Monday, October 27, 2025

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness - Around the Web

The 2005 Imperial Processional set is just weird.  It's got a bizarre amalgamation figure who operates as an army builder, offbeat colors and throne that's barely enough to lift a figure off the floor.  But, it kind of works.  2000's Joe was so banal that anything that took even a remote chance remains a bit more interesting, today.  

This Baroness figure used to be the most unique look for the mold.  But, Lady Jaye Toys rendered this figure moot with their dozens of Baroness mold repaints in the past two years.  This figure does have the alternate head.  But, I'm not sure it's better.  

Regardless, check out the content on her, below.  You'll  find a nice mix of items written upon her release as well as more modern takes on the figure.  I have a real profile that will drop on Halloween.  It should be pretty easy to guess which figure it is.

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness Profile

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by atwooddan

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by yovalleyjoe

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by gen_liederkranz

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by gi_joe_y2k

2005 Imperial Procession Set Review at General's Joes Reborn

2005 Imperial Procession Set Review at Joe Battle Lines

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by gi_joe_y2k

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by rexglewis1982

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness by yovalleyjoe

2005 Imperial Processional Baroness, Toys R Us Exclusive, Crimson Guard, 2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage, Hiss Tank


Friday, October 24, 2025

2017 Cobra Soldado - Around The Web

When the first factory custom Cobra Troopers appeared, there was one, single design that I wanted to see: an homage to the Brazilian Cobra Soldado.  The brighter blue on that figure was always visually distinctive and appealing.  It's a rare situation where the different color was still a perfect match for Joe figures.  Finally, in 2017, we got the first Soldado release.  The blue isn't a 100% match for the real figure from Brazil.  But, it works well enough.  And, it remains one of my favorite Cobra Trooper repaints.

The two best early Brazilian repaints were the Cobra De Aco and the Soldado.  (Though, Athena is pretty good, too.)  But, they were both straight arms.  Making them useless as toys.  While we're still waiting for a proper, swivel arm De Aco, this 2017 figure finally gave us a swivel arm Cobra Soldado.  I've never understood the appeal of straight arm figures.  I find them useless and don't even collect them.  So, having a swivel arm Soldado finally gave me the enemy force I'd been craving to battle against my later Brazilian Joes.

There's not a ton of content on this figure out there.  Like most of the late 2010's factory customs, the content of his release era has been buried by the algorithms and few people still use him.  Some of the photos are of later edition Soldados who came out in the 2020's.  They are equally nice.  After checking these guys out, let me know in the comments which repaint of the Cobra Trooper is your personal favorite.

2017 Cobra Soldado Profile

2017 Cobra Soldado by gen_liederkranz

2017 Cobra Soldado by cyko_9

2017 Cobra Soldado by Nekoman

2017 Cobra Soldado by sintechness

2017 Cobra Soldado by hobieshinobi

2017 Cobra Soldado by slipstream80

2017 Cobra Soldado by sintechness

2017 Cobra Soldado, Cobra Trooper, Brazil, Estrela, Black Major, Steel Brigade, Factory Custom


2017 Cobra Soldado, Cobra Trooper, Brazil, Estrela, Black Major, Factory Custom

2017 Cobra Soldado, Cobra Trooper, Brazil, Estrela, Black Major, Factory Custom


Wednesday, October 22, 2025

1984 Chameleon - Around The Web

The Chameleon is both a toy that is essential to Zartan and one that is completely inconsequential to your enjoyment of the Zartan figure.  It's something that's great to have and really completes Zartan as a toy.  But, Zartan is also so good that he can be an iconic collection piece, even if you don't have the swamp skier.  It's a weird juxtaposition.  

The upside is that there's lots of content on the Chameleon and Zartan out there.  Many people use them effectively and make some fun stuff.  

1984 Chameleon Profile

1984 Chameleon by backyardjoes

1984 Chameleon by cobra_rules_cybertron

1984 Chameleon by Prince Adam

1984 Chameleon by keithmccleary

1984 Chameleon by gijoe_nation

1984 Chameleon by cobra_rules_cybertron

1984 Chameleon by yotothejoe

1984 Chameleon by keithmccleary

1984 Chameleon by codename.steve

1984 Chameleon by cobra_rules_cybertron

1984 Chameleon by gijoe_for_fun

1984 Chameleon by viper_space

1984 Chameleon by codename.steve

1993 Ninja Force Zartan, 1984 Chameleon, Flak Viper


Friday, October 17, 2025

2017 Commando (Red Laser Army) Around the Web

Red Laser Army was a great combination of ambitious and obscure.  They were willing to take big swings on large sets of figures.  And, many of them were dedicated to G.I. Joe ephemera that was buried in the deepest recesses of collectordom.  The Commando figure is based on a sticker set from 1982 that featured a gloveless Snake Eyes wearing green and camo instead of his trademark black.  The figure was one of the highlights of the 2017 Red Laser Army figure set.  It quickly found a strong life among the creators of the time.  It's hard to fathom that this figure was released 8 years ago.  And, much of the content that once featured Commando have fallen into the abyss of social media.  I was able to find some solid content featuring the figure.  

Commando remains a great figure.  It's a perfect look for an alternate Snake Eyes.  The figure works well with other Red Laser Army figures, too.  You do still see Commando from time to time.  He's more common than most of his 2017 classmates.  But, even my use of him has diminished in recent years.  Most of the photos below are a couple of years old, at least.  I should try to use him and other Red Laser Army figures more frequently.  Until then, enjoy the content below.

