1983 Flash - Random Photos of the Day

I've been working on something about the original 13 figures for a month or so.  I'm about 80% done.  But, that last 20% is turning into a slog.  Hopefully, I'll work through it in the next week or two.  Until then, I'm going with some random photos of the most elaborate original 13 figure: Flash.  He features amazing colors, great accessories and a complex mold.  He's the best designed of all the original figures and the most complete overall release.  He looks great in photos and can be used in a variety of settings.  So, check out some Flash pictures until I get some inspiration to work through an extended period of writer's block.

1983 Doc - Around The Web

Doc is one of those figures who is really good, especially for his purpose.  For the life of me, though, I can't ever come up with something interesting to say about him.  Maybe it's because he's kind of bland.  But, that banality works in Doc's favor since he's supposed to be a doctor.  His gear is awesome and his stretcher was always an important part of my childhood play.  At least lots of other people have been able to use him to great effect.  So, check out the 1983 Doc content that's out there.  

1983 Doc Profile

Doc by thedustinmccoy

Doc by steelbrigade

Doc by thedragonfortress

Doc by specialmissionforce

Doc by steelbrigade

Doc by Backyard Battles

Doc by nostalkid

Doc by u.n.i.t_gijoe

Doc by steelbrigade

Doc by thedustinmccoy

Doc by ussflagg

Doc by Evilface

Doc by 3rd_wave_sabotage

Doc by gi_jokers

Doc by thedustinmccoy

Doc by weregoblin

Doc by 73larebear

Doc by dawghaus_

Rarities - Mail Away 1983 Grand Slam, Hawk and Clutch

In the summer of 2001, a random seller posted a few bagged 1983 G.I. Joe figures who were packed with redback filecards.  They had a small stock of them.  They were offered at $5 and bought out instantly.  I managed to get a Clutch and Hawk, but missed out on the Grand Slam.  The seller said they had more.  But, due to the quick sell out, decided to do more research on the value of the items.  Within a few weeks, some additional bagged figures appeared.  They were higher priced, though still offered for sums that seem ridiculously cheap these days.  Some collectors bought a few.  But, mostly they sat around as the collecting world wasn't really interested in them.

Over the years, the supply of the figures never really dried up.  You could always find them.  But, there were never enough to really drop prices too far.  For a very long time, you could get the bagged versions for about the same price as a loose, mint and complete figure of the same character.  Grand Slam was usually higher priced, though, as he included the filecard from the Silver Pads Grand Slam.  And, in those early days, many collectors didn't make a distinction between the redback versions of filecards or those cut from a box.  

The reason for this is that a ton of overstock of these figures have been found.  You'll even see a "barn" find where entire cases of the figures were discovered and put into the collecting community.  During the years close to the finds, the figures would get cheap.  Now, they have gotten more expensive.  While there are plenty of them out there, they are still more scarce than standard loose figures.  And, many collectors in the early days simply opened the bags up because it was a cheaper option to get high quality vehicle drivers.

The most interesting aspect of the figures is that you get a red Grand Slam with a Silver Pads Grand Slam filecard.  The photo for the Silver Pads figure was all new and created as a JUMP exclusive when the figure was added in 1983.  So, it's not like they destroyed the original artwork.  So, the appearance of the Silver Pads art is weird.  But, it's likely that Hasbro had it more ready to go since it was newer.  As collectability goes, this filecard is the most noteworthy just because it has the juxtaposition of figure and artwork.

The reality is that these three figures are not rare.  There are tons of them out there due to the various finds over the years.  People still pay premiums for them.  But, usually, the prices for these three figures remain far below bagged samples of other 1983 mail away and catalog figures.  So, at least there's no inequity there.  Once upon a time, it was easier and about the same price to simply buy one of these bagged figures and open it to get a mint and complete with filecard figure of the three included in the set.  That's no longer the case.  

1983 Hawk - Around The Web

It's been a sparse month of profiles, so far.  Last week, my dog ate a bunch of accessories.  This week, the other dog got sprayed by a skunk.  I spent two full days getting the stink out of the house.  So, I'm digging deep into the reserves for something that's ready enough to keep the content flowing.  

Here's some 1983 Hawk content from around the web.  This figure is surprisingly popular and appears way more than I would have thought.  In fact, he's easier to find than many of the other original 13 Joe figures.  There's some good stuff here.  So, check the links and let the creators know you appreciate their work.

1983 Hawk Profile

1982 MMS Profile

1983 Hawk by joenationpete

1983 Hawk by R.T.G.

1983 Hawk by Slipstream80

1983 Hawk by Roland da Thompson Gunner

1983 Hawk at JoeADay.com

1983 Hawk by General Jones

1983 Hawk by Slipstream80

1983 Hawk by Roland da Thompson Gunner

1983 Hawk by Slipstream80

1983 Hawk by evilface

1983 Hawk by still_a_big_kid

1983 Hawk by thedustinmccoy

1983 Hawk by JoeRizzo2025

1983 Hawk by Gen_Liederkraz

Rarities - The 2023 Unproduced Lot - Mickey Mouse Cobra Trooper and Officer

In late 2023, a random Ebay lot appeared.  In it were loose versions of the unproduced alternate head Zap, Short Fuse and Breaker figures.  The figures had been played with.  But, the molds matched the known, existing samples of those three figures.  Also in the lot, though, were two other figures that had never before appeared publically: an alternate logo Cobra Trooper and Cobra Officer.

