2004 Urban Strike Scrap Iron - Random Photos of the Day

This is another figure that's now over 20 years old.  I still remember this set being released.  Collectors were torn on it since it had three really awesome army builders, but also three characters.  It did help that Firefly, Scrap Iron and Stormshadow all had amazing paint jobs...even if the Stormshadow mold choice left something to be desired.  I bought my standard 7 sets at the time and thought I had a nice little army.  My local Toys R Us store, though, partook in a nationwide promotion on this set and offered it for $15 in the store for a few weeks.  At the time, I had enough.  In retrospect, I should have grabbed a couple of extra sets.

I'll now argue that the Urban Assault set was the best TRU exclusive 6 pack.  (Python Patrol is a strong challenger, though.)  While the accessories weren't spectacular, the figure choice and overall coloring was.  The dark, Cobra blue combined with black and leathery brown all made for great figures that have stood the test of time better than most of the other sets that were released.  

As Scrap Iron goes, I tend to ebb and flow with interest in him.  I'll pretty much forget about the character and his figures for a long time.  Then, I'll see someone use him in a great photo and my interest is peaked.  I then try to capture the cool essence of the figure that drew me to him in the first place.  But, I almost always fail to do so.  So, Scrap Iron goes back into his drawer until my interest is sparked once again.

But, I am pleased with the selection of photos I've gotten of the Urban Assault Scrap Iron.  I saw someone pair him up with the Battle Gear missile launcher.  So, I stole that look and have really enjoyed what it's brought to the figure.  In good lighting, you can see just how much detail was painted on this Scrap Iron figure.  And, there's an argument to be made that he might be a better visual than even the vintage figure from 1984.  

Here's some of my favorite photos I've taken of this guy in recent years.  I'll probably continue to get more because he does photograph well and classic Cobras are always popular photo subjects.

2004 Comic Pack Snake Eyes - Arctic Gear

I was never a fan of the Anniversary style G.I. Joe figures.  I always thought the chest joint was stupid and ruined the aesthetic of the toy.  There were two times, though, where I was tempted to start collecting the line.  The first was on a random trip to Target.  My local store happened to have both a brand new Hiss Tank and a couple of Python Troopers available.  I thought about how cool it would be to walk into a store and find a vintage combo like this.  (Hasbro never got close in the repaint era.)  So, I thought about getting some.  But, cooler heads prevailed.  And, I then went home and bought a nice vintage Hiss Tank and 3 vintage Python Officers and had them all delivered to my house for under $50...only about $10 more than what the Anniversary toys would have cost me.  (Man, those were the days when it came to vintage pricing.)  The second time was when Hasbro released an arctic version of Snake Eyes based on his appearance in the second issue of the Marvel comic.  The figure looked spectacular.  Everything from the card art to the actual gear included was just perfect.  It was a figure that I had always wanted.  I held him in my hands a couple of times.  But, eventually, passed him and the rest of the Anniversary series by.  Besides, technically, I already had a figure of Snake Eyes in that look from a Comic Pack that had been released in 2004.

The first wave of Comic Packs were highly anticipated by collectors.  Hasbro had a publicity date on the photos.  So, many dealers (who, back then, were also active forum members) had access to them before collectors did.  They tantalized the figures with slavish praise.  When the images were released, the reaction was pretty much in line with the early rumors.  Collectors were in love with the looks and figures selections.  Shortly after the images appeared, the first packs were found in the summer of 2004.  Collectors quickly scooped up the packs at retail.  And, were disappointed a bit.  Many of the figures had quality issues with poor paint, loose joints and the plastic ties used to hold the gear in place in the packaging would mangle hands and strip paint.  On top of that, figures that looked great in the photos weren't quite as good when inspected up close.  In short order, what had been the most anticipated collector themed product since the advent of the Toys R Us multi-figure sets quickly turned into another problematic release that left collectors with something far less than their expectations.

The line, though, had other problems.  Wal Mart didn't buy the initial wave.  The Hasbro brand manager went so far as to warn collectors that they weren't buying them in enough quantity to keep the line afloat.  Despite that, though, Comic Packs continued on at retail through 2005 and were a staple of the DTC offerings.  (The Hasbro guy went so far as to introduce Comic Packs to the Star Wars line where they were much more successful.  Though, they were also much better than the Joe offerings.)   For $10, the three figures and a comic were a retail steal.  But, parents didn't really find them compelling.  I suspect a big part of that was that the toys weren't as visually appealing as other retail offerings of the era.  And, the comic definitely dated the look of the packs at retail.  The upside, though, is that pretty much every Comic Pack outside of the Oktober Guard wave ended up at clearance and discount sellers.  So, it was even easy to get this Snake Eyes and his packmates for $5.  It's a shame cheap toys don't really exist like that any more.

The selling point of the 2nd Comic Pack was the debut of Kwinn.  Kwinn had never been released in the Joe line.  So, collectors were mad to finally acquire one.  The Scarlett in the pack was also a selling point.  She featured a new, more feminine head that featured a sculpted pony tail.  She was given Jinx's body and was the second most desirable figure in the pack.  That left this Snake Eyes as the odd man out.  What's odd to me, though, is that this Snake Eyes is the 3rd best figure of the original 9 Comic Pack figures.  He was just included in a pack with the other two who ranked above him.  As collectors had Snake Eyes fatigue and it was already known there would be yet another Snake Eyes (YASE as it was known at the time.) in the next wave of Comic Packs, they left this figure as the unsung release o his era.  You'd often see him posed with Kwinn, just to make up a comic homage.  But, even in those cases, Kwinn was always the focal point of the photo.  Snake Eyes just didn't resonate with collectors and also didn't seem to have an impact upon casual buyers at retail.

