1992 Flak Viper vs. 1993 Night Creeper - Brothers in Design

A few years ago, I was cataloging some new acquisitions.  I spread the figures out on a white plastic lid and take pictures to document them before they join the rest of my figures in various drawers that are segregated by year and affiliation.  Two figures in the bunch, though, drew my eye.  I happened to place one above the other.  At first, I noticed how their accessories were the same color.  But, upon closer inspection I found that these two figures shared more than just common hues of their gear.  At first glance, the 1992 Flak Viper and the 1993 Night Creeper could not be more different figures.  But, they share quite a bit of common design.

One of the hallmarks of the Joe line is compatibility.  Not only were things like accessories and vehicles designed to work with any figure, but the figures themselves were designed to complement each other in terms of the colors chosen.  This is why you'll see instances where figures released years apart use plastic of exactly the same color.  This trend started with the line's initial release year and carried over through 1994.  Most collectors lose sight of this compatibility as the line progressed.  But, it's still there.  And, the similarities between the Flak Viper and Night Creeper showcase that the designers reused color combos and sculpting elements that worked well.

The most visual clue to the figure's similarities is the blue base used for each.  The blue color is identical.  The color matches on the figures as well as on the accessories.  As such, you can interchange their weapons and still retain the same visual appeal.  Each incorporates the blue into the main figure coloring, too.  In fact, the blue forms the accent color for both figures.  Really, the only difference in color between the figures is the green on the Flak Viper and the purple on the Night Creeper.  

Going deeper than the blue, though, you see that both figures utilize the same shade of grey as well.  While it's more prevalent on the Flak Viper, the same hue is used to mute the Night Creeper's purple and blue.  The crazy part, though, is the Night Creepers lower arms.  The grey there is broken up by lines.  These lines perfectly match those used on the Flak Vipers vest.  Were is possible to swap the Night Creeper's lower arms with those of the Flak Viper, the Flak Viper would appear as if he were designed with the Night Creeper's arms.

There are a few other design similarities as well.  First, both figures feature a massive chest that is crossed by a strap.  For the Flak Viper, it's his overalls.  For the Night Creeper, it's a bandolier.  But, both start at the bottom right and cover the left shoulder.  Both of their arms feature short sleeves over a grey undershirt.  And, both have elaborate gloves on their hands.

In addition, you will note that both figures feature details on the upper arm, right above the swivel joint.  These adornments are unnecessary.  But, help to hide the joint and give both figures more bulk in their arms.  The construction of the arms on both figures is remarkably similar.  It makes both figures appear more bulky and adds details to break up the mold and make it appear more substantial.

The final point of similarity is in the helmets.  While this one is a bit more far fetched, both helmets are blue with a visor of a different color.  (Black for the Flak Viper, red for the Night Creeper.)  Each helmet has a design in the center with smoother lines on both sides of it.  While the helmets are definitely different.  You see some of the same design elements on each.  Hasbro knew how to make an action figure look cool.  And, they could incorporate artistic creativity inside standard templates that they knew would translate to a toy kids would love.  

Having noticed these similarities, I now want a Flak Viper in 1993 Night Creeper colors and a Night Creeper in 1992 Flak Viper colors.  Both would make for excellent toys and would complement each other very well.  I'm probably the only person who would want this.  But, the fact that these figures are so similarly colored really makes me want to see each figure in the other's color scheme.  

I'm sure there are more examples in the line of figures who, at first sight, appear totally different but who are, actually, very similar in their design.  It was a bit of kismet that lead me to see these two figures and how similar they were.  So, if you have some other examples (The Interrogator and Sonic Dial Tone are another.), please post them up in the comments.