These figures feature the "Mickey Mouse" Cobra logo that appeared on  the early run Mickey Mouse Cobra Commander figure.  Up until this point, these logos had never been seen on either a Trooper or an Officer (in public).  And, the collecting community quickly went into overdrive to authenticate the figures.  

It certainly helped that the figures were found along with loose samples of the alternate head 1983 figures.  That gave them a  provenance boost since there were other items in similar condition that indicated a pre-production find.  And, those other items featured mold changes rather than the more easily faked paint differences.  The fact that the items had play wear meant that the original owner had no idea that they had anything special.

At the end  of the day, these figures aren't all that interesting.  We've seen the logo before.  And, the figure molds are the same as production releases.  Seeing the two together is notable when you put together a timeline of the design process.  The Mickey Mouse Cobra Commander, though, already gave us that information.  But, really, the Mickey Mouse Cobra logo sucks.  The logo that they went with for production is drastically superior.  So, Hasbro made the right choice with the change.  But, seeing production figures like these tells you how close this logo was to being the definitive symbol of everyone's favorite evil terrorist organization.  

The value on these figures is likely in the thousands of dollars.  Even if more of them appear (as happened with the alternate head 1983 figures after the first samples were discovered), it won't be enough to sate the high dollar demand.  Items like this don't appear all that often.  And, it's been a while since legit pre-production variants had been found on vintage Joe items.  

The fact that things like this still exist speak to the sheer volume of product that the Joe line encompasses and the fact that many people who had access to these items may not have really cared, or even noticed, that they had  something materially different from the full production items in  their possession.  It's great that there are still  finds to be made out in the world.  But, they are far more likely to be made by professional resellers who buy out old toy designer's closets and basement than actual collectors.  

Which means items like this will remain the domain  of well heeled collectors.  We can just hope that the original sales of the items continue to be in public forums so that the items in question don't get to just disappear into private collections with no documentation of their existence.  (Like the pre-existing samples of these did.  Yeah, other copies of these exist and are kept hidden for...reasons.)  So, at least we now know these figures exist: even if they aren't all that cool.

1983 Hiss Tank - Around The Web

The Hiss Tank is the single most iconic Cobra ground vehicle.  It is a staple of every collection and is the perfect combo of being a toy and a collectible.  It's been released time and time again.  So, everyone has a shot at it.  Not much else to say other than to check out all the great content that features it.

1983 Hiss Tank Profile

Hiss Tank Diorama

1983 Hiss Tank by steelbrigade

1983 Hiss Tank by thedustinmccoy

1983 Hiss Tank by gijoe_guy

1983 Hiss Tank by theoldnerd

1983 Hiss Tank by tituslester32

1983 Hiss Tank by Darkstar Vintage

1983 Hiss Tank by gijoe_guy

1983 Hiss Tank by sintechness

1983 Hiss Tank by fosilru

1983 Hiss Tank by viper_space

1983 FANG - Around The Web

Little flying machines make for better toys.  They are fun to play with and and easier to manipulate.  The FANG would have been a more integral part of my childhood.  But, my younger brother got it too early in  his life.  And, it was quickly broken, rendering it a small part of our childhood collection.  Now, I appreciate the design of the copter much more.  Sure, it's a death trap for the pilot.  But, it's cheap to build and packs a lot of firepower for short range attacks.  I just need to get around to completing mine.

1983 FANG Profile

1983 FANG by Scarrviper

1983 FANG by bruxovigo

1983 FANG by gijoe_guy

1983 FANG by Nekoman

1983 FANG by ironman3719

1983 FANG by dashiellrfairborne

1983 FANG by formbx257

1983 FANG by masterbungle

1983 FANG by HCC788

1983 FANG by slipstream80

1983 Silver Pads Grand Slam

Grand Slam was among the first repaints in the vintage Joe line.  In 1983, he, Grunt and the Cobra Trooper all got the repaint treatment.  Grunt and the newly named Viper Pilot were given prominent places as the pilots for the well hyped Joe gliders.  Those toys were garbage, though.  And, the figures remain the only good thing about them.  Grand Slam, though, had less fanfare.  Instead of getting an all new toy to call his own, Grand Slam was packaged with the JUMP.  It's likely that the excellent jet pack hadn't been perceived as a great value by the parents of 1982.  So, Hasbro decided to start including a figure to entice more people to buy it. In the 1983 catalog, the silver Grand Slam appears with no special indication that he's a new addition to an old toy.  40 years later, JUMPs remain common and attainable.  But, the Silver Pads Grand Slam has become a collector prized figure and taken on a bit of rarified air.

I would have sworn to you for many years that this figure was a 1984 release.  I had him listed as 1984 on my original profile for a long time.  This is simply due to the fact that my discovery of this Grand Slam occurred in 1984.  The local Service Merchandise store had a small section in the back where they kept smaller toys that didn't make sense to store in the display cases.  This section was mostly figures.  But, there were some small vehicles, too.  Among them was the JUMP with this newly colored Grand Slam.  This Service Merchandise was the only place I recall seeing this new Grand Slam coloring.  And, as no one else had the the silver figure, I desperately wanted the JUMP.  Each time we went to the store, I'd go back to that aisle and wait for my parents.  Inevitably, they'd find me with the JUMP box in my hands, hoping I'd get one for my birthday in 1984.  