The colors on this Snake Eyes are very well done.  While I'm not sold on their applicability in the arctic, they are visually appealing.  The pea green on the figure's pants is a dead ringer for the colors used in the vintage Night Force and Tiger Force subsets.  You can see how similar it is in one of the photos below.  Seeing this figure as a Night Force Snake Eyes kind of works.  Except, of course, for the fact that no other Night Force figures use the old swivel head molds.  So, it's not a perfect match.  But, it does allow for this figure to be used in different settings than just the snow and ice.  There's still enough black to ensure everyone knows this is Snake Eyes.  And, the parts choices are good enough to establish this as a figure who is supposed to be specific to an environment.

One of the aspects of Snake Eyes character that I like to explore these days is that of the absolute crazed psychopath.  Snake Eyes is a guy who, without the benefits of his ninja training, would have absolutely shot up a crowded parking lot at a football game in his post military life.  Without the theatre of war, his killing instincts would have consumed him.  But, the ninja training helped to temper his psychotic and violent tendencies.  But, even with those safeguards in place, the completely unhinged Snake Eyes can come out at times.  Someone who kills as indiscriminately as Snake Eyes has will, in time, be unable to value human life.  In his mind, he'll know that someone under his control is still a person.  But, the impulses can overtake him and he'll just kill someone who didn't really need, or even deserve, to be killed.  It makes him an effective special operative.  But, also someone who can't really be unleashed into normal society.  So, Snake Eyes stays on the G.I. Joe payroll so that he doesn't harm civilians who might cut him off in traffic.  Here, he gets enough action to keep his deep psychosis buried.  But, it will come out at times when he's dealing with Cobras.  

That's not a take on Snake Eyes that fits with his movie-hero portrayal that Hasbro wants to push.  But, it's a more realistic view of who Snake Eyes would actually be had he gone through all those traumas in his life.  Larry Hama alluded to the very dark side of Snake Eyes at times in the comic.  And, even when  Snake Eyes was being "heroic", he was doing things that, with a slightly different context, would have him a most wanted criminal.  It also adds a new dynamic to the Joe team.  Because, this Snake Eyes isn't someone the Joes want to befriend.  They keep him at a distance because they realize that people close to him could be the victim of one of his rages should he snap outside of the battlefield.  This brings a level of suspicion to the team as once you question the stability of one operative, you start to have doubts about all of them.  

Snake Eyes gear is fine.  He includes the standard Uzi as well as a black backpack from a mold that originated with the 1991 Dusty.  By 2004, this pack was passe and had been included with many figures.  But, it actually worked in the context of this figure.  He also included the cartoon standard XMLR rifle.  This was always a welcome inclusion.  Thought the rifle was now more common than it had been just a couple of years before, they were still relatively sought after.  So, getting extras was nice.  The figure didn't include the weasel skull necklace.  This was a key selling point of the 2008 Anniversary figure.  But, the Kwinn figure in the pack was wearing the necklace.  It would have been a bit weird to have 2 figures in the same pack wearing the same necklace.  So, you can give Kwinn's necklace to Snake Eyes to complete the look.

Snake Eyes' body construction was pretty basic.   It features the classic 1982 Snake Eyes head on a repainted 1983 Snow Job body...mostly.  The Snow Job body had been used a few times by 2004.  But, it was about the only swivel headed body wearing winter gear that Hasbro ever made.  I've have loved it if Hasbro had attempted something different like the 1989 head on an Iceberg body or something.  But, the fact that Hasbro was willing to release a Snake Eyes that wasn't mostly all black was pretty revolutionary...even as late as 2004.  One little oddity on the mold is that it uses the upper arms from the 1986 BAT.  Despite collector calls for it, Hasbro never released a 1986 style BAT in the repaint era.  Supposedly, the mold was damaged.  However, the figure's waist and legs were used on every Viper repaint that occurred between 1997 and 2005.  And, now, the upper arms appeared on this Snake Eyes.  So, what, exactly, was damaged?  And, with Hasbro very willing to resculpt Scrap Iron, Mutt, Lady Jaye and others, why didn't they just fix the damaged BAT parts and release a figure that would have sold in any incarnation they attempted?  The mismanagement of the Joe line by the early 2000's Hasbro team is so remarkable that it should be studied.

One of the main reasons I wanted to look at this figure is because he is such a perfect candidate for the Super7 ReAction+ line.  Here, a figure could be created in the vein of the anniversary figure where it's an all new sculpt that is, actually, comic accurate.  And, that would be spectacular.  Super7 has stated they plan to mine the obscure for figure releases.  They seem equally likely to look at the cartoon and comic.  The promise that the ReAction+ line gives is that we might see figures like this Snake Eyes.  But, this time, done up properly.  I like to think of an accurate Oktober Guard or weird outfits that Joes wore in specific issues or scenes.  (After Dr. Venom and a real Kwinn, though!)  And, while these could be releases that are considered, we're not going to see them offered in a 3 pack for the cost of a lunch out.  It will suck to acquire a real Oktober Guard over 4 years.  But, at least we'd have them.  The upside to a figure like this Snake Eyes is that it is Snake Eyes.  And, despite best collector efforts, any line is going to need major characters in order to sell well enough to continue for years.  So, we'll see what happens.  No matter how long the ReAction+ line runs, collector desires will never be 100% sated.  But, it would be nice to have one last shot at a few of the also-rans that didn't get the best effort during the repaint era.

