm color in a better way than the Hasbro upper arm paint masks.  Finally, the figure's thighs feature more paint.  The upper portion of Metal Head's leg armor is painted.  And, his missile launcher holders are also painted.  This gives the figure more detail than the Hasbro figure.  And, frankly, I'd kind of like to have seen a Hasbro figure given these additional paint applications.

Metal Head was not a popular Funskool release.  Few collectors bothered to acquire him as, by his release date, Hasbro was producing more than enough army builders to keep collectors focused on that dominant aspect of the hobby.  Plus, the novelty of Funskool had worn off.  Because of that, the Funskool Metal Head is kind of hard to find these days.  You don't see them with the ubiquity of more popular characters.  Dealers offer carded figures in the $125 range.  But, the market price for a carded figure is around $40.  He's a stark reminder that dealers haven't gotten the memo that unpopular figures no longer command premium prices.  As the market plummets, figures like this Metal Head are great candidates to fall even further.  There are enough of them out there to satisfy demand.  And, as collectors economize, figures like this Metal Head will be the first to either be liquidated or simply scratched off of lists of figures that collectors want to acquire.  So, you'll probably be able to get him much cheaper in the future.

1984 Recondo - Random Photos of the Day

 Recondo is a classic Joe from one of the top years of the line.  He's a figure that wasn't my favorite when I was a kid.  I always wanted him to be something more than he was.  As a collector, though, I've really come to appreciate Recondo and I use him far more frequently now than I would have thought.  He's a great subject for photos and works in a variety of environments and with many different figures.  Below are a few photos  I've taken of him in the past couple of years.

2005 General Hawk (Comic Pack General Abernathy)

The Comic Packs were an inspired idea that lacked proper execution.  That's a thesis statement that I've held true for 20 years.  Because, yes, the first Comic Packs debuted in the summer of 2004: 20 years ago.  And, this poses the fundamental issue with figures like this Hawk that debuted a year later in 2005.  If you were around upon his release, this figure doesn't feel anywhere near as old as vintage Joes felt back during that time.  So, despite the advanced age of this figure, he still feels new enough that his flaws are accentuated and his attributes are left behind.  So, with fresh eyes, I took a look at this figure because the 1986 Hawk was a childhood staple and this updated look for the Joe general seemed like it should have been a great figure.

One of the issues I have with all Comic Pack figures is the heads.  While I appreciate the attempt to update the heads to better match their comic appearances, the heads didn't quite match up to the bodies of the figures with which they were matched.  The more modern sculpting done on the Comic Pack heads was in too great of a contrast to the figure bodies on which they were placed.  So, you have a hyper detailed, stern Hawk face set against the softer details of a sculpt that was done with technology of 20 years prior.  It's one of the reasons most Comic Pack figures feel just a bit "off" to me.  The early 2000's Hasbro wasn't so much interested in creating a perfectly aligned figure.  They were just about smashing together whatever was good enough to quell backlash and sell some toys to desperate collectors flush with their first real money in their lives.  And, the result are heads that, on their own, look nice.  But, they really stick out when posed among vintage Joes.

And, that's how you get this Hawk.  From afar, this mold amalgamation looks ok.  But, when in hand, many of the limitations become apparent.  The Talking Battle Commander waist and legs are long.  They seem too long for the resculpted 1986 Hawk chest.  (We'll talk about that, later.)  The TBC arms are also too puffy for the torso.  So, the whole figure looks improperly proportioned.  While all Joe parts are interchangeable, they are not always aesthetically compatible.  This Hawk proves that out.  The new head is well detailed...too detailed to match the sculpting appearance of the rest of the figure.  But, the blonde flat top is a great look for Hawk and finally gave collectors a figure that featured Hawk's signature look from the comics.  Hawk also features blue eyes.  There are not many other figures in the line with blue eyes.  But, it's a super subtle detail on the figure that most people will miss.  Beyond that, the colors are nice and the details are painted.  The green and brown are much brighter than those of the original 1986 figure on which this is based.  But, the colors work and do create a stark visual when the figure is photographed.

The biggest issue with the figure, though, is just the overall quality.  Many figures from this era will  have legs that stick out and waists that don't align.  Hawk is a perfect example of this.  It can be difficult to get the figure to stand up on his own just due to the poor materials used for the o-rings and t-hooks.  O-rings from the early 2000's are notoriously breakage prone, even if you never remove the figure from the package.  Some of the wonky legs might be fixed with better o-rings.  But, that seems a lot for a figure like this when you could just get a 1986 figure at the time for about the price of the comic 3 pack.  These Hawks aren't as prone to discoloration as many of his contemporaries.  But, you will see arms and torsos whose coloring doesn't always match.  This was a factory mismatch during production, though, and not later discoloration.  Overall, though, the plastic used in this era was not good and your vintage figures will likely age better than these 2000's releases in the coming years.

