1986 Viper - Random Photos of the Day

I've never found the 1986 Viper to be the figure that most collectors see him as.  It wasn't a mold for whose return I was clamoring.  But, we got lots and lots of Viper repaints.  And, there's no denying the figure's place in Cobra history.  And, he photographs well.  So, it was worth having a few lying around.

I've always viewed the Viper and Cobra Trooper as interchangeable.  Viper armor is impractical to wear when lounging around the base.  So, the more standard blue Cobra jumpsuit is the alternate look for the backbone of Cobra's legions.  This allows the figures to co-exist and even appear together without convoluted backstory.  

Other than that, not much to say about this guy.  I still find him over rated.  But, not nearly as much as the BAT.  Enjoy the photos below as I hope I can finish up a profile for next week.

1985 Airtight - Random Photos of the Day

Airtight was the first 1985 figure I purchased that year.  (Well, I got him and Footloose at the same time.)  I've never regretted choosing him first.  His uniform is cool.  His colors are great.  And, his accessories are top notch.  He's a great photo subject for all those reasons.  Sadly, the hose that plugs into his helmet has gotten stiff.  So, I don't fully accessorize him like I used to.  But, he remains one of those figures that I've just always enjoyed.

These days, I mostly use him in the context of his contemporaries.  Most of these photos feature him with the same other figures.  He looks great when posed with them.  But, I should diversify my usage.  Until then, enjoy the photos.

1983 Clutch

It's really difficult to comprehend just how innovative the original Joe line was as a retail product.  It's not just the quality of the toys that stands out.  But, the manner in which the design team packaged and priced the toys was nothing short of novel.  One of the most compelling innovations was the inclusion of exclusive vehicle drivers in their vehicles.  I'm not sure if G.I. Joe was the first brand to do such a thing.  But, Kenner had not done it for Star Wars...instead opting to sell all figures individually.  Hasbro, though, created a slew of exclusive figures to operate their vehicles.  And, if you wanted Hawk, Grand Slam, Steeler or Clutch, you had to buy a vehicle to get them.  While the figures shared parts with carded figures it was Steeler and Clutch who featured original chest pieces that were not available anywhere other than on the vehicle drivers.

My affinity for Clutch began on the very first day that I saw a G.I. Joe figure in hand.  It was my younger brother's birthday in October of 1982.  On that day, he got an amazing amount of figures and vehicles...including some doubles.  On that day, I learned that Joe gear was compatible across figures.  And, very quickly, I took Grunt's backpack, Stalker's gun and a visor from, probably, Grand Slam and gave it all to Clutch.  I now had the ultimate figure.  I used this supercharged Clutch as my go-to figure for several weeks.  Finally, at Christmas, I opened my very own VAMP that was under the tree and I had a Clutch to call my own.  

That figure, though, didn't last too long.  Not because of breakage.  But, because Return of the Jedi toys appeared in the spring of 1983.  Joe was dropped in favor of my long running Star War obsession.  In July of 1983, though, I discovered the new addition of swivel arm battle grip.  This opened a whole new world to me.  And, with that one little change, Star Wars was forever second fiddle to Joe in our house.  But, this also meant that any straight armed Joes were relegated to a junk box.  But, this didn't really hold true for Clutch.  Since he was a vehicle driver, I could still make him work as the driver of the VAMP.  So, he was the only straight arm to remain viable.  In fact, he still got use as late as 1987 as my childhood Joe days ended.  

One thing I didn't have, though, was a swivel arm Clutch.  If you read my first write up on this guy from January of 2000, I note that I still didn't have a swivel arm Clutch.  In all my acquisitions of the late 1990's, a swivel Clutch was never among the scores of other original 13 figures I acquired.  It was not until 2004 that one came my way.  At the time, I had joined a start up company.  There were just two of us.  We were squatting in some office space of my boss's old colleague.  As part of our agreement, I'd help out their IT guy with some issues.  He was my age and we shared many interests.  He had a Star Wars figure in his office and it opened up conversations about toys we still had.  One day, he brought in a bag full of G.I. Joe figures and playsets.  He wanted to raise a bit of cash.  So, I sold most of them for him on JoeCustoms.com.  In this baggie was a near perfect swivel arm Clutch.  I told him I was interested in it and would buy it from him.  He set it aside as I awaited some money from items I was also selling.  When, the money for his items arrived, though, he gifted me the Clutch for helping him sell the other parts.  It is the very Clutch you see in the photos below and the only one I still own today.  

When I examine why G.I. Joe toys matter so much to me, it is stories like this stand out.  The toys are a pneumonic device for me to recall events of my life.  I have great recall from my childhood.  A big part of that is because I'm able to associate memories with Joe toys.  For other people, it may be music, TV or other pop culture influences that remind them of bygone days.  For me, it's G.I. Joe toys.  Those memories also extend into my adulthood.  I don't remember sitting in that hot server room with a wire storage rack on the back wall because the networking error of the day was so compelling.  I remember it because my friend and I would talk about old toys, cartoons and comic books.  I used to get Amazon deliveries at the office.  (Amazon sold inventory for Toys R Us, back then.)  With each box, we'd look at the items and recall childhood memories from the various repainted figures.  That was over 20 years ago.  But, the memories are vivid because of their association with Joe and Star Wars.

Among my childhood friend group, Clutch was the most memorable character.  I have a friend who can still recite the final stanza of Clutch's filecard.  It was that impactful.  Clutch's popularity was a function of him being the driver of the most popular and coolest vehicle from 1982, the most distinctive figure and a really fun character from the comic.  Clutch is also the closest of the vintage figures to the iconic "G.I. Joe" from the '60's.  The bearded head was an obvious homage to the guy who started it all.  But, Clutch's black hair really cemented the tribute to the line's origins.

Aside from his uniquely sculpted torso, Clutch also features some extra color on his chest.  7 of the original 13 figures featured three colors on their torso.  Clutch was one.  Aside from the black holster and green base, Clutch also has brown padding near his shoulders and protecting the zipper on his jacket.  It adds a nice layer of depth to Clutch's appearance and helps him stand out from his peers.  The color also accentuates Clutch's collar.  Most of the original Joes were wearing slight turtlenecks.  Clutch appears to be wearing a hoodie: just without the hood on the back.  It raises up to and you can see it protecting his neck since the VAMP doesn't have a windshield.  

