2022 Cobra Commander

In 1997, Hasbro planned to release a newly colored Cobra Commander figure.  The release was going to use the classic 1983 mold and color it a deep, dark Cobra blue and give it golden highlights.  It was both an homage to the Hooded Cobra Commander coloring and also a needed repaint of a figure that, really, didn't get a lot of use.  The Cobra Commander mold had been used for Chinese releases as recently as 1994.  Other figures in that series would later appear.  But, for some reason, Hasbro could either not locate the original Cobra Commander mold or it was damaged and unusable.  Regardless, the 1997 release of the character used the 1987 mold.  Then, for the next decade, Hasbro released the Cobra Commander character a multitude of times.  But, it was never in his classic 1983 look.  While Hasbro remade figures like Mutt, Lady Jaye and Scrap Iron, they never bothered to make a new 1983 Cobra Commander mold.  

The reasons for this are likely just tied to money.  Hasbro would sell 20,000 sets of 6 figures to Toys R Us if the Cobra Commander was an expensive, remade 1983 figure or if it was an easily accessible repaint of the 1992 Talking Battle Commanders mold.  So, they had no incentive to really revisit the original Cobra Commander mold.  I don't agree with the premise.  But, at least there's some business reasoning behind it.  Leaving one of the most iconic molds in the Joe line's history, though, did seem like a misstep.  But, the helmeted look was parroted in both the JvC era figures and the Anniversary style releases.

When Factory Customs became a thing in the late 2000's, the focus was on army builders.  But, one of the earliest figures made was a re-do of the 1983 Snake Eyes.  This figure was repainted into a variety of colors: almost exclusively as Cobra characters.  This release proved there was a market for underserved characters, even if they used molds that Hasbro had repainted nearly a dozen times.  So, the quiet calls for the classic Cobra Commander to return began.  But, the Joe market slimmed in the early 2010's and only a handful of new factory custom molds really appeared.  Around 2016 or so, Red Laser Army joined Black Major as a second factory custom faction.  RLA was heavily character focused and was glad to create obscure characters and figures for their library.  With RLA producing a couple of dozen figures per year, the calls for Cobra Commander to return grew louder.  But, again, they were simply not to be.

As 2021 ended, Hasbro debuted the Skystriker as a Haslab.  After a few slow weeks of sales, Hasbro tossed in a Cobra three pack of figures. Among them was, finally!, a 1983 Cobra Commander figure.  The Haslab figure was going to feature the poorer, but collector loved Mickey Mouse logo.  But, the appearance of the mold in this set all but guaranteed that we would see a wide release Cobra Commander in 2022.  And, in the late summer of that year, Hasbro delivered a carded Cobra Commander figure.  With it, Hasbro produced a toy that is very much the definitive figure for the character.

The original 1983 Cobra Commander figure is extremely well done.  However, as they head into their fifth decade of existence, the original figures have become overly brittle and tend to discolor with even a hint of heat or light exposure that occurred during their lifetimes.  So, premium Cobra Commander figures demand premium prices.  And, even if dropping over $100 isn't a concern for you, the reality is that the purchase is still going to be fragile and not something you're going to want to take out into the garden for some photos all that often.  Enter this 2022 version.  It's everything the 1983 figure is, plus a little more.  It is fresh and bright.  And, his thumbs are flexible and aren't going to snap with slight pressure.

The aesthetic of the figure is nearly identical to the 1983 original.  The bright blue is in line with the vintage color.  And, he features black and red highlights that offset the silver facemask.  The Pulse figure, though, also adds in some white details.  There is a white patch on his head.  And, his waist detailing is also white.  It's a small add.  But, it brings a ton of new color to this mold.  In comparison, the 1983 now looks a little basic as it lacks the coloring to really stand out.  It's a nice differentiation between the two figures.  It's different enough to matter.  But, it's similar enough that the figures are completely interchangeable.  And, for a modern remake, that works.  Had we gotten a dozen 1983 Cobra Commander figures released between 1997 and 2005, I'd be more critical of one that's such a close homage.  But, really, a new Cobra Commander to replace the original was badly needed.  And, Hasbro delivered upon that quite well.

This Cobra Commander is odd in that he is not carded with his classic "hair dryer" gun that appears on his card art.  Instead, he is given a new rifle that is based on a cartoon  design.  It's actually pretty nice.  Personally, I don't see it as a fit for Cobra Commander.  But, it does look excellent with the Baroness.  But, collectors were not to worry as the iconic weapon was still included in the total package.  All the Pulse releases included a tissue paper bundle of additional accessories with every 2 figure set.  And, for Cobra Commander, the extra gear was a wealth of amazing additions to the Joe line.  Sure, he got his classic pistol.  But, there were also 2 other pistols based on cartoon designs.  It also included Cobra branded binoculars, 2 computer pads that are detonators and timers and a golden Cobra staff.  Finally, the Commander features an abundance of gear that was worthy of and sensical to the character.  Best of all, none of it will snap his thumbs.

As this figure is a recent release, it's not really something that has tons of memories associated with it.  Sadly, missing out on this mold during the heyday of the repaint era prevented it from really mattering in my collection.  I was far more likely to use another Cobra Commander mold because there were so many of them and those figures weren't brittle or discolored like my 1983 version.  With this 2022 release in hand, though, I have found myself photographing it quite a lot.  The original Cobra Trooper mold is one of my personal favorites.  And, this Cobra Commander mold is the perfect complement to it.  So, I do use this Cobra Commander more than pretty much all of the other Pulse era releases because he brings life to photos using repaints/remakes of other, classic molds.  It's nice to be able to use Cobra Commander again, even if he was never a really big part of my collection.

I've been very critical of the Pulse releases.  I don't hold many of them in all that high of esteem.  It's not true for this Cobra Commander, though.  I feel he is, exactly, what the Pulse figures should have all been.  He is a solid replacement for a very expensive, brittle and easily discolored vintage figure.  Of the Pulse figures, only Stormshadow also fits those criteria.  (Only, Stormshadow got used quite a bit in the repaint era and has some alternative figures for collectors.  The Commander didn't.)  The Pulse era got a lot of things wrong.  But, they got this Cobra Commander right.  And, they should be lauded for that.  My lament is that we didn't get more figures like him in the series.  But, like the legacy of the repaint era, we do have to enjoy it when Hasbro got a figure really correct and hit on all accounts.