In 1997, Hasbro reused the entire 1986 General Hawk mold for release in the A-10.  This well painted figure is fairly obscure.  But, Hasbro had the full mold and made a cool figure with it.  In 2002, the mold was planned for the collector-friendly Wave 1.5.  However, for some reason, Hasbro could not locate the mold, despite it being used just 5 years earlier.  So, instead, the Talking Battle Commander mold was used instead.  That lead Hasbro to, in 2005, resculpt the 1986 Hawk torso.  This was common practice by this time.  But, there was no rhyme or reason to which figures got newly sculpted parts.  Hasbro made new molds for this Hawk, Lady Jaye (despite the mold being used sans issue in 2003), Scrap Iron (whose mold was in use in India at the time) and Mutt: among others.  Missing from this list, though, are fan favorite molds like the V1 Cobra Commander, 1985 Snake Eyes, Shipwreck and even Destro.  I will give Hasbro credit for re-doing the Cobra Trooper, Officer and Crimson Guard.  But, you can't help but wonder why so much of the vintage Joe budget went to remaking 2nd tier characters or molds that were recently used instead of hitting just a couple of the missing classics.  A V1 Cobra Commander could have been repainted 10 times with minimal collector pushback.  Instead, we got the Talking Battle Commander mold (flat back and all!) multiple times.  At least factory customs have finally filled some of those gaping holes.

One item of note is the figure's name.  While I call him General Hawk, the official name is General Abernathy.  Hasbro's name copyrights of the early 2000's were all over the place.  And, the Comic Packs are full of oddball naming conventions where you see some characters released under their original code names, some given additional qualifiers to their old name (Double Clutch) and lots of figures released under the character's file name: like this General Abernathy.  To me, he's just Hawk.  And, that's how most will refer to him.  But, the official name is General Abernathy which is much less of a mouthful than Lonzo R. Wilkinson.

Comic Pack accessories weren't great.  They were too generic to the later figures.  Hawk is no exception.  He includes a newly sculpted M-16 rifle that debuted in 2004.  It's a nicely designed weapon that does work well with many other figures from that era.  And, while, as a kid, I have the 1986 Hawk the M-203 from Leatherneck, I just don't see this M-16 rifle as a good fit for Hawk.  It is nice, though, to have a few extras lying around.  He then includes a pistol that's oversized and has a grip that is so wide it will permanently disfigure Hawk's hands and a knife that, again, is OK even though it's out of character.  Hasbro did sculpt a new helmet for Hawk.  It's skinny and narrow and barely fits over Hawk's hair.  And, on the figure, it makes his head look squished.  It's very soft.  So, it won't rub paint when applied to the figure.  It was a noble attempt.  But, the execution was lacking.

Hawk was released in the first wave of Direct to Consumer sales.  This meant that collectors were initially excited by his release.  But, they quickly moved on and the entire comic pack was available at clearance prices for a long time.  I bought several extras for gear and custom parts because, even after shipping, you were paying under $2 per figure.  You'll find some flattering reviews of this figure from the time.  But, the lack of photography of the figure and it's relative absence among collector usage today is a telling sign that the figure fell pretty flat in the collecting world.  The blonde hair was universally lauded.  But, the rest of the design just didn't resonate.  The figure wasn't an upgrade over the original and simply couldn't overtake the vintage design.

It has long been rumored that there will be an updated 1986 style Hawk figure that will be released by Hasbro at some point as part of their Transformers Cross Over line.  So far, the figures in that line have been disappointing because they tread no new ground and don't really offer cheaper alternatives to now expensive vintage Joe figures.  So, while I'm not really in favor of Hasbro releasing any more o-ring Joes, I will hope that, if the Hawk figure comes to be, that Hasbro takes a cue from this Hawk and finally brings a proper 1986 style Hawk to collectors.  While I'd love a black jacket figure from issue #50 of the comic, I'll take just a 1986 Hawk homage with blonde hair.  That little detail will be enough to make a new Hawk figure worthwhile.  

The 1986 Hawk mold was released by Hasbro in 1986 and 1987.  There is a very rare mail away General Hawk from 1992 or 1993 that includes the golden rifle from the 1991 Cobra Commander.  It's one of the more difficult bagged figures in the line to find.  The entire figure was then released in Brazil and India.  Both the Estrela and Funskool figures are very similar to the Hasbro releases with the Brazilian figure featuring darker green and the more common Funskool versions featuring lighter green.  Hasbro got the mold back and released a repainted figure in 1997.  The full Talking Battle Commander Hawk was released in 2000 and 2002 before the parts were cannibalized for this 2005 Comic Pack figure.  This newly sculpted head and torso, though, never appeared again.  There is an alternate Asian variant of the figure that features a completely green torso.  But, that was the end of this Hawk mold.