Clutch is criminally underutilized.  He and Steeler feature the least used chest pieces of the original 13 figures.  Clutch was released in his original form in 1982 with the swivel arm update coming in 1983.  While he was originally only packaged with the VAMP, Clutch would become a mail away in later years.  Hasbro repainted him in tan as the driver of the VAMP Mark II in 1984. And, then, the mold was done as far as Hasbro was concerned.  While the VAMP travelled all over the world for exclusive uses in Europe, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and India, Clutch didn't really travel with it.  A Tan Clutch was included with the Takara VAMP.  But, there was no exclusive Clutch to accompany the South American or European VAMP releases.  In the 1990's, Clutch did appear in India, though.  He is one of the most obscure figures to get a full Funskool release.  But, he and Hawk are also the only Funskool characters to be exclusive to vehicle releases.  (All other Funskool vehicle drivers were random figures inserted into the box and not meant to be specific to their vehicle.)  There are tons of Funskool Clutch variants.  Some are great and others are pretty close to the Hasbro figure.  Clutch didn't appear after his early Funskool years, though.

This left Clutch as a forgotten mold.  And, as I'd argue that his chest piece was the best of the original figures, that seemed a shame.  For years, customizers used Clutch's chest to great effect on original designs for both Joes and Cobras.  It was not until 2018, though, that Clutch's chest would finally reappear.  Red Laser Army recreated the piece and used it on a variety of figures.  In some ways, the uses didn't create great figures.  But, in other ways, we finally got some variety that showed the piece's potential.  What we didn't get, though, was a Clutch to match all the various VAMP colors that are available.  You could have credibly created half a dozen Clutch repaints before even stealing his chest for other characters.  (Like a repainted General using his torso to match up with Hawk's appearance in G.I. Joe #16.)  Not getting a Clutch is an omission that couldn't get corrected as Red Laser lost the molds after the 2018 series and wasn't able to continue his work. 

As original 13 figures go, Clutch is surprisingly affordable.  High quality loose figures can be had for under $15.  And, mint and complete with filecard figures sell for around $25.  Clutch not having a visor or exclusive weapon really helps keep the price down.  And, the ubiquity of the figure shows just how many VAMPs Hasbro produced in the line's infancy.  The production numbers that show the volume of vehicles versus carded figures for at least the 1982 line is out there, somewhere.  It would be interesting to see how Clutch's production numbers compare to, say, Stalker or Scarlett.  But, for a major character who didn't get an iconic sculpting upgrade for a decade, it's surprising to see Clutch remain an acquirable piece for any collection.  

1994 Dial Tone - Around The Web

The 1994 Dial Tone was one of the figures I acquired at retail in  the mid 1990's.  He was both a callback to a childhood favorite and just an amazing figure on his own.  Dial Tone featured many details that I had really wanted in figures when I was a kid.  He had a technical uniform that could be co-opted for a pilot, comms officer or even gunner.  And, he had a removable helmet.  This feature, alone, was enough to make the figure among my favorites during those early collection days.  

Dial Tone got a lot of use.  I had always loved his classic gun.  And, the 1994 version included this in colors that matched the figure.  I quickly used him in a variety of settings.  Ultimately, though, he found his real home as the turret gunner of the Shark 9000.  He just fit into this position.  I had always felt that gunners needed both removable helmets and comms gear.  There was no other way to get information about their targets.  So, Dial Tone took that seat of prominence and has rarely left it.

It's tough to find Dial Tone content.  This generic search term of his name yields non-G.I. Joe results.  So, you're left browsing deep recesses of sites, hoping something will come up.  On top of that, the 1994 version just isn't popular.  He's often forgotten as a character update that debuted in 1994.  None of that takes away from his overall quality.  So, enjoy some of this content where you can see just how cool he is.

1994 Dial Tone Profile

1994 Dial Tone by ptytoys

1994 Dial Tone by gijoe_c4_panama

1994 Dial Tone by offc0ur5e

1994 Dial Tone by doksewage

1994 Dial Tone by gen_liederkranz

1994 Dial Tone by viper_space

1994 Dial Tone by toysandtomfoolery

1994 Dial Tone by elevatemetoahigherhumanform

1994 Dial Tone by gvilla74

1991 Crimson Guard Immortal

My friend, RTG of the Attica Gazette, has long observed that the vintage Joe line tended to run in three year intervals.  After three years, the line would take on a slightly different shape than the previous three years.  The blocks are 1982-1984, 1985-1987, 1988-1990, 1991-1993 and 1994 (which would have set the tone for the 1995 line for sure and probably into 1996 had that happened).  One of the demarcation lines is 1991.  And, the figures from that year have a different tone than those from 1990.  1990 was more muted in terms of color and Hasbro oversaturated figures with accessories.  1990 could be swapped with 1986 and no one would be the wiser.  But, in 1991, Hasbro changed their approach.  The 1991 series features brighter colors, larger and fewer accessories and, of course, the advent of the spring loaded weapons.  Lost in all of this, though, was a single anachronistic release: the 1991 Crimson Guard Immortal.  

The Immortal stands out among the 1991 figures because he is a throwback.  The figure features classic colors, a smaller, sleeker design and monochrome accessories that make him seem like he was released in the heady 1980's and not the dawn of a new decade.  When you look at the roster of 1991 Cobras, the CGI stands out.  His crimson, silver and black look dull compared to the oranges, greens, purples and yellows of his contemporaries.  His sculpting is tighter and more compact.  He lacks the technical accoutrements that adorn the uniforms of his brethren.  If you didn't know any better and found a lot of 1991 figures, you'd think the CGI to be a figure from the prior decade rather than a brand new release for that production year.  

There's no official story on this figure came to be.  We don't know if he was a design that kicked around for a while and finally found a slot in 1991.  Or, if he was specifically designed for that timeframe to bring the Crimson Guards back into the Joe pantheon.  But, the fact that he was so closely tied to the coloring of the original Crimson Guard from 1985 was a feature unique to the 1991 release year.  You are hard pressed to find any two other versions of a Cobra character that better complement each other while retaining the same, fundamental look as do the 1985 Crimson Guard and the 1991 Crimson Guard Immortal.  It was an obvious homage in a year that introduced a drastic change to the look and feel of Joe figures from the 3 prior years.