Of the three Hasbro Pulse figure packs, I felt the Duke and Cobra Commander was the best value.  The figures featured tons of paint applications.  And, the extra gear was abundant and matched to the characters.  The price, since you had to pay for shipping, was still, probably, too high.  But, it's also the reality of the collector based product.  Of course, though, the packs didn't sell through, even with a raised limit of 5 per collector.  Hasbro sold off their remaining overstock of the packs to other online retailers.  There, they still sit, unsold.  And, while I'd love to pick up a couple of extras of this pack, I just can't find $50 worth of value in having those extras.  I had hopes the overstock would show up at Ollie's in 2023.  But, they only got the leftover Wal Mart Hiss Tanks.  We'll see what 2025 holds.  At $18 or so for the 2 pack, I'd buy a whole lot of extras.  But, so would everyone else.  In the summer of 2024, the packs were dropped to about $30 by some online retailers.  Even the 25% discount wasn't enough to move the product, though.  And, I still have just the one loose set.

My fear on this figure (and all the Pulse era releases) is that they won't age very well.  The 2000's Joes are discoloring at alarming rates.  (I don't think there are any 2005 Scrap Irons left whose don't have discolored upper arms.)  And, many of the figures will crack now that they've aged a bit.  The soft plastic of the 2020's figures is similar.  So, I fully expect to find this Cobra Commander with dark upper arms or yellowed legs when I take him out for photos in 2031.  And, that is one reason I'm not too keen on spending a ton to acquire multiples of the figure.  I hope I'm wrong.  But, Hasbro seems more interested in selling remakes of existing figures to replace discolored versions from just a few years prior.  But, if Cobra Commander some day becomes available again, that wouldn't be the worst fate in the world.

Hasbro has, so far, released this mold twice.  While the Mickey Mouse figure from the Skystriker is considered the "premium" figure by the community, I also think that it exists in very similar numbers to this Pulse figure.  We don't know the Pulse figure's production numbers.  But, they were high enough to not sell out while also low enough for a few, small, independent toy dealers to buy up the remainder.  In the early 2000's, figures like this saw production runs between 16,600 and 20,000.  We know there were around 16,500 Skystriker figures.  So, I would expect this Pulse figure to exist in slightly larger numbers than that.  But, it will be interesting to see which figure commands collector attention in the future.  The Mickey Mouse figure holds cachet as people associate it with "rare" figures.  But, this Pulse figure is substantially better.  We'll see which wins out.

Since this figure's release, factory custom makers have also tackled the Cobra Commander mold.  There are now dozens of colorings of it available: with both helmet and hooded heads for each scheme.  Some are amazing, some are inventive and some are just weird.  But, if you wanted a rainbow of Cobra Commander figures, you now have options outside of Hasbro, too.  Super 7 has even tackled the character in multiple releases in the first few waves of their ReAction+ line.  Personally, I think the head is very off.  But, you might find additional value looking at the character in this new styled format.

With this figure still available for "retail" pricing, it's extremely tough to find open market sales.  If you do luck upon one, though, this Cobra Commander is pretty worthless.  You can get the set of him and Duke for under $20.  But, it might take you 6 to 8 months to find someone willing to take that kind of hit.  But, the 2000's era Toys R Us figures were often below retail for quite a while before they took off and are now overly expensive.  With this Cobra Commander being so well done, it's likely to have a following in future years.  But, nothing is going to happen until the retail stock is bought up and people who want the figure have no option but to buy second hand.

2022 Cobra Officer - Around The Web

It was great to get an updated Cobra Officer in 2022.  But, the figure really had some problems.  Aside from wonky eyes, the figure's knee won't bend all the way.  It's a sad fate for a figure that should have been a solid contender for one of the best updates of the Pulse era.  Today, you don't see this figure as often as you'd think.  You're still more likely to see a vintage Cobra Officer in various photos than you are this newer version.  Even today, you can buy all of these figures that you want for less than original retail.  It's one of those things you'd have never guessed: especially if you lived through the army builder craze of the early 2000's.  So, stop by and check out those who do use the 2022 Cobra Officer.

2022 Cobra Officer Profile

2022 Cobra Officer by gen_liederkranz

2022 Cobra Officer by atwooddan

2022 Cobra Officer by dashiellrfairborne

2022 Cobra Officer by viperwilson

2022 Cobra Officer at ToyHabits.com

2022 Cobra Officer by offc0ur5e

2022 Cobra Officer by viperwilson

2022 Cobra Officer by gijoe_guy

2022 Cobra Officer by viper_space

2022 Cobra Officer by toysorceress

2022 Duke - Around The Web

We're coming up on 3 years since this figure was released.  And, he's still very available for original retail prices.  You can even find him discounted a bit to below retail.  He's still not low enough for me to splurge on a few extras just for the gear.  But, if you don't have this figure, he's well worth buying to get the amazing Cobra Commander and the bounty of extra accessories included with Duke.

This figure's head is still goofy.  If you like the color scheme, Super7 made an exact duplicate of it in Wave 2 of the ReAction+ line.  My local Target had four of them sitting on the pegs last week.  For $21, the ReAction+ figure's head isn't much better.  And, you don't get all the cool gear.  But, you have options if a cartoon Duke is high on your list of things to buy.

This Duke has kind of fallen into obscurity.  His bizarre colors don't go with much of anything.  And, as such, you don't see him the frequency that you do the Cobra Commander, Stalker and Sgt. Slaughter from the same series of figures released in recent years.  I still like the figure because the colors are bright and eye catching.  I just wish he was a better complement to existing Joe figures.  As Super7 makes more cartoon coloring inspired figures, maybe this Duke will have some better companions.  Until then, check out the 2022 Duke from around the web.