Commando Profile

Commando at Attica Gazette

Commando by billykessler

Commando y gen_liederkranz

Commando by Slipstream80

Commando by viper_space

Commando by kickstart_joe

Commando by gen_liederkranz

Commando by darth_beotch

Commando by gijoe_manila_ph

Commando by specialmissionforce

Commando by kickstart_joe

2017 Red Laser Army Commando, Factory Custom, Snake Eyes, Outlaw, Tiger Force Starduster, Black Major

2017 Red Laser Army Commando, Factory Custom, Snake Eyes, Outlaw, Tiger Force Starduster, Black Major

2017 Red Laser Army Commando, Factory Custom, Snake Eyes, Outlaw, Tiger Force Starduster, Black Major


2017 Red Laser Army Commando, Factory Custom, Snake Eyes, 1997 Stalker

2017 Red Laser Army Commando, Factory Custom, Snake Eyes, Steel Brigade, Black major, Redmack, MMS, 1982


Tuesday, October 14, 2025

2005 Comic Pack Serpentor - Random Photos of the Day

Serpentor is one of those figures who only has one look.  Every one of his figures has been in his standard, regal armor design.  Sure, the colors have changed...a bit.  But, Serpentor doesn't really have a figure in a look other than one derived from his 1986 debut.  

Serpentor is also a figure, though, who doesn't really need another look.  Attempts to modernize him fall flat.  And, sometimes, the regal emperor's regalia is all a character needs to convey his purpose.  Granted, I wouldn't say no to a debut inspired, shirtless Serpentor.  He and Dr. Mindbender would be twinsies.  I actually hope Super7 gets around to a Serpentor like that.  But, I'm not going to hold my breath.

This 2005 Serpentor is probably the worst of his three o-ring versions.  But, that's a misnomer because all of Serpentor's colorings are great.  This one is just different.  The removable helmet actually works for this figure, too.  The soft pastels are a nice alternate look for Serpentor and give him a less regal and less imposing feel than the golden and black based figures that preceded this release.

I'd really love to do more with this figure.  But, I sold all my spares during my purge.  And, the lone sample I have left is starting to show fraying and wear around the arm holes on his cape.  So, I don't get this guy out much, any longer.  The biggest argument for newer Serpentor figures is that the old ones are all brittle and easy to damage.  Heck, even this figure is now 20 years old.  But, the Super7 Serpentors, so far, haven't really done much to inspire my acquisition of them.  Maybe that will change if they do something fun or interesting with the character.  Until then, I have this 2005 figure for the sparse times I may feel the need to bring the Serpentor character out for a photo shoot.

2005 Comic Pack Serpentor, 1986 Air Chariot, 1988 IMP, Dr. Mindbender, 2008 Convention Headhunter Guard

2005 Comic Pack Serpentor, 1986 Air Chariot, 1988 IMP, Dr. Mindbender, 2008 Convention Headhunter BAT, COIL Stormshadow, Black Major

2005 Comic Pack Serpentor, 1986 Air Chariot


2005 Comic Pack Serpentor, 1990 Overlord

Friday, October 10, 2025

Funskool Red Dog - Around the Web

The Funskool Red Dog debuted nearly 24 years ago.  During that time, I've been constantly flummoxed by the figure's complete lack of popularity.  Even back in 2001, when the figure was available from every guy with an Amex card for $4, few collectors really wanted to get one.  This made no sense to me for several reasons.  First, the Renegades were supposed to be popular.  In subsequent years, it became apparent that their popularity was very overstated.  Second, the Red Dog is a pretty drastic recolor from the Hasbro figure.  He features a different skin tone that fundamentally changes Red Dog's appearance.  Figures like that tended to be very popular.  Finally, the figure included a nice cadre of accessories.  Along with a black version of Red Dog's pistol, you also got a Recalled Roadblock machine gun.  For collectors who liked rare weapons, the Red Dog was a chance to get a mold that was pretty scarce in the U.S.

Despite this, the figure never took off.  And, today, that lack of popularity has made this figure relatively expensive.  Too expensive for a casual pickup for sure.  So, you see this figure even less than you used to.  Which is too bad as this is one of my favorite early 2000's releases.  So, I continue to use this figure far more often that most others.  Despite this, the figure rarely elicits much response.  It seems that most collectors are just blase about this figure and don't much care about it.  

Funskool Red Dog Profile

Funskool Red Dog by dantedmc37








2001 Funskool Red Dog, Tunnel Rat

2001 Funskool Red Dog, Tunnel Rat

Monday, October 6, 2025

1993 Roadblock

In 1992, Hasbro did a soft reboot of the Joe line.  They didn't carry forward most of the 1991 series.  And, the 1992 lineup featured an array of top characters.  Almost all of them were excellent updates to the character while still holding some basic traits that were key to the figure's persona.  A full 75% of the basic retail line was heavy hitter characters from the line's heyday.  Among them was a new version of Roadblock.  This new design gave Roadblock the heft that was appropriate for his character.  And, created the best Roadblock figure released up until that time.  In 1993, the sculpt got a repaint.  This update incorporated some brighter colors.  But, they also really accentuated the mold and created an alternate look for Roadblock that's somewhat obscure.

The sculpting on this figure is extremely solid.  The main thing is that Roadblock is bulky.  The character is supposed to be a massive person.  And, this sculpt really gets that across.  Hasbro loved really short sleeves in the '90's.  On Roadblock, they are a design feature that allows his arms to appear larger and more muscular.  But, the real achievement is the head sculpt.  Roadblock's head is the best for the character.  It shows the determination you'd expect from Roadblock.  His furled brow shows that this a character of intensity.  And, as a final bonus, Roadblock features a golden earring.  It helps sell the head sculpt as something just slightly more interesting than what knock off toy lines would do.  The head was also used on both Star Brigade Roadblock versions.  So, it's appeared more than any other Roadblock head and earned its way to the de facto standard for the Roadblock character.

