1984 MANTA - Around the Web

The MANTA is the most viewed page on this site.  It's not even close.  It's been viewed more than 5 times more often than the 2nd most popular post.  Even now, this profile consistently pops up in the top 5 of the week, 5 years since it was first published.  I have ZERO idea as to why this is.  Is the MANTA really that popular?  Or, is it just a weird coincidence where that post happens to have a couple of fans who use it as a launching pad into the site?  The reference data for the site offers no clues.  So, I can not explain why the MANTA gets so much traffic.

All this aside, the MANTA is one of those things that, as a kid, I hated.  It was kind of a crappy toy.  It looked neat.  But, when you tried to play with it, the thing fell apart if an eyelash brushed against it.  As an adult collector, though, it's impossible to look at the MANTA other than a singular feat of toy design and engineering.  The fact that that it could be broken down and put into a backpack is just amazing.  And, the combination of plastic and vinyl to create a reasonable looking sail is inspired.  

There's a lot of good content on the MANTA out there.  And, you'll notice a lot of different names among the creators this time around.  Hopefully, you'll discover someone new who does some cool stuff that you'll enjoy.  So, enjoy this MANTA content.  And, I'll continue to puzzle over why the MANTA is the single most popular spotlight I've ever done.

1984 MANTA Profile

1984 MANTA by RTG

1984 MANTA by gen_liederkranz

1984 MANTA by gijoe_c4_panama

1984 MANTA by clutch_rules

1984 MANTA by HCC788

1984 MANTA blueprints at Joe A Day.com

1984 MANTA by 80stoyattic

1984 MANTA by evilface

1984 MANTA by flatline 54

1984 MANTA by chaplainjoepod

1984 MANTA by matemylar

1984 MANTA by animalvaders

1984 MANTA by sintechness

1986 STUN

The 1986 Cobra STUN  is a stupid, stupid vehicle.  It is terrible in so many ways.  I'll enumerate many of them later on.  But, all of that is, largely, irrelevant.  Why?  Because, the STUN is a fun toy.  And, that's all that it was really about.  G.I. Joe wasn't about fundamental military realism.  (Despite what douchy Facebook "Joe Bros" want to believe.)  It was about really fun toys that kids would love to play with.  And, the STUN delivered on that premise.  Many of things that made it a rolling death trap were also the features that were the most fun to me when I was a kid.  Even then, we realized the sheer ridiculousness of the design.  But, we could forgive it due to how much play value was packed into the STUN.

The STUN features the classic Cobra colors of black and red.  It's a perfect match for many Cobra vehicles from the classic era and seamlessly blends with Hiss Tanks, Stingers, CATs and Adders.  And, as such, it's also a strong match for Vipers, Crimson Guards and even the Motor Viper who is its intended driver.  The aesthetic and scale are different from the aforementioned toys, though.  The STUN was definitely a product of the 1986 release year.  But, it works perfectly with figures released along side it.  Even with the colors, the STUN doesn't get as easy a pass as some other vehicles do, though.  I get the reasons why.  But, for me, the memories and importance of the STUN far outweigh any concerns about the vehicle's viability.

I first acquired the STUN in the summer of 1986. We went to the local Children's Palace store that was, literally, right next door to the local Toys R Us.  There, they had STUNs stacked in a huge display on the floor.  There were tons and tons of them.  I bought one and it immediately became the backbone of my Cobra mechanized legions.  The HISS Tank had been around for a while.  And, it was kind of stale.  The Thunder Machine was a newer acquisition.  And, it was a key component of every Cobra attack that deployed against the bases I set up in my room.  But, the Thunder Machine had limitations since it had just one gun.  And, while it was impressive and deadly against infantry, the Thunder Machine wasn't as effective against more powerful Joe armor.  The STUN solved for this.  I envisioned the larger cannons as being able to easily take out more powerful Joe vehicles.  And, they were still small enough to work against infantry troops, too.

The STUNs real power, though, was that it was fast.  It was, in fact, the fastest vehicle in my entire collection.  This was imperative because the STUN needed speed to offset the design limitations that left the crew so exposed.  It would speed around the battlefield, outrunning the ability of infantry troops to track it with their weapons.  Lumbering Maulers were no match for the STUNs which could surround and disable them.  The only vehicle I had which could match up against the STUN was the HAVOC.  At the time, the HAVOC had only been in  my collection for a month or so.  So, I was wont to make it as important as possible.  The comic had an issue where the HAVOC was a foil to the Thunder Machine.  But, I found the STUN a more worth adversary.  STUNs could take out HAVOCs and vice-versa.  And, since each vehicle required a full crew and had a rear gunner station, there were exponentially more play possibilities than I could have with any other two vehicles in my collection at the time.  

