1997 Short Fuse - Around The Web

Short Fuse is my least used member of the original 13 Joes.  He never resonated with me as a character or a figure.  His 1997 update, though, is kind of nice.  He's a good blend with Zap, Grunt and Stalker.  And, the addition of a bazooka makes him more useful than when he only had his mortar.  But, he's never going to really matter to me.  

That's OK, though.  You need a lot of figures like Short Fuse in a successful line.  Guys who are just kind of there.  But, for someone, the character or figure will resonate and be the reason they still collect today.  Short Fuse fills that role.  There's not a ton of content on the 1997 figure out there.  So, check out what I could find.

1997 Short Fuse Profile

1997 Short Fuse Brown Pants Variant

1997 Pre Production Short Fuse

1997 Short Fuse by Outrider

1997 Short Fuse at the Attica Gazette

1997 Short Fuse by gen_liederkranz

1997 Short Fuse by Evilface

1997 Short Fuse at OAFE

1997 Short Fuse by gen_liederkranz

Rarities - Unproduced 1997 Stars & Stripes Set

The 1997 Toys R Us G.I. Joe releases were a mess.  The extent to which they were botched is really difficult to comprehend.  Hasbro's plans for the line were both drastically different and more grandiose than what actually transpired.  But, all the signs of a looming iceberg were there.  And, it's never more evident than with the early images of what Hasbro intended for the Stars and Stripes set.

The Stars and Stripes set was supposed to be the flagship product in Joe's triumphant return to retail.  It was going to include 8 of the original 9 carded figures that had started the line just 15 years prior.  (Fun fact.  There's been almost twice as much time that's passed since the release of this set in 1997 as had passed between the Joe line's debut in 1982 and this set's production in 1997!)  The plan was to use all original molds of the figures.  But, to repaint them into a more "modern" interpretation.  Some of this was a response to the collectors of the day who claimed they wanted "gritty and realistic" figures.  But, really, it was a way for Hasbro to massively update the looks of the original Joes.

The idea was sound.  But, the execution was, well, a problem.  All of the Hasbro Joe team from the vintage days had been let go by Hasbro in 1994.  And, the brand had been taken over by former Kenner employees who had been placed in charge of the action figure division.  Their lack of experience with the Joe brand lead to a comedy of errors that just multiplied as the product got closer to production.  But, we'll start with the basics.

Below you will see two images of the original plans for the Stars & Stripes set.  You'll see some figures that look familiar to their production designs as well as some molds that were missing from the production set.  .  

The first image is the image that is actually on the back of the production Stars & Stripes box.  It is incredibly different from the figures inside the window when you turned the box over.  As someone whose first exposure to this product was when they found it on a Toys R Us shelf in 1997, this was weirdly confusing.  The two figures using the 1986 Hawk head (Breaker and Rock and Roll) were obviously out of place in the set.  Not only were they nothing like their vintage counterparts, they didn't fit the aesthetic of the set, at all.  Also missing from the set was Flash.  You can argue that Flash is the most interesting figure from the initial lineup of retail figures.  He was gone.  And, in  his stead, was a figure not shown on the box-back: Grunt.

The choice to originally exclude Grunt is a weird one.  While I'm not a Grunt fan, Grunt was the face of the Joe line for the first couple of years.  If you mention G.I. Joe to a non-fan who grew up in the early '80's, it's pretty likely that their first association with the name is Grunt's cardback image.  It was the brand's calling card.  There's no indication of why Grunt was the original odd man out in the set.  But, his inclusion was a far better choice than adding a 3rd oddball 1986 Hawk/Roadblock mashup repaint to the set.

Aside from the mold fiasco, just looking at this set, you see some other glaring issues that should have been above Hasbro in 1997.  The second photo below is from a 1997 Tomart's magazine where they announced G.I. Joe's return to retail.  It appears to be a different photo shoot of the Stars & Stripes set with a few, key differences from the production box back.  But, many of the figures are the same, too.  We'll go through each figure one by one and review all the chaos that's going on.

Scarlett

Scarlett is the least interesting figure in these images.  This is because she's pretty close to the production figure actually released in 1997.  The purple is more muted and darker.  And, her jumpsuit is more brown.  But, you see all the painted details on her mold.  She is still a repainted 1983 figure in this shot.  But, she's pretty close to the figure in the box.  

Breaker

Here, we have our first major deviation.  The Breaker in both photos isn't the classic figure.  But, it's a close-enough amalgamation.  The figure in both photos uses Clutch's head.  This is close as he and Breaker share the same head in 1982/1983.  But, the black hair makes it Clutch rather than Breaker.  The figure features a tan shirt.  This would have been a great addition to the set.  Adding a 3rd tan Joe to the original 13 would have been a nice homage to Clutch and Grunt.  The darker green pants offset him, nicely, too.  This color scheme would appear on some later figures and in factory customs.  Just on not on this parts configuration.  Breaker's gear shows his iconic headset.  But, for some reason, he doesn't have a helmet.  It's a terrible, aesthetic choice as it makes the figure look incomplete.  The production figure, that used 1986 Hawk and Roadblock parts, did include a helmet.  But, it didn't include the headset.  On top of that, this photographed figure includes Airborne's rifle while the production figure ended up including accessories from the 1982/83 Flash.