As I hunted down the scraps of the Joe line available at retail stores in the mid 1990's, there were figures who taunted me from the cardbacks of figures I was able to find.  This Roadblock was one of them.  Roadblock was a childhood favorite character from the comic.  I never liked the 1986 version.  And, my 1984 version had been devastated by broken parts and accessories.  So, a new version of the character was something to which I looked forward.  But, like many 1993 releases, Roadblock was simply gone from retail. I never saw one.  And, it was not until I was an adult collector that I was able to finally track down a 1992 version.  With it, I had a Roadblock that was befitting the character I had come to enjoy.  Roadblock quickly filled in as the missing machine gunner in my various photos.  He was the perfect match for the '90's figures that I had come to enjoy.  And, he was also a nice fit with '85 and later figures, too.

The downside to this late acquisition date is that I have no childhood memories of this figure.  Nor do I have associations of memories for when I found him at retail while I was in college.  The first version of the mold to come into my collection was during my heavy acquisition days of the early internet.  He was among a large lot of contemporary figures that just showed up in the mail one day.  The upside, though, is that this figure has always seemed "new" to me.  He was the last version of Roadblock to appear in my collection.  So, I can never really use him enough.  And, more than 25 years since his appearance in my collection, this sculpt remains my preferred Roadblock appearance.

The 1993 coloring is striking.  The dark blue shirt juxtaposed against the neon green highlights makes for a compelling color palette.  The black highlights and details help give the entire visual package some depth.  I'm not a huge fan of the light blue pants.  But, they do work well enough against the figure's dark upper half. The main thing is that the color work and are visually interesting.  This figure pops in photos and has the added benefit of being seldom used by other in the community.  So, his appearance always stands out.  Despite relatively few paint applications, Roadblock makes the most of them and features far more layered coloring than many of his 1993 contemporaries.  I suspect that the mold reuse allowed for a higher paint application budget.  So, the figure didn't get the two-tone treatment that was reserved for many brand newly sculpted parts that debuted in 1993. 

Roadblock's accessories are both good and terrible.  They're terrible because he doesn't include a heavy machine that defines his character.  It's an odd omission.  Especially, since there was a tree in use that featured the overly large 1992 Gung Ho machine gun that would have worked for Roadblock's specialty.  But, if the figure wasn't going to include his "ma deuce", then Hasbro at least chose a weapon tree with solid accessories.  Roadblock got the tree with Hit and Run's rifle and knife, Bullhorn's rifle and Shockwave's pistol.  There is the required spring loaded launcher and missiles, too.  The accessories may not make sense for Roadblock, but it's good gear that's useful for many other figures.  And, it was cast in black plastic.  Making it a solid release, all around.  

My most liked aspect of this figure, though, is how well he meshes with other 1993 releases.  Through the end of the vintage line, Hasbro was intent on producing toys that looked great when posed together.  The real reason was that it made the walls of retail figures on sale at you favorite store look good and prevented the figures from all blending together.  The result is that Roadblock looks amazing when posed with his contemporaries.  You can set him with Mega Marines, Eco Warriors, Star Brigade and even Ninja Force and the figure blends right in.  It's a line cohesion that was lost after the vintage years.  And, with toys not really mattering at retail any longer, it's unlikely we'll ever see anything like it again.  Even the various kickstarter lines fail at this and produce too many toys that look alike in terms of colors.  It's not about boldness just to be bold.  It's finding a way to make strong, bright and powerful colors work together with bland tans, blacks and greys.  In 1993, Hasbro was still doing this.  And, the line meshes perfectly well together.  That makes figures like this Roadblock even more useful since he's a perfect companion for so many of his release year brethren.

This Roadblock mold ended up with plenty of uses.  The sculpt debuted in 1992.  In 1993, some 1992 figures were released with new accessories.  So, you can find 1992 Roadblocks on 1992 or 1993 cardbacks.  Then, the coloring shifted to the paint job that's the subject of this profile in 1993.  Hasbro sent the mold to Funskool where it was released in India for many years.  The upside being that the Funskool figure included the discontinued 1992 machine gun.  Hasbro got the mold back from Funskool in 2003 and released Roadblock repaints in 2004 and 2005.  Every version of this mold is useful, fun and great for the character.  You have solidly vintage paint jobs, fun neon paint jobs and very useful, muted paint jobs.  There's something for everyone with this sculpt.

The 1993 Roadblock isn't a terribly common figure to find.  All of the 1993 repaints of 1992 molds tend to be less common than the other, new figures for the year.  It's much easier to find a 1993 Star Brigade Roadblock than it this repaint.  This leads to insane dealer pricing where some ask for up to $45 for a mint and complete figure.  These don't tend to sell, though.  Just the figure seems to sell in the $17 range.  And, the accessories aren't too hard to track down or expensive on their own.  The high price is a function of the limited supply.  And, you don't see this figure being used all that often.  So, it's not popularity driving his pricetag.  I'm torn as to whether the 1992 or 1993 figure is better.  But, that's mostly moot since the 2004 Anti Venom and 2005 HAS repaints are superior to both the vintage colorings.  But, this 1993 is the most fun version of this Roadblock sculpt.  And, that's worth something.

