1994 Action Soldier

If you were a kid in the late 1970's to late 1980's, you played with little green army men. Frankly, they probably pre-date the '70's and were available much later than the '80's.  The figures feature recognizable poses that haven't changed in decades and were a staple of grocery stores, discount outlets and other terrible retail options that existed before the large corporate conglomerates put them all out of business.  They are the lens through which many kids were introduced to the military and combat play.  You can convincingly argue that the 1982 Joe line was nothing more than a drastic update on the cheap plastic army guys every kid had.  But, it brought pose-ability, removable weapons and vehicles to the fold.  

Starting in 1983, though, Joe moved beyond these humble roots and made the line memorable with the addition of visually striking characters that made the line more than just a bunch of green toys sitting in a shoebox.  For the next dozen years, the Joe line evolved and really embraced the notion that it was a super hero trope set on a military base.  As the line died in 1994, though, Hasbro took one final stab at the line's most basic toy roots.  It released a set of 5 figures based on the 12 inch Joe figures from the 1960's.  The 30th Anniversary figures brought an out of place visual to a line with standard articulation.  The result is a set of figures that collectors mostly ignore while, simultaneously, praising them for their design, realism and overall quality.  The five figures in the 30th Anniversary line are the: Action Marine, Sailor, Pilot, Astronaut (only available in the boxed set) and the subject of this profile, the Soldier.  

The Action Soldier is, arguably,  the most basic figure in the set.  He's uninspiring and relatively bland.  But, that's exactly what he's supposed to be.  And, for that reason, the figure really works as a nameless Grunt who served in the U.S. military at some point after World War II but before Vietnam.  He has the standard green uniform.  His helmet hearkens back to the early days of the "modern" army.  He has some basic straps and pouches.  But, they aren't overdone.  He's even got two grenades on his torso.  He might be the most perfect representation of a basic soldier in the entire vintage Joe line.  But, that's part of the reason why he hasn't caught on in the collecting world.  The Joe line is about the characters: especially for the good guys.  And, having someone with no characterization leads to a figure that doesn't have a lot of uses.

In the late 1990's, I got on an Action Series figure kick.  They were cheap and pretty easy to acquire.  So, in short order, I bought a bunch of boxed figures (loose figures were pretty much impossible to find) and opened them up.  Once in hand, the Action Series figures were about everything I expected them to be.  They looked great, had cool gear and fit rather well with my later run Joe figures that were my obsession at the time.  I bought extras and...just flamed out.  The figures quickly lost their cachet.  I'm not really sure why.  To this day, I have the boxes from those early figures...most with the accessories still packed inside.  I even have several boxed figures sitting in a closet in the basement.  I planned to open them.  But, never got around to it and, still, don't really have any reason to add to my current, small army.  

And, this is where I get stuck.  Visually, these figures are great.  Having some basic soldiers around your base to do the dirty work seems like a great idea.  But, once in hand, the figures just seem...off.  If you've been around the community a long time, you might remember an early dio-story called Warfare.  The creator used the Action Series figures rather effectively.  But, IIRC, he still only had two or three of them.  There simply wasn't much need for more.  And, I think that's the main reason why I haven't been keen to army build any more of them.  Aesthetically, they are out of place among the strong characters of the Joe line.  More importantly, though, there's just better options.  I'd rather have four Law figures guarding the jail in my HQ than 4 Action Soldier...even if the Soldiers make a lot more sense.  

In looking through my photos over the past two+ decades, I don't use the Action Soldier all that often.  A few of them got sliced to ribbons by Overkill back in 2003.  And, I've used them as background fodder in many Joseph Colton photos.  But, beyond that, they're not all that common of an appearance.  I've tried in many instances to incorporate them into various scenes.  I just find them hard to do so.  Were they more in scale with the 1982/1983 figures, I think it would be easier.  Stylistically, they match up well with the 1993 and 1994 series of figures.  But, color-wise and design-wise, they are a mismatch for those more updated figure sculpts.  So, you're left with a figure stuck in between the two extremes of Joe release years.  That doesn't diminish the quality of the figure.  But, it's proven a hindrance for me to actually use him in any meaningful setting.

The Action Soldier was released two ways: as an individually boxed figure and as an included member in the 5 figure boxed set.  The main differences are that the boxed figures include brown accessories and the boxed set figures feature black accessories.  The filecards from each set have different pictures on them.  And, finally, there are variants in the way the serial numbers are painted on the figure's feet.  (For my eyes, it was really tough to make out the number on the yellow painted number against the green background.  The black background with green numbers was better.)  I'm not clear if the serial number paint variants were tied to the gift set or the individually boxed figures.  But, it's something to be looked for.  I do find it amazing that this set, commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the entire G.I. Joe brand is, itself, now 30 years old.  Somehow, the figures in this set don't seem anywhere near as old as 1960's era G.I. Joes did back in 1994.  But, that's just a function of my age and I'm sure those 12" collectors who went bonkers over this set back then, when they were in their 40's, aren't thrilled to be reminded of how much more time has passed.