It has always amazed me that the Crimson Guard Immortal isn't more popular.  In the early days of collecting, collectors were loathe to venture beyond 1987 for any figures.  But, they made a few exceptions.  (1988 Hit and Run, etc.)  Despite that, the 1991 Crimson Guard never caught any fire among collectors.  Everyone appreciates it.  But, it's extremely rare to find a collector who has more CGI's than he would 1985 Crimson Guards.  The CGI is an afterthought.  The wonky accessories and brittle construction are factors in the figure's obscurity.  But, everything else about the CGI suggest it should be among the most desired Cobra figures from the 1990's.  

My first introduction to the CGI came via some early pictures on Evilface's old site.  These photos pre-dated the digital camera age.  He took some photos of his Cobra army out in the rain.  And, riding the back of one of the Hiss Tanks were two Crimson Guard Immortals. (IIRC, he mentioned, in the captions, that he "only" had 5 of them.)   At the time, no one used figures made after 1989 in any Joe content.  And, if you did, it wasn't Cobra army builders who were the focus.  So, seeing these figures being used as basic Cobras was novel.  The next major usage of them that I recall was the old Cobra Command Online site.  He was known for his massive Cobra dioramas.  He had purchased over 100 sets of the 1998 Cobra Infantry.  And, his show of force photos became the standard bearer for the army building craze that dominated the hobby during the early 2000's.  (You'll still see some of his photos floating around.  But, the attribution to him is long lost.)  In some of his early pics, Crimson Guard Immortals stood in places of prominence as Cobra Commander's personal guards.  The hallmark of the photos, though, was that the CGI's were given the accessory complement from the 1985 Crimson Guard.

Despite these early appearances, though, it was the 1985 Crimson Guard that ascended into prominence.  With that version readily available (but, sure, expensive!) collectors let the CGI slip into obscurity.  Part of this was just due to the fact that Crimson Guard Immortals didn't become readily available until well into the 2000's.  If you looked for them between 1999 and 2003 or so, you just didn't find very many.  The kids who had them hadn't liquidated their collections, yet.  As they did so, though, the CGI's became acquirable.  By then, though, the 1985 Crimson Guard had taken hold and was going to remain the de facto standard for any Crimson Guard charater.

The CGI features weapons that were designed as a "finger-flick" accessory.  First introduced in 1990, these are weapons designed to "shoot" their projectiles by a person flicking the butt of the missile that protrudes from the end of the launcher.  That motion will set the missile into flight.  Only a handful of figures feature these types of accessories.  And, it's obvious that Hasbro simply decided to cut out the middle man and introduce spring loaded weapons to the line that fired larger projectiles rather than rely on kids to figure out an esoteric gimmick.  It does help place the CGI or, at least his weapons, as an earlier design since it wasn't intended for the spring loaded treatment.

The entire CGI accessory complement is an exercise in fantastic engineering that resulted in a lackluster toy.  The figure includes 6 missiles, a backpack, two guns and an ammo belt.  The idea is that they all combine into an amalgamation that gives the character some serious firepower.  The practicality, though, is that the ammo belt doesn't stay attached, the missiles flop all over the place and the two guns are just weird.  If you can find spare '85 CG accessories, that's the way to go in order to make the CGI usable.  I suspect that his bizarre weapons play a part in his lack of popularity.  It's tough to get the figure to hold his gear in any way that looks great.  And, the awkward ammo belt and missiles make it easy for a well placed figure to either fall over, or just lose some gear before you snap a photo.  

I always had great intentions when it came to the Crimson Guard Immortal.  One of my earliest photos taken in the summer of 2000 was of the 1993 Cobra Commander flanked by my two Crimson Guard Immortals.  It was a grainy photo taken with a disposable camera as digital cameras were still super expensive at the time.  I had plans for the Commander to have a mighty army.  But, that just never came to be.  Over time, I lost focus on the CGI.  And, once the Funskool version became available in 2001, it simply made more sense to buy extras of those for $4 each rather than try to find additional Immortals.  I was able to find a couple at a toy store in Phoenix.  At the time, they were still of the "anything made in the '90's is bad and no one wants it" mindset.  And, I acquired a ton of '90's army builders for a song from them.  

Since then, though, he CGI has been largely absent from my photography.  A big part of this was that all the o-rings in my 1991 Cobra drawer went bad.  So, for a long time, none of my figures could stand up.  And, when taking the one photo for the 2012 profile of this figure, I managed to snap the figure's crotch.  So, I've been loathe to take the figures out for some fun.  Again, I can substitute the Funskool version to good enough affect and not have to worry about breakage.  Each time I look at my CGI contingent, though, I lament that they are used more often.  Now, I've fixed all the o-rings and know to be cautious with the figures.  I'm not sure if they'll start appearing more often.  But, they make great background filler for shots of Cobra hierarchy.

As a kid, I viewed the Crimson Guards as the third best fighters in Cobra.  The best CG's were recruited into the Eels.  And, the best Eels became Snow Serpents.  But, as my Cobra Troopers wore out, the Crimson Guard figures became the de facto ground troops for my Cobra army.  (It helped that we had three of them!)  Despite them being so prominent in my childhood play, the functional CG's didn't carry forward into adult collecting.  Now, I like the idea of the Crimson Guard moreso than I like using the actual figures.  I just can't see dress uniformed guys in red being front line troops.  I see them more as the political class on Cobra Island who creates lots of drama just because they can.  This lead to my Crimson Guard Rebellion story line in the mid 2000's where the CG's were rounded up and mostly destroyed after they tried to assassinate Cobra Commander.  That's been long enough ago, though, that the CG's are back to their old shenanigans.

The CGI, though, gives me that more functional combat Crimson Guard.  While their coloring doesn't make a lot of sense for the battlefield, they look really cool.  And, their heavier armor is more conducive to combat than the classic CG.  They work very well with the various crimson and red Hiss Tanks.  And, are a good match for the 2004 ASP and the SMS.  I do have a display shelf full of crimson vehicles as well as Tomax and Xamot.  I need to get some museum putty for their feet.  But, once I have a way to get the figures to stand, reliably, I can see my CGI's simply joining this shelf where they can be permanently enjoyed.  I think that's a better fate for them than sitting in a drawer, hoping I'll have the temerity to actually accessorize them all and get them out for some photos.  Finishing up my display case should be a priority for me this year.