Short Fuse

Short Fuse is weird.  The figure in both photos actually features Grunt's torso instead of the classic Short Fuse design.  He has no cammo on his chest.  But, his legs are done in an intricate pattern.  The colors on his legs are very close to the production paint job that ended up on Stalker.  The production Short Fuse used the correct chest for the figure.  And, he didn't have any cammo pattern on him aside from a slight spray on his legs.  You'll note the figure used for the sample is a repainted straight arm Short Fuse.  The Tomart's photo features him wearing a 1985 Lady Jaye backpack.  While the box back shows him with the correct backpack.  

Snake Eyes

In the Tomart's photo, the Snake Eyes is actually an Action Force Stalker figure.  Hasbro had a ton of overstock Action Force figures and both Stalker and Quarrel were dumped as early '90's convention exclusives.  So, Hasbro had spare figures lying around.  His unaltered inclusion is an interesting choice.  It shows that Hasbro always had intention of adding painted details to the 1997 Snake Eyes figure.  Hasbro's original plan was that the 1982/83 Snake Eyes was going to be included in the boxed set and the 1985 Snake Eyes mold was going to be included in the 3 figure pack with Stormshadow and Lady Jaye.  When the '85 mold wasn't available, they went with two '82/'83 figures instead.  Both heavily used grey as the highlight color: reminiscent of the European Stalker figure.

On the box back, Snake Eyes is posed with is back to the photographer.  It's an odd pose for the most popular character in the set.  It doesn't appear that the figure in this photograph is the Action Force Stalker.  But, it's difficult to tell.  The figure is also wearing a backpack.  It's difficult for me to see.  But, it looks like a Zap/Short Fuse backpack painted all black.  It's just an odd choice to see Snake Eyes with a pack.  And, not featuring him prominently was an interesting design choice.

Zap

Zap appears to have been two very different figures in the different photos.  In the Tomart's photo, Zap is a swivel arm figure.  Instead of the solid color with some overspray paint job that ended up on the production figure, he features the paint job that was, eventually, used on Grunt.  His legs are not painted, though.  And, appear very close to the colors of the production figure.  He is wearing his backpack and is the only figure to be wearing a visor.

On the box back, the Zap figure is very different.  He's heavily obscured by the figures in front on him.  But, he's a repainted straight arm figure.  Worst of all, he has two broken thumbs!  Hasbro actually put a broken toy on the back of the packaging!  Aside from that, the figure features a helmet with cammo paint.  Hasbro never painted up an original helmet.  Zap's entire body, including his legs, are done in the same cammo pattern.  It is not a pattern that was actually used in the set.  But, most importantly, Zap has painted on facial hair.  It's at least a goatee and might be a full beard.  The facial hair would have been a new paint application and made for an interesting take on Zap.  Sadly, it was not to be.

Stalker

The Stalker figure in the two photos appears to be the same.  He's even in nearly the same pose between the two photos.  He's wearing a Zap/Short Fuse backpack in the Tomart's photo.  The production Stalker toned down the tan portion of the cammo.  And, it ended up using a darker green base.  The actual colors for Stalker's cammo are pretty close to what appears on Short Fuse's legs.  But, the figure in these early photos is a decent representation of what the production figure ended up being.  

Flash

Flash is the biggest what-if in this set.  Hasbro was never able to reproduce the classic Flash mold: despite collector calls for it to return for a decade after the Star & Stripes set's release.  Flash's entire character was pulled from the set and replaced with Grunt.  However, Flash's laser rifle was, baffingly, included with the Breaker figure in the set.  Flash is a repainted swivel arm figure and it appears it's the same figure in both photos.  The darker green base and yellow pads were a strong update for Flash's look.  I'm not sure they would have supplanted his original red pads as his iconic look.  But, it would have been nice to have another Flash version.  On  the box back, Flash is wearing the only visor.  Though, in the Tomart's photo, the visor is given to Zap.) The fact that factory customs have failed to deliver this Flash version  is another glaring omission.  It seems like such an easy win for a figure.  And, I'll opine that Flash's absence from this set is the greatest loss in the changes from concept to production.

Rock and Roll

The final figure in the set was Rock and Roll.  We all know that the terrible 1986 Roadblock/General Hawk mashup figure that was released as Rock and Roll in this set happens to have a very rare, race changing variant.  But, the real story is that Rock and Roll was supposed to use his original mold for the character.  The figure featured in both photos is a repainted straight arm.  He is armed with  the 1986 Roadblock's machine gun.  This gets weird because the production figure ended up using the 1986 Roadblock body but included the 1982/83 Rock and Roll's M-60 and bi-pod.  The figure is wearing the Lady Jaye backpack on the box back.  But, not in the Tomart's photo.  