Around 1998 or so, a bizarre series of keychain figures appeared at various retailers around the country.  These used the 1994 Action Series figure molds and were fully articulated.  They didn't include any accessories.  But, did have a loop to which the keychain could be attached.  The single figures were pretty cheap upon their release.  And, they were colored just like the original Hasbro figures.  However, there is also a boxed set of 4 keychain figures that feature some exclusive colors.  The Pilot is blue and yellow.  The Marine features a tan base with black cammo.  And, the Soldier is done in a very dark green with a new paint mask on his helmet with the letters MP on it.  It's a nice repaint of the soldier.  It's just too bad it's in a poor quality keychain set.  The keychains were pretty common and cheap for a long time.  But, it's been over 25 years since they debuted (however, they did pop up at different times and in different stores in later years) so I'm no longer sure if they are findable.

Hasbro did a top notch job on the Action Soldier.  While somewhat mundane, the figure still features an quality aesthetic that has been lost in the post vintage Joe releases.  He features at least 6 colors to break up the base green of his body.  The belt and boots are slightly different hues.  And, little things like his canteen cap and the golden "H" on his belt buckle also get unique paint details.  (The "H" is a great callback to the 1982 series.)  Precision paint masks like these were mostly absent from the basic 1994 line.  So, the premium price tag did come with more amenities than just an expanded accessory complement.  Hasbro put a lot of effort into this guy.  And, that quality remains today.

One of the fun things about these these anniversary figures being individually numbered is that it gives some sense of production numbers.  We know that, in general, production for 1994 figures was way lower than previous years.  And, some of the late run figures (notably, the second series Star Brigade) saw incredibly truncated runs as the line was cancelled out from under them.  In my small collection, I have numbers ranging from 20,000 something all the way up to 122,000 something.  I do wonder if key numbers were pulled back and given to Hasbro people and VIPs at the time.  But, if there's more than 100K of each of these figures, it could be that the cheap prices are just a function of the fact that Hasbro produced a boat-load of them and the massive overproduction still hasn't worked itself through the collecting world.  Hasbro put a lot of faith in adult collectors of the day buying these figures up for nostalgic reasons.  And, to be fair, a lot of older collectors who grew up in the '60's and early '70's did just that.  But, as these weren't really something they loved, these figures were also part of the mass liquidations you'd see from older 12" collectors during the late 1990's through the early 2010's  Guys had to reduce the size of their collections and stuff that wasn't meaningful to them got dumped...often for pennies on the dollar.

As mentioned above, the Action Soldier has variants in the colors of his accessories.  But, both release mechanisms included the same actual gear pieces.  The Soldier includes a green backpack that is defined by the shovel descending from the bottom.  Both variants included the same color pack.  But, the Action Marine included the same pack in a different shade of green.  So, you will see the packs confused from time to time.  But, the green that more closely matches the Soldier's base color is the correct pack for him.  The Soldier then includes a rifle, pistol (originally from the 1988 Shockwave), knife and a wall set along with the standard missile firing accessory that was mandatory on all late releases.  This gear can be black or brown.  The wall is in three pieces and includes a mount for the Soldier's rifle.  It's a great little accessory and one that's incredibly useful in setting up displays and staging photos.  You'll see a black wall in various photos throughout this site as a testament to its utility.  

The extra gear was the hook to get people to pay more for the figures back in 1994.  The suggested retail price on this figures was a whopping $7.99!  Nearly triple the Battle Corps figures of the era.  But, these were marketed as premium pieces for adult collectors.  So, the collecting tax we pay today for collecting themed releases has origins at least 30 years ago.  You could find the figures for cheaper at Wal Mart, especially as they aged on the shelves.  I'm not sure if the deluxe gear was worth the substantial price increase.  But, Hasbro put a lot of effort into the figures in an attempt to see if adult collectors could breathe a final bit of life into the 3 3/4" inch line at retail.  Sadly, like the other gimmicks of the era, though, it failed and the Joe line was pretty much dead after the July 4th holiday in 1994.

While each Action Soldier is individually numbered, the reality is that they were never hard to find.  For the first decade of so of the online collector market, you could buy all the boxed Action Soldiers you wanted for about the same price as you would have paid at retail for the figure in 1994.  Even after that, boxed figures were available for about $10 well into the early 2020's.  Now, they're still only about $20 figures if they are still boxed.  Dealers only ask about $25 in the supply starved market.  So, despite the quality and usefulness of the figure, no one really wants it.  So, this is still a figure that can be used to build up armies.  But, collectors have been saying that for decades, now and no one has really done it.  I myself burned out after about three of them back in the days when I bought anything and everything.  The Action Soldier is just one of those figures who had great quality but can never quite break through the collecting zeitgeist to fulfill his potential.

1994 Action Marine - Around The Web

The 1994 Action Series figures are about the only 1994 releases who haven't experience a massive price bump.  This is likely due to several factors.  The figures probably saw a pretty large production run.  The earliest Joe collectors (including 12" Joe fans) gobbled these up as collectibles, so there are plenty of boxed figures still available.  And, finally, the figures aren't really characters that are ARAH compatible.  So, there's no urgency to own any of them since they are faceless army builders.

Despite that, though, the figures are well done and really should be more popular.  But, the fact that they aren't allows modern collectors to still acquire them for decent prices.

1994 Action Marine Profile

1994 Action Marine by Slipstream80

1994 Action Marine by toyphotology

1994 Action Marine by recondo martin

1994 Action Marine at JoeADay.com

1994 Action Marine Flocked Head Custom by unclesnorky

1994 Action Marine Keychain Figure by redsquad119

Rarities - Joseph Colton Pre Production - Green Weapon

 Back in the profile of Lt. Kawalski from the Stargate line, I mentioned that early prototypes of the Joeseph Colton Mail Away figure included a green weapon similar to the one included with Lt. Kawalski.  Well, here is that Joseph Colton with the green weapon.