While Comic Pack figures did see a significant increase in value during the Joe price upswing between 2018 and 2022, they have come down a bit.  Dealers will still try to get $30 for this Snake Eyes figure...thinking that the pandemic highs are still feasible.  But, you can buy all three of the figures for less than that.  Left to his own devices, this Snake Eyes is, at best, a $10 figure.  Considering it's 20 years old, now, that's probably a relatively fair cost.  At, at the price, I'd get one if I wanted him.  But, I paid $10 for the whole set back in 2004 and thought it was fair then, too.  Right now, I'm pretty much out of the vintage Joe market.  I haven't bought any figures in nearly a year.  I don't miss it, either.  But, that's what happens when you have a large collection focused on the things you like.  Eventually, you run out of new stuff to buy unless you find it stupidly cheap.  

2004 Night Force Short Fuze

In 2003, Hasbro continued their successful partnership with Toys R Us in regards to the G.I. Joe line.  TRU had been the savior for the 15th Anniversary figures in 1997.  And, they had managed to gain a few exclusive products as Joe expanded to full retail based on the success of the short re-launch.  The two partners found a successful formula releasing packs of vintage figures that were repaints of classic molds, but bundled into a theme.  Tiger Force and Python Patrol were the first two attempts to re-capture the magic of the late 1980's and both were relatively successful.

As 2004 neared, Hasbro found that its plans for mail away and internet exclusive army building sets had failed.  So, they moved those planned offerings to TRU exclusives.  Hasbro also then moved to a strategy where they would release both a Cobra and a Joe set at the same time.  To match the first Cobra army building set, Hasbro resurrected Night Force (itself a Toys R Us exclusive last seen in 1989) and created a new design for the members that first began appearing at retail in January of 2004.  The set featured 4 molds recently returned to Hasbro's control from Funskool, another paint job of the 1984 Roadblock and a figure mold that hadn't been seen in 14 years: Downtown.  Only, this Downtown repaint was not the Downtown character.  Instead, it was a re-imagination of Short Fuze.  The Joe team's original mortar soldier had returned.

Short Fuze is, arguably, the most forgotten original Joe.  Grand Slam will come up from time to time.  But, his relatively hard to find Silver Pads figure gives him some collecting cachet.  It's rare to find someone who really views Short Fuze as their favorite character.  He had little relevance in the comic and didn't appear again as an action figure in the vintage line after his original release.  Collectors' focus on the original 13 Joes during the early 2000's, though, helped raise the profile of even the most obscure characters from the line's earliest years.  This helped get a new Short Fuse to retail stores in 2004 and another in 2005.

I will argue that Short Fuse is the best figure from the Night Force set.  That is based, though,  on the criteria that this is the best use of the Downtown mold.  Flint, Beach Head, Roadblock and Tunnel Rat all had better paint jobs in the vintage run.  Action Man/Tracker is the only contender.  I degrade him, though, because Action Man cost us a proper Night Force Tracker that would have been the jewel of the set.  So, Short Fuse is left as the de facto winner.  But, that's bittersweet because no one cares about getting the best Short Fuse.  And, without proper gear, the figure loses much of his value.  And, with that, you have the problem with the Night Force set as a whole: it didn't really offer anything to collectors.  Some figures were nice.  But, they all had a litany of problems.

One of the main criticisms of Hasbro's attempts at making o-ring figures in the 2000's was that they didn't go with anything. The 2004 Night Force set is unlike the 1988 and 1989 sets in nearly every way.  The figures neither match nor complement each other.  So, each offering has to stand on its own.  In some ways, this isn't a bad thing.  And, it has allowed certain figures from the 2000 to become relatively popular as their own thing.  But, it was a detriment at the time of the release.  Collectors had accepted the new look for Python Patrol because it did match the vintage Python Patrol vehicles.  And, few people really collected Python Patrol in 2003.  But, Night Force was a different animal.  Even collectors who had sparse collections often had a couple of vintage Night Force figures.  They were the most popular vintage subset.  So, getting a new team of them that didn't match the originals was a let-down.  

Despite selling rather briskly upon its release, the Night Force set quickly started to languish.  Despite showing up at brick and mortar Toys R Us stores in mid January of 2004, you could still buy all the set you wanted come December of that same year.  2003 had ended with G.I. Joe as one of the most popular retail toy brands.  But, all that momentum was lost with the advent of 2004.  There are reasons for that which were far beyond Hasbro's control.  The result, though, was that Night Force rotted on the shelves for a full year.  Collectors had ample opportunity to acquire it.  And, most collectors of the time did buy one.  But, without the army building aspect and with a couple of figures that collectors didn't really care for, there was simply no reason for anyone to acquire additional sets...especially since pretty much every Toys R Us in the country always had ample options of Cobra sets also available at the same time.  

The reported production run of the Night Force set was around 20,000 sets.  That far outpaced the collector base of the time.  But, the scarcity of available sets now is a function of the set's lackluster popularity among collectors of the day rather than any actual rarity.  There are the same number of Night Force sets as there are Cobra Infantry sets who were released at the same time.  The disparity in individual figure pricing is a function of every collector buying as many Cobra Troopers as they could afford while leaving spare Night Force sets behind for someone's grandmother or uncle to buy as an unwanted gift for a child in their life.