My STUN had a standard crew.  The Motor Viper took the main driver seat.  These guys were nuts.  They had to be in order to operate such a death trap that ensured instant death for the driver in most of the missions it would undertake.  In 1987, the Accessory Pack version of the '86 Viper's rifle would join the Motor Viper to give the STUN extra firepower.  The front gun pods were manned by '84 Hooded Cobra Commander figures.  We had three of them.  Some had broken thumbs or crotches.  But, I could overlook those for guys who just sat in gunner pods.  I had always used the Hooded CC's as Cobra gunners in the Hiss Tanks and ASP.  So, this was just an extension of their existing duties.  In the back gunner chair was my '86 Viper whose thumb had broken.  I had snapped him early in his life.  (Which was rare for me in 1986.)  So, I had replaced the figure with another one.  The broken thumb figure was perfect for the rear gunner chair.  I could outfit the STUN with more figures if the need arose.  But, this configuration would invade Joe bases for the remainder of my childhood playing days.

I've written about my childhood room before.  It was an addition that was attached to an existing bedroom.  I had tons of space.  But, the entrance was a hallway that stepped down into my room.  This hallway was a perfect runway for a Cobra attack.  The Joe base would be beneath the step.  And, against the step, I would build the security perimeter for the base.  I would have the Bridge Layer bridge be the only ramp down the step.  And, I'd have various ladders from old Fisher Price toys set up for the men to climb over the barrier.  I'd set up old broken vehicles, TIE Fighter wings and rusting TONKA fire trucks as the remainder of the barrier.  Among the gaps I'd place things like the Outpost Defender, Checkpoint Alpha and the smaller Battlefield Accessory sets with sandbags and walls.  Figures would man these areas with key figures occupying other spaces.  

Cobra would attack by coming down the hallway.  They'd have legions of STUNS, Hiss Tanks and the Thunder Machine.  (The Thunder Machine was an army building vehicle like the STUNs and Hiss Tanks...even though we only had one of each.)  It was the STUNs, though, that did the damage.  They'd zoom around the battlefield, outrunning the fire from the positions.  The heavy cannons would knock down the barriers or blow holes through the defenses.  The stationary emplacements would get destroyed.  My key Joes, often occupying individual spaces instead of the playsets, would be the ones to take out a STUN or two.  But, since they'd mostly do this by killing the Motor Viper who was driving, the high speed vehicles would then crash into the defenses, often opening the door for Cobra Infantry to advance through towards the actual base.

As the front line fell apart, the heavy Joe vehicles would come out.  Here, they'd engage with the STUNs with success that varied on my mood.  For me, Joe was always the underdog.  They were outmanned and outgunned by Cobra.  So, their victories were never guaranteed.  They'd often sustain losses, too.  But, I could have different figures become the major heroes of the day.  And, I could have Cobra "lose" while still completing their objective like capturing key Joes or simply acquiring intel from a breached base.  As the STUNs would roll down the bridge over the stair, they'd encounter far more individual troops.  Here, the massive wheels on the STUN became another weapon.  STUNs moving an incredibly high speeds would run over Joes in the melee.  It was a fear tactic and an effective additional weapon the STUNs could wield.  And, due to this, the STUNs were the most dangerous adversary the Joes could face.

This all sounds like STUNs were unstoppable.  But, here's where we get into the ludicrous limitations of the STUN itself.  The STUNs front features a rounded gun pod.  They slant upwards...towards the driver.  So, the Joes would just have to target their fire onto the front of the STUN.  While the small arms couldn't penetrate the armor to kill the gunners, the bullets would be deflected directly at the driver.  So, Motor Vipers were pretty easy to kill.  They had no protection and were the highest point of the vehicle.  As soon as the driver was hit, the STUN would go out of control.  At their high travel speeds, the resulting crash would kill the remainder of the crew and destroy the vehicle.  It would also take out anything it hit.  Sometimes, that was the Joe defenses.  Other times, it was another Cobra vehicle.

These limitations prevented the STUNs from being a game changer.  Even a couple of guys with minimum weapons could take one out because the driver was so vulnerable.  The STUNs main danger was en masse.  While individual STUNs could be taken out quickly, a large group of them could inflict massive damage before they could all be neutralized.  So, Cobra would send in a wave of STUNs who would do passes at the defenses  until all the STUNs were gone.  Then, the more stable Hiss Tanks and Thunder Machines would come in and handle the remainder of the battle. It made the STUN a super valuable part of my Cobra army.  But, it also prevented it from making Cobra too powerful.

In addition to this flaw, the STUNs gun pods can open.  While this gave the STUN a great zone of fire for its main weapons, it also slowed the vehicle down.  And, with the pods open, the Motor Viper was still brutally exposed.  Slower moving STUNs were easy targets, especially with the exposed driver.  The flailing gun pods also made the three wheeled STUNs unstable.  So, they couldn't turn with the precision that the drivers were used to.  This would also result in crashes.  These would, often, be less devastating events and the driver or gunners could survive.  This is why the Motor Vipers got the rifles.  They needed heavy weapons to assist in the battle when their STUN was disabled by a foolish gunner who opened his pod at an inopportune time.