Rock and Roll would have rivaled Stalker and Scarlett as the best repaint in the set.  His black shirt, cammo pants and updated bullet strap paint job would have made a striking figure.  Personally, I lament his absence the most just because Rock and Roll is a figure that I use way more often than Flash.  The upside is that the 2018 Hollowpoint figure from Red Laser Army is based on this 1997 Rock and Roll and is a good enough representation of the planned paint job.  

From the box back, you can see examples of all the shortcuts that Hasbro took when creating the 1997 lineup.  Granted, it was a low production run line that was sold only at Toys R Us.  But, the vintage Hasbro team would never have created such a lackluster presentation for their packaging.  It's sad that missing molds did in so much of the plans for 1997.  1983 Cobra Commander, Destro, Rock and Roll, Flash and Breaker would have been much more beloved than the figures we got.  And, a repainted 1985 Snake Eyes might have been the character's definitive appearance in toy form.  But, none of that happened.  Instead, we have ghosts of the plans that live on in early photos like these.

1997 Grunt - Around The Web

Grunt isn't a character that's ever resonated with me.  He entered our home on the first day we ever had any G.I. Joe figures when we got him on my younger brother's 1982 birthday.  I immediately took his backpack and gave it to Clutch.  I never really paid any attention to Grunt.  And, as the line matured, Grunt was even less important.

That carried over to the 1997 releases.  I never took Grunt out of the drawer for many, many years.  Even then, it was just for a profile.  But, as the years have progressed, the figure has grown on me.  The intricate cammo pattern and deep green pants are a great look.  He's a great complement to Zap, Short Fuse and Stalker.  So, while the character still doesn't matter, this figure has grown on me.  

This isn't to say it's without problems.  The helmet doesn't fit.  He comes with the antithesis of his classic M-16: an AK-47.  It's weird.  And, the 1997 figure quality isn't the best.  All of that has added up to a figure who doesn't appear frequently.  Here's a bit of content on him from around the web.

1997 Grunt Profile

1997 Grunt by Nekoman

1997 Grunt by hobieshinobi

1997 Grunt by thedustinmccoy

1997 Grunt by gen_liederkranz

1997 Grunt by flatline54

1997 Grunt by atwooddan

1997 Cobra Commander - Random Photos of the Day

A decade after the debut of the 1987 Cobra Commander, Hasbro released a repaint.  Originally, the figure in the 1997 Cobra Command set was supposed to be the 1983 Cobra Commander mold.  It was supposed to be a helmeted version of the classic character but in the color scheme of the 1984 Hooded mail away.  It would have finally gotten collectors a Cobra blue version of the faction's titular leader.  (A gap that still exists today!)  But, mold shenanigans reared their head and Hasbro could not locate the original Cobra Commander mold.  (It had been used as recently as 1994, even!)  So, they went with the less popular 1987 mold.  Instead of the metallic silver of the original, though, Hasbro kept the Cobra blue with gold highlight motif.  And, collectors were gifted the 1997 Cobra Commander.

I looked at this figure almost 8 years ago.  But, at the time, I really didn't have much to say about him.  The profile was a rush job as, I still hadn't really found a great use for the figure.  Since then, I've found value in the 1997 Cobra Commander.  The color scheme is classic.  And, between factory customs and the Pulse era releases, there are now more options for classically blue Cobras who can match up with a properly colored Cobra Commander.  So, I've had more occasion to use the 1997 figure in my photos.

The real story of this figure is the intricacy of the paint masks.  Against the dark blue, the figure features gold, red and black details.  The layering of gold and red on the chest is especially impressive.  Hasbro really worked hard to deliver high quality paint jobs on the 1997 and 1998 figures.  After that, the retail masks got more sparse while the finely detailed molds became the domain of premium priced convention figures.  The main reason the 1997 and 1998 series have held up so well is due to the complex paint masks that give even bland character designs and base colors tremendous additional depth.

It's amazing how much of a difference the air hose on the figure's head makes.  Sans this accessory, the head is bland and strikingly plain.  The hose adds a tremendous amount of detail.  But, the hose was not included with the 1997 figure.  So, you have to take one from a 1987 or 2001 figure to make the 1997 figure whole.  The mouth hole, though, is shortened on this version.  So, the hose is a precarious fit at best.  And, it isn't practical to actually use the figure with the hose attached as it will just fall off and get lost in the weeds, forever.

I miss the days when Hasbro would take weird chances with figures.  They missed way more than they hit.  But, when they did hit, like with this Cobra Commander, the results were spectacular.  The first couple of waves of the Super7 ReAction+ line were too staid and predictable for me.  I'm glad that they deviated a bit with some weird repaints as SDCC exclusives.  I assume the lack of previews of future waves was just due to the uncertainty of...everything.  I'm holding out hope that they start to get a little more daring and can come up with some weird combos of mold and parts that creates an unexpected classic like this 1997 release.