The Night Force accessories were atrocious.  In many ways, this set was the beginning of Hasbro just not caring about figure's gear.  We had seen some of this with the 2003 Tiger Force set.  But, it was forgiven since the important figures had their original accessories.  Night Force did not.  And, this Short Fuse, despite being 100% associated with being a mortar trooper, only included a black update of the 1991 Big Ben's rifle and a pistol originally released with Tomax & Xamot.  I'll argue that the Tomax pistol is the 2nd worst weapon from the 1980's era of Joe behind only the 1984 Baroness rifle.  But, it's also iconic to Tomax and Xamot.  So, Short Fuse's gear was absolutely worthless.  The only upside is that 1989 Downtown gear was cast in black and was relatively available in 2004.  So, it was easy to get proper gear for this figure...even if that was an unnecessary burden from Hasbro.  Frankly, the poor gear kind of ruined the set.  The figures included needed their basic gear to really make sense.  And, Hasbro stripped away much of the characterization of the included figures by giving them generic accessories.

Despite all these misgivings, though, this Short Fuse is still really nice.  On his own, he works as the best mortar trooper in the entire Joe line.  You just have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get him there.  But, the presentation, colors, paint masks and quality are all close to excellent.  If this figure existed as a stand alone figure, everyone would have loved it.  And, despite collectors tending to punish Hasbro for good figures that were of minor characters and obscure molds, sentiment regarding Short Fuze in 2004 was generally positive.  The colors were nice and the overall package was nice enough that collectors could recognize quality: even if the figure was never used and didn't appear in many photos or dios of the time.

In writing this profile, I realized that I harp on the negatives of this figure.  Yet, overall, I still have a favorable impression of him.  In the early 2000's (and, to a lesser extent, today) collectors fell into 2 large camps: "haters" who hated anything Hasbro did and "suck-ups" who believed Hasbro could do no wrong.  The ration middle ground didn't exist in significant numbers.  Because of this, Hasbro simply didn't listen to collectors or try to engage them in any way.  Neither Hasbro, nor the few people they did interact with, really understood what collectors wanted.  And, they never asked in any meaningful way.  In fact, the few times they made comments that they thought were absurd proposals, they found themselves quickly backtracking when collectors actually liked those ideas.  It scared the Hasbro teams of the time that they were so out of touch with their consumer.  But, by 2004, the writing was on the wall that the line was dying.  And, the revolving door of brand managers proved that Hasbro knew it was a sinking ship.  I often wonder what would have happened if there had been, at the time, a real fan club capable of communicating with Hasbro.  The answer is we'd have probably seen figure designs and releases more like the Anniversary offerings starting in 2007 instead of the haphazard and unrelated toys we actually got.  I don't know, though, if that would have extended the brand's retail life.  But, we would have gotten a lot more figures and vehicles that would be held in high regard today.

The 2004 Night Force flows in and out of popularity.  If you time it right, you can snap a figure or a set for a good price.  But, that's getting harder to do with  tight supplies still holding over from the pandemic collectors retaining their now-forgotten acquisitions.  As such, this figure is a whopping $30+ purchase these days.  Dealers and open auctions seem to be in line with this price.  Personally, I find that ridiculous.  But, until supply loosens up, we're going to see premium pricing on superfluous figures from the post-vintage era.  I find this the best paint job of the Downtown mold.  But, he's certainly not worth current pricing and will  be an underwhelming addition to your collection for that price.  I do wish we'd seen more molds like Downtown's used in the 2000's.  But, collectors both then and now value the repaints of classic characters far more.  So, you can't fault Hasbro's logic...even if I don't agree with it.

2004 Ninja Strike Stormshadow

When it comes to Stormshadow, Hasbro has always been a bit schizophrenic.  They could never decide if he was a good guy or a bad guy.  But, post 1994 and until the Anniversary series in 2007, Hasbro seemed to land on Stormshadow being a Cobra.  In short order, we saw his 1984 and 1992 molds both released as Cobras.  At the time, though, the 1988 mold, Stormshadow's first appearance as a good guy, was stuck in India.  In April of 2003, though, Hasbro got the mold back.  About 18 months later, the 1988 Stormshadow appeared in the 2004 Toys R Us exclusive Ninja Strike set.  This time, it was clearly released with the intent of Stormshadow being a Cobra.  The sigil was right there on his chest.  The look for Stormshadow was drastically different.  And, because of that, it's held up a little better than most other figures released around his time.

It's very likely that Stormshadow's appearance as a Cobra during the 1997-2007 timeframe was simply fan service.  Hasbro of that time believed that Joe fans were still almost exclusively guys who stopped collecting in 1987 or earlier and were far more interested in the Marvel Comic's Joe world than that of the cartoon.  There was, of course, evidence to the contrary.  But, Hasbro ignored that since the people who they most trusted to guide the brand were either people who were adults by the time it debuted in 1982 or were a small cadre of privileged collectors who fit the mold described above.  

