I had plans for a different profile, today. It was about 40% ready to go. Or, so I thought. I sat down to finish it and discovered that I had a lot more to write about than I had realized. And, rather than post it without any narrative of how I use the figure, I decided to postpone that one until January so I have time to do it right. This has become a theme as I have several profiles of figures I really enjoy in the same state. I have them started. But, haven't finished them as I feel I have a lot more to say about the figure. So, they should get 2026 off to a strong start.
In the meantime, I decided to post some photos of this 2001/2002 Rock and Roll/Flint. Confused? Yeah, this figure is a mess. And, it all started when Hasbro couldn't find the 1989 Rock and Roll mold they had recently recalled from Funskool. So, this HQ figure was supposed to a 1989 Rock and Roll repaint. Which might have been OK. Instead, it is a 1994 Flint repaint that is...just OK.
The base colors green, dark brown and grey make this figure, basically, a vintage Night Force figure. He uses the same palette and is the only figure released in the 2000's to feature this color scheme. In writing this right now, it dawns on me that I need to appropriate this figure as the driver of the Night Rhino instead of the crappy Dusty/Dialtone mash up that discolors the instant it's exposed to air. You'd have a real Night Force vehicle driven by a real Night Force figure. When it warms up, again, I'll have to match them up and see how that works out.
Until then, this figure is one of the stronger releases of his era. The colors are different. And, they work well on the mold. The biggest issue is that this figure was designed with a helmet back in 1994. But, this 2001 version doesn't include one. I just tried out a 1994 helmet on this 2001 version a couple of days ago. The result isn't as bad as I thought. While colors that match the green, brown or grey on the released figure would be better, the tan and black helmet from 1994 doesn't look terrible. It adds quite a lot to the figure. And, seeing the body with the intended helmet allows you fully appreciate what the sculptors were going for back in the 1990's.
This figure was packed with a G.I. Joe HQ that was a repainted 1991 HQ. It was a Toys R Us exclusive and released in different packaging in 2001 and 2002. It was not popular among collectors of the day. You'd be hard pressed to find any photos of it in use. It's one of those disappearing releases from that era that simply vanished due to collector disinterest. The only reason this figure isn't impossible to find is because massive amounts of overstock were available from Asian sellers in the mid 2000's. You could get lots of 5 of them for under $10 shipped. It was a deal. Some dealers brought over a few and resold them for a couple of bucks each. Collectors bought some lots to customize. And, that's made this figure much more possible to find.
And, frankly, he's worth tracking down. The colors are nice and Flint should be in Night Force. This mold is a better match for the 1987 and 1988 repaints than the 1985 Flint mold would be. And, the colors coincide with the vintage design. As he's not expensive, he's a worthwhile addition to your collection. He's a guy I don't use that often. But, I probably should. And, if the Night Rhino thing works out, he might see a lot more use.
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