STUNs were also a useful transport for Cobra hierarchy.  Here, the STUN wasn't an attack vehicle.  But, instead, a manner for key Cobras to quickly move between fortified Cobra positions and secret bases.  These adventures with the STUN were less frequent.  But, they showed the versatility of the STUN.  Cobra lacked any aircraft that could hold more than one passenger in addition to the pilot.  And, those planes were large, brittle or unwieldy.  So, for me, land transport was the only real option for Cobra high command to travel between bases.  The STUN could hold 4 of them with no issues.  And, if I wanted, could even take a few more on the foot pegs.  (Again, accuracy be damned.)  So, the STUN had an additional purpose that made it useful, even when it wasn't just a fast attack vehicle taking out a base.

You can't talk about the STUN without discussing the flags.  These two pieces are problematic because the slim plastic hasn't aged well.  The flags have become brittle and prone to breakage over the past 40 years.  On top of that, the flags were positioned on the vehicle in such a way that typical kid storage in a toy box would have bent them over and snapped them even back in the '80's.  On top of that, the engine covers can also be brittle.  But, they are more likely to be lost due to their smaller size.  The rear gun can also be missing as it was also rather small.  But, if it was properly affixed, it was harder to remove.  It's not hard to find a STUN that's complete with the exception of the flags.  But, the flags are a premium piece, now.  You'll see an alarming number of high quality STUNs sold with broken flags...showing even kids who were meticulous with their toys ended up with broken STUN flags. 

The STUN got two vintage releases: the 1986 original and a Python Patrol repaint in 1989.  Somehow, the flags on the Python version are even more fragile than those from 1986.  The STUN never got any foreign exclusive releases.  But, in 2004, it got a surprise release as a convention exclusive.  This version was colored as an homage to the vintage Dreadnok vehicles.  But, the quality was poor.  Collectors didn't find the vehicle to be of much use.  There was a feeling that it was a bad match for the look of the Dreadnoks.  And, the repaint never took off in the community.  It's a shame there was never a retail STUN released during the repaint era.  But, the original was colored perfectly.  So, there wasn't a lot of potential left in the mold.  And, since vintage STUNS were pretty cheap through the 2000's, a repaint was unlikely to have become a popular choice for a retail release.

STUNs are one of those vehicles that can be had cheaply...provided you don't care about certain elements of completeness.  A nicely conditioned, fully complete STUN with unbroken flags is about an $80 item.  However, take just the flags away and they run between $20 and $30.  Personally, I don't find the flags to be all that imperative a part to the STUN.  Others will disagree.  But, for the price disparity, it's a no brainer to forgo them and add to your Cobra convoy with a couple of, otherwise, nice STUNs.  For me, the STUN remains a childhood favorite.  Despite this, I've never upgraded my childhood version.  As I got it out from time to time, I realize the value the vehicle has for photos and displays.  So, I probably need to look at getting a better version than the one I bought at Children's Palace nearly 40 years ago.

1985 Armadillo - Around The Web

The 1985 Armadillo is one of those perfect, small vehicles from the line's formative years.  It's not a greatly detailed toy.  But, for the size and price, it packs a ton of fun into a small package.  As such, it's quite a popular vehicle to appear in photos.  

1985 Armadillo Profile

1985 Armadillo by theatticagazette

1985 Armadillo by thedustinmccoy

1985 Armadillo by matemylar

1985 Armadillo by dashiellrfairborne

1985 Armadillo by steelbrigade

1985 Armadillo by 3rd_wave_sabotage

1985 Armadillo by gijoe_c4_panama

1985 Armadillo by thedustinmccoy

1985 Armadillo by evilface

1985 Armadillo by dashiellerfairborne

1985 Armadillo by Steel Brigade

1985 Armadillo by 73larebear

1985 Armadillo by gijoe_for_fun

1985 Armadillo by SnowCat

1985 Armadillo by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

2007 Convention Zap (Raphael "Zap" Melendez)

Zap is an iconic figure.  You can argue the point.  But, everyone recognizes the original shoulder strap torso from 1982 as Zap's.  It is referred to as the "Zap" torso.  It's the least favorite of everyone when it comes to the original torsos.  But, it's Zap's: first and foremost.  Scrap Iron is also an iconic figure.  His overalls are a unique look from a classically colored villain from the line's formative years.  So, the combination of the two characters shouldn't make a figure that is able to stand on its own.  Yet, in 2007, there was a convention release of the Zap character that did just that.  And, it actually managed to pull off a pretty nifty new look for a classic character that also didn't tread on the torso's original use on Scrap Iron.

2007 featured the most ambitious convention set.  As it was the ARAH theme's 25th anniversary, the club forewent their mostly army builder formula and produced a set that was almost 1/2 Joes.  And, they used mostly unique parts.  (Though, the parts were relatively familiar as most had appeared on Comic Pack figures or in Toys R Us exclusive sets in the few years prior.)  It was a risky strategy.  But, it proved out as the set sold better than most of its predecessors.  And, within a few weeks of the convention, select characters from the set were selling for premiums.  It helped that most of the figures were fairly well done.  They featured thoughtful parts selection along with solid paint applications.  For many, the Joe side of the set was their personal favorite set the club produced.  