To be fair, this isn't an entirely bad thing.  I've always found Stormshadow more interesting as a bad guy.  Cobra needed a foil to Snake Eyes.  Someone who was capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Joe's most powerful member.  With Stormshadow allied with Snake Eyes, the balance of power shifted too far to the Joe side.  Cobra had no credible threat for them.  As a bad guy, Stormshadow kept the conflict balanced.  This, though, disrupted the solid connection and story between Snake Eyes and Stormshadow.  But, that story could have been told without the redemption arc.  In the end, Zartan did kill the Hard Master because he was emulating Snake Eyes.  Stormshadow could have still not forgiven that and the story would have remained intact.

Hasbro of the repaint era, settled on Stormshadow being a Cobra and collectors were treated to him with this affiliation for nearly a decade.  Stormshadow was released in 1997, 2000, 2002 and mid 2004.  Around the time that the Urban Assault Stormshadow was released in 2004, word broke that Hasbro would be releasing a set of Ninjas that would hit stores right before Christmas of that year.  I seem to remember that an initial list of names appeared with the set when it appeared on Amazon.  But, details like that are among the multitude of information about releases of that era that have been lost to time as message boards and fan sites have disappeared.  But, the Ninja Strike set showed up in late 2004: replete with the newly acquired 1988 Stormshadow mold.

I was not a huge fan of the Ninja Strike set.  I felt that the red and black ninjas were too derivative of the Argentine figures.  And, the Vypras used far too much of the set's budget for some lame paint masks.  I had no need for this Stormshadow.  But, 19 years later, this set has help up far better than most of the other Toys R Us exclusive 6-figure sets.  And, this Stormshadow is a big reason why.  The green color is extremely rare on Cobra figures.  And, despite the fact that he's missing the trademarked Arashikage tattoo on his arm, the overall paint applications are fairly strong.  The dirty brown wash that covers the figure is more natural looking than the paint wipes from 2000.  And, it works to give the figure some depth without making him look shoddy.  

This Stormshadow mold is excellently done.  It's different than the more classic 1984 release.  But, that's good.  I loved the fact that this mold was simple, but extremely effective.  The hood was a distinctive feature.  But, the overall Gi conveys the purpose of the figure while being different from other martial arts figures that had been released prior to 1988.  The main feature that interested me was the rope strung across the figure's chest.  I loved ropes.  And, I wished the 1988 Stormshadow had included a real rope.  I viewed the claw as both a tool used for climbing rock walls and a weapon much like Wolverine's claws.  I always imagined this Stormshadow scaling the crumbling walls of some long forgotten compound to infiltrate the hidden fortress.

And, it is in that context that I view this Stormshadow.  I've always used the 1988 Stormshadow as a bad guy.  It's just a leftover from Stormshadow debuting during my most formative years.  Back in 1999, I gave my 1988 Stormshadow a cloak from an Episode I accessory pack and he's worn this Sith cloak as an indicator of his evil nature ever since.  I have yet to move this robe to the 2004 figure.  But, the coloring is such that I feel the obfuscating hue of the added accessory is unnecessary.  This green base for Stormshadow works for my vision of this figure as an infiltrator.  He dons this costume when it's time to break into some top secret installation as it provides visual cloaking and necessary equipment for such endeavors.

The accessories included with the Ninja Strike set were...just nonsense.  First off, the set included three repaints of the 1984 Stormshadow mold.  Yet, it did not include a single accessory from that mold.  There were two 1987 Jinx repaints in the set.  Neither included any Jinx gear.  And, the only accessory from the 1988 Stormshadow that was included with this Ninja Strike repaint was the claw.  In addition, the figure included a Scarlett crossbow, a Ninja Force sword and a black backpack that originated with the 1991 Dusty.  The 1988 Stormshadow backpack and sword not existing in any color other than red is a travesty.  And, this set would have been a great way to include that gear in a more useful color.  But, the end was coming and Hasbro had given up trying to make the Toys R Us 6 packs anything special.  So, the set just got a hodge-podge of random weapons that were recently included with other, retail figures.  

One big issue with this Stormshadow, though, is that his hands are rather small.  I'm not sure why this is.  The mold has fresh from India and the Funskool Stormshadow has no such issues.  It's possible that the thick, flesh colored paint uses up too much space.  But, the reality is that it's tough to get this Stormshadow to hold any weapons.  They'll often just pop out due to the small hand size.  If you're just storing this guy in a clamshell in your closet, this isn't much of an issue.  But, it's something to consider when you're looking to get a Stormshadow out for some photos.  Other Ninja Strike figures have other, major quality issues.  But, I've not heard of them being as rampant with this Stormshadow.  But, in general, the 2000's Joes aren't aging all that gracefully.  

The 1988 Stormshadow mold got good use.  After its run with Hasbro, it was sent down to Brazil.  There, Estrela released a figure that is nearly identical to the Hasbro figure.  It includes the same colors and gear.  It's not all that easy to find.  But, collectors don't much care for it due to the similarity with the Hasbro figure.  Post Brazil, the mold appeared in India.  Again, Funskool didn't much alter the figure and they released a near identical Stormshadow for many, many years.  You can find some variants among the Funskool figures with reversed tattoos and even missing camo.  But, those are harder to come by.  Upon the mold's return to Hasbro in 2003, it was used two more times.  The first for this figure in late 2004.  And, the mold's final appearance came as the Red Ninja that was released in a Comic Pack in early 2005.  Of course, this mold has tons of potential and could have been repainted ad naseum.  But, Hasbro didn't do that with the 1984 mold and they didn't do it with this 1988 mold, either.  Maybe a factory custom maker will get to this mold someday.  But, that's probably a pipe dream.