2004 Urban Strike Scrap Iron - Random Photos of the Day

This is another figure that's now over 20 years old.  I still remember this set being released.  Collectors were torn on it since it had three really awesome army builders, but also three characters.  It did help that Firefly, Scrap Iron and Stormshadow all had amazing paint jobs...even if the Stormshadow mold choice left something to be desired.  I bought my standard 7 sets at the time and thought I had a nice little army.  My local Toys R Us store, though, partook in a nationwide promotion on this set and offered it for $15 in the store for a few weeks.  At the time, I had enough.  In retrospect, I should have grabbed a couple of extra sets.

I'll now argue that the Urban Assault set was the best TRU exclusive 6 pack.  (Python Patrol is a strong challenger, though.)  While the accessories weren't spectacular, the figure choice and overall coloring was.  The dark, Cobra blue combined with black and leathery brown all made for great figures that have stood the test of time better than most of the other sets that were released.  

As Scrap Iron goes, I tend to ebb and flow with interest in him.  I'll pretty much forget about the character and his figures for a long time.  Then, I'll see someone use him in a great photo and my interest is peaked.  I then try to capture the cool essence of the figure that drew me to him in the first place.  But, I almost always fail to do so.  So, Scrap Iron goes back into his drawer until my interest is sparked once again.

But, I am pleased with the selection of photos I've gotten of the Urban Assault Scrap Iron.  I saw someone pair him up with the Battle Gear missile launcher.  So, I stole that look and have really enjoyed what it's brought to the figure.  In good lighting, you can see just how much detail was painted on this Scrap Iron figure.  And, there's an argument to be made that he might be a better visual than even the vintage figure from 1984.  

Here's some of my favorite photos I've taken of this guy in recent years.  I'll probably continue to get more because he does photograph well and classic Cobras are always popular photo subjects.

1993 Mutt

Hasbro originally planned for the DEF sub series to carry over into 1993.  It was going to include several newly sculpted characters as well as some repaints of the 1992 series.  For some reason, though, the DEF concept was retired and the figures who were planned for the subset were released under the standard Battle Corps umbrella.  This was a likely function of the 1992 figures not being strong sellers (they had a much higher retail price point) and 1993 already having 3 other large cardback format subsets.  (Mega Marines, Armor Tech and Street Fighter)  While the new sculpts planned for DEF continued the strong tradition of the 1992's, the repaints were a bit more brazen.  Gone were the muted colors of the originals: replaced with bright, eye catching colors to attract the kids of the day.  The repaint of Mutt stands out.  His dark vest is now bright orange.  Despite that fact, the figure still works and is a nice match up for his contemporaries of the day.

As I hunted down the dregs of the Joe line at  retail in 1995 and 1996, the DEF figures haunted me from the cardbacks of other figures.  The Headhunter and Headhunter Stormtrooper were simply figures I was never going to find.  But, seeing Mutt among the characters also intrigued me.  Mutt was a childhood favorite character.  So, getting a new version would have been a nostalgic treat.  But, no DEF figures were to be found.  Even as I'd find representatives of all the other figures on the cardbacks of 1993 and 1994 figures, I never found Mutt or his casemates.  I did find a Gristle or two at out of the way outlets.  But, I never bought him as I didn't like the figure.  A friend of mine did manage to find Muskrat and Mace hidden on old endcap of his local K-Mart.  And, those were the only two DEF figures I'd manage to track down.

As I got more serious about collecting in the late '90's and early '00's, I spent an inordinate amount of time chasing down lots of loose 1990's era figures.  They weren't easy to find as it was the '80's figures who were ubiquitous at toy shows, flea markets and online marketplaces.  But, I did manage to get quite an assortment of figures from the line's later years.  But, the DEF figures were rarely among them.  I went on a quest to find this Mutt at some point.  All of my avenues, though, turned up empty.  Eventually, I found a seller in Malaysia who a carded Mutt and some Funskool figures for sale for a good price.  I bought them, paid and waited a month for a box to arrive at my house.  Inside was my first Mutt and my first real foray into Funskool.  (Just two months later, YoJoe would start importing cheap Funskool in February of 2001: making them much more accessible than they had ever been before.)  I didn't actually get around to opening Mutt, though, until either 2001 or 2002.  And, even with a loose sample in hand, I rarely used the figure.  The 1992 version was just so much better.