1997 Lady Jaye - Random Photos of the Day

The 1997 Lady Jaye is a weird combo.  She features a great paint job that is a drastic departure from prior Lady Jaye figures.  But, she also features poor quality and weird plastic.  So, as an overall release, she's kind of relegated to second tier status.  Even during her release window, collectors didn't really warm to her since the quality was poor.  So, this has become the lost version of Lady Jaye.  It's not a figure you see very often.  And, the best I can tell, she has never had even an homage to this color in subsequent variations of the Joe line.  

If you have one, she can be a fun figure since she brings such a different appearance to Lady Jaye.  But, her skin looks like she's made of soap (thanks A-Man!).  And, her face paint looks like it was applied by Plastirama.  So, the figure looks more like a bootleg than a real release.  So, that leaves an obscure and unloved figure.

After ignoring her for many years, though, I now use this Lady Jaye more than I would have thought.  The 1985 version has never really appealed to me.  The Funskool version is fun to see.  But, she also has quality concerns.  And, that's the extent of my Lady Jaye collection.  So, it really leaves this 1997 figure as my default.  But, she looks good with a variety of Flint figures.  And, she does bring something unexpected to the Lady Jaye character.

1997 Snake Eyes - Random Photos of the Day

In 1997, the idea of a Snake Eyes figure with painted details was one of the great missing links from the vintage Joe line.  Hasbro was quick to fill that gap with an updated Snake Eyes figure in the Stars & Stripes set.  But, the best laid plans were quickly foiled when the 1985 Snake Eyes mold was not found.  Hasbro was then left with an open slot in one of the three figure packs that were going to supplement the 8 figure boxed set.  So, rather than nixing Snake Eyes altogether, they released a second repaint of the 1983 figure.  These two figures had subtle details to differentiate them.  But, in the end, it was a harbinger of things to come when it came to the Joe Team's favorite Commando.

Over the next few years, Hasbro would release a take on the original Snake Eyes 4 additional times.  All offered something slightly different.  But, with the overuse, the mold became passe.  And, even today, most collectors are tired of Snake Eyes' classic look.  But, these early repaints of Snake Eyes do have value. And, they are one of the few figures from the repaint era that can be stood among original 13 figures from 1983 and not look completely out of place.  

Sadly, this version also introduced the 1986 Roadblock waist to the Snake Eyes mold.  It's never really looked or felt right with the rest of the figure parts.  You can see both versions of the figure in the photos below.  I have no idea which figure is from the Stars & Stripes and which is from the 3 pack.  On some level, I don't care.  But, the three pack includes much better gear.  So, that's worthwhile.  Both figures are nice.  And, at the time of their release, both were the best 1983 derived Snake Eyes figures that Hasbro had ever made.  Really, they still could be.  The differences between all the various incarnations of this mold are subtle and really boil down to whether you like one particular detail on one particular release.  

The 1997 series has held up very well over the years.  And, it's a shame that the paint mask and overall design quality of the 1997 and 1998 figures didn't carry over into the 2000's.  But, the weird bridge between the vintage line and Joe's return to retail in 2000 remain one of the highlights of the repaint era.  

1997 Hawk - Random Photos of the Day

This week, we learned there is a General Hawk coming.  I'm not excited.  The reasons for that is that this new Hawk is not going to be better than the 1986 figure.  He's not going to feature at least an attempt at a different look like this 1997 figure.  And, he might not even be better than the 2005 Comic Pack figure.  Hasbro's re-makes of Joes have gotten steadily worse since they were debuted.  And, that's a near certainty to continue since we, as collectors, don't punish bad products.  So, Hasbro learns they can give us crap and we'll gratefully gobble it up.

Which really takes me back to this 1997 General Hawk.  The 1997 figures were the 15th Anniversary figures from the beginning of the vintage line.  Now, they are 26 years old and all us old, adult collectors recall finding them as adults.  And, at the time, we vilified these figures.  Sadly, we didn't know how good we had it.  The 1997 series is full of fun repaints that have aged quite well.  Even figures like Hawk, which didn't deviate too far from the original figure's colors, is still a very nice update to the mold and gives collectors something different to add to their collections.  

The main reason I enjoy this figure is that the colors are subtle.  Even in photos, it can be difficult to catch all the various colors that comprise this figure.  Lost in the dark jacket are some rich greens, subtle browns and some black.  The grey pants help offset the upper body and are a nice diversion from the green camo of the 1986 figure.  And, the details that are painted on the figure are convention level quality.  To think, we got figures like this for $3 each.  This Hawk, a completely repainted A-10 and an excellent Ace figure were sold for 1/4 of the price that two figures and a smaller vehicle cost today.  