2022 Duke Profile

2022 Duke by Slipstream80

2022 Duke by tituslester32

2022 Duke by actionfigurefotos

2022 Duke by incrediblebulk

2022 Duke by yojoe_collectibles

2022 Duke by viperwilson

2022 Duke by codename.steve

2022 Duke by gijoe_for_fun

2022 Duke by viper_wilson

2022 Snake Eyes

If you've been collecting since at least 1997, the last thing you need is another all black Snake Eyes based on his original 1982 design.  The character has been released at least 5 times in the repaint era in a mold and color combo that's the basic 1982 Snake Eyes but with some colored details.  So, you probably already have plenty of figures to represent the original Snake Eyes.  So, there's no real reason for this 2022 Snake Eyes to be part of any collection.  But, this brand newly molded figure does feature some aspects that haven't been seen in 40 years.  And, frankly, one of the updates makes this guy very worthwhile.

Back in the early days of collecting, everyone wanted a 1983 Snake Eyes with some painted details.  And, Hasbro delivered on that.  Every take on the original Snake Eyes mold released between 1997 and 2022 featured some painted details to bring some extra oomph to the mold.  What Hasbro never did, though, was make another all black Snake Eyes.  Really, there wasn't a reason to in the early 2000's.  For most of that time, the original Snake Eyes figures were relatively abundant and most of the collector focus was on the 1985 version.  But, in 2022, a newer collector base who had come online in the three or four preceding years did have a need for the vintage look.  

And, let's face it, 1983 figures aren't holding up all that well after 40 years.  (Though, the original Snake Eyes doesn't discolor ,can't have paint wear and, generally, has aged the best of the original 13 figures.)  But, it is nice to have a fully black Snake Eyes with the original waist that also has the softer plastic hands where you don't need to worry about breaking thumbs.  But, that's a pretty niche use for this figure.  Personally, I prefer Snake Eyes with some painted details as I think it's a more realistic look.  I break out the vintage figure specifically to photograph the vintage figure...not because I like the all black visage.  Even among my vintage figures, I'm more wont to use the Action Force Stalker figure just because the grey highlights make for a better photo.  So, there's not a compelling reason for me to really break this guy all that often.

But, I'd be remiss to not comment on much the original style waist piece on this figure enhances his visual representation.  I'm not someone who hated the 1986 Roadblock waist that debuted on the 1997 Snake Eyes releases.  But, seeing the figure more as it was originally intended really drives home how much care and thought the original Joe team put into their creations back in 1982.  The precision with which the parts fit shows a level of skill that is not replicated today.  But, back when you'd sell a quarter million copies of your worst designs, you could afford to take extra time and care on every piece.  But, seeing the figure in a much closer representation of how it was originally intended  is a big step forward and makes this figure worth owning.

The release mechanism for this Snake Eyes wasn't great.  You got him and Stormshadow in a 2 pack, boxed set for $40.  The set featured the following packaging: an outer brown shipping box, an inner, decorated box with character artwork and the actual carded figures themselves.  Since it was online only, it also then shipped in another cardboard box.  That's a LOT of packaging that collectors had to pay for.  And, $20 per figure seemed exorbitant when super articulated The Vintage Collection Star Wars figures were only $13 at the time.  (The greater Star Wars production numbers are mostly offset by the licensing fees Hasbro pays.)  Personally, I'd have preferred the character artwork box either replace the vintage cards or been removed with just the vintage cardbacks made available.  It would have been a cheaper option.  But, 2022 Hasbro was still riding high on the pandemic era collectibles bubble and they were almost not wrong in thinking people would pay nearly any price for nostalgia.

For some reason, the box art packaging for this figure does not look like the actual toy.  Instead of the 1982 Snake Eyes appearing on the box, we see the 1985 Snake Eyes mold.  Why is this?  Well, we have no reason or explanation as to the gaffe.  Truthfully, the 1985 Snake Eyes would have been a better choice since he has a sword to fight Stormshadow and it hasn't been released by Hasbro since the figure was discontinued at retail in 1986.  Seeing other box art mistakes, though, leads me to believe that Hasbro just made a mistake with artwork as it was commissioned separately from the toy.  Rather than worry about it, they just released it as is.  And, with an obscure, online only release, the questions and complaints were buried by social media volume in a matter of days.  And, now, no one really cares because for Joe collectors, it's always been about the toys and, maybe, the single carded presentation for the figure.

There are plenty of options for a Snake Eyes with a similar appearance to this one.  Aside from the plethora of releases during the repaint era, there are swivel arm versions available from Funskool in India as well as straight arm versions from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.  Even Black Major has released a multitude of V1 Snake Eyes repaints.  Hasbro has yet to repaint this newly sculpted Snake Eyes and it seems extremely unlikely that they ever will.  It's sad as they could have done a couple of cartoon repaints that would have been well received.  But, factory custom makers have really done a bang up job in maximizing both the original Snake eyes mold and the 1985 version.  So, you can find pretty much anything you'd want out of those molds through those avenues.

In talking with a few other collectors over the past year or so, I've found it odd that we've become very nostalgic for earlier times in the collecting world.  The early 2000's were when most of us really got involved in the Joe world.  And, that was a great time with the advent of online forums, a new comic, widely available Funskool, an irrational number of new toys from Hasbro and widespread availability of cheap and plentiful vintage toys.  The Joe world went into some doldrums around 2006 through 2009 or so as the world and the internet evolved.  The early '10's, though, saw the emergence of a new, more creative collector base.  Vintage was cheaper than it had been even 5 years earlier.  And, the rise of factory customs seemed to invigorate the base.  This was a great time, too.  Slowly, though, those communities that appeared began to migrate to the new social media sites of the era.  And, as algorithms downplayed long term engagement, those communities fell away.