When I emerged from my dark period of collecting in the early to mid '10's, I had a new appreciation of this Mutt.  I found that he photographed well.  And, there was a contingent of younger collectors who had grown up with the 1990's Joes and considered them the classics.  So, this Mutt started getting more use.  In fact, he ended up surpassing the 1992 figure as my go-to coloring when I wanted this Mutt version to appear.  In recent years, I've used him nearly exclusively when I want a Mutt who will blend with other '90's figures.  I've really grown to appreciate the different colors.  I'm at a point where uniquely colored figures are more interesting to me than multiple figures all in the same color scheme. That's not an opinion shared by many collectors.  But, it's how I find value in offbeat figures like this Mutt. 

The one detail I love and hate about this Mutt are the dog biscuits that are sculpted onto his vest.  On one hand, it's a fun little detail that shows Mutt's devotion to his K-9 pal.  On another level, it's a bit of cheesiness that makes the figure into a borderline joke.  (Kind of like the 1993 Bazooka's fishing gear ensemble.)  I waffle between the two.  The treats likely kept this torso from being considered for other characters at any point in the line's history.  So, that's a nice way to keep Mutt unique.  It also takes away from the seriousness of the figure.  Though, you can kind of see a law enforcement type taunting some poor sap with the dog biscuit in an attempt to dehumanize them.  So, there's that.

The 1993 Mutt and 1992 Mutt share similar green colors on the figure's undershirt and arms and similar browns on the wrist and boot protectors.  After that, they differ, starkly.  The 1993 version uses the bright orangish-red vest.  I call it orange.  Though, others my describe it as more red.  His pants are also a brighter blue that is just a shade lighter than the 1992 figure's vest.  Somewhere, there's a weird custom of the 1992 torso on 1993 legs.  The 1992 version is a nice match up to the 1989 Slaughter's Marauders color scheme.  The 1993 stands more on it's own.  Both are visually appealing.  I prefer the 1993 as a crew member on the Shark 9000.  But, I also gravitate towards him most other settings, too, since the brighter colors are more photogenic.

The 1993 Mutt's accessories are fairly different from the 1992 release.  He does include a cool, small pistol that debuted with the 1992 figure.  It's a solid look for the figure and remains my default choice for his use.  There is also the requisite Junkyard dog.   The amazing net launcher from the 1992 figure is gone, though.  It is replaced with a solid red, spring loaded missile launcher and a gold missile.  The 1993 DEF figures got paired down spring loaded weapons: likely a function of their standard retail price point for 1993.  So, the launcher is a downgrade.  The final accessory, though, was a surprise to me when I opened a 1993 Mutt off the card back in 2001 or 2002.  He also includes the golden rifle from Headman.  As Headman was missing form the 1993 assortment, you can read whatever you want into Mutt's possession  of the rifle.  (Especially in light of the Headman dying in the cartoon.)  But, I was surprised to find it included with the figure.  And, it's not uncommon to find dealers missing this accessory with loose Mutts just because it's so out of place and forgotten.

When it comes to this Mutt, the figure got three uses.  The 1992 original figure is the best.  This 1993 repaint is fun.  And, there is a 2004 Convention Tiger Force release that's interesting.  None of them, though, have taken off in the collecting world.  If you're a carded variant hunter, this Mutt was released on a real DEF cardback in Australia.  These were once the darlings of the collecting world.  But, now, they're more of a footnote.  There are several existing examples of this figure on a Hasbro DEF card, too.  Those were never actually released.  But, many of them survived and now exist in private collections.  It remains a shame that this figure didn't get at least one other use in the repaint era of the early 2000's.  It would have been great as an inclusion in a Toys R Us exclusive 6 pack.  The mold has some potential.  But, alas, it went unfulfilled.