While the sunburnt skin isn't my favorite, it's light years ahead of the pale, painted faces of the 2022 and 2023 releases.  It also gives some diversity to the skin tones of the Joe team.  That and the figure's accessories are the only main complaints. The Battle Gear 1986 helmet works for this figure, though.  And, back in 1997, it was both cheap and easy to find 1986 Hawk pistols.  So, it was a lot easier to outfit this figure in other accessories than it is today.

Back in 1997, I wasn't too high on that year's figure releases.  And, I passed most of them by to focus on vintage collections and POTFII Star Wars figures.  But, in short time, that changed.  And, in the ensuing decades, the year has grown on me and I now consider 1997 and 1998 to be among the best Joe years Hasbro ever produced.  They are full of great character repaints, main and obscure characters and lots of nice army builders.  It's unfortunate that the formula for success was never repeated.  I just wish some of the lessons learned from the late 1990's could be applied to the Joe line today.  But, that's just a pipe dream at this point.

1997 Scarlett - Random Photos of the Day

In 1997, the Stars and Stripes set was derided by the emerging collector community.  The plastic was weird, the colors didn't quite made sense and, some of the mold choices were downright bizarre.  In later years, we came to learn why some of the molds were chosen.  And, the softer plastic has now been in use far longer than the harder plastic from the vintage Joe era.  The colors, though, have kind of taken on a new life.  Some of the figures in set in the set now include the 1997 colors as part of their secondary appearances.  The best example is the Scarlett figure from the set.

At the time, this Scarlett was about as far as you could get from any other Scarlett appearance.  International Joes weren't well known in 1997.  So, there was no real chance for the mold to appear as Glenda or Quarrel.  So, Hasbro went with a completely new color scheme, purple and orange.  These colors had proven complementary on various Cobra figures through the years.  So, Hasbro knew they would be visually appealing.  And, they worked very nicely with Scarlett.

I've always thought the 1982 Scarlett colors are bland.  Sure, they're a nice contrast from the rest of the original 13.  But, even when juxtaposed against the black Snake Eyes, the tans kind of wash out.  So, having a Scarlett in more vibrant colors was a nice change of pace.  Paired with her silent beau, the 1997 Scarlett is far more dynamic looking.  Sure, not everyone (or, really, anyone!) will agree with me.  But, I far prefer this look for Scarlett over her original color scheme.

The 1997 figure, though, was surpassed in 2003.  The Toy Fare Scarlett is a perfect blend of the 1982 and 1997 color schemes.  It keeps the purple jumpsuit.  But, brings back the whites and tans of the original release.  Now, the 2003 is my preferred Scarlett figure and appears in far too many photos around the site.  But, I do like pulling out the 1997 version just because you don't see her too often and she's a nice alternative to the 2003.

1997 Torpedo - Around The Web

Torpedo isn't a character or figure that I often use.  I'm not sure why as he's really good for what he is.  But, when it comes to divers, I always go a different direction.  I think it's due to either removable helmets or attached hoses.  Both are features that I enjoy more than Torpedo's sculpted head.  So, Torpedo isn't someone who appears in photos all that often.  While this 1997 repaint is strong, it's also tough to find content on it.  Most people use the 1983 figure instead of the 1997.  But, here's a bit of content I was able to track down on the 1997 repaint.

1997 Torpedo Profile

1997 Torpedo by sintechness

1997 Torpedo at the Attica Gazette

1997 Torpedo by thedustinmccoy

1997 Torpedo by Prince Adam

1997 Torpedo by thevintagetoylife

1997 Torpedo by Prince Adam

1997 Baroness - Around The Web

 The 1997 Joes have actually fairly well.  Despite their unpopularity at the time of their release, the general color schemes and original accessories have lead to a series of figures that are held in much higher regard today.  One of the main reasons is that several of the figures who appeared in the 1997 series never got another repaint that surpassed the 1997 release.  One such figure is the Baroness.  Her 1997 figure offered a nice shade of blue that allowed the Baroness to seamlessly blend with other early Cobras.  

1997 Baroness Profile

1997 Baroness by Nekoman

1997 Baroness at the Dragon Fortress

1997 Baroness by gen_liederkranz

1997 Baroness at Nekoman's Viper Pit

1997 Baroness by bruxovigo

1997 Baroness by Nekoman

1997 Baroness by bruxovigo

1997 Cobra Rage - Around The Web

In 1997, this Cobra Rage repaint was not appreciated.  Collectors just could not wrap their brains around Hasbro choosing a vehicle that debuted in the 1990's as the representative release for Cobra.  Surely, a Hiss Tank or Stinger or even STUN would have been a better choice?  Collectors went so far as to steal the Alley Viper out of the Rage boxes at Toys R Us so they didn't have to buy the vehicle.  What they missed, though, is a superb addition to any Cobra army.

The 1997 Rage features classic Cobra colors and is a substantial upgrade over the 1990 Rage.  It was fully outfitted with all the accessories of the original but now included an awesome Alley Viper repaint, too.  While it was pricey for 1997, the Rage was worthy of addition to any collection.  And, within a few years of its release, collectors came around on it and the Rage was, well, all the rage for a short while.