1993 Roadblock, Mega Marines Mirage


1993 Roadblock, Outback


1993 Roadblock, Mega Marines Gung Ho, Funskool Incinerator, 2003

1993 Roadblock


Saturday, October 4, 2025

1985 Tele Viper - Random Photos of the Day

The Tele Viper should be a staple of everyone's Cobra army.  And, to a degree, he kind of is.  Pretty much everyone has a couple.  But, they have never taken on the army building cachet of other 1985-1989 Cobra figures.  On the surface, the Tele Viper is done up in Cobra blue with purple highlights.  He matches two of the three classic, Cobra colors.  He was released in a key year and was a staple of both the comic and cartoon.  His gear is very well done and matches the figure, perfectly.  

Every station in a Cobra base or vehicle should have a Tele Viper manning it.  But, that's never occurred to any great degree.  You'll see a Terrordrome with one or two Tele Vipers in it.  But, you'll never seen the entire open bay being operated by a Tele Viper army.  As one off figures, the Tele Viper is a welcomed addition in every collection.  But, he's just not a figure that collectors swarm to like they the equally photogenic Vipers and Crimson Guards.

I suspect part of that is related to Tele Vipers not being "combat" figures.  (You can argue Crimson Guards aren't, either.  But, that doesn't seem to matter to anyone.)  So, they never got the "rows of figures on a metal shelf in an unfinished basement" treatment that was afforded to more revered army building figures.  And, with that, the Tele Viper simply became somewhat of an afterthought in the collecting world.  

It doesn't help that the Tele Viper is weirdly sculpted.  His head seems too big and all his parts just appear to be mis-apportioned.  The figure still works.  He's just not at the same level of parts cohesion that you see on Eels or BATs.

Despite my feelings that this figure is underappreciated, I don't really use him, either.  Over the years, he's just appeared in a handful of photos.  And, there's many times when the Tele Viper would have greatly enhanced a scene, but I simply chose not to use him.  I guess the Tele Viper is a figure that I want to like a lot more than I actually do.  That's OK, though.  It leaves a very useful figure as one that's not overdone.

1985 Tele Viper, Crimson Guard, 2005, 2004, Operation Crimson Sabotage, KB Toys Exclusive, Clear Cobra Commander, Comic Pack

1985 Tele Viper, Crimson Guard

1985 Tele Viper, Crimson Guard


Tuesday, September 30, 2025

2020 Night Force Snake Armor - Black Major

I do not like the Snake armor.  I hated it as a kid and it has been completely and utterly irrelevant to me for over 40 years.  But, one of the things that helps us grow as people it to take another look at something we dislike and try to understand why we dislike and if the circumstances around that dislike warrant another evaluation of our opinion.  It's something good to do with political views, social conventions and even the people in and around your life.  So, when Black Major produced Snake Armors in 2020, I saw an opportunity to pick one up and see if my childhood bias against the toy held up.  In this case, I'm actually looking at a Night Force version of the Snake armor.  I'm not sure why there's a Night Force version.  But, it was cheap and included a Stormshadow repaint I wanted.  And, the base colors are Cobra enough that it solved my need for a sample of the Snake that would help determine if I've been wrong for the last 4 decades.

The Snake came out in 1983.  It was a cheap toy that was meant to fill the price gap between a figure and base vehicle.  At the time, Hasbro ensured Joe toys existed within price points so that G.I. Joe toys were a possibility for any level of gift giver.  And, because of this, my brothers and I got no less than 3 Snakes between birthdays and Christmas in the fall of 1983.  By that point, I was completely engrossed in G.I. Joe and they were the only toys I really played with. So, ostensibly, any Joe toy would have been an awesome addition to my toy room.  But, Snakes were not.  From the get go, I found them useless.  The last thing I wanted was a suit that limited articulation on my figures.  I could easily imagine some force shield that offered all the power of a Snake without limiting my ability to pose the figures any way I wanted.  But, the most damning aspect of the toy was that, in order to use it, it took a figure out of rotation.  Someone had to be inside the suit for the thing to work.

So, now we get the crux of the issue.  Pretty much anyone reading this would say, "What about the exoskeleton included with the Snake that allowed it to be set without a figure?!?".  Usually, this would be prefaced or ended with the word dummy.  (Or, your expletive of choice.)  But, we'll save that.  Because, you see, I didn't know about the exo skeleton piece.  In all three of our Snakes, that little part was tossed with the leftover sprues.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it was the zeal of opening something new.  Or, I was just a moron who missed it.  But, I didn't know this part existed for a many years.  So, this is the part where you call me a dummy.  

But, to be fair, this was not the end of the Snake for me.  In time, certain Cobra figures got broken.  Even as a kid, I could not abide by figures with broken crotches or thumbs.  So, when a Cobra Officer was damaged, it made perfect sense for him to slide into the Snake as the operator.  This allowed me to use the Snake.  But, it also didn't cost me a figure since someone already broken was no longer considered part of my actual collection.  But, even with this addition of a figure, I found the Snake lacking.  Like the MANTA, the Snake didn't stay together all that well when you actually played with it.  And, the lack of poseability still killed it.  In short, the Snake couldn't manage to find a way into my adventures.

In 1984, I started buying the Joe comic.  In short order, I found a local comic book shop and started buying back issues of the Joe issues.   Eventually, I came across issue #19.  Here, Dr. Venom put Kwinn and Snake Eyes into the Snakes and had them attack the G.I. Joe Headquarters.  I had a few problems with this issue.  First, Dr. Venom kept referring the Hiss Tank being "Cobra blue".  As the Hiss was canonically black, I found this a glaring error.  Second, it didn't make sense to me that Kwinn and Snake Eyes would have their bodies controlled, but still have clear enough minds to shoot the locks on the suit.  Finally, it was self defeating to have these invincible suits who could be cracked open by a guy who somehow managed to get a remote controlled machine gun to fire manually.  The upside, though, was that the terrible suits were proven very ineffective.  And, in my mind, my dislike of Snakes as a toy and a concept were codified in the comic forever.