The 2004 Ninja Strike figures have gotten harder to find.  Once upon a time, they were cheap and easy to find.  But, all the Toys R Us figures have dried up.  Dealers will try to get $30 to $50 for a mint, loose and complete version.  But, those prices are dumb.  On the open market today, this Stormshadow is, at best, a $15 figure with loose figures going as low as $5 each.  So, there's no reason to pay a premium for this figure.  Especially, since his accessories are generic and available with other, cheaper contemporary figures.  Just wait until it comes up for sale at open market and save a ton of money.  With interest in vintage Joes waning, you're likely to see a few more of these show up in coming years at very attractive prices.

Rarities - 2004 Comic Pack Hawk - Unproduced Head

In 2004, Hasbro came up with the idea of Comic Packs.  This alternate selling method would offer consumers three vintage style Joe figures with a comic book featuring those characters for the whopping price of $9.99.  It seemed like a great idea that was certain to pave the way for the future of retail action figure sales.  And, for a short time, it kind of was.  But, as was common with alternate G.I. Joe retail products, the Comic Packs quickly stalled out at retail and were gone just a year later.  While they offered a nice variety of relatively unimpressive or memorable figures, the Comic Packs also had a few pre-production pieces that featured some oddball coloring.  One such example is this 2004 General Hawk.

If you're a fan of this site, you've seen this head before.  It's the head I put on a 2004 Comic Pack Cobra Officer body for my character Skeres.  I thought the head was distinctive enough to create a new character.  So, this set was the first of the alternate Asian figures that I tracked down.  Originally, the figures were sold as a set of three figures and accessories: all still in their tray from the Comic Pack.  I paid about $33 to have the three figures shipped from China.  Quite a stretch from prices today.

There are no other major changes to the figure aside from the head.  But, the head's distinctive coloring was what made it stand out.  And, even as more and more uproduced figures from Asia began to appear, this Hawk kept his status.  But, he did lose his popularity.  With many more figures that collectors desired, these early oddballs like Hawk fell into obscurity.  And, as alternate Anti Venom and unproduced Wal Mart figures became common in standard collections, this Hawk never appeared.  

It's very unlikely that this figure is anything more than a plastic test.  Since the Stalker in the pack featured pale, white plastic for the skin on the head, it could be that a run got the plastic colors for each mold wrong.  Regardless of how this figure came to be, it's a fun piece of Joe history that was a member of one of the hallmarks of the early 2000's Joe community.

2004 Anti Venom Charbroil - Around The Web

Charbroil isn't a very popular character.  And, his figures don't really resonate with collectors.  (Well, aside from the Night Force version that is overpriced based on its more limited availability.)  So, it was a surprise to see him return in 2004 as a member of the Anti Venom set.  Sadly, the original bug-eyed helmet was replaced with an anonymizing Steel Brigade helmet.  But, that is something you can work with.  There was a surprisingly good amount of content on this figure available.  So, enjoy the 2004 Anti Venom Charbroil from around the web.

2004 Anti Venom Charbroil Profile

Anti Venom Charbroil by wigramjoe

Anti Venom Charbroil by yojoe_it

Anti Venom Review at generalsjoesreborn.com

Anti Venom Charbroil by Gen_Liederkranz

Anti Venom Charbroil at JoeADay.com

Anti Venom Review at JoeBattleLines.com

Anti Venom Charbroil by Slipstream80

Anti Venom Charbroil by Gen_Liederkranz

Anti Venom Charbroil by alpha1creative

Flak Viper - Where in the World

There are figures of which I am an irrational fan.  The Flak Viper is one such figure.  In the early and mid 1990's, the Flak Viper mocked me from the cardback of every figure I was able to find at retail.  I could not find him anywhere.  As Joe disappeared, I figured my chances of ever owning the figure were gone.  Fortunately, that was not the case and I was able to build a nice army of Flak Vipers as a collector.  But, the figure still fascinates me.  I can't get enough of the mold and love all his color combinations.  The two vintage releases and the two repaint era releases offer two very different takes on the mold.

The Flak Viper mold debuted in 1992.  It and the 1993 repaint are well done.  But, they are also identifiable as originating in the 1990's.  The two 2000's repaints, though, avoided many of the trappings of army builder repaints from that time.  Usually, Hasbro overdid it and the repaints were good, but had some minor issues that prevented them from becoming iconic.  But, with the Flak Viper repaints, Hasbro kept it simple and there's a Cobra blue and black repaint along with a desert themed figure.  They are well done.  

The first release of the Flak Viper is the 1992.  The debut of the sculpt showcased solid design and decent gear.  The primary colors are a bright blue and green.  They are offset with a grey sash and pants.  

The following year, Hasbro repainted the figure.  The base of the figure is the same.  However, the blue highlights have been replaced with orange. While the figure is bright, the orange is kind of fun.  This is my favorite version of the figure just because it's odd, bright and unique.  

The Flak Viper had another use in 1993.  Toys R Us got an exclusive set of Dino Hunters figures.  It was an absurd idea but capitalized on Jurassic Park. The Flak Viper's contribution is that his backpack was modified with holes that allowed it to be held by a mount.  The pack was colored in light grey.  You can still find the packs matched up with Flak Vipers from time to time.  Though, it was much more common a few years ago.  