As far as variants go, it's pretty benign.  I doubt many people would prefer this green weapon over the black.  Most would likely prefer the weapon that was shown with Colton in the mail away booklet to this reuse of the 1992 Gung Ho weapon.  But, that didn't happen and we're left with this oddball green weapon as an example of early designs for Joseph Colton.

These photos were found on Ebay.  Pieces like this Colton tend to have fairly significant value.  But, at the same time, many of the people who own them feel the value should be much higher than what the market is willing to pay.  As such, you often see them sitting unsold for years.  Again, this isn't a particularly interesting variant.  But, it's something different than what we got at production.

Luke Skywalker - Yavin Ceremony (2007)

As a young child growing up in the original Star Wars era, I found the toys of Luke Skywalker problematic.  The only Luke that was available for the first two years of my young playing days was the Tatooine Luke with the sculpted lightsaber on his right arm.  For the instances where Luke needed a sabre, this was perfect.  But, for me, Luke having a blaster made far more sense.  It was not until 1980 and the Empire Strikes Back that I was able to get a Luke who included both a blaster he could hold and a separate lightsaber.  With this figure in hand, Luke and Han embarked on epic adventures.

As I got older, the fact that a lot of time passed between Star Wars and Empire became more obvious to me.  During this undocumented time, Han, Luke and Leia must have had spectacular adventures as they evaded the Empire.  The Luke of this era would not have really been aware of his Jedi powers and would have been closer to the character he would have become had he left Yavin IV with Han rather than blowing up the Death Star.  That era, though, was not really explored if you didn't read EU books (which I did not).  But, it seemed a time that was full of great stories that showed Luke's growth from the kid on the trench run to a full flight commander just a couple of years later.

I watched the Star Wars Holiday Special when it aired on TV.  I remember as my parents knew it was on and we had to hurriedly leave the Glendale Mall in Indianapolis to make it home in time to see the show.  While I have distinct memories of seeing Han and Chewie in person, I don't recall seeing the cartoon.  It could be that we got home too late to see that part and missed it.  Or, I simply forgot about it because of seeing the real characters on the screen.  When I found the cartoon in the late 1990's, it was the first appearance of Boba Fett that initially got my attention.  But, Luke's look was also interesting.  It was obviously based on Luke's appearance at the end of A New Hope and put him on par with Han as a swashbuckling adventurer rather than the Jedi he would later become.

When Star Wars returned to retail in 1995, the Ceremonial Luke was one of my most desired new figures.  When he was finally released in 1997, I had to get him.  And, Hasbro's first attempt at the character was one of their better efforts of that time and the first Star Wars figure to appear on this site back in 2000.  In the POTFII era, that Ceremonial Luke was a highlight and remains one of the few figures I have left from that time.  This new version from a decade later, though, showcases all of the advances that Hasbro made during that interval.  The sculpting is better, the figure is more in scale and the accessories and articulation are simply spectacular.

After I saw Rogue One on its release night, I was stoked about Star Wars.  I started buying figures again.  I scoured online sites and started getting up to speed on many of the items I'd missed over the years when I was focused 100% on Joe.  But, when I was gearing this profile up for publication, I realized that it's been a really long time since I've looked at a Star Wars figure.  It's been about that long since I bought one at retail.  I haven't bought any of the new vintage collection figures because I haven't been able to actually find any of the characters that interest me.  Now, I get lambasted for this by "serious" Star Wars collectors who only order online from places that guarantee condition, etc.  But, my interest in Star Wars is relative to the ease with which I can collect it.  Buying cases online takes the fun out of it.  And, searching to NEVER find anything is equally appalling.  So, I've spent no money on Star Wars for nearly two years.

The truth is, Hasbro couldn't care less.  One collector spending $200 per year is irrelevant to them.  The big thing, though, is that I have three boys who are of the age when action figures should be drawing them into a property.  They have no interest in Star Wars toys, either.  Losing a generation should concern both Hasbro and Disney.  Though, if Hasbro gives up the Star Wars license (I'll believe it when I see it, though.), they have no reason to care about the future.  The point for me, though, is that the joy of collecting is gone from Star Wars.  It's an adult oriented, go through the motions hobby with a few joyous clearance finds.  That's a far cry from my burgeoning adult collector days in the late 1990's when Star Wars ruled retail. 

So, in looking back at this figure, I recall a more fun time of Star Wars collecting.  The prequels were over and collectors were settling into an era of no new media, but overwhelming retail support for the Star Wars property.  Every month, it seemed, new waves of figures were being released.  And due to the strong sales, it wasn't really hard to find anything.  It was fun because collecting wasn't hard.  You could get the toys you wanted in the quantities you wanted.  But, all things must end.  And, I find myself, once again, at the end of the line for my Star Wars enthusiasm.  It's possible my oldest boy will take up the mantle.  But, his interest in Star Wars is less toy driven.  So, he may love the property, but never actually play with any action figures.  Again, it's something very different from what I'm used to.  But, that's OK and I'm at a point where if Star Wars figure collecting becomes a relic of my past, I'm OK with that, too.