Now, we're left with a great repaint that is 25 years old.  Yes, that's right.  25 years old.  Yet, I can still see these sitting in my local TRU store back then.  And, passing them by to pick up POTFII figures.  Fortunately, though, I did get one.  I just don't use it as often as I should.  So, I do hope to rectify that in the near future.  In the meantime, here's the best of the 1997 Cobra Rage from around the web.

1997 Cobra Rage Profile

1997 Cobra Rage by Scarrviper

1997 Cobra Rage by Ironman3719

1997 Cobra Rage at JomiToys

1997 Cobra Rage by gen_liederkranz

1997 Rage by Slipstream80

1997 Rage by gvilla74

1997 Rage by cobralaaaa_78

1997 Rage by gen_liederkranz

Rarities - 1997 Short Fuze (Brown Pants & Alternate Accessory Colors)

We all know about the black skinned 1997 Rock and Roll variant.  But, the set that included the most famous variant in the repaint era also included several other variant figures and accessories.  These have not gotten the press of the race changing figure.  But, they are equally frustrating to find. Below you will see a Short Fuze figure with much darker (nearly brown) pants and his cream colored weapons.

The cream colored bazooka and pack are the most distinguishing features of the figure.  They are an easily recognizable tip to help identify this figure.  You see that the entire pack is painted.  But, just on the front.  It seems very much like these weapons were meant for a paint application that was just removed to save cost by casting the gear in the proper green color.

The figure itself is definitely darker than the production release.  It was noted that there is a Breaker variant in the black Rock and Roll sets.  This Short Fuze adds another.  It's likely that many of the figures feature some type of production change just due to the continuous quality changes that the 1997 line underwent as it was rushed to retail.  

As variants go, the bazooka is interesting.  But, the figure is pretty banal.  But, it's also the type of thing that few people know about and you can track down just by perusing various Short Fuze figures that might be available.  But, if it exists in similar numbers to the Rock and Roll, that could still take quite a while.

1997 Ace

As a kid, I loved pilot figures.  Most of this was holdover from my obsession with Star Wars and the Rebel pilots attacking the Death Star.  The problem, though, was that the Joe pilots of the 1980's left me wanting more.  The original Ace was cool.  But, I had long lost his helmet before my mania over pilots really set in.  Slipstream simply didn't work.  And, Lift Ticket was too specific to his chopper.  I tried Airtight.  But, that didn't seem right.  What I really wanted was a pilot with a removable helmet and an air mask.  You know, like every pilot in every military movie that was produced in the 1980's.  But, it never happened during my childhood.  Only after I was long out of Joe, in 1992, did Hasbro produce the near perfect fighter pilot figure.  This figure was a version of the classic Ace character.  But, it had the removable helmet, flight suit and air mask that I had always wanted as a kid.  I felt I missed out on a figure that would have driven a large part of my childhood adventures.  But, I was also grateful that the 1992 Ace existed.  In 1997, Hasbro resurrected the mold, painted it in a more drab color scheme and offered the 1997 Ace, one of their best pilot figures ever created.

This 1997 Ace is nicely colored but also somewhat lacking.  In 1992, neither Ace's chest details nor the overall straps were painted.  In 1993, Ace was given an upgrade.  Here, his flashlight and pouches were painted to showcase the details on his chest.  But, the overall straps were left the same color as the rest of the figure.  This 1997 figure finally paints the shoulder straps and buckles.  It's a great detail that helps break up the color on the top of the figure's torso.  But, the chest details are left unpainted.  The perfect Ace would have had both the straps and chest gear highlighted.  So, the figure is still imperfect.  And, it seems like a waste to make new paint masks for the straps and buckles but not use the 1993 chest details, too.

The main difference between the 1993 Ace and this 1997 figure is the color of the green used as his body base.  The 1997 figure is far more brown and drab.  He's dark enough that the green highlights tend to be lost.  The 1993 figure is much more vibrant and visually distinctive.  While the photos below show the color contrasts on the 1997 Ace figure, they do tend to be more muted when looked at in less than ideal light.  The biggest issue with the figure is that, with his helmet on, he loses the contrast of his skin and hair color.  The helmet is just one color with no paint.  As it matches Ace's body color, the figure blends together into a brownish green mass.  Were the goggles painted (as they were on every other release of the helmet), this figure would appear far more distinctive when the helmet is worn.  

 Ace's gear is OK.  Gone is the sidearm that was a selling point of the 1992 and 1993 figure.  One odd point about this Ace is that his air mask pretty much always has white stress marks on the plastic.  This is a relic of how the figure was packaged.  But, finding a real 1997 mask with no stress marks is difficult...if not impossible.  Ace's helmet was not painted at all.  The 1992 and 1993 figures featured painted goggles and helped make the helmet a selling point of the figure.  With this 1997 helmet on, Ace appears unfinished.  Having goggles the same brown as the rest of the helmet seems cheap.  And, it makes it so this Ace actually looks better without his helmet than with it.