On the big day, my parents came through.  Along with the Whale, I got a Silver Pads Grand Slam and JUMP.  Also, for that birthday, I got a new Stormshadow (my brother's from just two months earlier had already lost or broken most of the accessories) and a straight arm Scarlett figure.  I spent the afternoon and evening playing with the new Joes with all my friends, eating pizza and then watching Beverly Hills Cop.  Which, somehow my dad managed to rent without my mother's objections.  It all wrapped into a perfect day and forever associated this Grand Slam with great memories and feelings.

That alone was enough to keep Grand Slam around.  The only red pads figure we owned was an old straight arm from a HAL my brother got for his birthday in October of 1982.  So, the character seemed new.  And, armed with the jet pack, Grand Slam was a powerful force.  Through 1985, Grand Slam remained one of my favored figures and he even held his own as the class of 1985 slowly joined my collection.  At some point in 1986, a swivel arm Flash entered into our collection.  I'm not sure where he came from.  But, it was a nice figure.  For Christmas that year, my brother got the Dreadnok Air Assault set from Sears.  Not being a Dreadnok fan, though, I kept the Skyhawk as a Joe vehicle.  It became a new branch of the Joe team.  Prior to this, air power hadn't been a big part of my play pattern.  Really, a well timed airstrike or Dragonfly arrival would completely upend the adventure as air superiority was too much for Cobra to overcome.  But, the real reason was that airplanes were hard to play with.  Smaller aircraft were OK.  But, the larger toys looked great while being too large and bulky to really use in a detailed play scenario.  

I needed a pilot for this new Skyhawk.  But, I had few choices available.  I tried some figures who had sculpted helmets.  But, they could rarely fit into the vehicle.  I then had an idea.  Grand Slam, with his more unique silver colors would become the pilots of the Skyhawks (yes, the figure became an army builder) while Flash would become the more common land soldier who supplemented the new force.  In short, this worked fantastically.  The Flash figure's would invade on land while Grand Slam would fly in the air.  I would give Grand Slam either Ripcord or Lifeline's air mask, to make him more pilot-like.  Grand Slam might save the day.  He might die in battle.  In many cases, divers had to rescue Grand Slam from deep under the water where he was trapped in the cockpit of his aircraft.  Sometimes he lived and sometimes he didn't.  But, through the end of 1987, these two figures were among the most used toys in my bedroom.  

When I put my Joes away for good in 1988, Grand Slam and Flash were carefully wrapped in plastic bags and tucked away inside a red Lego container that I hid in the back of my closet.  My youngest brother, of course, would find it and remove figures when I wasn't around.  But, he was after newer toys and left the Grand Slam and Flash intact.  As an adult collector, I found that Grand Slam.  He was relatively worn and, at some point, I had replaced his crotch with that from a 1982 red Grand Slam figure.  But, he was still there.  With my memories intact, I made a high quality Silver Pads Grand Slam a key acquisition as a collector.  And, I was fortunate in that as the figure has become far too expensive for a vanity purchase these days.

Silver Pads Grand Slam figures were only available with the JUMP.  In one of the weird anomalies of the early Joe line, though, there was a three pack of Hawk, Clutch and Red Pads Grand Slam figures that were available in bags.  The Grand Slams, though, all include the Silver Pads Grand Slam filecard.  But, the figures are all red pads variants.  In an other really fun oddity, Hasbro actually factory overpainted some red pads figures with the silver paint.  As such, you'll see some Silver Grand Slams that have red paint peeking out from behind the silver.  Many people quickly out these as fakes.  But, some are legitimate products of the Hasbro factories that were trying to save money on overstock figures.

While Flash was released around the world, Grand Slam only appeared in the US.  It's likely that his parts were shipped off to make Grunts and Flashes all around the globe.  But, poor Grand Slam never saw release outside of Hasbro.  Even the comic, which made a point to showcase all of the early Joe team, ignored Grand Slam.  He got one great moment kicking Major Bludd through a bus window in issue #17.  But, that was about it other than making fun of Short-Fuse's name in #22.  Grand Slam didn't return as a character until Hasbro dusted him off in the late 2000's as part of the DTC line.  While Grand Slam figures tend to command a premium due to his reduced release area, the character is pretty much forgotten and has little influence in the Joe world.

So, this figure is pricey.  Nice, mint and complete figures will run at least $100.  Some of them with JUMP packs will even get to $150.  Dealers get the higher amount all the time.  For a figure that's "rare", though, there's actually quite a few Silver Pads Grand Slams out there.  So, it's not hard to get one.  But, you'll pay for it since perception outweighs reality for many old Joe releases these days.  As the silver paint wears easily, though, finding mint specimens is getting harder and harder.  And, my desire to showcase the figure in outdoor photos also diminishes as replacement figures become more and more expensive.  The upside to Grand Slam is that he has a figure that's found a collector afterlife.  But, the fact that it's due to rarity and price instead of quality is kind of a bummer.  Each collector will find different value in owning Grand Slam.  For me, the childhood connection makes this silver version a must own.  But, at the same time, did I not have the memories of the figure, the red pads version would be just fine for me.  