Like many of Luke's 30th Anniversary brethren, this figure is now worthless.  You can still get carded figures for about what you'd have paid at retail in 2007.  In lots or with patience, you can get them for even less.  To the best of my knowledge, Luke in this outfit has never been released on a vintage cardback.  (Though, one is coming soon if it's not out already.)  I'd actually buy that.  But, this figure is good enough for me.  It's not perfect.  But, few Star Wars figures actually are and Hasbro continues to improve certain characters and figures in increments that leaves you with you many close but not quite perfect releases of the same character.

1994 Joseph Colton - Around the Web

The final mail away of the vintage line was the first character who established the G.I. Joe universe: Joseph Colton.  At the time, this figure was highly sought after and quickly became a favorite of 12" Joe collectors who wanted the character in all his forms.  Since then, the demand for this figure was sated with the massive amounts of overstock that were left over from the original mail away.  But, the figure still holds a cachet.  The fact that it's a high quality mold certainly helps it out.  He's a decently popular character.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

Joseph Colton Profile

Joseph Colton Mail Away Insert

Joseph Colton Diorama

Joseph Colton Video Review

Joseph Colton at JoeADay.com

Joseph Colton at 3DJoes.com

Joseph Colton at Retro Reaction

1994 Action Pilot

1994 was supposed to be a great Joe year.  The retail line had been struggling for a couple of years.  But, it was G.I. Joe's 30th Anniversary.  And, Hasbro had big plans to celebrate the milestone of one of their flagship lines.  Along with a stable of 12" figures, Hasbro shrunk down some of the classic G.I. Joe icons into their more popular 3 3/4" scale.  This resulted in adult collectors of the originals to both bemoan the injustice done to their childhood classics but also rush out and buy them up with hopes of future riches dancing in their heads.  In short order, though, it became apparent that Hasbro's approach of melding the 3 3/4" scale with the 12" Joe mythos didn't create a lasting collectible.  The 12" collectors abandoned the 3 3/4" renditions in favor of the new 12" offerings.  And, 3 3/4" collectors found the homages boring toys that lacked the characterization that drove the A Real American Hero franchise.  The result is a group of neglected figures from the final year of the Joe line that are generally unloved.  Among them, though, are some solid molds that work for generic army building.  But, there is one figure for whom I have found little use in my collection: the Action Pilot.

The Action Pilot looks very dated.  In an of itself, this isn't bad.  All of the four figures are dated and the diver is equally bad as the pilot. But, pilots have come a long way since 1964 and the Action Pilot looks out of place with the futuristic pilots that have been Joe's hallmark since Ace in 1983.  The real problem, though, is the helmet.  The helmet and gas mask are not the same mold from the 1992 Ace.  They are similar, but not the same.  This air mask is much smaller and does not fit as tightly with the helmet.  So, the main redeeming quality of the figure (the helmet and mask) are mostly useless and make the figure even more out of place in the cockpit of any Joe fighter plane.

When I pulled this guy out for photos, I was shocked at how much the head looks like Sterling Archer.  So, for any customizer out there, this figure is a great piece of source material to make a custom Archer figure.  The 60's style, slick black hair, strong cheeks and jaw and the blue eyes all fall into the archetype of a heroic figure from that time period.  It's hard to fathom that this Action Pilot is an homage to a figure that's now over 50 years old.

In 2000, my Joe collection was bursting at the seams.  I was buying up large lots of figures every week and supplementing these purchases with smaller, targeted acquisitions.  For a few weeks in 2000, I got on a 1994 Action Series kick.  I needed all 4 of the figures to complete my collection.  And, I thought that they may make for decent army builders.  So, in a very short time, I made the Action Series figures the focus of my acquisitions.  In very short order, I acquired seven or eight figures.  All were MIB as that was the only way you could find them at the time and they were dirt cheap: you could get all 4 for under $25 shipped.  As I opened the figures, though, I found myself disappointed in them.  The Soldier and Marine were cool enough.  But, their bulky sculpts were annoying.  The Diver was retro cool.  But, again, there were aspects of him that simply didn't hold up against the Joe divers of the '80's.

The Pilot, though, was the biggest disappointment.  His large body made it difficult to get him into any vintage aircraft.  And, he was cramped in those into which he would fit.  His helmet and mask were definite downgrades from the 1992, 1993 and even 1997 Ace figures.  In short, he was an utter disappointment.  I had planned on purchasing many more of the Action Series figures as 2000 wound down.  But, after finding them so limiting, I turned my focus to other things and the Action Series figures in my collection today can all be traced to that short window in 2000 when these guys initially grabbed my attention.

Since then, the Marine and the Soldier have appeared in various photos and dios.  They were decent enough filler and were a nice match for the Joseph Colton figure that I like more than I should.  They worked as generic army builders that helped to balance out the Cobra armies that would be attacking.  The Sailor has appeared less frequently.  Every now and then, he makes an appearance since he's a nice addition to maritime forces.  If I had a Flagg, he'd be a staple on it.  The pilot, though, has really never left his drawer.  I tried using the mold a few times in the early 2000's.  But, his poor fit in most early Joe aircraft was a drawback from which he could not recover.  I like the notion of a pilot far more than I like the figure.  Even the Action Astronaut finds more use than the pilot.  That's a tough lot for a figure that is a pretty decent homage and includes decent accessories.