In terms of the paint job, the Crimson Guard Immortal features just three colors: silver, red and black.  It is the application of those colors that gives the figure its powerful look.  Instead of concentrating the colors in specific areas, they gave the design layering that makes the figure appear far more intricate than the three base hues would suggest.  Each arm features all three colors.  The head does, too.  And, the figure's chest is the same.  The crotch also has details across the spectrum.  It's only the legs where the silver disappears.  The utilization of all three colors over so many body parts gives the figure a depth far beyond what you'd expect.  It allows the CGI to perfectly complement the 1985 Crimson Guard while also standing out as something slightly different.  It's a subtle trick with the paint applications that Hasbro didn't use all that often.  But, in this case, the three color limit is perfect for the figure.  

The Crimson Guard Immortal mold has a long and sordid history.  He was released by Hasbro for just one year in 1991.  The standard figure was released in Europe, too.  However, there is also a very rare European variant figure that uses the 1990 Rock Viper head.  This figure was heavily faked in the early 2010's.  So, be cautious if you're after one.  His weapons were also colored in grey and given to the European General Hawk figure.  At some point in the timeline, the CGI was supposed to be sent to Brazil.  There, Flagelo appeared in promotional catalogs and even on cardbacks.  But, this figure was never released in Brazil.  In 1993, the figure's head was used on the Create a Cobra mail away figure.  In 2001, Funskool released a highly anticipated version that was similar to the Hasbro coloring.  It was one of the most popular Funskool releases of that era and remains relatively available today.  Hasbro recalled the mold, though, in 2003 and promptly used it as the pack in figure for the KB Toys CAT Tank.  This dud lingered online for years and was clearanced out.  Large lots of overstock figures were available from Asia for another decade, too.  Finally, the figure's entire body was used on the lame 2005 Convention Destro figure.  Different factory custom makers have teased CGI's for years.  Black Major did release the heads as part of his Crimson Guard figures in the early 2020's.  But, the entire figure has yet to appear from the factory custom market.

To say there's untapped potential in the CGI mold is an understatement.  Of the army building molds that haven't been redone by factory custom makers, I'd argue that the CGI is the most prominent figure who is missing.  There's a dozen or more excellent repaints that could be extracted from the mold.  And, there's dozens more that are niche or interesting that have appeared in concept artwork over the years.  The limited popularity of the original figure makes me question the market for some of these great ideas, though.  The CGI exists in the perfect world of matching his previous figure and remaining true to the designs of his concept.  Straying from that is only going to diminish usefulness, even if the resulting figure is spectacular.  So, while I'd love a Dreadnok Skyhawk colored CGI, I'm not going to pay $30 for one.  And, I don't think it's going to be a figure that would permeate the community beyond a quick, superficial layer.

Over the years, Crimson Guard Immortals have experienced some heavy rises and falls in terms of pricing.  In the late 1990's, they were far less desirable than a 1985 Crimson Guard and you could get them cheap...if you could find them.  That scarcity lead to a time in the early 2000's when CGI's outpaced their 1985 brethren in terms of pricing.  For a while, they scratched at nearly $35 for a mint and complete figure.  But, as the Joe world cratered in the late '00's, the CGI's went with it.  And, they, once again, dipped below the 1985 figure in terms of pricing and popularity.  The only difference was that, now, you could actually find some if you wanted an army.  

Now, CGI's remain underappreciated.  You can get mint figures for $10-$15: which seems cheap.  As you add accessories, the price goes up.  But, mint and complete with filecard figures tend to run in the $25 range.  Which, again, doesn't seem bad for a figure that has a brittle crotch, easily rubbed paint and a plethora of small, easily lost accessories.  Other 1991 army builders are substantially more expensive.  But, 1991 figure availability is weird and uneven.  The fact that Immortal is available is good.  During my heyday, that simply wasn't the case.  Otherwise, I'd have a LOT more of them.  The upside is that factory custom Crimson Guard accessories are now available.  So, you have some nice options to upgrade your loose figures.  This profile proved to me, though, that the figure's quality still isn't enough to get the figure a lot of use in my collection.  I love the look of him.  But, I just don't use them at all.  Their fragility is a big part of that.  But, I need to make it a point to move the Crimson Guard Immortal into a position of greater importance in my Joe collection.

2005 Comic Pack Dreadnok Thrasher - Around The Web

There's not a ton of content featuring this Comic Pack Thrasher.  Mostly, because he's not a good figure.  The original Thrasher is substantially better.  And, he's easier to find.  To top it off, this Thrasher also badly discolors.  So, there's no reason to spend a lot of time looking for one.

None of that takes away from the bizarreness of the figure.  There was no demand for Thrasher and he was never a popular character.  So, the fact we got two versions of him in the repaint era speaks to the perceived popularity of the Dreadnoks, in general.  Many people believed that the Dreadnoks were among the most popular concepts in the Joe line.  But, all of the products themed around them turned into retail duds.  So, they really weren't all that popular.

But, this Thrasher exists.  And, he does have some fun colors.  But, his head is worse than the original and the rest of the mold remains dated.  So, check out the sparse content on him from around the web.

2005 Thrasher Profile

2005 Thrasher by relena_warcraft

2005 Thrasher review at JoeBattleLines.com

2005 Thrasher by themexicangriswolds

2005 Thrasher by yotothejoe

2005 Thrasher by relena_warcraft

1985 Keel Haul - Around The Web

It's been  almost 20 years since I profiled the 1985 Keel Haul.  When I did, you could get a mint and complete figure for about $25.  Now, one will run you well over $150.  It seems everyone forgot that Keel Haul was a mail away for many years.  Sure, his pistol is rare.  But, Keel Haul figures are not.  I really feel that the "vibes" based pricing of the pre-internet era has returned.  It's like we lost all our actual knowledge of collectibles that was gained between 1995 and 2015.  Since then, pricing has been routinely out of whack to actual scarcity.  And, when I think of all the bagged Keel Hauls that collectors got for $1 each from Hasbro Canada in 1999, I can't imagine their legacy would be an $80 figure to a younger generation of speculators.

As a figure, Keel Haul isn't the best.  In a lot of ways, I expected the included figure with G.I. Joe's flagship toy to be amazing and perfect.  Keel Haul is not that.  He is, though, adequate for his role.  There's not much you can do with an admiral when you don't have his ship.  With Keel Haul, though, you can find a way to use him from time to time.