But, at its core, my dislike of the Snake went deeper.  Generally, I was not a fan of robots.  For some reason, I never got the robot bug.  This manifested itself in 1986 when I found the BAT a fairly lame toy and character.  BATs were fun for about 4 minutes before Sgt. Slaughter would slip behind them, shoot them in the back and watch them burst into flame...rendering them absolutely useless.  I was shocked to find my friends and even random kids at the store who LOVED BATs.  I didn't get the fascination with robots.  And, I still don't.  I see collectors going ga-ga over mechs and things and I simply don't understand the appeal.  But, to me, the humanity of the characters was a driving force in my play.  So, even in my days of playing with Star Wars figures, I rarely found the robots interesting.  Monsters and aliens could be given personality.  But, I just didn't click with robots.  And, to this day, I find anything that heavily features robots to be kind of boring.

The Black Major Snakes are very well done.  They are of high quality and display nicely.  The paint masks are crisp and the rainbow of colors allow even curmudgeons like myself to find something of interest.  Snake accessories tended to break on the vintage toys.  With the Black Major figures, the risk is still there.  But, the attachments fit snugly and work very well with the arms.  The parts fit together without falling apart.  And, even with the exo skeleton inside, the toy stands and functions just fine.  

There are tons of Black Major paint variants of Snakes available.  A few colors were even metallicized and you can get shining versions that look like Christmas ornaments if you are so inclined.  The original Snake had an interesting life.  Hasbro released the white version in 1983.  Then, in 1985, they repainted it into a blue version.  I have no idea why the Snake got this treatment when other, far better vehicles in the price point did not.  But, the blue Snake exists and is somewhat rare.  In Europe, Palitoy released a red Snake named the Escape Armor for the Red Shadows.  Of course, it's highly desirable and expensive.  Funskool finally released the Snake in the 1990's.  There are various hues, the most famous being a gray version.  Again, this is hard to find and you'll pay a premium for one.  So, for a crappy, crappy toy, there are tons of variants out there.  Yet, there are only two Flight Pods and one real coloring for the CLAW....

Black Major Snakes dried up pretty quickly.  While you can still find them, the initial assortment sold out far faster than I would have thought.  All this proves is that my take on the Snake is the minority opinion in the community and the design is generally well liked.  Less desirable colors of the Snake are still available in the $12 range.  But, some of the most desirable colors almost never appear for sale and will command a premium.  For me, it was easy to get one like this Night Force version because it was more about having one Snake to review than having the right colors.  If you're a Snake fan, that might not be the case.  

2020 Black Major Night Force Snake Armor, 1993 Dr. Mindbender, 1992 Overkill, BAT Commander, 1994 Star Brigade Cobra Commander


Friday, September 26, 2025

1993 Beach Head - Around The Web

I really like the 1993 Beach Head.  I find the design fun and the colors work.  Despite this, I find it difficult to use the figure all that often.  This is mainly due to the heavy use of blue in  the coloring.  It makes him Cobra adjacent and prevents him from meshing well with many other figures.  I've long liked him as a crew member on the 1984 Whale hovercraft.  But, I haven't had mine out in more than a decade.  So, I'm left trying to match up the figure with some of the vehicles that I do have available.  And, the results never live up to the idea of this Beach Head that I have in my head.  

The figure could use one more paint mask.  A little silver would to a long way towards bringing out the details on the mold.  Even a paint mask on his goggles would add a lot to the head.  But, I still like the figure as it is.  I long used him as an army builder.  But, those days are passed and I mostly just pose him as Beach Head among some of his contemporary figures.  

1993 Beach Head Profile

1993 Beach Head at Nekoman's Viper Pit

1993 Beach Head by purple_cobra75

1993 Beach Head by 1990s_gi_joes

1993 Beach Head by HCC788

1993 Beach Head by evilface

1993 Beach head by viper_space

1993 Beach Head by ptytoys2021

1993 Beach Head by Nekoman

1993 Beach Head by Dok Sewage

1993 Beach Head by thedustinmccoy

1993 Beach Head by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

1993 Beach Head, Snake Eyes, Ninja Force, Sci Fi, Monster Blaster APC, Mega Marines


1993 Beach Head, Duke


1993 Beach Head, Leatherneck


1993 Beach Head, Gung Ho, Duke, Battle Corps


Thursday, September 25, 2025

Pythona

I have never seen the G.I. Joe movie.  It was not aired in my local market back in 1987.  In fact, I only learned about it from some friends who lived down the street.  They came back from being out of town and excitedly told me about this crazy movie.  It had real movie stars.  And, it had some weird bugs that turned Cobra Commander into a lizard.  The entire thing was completely unbelievable.  Their devotion to the bit made me think this "movie" was real.  But, in the back of my head, I still thought it was just a practical joke.

Eventually, the movie aired on a local station.  I saw that there were famous performers who starred in it.  But, it was late 1987 and I was pretty much done with Joe.  So, I didn't watch it.  And, in the ensuing 38 years, I've never had interest in rectifying this situation.  I was raised on the comic and my focus on Joe was related to the comic world.  I watched the G.I. Joe mini-series starting in 1983.  But, I didn't really remember any of them.  I watched the daily cartoon when it debuted.  But, again, it didn't really stick.  (And, the one time I tried to watch an episode as an adult, I didn't even last 5 minutes before turning it off.  It's bad.)  The cartoon was kind of an in-and-out experience where I watched it, but didn't care about it.  I have more recollections of the Transformers cartoon than I do the Joe version.  