1983 Battle Gear #1

After Christmas of 1982, I owned four G.I. Joe figures.  But, between Snake Eyes, Clutch, Hawk and Breaker, I had just one gun.  Three of the four figures did not include weapons.  This greatly limited my play options.  I went so far as to find an HO-scale coupler for train cars that kind of looked like a pistol and used it for Breaker.  I desperately wanted additional accessories so that all my figures could not only have at least one weapon, but even a choice of some of my favorite weapon designs.  My wishes came true one day when we were in Buffalo, visiting my grandparents.  We were there for a short trip early in the year.  We hadn't taken many toys, confirming the trip was shorter than our normal week.  But, when out shopping, I found a new pack of G.I. Joe accessories at a local store.  It was the original Battle Gear pack.

The pack was cheap enough that my mother bought one for both my younger brother and I.  With these weapons, I now had the ability to give Clutch a visor as well as offering a spare Uzi to Breaker.  I could choose any weapons I wanted for Hawk and Clutch, too.  Of course, Clutch got Stalker's M-32.  But, I also added some accessories to the VAMP.  The new Breaker headset would fit behind the seat with the wire tucked into the seam between the seat and the bottom of the vehicle.  So, this allowed for anyone riding shotgun in the VAMP to be able to communicate with the rest of the team.  I also placed a spare Uzi on the same spot.  This way, the VAMP had a backup small arm if it crashed or just ran out of gas.  Hawk, well, I learned a hard lesson with him.  I tried to get Grunt's M-16 into his hands and it immediately snapped his thumb.  That was the end of that Hawk figure.  And, it's part of what pushed me back to Star Wars figures as 1983 crept on.  

The odd thing about the Battle Gear pack was that the accessories were colored differently from those included with figures.  The weapons themselves are a lighter grey color than the original gear.  Even in 1983, I could easily tell the difference between the Battle Gear and original weapons.  But, the weapons are close enough in color to be useful.  The visors are identical to the originals, though.  The helmets and backpacks, though, were very different.  The helmets were dark brown and did not match any figure.  The packs, though, were worse.  They were a tan color.  Again, they matched no figures until the 1983 Falcon Glider Grunt was released.  There was no explanation for the color changes.  In fact, the 1983 promo catalog showed original gear in the set.  So, the color change was a later decision that was never explained.  

The 1983 Battle Gear set includes every accessory from the 1982 line.  There are 4 visors, two Uzis and even Snake Eyes' ammo pack.  There were three exceptions, though.  Short Fuze's mortar and stand were omitted as was Zap's bazooka.  These three pieces would later show up in white in the 1984 Battle Gear set.  But, again, there was no explanation as to why they weren't included.  It was made weirder by the fact that their shared backpack was included with the 1983 set.  The fact that both those accessories underwent design changes could explain it.  But, both the 1982 Snake Eyes Uzi and Stalker M-32 are different from the 1983 releases of both accessories.  So, other weapons were modified, too.  The exclusion of these weapons remains a mystery nearly 40 years later.

The biggest new feature of the Battle Gear set is the battle stands.  These little rectangles of plastic brought a whole new element to Joe collecting.  The stands allowed kids to pose their figures and stand them up in any pose they desired.  The Battle Gear included two stands.  Starting in 1984, differently colored stands would be included with several small playsets.  By 1993, every figure included a stand on their weapon tree.  This ingenious idea allowed kids to display figures.  But, it also allowed them to put their toys away on a shelf using vertical space and keeping their gear on.  

In the early days of Joe collecting, the ubiquity of 1983 Battle Gear weapons allowed customizers to accessorize their creations with great aplomb.  They were free to paint, slice up and otherwise modify the Battle Gear weapons without worrying about their original accessories.  For dealers, though, the 1983 Battle Gear provided a great way to bilk unsuspecting collectors out of their hard earned money by offering them as original gear with original 13 figures.  Even today, you'll see many seller "mistake" Battle Gear weapons for the original.  But, the colors are blatantly different and there's no excuse for any mistakes by a seller.  

The value to a collector today is that this Battle Gear is an excellent option to properly outfit factory custom figures.  Many of Red Laser Army's figures are obvious homages to various foreign and unproduced characters from the Joe line's earliest days.  They, though, lacked gear that was a perfect match for them.  Battle Gear allows you to give these characters the weapons they deserve.  And, while the 1983 helmets and packs aren't great for many figures, the weapons are a great way to update the homages.  Having some cheap alternatives for that purpose is a definite plus.

Back in the early 2000's, before people got stupid with Joe prices, it was relatively easy to put together a small team of original 13 figures in a tan style.  With Grunt, Clutch and Doc bodies, you could make a tan Breaker, Hawk and Stalker.  If you were handy with a little paint, you could put together a decent Snake Eyes, too.  And, the Battle Gear weapons are a perfect match for this set.  To this day, I store my Tan Grunt with the Battle Gear backpack and M-16 since they are so closely aligned in color to the figure.  The tan works with Scarlett, too, as a way to better accessorize her.

For me, the real value of the Battle Gear came many years after its initial release.  In 1986 and 1987, I often had third faction terrorists or freedom fighters (really, they're the same thing just with different marketing depending upon which side they battle against) who would interject into the Joe vs. Cobra conflict.  My favorite was having them drive up to a ceremony in the A-Team van, open the door and pop out with small sub machine guns and mow down the dignitaries in attendance.  As small weapons were not overly common in the Joe line (and, most of the ones that did exist were in use by their original owners!) the Battle Gear Uzis were a great means of making these civilian fighters a more formidable force.  I'd toss in some of the larger rifles, too, as part of their getaway plan.  