Most of his content that exists features Keel Haul on board the USS Flagg.  He fits there.  As I don't have a Flagg, I've used Keel Haul in Whale and Shark 9000.  Most of my photos of him are in the Shark 9000.  This is a relic of the fact that the 1993 Keel Haul was an integral part of the Shark 9000 crew when I was filling out my collection with the ghosts of retail G.I. Joe back in the mid 1990's.  If I ever get my Whale out, again, I'll definitely use Keel Haul in a few times.  His colors would be a nice fit with the olive Whale base.  Until then, check out all the content below and let me know any funs times you had with Keel Haul.

1985 Keel Haul Profile

1985 Keel Haul by 00zxcvb

1985 Keel Haul by evilface

1985 Keel Haul by dreadnokdread

1985 Keel Haul by ussflagg

1985 Keel Haul by thedustinmccoy

1985 Keel Haul by joemazing_stories

1985 Keel Haul by gijoe_c4_panama

1985 Keel Haul by ftwten

1986 Low Light - Random Photos of the Day

The 1986 Low Light is a figure I should use more often.  He was part of my childhood's glory years.  And, he's an amazingly detailed sculpt in cool colors who included better weapons.  In short, he's a guy who should be at the forefront of far more photos in my collection than he is.  I've had to make it a point, though, to get him out and take photos featuring the figure.

The reasons for this likely stem from my childhood, though.  While Low Light was on many missions, he was often perched far away, awaiting the signal to come to the last minute rescue.  While he sat in his tree branch or rock, I'd inevitably forget he was part of the story.  And, only at the end, when it was time to clean up did I realize he was stashed behind some pine needles and I had forgotten that his specialty was needed.  So, the figure was more of a tag along than the driver of any adventure.

None of this detracts from the figure's quality.  Sure, his head is a little big.  And, blonde hair is a strong juxtaposition against the black and grey base colors.  But, the rest of Low Light is as good as '80's Joes could be.  Lots of details, bold colors and perfect accessories all add up to quite a toy.  

But, even today, I don't get much use for the figure.  He's tough to add into the background of a photo.  And, you can only do so much with the lone gunman trope.  I should, though, try a bit harder as I do think there's some more content I can squeeze from him.  Until then, let me know your thoughts on Low Light in the comments.

1987 Royal Guard

1987 was the apex of my childhood Joe collection.  I had found the first figures of the year in the weeks before Christmas in 1986.  Falcon and Cobra Commander entered into my collection and expanded the final story line of my childhood Joe world.  I began 1987 on a sprint to complete the single, carded figure line.  And, as it turned out to be a wet year that meant lots of lawn mowing money, I had the cash to pick up vehicles as I found them, too.  Upon the acquisition of my first 1987 catalog, I saw a single, weird item.  Tucked among the Cobra offerings was a bizarre three pack of Cobra La figures.  They were noted as "living organisms" and featured a figure that looked like he was affixed to a stone base.  I had no idea what this pack could be.  But, there were enough other new items in the catalog to relegate the Cobra La to insignificance.  

Sometime in the summer of 1987, on a routine trip to the local Toys R Us store, I found the newly released 3-packs from the catalog.  There were rows of Renegades and Cobra La.  I discovered the "statue" figure was actually a snake.  I'd later learn that his tail would never coil into the pose from the catalog.  But, the reality of the pack was that I had no desire to buy it.  The Renegades were far more enticing.  So, I cracked open the green wallet I carried at the time and bought myself the Renegades pack.  Feeling sorry for my little brother, though, my mother decided to buy him the Cobra La pack.  I was fine with him having it as I wanted every G.I. Joe figure to be part of our collection.  I just didn't want to spend any money on weird figures.  On the drive home, I read over the Cobra La filecards.  I still couldn't make any sense of them.  They didn't fit with any of the Joe mythos from the cartoon or the comic.  The didn't even match other figures.  Their purpose was a mystery.

I have mentioned many times that I have never seen the G.I. Joe movie.  For some reason, the movie did not air in our local market in 1987.  Instead, my friends down the street saw it when they were out of town for a week.  When they returned, the told a fantastical tale of a movie where Cobra Commander turns into a monster and Joes were voiced by stars like Don Johnson.  There was no way this could be true.  I listened to their description  of the plot.  It was here that they mentioned a bit about Cobra La.  Mostly, they recalled the new Cobra chant that added the "lalala" on the end.  On some level, I thought it was all a hoax.  But, on another, their description was too detailed and consistent to be anything but real.  It wasn't until much later that I learned the movie was an actual thing.  By then, though, I was pretty much done with Joe.  So, I had no interest and didn't watch it.

This raises the question of why I haven't bothered to watch it in the ensuing decades.  For a long time, seeking out the movie required effort and money.  I wasn't going to spend anything to see it.  And, the movie wasn't a significant part of Joe culture.  As the film became more available, though, a different malaise set in.  Not seeing the movie was a badge of honor, of sorts.  As I was a comic guy, not seeing the move gave me message board cred.  It's dumb.  But, we're all kind of dumb in our early twenties.  And, as I got over that nonsense, it opened me up to, maybe, watching the movie.  

Which brings us to the reason I still haven't watched it today.  At some point in the 2010's, the G.I. Joe cartoon would air on various channels.  Usually, it was really late at night.  I was up at some point one night and found the cartoon was airing.  So, I turned on a random episode.  And, it was, not good.  It wasn't the type of bad where you can find guilty pleasure in liking it.  It was cringeworthy.  After a few minutes, I turned it off.  I simply couldn't watch it.

Now, many of you reading this still like the cartoon.  I know Joe fans who watch it every year and even some who just always have it on in the background in their collection room.  If you still like the cartoon, good!  I'm glad you do.  My dislike of the cartoon has to do with me and my personal tastes and doesn't invalidate your enjoyment.  I liked the cartoon back when I was 11 and 12.  But, it's no longer my thing.  I should also note that upon re-reading many Joe comics, I find similar issues.  There are things I enjoyed as a kid that I find groan-worthy today.  It's OK to both recognize that you loved something when you were younger but have also outgrown it as an adult.  

All of which is a roundabout way to say that I had no idea what the purpose of Cobra La was.  And, I certainly had no inclination of how to use the figures in their "canonical" context.  What I found when my brother opened up the Cobra La three pack was a useless spike of a figure who couldn't do anything, a bland second figure that lacked any cachet and, a really useful and fun figure that kind of solved a role I had long wanted for my Cobra armies and was also really cool looking.  This third figure was the Royal Guard.  