One of the reasons was that the colors used for the set weren't ones that were overly common in the vintage or repaint era.  This Zap perfectly showcases that with his leathery brown jacket and greyish-green pants.  These were visually interesting color palettes that didn't have precedence in the line.  The uniqueness made the figures stand out.  As the set was classic characters, many of whom were the only other use of Comic Pack era heads, collectors felt they weren't treading on beaten tropes like many prior sets.  Zap features a tamed cammo pattern that works due to the sparseness.  Rock and Roll and Grunt both had cammo patterns that were overkill.  And, they contrast the earnest simplicity of Zap's less ostentatious design.

At one point, I had multiples of all the figures in the 2007 convention set.  But, when it was time to purge my collection, few of them were able to make the cut as the best uses of their parts, mold or character.  I regret getting rid of figures like Sgt. Clay More and Doc.  They were very good figures.  And, I can't really explain why they didn't cut the mustard during that dark time in my collecting life.  This Zap, though, did survive.  And, again, I'm not really sure why.  I suspect it was because he was selling so cheaply that it simply wasn't worth my time to try and liquidate him.  But, I'm glad he was able to outlast the cull.  I still enjoy his colors.  And, I've always like Zap as a character.  This figure is a nice way to be able to use him with other early molds and not have be out of place like his 1991 Super Sonic Fighters release.  

I don't mind the Scrap Iron torso.  I think the overalls work for the Zap character.  They seem like something an antiquated bazooka man would wear.  It helps that they are nicely colored and even feature gold painted buckles.  Zap's torso, alone, features five distinct colors.  And, they are all done in a way that work with each other and the rest of the figure.  I'm sure this is personal preference.  But, I do find the colors to be eye-pleasing.  And, they work well on the chosen parts, too.

But, I've also found that when I go to use this figure, he's often still out of place.  The complexity of the convention paint jobs is too much of a stark contrast with the simplicity of many early vintage figures.  So, the later releases really only good among their peers.  This isn't bad since Hasbro remade so many swivel head figures during the Repaint Era.  And, this Zap even pairs well with the Pulse era figures from the 2020's.  So, that gives him more options for use.  I often see this guy sitting in his case with many other figures from the early 2000's.  And, I think to get him out for a photo shoot.  But, I then end up not doing it as I can't come up with any ideas for him.  I'll have to work on that as we go forward as this is a figure that I should showcase more often.  He's very well done and worthy of more use.

One of the sad realities of Joe in the 2000's was copyrights had lapsed.  So, this figure isn't, actually, Zap.  It's Raphael "Zap" Melendez.  It's one of the many silly convolutions Hasbro had to take to keep the characters in circulation.  But, almost 20 years removed from this figure's release and he's known by the more colloquial Zap name.  You know it's Zap.  I know it's Zap.  But, the lawyers can argue that it's not a copyright infringement on whatever IP squatter hoarded up expired names.  These names were more of an issue during the release years with some collectors becoming legitimately worked up that they had to appear in this manner.  That childishness seems to have dissipated in the ensuing decades.  But, it's a reminder that Joe collectors of the early 2000's could be petulant children over very stupid trivialities.  

This Zap is a hodge-podge of parts.  The head is from the 2004 Comic Pack Zap.  It's among the better Comic Pack heads and definitely looks more like Zap than his head from 1982.  The torso is from Scrap Iron.  His arms are from Thunder.  Many people aren't fans of these arms.  But, I'm quite fond of them as they look decent and provide some heft on older molds.  The legs are from Snow Job.  And, the waist is from Mutt.  The Mutt and Scrap Iron parts are from the 2004 era recasts that Hasbro made to release those figures in Toys R Us sets.  But, the overall parts combo works pretty well.  And, the different waist and legs really help Zap stand on his own and separate from the legacy of Scrap Iron.  

Zap's gear isn't great.  His only rifle is a grey version of a JvC era compact rifle.  It's actually a pretty good weapon.  It just doesn't really go with Zap.  The club tried to approximate Zap's necessary bazooka with a Sgt. Savage era spring loaded launcher.  The club tried to make Sgt. Savage accessories happen in 2007 and 2008.  The success was...mixed.  Some worked well enough.  But, most seemed out of place.  Even the Savage weapons that were originally intended for inclusion with the unproduced 1995 figures were designed with much larger parts in mind than the pre 1985 parts used on this Zap.  So, you have some really expensive accessories that didn't mesh with their figures.  And, Zap's overall accessory complement is pretty weak.  Fortunately, 1997 Zap or Short Fuze accessories work on this figure very well.  And, if you can get past the missing eye piece, the 2022 Duke Bazooka is another nice match for this Zap.  It sucks to have to go to the aftermarket to get meaningful accessories for a premium figure.  But, at least there are some nice options available for Zap.