So, this leaves me to wonder, will we have the same nostalgia for the subsequent period of collecting?  The Joe world changed drastically in 2018 when the Netflix toy propaganda series dropped an episode on Joe.  Suddenly, pickers and dealers got an inflated sense of Joe's popularity and prices skyrocketed as they bought up supply and priced it high to cash in.  The pandemic threw gasoline on that fire for a year or two as homebound people starting collecting...well...everything.  And, while we've seen falling prices for a while, they're still not really down to reasonable levels since the supply of inventory is so restricted.  During that time, Hasbro brought back a few items for classic collectors.  But, really, this is the Classified era.  But, the focus of Classified collectors seems to be buying and owning the figures instead of really being creative with them.  Will that lead to an era that has a future renaissance?  Maybe.  But, it does seem like we're on last vestiges of the vintage Joe era.  But, it felt that way in 2007, too.  So, we probably have another hurrah left in us.  I just hope it sparks another era of new creative forces instead of stale discussions about who should star in the next movie remake.

Quality wise, these Pulse era figures are OK.  The plastic is softer than vintage. Which is a great thing for thumbs and crotches.  I have no fears of snapping Snake Eyes' thumb when I put his weapons into his hands.  So, that's nice.  As this Snake Eyes has no paint apps, there's no concern over the paint rubbing away.  On other figures, I worry about paint loss because the softer plastic has lead to softer paint that isn't as sturdy the paint used on vintage Joes.  Being all black, I'm also not concerned about discoloring with this figure.  The soft plastic that Hasbro has used so far this century has not held up well.  Blues and whites turn yellow very quickly.  But, we haven't see that with the black plastic.  So, this Snake Eyes will probably hold fine in that regard.

One area where the Pulse releases did excel was in the accessory complement.  This carded Snake Eyes includes remakes of his vintage Uzi and explosives pack.  This gear had been mostly absent from the original Snake Eyes repaints after 1997.  So, it was nice to get it.  But, in addition  to that, there was a small, tissue paper wrapped package inside the bottom of the character art box.  Inside were some additional, loose accessories for Snake Eyes.  These included a 2nd classic Uzi as well as the Uzi, sword and backpack from the 1989 Snake Eyes.  There was also a standard figure stand.  This additional gear was a definite value add for the overall package.  I'll always take extra Uzis  based on the 1982 mold.  I do wish they had remade the 1985 backpack and sword instead of the 1989 since the '89 molds were used so often during the early 2000's.  But more gear is better than no gear.  And, the extras give some indication that Hasbro had at least some awareness that collectors would open a few of these figures.

When Snake Eyes and Stormshadow first went on sale, they quickly sold out.  This appeared to be the end of the availability of the figures.  But, as orders were processed, the set came back in stock.  And, it stayed in stock for months.  It stayed in stock so long that in June of 2022, Hasbro had a promotion where you could get 40% off if you bought two of the sets.  (Well, at least $75 of Hasbro qualifying product.)  But, it's a stunning blow to a line that seemed poised to finally have a supporting adult collector base.  Instead, it's slowly being proven that the Skystriker was a speculative fluke and that vintage Joes just don't have the cachet to survive for long at retail, even as a niche, collector oriented and premium priced product.  Snake Eyes did, eventually, sell out.  He never showed up at specialty, online retailers who bought all the extra Duke/Cobra Commander and Cobra Trooper/Cobra Officer two packs.  I'm not convinced that we've seen all the Pulse stock of vintage style Joes make its way through the retail supply chain.  But, the figures remain cheap, even if you can't just buy them from retail stock.

Currently, a mint and complete 1983 Snake Eyes will run you between $65 and $70.  A far cry from the $100+ of just a couple of years ago. But, that's still a pricey figure for one that is rarely susceptible to minor wear.  So, this 2022 remains a much more affordable option for a nice rendition of the original Snake Eyes look.  Carded sets with Stormshadow sell a bit under their $40 original retail price.  But, sales are few and far between since the collectors who stashed extras haven't been compelled to sell at the below retail cost prices...yet.  It's unlikely that this figure would reach his retail price at an open sale.  So, you can wait him out and probably get one for a lot cheaper a few years from now.  If you love the early look for Snake Eyes, this is a figure you probably should own.  But, at the same time, if you have a nice 1983 version, there's not really a compelling reason to track down this more recent edition.

2022 Blue and Red BAT - Black Major

I don't much care for BATs.  I didn't like them when I was a kid.  And, the idea of robots hasn't really developed any additional appeal to me now that I'm an adult.  I like the 1991 BAT figure because the colors are great.  (The fact that no one has yet painted the 1986 BAT mold in 1991 colors seems like a hugely missed opportunity.)  But, I've never been overly fond of the 1986 BAT's design.  It's not bad, per se.  I just don't get the hype.  Even as a kid, I thought the figure was wildly overrated by other kids.  I just didn't see the appeal.

One of the upsides of being a rational person is that you can realize that something, while not for you, personally, can be something that most other people like.  And, with that knowledge, you can learn to take advantage of opportunities when they arise, even if they aren't something in which you'd normally partake.  Such was the case with Black Major's 2022 BAT releases.  He created a new mold and offered the classic 1986 sculpt in a rainbow of colors.  Most were small runs, dispersed among various resellers who marked up the prices to, in some cases, as high as $35 per figure.  But, the Black Major himself offered a special deal to those who pre-ordered.  They had the choice of 2 BAT colors and could buy up a small army for about $9 per figure.  I may not like BATs.  But, you don't often get the chance to buy even factory custom figures for that price.  So, I jumped at it and added a bunch of blue and red BATs to my collection.

I've always felt the BAT would lend itself to classic Cobra colors.  Black Major did make some Cobra blue BAT's back in the very early 2010's.  But, they were relatively hard to find and I never came across a lot of more than 1 figure where the price was right.  In the late 2010's, Red Laser Army made a couple of blue and red BATs.  But, their availability was problematic.  One seller even pulled some shady stuff and dragged Red Laser Army's reputation through the ringer due to their terrible offering scheme of some, otherwise, cool BATs.  So, there was never really any good options to pick up an army of the robots in the classic Cobra colors.  