On the card art for Cobra La, Nemesis Enforcer is wearing bat wings.  This left the green tentacles that were packaged with him as an odd, extra accessory.  I assumed it was meant for one of the other figures.  The colors kind of matched with Golobulus.  As he wasn't a figure I was ever going to use, though, it made no sense to give them to him.  I thought the tentacles were the coolest accessory in  the set.  The green color was great.  And, they had little, sculpted suction cups that made them seem like a really fun item to have around.  So, I gave these to the Royal Guard.  The green against the red wasn't the color combo I had hoped it would be.  But, it worked well enough.  And, from that day, I forever associated the tentacles with the Royal Guard figure.

I had to find a greater purpose for the Royal Guard, though.  The heavy, armored plates on the figure screamed a heavy weapons operator.  But, they also suggested a jet pack like trooper.  In 1987, flight in my Joe world heavily revolved around small aircraft.  So, it was an easy leap to have the tentacles work like bug wings that allowed the Royal Guard to fly.  They were humans encased in heavy armor to protect them in crashes.  This was a far cry from the Joes who allowed their jet pack troopers to be armor less.  It was the usage of the Royal Guard and his protective gear that lead me to adopt Maverick as the Joe jetpack trooper as 1987 ended.  The Royal Guards became specialized Cobra units who could fly into a Joe base and wreak quick havoc.  Their armor was heavy enough to resist small arms fire.  So, it was difficult to shoot them out of the sky.  They'd serve either as an attack squadron.  Or, as a relief/rescue patrol who would appear late in a battle to save Cobra hierarchy who had been taken prisoner.  Or, to simply provide cover while Cobra escaped.

The Royal Guard's usage didn't end there.  The tentacles served a second purpose: they could be detached and used to capture Joes.  The individual arms would wrap around a hapless good guy and hold with an unbreakable grip.  The small suction cups on the wings would grab onto the victim and dig into his skin.  They would then wrap tighter and tighter.  The prey could be subdued for extraction with the wings.  Or, they could be constricted out of existence.  The limiting factor on the toy, though, is that the arms aren't that long and they didn't hold their shape.  So, the idea of the wings grabbing onto someone and squeezing them to near death was far more fun than the actual playing of the same scenario.  But, the threat that the tentacles could be deployed was enough to keep many Joes away from the Royal Guard should he appear in battle.  

In the mid 1990's, I had just a shoebox of old figures that was leftover from childhood.  I did have a nice LEGO tub full of nicely conditioned and complete figures.  But, I didn't want to use them.  In the shoebox was a hodge-podge of unloved figures from my youth.  There were Dreadnoks, Quick Kick and all the Cobra La figures among some other long broken examples of figures I had liked.  These remnants formed unnamed legions who would do battle against the sparse figures I would acquire at retail during this time.  Among the figures in this box were the Royal Guard and the Nullifier.  As I was mostly focused on buying Joes at the time (and, Cobras were much harder to find!), I needed enemies for them.  The Royal Guard and Nullifer were solid choices.  I liked that both were heavily armored.  And, both of them were good fits for some of the large, 1990's weapon tree weapons.  So, both of these figures became Cobra heavy gunners.  They would carry big machine guns or some of the hand held artillery weapons that were superfluous on the weapon trees and lay waste to my army of new Joes.

As I acquired more Cobra figures, though, this purpose faded away.  The Royal Guard was the first to go.  He didn't have his antenna.  (Though, the Nullifier didn't have his face shield, either!)  And, he just didn't really have enough cachet to stick around when compared to the 1993 and 1994 figures that were become the bulk of my collection.  He was dumped back into the shoebox and stayed there until 1999 or so.  The Nullifer fared better.  He'd wield the black Airwave rifle from the 1993 Leatherneck well into my adult collecting years.  You can even read about him still getting usage in this capacity on the profile I wrote on him in the earliest days of this website.  The Royal Guard's days were done, though.  The figure went into a drawer with the rest of the 1987 Cobras.  

In 2000, though, I picked up an amazing collection from a collector.  It was a mostly complete run of figures and vehicles from 1983 through 1986.  There were some beautiful 1987 figures included, too.  Among them were a complete set of Cobra La figures.  I promptly did the same thing with them that I had done with my childhood versions: dumped into a drawer.  They stayed there until the late '00's when I purged my collection.  My many Golobulus and Nemesis Enforcer figures were all liquidated.  As were all my incomplete Royal Guards.  But, for some reason, I held onto the single complete specimen that I still owned.  I'm not sure why I kept him.  It was likely just because the buyer's market of that era wasn't going to yield a selling price I thought was commensurate with the rarity of his accessories.  But, I kept this lone Cobra La member.

Again, for many years, I didn't do anything with the figure.  There's one photo of him in the late '00's.  And, one more in the mid '10's.  Mostly, he was stuck in the back of the 1987 Cobra drawer and I didn't think much of him.  As the '20's dawned, though, I was looking for obscure figures who hadn't seen much spotlight in my photographs.  This brought me back to the Royal Guard.  His detailed sculpt, sharp colors and interesting design were enough to compel me to take some photos.  And, in doing so, I rediscovered the quality of the figure.  I'm past the point of seeing him as a flying, armored Cobra.  And, I embrace the weird.  The Royal Guard is a fun figure to photograph and works extremely well with both his contemporary releases as well as late in the line oddballs like Star Brigade and Mega Marines.  He's never going to be a personal favorite.  But, the Royal Guard's attributes are enjoyable and fun.  

The Royal Guard was used just this one time by Hasbro.  In Europe, the Slaughter's Renegades were released on single cards.  But, Cobra La didn't get the same treatment.  Mercer and Red Dog were both released internationally, in Brazil and India, respectively.  But, again, no Cobra La figures showed up.  Hasbro must have known they'd be a tougher sell than the Renegades.  During the early 2000's, cartoon figures were still fairly taboo.  So, the odds of seeing them in a Toys R Us set was zero.  It was finally during the Anniversary era that we saw the glimpse of Cobra La returning.  In the new format, a figures like Nemesis Enforcer could be given his scale from the cartoon.  While this figure was well received, it also hung around a lot.  With the advent of Classified, Cobra La has taken on new significance as we've seen some amazing takes of Cobra La characters in this format: the Royal Guard among them.  For 3 3/4' fans, Super7 made a newly colored and molded version of the Royal Guard.  It's drastically different from the Hasbro figure.  It might be more cartoon accurate.  But, my point of reference is the toys.  So, I found it far inferior to Hasbro's figure.  It sold out fairly quickly, though.  So there was a pent up demand for the character.