Many of the 1993 repaints, especially those who were planned for the 1993 DEF series, are kind of hard to find.  These days, left to the open market, a mint and complete version of this Mutt will run up to $30.  Carded figures, though, don't sell for much more than that.  And, if you avoid professional sellers or are willing to sacrifice an accessory or two, the figure falls pretty precipitously in price.  But, it's always taken me a while to find a sample of this figure.  And, none of the DEF figures from 1993 tend to be overly common.  So, maybe the price is justified.  But, as supply loosens, this is an unlikely figure to retail his lofty pricetag.  The real question is whether you can wait out the market or just want one now.

1998 Cobra Trooper - Random Photos of the Day

 These 1998 figures are so old that they are, technically, vintage.  (At least in antique terms....)  But, to me, they are still relatively "new".  Mostly, that's because they entered my collection when I was an adult.  So, they have always seemed more like a collectible than a toy.

The 1998 Cobra Infantry Team is the single best army builder set that Hasbro ever produced.  You got three nearly perfect army building figures for $10.  The figures featured classic colors, plenty of paint masks and a cadre of well placed accessories.  No other set that Hasbro ever did could live up to all those amenities and be offered at a price point that was actually conducive to multiple purchases.

And, purchase multiples, I did.  There were at least three separate production runs of these figures: in the fall of 1998, the summer of 1999 and the holidays of 1999, again.  So, there were several chances to acquire some sets.  And, I bought a couple in each round.  At the time, I thought I had bought too many because I didn't see a way to ever get 18 or 20 of any other figure.  But, it turns out I didn't buy enough.  Between late 2002 and mid 2004, I traded several carded sets of these to collectors based in Brazil and Europe.  In exchange, I got many of my earliest international exclusive Joes.  

Now, I don't get these guys out as often as I should.  Not really sure why, though.  I still think these are great figures and they are conducive to photos with a great many post 1984 figures.  Maybe this will get me to break these guys out more often.  They work so well with classic vehicles and figures.  It's just too bad Hasbro wasn't able to capture this magic more often during the repaint era.

1988 Skidmark

There are jokes in the Joe line that are subtle.  There are jokes that are not.  Then, there is Skidmark.  One some level, I can see some well meaning adults not getting the double entendre of this chosen code name.  But, knowing some of the juvenile antics behind some other Joe characters, there is just no way that the Joe team didn't know what they were doing when they submitted the name for clearance.  But, Skidmark was approved for release.  And, Joe collectors were given a 4th grade joke for all time.  

Released with the amazing Desert Fox in 1988, Skidmark appears, at first glance to be one of the many poorly designed late 1980's era vehicle drivers.  Just a figure that was dropped into an obscure and unimportant slot with little thought or care as to his design.  The bright orange juxtaposed against the dark and light greens tie him closely with terrible figures like Windmill.  Skidmark is just another in a run of drivers who no longer match the quality of their vehicles...or, does he?

So, here's the thing: Skidmark is a pretty great sculpt.  He's got multilayered texture and features ribbing on his arms that is unique to his design.  His torso is well detailed with clear purpose.  He's got a weird micro-shotgun molded onto his legs.  He even has dual throwing knives sculpted beneath his right wrist.  From a pure design standpoint, Skidmark might be the most detailed figure released in all of 1988.  All of that is lost, though, with the color choices.  So, you have this oddball that features sculpting on par with any of the classic, high quality vehicle drivers from '82 through '85 while also featuring colors that put him closer to bright '90's rehashes.

Skidmark's head is a bit non-descript.  The goggles hide his countenance and take away the individualism that is inherent for the Joe faction.  In a different world, Skidmark's head would make for a useful Cobra.  And, that's part of what dooms the figure.  Even those who can get past the colors often find the head to be limiting to greater purpose for Skidmark.  Joe fans love some masked good guys.  But, generally, guys who hide their faces are left to Cobra  It's only the scarcity of them on the Joe side that makes them interesting.  And, guys like Skidmark who hide behind opaque goggles seem less like renegade individuals and more like nameless posers whose death you don't mind.  When you toss in the crappy codename, you have a figure that's easy to leave behind.  