The Pilot's gear is cool and kind of lame.  He includes the requisite rifle and pistol that also appeared with the Marine and Soldier.  But, this time, they are cast in green plastic.  There is the helmet and ill fitting air mask.  The pilot then, though, includes a parachute pack based off of the 1985 Parachute Pack mail away.  The pack itself is a deeper green than the earlier offerings.  But, the main difference is that there are no manufactured in markings.  The parachute is plain white.  And, the belt is all new and no longer sports the nifty plug in for the Ripcord air mask like the mail away release.  It's always nice to get more parachute packs.  And, the green accessory color is a subtle difference from the more commonly seen black and brown.  But, when you have the other figures, the common accessories start to get a bit stale and the bulk of the chute prevents it from working on the pilot in his intended specialty.

The Action Pilot actually has three variants.  The yellow version was released as part of the single, boxed figures.  The figure was then recolored in blue and released in special 5 figure set that included the exclusive Action Astronaut.  The blue version isn't really any better than this yellow version and I'm not sure why the Pilot was chosen to get such a drastically different paint job in the set.  But, it's also a useful figure to have hanging around the Flagg.  The final version, though, is among the rarest G.I. Joe figures ever made.  It is an all black version of the Action Pilot that was only available at the 1994 G.I. Joe Convention.  This was a special figure offered by Hasbro to celebrate the 30th Anniversary.  It is an incredible obscure and rare release and easily crosses into a triple digit price tag now.  The pilot was among the figures that showed up as keychains around 1998.  That keychain was colored similarly to the boxed 1994 figure with another blue keychain figure available in a boxed set that was an homage to the 5 figure gift set figure from 1994 as well.

Right or wrong, collectors don't care about the 30th Anniversary Action series of figures.  Even now, they are shockingly cheap.  While you don't see dozens and dozens of unsold samples like you used to, they are not hard to find.  Mint in Box versions of the Action Pilot run $10 and that's only because no one leaves them to open pricing.  If they did, they'd be even cheaper.  Bought in a lot with other boxed figures, you can get pilots for $7 or $8.  Loose, mint and complete versions are few and far between because only a small contingent of collectors opened these guys up.  Most are still boxed.  Pretty much every Action Series figure in my collection was opened from a boxed sample.  It's just easier to get them that way and the price makes sense.  As an oddball one off, the Action Pilot is worth having, especially for the price.  But, unlike the other three figures in the set, I find little value in army building him.  The ill-fitting helmet and mask limit the figure's usefulness.  So, that really relegates the Action Pilot into the realm of figures I own to check off the list rather than figures I find fun to own.

1994 Joseph Colton Mail Away Insert

The 1990's really brought about the rise of the collector.  For the first time, toy companies really understood that there were people who collected their brands and that they were a demographic worth catering to.  They had money to spend and could offset their smaller numbers with the increased dollars they were willing to spend on high quality or nostalgic items.  Hasbro jumped on the boat with the 12" Joe figures.  And, with 1994 being the 30th anniversary of the original G.I. Joe, they decided to do a series of homages to the brand's roots.  In late 1993, Hasbro began including a mail away promo with 3 3/4" G.I. Joe figures encouraging kids and collectors to send away for their very own Joseph Colton figure.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Cover

For 3 3/4 collectors, this anniversary meant a small figure of Joseph Colton and reproductions of the Marine, Soldier, Diver, Pilot and Astronaut from the early days of the brand.  While the "Action Series" of figures would be sold at retail in individual boxes and a commemorative boxed set, Joseph Colton was only available as a mail away.  At the time, the internet was in its infancy and communication among collectors was heavily influenced by rumors and falsehoods.  Most of these were driven by people trying to speculate in specific toys and drive up demand for something they either already owned or could easily acquire.  And, Joseph Colton was heavily influenced by that.  Adult collectors began hoarding up carded Joes so they could send off for the "sure to be valuable" Joesph Colton figures.  But, Hasbro actually made more of the 3 3/4" figures than collectors could absorb.  And, despite some high early pricing, the figures crashed in value and remain relatively easy to find to this day.

The insert shows a sample of both the 12" figure and the 3 3/4" figure.  The 12" figure is posed on a bookshelf in an obvious showcase of Hasbro's intentions behind it.  They created and marketed the figure for adult collectors of the day.  In looking at the 3 3/4" figure, there are some differences between the figure shown and the actual figure that was sent to collectors.  There are very subtle color differences in the green and brown colors.  The main change, though, is the rifle shown.  Colton is holding an M-16 inspired rifle.  It is a far cry from the 1992 Gung Ho machine gun that was actually sent with the figure.  The weapon shown in the insert was never, to my knowledge, released in any G.I. Joe line.  The sample appears production level, but it might have been a mock up and the Gung Ho weapon was released to cut costs.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Interior Pages

The Colton mail away featured one major change from prior mail aways.  Rather than requiring flag points, it required mailed UPC codes from packaged figures.  The reasoning was that many people had bags and bags of flag points and there would be no need for them to buy up the massive unsold store stock of G.I. Joe figures if the promotion required mail aways.  And, if someone bought a figure and cut out the upc, they could not return the figure to the store.  It was an interesting way to devalue flag points and spur collectors to buy up unsold merchandise.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Back Page

The legacy of this decision, though, is still seen more than 20 years later.  It is very common to find '90's era G.I. Joe figures that are MOC, but with missing upc symbols.  12" collectors and casual dealers who had no interest in retail G.I. Joe figures but had great interest in acquiring more than a few Coltons bought up retail figures, removed the upcs and then dropped the Joes into a box.  In the ensuing decades, as garages, attics and storage sheds have been cleaned out, these figures were put into the marketplace.  Most sell for loose figure pricing and remain one of the most effective ways to buy mint and complete with filecard Joes from the line's final years.