Royal Guards are expensive.  The antenna is the expensive piece.  Mint and complete figures run in the $40+ range.  Dealers charge a lot more due to low supply.  There are lots of 3D printed replacement antennas out there.  So, be sure to confirm any antenna is original.  There really aren't any affordable alternatives for this character.  But, figures without the antenna can be had substantially cheaper.  So, you can build up an army of antenna-less figures far more reasonably.  I wish I'd taken advantage of cheaper prices in the 2010's and picked up a couple more Royal Guards.  They look great in multiples.  But, it's also a character who I don't really use much.  And, his long ago purpose of a heavy armor Cobra Trooper is long gone: replaced with other figures who are better suited to the role.  Despite that, he has value just for his overall quality.  So, he's the type of figure who's going to get taken out every 15-18 months when the conditions match up well with his colors.  That's a better fate than many other figures ever experience.

1989 Recoil - Random Photos of the Day II

Recoil is a figure I've looked at a couple of times in the site's history.  In the early days, he was new to my collection and was among my favorite new acquisitions.  But, over time, his importance has waned.  He's not really a figure I think about all that often.  Despite that, though, I do seem to photograph him rather frequently.  In the photos below, you'll see a variety of shoots that have been taken over a couple of years.  He's often with the same cast of characters as I tend to shoot figures with their contemporaries.  This is function of how I store my figures as I keep them in plastic drawers by year and, in large years, by Joes or Cobras.  That makes it easy to grab the same figures time and time again when I'm thinking of a photo.

My thing with Recoil is that he should be awesome.  He fits all the classic criteria for a great figure.  He's just not quite there.  The powder blue accessories are the easiest mark against him.  But, with the plethora of factory custom options now available, that's an easy fix.  Maybe it's just that he unzips his tunic a bit boo much.  Or, he's wearing 1/2 of the Devo hat.  But, this guy just isn't someone for whom I've taken time to develop a character.  

Instead, he's a steady presence in photos as he works well with lots of figures and in many different environments.  He's not a guy I actively like, but one I use quite a bit.  Along with a similar realization about the 1983 Snake Eyes, it's made me re-evaluate what actually constitutes a figure I like.  While photos aren't the perfect way to gauge favoritism, they are a strong indicator.  (Some figures like the '85 Snake Eyes are just hard to photograph.)  I might spend a cold weekend looking at the figures who find themselves the subject of the most photos in my collection.  In fact, that might be a fun write up that exposes some truths about the figures I think I like the most.

2003 Snake Eyes - Toy Fare Exclusive

What does it mean for something to be the best?  It seems a simple exercise.  But, once you get a wide variety of options for a specific item, pinning down the "best" starts to become more subjective.  Such is the case with the original Snake Eyes sculpt.  Originally released in all black, collectors clamored for Hasbro to update the mold with some colored details.  Hasbro was happy to oblige with 2 updated paint job figures that were released in 1997.  That wasn't enough, though, and Hasbro continued to pump out new colorings on the original Snake Eyes figure through 2005.  Many of the figures featured very slight changes from previous releases.  After a while, they all blended together.  Which is to say, no one figure stood above the rest in terms of updated designs.  With 20 years of reflection, though, I do think one Snake Eyes release rises above the others.  It is the one version with the weirdest release vector.  But, the 2003 Toy Fare Snake Eyes offers the best package in terms of colors, accessories and quality.

Now, all of the above does need to be couched in terms of one other Snake Eyes release: the 2003 DVD Snake Eyes.  This purple version features the same paint masks as the Toy Fare version.  And, it's the best Snake Eyes released in the repaint era.  I'm excluding it, though, because the purple base allows it to serve a different purpose than any of the black base figures.  So, all of the discussion about Snake Eyes will view this DVD figure as a separate entity that is not in competition with Snake Eyes figures based on the 1982 design.

It's tough to fathom that, even in 2003, toy magazines were still powerful.  They were the first source of news for many fans.  And, despite the internet ruining their exclusive scoops in many instances, the magazines still delivered content that was difficult to acquire anywhere else.  But, the writing was on the wall.  And, Toy Fare decided to use their clout within the industry to start selling some exclusive toys directly to collectors over the internet.  This was still fairly novel at the time.  But, the magazine was able to partner with manufacturers to produce two highly desired exclusives: a Radioactive Homer Simpson and a Faker figure.  Upon the release of these figures, collectors instantly called shenanigans.  While Toy Fare "sold out" almost immediately, huge quantities showed up at dealers and resellers, often at 5x to 10x the original cost.  Toy Fare's reputation took a hit.  And, collectors viewed any offering of theirs with caution.  But, collecting is a strong high.  And, the market, while mad, didn't really vanish.  So, Toy Fare was free for their first Hasbro collaboration: a 2 pack with Scarlett and Snake Eyes.

This announcement was met with modest fanfare in the Joe community.  When it was announced, the Joe world was still 100% committed to army building.  Sets without army builders were simply ignored.  Snake Eyes was passe in the Joe world as he had been released multiple times and the character was ubiquitous.  Scarlett was a bit different.  She hadn't been seen since 1997.  And, that figure had gotten a bit pricey.  But, there were a multitude of JvC Scarlett figures available.  Collectors of the day didn't really distinguish between ARAH sculpts and JvC sculpts.  So, the character of Scarlett wasn't something that everyone was starved to acquire.  Most of the criticism, though, was around the fact that the set wasn't two army builders.  Outside the Joe world, though, there was more excitement.  For non-Joe collectors, the pack seemed an injection of pure nostalgia.  And, there was enough excitement around it that, when coupled with Toy Fare's seedy reputation, the fear of the pack selling out and getting expensive began.

Upon release, though, these fears proved unfounded.  The reasons are likely a combination of higher production numbers (necessitated by Hasbro), Joe collector malaise, non-Joe collector disinterest and the slow demise of the scalping community.  All of these factors lead to the set being available from Toy Fare for a long, long time.  The instant sell outs of the earlier exclusives didn't happen.  (Insert your favorite conspiracy theory as to why the first two items did sell out, though.)  And, Scarlett and Snake Eyes enjoyed a long availability window.  