Skidmark's colors are both great and baffling.  Hasbro fell in love with orange in 1988.  Spearhead and Skystriker feature the color painted on.  But, Skidmark and Windmill both use orange plastic to create the color palette for their figures.  Orange often works on action figures.  But, when it's used to offset pea and hunter green colors, it can seem a bit out of place.  And, that's the thing with Skidmark.  His other colors are a deep, pine colored green that offsets the orange vest and a pea green on his legs that is almost identical to the green color used on Night Force figures.  In short, Skidmark should be a really great figure.  He just falls apart.  And, this coming from someone who really likes brightly colored Joes.  I think a big part of his failure is the orange helmet.  Were it a different color, the orange would be more confined to Skidmark's vest and would seem more realistic.   (You'll note that the helmet was yellow on the Desert Fox box artwork and on the pre-production figure.  I'm not sure that would have been an improvement.)  Through the years, Skidmark customs are one of the staples that many collectors undertake.  Most, though, still fall short.  So, the potential isn't as easy to realize as it would appear.

We had a Skidmark in 1988.  My younger brother got a Desert Fox at some point.  It is a great vehicle.  And, it joins the Bridge Layer as a vehicle who mysteriously disappeared from my collection.  I had no inclination to sell either of them.  And, I had nice, mint versions of both in the mid 2000's.  But, both are now gone with no trail of their fate.  I played a bit with the Desert Fox when no one else was home.  But, Skidmark wasn't a figure that mattered.  I didn't like him from the get go.  And, it wasn't just the colors that were a problem.  Something about him seemed off.  And, as such, I can recall with specificity some adventures featuring the Desert Fox.  But, Skidmark features in none of them.

While Skidmark was released just the one time by Hasbro, the mold did have another use.  Around 1997, the Skidmark mold was one of many acquired by Olmec Toys and released in their Bronze Bombers line.  There are two figures that use the Skidmark body.  One is cast in purple and the other in a very nice tan.  Both figures feature a solid black paint mask to accentuate the details on the mold.  They are a great example of different coloring saving a mold.  Sadly, they are tough to find and relatively expensive, now.  So, the notion of mix and matching the various releases to make the ultimate Skidmark isn't really feasible.  

Skidmarks are about $5 figures.  Even dealers have given up and will fail to sell them for $8.  There's just no interest in the figure.  And, to make matters worse, Skidmark is fairly common.  High numbers of Desert Foxes were produced.  And, tons of bubbled overstock Skidmark figures made their way into the collector market in the early 2000's.  So, if you want the figure or just want one to customize, the price is right to add one to your collection.  But, you'll note that my figure is badly worn.  I have no inclination to fix this...even at a low price.  I just can't muster up any enthusiasm to acquire a better copy.  On some level, I should get a nice and save this one to customize when I retire.  But, even that seems like time and money better spent on other pursuits.  Hopefully, your opinion of the figure is better and he has some relevance to you.  And, if he does, at least spares and duplicates are cheap.

2003 Funskool Incinerator - Random Photos of the Day

The Incinerator is a pretty good figure.  Sure, his specialty is obscure and difficult to use.  But, in the context of an evil flame thrower, his look is just about perfect.  In 2003, Funskool produced their own version of the character.  He is incredibly similar to the Hasbro version.  As such, the two are great companions.  The Funskool version breaks up an army of Hasbro figures and vice-versa.

Every U.S. based dealer under the sun sold Incinerators for $4 each or less.  Despite this widespread availability, though, collectors largely yawned at the release.  And, today, the figure is somewhat hard to find.  And, you'll pay a bit of a premium for him.  At $4, this figure was a must buy and even small armies made sense.  At today's insane pricing, he's best left as an oddity that sits on the shelf.  