As 2007 convention figures go, this Zap is pretty cheap.  While other figures from this set have crossed $300, Zap can be had for about $60.  Dealers still try to get $120 or more.  But, the time of this figure has passed.  The 2007 convention set had a moment in the sun.  And, some figures have remained very popular and still command stupid prices.  But, Zap is among the least popular members of this set...even if he's among the best figures.  So, you can get him cheaper if you have the patience to wait out the market.  I don't know if I'll go so far as to say this is the best swivel head Zap.  It's tough to beat the original.  And, the Funskool variants are all so much better.  But, this is a good figure.  Sadly, he's just not a $10, casual acquisition these days to find out.

1993 General Flagg - Around The Web

 General Flagg isn't a figure you see all that often in Joe content.  But, when you do find him used, it's almost always the 1992 version of the figure.  Or, it's his 2004 Comic Pack figure.  The 1993 variant wearing the black coat is a rare sight in Joe photography.  This is partly due to the fact that the figure is fairly obscure.  And, it's also partly due to the fact that General Flagg is, generally, considered an early Joe character.  So, his bulkier sculpt figure from 1992 and 1993 just doesn't mesh well with 1982 and 1983 figures.  The mismatching brown hat against the black coat doesn't serve him well, either.

While I like this figure a lot, the reality is that I struggle to take good photos of him.  And, in my multiple attempts at writing about him, I usually fall short in making any significant point.  The figure, in the end, is just kind of there.  He's really neat to own.  But, he's tough to integrate into a story or make the focal point of a photo.  So, there's not a ton of content on him out there.  But, enjoy what I could find.

1993 General Flagg Profile

1993 General Flagg by TitusLester

1993 General Flagg by thedailyscoop1989

1993 General Flagg by gen_liederkranz

1993 General Flagg by viper_space

1993 General Flagg by gijoeaction

1993 General Flagg at action-force.dk

My Favorite Accessories - Part 2

Part 1 of this series looked at my favorite weapons from childhood.  This time around, I'll be looking at some of the gear that really drove my second phase of collecting.  This period, technically, covers 1988 through 1997.  During that time, I only was able to find a few figures.  So, you're going to see a cross section of accessories.  And, a few classic items will be missing because, while they were released during this period, I didn't acquire them until 1998 or later.  Some of these items appeared in my early teen years when I wasn't collecting or buying Joes, but my youngest brother still was.  So, the limited exposure to them made them loom larger than they otherwise might have.

Early Adult Favorites:

1. Duke/Stalker/Others MP-5 inspired rifle

As I returned to Joe collecting in the mid 1990's, I spent most of my time tracking down the remnants of the line at various retail stores.  Among the first figures I found was the 1993 Duke.  This is a solid figure.  But, the main source of interest in him was the "new" weapons on his tree.  While I was passingly familiar with Muskrat's shotgun (someday I'll tell that story...), the other weapons were ones I had never before seen.  As far as I was concerned, they were completely new sculpts.  It was the MP-5 inspired weapon that piqued my interest, though.  It looked great with Duke.  It was somehow both compact and large.  This was accomplished by having the overall footprint be small while giving the weapon a larger barrel.  I turned this into a story element.  These newer weapons became "Generation 4" weapons.  They were more powerful and could carry more ammo than earlier weapon designs.  As they were new, they were limited to only the highest ranking Joes.  Eventually, Cobra got some and gave them to elite troopers, too.  As I got more and more 1993 and 1994 figures, the weapons became less special.  And, with more colors in tow, the MP-5 like weapon became one of my favorite standards across my Joes.

Even today, this is my favorite weapon to use with 1993 and 1994 figures.  It exists in a plethora of colors...some rarer than others.  But, you can get it in black, gold, yellow, purple and other colors with a bit of looking around.  It remains one of my key weapons.  And, I'll always pick up a new one if the price is right.  I have unfulfilled plans of being able to outfit the entire 1993 carded lineup with these weapons for a photo at some point.  I'm not quite there on the right number of them in my collection, yet, though.

2. Annihilator Pistol

I first saw this weapon at the home of some family friends who had some younger children.  I remember it being awesome.  Around 1995 or 1996, I found my first Annihilator at a flea market in southern Ohio.  I picked him up for the rifle.  Once in hand, it reminded me of the awesome weapons from G.I. Joe #36 back in 1985.  In short order, I bought as many Annihilators as I could find.  The figure was "new" to me and I loved the portable helicopter.  I saw them as the airborne division of the Alley Vipers and they made up a key ingredient in my early notion of Cobra urban death squads.  With plenty of his weapons in hand, I had them available for use with any other figure I wanted.

And, with them in hand, my fascination with the weapon ended.  It was difficult to make the weapon look good with other figures.  And, it was a bit bigger than I had remembered.  It was less of a one handed pistol and more of a two handed weapon that switched up my notion of the weapon's versatility.  I still find it the necessary weapon for Annihilators.  But, I've long since sold off my army of that figure.  I have a couple of spares of the weapon, though, still hanging around.  I'll use them with another figure from time to time.  I do need to get a photo of it in the hands of a Fred to mimic that old comic.  