Back in 1997, I was blase about the newly released Joes.  I first found them in December of that year.  But, at the time, Hasbro's Star Wars line was in its full glory.  New figures were showing up every six weeks or so.  And, as 1997 turned to 1998, Hasbro improved the quality of their Star Wars sculpts, fixed many availability issues and offered collectors characters and outfits that had never before been imagined.  So, when it came time to divvy up my collecting dollars, Star Wars got the bulk of them.  The 1997 Joes seemed expensive since you could get vintage versions of the toys and figures for the same or, in some cases, even lower than retail prices.  There was no reason to drop $25 for a retail Thunderbolt with Ace and Hawk when I could spend the same money and get a vintage Rattler: often with Wild Weasel and maybe a gunner.  

At the time, though, 1992 and 1993 Ace figures weren't easy to find.  (The 1992 figure would become ubiquitous in 1999, though, after the Hasbro Canada find put tons of bagged versions into circulation.)  Despite that, the repainted figure wasn't enough of an enticement for me to buy a Thunderbolt.  As the 1992 and 1993 figures entered into my collection, my need for a 1997 diminished.  I did acquire one, though, as part of a lot in early 2001.  Once in hand, I warmed to the Ace figure.  While it wasn't as good as the 1993, it was good to have a version that was close enough and featured the softer plastic of the 1997 releases.  

From there, the 1997 figure slowly became an army builder.  Ace flew my A-10 for a while.  But, his ideal home was among the smaller aircraft that joined my collection in the 1990's.  Here, Ace found himself at the helm of underwhelming planes.  But, it was these types of flying machines that defined my childhood more than something like the Skystriker.  So, it was a place of importance for the figure.  In the years since, though, this figure has taken a backseat to the 1993 Ace.  I like the brighter colors better and just find it a better figure for photography than this 1997 release.  But, just because a mold has a better color scheme doesn't mean the current one is bad.  And, that's the case with this 1997 figure.  He can be the best Ace in a collection but still not the best Ace figure available.

This Ace sculpt debuted in 1992.  It was quickly repainted in 1993.  In 1995, the body mold appeared on the Street Fighter Movie Paratrooper Guile figure.  This orange and green figure included a new head, but did feature the standard helmet and mask.  This 1997 was the final full usage of the mold.  In 2003, though, Hasbro produced a Slipstream figure that used a new head and a modified Ace body mold.  The coloring was solid.  But, the head was terrible and the modifications to the figure's body rendered future offerings of Ace moot.  This is too bad as the figure would have used a 1983 color scheme update, and still had life for a Sky Patrol or Night Force paint job, too.  

1997 Aces are an odd duck to price.  Too many of them sell for $50+ from various dealers.  Many non-Joe specific dealers, mistake the figure for something undesirable and sell him cheaper.  You have to be quick, though.  Left to his own devices, a mint and complete 1997 Ace runs between $20 and $25.  That's more than double his packmate of the 1997 Hawk: showing Ace's popularity since that Hawk is a nicely done figure, too.  But, seeing as how 1993 Aces (the best use of the mold) are now $35 figures and even the 1992 figure scratches $30, this is the cheapest alternative collectors have for this Ace mold.  And, that's really too bad as this figure sculpt is amazing and every collector should have a shot at it.

1997 Alley Viper - Random Photos of the Day

 The 1997 Alley Viper is my favorite repaint of the character.  The classic Cobra blue combined with the black equipment and gold and white highlights create a visually stunning figure that also fits with many classic Cobras.  Over the years, I've profiled him twice and done an around the web feature.  Despite that, I enjoy getting these figures out for photos.  I'm not 100% sure that there isn't a dark gold/light gold color variant on this figure.  It seems that some have different sheens.  But, I can't be sure that it's not just wear.  Here's a few random photos I've taken over the years.

1997 Stalker - Random Photos Of The Day

The 1997 Stalker figure is probably the best 1997 repaint.  And, he's one of the best repaints of the entire 1997-2006 era.  The deeper green color, more complex cammo pattern and additional paint applications all add up to a figure that's better than the original.  There was a lot of consternation over his black beret back in the 1990's.  But, really, it looks better with the rest of the figure than a green beret would.  The softer plastic also means this guy's thumbs, crotch and heels won't snap if you touch them.  This guy's now way older than 1983 Stalker's were when this 1997 figure debuted.  I still hold this figure, though, in the highest regard.  He's been profiled twice on the site and appears in dozens of photos.  He's just a figure that looks good.

1997 Short Fuse

Some characters just get short changed.  Short Fuse is one such Joe character for me.  In 20 years, I've looked at one Short Fuse figure from the 2005 Comic Book Pack.  I like the character so much that I not only misspelled the title of that character in that profile, but I also misspelled it 22 additional times in the body of the profile.  It's not that I hate Short Fuse.  It's just that the character and his various figures over the years really haven't resonated with me.  While a mortar was a useful idea in childhood play, the practicality was limited since it was tough to use the weapon in close quarters that dueling action figures require. So, Short Fuse never much mattered to me.  And, while this 1997 repaint is a solid upgrade from the original, it's also somewhat uninspired and hasn't helped the character catch on with me.