My other random memory of the Battle Gear weapons comes on a cold winter's day, probably in either 1984 or 1985.  It was a Sunday and I had been playing with my Joes in the garage.  (It was warmer in there than outside, but still counted as outside play.)  I picked them all up and took them in.  A few hours later, right before dinner, I went back out to put away some bikes or balls and happened to find a Battle Gear M-60 on the floor.  It wasn't part of my team that had been in the garage that day.  And, it was a neat find as we didn't have a regular Rock and Roll and this Battle Gear version was the only copy of his weapon in our possession.  I took the weapon inside.  Really, though, it's not finding the weapon that was memorable.  Instead, it was the feeling I had as I picked it up off the floor.  For some reason, I got an overwhelming feeling of sadness that it was Sunday night and I was back to school on Monday.  To this day, I get the same feeling on some Sunday afternoons as the sun goes down.  Every time I do, I think back to that day in the garage, finding Rock and Roll's gun and then being saddened by the fact that my fun was over and it was back to work early the following morning.

You'll see some dealers command premiums for various accessories in this set.  The Uzi tends to command the highest price and sells for around $7, even as dealers ask double that.  But, the real value in the set is the visors.  As such, you'll usually find sets that are sold sans visors.  A whole loose set with no visors will run about $20.  On their own, though, visors sell for around $20.  So, getting the visors, too, will be expensive.  You can get carded sets in the $85 range.  Which, with 4 visors is a little lower than the loose price.  For just the weapons, the price is probably decent.  Original Uzis aren't easy to find and this is a cheap way to get them.  My only real lament is that the other Battle Gear packs in subsequent years didn't follow the close coloring of the originals like this first attempt at additional accessories did.

1983 Grunt

I want to say that I hate Grunt.  However, that is unfair.  The reality is that I don't care about Grunt.  At all.  As a figure and as a character, Grunt has never been particularly relevant to me.  I'm not sure why this is.  While not the most interesting of the original 13 Joe figures, he's not the least interesting, either.  In fact, it his general blandness where he's neither great nor bad that is the cause of my indifference to the figure.  All of that, though, doesn't belie Grunt's place in Joe history and his importance to the fledgling line back in 1982.

My first encounter with Grunt was during my brother's infamous birthday in October of 1982.  He got most of the carded Joes along with the VAMP and HAL.  As the figures were opened and each kid took one to play with out in the front yard, the only thing I found interesting about Grunt was his backpack.  I quickly grabbed it, affixed it to Clutch's back and moved on.  It's likely that Grunt's thumb was quickly broken in those early days.  But, I have no real memories of Grunt at all beyond his pack being stolen for my "super" Clutch figure.  I can still recall the day that pretty much every original Joe character entered into my collection.  My only real recollection of Grunt was finding pieces of one buried behind bricks in our front yard after we had entombed him in 1982.

Grunt was so inconsequential to me that it wasn't until a year later when my brother acquired the Falcon Glider and the Tan Grunt that I paid any attention to the original figure.  I noticed the silver knife on the Tan Grunt's chest.  I loved this paint detail and it was enough to make the Tan Grunt interesting to me.  By that time, most of our 1982 straight arm Joes were broken and had been tossed in a box.  I thought there was no way I'd have missed the silver knife on the original Grunt or else I would have liked that figure better.  I dug the dirty and broken 1982 Grunt torso out of a box of broken and discarded Joes.  To my dismay, the original knife was silver, too.  I had just missed it.  But, even with this new bit of information, I didn't feel the need to go out and get a new swivel arm Grunt that was then available.  I just shrugged it off and largely forgot about Grunt for a long time.

In the comic, the Grunt character didn't begin as all that interesting, either.  His early runs are not memorable and he was overshadowed by Clutch, Rock and Roll and Hawk.  Heck, even Short Fuse got a few memorable lines.  But, this lack of defined story helped Larry Hama do something with Grunt.  He left the military to go to college.  He then aided the Joes in a few story lines and, ultimately, returned to the team.  (Though, his awful 1991 figure isn't really representative of his look during the transition.)  So, the Grunt character that I know is mostly based on the late 1980's story arc for Grunt and his interaction with characters from that time of the book.

My experience with Grunt, though, tends to be unique.  There are a great number of collectors out there who count Grunt as their introduction to the Joe line.  He was supposed to be the standard American fighting man and his appearance on Joe product packaging of the early '80's indicated this.  So, Grunt was often the figure chosen by adults for gifts or treats.  So, you'll see him occupy high slots on many collector lists.  While I'd rank Grunt firmly in the lower middle of the original releases, he remains a hugely important part of many people's collections.

Grunt's enduring legacy was that he was the "face" of G.I. Joe in 1982.  In fact, many kids assumed he was "G.I. Joe" himself.  Grunt's iconic artwork appeared on most of the Joe promotional material.  He was used as the background for merchandise that wasn't tied to Hasbro's 3 3/4 figure line.  Grunt represented the American fighting man.  And, his look was used to convey that fact.  And, that may be part of the reason that Grunt isn't all that interesting as a toy or character.  He was meant to represent the everyman.  And, everymen are bland by design.  Extreme character traits alienate them from their base.  So, they are just there.  Grunt provides a connection to soldiers from prior wars and allowed an entry point for parents and grandparents to introduce G.I. Joe to their kids.  So, he was hugely successful in that regard.