In late 1994 or early 1995, Hasbro used parts of the Flak Viper again.  This time, the Street Fighter Movie Edition M. Bison figure included a silver version of the Flak Viper's rifle.  The silver was a cool look and a great color for the weapon.  It wasn't really a nice match for the 1992 or 1993 figures.  But, it turned out to be a great match for the later uses of the mold.

The Flak Viper mold then disappeared for a decade.  In 2004, the entire Flak Viper mold appeared in the Cobra Urban Strike set: this time under the name of Nullifier.  This figure is colored in Cobra blue with black and brown leather highlights.  It's the best paint job on this mold.  It's only drawback was the lame accessories.  The figure didn't include any of his original gear and only came with generic weapons from the 2000's.

In 2006, the final version of the Flak Viper appeared in an Operation Flaming Moth set.  This desert version was a nicely done update to the Flak Viper and was the type of repaint that made sense for Hasbro to do.  While not as nice as the 2004 release, the desert version is useful in it's own right.  The best thing about this version was the return of the full complement of Flak Viper accessories.  The black rifle and pack are also great since they work with the 2004 version, too.

The Flak Viper never got exclusive use anywhere else in the world.  The 1992 Flak Viper was released in Europe on exclusive cardbacks.  The figure is the same, though.  The Flak Viper mold is relatively unique in that it's a mold whose potential was fulfilled.  

2004 Night Force Flint - Around the Web

The 2004 Night Force set has grown on me over the years.  The Roadblock is still an abomination.  But, the rest of the figures are pretty good.  They aren't without faults, for sure.  But, I've found this Flint to be a good addition to any collection and he's useful even outside of the Night Force motif.  You do have to give him different accessories.  With those, though, I've found the figure to get a lot of use.  There's lots of good content about this figure out there.  You'll find reviews written in 2004, some in the 2010's and some uses of the figure today.  So, you'll get a great cross section of how this figure has been viewed and used through its 18 year lifespan.

Night Force Flint Profile

Night Force Hand Painted Samples

Night Force Flint at JoeADay.com

Night Force Flint by djv

Night Force Flint by dashiellrfairborne

2004 Night Force set at GeneralsJoesReborn

Night Force Flint by ToneGunsRevisited

2004 Night Force Review at JoeBattleLines.com

2004 Night Force Flint by dashiellrfairborne

2004 Night Force Flint by yovalleyjoe

2004 Night Force Flint by steviedblockheadink

2004 Night Force Flint by kryptoboy81

2004 Night Force Flint by instachampa

2004 Red Ninja Viper - Around The Web

At the time of his release, the Red Ninja Viper seemed overly derivative of the common Satan figure from Argentina.  And, the poor quality of the set really helped to limit the figures.  But, with time comes perspective.  And, 17 years later, the Red Ninja Viper fills a void, even if his gear is garbage and the figures tend to develop loose joints before you even move them.  Factory customs have negated much of the value of this figure.  But, he still has some uses and, if you got a bunch of them back in 2004, it's good to have them lying around in case you finally want to make up that Castle Destro diorama you've been putting off for the past 20 years.

Red Ninja Viper Profile

Red Ninja Viper by purplecobra75

Red Ninja Viper by Lava Boss

Red Ninja Viper by gen_liederkranz

Red Ninja Viper by Flatline

Red Ninja Viper by Stormer

Red Ninja Viper by bruxovigo

Red Ninja Viper by hellabaytoyz

Red Ninja Viper by gen_liederkranz

Red Ninja Viper by lordraven

Red Ninja Viper by TitusLester32

Red Ninja Viper by instachampa

2004 Urban Assault Firefly - Around The Web

So, Firefly was overdone during the 2000's.  But, that doesn't mean that they were all bad.  In fact, in some cases, I'd argue that the new paint jobs were actually better than the original Firefly.  One such example is this 2004 Urban Assault Firefly.  The blue, grey and black motif works really well on the Firefly mold.  And, he now blends with other classic Cobras from the earliest years.  This version of Firefly is now my second favorite version of Firefly behind the 2005 Comic Pack release.  There's some good stuff on this guy from around the web.

Urban Assault Firefly Profile

Firefly by Fun_Time_at_Serpentors_Lair

Firefly at JoeBattleLines.com

Firefly by vader9900

Firefly by specialmissionforce

Firefly by theoldnerd

Firefly by tunnelrat83

Firefly by gvilla74

Firefly by joes_by_james

Firefly by flatline

Firefly at JoeADay.com

Firefly by fosilru

Firefly by fun_time_at_serpentors_lair

Firefly by relena_warcraft

Firefly by Flatline 54

Firefly by wigramjoe

Firefly by fosilru

Firefly by flatline

Firefly by gvilla74

Firefly by fun_time_at_serpentors_lair

Firefly by flatline 54

Firefly by silentinterlude

Firefly by gvilla74

Firefly by gen_liederkranz

2004 Anti - Venom Sgt. Lifeline

If you follow G.I. Joe's resurgence in the 2000's, you can see a progression.  In 2000 and 2001, Hasbro discovered there was a nostalgic market for figures.  In 2002, they re-imagined the brand, put a bunch of resources into it and found a general market for their toys.  In 2003, the Joe brand hit it's second stride.  The figures were drastically improved, produced in abundance and hit the market just at the right time.  In 2004, Hasbro kept up the improved designs.  But, retail interest was cooling.  By 2005, Hasbro knew the end was near and the innovation and quality of the releases began to slide.  The last retail releases where ghosts of the toys released only two years earlier.  Nearly 20 years later, though, some of these figures have held up better than others while some that were somewhat ignored have found new life among more recent to the hobby collectors.  The Anti Venom set, though, found some interest fairly quickly.  Within a couple of years, they were about the only Toys R Us figures that sold above retail.  And, in the years since, the Anti Venom figures have gotten expensive.  The Lifeline figure that was included with the set features a great mold and awesome accessories.  But, it's hard to see him as Lifelin.