As a figure, Short Fuse suffers from his introduction to my collection.  The original Short Fuse was owned by my youngest brother.  As he was four at the time, any figure that was given to him was quickly destroyed.  Somehow, he received both Short Fuse and Zap in early 1983.  And, with both figures, their thumbs were destroyed even before the figures really entered in our play rotation.  So, Short Fuse was really never part of those early Joe memories.  At some point, the same brother got a swivel arm version of Short Fuse.  This figure was better cared for...I pulled him aside to save him.  But, by the time he was introduced, 1984 figures were on the shelves and Short Fuse seemed dated and relatively useless.  As he wasn't much of a player in the comic, Short Fuse never really mattered much to me.

So, upon finding the Stars and Stripes set at a Toys R Us in Scottsdale, Arizona in December of 1997, I still paid Short Fuse little attention.  I was enamored with Stalker and appreciated the Snake Eyes figure.  In time, Scarlett and even Zap would find some use in my collection.  Short Fuse, though, remained forgotten.  Even though the new red hair gave Short Fuse some characterization that separated him from the other blonde uses of his 1982 sculpted head, I didn't have much use for him.  I found one photo shoot from the fall of 2001 where he appeared.  But, that was about it.  (It's the photo below with Short Fuse on the Swampmasher.)  The figure just didn't catch my eye and he remained packed away until it was time for photos for this profile.

All of which, though, isn't to say that this is a bad figure.  Aside from the red hair change, this Short Fuse is pretty much the same as the original release.  His upper body coloring is close to that of the 1983 Zap figure...further tying these two together.  But, the lower body is a lighter green with a slight cammo pattern that gives this Short Fuse far more depth than the original 1982 figure.  He has both black and brown accents.  This breaks up some of the cohesion of the figure.  But also allows for more colors in the palette.  In short, this is a better Short Fuse than the original.  But, he's still kind of boring and not visually interesting enough to overcome his lack of characterization or difficult to use specialty.

I've long felt that Downtown was meant to be a Short Fuse update.  In 2004, Hasbro agreed and brought around the first appearance of Short Fuse since 1997.  This repainted Downtown that was released in the 2004 Night Force set was a good way to breathe some life into the Short Fuse character.  Alas, while that figure is excellently painted, his gear is atrocious and that lessens the value of him quite a bit.  So much so that not even that solid take on the character was enough to get him to crack into even some of the lesser used figures in my collection.

Short Fuse's gear is fairly well done with a few caveats.  First off, he includes a retake on his original mortar and stand.  The mortar is the thick 1/2 handled body and the stand still works perfectly.  He has his classic pack in a green color that matches the figure's body.  The rockets are painted black, though, to give it much greater depth.  He includes the clearer 1997 visor and a green take on the classic helmet.  Alas, the 1997 helmets are crap and don't really fit onto any of the figures in the set.  So, Short Fuse is doomed to an eternity of awkwardness.  The one fun update to Short Fuse, though, is that he also includes a green bazooka from the the original Zap.  The practicality of carrying both a mortar and bazooka into battle is nil.  But, from a toy perspective, the inclusion of this extra weapon brought a great deal of playability to Short Fuse that his original release was missing.

Short Fuse traveled a bit.  After the figure's Hasbro release, the swivel arm mold went to India.  (The straight arm mold was released in South America.)  There, Short Fuse was released in a few major color variants as well as several minor green shading differences.  Some, like the blue Short Fuse, command high prices.  Others will sell for less.  But, Hasbro got Short Fuse back for the Stars and Stripes set in 1997 and the figure was never released again with the full body or complement of vintage gear.  Hasbro could have gotten more mileage out of this mold (and the other Stars and Stripes figures) with a few creative repaints.  I'd have bought any original 13 member in desert, Night Force or even Tiger Force paint schemes.  But, we're just left with this 1997 version as an update to the original figure.

1997 Short Fuse figures aren't terribly hard to find.  Many dealers carry them in the $15 range...selling quite a few.  Left to the open market, it's about an $8-$10 figure.  That's not too bad for something that's more than 20 years old, is colored nicely and includes a ton of classic gear.  For the price difference between this figure and a 1983 version, the 1997 is definitely the way to go.  I've found time to be kind to the 1997 series of figures.  It wasn't well liked upon its release.  But, when considered against all that came after it, the 1997 figures have held up far better than many of their post vintage contemporaries.  For me, this figure is still Short Fuse and I don't have much use for the character.  But, this 1997 version gives me an appearance that's more interesting than the 1983 and is also far less brittle.  That's not much value that he brings.  But, it's enough to justify owning one, for sure.