As mail in promos go, this one is fairly banal.  The Colton artwork on the front page isn't spectacular.  And, unlike most other mail away offers, this one only had a form to order the Joseph Colton figures and no other offers were present.  Just being two pages doesn't leave much room for pizzazz.  But, by 1993, the Joe line was in death throes and there wasn't much that was going to revive it.  Colton is a solid demarcation of the end of mail away premiums.  In 1996, Hasbro would start teaming up with food brands for mail aways for their new Star Wars line.  After that, mail aways were mainly retro ways to appease some collector nostalgia for bygone days.  So, this offer is one of the final legacies of the '80's Joe line.

Diorama - Colton in the Woods

Back in the spring of 2002, I took these photos out in my yard.  That was 4 houses and two states ago.  But, here's another look back at a different time in the Joe world.

1994 Action Marine

During the week of Christmas of 1994, I went to the local Toys R Us store on my lunch hour.  The store was completely packed and the aisles were nearly un-navigable.  I made my way to the G.I. Joe aisle.  I did not know at the time that the line was done.  I just tried to get through the throng of humanity to look at the figure offerings that were available.  I only recall one item from that visit: the 30th Anniversary Boxed set.  In it were 5 figures and a space capsule.  They were done in G.I. Joe style, but were not meant to a part of the character driven G.I. Joe line with which I was most familiar.  The set was far more expensive than I would have liked and I put it down and forgot about it for a few years.  When I returned to Joe collecting full time a few years later, I found not only the set on YoJoe.com, but also the fact that 4 of the figures in the set were offered as individually boxed figures.  I quickly started looking for the sets and found that the boxed figures were insanely cheap.  In most cases, even cheaper than the original retail price of the figures.  So, I built up my first set of actual Joe affiliated army builders: the Action Marine figures.

The 30th Anniversary figures were an homage to G.I. Joe's roots.  As such, the four figures in the set hearkened back to the military style of post World War II and pre-Vietnam.  The result is a set of figures that were instantly dated.  But, despite this design limitation, they are still generally useful.  The Action Soldier and the Action Marine are the best two figures.  The basic drab design of the Soldier, though, is less visually stimulating than the brighter green and camouflage of the Action Marine.  The molds are simple.  There are few trappings other than pockets and pouches.  The hands are posed awkwardly with extended index fingers.  But, this simplicity gives the figures their appeal.  The Action Marine features a very intricate camo pattern that disguises the fact that he's almost the same base color as the Joesph Colton figure that also shares much of body mold.  It also hides the basic mold and makes the figure appear much more detailed and full than the Action Soldier who features a solid, drab colors scheme.

For me, the simplicity is useful in terms of having generic soldiers.  But, within the context of Joe, the molds seem out of place.  There are many other, more traditional, figures who I can use as army builders.  The 2000's were full of figures like Mirage, Dusty and Big Ben whose ubiquity, quality, accessories and colors make them useful nameless Joe allies.  These 1994 soldiers appear overly dated.  If you combine them with stories from the early 1980's, their anachronistic appearance is more forgivable.  But, even in this context, the designs are at least 20 to 40 years too old.  I think this is why they haven't taken on much of a life among collectors.  Sure, they are actual army builders.  But, they are just so far removed from the appearance of Joe that they don't seem part of the line: just figures using the same construction style.

The Action Marine's accessories fall into two categories: the basic gear and the playset gear.  The basic gear is awesome and ancient.  The figure includes an antiquated rifle and backpack that's straight out of a World War II movie. Within the context of the figure, though, these accessories work very well.  While they may seem out of place with the Spacemen and Mega Marines with whom they shared a release era, the throwback gear is somewhat refreshing.  The playset gear included with the Action Marine was the fun part of the figure.  The Marine came packed with a hard plastic raft.  The raft featured a mount into which the figure's rifle could be plugged.  He also included an oar as well as the standard spring loaded missile launcher that was requisite for all 1994 releases.  The gear is a great addition to the figure.  But, it, along with the box, raised the price point to $7.99, or more than twice the going rate for standard G.I. Joe figures.    (Wal Mart did have them for substantially cheaper.)  This higher price doomed them among the few Joes fans of the time who would have wanted them for their collection.

In 1994, Hasbro tried to cash in on nostalgic adults with these figure releases.  (To the extent that each figure was individually numbered.)  As such, they were priced higher and marketed a little differently.  While these figures did pegwarm to a great extent, they also were very successful at penetrating the burgeoning adult collector market.  The problem, though, is that many of the people who bought these commemorative figures did so with visions of dollar signs in their future.  As such, it was not uncommon in the early 2000's to find a collector who mostly dabbled in lines other than Joe to try and sell these figures for exorbitant prices.  While boxed figures would sit unsold on Ebay for .99, you would see guys posting to newgroups or message boards that they had them for sale for "only" $40 per figure.  Time mostly flushed these types of collectors out.  But, they somewhat hurt the reputation for the Action Series figures as they got associated with the scummier aspects of toy collecting.