All the Comic Pack figures got caught up in the market hype of the pandemic collectible world.  Now, you will still see high prices for individual figures and carded sets just due to incredibly low supply.  Collectors are holding their items, hoping the prices continue to rise.  But, they have not only leveled off, but actively fallen on more common and less desirable items...like this Hawk.  While dealers will still ask $40+ for a loose, complete figure and over $70 for a carded set, the reality is that the figure sits unsold for $20.  Carded sets are worth between $35 and $45.  You can argue over Flint or Hawk being the top figure in the set.  But, really, they're both about the same level of usefulness.  So, don't fall for the dealer hype and overpay for this figure.  In hand, he's kind of disappointing.  For a couple of bucks, that's OK.  But, for dealer prices, you'll feel cheated.

2007 Convention Clutch - Around The Web

The 2007 convention set took a big chance by including a large contingent of Joe characters instead of being army builder focused.  This seemed to be a minor hit at the time.  But, shortly after release, all of the Joe characters from the main set were readily available for under their per figure cost if you had bought a complete set from the club.  It remained that way for a while.  But, slowly, the Joes started to dry up.  And, certain characters began to climb the price charts.  After the explosion that began in 2018 and had rocket fuel thrown upon it by the 2020 collectibles bubble, all the 2007 convention figures have gotten stupidly expensive.

That's made this Clutch out of reach for many collectors.  That's kind of too bad as it's a great rendition of Clutch.  But, this figure also has some deficiencies that would make me hesitant to spend $100 or more on him.  

While it took me a while to track down some decent content on this guy, there is some cool stuff to see in the links below.  You'll find some reviews written upon the figure's release as well as some photos just published this year.  

2007 Clutch Profile

2007 Clutch by gijoeamericanhero

2007 Clutch by Scarrviper

2007 Convention set review at General's Joes Reborn

2007 Clutch by thedustinmccoy

2007 Clutch by gijoeamericanhero

2007 Clutch at Action Force.dk

2007 Clutch by gen_liederkranz

2007 Clutch by thedustinmccoy

2007 Clutch by gijoeamericanhero

2007 Clutch by alpha1creative

2007 Clutch by thedustinmccoy

2023 Black Major Mercenary Troopers

Major Bludd doesn't need troopers.  Really, as an independent mercenary, he'd be bogged down by the responsibility of troopers.  He might have some associates in the event he'd need some additional help.  But, he's not the type of person who would command an army.  Despite that, there are some 2023 Black Major Cobra Trooper repaints who just mandate that Bludd have a few, select Troopers at his disposal who just happen to share the color scheme of Bludd's 1983 debut.  

It is my opinion that, when it comes to the Cobra Trooper mold, less is often more.  The paint jobs that follow the vintage paint masks, just with alternate colors, are my personal favorites.  In cases, though, where one subtle paint mask is added, like on these Mercenary Troopers, the result is often even better.  It breathes life into a mold that is now fairly common and makes up a large percentage of the overall figures released in the past decade and a half.  

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the cammo pattern Trooper repaints.  That is, definitely, a minority take, though.  As, most collectors really seem to love the various cammo Troopers that are out there.  I prefer the figures that utilize solid colors.  This isn't to say that there aren't some bangers among the cammo Troopers out there.  I just have to draw the line somewhere when  it comes to factory customs and, with Cobra Troopers, I remain particularly choosy about the new paint designs I'll track down.  

Major Bludd is one of my personal favorite Cobra characters.  The main thing about him was that he was always evil and never really had a redemption arc that ruined his fundamental character.  He was just a guy who would kill with impunity provided that you were the best paying customer.  Despite my enjoyment of the character, I don't use him all that often.  Mostly, this is because I have just one loose vintage Bludd and he sits among my main collection that rarely gets used for photos.  I still have a bagged version from Hasbro Canada.  But, I can't mingle that with my other loose figures.  So, Bludd sees little use unless it's his later versions.  And, those are less inclined to blend with this early Cobra Trooper mold.  So, getting these figures out is usually a special occasion.  

Black Major has gone through several different Cobra Trooper molds in the past 15 years.  This Mercenary Trooper uses the (as of today!) most current mold.  The most notable feature is that the head is a bit...squished.  So, it gives the Troopers of this mold a distinct look that allows them to be distinguished from earlier releases that might share the same color scheme.  There are other differences, too.  But, the Attica Gazette better covers them.  So, go read that for a full breakdown of the nuances of Black Major's various Cobra Trooper incarnations.