Black Major fixed that in 2022.  Among the many BAT colors are this red and blue version.  There are other versions that are blue, red, orange, purple, green and grey.  In 2023, there are glow in the dark figures, some that look like Overkill and even niche homages like Boba Fett and Batman paint jobs.  Pretty much every collector desired paint job for BATs is now available.  But, for me, the staple for my collection is just the classics.  So, I plunked down the money and added a small cadre of these blue and red BATs to my collection.

Once in hand, these BATs are nice.  The blue is the lighter color you often find on blue factory custom figures.  It's brighter than classic Cobra blue.  But, it does nicely mesh with the multitude of Vipers, Alley Vipers, Night Vipers and Cobra Troopers that have been released by factory custom makers in the past few years.  They will integrate with classic army builders.  But, they do stand out among 1986 Vipers or 1983 Cobra Troopers.  On their own, though, they make for a formidable force.  And, they are a nice match for some of the 2022 and 2023 Hasbro Cobra Commander figures.

Now that I have these figures, though, I still find that my uses for BATs are limited.  The idea of battlefield robots always seemed boring to me.  You just turn them on and they move forward.  Sure, they can mow down people who don't have the explosive firepower to stop them.  But, that's fun a couple of times.  After that, the human element that is essential to storytelling simply fades away.  You lack the decisions that humans make which turn a carefully tuned exercise into chaos.  It's in that pandemonium that the actual story occurs.  Here, people become heroes and villains in an instant when a random decision they made (often out of fear or panic) turns out to be right or wrong.  This can deify incompetent leaders and vilify honorable people who made the right decision for the right reasons but it still went wrong for them.  

This is why I've always found robots like the BAT to be so mundane.  You can't really tell stories about them unless they become sentient.  And, in that case, the robot is then a human: at least from the storyteller's perspective.  The Battle Droids threatened to suck the soul out of Star Wars.  But, the Clone Wars humanized the Clone Troopers and elicited great stories by exploiting the personality and humanity of the Clones.  Turns out, they were a lot more interesting than simple robots.  Fortunately, vintage Joe story tellers didn't rely on BATs too often.  And, in cases where they did, the BATs were a faceless foil to showcase the heroism and bravery of people: not celebrate the mindless automation of poorly conceived robots.

But, I'm drastically in the minority on that point.  Most collectors love the BAT and there's an argument that he's the most popular vintage Cobra army builder.  People build massive armies of the figure.  Even if it's just to stand them in 2001-esque rows on some dusty metal shelf in their basement.  But, that's OK.  I like a lot of offbeat and obscure figures.  Others love the classics.  There's no wrong way to enjoy a hobby that has well over 2000 different figures to chase down when you include international releases and factory customs in the count.  

These BATs have the standard complement of accessories that were included with the 1986 figure.  There is the backpack and 4 arm attachments: hand, laser, flamethrower and claw.  The hand is red while the remaining accessories are all silver.  In addition to this standard fare, though, the figure also includes two additional accessories.  The first is a remade 1992 Eel weapon.  It doesn't make much sense with the BAT.  But, as an avid fan of the 1993 Eel, I have given the extra silver weapons from these BATs to my burgeoning 1993 Eel army.  The figure also includes a blue gatling cannon.  While the weapon is large, it is exactly the type of thing that robots could carry into battle as the size, weight and sheer force of the weapon would be less of an issue to a non-human.  I'm not, usually, a fan of the robot with stupidly big gun trope.  But, the gatling is in scale with the BATs.  And, the figure's claw can easily grip the weapon to make for fun posing.  

The figure quality on these guys is pretty good.  The joints are tight and the paint masks are crisp.  The figures have replaced the glued on lenticular with a painted Cobra logo.  The lack of sticker does take something away from the figures.  But, it's also one less thing that can go wrong.  The handle on the silver spear gun is a bit large...likely just a function of it's later introduction date.  But, the figure can still hold it.  The thumbs are more solid than  Hasbro's post-vintage offerings.  They are, though, still more pliable and less prone to breakage than vintage thumbs.  And, the figure has an added paint detail on the head that is the robotic Cobra logo.

The blue and red BATs haven't really taken off in the collecting world.  So many BAT flavors were produced in a short time that it was difficult for any one coloring to really break out.  You do see these blue and red figures show up in Joe photography moreso than other colorings.  But, the relative availability of them allowed for some people to stock up and then reduce their army.  As such, you can still find these figures in the $15 to $18 range.  If you're patient, you can even still find deals on multiples that will drop the price per figure below that range.  This is good, though.  I'm not sure that $40 aftermarket factory customs are really a good thing for the hobby.  And, as our numbers shrink and the desire to army build anything and everything has subsided, figures like this BAT remaining affordable is a decent byproduct that still allows newer collectors to enter the hobby without breaking their entire budget on just a couple of cool figures.

2022 Wraith Viper - Black Major

It's tough to find Halloween themed Joes.  There's some monsters and aliens that you align with the holiday.  You can find some other lines that work, too.  Fortunately, Hasbro has avoided holiday themed figures in the Joe line.  (Some of the Star Wars figures are interesting.  But, Joe is small enough that holiday releases would seem like a waste of resources.)  But, it's still fun to find figures that fit a holiday theme.  And, in this case, we'll look at the 2022 Wraith Viper from Black Major.

One of the great discoveries of 2018 was that skull prints could be usefully applied to classic G.I. Joe figures.  Red Laser Army was able to use skull faces on a few of his releases.  Shortly after that, Black Major managed to create a really nice skull and bones feature on the classic Bonecrusher figure.  There were some experiments on Cobra Officer and Firefly heads.  And, there is even a Skeletor themed Cobra Trooper out there.  But, when the Cobra Viper factory customs appeared, there were a couple of figures that featured skull and bones prints.  And, it turns out that the Viper helmet is really conducive to a skull print.  And, it probably works better than many other uses of the theme since it looks like the skull is floating inside a helmet and would be somewhat terrifying to come across on the battlefield.