3. Hit & Run  Rifle

This one is a bit of a cheat.  I actually did own Hit and Run when I was a kid.  I bought three 1988 figures before I quit toys.  And, Hit and Run was one of them.  I immediately fell in love with his rifle.  But, I didn't to use it very often as I left  my Hit and Run hanging on a wall at my grandparents' house shortly after I got him.  Once the figure was recovered, though, my Joes were put away.  So, it was on rare occasion when I'd get them out.  Inevitably, Hit and Run would be among the figures chosen, though.  Part of it was the sheer quality of the figure.  Part was his amazing rope & grappling hook bag.  And, the final piece was his rifle.  Everything about it seemed perfect.  It had a long clip to store extra ammo.  It was compact enough to be used in close quarters.  And, the figures just held it perfectly.  I wanted to use it with pretty much every one of my favorite figures during this time.  But, I had just one sample with no way to acquire more.

That changed in the mid 1990's as weapon trees began to proliferate.  The real joy was finding extra samples of this rifle being included on weapon trees of 1993 and 1994 figures.  With this discovery, I was able to acquire an excellent rifle in a variety of colors.  As the weapon was my preferred rifle for the 1994 Shipwreck, I came to see it as a standard rifle used by all sorts of Joe themed army builders.  So, having it in cream with Snow Storm and even red with Outback allowed some consistency on the weapons used by the troops who supported the Joes.  Note that this weapon is often confused with the 1992 Shockwave rifle.  They are similar, but not the same.  Also, some late run 1994 figures featured the rifle but with a blocked out trigger guard.  Those aren't bad.  But, I do prefer the original design.

Now the rifle is ubiquitous.  And, I had so many of them that it's become a bit passe.  But, the early 2000's brought some weapons into the mainstream to a point where they started to get stale.  Hit and Run's weapon was one of them.  And, while I still love it, I don't see it as the staple for every figure as I once envisioned nearly 30 years ago.  But, I do still find uses for it and you'll see it being carried by other figures in some photos around the site.

4. Bullhorn's Mask

My youngest brother got a Bullhorn in 1990.  I believe he was  the only 1990 figure that we ever had.  While his rifle was amazing and everyone still goes ga-ga over his weapon case backpack, I found the real value in him was his gas mask.  I love gas masks.  And, as a kid, I lamented that the only ones you could get were either Ripcord's airmask or Lifeline's rescue mask.  I gave them to pilots, troopers navigating gassed caves and just to anyone I wanted to look cool.  But, they had limitations (like the hose you had to plug in for it to look good) and always left me wanting more.

Bullhorn's mask, though, solved this problem.  It was a self contained piece and was sculpted with the air filter right on it.  When placed on the figure's head, Bullhorn could be a faceless army builder.  I now had a way for more figures to be outfitted with protective masks.  Unfortunately, though, the specific design of Bullhorn's mask made it so that it was form fitted for Bullhorn's head.  And, that made it difficult or impossible to really use the mask with a variety of other figures.  And, this limited the mask's use.  But, the overall design still works.  I've since found Bullhorn to be a more boring figure than I'd remembered.  The mask, though, overcomes this and keeps the figure relevant to me.  I just wish it was a little more flexible for use on a wider variety of figures.

5. Spearhead's Rifle

I do not know how this weapon entered into our collection.  We never had a 1988 Spearhead.  But, at some point, his rifle appeared among our toys.  It was likely left by one of my brother's friends.  As soon as I saw it, though, the rifle simply enthralled me.  Mostly, this was because it was new.  But, also, the rifle featured a couple of key design elements that I found among the cooler features of Joe accessories.  First, it had a bayonet.  But, we'll talk more about this, later.  The second, and more important feature, was the strap.  I had long loved strapped weapons.  They allowed your figure to carry their weapon without having to always be holding it in their hand.  I never like my Joes climbing a rope if they didn't have a strap on their gun because it wasn't realistic to just have their weapon magically appear at the top if they didn't have a means to carry it.  It's weird what unrealistic elements bothered me when I was a kid and which didn't affect me at all.

Back to the bayonet, though.  While I really liked bayonets, the piece on Salvo's rifle made the weapons footprint rather large.  And, at some point in the early 1990's, I wanted a knife for some figure.  The bayonet on Salvo's rifle was of sufficient size to work as a knife for a figure.  So, since the weapon wasn't key to any complete figure in my collection, I snipped off the bayonet and gave the knife to someone.  The paired down rifle was then smaller and looked even better with the figures to whom I gave it.  At various points, I've found the snipped bayonet and wondered who's knife it was.  Usually, I then remember that I cut this off from the original weapon.  I'm 99% sure that the bayonet is still sitting in a plastic baggie of superfluous edged weapons stored in a shoebox in the basement closet.  And, you'll see the snipped version of the rifle in a photo below.

In the early 1990's, I gave this weapon that mysteriously appeared in our home to a figure who also had a similar origin: Salvo.  I don't know where Salvo came from.  And, our figure just had the helmet.  So, it was another likely leave behind from some unknown friend of my brother.  But, Salvo and Spearhead's gun just seemed to mesh.  And, without having Salvo's real accessories, it made sense for him to have this borrowed weapon.  So, between 1991, or so, and 1999, Salvo always carried Spearhead's rifle.  In fact, if you can find really old Salvo photos on the site, you'll see him carrying it.  To this day, I more associate Spearhead's rifle with Salvo than I do with Spearhead.  But, that's because Salvo is an awesome figure and Spearhead is...not.