All that is to say, I really have no background on Pythona.  My only experience with her was from other collectors who made customs or talked about her.  But, frankly, she wasn't a force in the early days of online collectordom.  Cartoon fans were largely drummed out of the community back in the 1990's in favor of comic universe focus.  I mentioned to a friend a few weeks ago that I really do wonder what might have happened had the club not decided to attack the cartoon focused Zartan's Domain website back in the 1990's.  It was the largest and most popular G.I. Joe site of the time.  But, some cretins did a whole bunch of, frankly, illegal stuff to harass the site's owner and, eventually, get him to close down the site.  With it gone, the collector focus turned almost 100% to the comic continuity.  Eventually, this manifested with the Comic Pack toys in the mid '00's.  I do believe that cartoon designs would have garnered more of Hasbro attention had their not been a concerted effort to relegate the cartoon to second tier status.  Just another example of the long history of Joe fans getting screwed over by a few people who happened to have Hasbro's ear.

That brings us to this figure, though.  Super7 pretty much has the Joe license because the owner loved the cartoon and the Joe movie.  And, from the ReAction days, the line has always been heavily cartoon favored with a few comic homages tossed in.  So, seeing Pythona isn't, really, a surprise.  The Joe fanbase has, mostly, moved on from the comic vs. cartoon schism of the early days.  Good figure ideas appear everywhere.  But, the cartoon has been eking out popularity gains for nearly two decades, now.  There were some figures in the anniversary era that touched on the animation.  But, Super7's foray into action figures has given the cartoon the representation it missed from the first twenty years of this century.

Personally, I don't much care for the ReAction+ figures.  The human heads look weird and don't mesh with vintage figures.  But, the non-humans are pretty solid.  The overall smoothness and lack of raised details really limits the figures.  But, the colors are spectacular.  All of which adds up to a Pythona figure that looks really nice.  Pythona's design is, by its very nature, smooth and absent of details.  So, Super7's sculpting limitations aren't in play.  Her colors are eye-popping.  And, they are well captured here.  And, Pythona's not supposed to be human.  So, the odd shaping and overblown size of her head work in her favor.  In short, this looks like a good figure.

And, it's likely to be the next Super7 figure I buy.  Normally, I'd have saved up all this bloviating for her profile.  But, there's no guarantee I'll find her at retail.  I'm not going to pay shipping on a $25 figure.  So, I'm going to be dependent upon my local Target store carrying this wave.  I don't much go to Target any more.  I've been 1 time this year to pick up the Star Wars retro pack.  So, I'm not likely to stumble across her on a routine trip to the store.  (All of this assumes, of course, that this wave will even be available at retail.....)  So, there's no guarantee I'll acquire Pythona.  Which, would kind of be a shame.  She's weird and colorful in a way that really appeals to me.  My extent of her usage would be some photos along with the Power Commandos.  But, that's a better fate than most figures I've acquired in the last decade.  The upside is that I'm content with not owning the figure.  She was not a part of the G.I. Joe I ever knew.  So, I have no attachment that would send me spiraling to buy one by any means necessary.  Even though I suspect that she'll find some decent after market appreciation after she's sold out, I'm OK with missing her.  I'd prefer not to, of course.  So, we'll see how things play out over the next few weeks and if she ever shows up via an avenue I'm willing to take to acquire her.

2025 ReAction+ Pythona, Cobra La, G.I. Joe Movie, Super7

2025 ReAction+ Pythona, Cobra La, G.I. Joe Movie, Super7




Monday, September 22, 2025

2003 Overkill - Around The Web

Overkill isn't a figure I've ever used with any frequency.  When it was time to reduce my collection in the early 2010's, I even got rid of my vintage Overkill.  The reason was that I had this nice 2003 version and there was no reason to keep two versions of the character.  Now, I regret that decision as the original figure is quite well done.  But, I have some solace in that I kept this 2003 figure and can still enjoy him.

The truth, though, is that I don't really take the time to appreciate this figure.  In fact, my only remaining copy was still packed in his original baggie from the mail away set that shipped in late spring of 2003.  I've taken him out once or twice.  But, that's it.  And, that makes little sense.  Overkill is a cool looking figure who has some really nice gear, fun play features and solid colors.  In short, he's everything I want in a Joe figure.  Yet, he doesn't resonate with me.

Mostly, it's because he's a robot.  I feel BAT's are a poor excuse for a villain.  And, anything that dehumanizes the toll of war should be immediately suspect.  So, that instantly reduces Overkill's usefulness.  But, there's no reason I can't find a better aspect for the figure.  While sentient robots carry a tremendous amount of baggage that extends beyond their role of protagonist or antagonist, you can find some ground where they can be useful.

Recently, I read a quote about how "all the best robots outwardly hate their creators" and that's a line that's stuck with me.  Though, I'm not sure how to make it work.  Overkill is equipped with weapons.  No good person would built a robotic killing machine.  So, Overkill can't be rebelling against his benevolent creators.  So, that leaves him as the evil killing machine created by the most vile villains on earth.  Hating them makes Overkill a bad guy.  And the whole trope of a bad guy turning good is also problematic because no amount of good can overcome a murder.  

So, I now see Overkill as a weapon of last resort for Cobra.  He is activated when the situation is either very dire.  Or, it can be carefully controlled.  Overkill is an unrequited killing machine.  And, once activated, will not really discriminate about his victims.  Cobra Commander, of course, doesn't really care about some friendly fire casualties among his rank and file troopers.  What he does care about, though, is that Overkill has the ability to escape dire situations, is fully cognizant that the Cobras in his vicinity are there to destroy him once his objective is attained and Overkill then still has the determination to pursue the Cobra hierarchy.  And, even the fail safes built into Overkill can't be trusted because the robot is smart enough to detect and disable them prior to confronting the Cobra hierarchy.