The reality is that the lack of characterization and widespread availability of these figures has doomed them to a lifetime of obscurity.  Collectors largely don't care about these figures and even the heady army building zeitgeist of the early 2000's could not get collectors to pursue these figures in any earnest.  Today, they are worthless.  You can get boxed sets for under $5, and even cheaper if you buy them in bulk.  If you can find loose figures, they go even cheaper.  For the price, they are a great addition to any collection.  They are a great way to build up some cannon fodder for USS Flaggs, Defiants or other G.I. Joe collection displays.  But, they have not been able to take that role.  Instead, they remain final year oddities for the Joe line that really don't fit within the traditional views that collectors take of the franchise.  This means they are just there for the plucking by any collector who takes a shine to them.  But, even though I enjoy these figures, I haven't bought any in nearly a decade and a half.  After you get a couple, you really do get your fill.

1994 Action Astronaut - 30th Anniversary Set Exclusive

Back in my profile of Carcass I told of how this site's humble beginnings were heavily based on the promotion of Star Brigade figures. I've said many, many times how I really like astronaut figures. All of the regular Joes who were released as astronauts, though, were kept modern in design. They were more science fiction in appearance, though they all had their basis in some form or reality. For a unit like Joe, this was perfect. They were an ultra modern fighting force that would have utilized the latest technology. However, 1994 Hasbro decided to pay an homage back to G.I. Joe's 12 inch tall roots. They released four commemorative boxed individual figure sets of a Soldier, Marine, Sailor, and Pilot. All of these 3 3/4 inch figures were based on classic era military designs. As a special bonus, Hasbro also released a 5 figure boxed set. This contained the same 4 figures, though the sailor and pilot were recolored, as well as an exclusive figure that was not available by himself. The Action Astronaut was that extra figure and is a guy that I think deserves some notoriety.

As a figure and compared to the other 1994 Star Brigade figures, the Action Astronaut is very bland. He has no expression on his face, and the mold lacks any great detail. Of the 5 30th Anniversary figures, I would say that he is most mundane. However, he is supposed to be that way. The early astronauts did not have the modern trappings of his contemporary figures. Also, he is not a combat astronaut, he is a scientist, explorer, and adventurer. When viewed in his historical context, this figure is very well done. The simple helmet with face shield and the small control box on his chest are all the extra molding and accessories he has. They make the figure seem like an astronaut from the space program's early days. In this capacity, he succeeds marvelously.

This figure has some other small significance to the Joe line. It seems, back in '94, Hasbro was going to release this figure along with a full sized Mercury rocket. The rocket would have been very tall, and very detailed. It was going to be a supplemental to the 30th Anniversary set. However, high costs of production kept the rocket from ever becoming reality. Instead, this figure was released, along with his space capsule, in a boxed set with other figures. No 30th Anniversary playsets ever made it to production. The story is a sad reminder of Joe's final days when Hasbro felt that large toys were retail death. It also shows that despite many modern collectors' gripes about the '94 line, there was still great inspiration behind it. It was corporate stupidity that never allowed many of the possibly great toys from being released. Again, though, it is another look at what might have been.

It seems this profile has run out of steam. It's happened to me before, though not for quite some time. At any rate, while this figure seems very cool upon initial appearances, I really don't have many uses for him. While he might work in the Defiant Space Shuttle or even the Crusader, there are so many other, better astronaut figures in the Joe line that I don't have any real need for this guy. He looks great and has an air of authenticity that fleshes out dioramas and displays. As a toy, though, the figure can't live up to his better molded contemporaries. There's no shame in that. This figure wasn't designed as a toy. He is one of the few figures released in the Joe line with that distinction.

In 2005, Hasbro brought this mold back in the comic packs as Flash. The figure features a new head, though it is similar to the original Action Astronaut's. But, the figure's body is pretty much the same as this original version. As such, if you're looking for a cheap and easy to find alternative, well, the Flash really isn't it as he was part of the series of comic packs that were short produced at retail. So, while neither of the figures that use this mold are expensive, they can take longer to find than most collectors are willing to spend for a mold of this type.

Back in '94, these guys were sold as "collectibles". They were marketed as a keepsake rather than a toy. Now, 7 years later, you can still easily purchase boxed sets of the 30th Anniversary team for right at, if not under, their original retail price. I'm sure many speculators and dealers got severely burned on this set, but that just shows how volatile the toy market is. Now, these sets are easily acquired. Of course, finding a loose one is fairly tough. It took me nearly 2 years to do that. It cost me considerably less than a boxed set, though even those can be had for under $30. With that in mind, people don't really want these guys. While the figures are good, they are not really in line with other Joe figures. As such, collector interest really isn't there. Some years from now, I still don't see these guys being highly sought after. While this guy and the repaints of the Sailor and Pilot are certainly among the least produced figures in the entire line, the figures are rather bland and uninspiring. What made Joe was the characters. Without these personalities, these figures are doomed to a lifetime of obscurity. Of course, that means that for people like me who find these guys eerily cool, they can, and will be able to, be had for cheap prices in desired quantities for some time to come. That's the way Joe figures should be.

I've now got all 7 versions of the 30th Anniversary figures. Surprisingly enough, I don't want any more. However, if you have a 1987 Payload that you want to trade, email me.

1994 Joseph Colton Mail Away

Back in 1993 and 1994, Hasbro offered tons of mail in figures. Basically, the line was ending and they wanted to eliminate all of their old stock. As such, there were tons of mail in exclusive figures in 1993. 1994, however, was a bit different. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of G.I. Joe, Hasbro offered the one figure every kid in the early '80's thought was represented by Grunt: the one and only G.I. Joe.