Really, these were the dark days of Joe.  I didn't collect for several years.  And, when I got back into things, I was chasing the dregs of the line at retail while also scouring out the not ready for primetime flea market scene that define the pre-internet days.  You didn't find a lot of Joes back then.  And, those that you did find were often those from my childhood years.  Meaning they were figures I already owned.  So, it was hard to find items I didn't have already.  

There were many more, better accessories that were released in this time.  But, I didn't really acquire them until my collector phase began in earnest around 1998.  We'll explore those in the final installment in a few months.  Until then, though, what are some of your favorite accessories from this time?  Let me know in the comments below.

1986 Motor Viper - Around The Web

As a stand alone figure, the 1986 Motor Viper isn't terrible.  Sure, the mold is full of odd tubes and hoses.  And, his helmet is a bit weird.  But, the blue colors with silver and black accents really work.  And, when you take the figure as a companion to the 1986 Viper, it becomes even better.  The two figures share an aesthetic that allows them to be used in conjunction with each other.  So, you have a symmetry among the contemporary Cobras that was the hallmark of vintage Hasbro.

There's some solid content using the figure out there.  So, check out all these Motor Vipers from around the web.

1986 Motor Viper Profile

1986 Motor Viper by SteelBrigade

1986 Motor Viper by thedustinmccoy

1986 Motor Viper by atticagazette

1986 Motor Viper by gen_liederkranz

1986 Motor Viper by g.i.joe_manila_ph

1986 Motor Viper by scarrviper

1986 Motor Viper by dreadnokdread

1986 Motor Viper by zakupocalpse

1986 Motor Viper by 80e90allora

1986 Motor Viper by sithviper

1986 Motor Viper by thedustinmccoy

1986 Motor Viper by dreadnokdread

1986 Motor Viper by gijoe_c4_panama

2005 Heavy Assault Set Duke

In 2003, G.I. Joe was riding high.  Hasbro was investing massive resources into the brand.  Retailers were stocking Joe toys in numbers second only to Star Wars.  And, consumers were buying the toys as fast as the stores could get them onto the shelves.  The collecting community was strong, vibrant and interesting.  The Christmas holiday of that year marked the crescendo of the repaint and JvC era.  At that time, we didn't know that.  But, less than 18 months after that amazing time in the hobby, the Joe line had completely crashed at retail.  Hasbro cancelled marketing pushes and packaging refreshes.  Toys stopped appearing on shelves as retailers had no faith in carrying volume in their stores.  And, Hasbro, knowing the end was near, dialed in some products that were outright embarrassments.  The 2005 Heavy Assault Set (or, HAS set) was as bad as it got.

At the 2005 G.I. Joe convention, Hasbro was getting heavy pressure from the collecting community.  Everyone knew the line was in trouble.  But, Hasbro didn't even acknowledge that elephant in the room.  Instead, they pulled typical subterfuge that was common for them and those in their orbit during the early 2000's.  Hasbro showcased the HAS set at their booth on the first day of the convention.  And, they took flak for how much the set sucked.  By the third day, Hasbro had pulled the HAS set from the display: claiming that what they had on hand wasn't "ready", yet and shouldn't be showcased.  Just a couple of short weeks later, though, the exact set that was shown on Day 1 started showing up at Toys R Us stores all over the country.  It was another bold faced lie from a cowardly team.  The worst thing, though, was that Hasbro knew about the upcoming DTC experiment.  Rather than generating excitement among the fan base over this innovative idea, they simply ignored the fate the line.  This killed collector interest.  So much so that the community shrunk in just the few weeks between the failure of the convention and the announcement of DTC.  This tanked DTC's chances of success.  And, about a year later, DTC was dead and the last remnants of the Joe line were liquidated to Toys R Us for pennies on the dollar.

The HAS Set was bad in a lot of ways.  It used three figure molds that had all appeared in Toys R Us exclusive sets in 2004.  And, in each case, barely recolored them outside of the pants.  The Greenshirts were a bad figure mold.  And, Greenshirt sets were still backed up at every Toys R Us store in the country when the HAS set was released.  And, those Greenshirts included helmets, backpacks and an armory of weapons.  The figures in the HAS weren't even different from those in the Greenshirt set.  They just had crappier gear.  

It didn't have to be this way, though.  Originally, the HAS set was going to include Ace and Mutt.  We don't know which molds would have been used.  But, they still have filecards on the back of the package.  You can't determine their molds or color choices, though, as the artwork used on the filecards was art Hasbro made for other releases of the characters in the JvC line.  Poor Roadblock, though, doesn't have a HAS filecard: showing he was a late edition to the set.  You wonder what would have happened if the HAS set had included a repainted 1992 Mutt and 1992 Ace.  Even the Anti-Venom Mutt and the 1983 ACE would have been interesting choices that would have given the set more cachet.  