As a figure, though, Grunt is well done.  Not only does he feature more paint applications than most of the other carded 1982 designed Joes, he also has nice accessories.  The figure has brown, black, silver and green paint to accentuate the figure design.  (And, note the bright green pockets.  Neon was part of the Joe line since 1982.)  And, he includes a helmet, backpack and classic M-16 rifle.  If you were a kid in 1982 without the story that would come, there was little to differentiate Grunt from most of the other figures hanging on retail shelves.  But, for me, Grunt lacked the "it" factor.  Stalker, Snake Eyes, Rock and Roll and Flash were all must buys.  While I didn't much care for Scarlett, she was memorable.  Zap and Short Fuze were interchangeable and not all that interesting.  Breaker's gear pushed him ahead of Grunt.  When you add in vehicle drivers, Hawk is non-descript.  Clutch is awesome.  Steeler is right behind him.  And, if you like Flash, you kind of have to like Grand Slam.  Caught in the space between good and bad leaves Grunt as forgotten.

There is an interesting anecdote about Grunt.  At one time, there was a person who wanted to make a massive military diorama.  He would choose to only use 1983 Grunt and 1983 Tan Grunt figures to comprise the humans in this endeavor.  It never came to be, though.  And, in the mid 2000's, tons of Grunts who were still in their bubbles, but had the rest of the card torn away became available.  (A monstrous supply of Tan Grunts still in the bubble became available, too.)  It's not known if this person got the figures from Hasbro or just bought them at retail.  But, it's an interesting story and the reason why you'll still find bubbled Grunts on torn away cardbacks to this day.

As with all the original 13 Joes, Grunt was a world traveler.  The straight arm figure was released in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.  His parts were used for exclusives in Argentina, too.  The swivel arm figure was repainted in 1983 and appeared through the years in various mail aways, catalog premiums and promotions.  Hasbro reformed most of Grunt in 1997 for inclusion in the Stars and Stripes set.  But, after that, Grunt didn't really appear.  His shared chest appeared a in the 2000's in comic packs and convention sets.  But, a repainted Grunt character never did.  Grunt's comic pack release was a new head on a repainted 1994 Action Series body.  (It's a cool figure, but not an homage to this Grunt.)  While I don't really miss Grunt repaints, there's no reason he didn't appear later in different colors.  But, there's enough Grunt releases from outside the U.S. and U.S. releases repaints to keep the Grunt collector busy for quite a while.

As Joe prices have risen drastically since the fall of 2017, the early Joes have been heavily caught up in the tidal wave.  Beware figures with the incorrect rifle.  Grunt's rifle is unmistakable, but many dealers will still put an incorrect version with the figure to command a premium.  Mint and complete Grunt figures sell between $35 and $45 with some dealers even getting $70 with far too much frequency.  But, the figure is very prone to discoloration, paint wear and joint degradation.  This does mean, though, that you can get slightly off condition figures for cheaper prices.  But, we're long past the days of cheap Grunts making up a slew of greenshirts for a casual collector.  Grunt is still cheaper than many of the more popular members of the original 13.  But, I'd never pay those prices for one since the figure just doesn't resonate with me.

1983 Destro - Around The Web

Destro's introduction changed the direction of G.I. Joe.  His appearance in 1983 helped set Cobra as a more viable foe for Joe.  And, he also brought an element of design flair to the line.  A human villain with a chromed head was a retail standout at the time.  And, it helped make G.I. Joe a line that went beyond its olive drab roots.  

In recent years, I've come to find the character of Destro to be overly problematic.  He was portrayed as a man of honor.  Yet, to me, this is disingenuous.  He is an arms dealer who profits from violence and death.  He uses his notion of "honor" as a way of shielding his conscious from the atrocities that he enables.  This gives him cover and absolves him of responsibility for any actions of his customers.  It's "just business".  But, to me, that's the issue.  It can't be an arms length transaction when innocent people are displaced from their homeland, intimidated and even killed in violent fashion by the machines of war.  So, now, I see Destro as culpable.  Every death that occurred by his weapons are on his head.  And, his disassociation from that responsibility leaves him a coward in my eyes.

For me, now, Destro is just evil.  So, he appears in my world as a conniving, evil man who seeks to profit off of suffering and war.  It's still terrible.  But, at least he's honest about who he is.  

Obviously, lots of good Destro content out there.  Check out all the links as you'll find fun stuff throughout.

1983 Destro Profile

1983 Destro by masterbungle

1983 Destro by scarrviper

1983 Destro by R.T.G.

1983 Destro at JoeADay.com

1983 Destro by flint

1983 Destro at Nekoman's Viper Pit

1983 Destro by cyko

1983 Destro by Cobra Freak

1983 Destro by LT Shipwreck

1983 Destro at When It Was Cool

1983 Destro (No Date Stamp) by Hit and Run

1983 Destro (Date Stamp) by Hit and Run

1983 Destro by Slipstream80

1983 Wild Bill

I've finally done it.  In 20 years of profiling figures, I've never actually completed a figure year's worth of profiles.  In many cases, I'm close.  In some cases, it's just one or two figures before that year is complete.  But, I've never actually closed out an entire year.  My focus has always been to switch around and not get too focused on any specific year in too short a period of time.  With this profile of Wild Bill, all the new figures that were released in 1983 are now done and have been reviewed.  It's an odd feeling since I always like to have options for figure years as subjects of future profiles.  But, I've told most of my stories about specific years and there is some redundancy if you read everything about a year in one sitting.