I do enjoy photographing him, though.  The Incinerators, in general, are a lot of fun to take out and use.  They are visually powerful and aren't a figure that lot of people use...especially at any scale.  Adding the Funskool version to the mix just gives the photos that much extra oomph.  

His gear is kind of fun.  The bright green backpack offsets the orange, nicely.  The blue gun makes no sense.  But, bright orange, oval headed flamethrowers don't make sense, either.  And, it's so "Funskool" that it's perfect.  Enjoy the photos below as something different today.

2018 Red Laser Army Redmack

I've talked about the rare second series of Plastirama figures many times.  I've looked at them both as rarities and as factory custom releases.  The thing about that series of 6 (yes, 6!!!!) figures is that the four good guys (Redmack, Shimik, Manleh and Topson) all look like they could easily have been transitional Hasbro figures made between 1982 and 1983.  They would have introduced some color to the mostly green 1982 lineup while still staying loyal to the construction and parts limitations of the original 13 Joe figures.  (Glenda and the Cobra Mortal using chrome parts make them less integrated to the aesthetic of the original 13.)  It is within this context that I find the most interest among these Argentine characters.  I can see them as early Joes.  Maybe they didn't make the cut.  Or, maybe they were wiped out by Cobra back when they were a more fanatical and cultish organization ruled by a mass murderer.  It wasn't something that I really had to ponder too deeply prior to 2018, though, as the original figures from Argentina were straight arm, often off conditioned and brittle and, most importantly, stupidly expensive.  Fortunately, Red Laser Army solved these issues with his release of Redmack, Topson,  Manleh and Shimik in 2018.

Redmack was the member of the 2nd series of Plastirama figures in which I had the least interest.  He didn't really resonate with me.  I felt that Manleh was the most intriguing.  Glenda was a visual treat.  Shimik had the most drastic look to blend with traditional, Hasbro Joes.  Topson and Redmack, though, were just kind of...there.  I saw them like I saw Short Fuse.  They were figures who were part of a small team.  But, they didn't really bring anything to the team that wasn't already offered by other, cooler figures.  Upon my acquisition of this Red Laser Army Redmack, though, I started to see more value in the figure.  The browns are different than anything that exists on swivel head Joes.  And, the offsetting aqua-green highlights really set him off as more visually distinctive than most of his contemporaries.  With that, I found that Redmack had some value in photos and as an ancillary character to have in the background.

I didn't really see him as a machine gunner, though.  Early Joes have that position covered with Rock and Roll and Roadblock.  Redmack is redundant in that regard.  But, his colors necessitate him having some purpose.  When I found that Battle Gear Breaker gear looked good on him, I went in that direction in some photos.  But, I also outfit Shimik with comms gear.  So, I now had two characters who were redundant to Breaker.  So, for now, I have no idea what Redmack's real role actually is.  I'll probably just continue to use him as a utility player who can take on any position or specialty as a photo necessitates.  It's not bad to have some figures who aren't pigeon-holed into their specialties.  It's in that context that Redmack will have the most value.

I've always been fascinated by how foreign exclusive figures came to be.  Were they abandoned Hasbro designs?  How much latitude did licensees have to make changes or all new characters?  These are questions that are likely to go unanswered.  (And, if they are ever answered, it will be someone conveniently "remembering" 40 year old details to coincide with the paycheck of a book that will sell a few thousand self published copies to desperate collectors who are unlikely to scrutinize the claims the book makes....)  But, seeing so many exclusive characters in one short produced series makes you wonder what the circumstances of their release and low production numbers actually were.

If you look at Redmack's card artwork, it looks nothing like the figure.  While the character is angrily pointing his M-60 at the sky, you see that Redmack's original design used the Short Fuse/Zap torso.  This kind of makes sense since all 4 of the characters who were released used the same grenade and knife chest.  It makes you wonder why the change was made and if the artwork or figure was designed first.  You'll also note that he has a mustache and appears to be darker in complexion than the blonde headed figure actually is.  Plastirama took a chance by altering the skin color of Manleh and Shimik.  I wish they had done the same with Redmack.  He and Topson took no chances with the head paint.  And, as such, just look like alternate uniforms for Breaker and Short Fuse.  Maybe that's not bad.  But, seeing such similarity on two heads in a series that also featured Shimik and Manleh is disappointing.