So, if the Cobra technicians aren't able to turn Overkill off before he escapes, then Cobra Commander and his ilk are in danger of being stalked by a killer robot who is hell bent on revenge.  At the same time, the Joes can't work with Overkill because his primary purpose is still to kill them.  So, you have a monster who is loose in the world with no allies and grudges against all who he encounters.  There are some Cobras who can negotiate with Overkill.  But, his concessions are not killing them and them providing information on the Commander's whereabouts.  It makes the decision to use Overkill much more dire.  And, it also sets up a plotline where both Cobra and Joe are deathly afraid of a killer robot that is out there, trying to kill them both.

2003 Overkill Profile

2003 BAT Set Pre Production Figures

2003 Overkill by fun_time_at_serpentors_lair

2003 Overkill by themexicangriswolds

2003 Overkill by toysandtomfoolery

2003 Overkill by kitbash_joe

2003 Overkill by slipstream80

2003 Overkill  at JoeADay.com

2003 Overkill by toysandtomfoolery

2003 Overkill  at Action-Force.dk

2003 Overkill at GeneralsJoesReborn.com

2003 Overkill by g.i.joe_manila_ph

2003 BAT Pack Mail  Away, Overkill, 2023 Ramp Rat, 1987 Cobra Wolf, 1998 Snow Serpent, Toys R Us Exclusive














2003 Overkill, BAT Pack, Mail Away, Funskool Scrap Iron, Ripper, Dreadnok



Thursday, September 18, 2025

1990 Sonic Fighters Viper

So, this started out as a Random Photos of the Day post.  I thought I'd write some things about him.  And, the thought train kept going.  Suddenly, it was a full blown profile.  Sure, I've looked at the figure, before.  But, that was 24 years ago.  Since then, this figure has risen, fallen and settled into a niche in the collecting community.  

The golden Sonic Fighters Viper isn't a figure I should like all that much.  I'm not a huge fan of the Viper mold.  And, figures with rich, brown base colors can be tough to love.  But, the updated Viper from 1990 really works.  The color combo of gold and brown creates the visual of a Viper leader.  And, back in 2001, that was a specialty that was sorely needed in the Joe line.  As collectors were in the beginning stages of building their collections, individual pieces were of far more value.  Everyone was busy buying up all the 1986 Vipers, 1983 Cobra Troopers and 1986 Bats they could find.  They needed someone to command those troopers.  And, at the time, the notion of wasting a Cobra hierarchy slot on a duty as mundane as leading Vipers wasn't appealing.  That made this Sonic Viper a fairly desirable figure for many collectors to acquire.

As the early 2000's spawned the hobby of Joe photography, the golden Viper was a staple of troop building photos.  He may have been inspecting a line of soldiers.  Or, he might have been barking orders in an action shot.  But, he was a common presence among creators of the day.  The Sonic Viper brought some visual diversity to a photo.  And, his gold coloring offset the blue, red and black of the standard Cobra army.  This lead to him being a fairly pricey figure.  He quickly started to cost the same as, or even more than, 1986 Vipers.  When faced with a choice of buying up additional Sonic Vipers or adding to armies of the classic blue and red figures, collectors didn't really make a choice.  The 1986 figures were always the preferred acquisition.  There was always a need for more basic troops and most collectors could feign contentment with a single centurion figure to lead their army.

And, with this, the Sonic Viper's popularity ebbed away.  He wasn't an army building staple.  And, as armies grew, the need for the figure to appear in photos began to diminish.  As the 2000's turned to the 2010's, the Sonic Viper became less common to see.  His diminished cache was simply a function of his narrow specialty.  If people could only fit 8 figures in a photo, it would be 8 of the same army builder.  With more experience, the creators of the 2010's became more ambitious in their photos, too.  Action shots contained more action.  And, they were more frequently the subject of photos.  The notion of a gaudy leader for cannon fodder legions of Cobra was less plausible when they team was in action.  So, the Sonic Viper began to fade away.  He wasn't as important as he'd once been.  

And, this leads to the figure today.  Now, the Sonic Viper is somewhat obscure, again.  Sure, he's a guy that everyone owns.  But, you don't see him in the sparse G.I. Joe content that's out there.  And, even in the boasting posts of new acquisitions that are the staples of many communities, the Sonic Viper is a rare entrant: even as people continue to acquire other versions of the Viper.  The Sonic Viper has just become one of those figures that everyone seems content with just owning one or two.  And, after that, there's not much reason to seek out others.  It's not a bad fate for a figure.  He continues to be appreciated.  But, he's not nearly as popular as other, more commonly seen Viper figures.

During the late 1990's, I was one of very few collectors who focused on acquiring lots and collections from the early 1990's.  They were hard to find.  But, it was fun to track them down.  In my years of building up my collection, regular Sonic Fighters weren't overly common.  Somehow, though, I still managed to acquire three loose versions of this Viper figure.  As if that weren't enough, I also, randomly, acquired a carded version.  The fun thing about buying lots in that era is that you were usually buying some kid's childhood toys.  So, stuff they outgrew and never opened, like a carded figure or two, would pop up among the loose figures and vehicles.  The collections hadn't been curated to remove the rares and desirables.  Guys were just clearing closet space for some beer money.  The notion of these being collectible hadn't really ingrained itself into Gen X culture.  By 2001, that was mostly done.  And, you'd start to see collections broken into Joes and Cobras to maximize revenue.  Now, lots like that are all gone.  You see attempts at defining lots as "childhood collections" in the various sales arenas.  But, they all follow the same pattern of missing army builders, lacking key characters or simply crossing too many years.  It's an innocence lost as you can't really recreate a childhood collection.  But, it was fun while it lasted.