The Anti-Venom set has held up pretty well over the years.  Of all the Toys R Us exclusive G.I. Joe figures, the Anti-Venom has the strongest lineup top to bottom.  While there are individual figures in other sets that are way better than the best AV figure, no other sets hold up as well when taken as a hole.  Part of this is that the AV set included almost all the original accessories for the figures that were included.  This little detail alone is enough to elevate the set over the anonymous weapons that dominated the Night Force, Desert, Greenshits, Winter Ops and HAS sets.  But, the figure molds in the set were also, at the time, not heavily overused.  Roadblock, Barricade, Mutt and Charbroil were all the first time we had seen those molds return.  Duke was overdone.  And, Stretcher hadn't appeared with his original head.  So, the set seemed fresher than many of the releases that brought the same molds we had just seen back again.

It seems that this figure went through many machinations before the actual production figure was settled upon. Early in the development stages of the Anti-Venom set, the figures were to be cast in a dark blue hue. This color was too close to Cobra's traditional look. But, of the figures that were designed in that design, the Lifeline figure had the head from the 2002 Side Track instead of the Stretcher head. From this design, the Anti-Venom morphed to a lighter blue color scheme. This was less traditionally Cobra, but wasn't a great color on most of the figures. In this set, though, Lifeline had an African-American Stretcher head and may have been planned to be Stretcher instead of Lifeline. Finally, Hasbro settled on the tan and green version for production. The head was painted in caucasian skin tones and made Sgt. Lifeline instead of Stretcher.  Sadly, the production head was painted in flesh paint instead of molded in flesh colored plastic like the pre-production figures were.  With the plastic heads available in different colors, you really see how much better they are than painted skin tones on a figure's head.

For me, it's always useful to have a medic who is in field colors.  While red medics are great, I have always liked to have some diversity so that the medics who tag along on missions aren't brightly colored give aways to the Cobras looking to kill the Joes.  This Lifeline works for that.  But, even in that capacity, I don't use the figure all that much.  I still see this mold as Stretcher.  So, it's tough to shake that notion and see this figure as anything too different.  But, Lifeline features an abundance of paint applications and a nice complement of colors that aren't really seen outside of the Anti Venom set and the 2005 HAS figures that used the same upper bodies as the 2004 AV figures.

This Lifeline includes all of Stretcher's gear.  Just like the 2001 Side Track, this 2004 figure is enhanced by including the full array of gear meant for the figure mold.  The one thing that the Anti-Venom set did better than any other set (save the 2003 Python Patrol) is that it included the original gear meant for the figures.  So, we got Barricade's proper rifle, Roadblock's array of 1984 weapons and Charbroil's flamethrower and pack.  With Lifeline, we got the sled, windshield, control stick, backpack, antenna, flare gun, hose and the tiny communicator that, did it not connect to a hose, would be a $40 accessory.  The windshield this time around is black, giving it a different appearance than the clear shielded versions that were previously released.  Lifeline was the only figure in the set to not include a Steel Brigade helmet adorned with his name.  The hat on the figure's head precluded the helmet's usefulness.  So, he was the lone figure to omit it: and is better for it as he's not anonymized by the uniformity of the helmets.

The Stretcher mold saw a bit of use in the modern Joe line. Despite only appearing in 1990 during the vintage years, Hasbro liked the mold and brought it back in the 2000's. In 2002, the entire body and full accessory complement was used on the Side Track figure from Wave V of the A Real American Hero Collection. This figure, though, featured a new, caucasian head and got a different name. This version of the mold with another character change and the caucasian head was released in 2004. At the end of 2004, the head appeared again, only modified for a desert theme, in the Toys R Us exclusive Desert Patrol set.  Sadly, we never got a proper Stretcher repaint.  And, it seems a bit out of place to have Lifeline wearing his uniform and using his gear.  I didn't like that Stretcher was erased as his character was strong and there was simply no reason for Side Track to exist in 2002 nor was there any reason that this Lifeline could not have used the full 1994 Lifeline mold.  

It does appear that the fervor for the Anti-Venom set is starting to subside.  While dealers will ask (and sometimes get!) $60-$80 for a mint and complete figure, the going market rate is about $20.  You can get just the figures for 1/2 of that price, too.  Lifeline's probably among the less desired Anti-Venom figures.  So, that plays a role.  And, you will wait a while before find a high quality, complete sample sold at market prices.  But, you will find them, eventually.  If you're missing the set, it's probably still easier to buy a carded set and open it.  The tape will turn yellow with time and the package will come apart.  So, you get the pleasure of knowing you aren't destroying something that time will eradicate, anyways.  In the end, though, you don't need this figure.  Stretcher is better and either the 1986 or 1994 Lifeline figures are way better renditions of the character.  And, even the Tiger Force figure from 1988 is a more useful combat appearance than this 2004 figure.  I'd never pay the going rate for him.  But, I also don't have to make that call since I got him at retail.  So, my opinion of the figure may not match the approach that others wish to take with this Lifeline.