Wild Bill's entry to my collection came in the fall of 1983.  I had mowed lawns all summer long and had properly saved my money.  Now, I wanted to buy something big.  At the time, there was really only one option: the Dragonfly.  It was the one toy the kid around the block hadn't gotten, yet.  And, it was awesome.  On a warm, early Fall day, my mom took me to the recently opened Kohl's store.  There, I found my Dragonfly and bought it.  Both of my younger brothers complained bitterly about not getting something.  So, my mom bought them Tripwire and Torpedo.  Somehow, since I was buying my own toy, I didn't get a figure bought for me.  This recurred in my childhood for the next several years.  Apparently, I'm somewhat bitter about it.  But, it also created a sense of self reliance that I maintain to this day.  And, I've always simply worked to buy the things I want.  I miss out on some things due to my independence.  But, I've also gotten to do some amazing things due to the same spirit.

Back to the Dragonfly, though.  I got the copter home and opened it by our front, screen door.  A light drizzle fell as I put it together.  When done, it became the flagship of my burgeoning Joe collection.  Instantly, Joe had the full upper hand in any firefight.  At the time, we might have had a FANG to battle the Dragonfly.  So, the Joe copter quickly became the ruler of the toy room.  Once I got a Hiss Tank for Christmas that year, Cobra finally had a weapon capable of shooting down the Dragonfly.  By the holiday season, I also had a Skystriker.  And, while the Skystriker was cooler looking from afar, the reality is that the Dragonfly is a substantially better toy with way more play value than the titular Joe aircraft.

The same, though, could not be said about the pilot of the helicopter: Wild Bill.  After the emeralds that were Clutch and Steeler from 1982, Wild Bill seemed like a letdown.  He had some interesting designs.  But, he was definitely a step below the carded figures from 1983 in terms of details and quality.  His orange hair was a bit too orange.  It gave him a comical appearance: something that was a complete departure from how Larry Hama portrayed him in the comic.  His head was also too large.  And, it dominated his appearance.  It made him out of proportion with the other, existing figures.  I kept him in the Dragonfly as it was better there than wasting one of my better figures as the pilot.  But, in general, Wild Bill was a huge disappointment as a figure.

One frustrating thing about Wild Bill was that he became one of Larry Hama's go to Joe characters.  He appeared often in the comic and maintained starring roles through the mid '80's as I started using my collection as a creative outlet.  It sucked to see Wild Bill done up as a great character in the comics but to have his figure be so lackluster.  To this day, it's tough to reconcile Wild Bill's character with his original toy.  The early Hasbro designers had something for very open collars.  And, far too many figures look like refugees from a cheesy Midwestern disco.  Wild Bill is a prime example.  The rest of his motif is just kind of bland.  While the green and brown that dominates his design isn't a bad combo, it just feels kind of tired after the other, amazing new offerings that preceded him in 1983.

The figure just looks off.  His head is too large for his body.  This proved out, too, when trying to place Wild Bill in the front seat of the Dragonfly (like the box art showed!).  Wild Bill would not fit in a way that allowed the canopy to close without unnatural finagling of the figure.  Yes, I would eventually learn from the comic that Wild Bill would fly from the back seat of the chopper.  But, that initial frustration with him fitting didn't do the figure any favors.  It also didn't help that, generally, I'm not a fan of the cowboy look.  I'm an urbanite.  I always have been.  The "western" look wasn't something I ever found particularly appealing.  So, again, my personal biases helped to shape my opinion of the Wild Bill figure.  I would not start buying the comic until June of 1984.  By then, my opinions of the figure were pretty set and I would instead lament that there was not a good Wild Bill figure instead of trying to rethink my stance on the one that did exist.

Wild Bill is a Bill Kilgore (from Apocalypse Now) knockoff.  You have the helicopter pilot wearing historic military gear.  You can almost hear Wagner playing when the Dragonfly makes an appearance.  But, in 1983, I had no idea that the original character existed.  So, Wild Bill seemed like something new to me.  I figured he was just a cowboy knock off character since there were still lots of cowboy toys floating around in the early 1980's.  His Texas steer belt buckle, Civil War era cavalry hat and twin, ivory handled six shooters all completed his look.  (Wild Bill also wears his antique weapons handles forward.  At the time, one of my Dad's old cap guns from the 1950's was still at my grandparents' house.  It had a real leather holster.  I always carried the pistol handles forward, too, as I thought it was a cooler look than the standard handles back.)  It makes little sense to wear them like this on your legs.  But, it's a design choice that helped Wild Bill stand apart from his contemporaries.

The Joe line of 1983 was perfectly timed.  While Return of the Jedi figures stole the thunder from G.I. Joe in the early part of the year, their grip as the prime toy of our household had been weakened by the 1982 Joes.  In the late summer of 1983, one of my brother's friends came over.  He brought with him his new Airborne figure.  I was immediately enthralled by the swivel arm battle grip.  That one little change to Joe construction completely changed the way with which you could interact with a figure.  And, it was all it took for Joe to permanently displace Star Wars.  From 1983 onward, Joe dominated our house.  And, aside from a smattering of Star Wars Christmas presents, Joe was pretty much the only toy I ever bought again.  