The neon green paint that is offset against the black background is also very nicely done.  It's a start visual that stays with you.  Being memorable is sometimes better than being good.  But, in this case, it's both.  The remainder of the bones on the figure are nice.  The ribs on the torso stand out to me because they really accentuate the visual of the countenance.  In short, the figure works well.  While everyone claims they want a green Viper, the reality is that the mold and the Cobra concept don't really lend themselves to a green Viper.  But, as an accent color, it can work.  There's now a couple of green highlighted Vipers that were contemporaries of this Wraith Viper.  All have some quality.  But, you can pick and choose among them for your personal favorite design.

If I had a squad of these figures, I'd definitely make them an elite squad of some sort.  As an individual figure, though, I'm not sure what to do with him.  Bonecrusher has the stranglehold on characters wearing the skull and bones.  And, I don't really see him as a former Viper.  So, time will tell how this figure evolves in my collection.  For now, he'll remain a figure who may appear from time to time just because he's visually interesting.  Eventually, a purpose for him may become clear.  Maybe he'll just be a guy who wants people to think he's dangerous.  The idea of a poseur Viper whose reputation by his visuals far outstrips his abilities might be a fun concept to toy around with for a bit.

Recently, Hasbro people have made the statement that Joe collectors "buy the brand regardless of scale".  I found this somewhat odd.  Joe fans have, historically, been very adamant that scale was a necessary part of the Joe world.  When I dug into it a bit, I realized that both sides of this statement are true.  Hasbro only asked collectors of the 6 inch scale figures if the scale mattered to them.  Since every collector of Classified started with 3 3/4" Joes, you can see how they'd be less concerned with scale, now.  However, there are collectors like me to whom scale is paramount.  However, we've already been left behind.  Hasbro doesn't even bother to query us about our desires for the brand as we're dinosaurs whose money isn't worth the hassle.  We can get on board or be left behind...as we already have been.

With that, makers like Black Major become more important.  While there's lots of o-ring Kickstarters out there, many of them have failed to deliver a true vintage Joe like experience.  Instead, most feel like cheap knock offs of Joe that are driven by the cliched "tacti-cool" looks that are overdone.  The heads fall flat and the figures are bulky to accommodate inexperienced sculptors.  And, they are stupidly expensive.  A $30 figure needs to be perfect.  And, none of these Kickstarters have delivered on that for their price.  A couple of upcoming projects look promising.  Others...don't.  So, having a source of vintage inspired Joe molds has great value.  I wish Red Laser Army was still around to also supplement army builders like this Viper.  But, at least there are options for those of us who no longer matter to the Hasbro Joe brand.

This Viper includes the standard Viper rifle as well as a pack.  Mine included the Big Bear backpack instead of the standard Viper pack.  There may be slightly different accessories offered with the figure from different sellers.  It should be noted that this is the second release of factory custom Vipers.  Red Laser Army released a variety of Vipers starting around 2016 or so.  Those Vipers featured removable helmets, though.  This Black Major figure is a new mold and has a head whose helmet can not be taken off.  But, this figure is high quality.  The joints are tight enough and the paint masks are great.  The figure can hold his weapons and can hold all the poses you can concoct.  

Wraith Vipers are still available.  You'll find them with frequency for about $18.  That's about the going rate for Black Major figures in general.  There are people who army built them upon their release.  And, you'll find some nice photos with squads of them in you look hard enough.  But, a year after their release, it's more common to see individual figures offered for sale.  Some factory customs take on magnificent aftermarket values.  But, I have no idea which ones will do that.  Some of my absolute favorite designs  remain super cheap.  While some figures that I think are useless and bland have become really expensive.  So, I pick up the figures that I like when they're available.  If this guy interests you, I'd suggest the same approach.

2022 Super7 Ninja Ku

Lots of energy has been spent on the Super7 G.I. Joe figures.  You still see the stale takes about them on various forums.  A few key points.  Hasbro is neither making nor not making 3 3/4" figures because of the Super7 figures.  Super7 fills a completely different niche in the collecting market than Hasbro.  These figures are designed for a specific type of collector.  So, things like articulation doesn't matter.  When I was a kid, I'd have loved a single figure type that encompassed multiple licensees.  Instead, figures from different IP's were not compatible and I ended up gravitating to the single property that offered the most diversity in play, which was G.I. Joe.  Super7 solves this by covering many different properties and putting them into a single, unified format that is based on the most popular standard of vintage toy: Kenner Star Wars figures.

I've seen Super7 figures described as not quite action figures but also not quite art pieces.  And, that's an apt description.  The sculpting is well done.  The paint masks are tight.  And, the plastic quality is far superior to Hasbro's current materials.  I have no concerns about the figure falling apart or breaking.  Sitting up on a shelf, the figure looks great.  It's meant as a display piece.  But, it doesn't come with the massive price tag of busts or statues.  They are a cheaper alternative for people who want to display pop culture characters but not spend too much and have a bunch of items that really don't look like they belong together.

Interestingly, Target has carried the carded waves of Super7 figures in the US.  So, both casual collectors and even just toy buyers can come across them at a retail store.  To make the figures enticing, though, Target case assortments include 1 homage figure to an obscure foreign release.  The first was Funskool Snake Eyes.  And, his appearance just showed how little the casual Joe collectors who joined in the pandemic actually care to know about the line's history.  Many derided it as "neon".  And, when it was pointed out to them that it was a vintage design from India, you got no further response.  That figure was followed up with Satan and, finally, this Ninja Ku.  The upside is that the figures are simple repaints of existing molds.  So, they aren't expensive.  But, they offer just something a little extra and make the overall Super7 offerings more diverse.