There are, now, over 100 flavors of Cobra Troopers that are available.  They extend from standard repaints like a crimson figure to obscure and ridiculous versions like an orange figure with brown tiger stripes.  So, with so many Cobra Troopers available, you can afford to be choosy.  I've skipped many great repaints in the past couple of years because they are similar enough to figures I already own.  But, I do find figures like this Mercenary version to be somewhat fresh and interesting. With so many variants available, every collector can have their personal favorites that might be something in which other collectors have no interest.  So, that's a huge upside of a mold being repainted into oblivion: there's something for everyone.

The main draw of this figure, for me, is the juxtaposition of color.  You have the black base that is offset by the brown pants.  The brown is a unique color that's both realistic and under-represented among Joe figures.  The swath of brown on the figure's collar provides a nice starting point for the hue, too, and really ties the top and bottom of the design.  The entire thing, though, is highlighted by a bright green.  The green isn't too bright.  But, it's not a drab that would blend into the brown and black.  Instead, it really highlights them and gives the figure a contrast that is visually stark.  It works against both the black and brown, which is hard to pull off.  The logo and bullets aren't silver.  They are a silvery, metallic blue color that, in its sparse application, accentuates those details more so than when  they are in traditional Cobra logo colors.  If all that isn't enough, there's a few splotches of cammo paint on the figure's helmet.  This provides a little extra detailing that makes the figure feel like something more than just a base Cobra Trooper repaint.

Like most of the recent Cobra Troopers, this figure includes three accessories.  He starts with the classic Dragunov sniper rifle.  It's a requirement for any Cobra Trooper.  Despite the iconic stature of the homage to the character's original weapon, though, I find myself more drawn to the second rifle included with the figure.  I'm not sure of its origin.  But, it's properly scaled for the 1983 body design of the Trooper and looks more like a more modern assault rifle.  It's a bit tighter in the figure's hands.  But, not so much so that you are worried about stressing or breaking a thumb.  The final piece of gear is a Big Bear backpack.  It's a common yet, unremarkable pack.  So, it works in the context of the Trooper.  It's something that's nice to have, even if you seldom use it.

The overall quality of these figures is pretty par for the course for Black Major figures.  The joints are tight.  The paint masks are sharp and crisp.  The figure can hold its weapons.  The limbs will hold a pose.  The figure isn't the same as a vintage Joe figure.  But, it's still pretty good.  After 15 year, you should know what to expect from factory customs.  And, if you've never owned a Black Major figure, that's not because of lack of opportunity.  But, if you like this figure's look, it's certainly worth tracking down a few and building up a squad to your liking.

This figure is relatively recently made.  Had a small production run and is rather niche.  Right now, you can still get mint and complete versions for $20 - $25.  If you can find a lot of them, you'll probably pay slightly more than 1/2 of that per figure, though.  I have a tough time predicting which Black Major figures will be super popular on the collector market and which will fade into obscurity.  But, pricing on out of circulation Black Major Cobra Trooper repaints does seem to be softening a bit.  This is a function of the overall market downturn we've seen in recent years combined with the sheer volume of new figure releases that have been pouring into the community in 2024.  

My general rule when it comes to factory custom army builders is to acquire figures I like if I can get them in bulk.  I don't really have a use for one or two of these figures.  But, four or five fill out a photo and have some value in my collection.  My point isn't to suggest you mimic my rules for my collection.  Instead, it's just a reminder that, sometimes, guardrails on acquisitions are good.  Otherwise, you end up with dozens or hundreds of figures for which you overpaid and for which, now, you have no real use.  And, we all know how much it sucks to try to sell off large quantities of single figures.  So, approach figures like this with a purpose and pick and choose among those who speak to you...even if the reason for your interest in them isn't readily definable.

1987 Outback - Around The Web

The 1987 Outback is one of those figures in the G.I. Joe that, on its own, probably wouldn't merit the unrequited love it gets in the collecting community.  But, a solid run in the comic helped turn him into a cult hero.  And, Outback enjoys immense popularity today.  So much so that his original figure still outshines the much rare Night Force and Tiger Force versions of the character.

I've always struggled to get good photos of Outback.  That was heavily because I was reluctant to take any chances with the figure.  Others have no such qualms.  And, in the photos below, you'll find some great takes on the Outback photo and character.  

Outback Profile

Outback by strikeforce_codename

Outback by incrediblebulk

Outback by dashiellrfairborne

Outback by jeremiecapitaine

Outback by Relinquished1979

Outback by steelbrigade

Outback by gijoeggernaut

Outback by rutbullet

Outback by backyardjoes

Outback by Dashiell R. Fairborne

Outback by offc0ur5e