2018 Red Laser Army figures are fairly decent quality.  But, they aren't without issues.  You'll notice that my Redmack's upper right arm isn't glued together.  Small quality issues like these aren't unheard of with Red Laser figures from this series.  So, be sure to check photos of any figure you are about to acquire.  Otherwise, the figures are very nice.  Redmack is odd in that his shirtcuffs are flesh painted.  The original figure wasn't like this.  I'm not sure how they ended up this way.  But, it does take away from Redmack's visual to see this paint application.  The plastic is good quality, though.  And, unlike the 2017 series, the 2018 figures can hold weapons with no fear of thumb breakage.  

My biggest gripe about the 2018 Red Laser Army series was the relative lack of accessories.  Redmack suffers for this.  While he does include his M-60 and bi-pod like the original figure, that's all he includes.  1982 Joe heads that were designed for helmets need helmets.  Without them, it just looks like you have an incomplete figure.  Redmack not having a helmet really limits him because all you can see if the Hawk/Short Fuse head.  A brown helmet gives him some cover and diminishes some of the imposter syndrome.  Fortunately, it's easy to find 1983 Battle Gear brown helmets.  And, they are a pretty good replacement to use with Redmack.  With just the weapons included with them, the RLA homages are less impressive.  It's not great to need to alternate gear to make a figure worthwhile.  But, the upside to all the RLA figures is that many of them are nice matches for otherwise useless Battle Gear accessories.  So, you can make Redmack more useful with some cheap and easy to find upgrades.

As a character, Redmack is fairly limited.  There are expensive Convention releases of the character in the 25th Anniversary figure format.  There are two vintage Redmacks.  The original debuted in Argentina where Plastirama released him.  Shortly thereafter, the figure was moved to Venezuela where Rubiplas also released him.  The Rubiplas version features slight color alterations and includes a brown Doc helmet.  Both of those figures are straight arms, though.  Red Laser Army released the only swivel version in 2018.  And, that's all you have in regards to the character and his unique look.  

Redmack figures have dried up.  It was pretty easy to find them for 5 years or so after their release.  They were expensive.  But, they were available.  Now, though, it's tough to find him or any of the other RLA homage figures.  The upside, though, is that the market is starting to freefall.  Even before recent months, though, Redmacks were about $30 figures.  Considering new releases for factory customs run $24, $30 doesn't seem ridiculous.  But, now, I'd absolutely wait out the market.  Supply is going explode in the next 12 months.  And, just like what happened back in 2009-2012, prices will swiftly adjust: downward.  In the meantime, you aren't missing much by not having this figure.  Glenda never getting a factory custom leaves your Plastirama team incomplete.  And, outside of an oddity, Redmack isn't really a necessary addition to any collection.  

1993 Star Brigade Invader - Around The Web

The Invader isn't a great vehicle.  But, it's about the only Cobra space vehicle that is easy to photograph.  So, despite being something no one talks about, it finds itself getting quite a bit of use. So, traipse through the links below to see some cool interpretations of the Invader and good ways for it to be useful to a collection.

1993 Star Brigade Invader

1993 Star Brigade Invader by gen_liederkranz

1993 Star Brigade Invader by mpjoes

1993 Star Brigade Invader by thedragonfortress

1993 Star Brigade Invader by gijoeboss

1993 Star Brigade Invader by slipstream80

1993 Star Brigade Invader by yojoe_collectibles

1993 Star Brigade Invader by gen_liederkranz

1993 Star Brigade Invader by Dragon Fortress

1993 Star Brigade Invader by yojoe_collectibles

1993 Star Brigade Invader by thedustinmccoy

1993 Star Brigade Invader by gijoeboss