This Duke figure, though, isn't all that great.  The grey pants with dark cammo spots jus don't really work.  And, when matched against the dark greenish/blue shirt, the whole figures clashes.  The figure's chest, though, has potential.  It's nicely painted.  And, set against a different pair of legs, it might have worked.  Black Major produced a similarly colored Steel Brigade figure in the mid 2020's and it turned out very nice.  So, the color can work.  But, the terrible 1984 Roadblock arms suck any usefulness out of the design.  The arms are just too scrawny for the chest.  And, the thick face paint on the figure's head makes it too large for the chest, too.  So, you have this weird visual where the figure is top heavy while being puny at the same time.  The whole package just doesn't work.

G.I. Joe conventions used to be well documented.  Every collector who attended took photos.  And, every Joe website hosted massive convention galleries.  There were first hand write ups and recording of the various sessions.  All of that, of course, is now gone.  The forums have all disappeared.  Most of the websites have gone dark.  In short, much of the documentation that we have on the history of the Joe line of the early 2000's is now lost.  It's an unfortunate byproduct of the internet era.  And, with social media ravaging content outside of their walled gardens, there's little hope we'll ever recover that information.  Again, looking at the current slate of online videos that document the Hasbro livestreams of the Classified era, we think that they are permanent artifacts of the line's history.  But, our legacy is that these relics will also, at some point, be lost.  It probably doesn't matter.  But, for those of us who were around during those days, it's tough to confirm our memories as their original sources have all disappeared.

Duke's gear is terrible.  Hasbro gave up on the HAS set and we were just given a couple of overstock, commonly used weapons with the figures.  Hasbro didn't even go the extra step of loading up the pack with a bunch of superfluous weapons like they had with some other dud sets.  So, Duke just gets a silver version  of the 1986 Low Light Uzi and a black shotgun that was sculpted in the 2000's and released with just a ton of different figures.  The gear isn't sensical for Duke and doesn't look good with him at all.  Sans helmet or pack, Duke feels lightly covered and the flaws of the Duke parts become more obvious.  You'll note that I try a variety of different gear combos on my figure in the photos below.  This is just an attempt to find a look for this figure that works since he didn't include any accessories that improved the figure beyond his paint applications.

This is a 20 year old figure.  The ARAHC figures that started Joe's return to full retail in 2000 are 25 years old.  This Duke is now as old as the 1985 Flint figure was when this Duke was first released.  It's difficult to wrap my head around this figure being two decades old.  It seems like the Joe line was at retail not that long ago.  What I do find interesting, though, is that the Joe team of the early 2000's never really understood collectors.  It took them years to find a way to appease collector wants.  And, even when they scored a hit, it was never followed up upon.  Hasbro's current Joe team, though, are not long time collectors.  And, yet, they seem to have a pretty good idea of what collectors want.  The Classified Haslabs are bona-fide hits.  Each new figure release seems to be met with, at worst, tepid enthusiasm.  And, most releases are considered solid if not great.  Maybe the designers not being collectors is what makes them good at getting items for collectors.  But, it's sad to see a team lead by a "collector' fail so miserably to get collector wants fulfilled in the 2000's while a new team consistently nails every release even though they don't really have a conduit into the fandom like the Hasbro team of the early 2000's did.

It's tough to price this Duke.  Dealers sell loose figures for between $20 and $30.  And, they try to get $40 or more for a complete with filecard figure.  But, those figures sit and sit with no interest.  You'll see carded HAS sets sell in  the $120 range.  Which is appalling on its face.  Most of the interest seems to be around Roadblock and Snake Eyes who make up over half of the carded pricing.  If you can find a market priced seller, this is probably around a $10 figure.  And, frankly, that's too much.  This is a bad figure from a bad release that really has no purpose in your collection.  He doesn't match the two good figures in the set and isn't even a useful Duke.  If you want the character, buy the 2022 version.  He's about the same price, has better coloring and includes amazing accessories.  

1992 Firefly - Around The Web

I bought this figure in December of 1992 because it was Firefly and I wanted a new version of one of my favorite characters from childhood.  I found a figure that was actually a lot of fun and very visually interesting.  His rifle was cool.  His uniform worked well. His grey accents hearkened back to the 1984 original.  And, even the bright green was cool.

Now, not everyone agrees on the last point in the above paragraph.  Despite that, the 1992 Firefly appears often enough in people's photos to suggest that it's a figure that collectors find useful.  So, check out the content below.

1992 Firefly Profile

1992 Firefly by yojoe_collectibles

1992 Firefly by gen_liederkranz

1992 Firefly by thedustinmccoy

1992 Firefly by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

1992 Firefly by fosilru

1992 Firefly by 73larebear

1992 Firefly by yorktownjoe

1992 Firefly by aka_patch

1992 Firefly by gen_liederkranz

1992 Firefly by yojoeonline

1992 Firefly by fun_time_at_serpentorslair