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 by gijoe_c4_panama
1994 Dial Tone by gen_liederkranz
1994 Dial Tone by toysandtomfoolery
1994 Dial Tone by elevatemetoahigherhumanform
1994 was filled with quite a few redesigns that strayed from the original look of classic characters, but still captured their essence and looked cool - Dial-Tone is one of these figures (in my opinion). My only nitpick (other than the color of the guns) is the visor on his helmet...I wish it extended just a *but* further down to indicate a better fit. Very minor nitpick, though.
ReplyDeleteHe looks like he was MADE for the Monster Blaster and the Badger (one of my favorite small vehicles from the line's later years). Good to see this guy getting some use...he definitely qualifies as "forgotten."
Great photos! My 94 Dial Tone is also driving a Badger. An almost perfect pairing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very underrated and fun figure! I like the big machine gun he comes with! I want to get a Mega Marines Gung-Ho, give him this Dial Tone's helmet, and pass him off as wearing virtual reality gear that you would see in a film like The Lawnmower Man (one of my favorite films)! I do wonder how female Dial Tone would look in this style. -Chev
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