2003 was the pinnacle of the repaint era.  As the year began,  we didn't know that.  But, by the end of the year, Joe was seeing a popularity it hadn't experienced since the vintage days.  As 2004 dawned, though, the line instantly started to decline.  And, despite a strong slate of releases in '04, the line limped towards the end of the year and was cancelled in 2005.  One thing that defined this era, though, was that Hasbro was very interested in exploring alternate release vectors for G.I. Joe figures.  Aside from retail saturation that got to stores that hadn't really stocked toys in decades, Joe also experimented with CD-ROM figures, huge boxed sets sold at a warehouse store, single carded figures, bonus figure packs, mail aways and even boxed sets like this Snake Eyes and Scarlett.  Not every product was a success.  Some failed before they even got released.  But, Hasbro was able to produce massive amounts of different figures by utilizing all these different packaging options.  Being an in house brand using existing molds allowed Hasbro financial leeway to experiment.  And, were it not for some of these products, we'd have lost out on dozens upon dozens of figures.

As a figure, this Snake Eyes introduces a new secondary color: brown.  The Action Force Stalker used grey highlights.  The Funskool figures brought us silver details.  The 1997 repaints combined both colors to make some new figures.  This 2003 figures colors the web gear in a rich, leathery brown.  It's a solid color and works well with the black base color.  The holstered knife on his chest is painted silver.  The grenade is green...except for the silver handle.  It's a little detail.  But, one that really amps up the visual appeal of his detailing.  He has a brown belt and pants pockets and is wearing slightly differently colored shoes.  The only skimp is that only the top of the bomb on his leg is painted.  There are other versions where the whole design features paint applications.  But, overall, this Toy Fare figures features the best application of paint details that offers some new colors to highlight Snake Eyes.  This is, as far as I can tell, the most intricately painted 1982 torso that was ever released.  

It's these details that make this the "best" Snake Eyes, in my eyes.  He has the most accents of any Snake Eyes figure.  And, he builds from the other historical releases.  Thing is, if you're not a fan of the brown, you might not like this version.  So, if grey is your preference, there's other figures that better use that hue.  Which leads us to the real crux of this figure.  Yes, he's great.  But, he's not really great enough to vastly surpass other Snake Eyes figures from the repaint era.  So, while this figure has all the features to rise above the rest of the Snake Eyes figures, he doesn't rise high enough to justify spending lots of time and effort to track him down over figures like the 1997 or 2004 figures.  

Superficially, I like Snake Eyes figures painted details.  But, practically, that's just not the case.  I only use the 1997 figures within the context of other 1997 figures.  The Comic Pack figure might show up from time to time.  But, mostly, I take his grappling hook and rope.  My spare Action Force Stalker doesn't see much use, either.  Usually, I just use the 1983 figure.  The all black just works.  And, his higher quality plastic make him my go to choice when I want to use a Snake Eyes figure.  In fact, I find that the 1983 is actually my preferred Snake Eyes, overall.  I use it way more than my "favorite": the 1985.  This might be convenience.  But, I find it an interesting aspect of my collection.  And, it's probable that I actually like the original look for Snake Eyes the most of all his incarnations.

This Snake Eyes included the requisite Snake Eyes gear from the era with one exception: the classic 1982 Uzi.  The figure has a 1992 Gung Ho backpack, the classic Snake Eyes ammo back and a sword from the 1989 Snake Eyes mold.  Instead of his standard firearm, he includes a silver version of the 1986 Low Light Uzi.  It's close enough for Snake Eyes.  But, the figure looks somewhat off when not paired with his classic weapon.  Fortunately, the classic Uzi returned with later Snake Eyes figures.  So, it's pretty easy to "fix" this guy should you want to.

Sadly, the quality on this figure isn't the best.  I've always felt the paint application on both figures in this set was a bit "soft".  And, it's very easy to rub and chip away the paint.  I suspect it's just a function  of the softer plastic used on the figures.  But, I'm very wary of Scarlett's paint wearing away just from putting her crossbow in her hand.  On top of that, Snake Eyes legs have a bow to them.  This is from either a bad t-hook or o-ring.  It makes his leg flair out.  It's a common affliction with earlier factory custom figures.  But, this Snake Eyes is subject to it, too.  It makes him hard to stand up.  So, again, this is a limitation for the figure that makes him less necessary.  Though, it should be noted that most of the other repaint era Snake Eyes figures also have similar quality issues.  It just seems this guy is a little bit worse than them.

It's difficult to list all the various variants of Snake Eyes.  The 1982 straight arm was released by Hasbro, Estrela, Plastirama and Auriken.  (Maybe, Rubiplas, too.)  There are some with Cobra logos as well as the Invasor or Mortal and his head was used on the De Aco.  The swivel arm version was released by Hasbro, as a European exclusive and in various colors over in India by Funskool.  Funskool was actually the first company to really paint up details on the Snake Eyes mold.  Hasbro got the mold back in 1997 and released two versions of him that year, though with some slight parts changes.  (The Roadblock waist making it's debut.)  This figure and the purple version appeared in 2003 and the figure appeared again in 2004.  The head was used on a 2004 arctic Snake Eyes and the body appeared for a final time in 2005 in another comic pack.  But, this figure included a new head.  If that's not enough, Black Major made Snake Eyes repaints in the early 2010s and another batch in the mid 2020's.  And, finally, Hasbro made an all new swivel arm mold that was released in 2022.  It's all enough to drive you mad, trying to track them all down.

The Snake Eyes/Scarlett set was a retail dud.  It was available from Toy Fare for a long time.  After a while, though, the sets were liquidated to other outlets.  Into the 2010's, you could get a set on Amazon for under the original price.  As those dried up, prices rose.  During the height of the collecting boom, these were $70+ sets.  Now, though, the prices have stabilized and you can get a boxed set in the $40 range.  Like a lot of plastic from the early 2000's, the windows and plastic inserts on the set do tend to yellow.  So, the display value of a boxed version diminishes, accordingly.  It's kind of hard to find this Snake Eyes on his own.  And, dealers will ask $40 for him or Scarlett if they are loose.  So, buying the boxed set is the only way to go.  At best, this is a $20 figure.  And, the real value is, likely, lower than that.  There's just too many options for Snake Eyes that are close enough.  The Scarlett from the set is the real plum.  So, while this is, arguably, the "best" Snake Eyes, it's not different enough from any of the others released in the repaint era to really warrant a price premium or substantial effort to add to your collection.

1997 Snake Eyes, 2003 Toy Fare Snake Eyes, The Other 1997 Snake Eyes