The coloring on this Viper is fantastic.  While most people refer to him as a golden Viper, the reality is that his base color is a rich, deep brown.  It's similar to the color found on the 1988 Charbroil.  It's a color that's relatively rare in the vintage line.  Were this figure offset by tan highlights instead of gold, we'd have an amazing desert Viper.  But, instead, Hasbro went with the golden color.  And, the results are striking.  Against the brown base, the gold paint pops.  It gives the figure his regal appearance.  Outside of the gold, though, there's not much else going on.  You have a bit of black on the figure's belt and gloves.  And, there's a red Cobra sigil to match the red faceplate.  That's the end  of the colors, though.  As far as paint masks go, the Sonic Viper is simple.  But, when you get a match like the brown and gold, the fact that there aren't many other paints doesn't matter.  And, this figure proves that strong color matches can render additional paint mask obsolete.

The Sonic Viper includes a nice cadre of accessories.  The upside to the premium price of the Sonic Fighters was that Hasbro tossed in a bunch of extra weapons.  As a kid, I'd have loved a way to pick up more guns than 1 figure could use.  But, this didn't start happening until after my time had passed.  Regardless, the Viper includes four uniquely colored weapons.  There are golden colored versions of the 1988 Hit and Run Rifle, the 1988 Shockwave pistol, the 1989 Annihilator's pistol and all three pieces of the 1989 Downtown's mortar.  The golden color works for this Viper.  But, it's less useful in outfitting other figures.  Along with those weapons, he includes the massive Sonic backpack.  I'm not sure the full complement of gear was worth double the retail price in 1990.  But, more weapons are better than less.

The Viper mold was used just three times in the vintage line: on the 1986 original, the 1989 Python Patrol figure, and this Sonic Fighters version.  The full mold never appeared again.  But, Hasbro did make mostly Vipers in 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2006.  If that wasn't enough, Red Laser Army made some very nice, removable helmet Viper flavors between 2016 and 2018.  And, then, Black Major recreated the mold and has released over 50 additional Viper colorings.  As such, you can get any and every flavor of Viper you ever wanted.  It's a far cry from the army building starved days of 2001 when it was inconceivable that there could ever be enough Viper figures.  It's still baffling that the Viper didn't make the cut for the 2022 Pulse era figures.  I can't help but wonder how much better a Viper/BAT two pack would have sold over the Trooper/Officer set.  We'll never know, though.

While this figure's time in the sun has passed, that doesn't mean he's a cheap acquisition, these days.  Sonic Fighters exist in lower quantities than other 1990 figures.  And, there's an  argument to be made that the Viper is most popular among the subset.  While the figure isn't hard to find, you'll pay for him.  Loose versions with an accessory or two will run you $20-$25.  But, complete figures trend around $50.  Which, is odd, since carded figures can be had for around $75.  There seems to be a lot of value in the accessories.  Since collectors of the early 2000's often separated the sonic backpacks from the figures to save space, the packs became disassociated with their figures when it came time to liquidate some spare army builders.  So,  you now have a somewhat premium accessory complement.  The upside is that a loose figure isn't terribly priced.  And, it's easy to get better gear for the figure.  So, that's the way to go.

For me, this is a figure of another era.  I still really like.  He looks great in photos and is fun to have around. But, I don't use him like I used to.  The notion of a Viper leader is passe, now.  I'm more wont to use a squad of identical figures with a character leading them.  With so many Vipers coming out in the past two and a half decades, the uniqueness of a golden leader for the faceless Viper corps is less useful.  You can easily assign the duty to a character and achieve the same result.  You can find better Vipers to guard Serpentor, and their golden colors more closely match the Cobra Emperor.  So, this guy now kind of sits around.  At some point, he'll get my attention, again.  But, until then, I get to enjoy the memories associated with this figure and the collecting world's evolution around him.

1990 Sonic Fighters Viper, Gold Viper, Overlord, Altitude, Sky Patrol, 2022 Stinger


1990 Sonic Fighters Viper, Gold Viper, 2008 Headhunter BAT, 1988 IMP


1990 Sonic Fighters Viper, Gold Viper, 1988 Hardball, Repeater, Mean Dog


Saturday, September 13, 2025

1983 Flash - Random Photos of the Day

I've been working on something about the original 13 figures for a month or so.  I'm about 80% done.  But, that last 20% is turning into a slog.  Hopefully, I'll work through it in the next week or two.  Until then, I'm going with some random photos of the most elaborate original 13 figure: Flash.  He features amazing colors, great accessories and a complex mold.  He's the best designed of all the original figures and the most complete overall release.  He looks great in photos and can be used in a variety of settings.  So, check out some Flash pictures until I get some inspiration to work through an extended period of writer's block.

1983 Flash, Laser Rifle Trooper, Original 13, General Hawk, MMS, Stalker

1983 Flash, Laser Rifle Trooper, Original 13, Ace, Dragonfly


1983 Flash, Laser Rifle Trooper, Original 13, Grand Slam, JUMP, Jet Pack, Short Fuse

1983 Flash, Laser Rifle Trooper, Original 13, General Hawk, MMS

1983 Flash, Laser Rifle Trooper, Original 13, 2022 Duke, Hasbro Pulse

1983 Flash, Laser Rifle Trooper, Original 13, Stalker