1983 is also important, though, because Joe took a huge leap forward.  While the 1982 line was far more sci-fi than most modern collectors care to admit, it was still steeped in the classic military motif that matched the World War II homage green army figures that you could buy at every grocery store during the early 1980's.  In 1983, though, Joe stepped away from the green base figures of the prior year and introduced a massive amount of color to the line.  While you still had some green figures like Wild Bill, Hasbro also introduced tan, blue, grey, white, red and silver to the line.  Along with the colors, though, came the characters.  Gung Ho and Wild Bill were larger than life.  Snow Job and Tripwire were the funny, supporting cast and guys like Doc, Torpedo and Ace were serious specialists with credentials to support their new looks.  

Cobra, though, took a bigger leap.  While Cobra Commander had always been more super-villain than terrorist, the crop of 1983 Cobras made it clear that G.I. Joe was really a story of heroes and villains rather than a textbook on military operations.  Major Bludd gave Cobra credibility with the affiliation of such a dangerous desperado.  But, Destro, with his steel mask and massive size, firmly cemented Cobra as a group of enemies who weren't some third world despot.  Sure, the military lingo and specialties were there to keep Joe grounded in its military roots.  But, 1983 was the step forward that prevented Joe from quickly stagnating at retail like so many other toys did.  

You can make a case that the 1983 Joes were the stepping stone towards making the modern G.I. Joe equal to their predecessor from the 1960's.  Kids could now play in sky, under water, in the snow or even the desert with their figures.  And, within the next two years, there would be a Joe figure to cover pretty much every adventure a kid could conjure up.  So, G.I. Joe could be a military line.  But, it could also be a science fiction line.  (I do believe that one reason why it was so easy for kids to evolve from Star Wars to G.I. Joe was because Joe had some familiar themes like lasers, sharply dressed villains and a variety of characters that would connect with various personality types.)  It appealed to fans of comic book heroes and villains and also offered chances for standard civilian adventures.  Joe figures were compatible with toys from all other 3 3/4 figure lines because their articulation and construction allowed them more freedom of mobility.  It was far less frequent to be able to successfully integrate other 3 3/4 figures into Joe vehicles because the Joe toys were designed specifically to work with bending knees, flexible waists and, now, swiveling arms.

Now, I have to be ingenuous about this transition, too.  Star Wars also suffered from the reality that Return of the Jedi ended the story.  Darth Vader and Boba Fett were dead.  The Empire was defeated.  There were no real stories left to develop with the toys.  And, this ending also opened the door for Joe.  The crop of 1983 Cobra villains were super villain archetypes and turned the Joe saga from some generic army guys fighting knock off Nazis to a full blown chess match of fully developed heroes and villains who had motivations, grudges and the wherewithal to battle each other to a standstill that could generate stories for years.  Star Wars lost that when the major players had their arcs come to an end.  We're just now, 40 years later, starting to see how the Star Wars universe could have been expanded.  But, without the availability of modern TV techniques, it's doubtful Star Wars could have pulled it off in 1983.

One odd memory I have of Wild Bill is that the kid around the block gave me his straight arm Steeler figure in late 1987 or so.  Both of the thumbs were broken.  But, I found that Wild Bill's arms were a suitable substitute.  So, one of our spare Wild Bill figures was taken apart and used to upgrade Steeler.  I then found that the rest of the Wild Bill parts were pretty useless for making kitbashes of new characters.  To this day, the rest of that Wild Bill that was sacrificed so Steeler could join my collection remain in a box of discarded and unloved parts.  I got rid of the Steeler with the wrong arms in one of my collection purges.  So, there's no reuniting the entire figure.  But, it's one of those odd remnants of my childhood collection that still haunts my collecting closet.

Wild Bill didn't see much use.  He was released by Hasbro and no one else in the vintage line.  In some European catalogs, you see mock ups of a Tiger Force Wild Bill (they are hand painted samples) flying the Tiger Force Dragonfly.  It was likely that Wild Bill was the original choice to be the pilot for that chopper, too.  But, the mold availability didn't match up.  So, Recondo was released instead.  I have to say that getting a Tiger Force Recondo far surpasses a possible Tiger Force Wild Bill.  So, I applaud Hasbro for that decision.  Oddly, in 2001, Funskool dropped a Wild Bill repaint.  While their orange release featured new arms, it had the rest of the Wild Bill body.  It was odd to see for sure.  But, the brightly colored figure is pretty fun.  It remains a travesty that we didn't get the 1992 Wild Bill mold in 1983 colors during the repaint era.  Hasbro had the mold and it would have been a well received figure.

As far as 1983 figures go, Wild Bill is cheap.  Mint and complete with filecard versions sell for around $20.  And, you can get them for 1/2 that with a little patience.  Wild Bill's tend to discolor pretty badly, even on otherwise mint samples.  So, it can be a hassle to find a perfectly colored one.  (You will see guys try to pass off a "white undershirt" Wild Bill.  But, this is just a discolored chest.  Even mine that you see below is starting to go.)  But, this is a figure that I don't care enough about to spend any time tracking down.  I don't even really like him as the pilot of the Dragonfly and I replace him every chance I get.  But, Wild Bill is iconic.  So, you pretty much have to have him if you own a Dragonfly.