It's been about 18 months since Super7 announced the launch of their line and showcased photos of the first wave.  While that seems like a lifetime ago, the reality is that they've accomplished an amazing amount in a short period of time.  Since the launch, we've seen 4 basic waves of figures.  In addition, there are supplemental waves of army builder variants as well as some other, special, offerings.  From the beginning, Super7 has made it a point to include some things that are not available in any of the o-ring lines.  (Some of them might exist in Anniversary sculpts, but not all.)  Their focus has also been heavily cartoon centric.  This is a welcome update from the club dominated era of Marvel comic or bust.  And, it better represents fandom as it's always been an, at best, 50-50 split between comic and cartoon fans.  Comic fans just tended to be older and then quickly set up gatekeeping mechanisms to prevent the cartoon fans from getting too loud a voice.  (And, it was this way even in the beginning when Zartan's Domain was the most popular Joe website online and the club went so far as to fake Hasbro legal documents to attempt to discredit it.  Funny how that's been forgotten in the past two plus decades....)

But, in the first four waves, Super7 has offered: a cartoon Baroness, Kwinn in full Eskimo regalia, sailor army builders for the USS Flagg, Bazooka in a parka, Shock Troopers and GameMaster figures from the cartoon, a javelin wielding Lady Jaye, a Cobra blue V1 Cobra Commander with helmet (the fact Hasbro can't make this figure is just embarrassing), Cobra Factory Workers, female engineering troops, a proper Cover Girl with blonde hair, Cobra Paratroopers from the cartoon's opening sequence along with greenshirts in multiple flavors and female Cobra Troopers.  Just for fun, they've tossed in a sled with figure from the cartoon, some glow in the dark releases, tons of cartoon specific repaints of major characters, a couple of fun cartoon meme classics and Satan, Funskool Snake Eyes and this Ninja Ku.  Really, what they've done reads like a wish list from every fan who was online in the early 2000's: when things like this still seemed possible from Hasbro.  

Truth be told, I don't want Hasbro to be this prolific since just keeping up with one of everything would cost thousands.  But, Super7 seems to have found a way to keep new product coming out and providing fans with characters, paint jobs and oddball surprises that they like.  Sure, you see pictures from Toys R Us Canada with a whole wall of these figures just hanging there.  But, they seem to move well enough at my local Target store.  The fact that Hasbro has only released 6 carded figures in slightly less time makes you realize that the o-rings obscurity is a function of Hasbro's disinterest.  Especially when the figures Hasbro has made could be turned to simple, but highly desired, repaints with minimal effort.  I'd love a proper Hasbro Satan and Ninja Ku.  Cobra Troopers and Officers could get multiple color schemes that would be fun.  And, the fact that we don't have a proper dark blue Cobra Commander after 40 years just makes it seem that Hasbro simply doesn't care.

From what I've read, Super7's success rate with new characters and paint jobs is heavily a function of one of their high level executives being a legit G.I. Joe fan.  So, he's making the things he wanted when he was a kid.  Hasbro has lacked that brand insight since the vintage days.  They had a guy who was a 12" collector.  But, that's the closest we've seen.  Even the Classified team seems to have no personal connection to G.I. Joe as a plaything.  And, that's why we don't see fun and innovative stuff from them.  (And, the few times they do create relationships with collectors, they pick the same types of people: one dimensional collectors whose view of the line is stuck in 1984.)  So, you can bag on Super7's 5 POA model.  But, you can't attack them for the way they've approached the line.  Had Hasbro chosen the same figures and paint jobs from Super7's first four waves for the ARAHC back in 2000, the collecting community would be very different.  But, they didn't.  And, we're in a place now where crumbs are the best we can expect.

I only paid $5.49 for this figure as it was on clearance.  The Target exclusives have a different DCPI and were clearanced while the remainder of the figures stayed at the standard retail price of $17.99.  You see the $8.99 on the price tag.  And, I was fine with paying that price.  At $9, I'd probably buy a few of these figures.  With the quality and the gear, that price would be in line with the Spinmaster Batman and other DC figures.  The super heroes, though, have more articulation and include some low quality accessories and cloth capes.  At the $9 price point, I find the value between the two figure types to be equal.  The Star Wars Retro figures have risen from $10 to $12.  But, those have massive production runs, the Star Wars licensing fees and a gargantuan collector base.  But, $20 seems to be the current sweet spot for collector pricing.  We seem to pay it...for now.  We'll see what 2023 holds.

Ninja Ku includes quite a few accessories.  His complement is based on the 1984 Stormshadow contingent.  He has two swords, nunchucks a bow and wears a backpack.  The pack is hollow so you can store some of his gear in there.  I hang the nunchuks over the pack so there's room for the bow.  I have trouble getting the gear into his hands as they are somewhat stiff.  But, this is a me problem and hasn't been an issue for others.  

I really don't have a long term prognosis for the value of this figure.  I'm not familiar enough with Super7's other products to know if they tend to appreciate with time.  I'm sure some of the more popular licenses may have gotten more expensive.  But, I don't know how the G.I. Joe figures will age.  The first wave has been heavily clearanced at many retailers.  And, you can find later figures with some discounts.  But, there are a lot of characters in the line that can't be acquired in any other way.  So, those are the ones that will probably be the most desirable in the future.  

For me, these figures are interesting.  They are not something I wanted.  And, at their price tag, not something I'm likely to get into moreso than a figure or two that I can get cheap.  If these were in the $8 range, though, it's likely that I'd have many more of them, maybe even a full set.  But, that's not the model that's being sold.  Instead, these figures are a great way for collectors to scratch the itch on characters or color schemes that Hasbro will simply never do.  And, as a supplement to a collection, these figures aren't bad.  We pay more than $20 for a new o-ring figure and have to have it shipped to our homes.  So, being able to get some of these for that price is less out of whack for the market that I like to realize.  But, I do recommend that collectors try one of these, at least on a figure that you'll never otherwise see in production.  They're not vintage Joes.  They aren't meant to be.  But, they are a way to fill some holes in your collection and get some figures that will otherwise never exist.

The Top 10 - 2022

2022 has been a weird year.  My post engagement plummeted from the highs I'd see even in 2020 and 2021.  This seems odd since o-ring Joes finally returned.  But, that return was pretty quiet and even army builders and figures matched up with Transformers are not selling out.  We're seeing prices on non-high end items fall, some down more than 30% from their pandemic highs.  Retail is stagnating for all collectible toy lines.  Though, I do think part of that is just too much shipped too soon after months and months of nothing new showing up.  But, the pandemic surge in home bound hobbies is over.  And, the fallout is going to take years to fully understand.

Personally, though, I've finally hit the beginnings of burnout.  I've been posting over twice a week on this site for over 7 years, now.  With nearly 900 posts since 2015 the reality is that I've run out of things to talk about.  Sure, there are figures I've never profiled.  But, most of them are either more expensive than I want to pay.  Or, they are so similar to things I've already covered that there's little reason to showcase them.  

But, I've also gotten a bit stagnant.  With thousands of photos under my belt, I find that I've done a lot and am heavily gravitating towards using the same figures over and over again.  While that repetition works well on a platform like Instagram, it's not as useful for this site to talk about the 1985 Flint every other week.  When I get inspired, I do get the photos I want.  But, I'm finding that those sessions are fewer and farther between, even though I now have access to all my vehicles and playsets.

All of this has lead to malaise.  And, is going to lead to a reduced volume of posts in 2023.  I still expect at least one per week.  My drafts folder is over 500 posts large.  So, I have a ton of content left to post.  I just think it will be slower.  You can be sure that I'll profile at least a couple of the Skystriker figures when they drop.  And, I never really know what I'll find in my travels during the year.  But, the days of 100+ posts per year are done for at least 2023 while I see if I recharge.

The top 10 posts of 2022 were dominated by a single theme: new releases.  3 of the top 10 posts are profiles of 2022 releases.  There are 3 Rarities posts in the top 10, too.  But, they got like 1/3 of the page views that a standard Rarities post used to get back in 2017 through 2019.  There's a few surprises in here.  But, people like to read about the newest stuff.  

So, here are the top 10 posts of 2022:

10. 1991 Cesspool - 356 page views

This was my second Cesspool profile.  And, the uptick in interest in 1990's releases definitely manifested with this write up.  Cesspool might be the best new Cobra character released in the '90's.  And, he got some attention.

09. 1991 Snake Eyes - Around the Web - 385 page views

I knew that the 1991 Snake Eyes had a lot of younger fans.  But, I had no idea how many of them there really were.  Around the Web posts typically do 150-180 page views.  So, this did more than double that: showing the popularity of this figure.

08. Rarities - The Great 2021 Ninja Commando Lot - 388 page views

In late 2021, some guy on Ebay posted up a huge lot of late run G.I. Joe figures.  He wasn't sure what he had.  But, it turns out that it was the largest lot of unproduced 1995 Ninja Commando figures ever found.  Someone won the lot fair and square.  But, butthurt aftermarket sellers messaged the seller with higher offers.  And, in 2022, the figures were sold in market priced lots after the seller figured out what he had. So, there are now dozens of additional loose sets out there.  So, don't overpay.  But, do check out the lot and see what was found.

07. 1990 Bullhorn - 394 page views

Bullhorn was one of my earliest profiles.  So, I went back to him 22 years later and it turns out that a lot of people really like him.  Again, there's a lot of interest in 1990's figures from younger collectors who grew up with them.

06. 2022 Duke - 395 page views

Here we find the first of the 2022 Hasbro Pulse figures.  Duke is probably the weakest figure due to the poor face paint.  But, he also has the best accessory complement.  And, being new, people stopped by to check him out.

05. 1987 Mercer - 395 page views

Mercer was yet another retread profile as I had looked at him in the site's infancy.  But, he proved to be very popular.

04. Rarities - Remco S.I.T. Figures - 401 page views

This post is probably my favorite of 2022.  I never knew about these guys until I did some research into a figure that my buddy Darkwise found in a lot.  It lead me down a rabbit hole of really interesting figure designs that were among the later Remco releases.  These figures are tough to find, especially in good condition.  But, the series is full of fun characters that easily fit with Joes of the era.

03. Rarities - Power Commandos 2022 Update - 421 page views

Power Commandos tend to do pretty well when I write about them.  And, the 2022 update on the figures and the actual order in which they were released climbed to the third most popular post in 2022.

02. 2022 Stormshadow - 459 page views

Stormshadow and Snake Eyes were the first Pulse figures released in 2022.  I wasn't too high on them.  But, the Stormshadow has its uses.  And, enough people were interested to read about him to bring him in as the second most viewed profile of the year.

01. 2022 Cobra Officer - 515 page views

And, the most viewed profile of the year was the 2022 Cobra Officer.  People like army builders.  Though, they haven't liked them enough to sell through Hasbro's stock.  But, it was my most viewed post of the year, even if it's pretty much the exact figure from 40 years earlier, just with newer plastic.

In all, the year was kind of "meh".  While the Pulse releases were exciting, the final products didn't break any new ground.  I do think they'll age better than we think, much like the 2000's figures have.  But, they still don't really generate excitement.  We'll see how the Skystriker figures do.

I'm not hugely optimistic that we'll see any new o-ring figures in 2023.  Supposedly, there was going to be a third Transformer crossover with a 1983 inspired Destro.  And, there are now reports of a transforming Thunder Machine with Zartan and Zarana.  But, both of the other Transformers have stagnated at retail and Amazon reduced the Baroness by 35% or more to try to move the leftovers.  And, the remaining production run of the Stinger still hasn't shown up.  I do think we'll another o-ring Haslab in 2023, likely after the Skystriker has shipped.  Joe has been one of the few Haslab bright spots since 2021.  So, I think we'll get another shot at one.

I'll talk a bit about Super7 figures in January as I have my first one and really like how that line is approached as compared to Hasbro's handling of the 3 3/4" scale.  Maybe I'll finally finish the Bugg profile I started in 2017 and haven't gotten around to cleaning up.  And, maybe I'll get to kvetch about the Transformers crossovers some more.  

As always, thanks to you all for stopping by.  We'll cross 1,000,000 page views in April or May next year.  That's a huge milestone for the site.  I appreciate everyone who stops by to read, browse and even comment on the content here.  If there's something you'd like to see in 2023, let me know.  Until then, I hope your 2023 is better than your 2022!