I'm not much of a Joe historian beyond the 3 3/4 inch line. Frankly, I don't care about the 12 inch figures. As such, I was not real certain as to who this Joe Colton was supposed to represent. 5 years earlier, for the 25 anniversary, the comic had offered a nice little story about some guy named Joe. That was the extent to which I knew who this figure was supposed to be. When I saw the figure advertised on the inserts that came with many of my late 1994 figures, I was intrigued. The figure looked militaristic enough that it might be cool. What I was really interested in, though, was his gun. The insert art showed Colton with a very cool gun. The picture of the figure inside, though, showed the over sized machine gun you see in the bag with the figure below. Once I decided that this was the gun you got, and not the cool one he was drawn with, my interest for the figure waned and I never ordered him.

Now, years later, I've never really regretted that decision. Colton, like most of the mail ins offered in at the end of the line, is a very simple find that won't strain your budget. He is a figure, though, that I think is still kind of cool. The basic drab coloring without the trappings of unpainted extras that plagued so many '94 releases is a refreshing change. Aside from the Action Soldier, this was as basic a figure as they released in the entire line. In that simplicity lies the splendor of the figure. He works well as an officer, a basic soldier, or even an honorary persona. He's a guy who, if I had a loose specimen, would often play the background role. You would see him milling about in dioramas to add realism, but he would never be the major player. I think that is the reason the figure works. He is very different from most Joes in the line, but is still a nice enough mold to find uses among just about all the other figures.

The primary reason I wanted to profile this figure is because he is an oft recognized mail in figure. One of the things that made toy lines so much fun for me as a child was the mail in offer. From the first Boba Fett offer back in 1979 all the way through the Mace Windu offer in the fall of 1998, I have loved the concept of the mail in figure. Unfortunately, it seems Hasbro has moved away from this. Several high profile Star Wars collectors have bemoaned the fact that there are currently no plans to offer an Episode II sneak preview figure. Turning you back on 22 years of history and precedent is not becoming trait for a company that is still trying to foster strong relations with the collector community. One of the sinister corporate motives of the mail in figure is to eliminate overstock. I know that as a child I often needed one or two additional flag points to be eligible for a mail in offer I was interested in. This was often the only incentive to purchase less than stellar figures and add them to my collection. As they were what I needed for the mail in, I would buy them even though the figure would never be used. How else can you explain the presence of Crystal Ball, Raptor and, especially, Big Boa in my childhood collection? I think the Joe line was an instance where the mail ins were able to offer different generations of Joe fans connections that allowed the continuity of the overall story line to remain intact. Losing out on something like this will take away from much of what made Joe so successful. I wouldn't mind if all we were offered was the return of the Steel Brigade, newly amalgamated figures, or even straight repaints of current molds. (That would be a perfect way to distribute that tan version of the '00 Dusty rather than release a new version of him at retail.) As long as there is something available for order either by mail, or via an Internet enabled web form, I think that the collecting community and the line as a whole would be better served.

If you want a bagged figure, Joseph Colton is pretty easy to find. Like most late mail ins, he was more hoarded and kept MIB by collectors than he was opened by children. As such, you don't often see loose Coltons. He is a figure, though, whose popularity ebbs and flows like the tides. Some days you will see bagged figures fetch $25. Other times, he will sell for under $10. With a little patience, you can get a bagged figure for under $15 on a consistent basis. At that price, he is still cheap enough to actually open the bag. (Not something I've done, yet. I like bagged figures and have well over 100 of them. There's just something about the bag that makes me like them. I've opened a few bagged figures, but keep most of them in a special storage bin always ready for future use.) This is a figure, though, that I can see becoming like the Hooded Cobra Commander. He will not be rare or even semi-difficult to find, but will command a higher price tag because dealers and hoarders think he should be one of the tougher figures to acquire. Like Windchill, this guy may have low production numbers, but they still far outstrip the demand for him. With that said, I see this guy remaining like he is for some time. Collectors don't seem too keen on the mail in figures. Most of them are poorly colored resculpts (see Deep Six) that lack decent accessories. While Colton is a cool figure, he is often lumped in with the Action Series 30th Anniversary figures. He is a neat anomaly in the line, but doesn't really fit the overall continuity.

I would love for there to be mail in offers for the new Joe line. How about you? Would you like to see mail ins for the new line? If so, what type of mail in would you like to see? Email me. This might be the type of info that would be worth sending to Hasbro.

1994 Action Sailor V2

Back around Christmastime in 1994, I went to a Toys R Us. While, today, this is a fairly common practice, back then I rarely went to any toy stores. I was after a couple of Joe figures, though I didn't know who I wanted. When I got there, there were so many figures from which to choose that I had a very difficult time deciding which figures to buy. While I don't recall exactly who I purchased, one of the figure sets on which I passed was the 30th Anniversary Set. The figures were very cool and came with some awesome accessories. I figured, though, that I would be able to get these guys some time after the holidays. Here we are six years later and I have just added the first 30th Anniversary figure to my collection: the Action Sailor.

I guess it's the striking nature of orange that makes me like figures cast in it. I still dig the Nitro Viper and the 1994 Star Brigade Roadblock remains one of my all time favorite figures. The Action Sailor is no exception. The orange diving suit is very cool. At first, I didn't think I would like this guy. I mean, he's got bare feet. Once I got all his accessories on him, though, this guy is just awesome! His only flaw is the spear gun. Had he come with a better weapon, I think he would have been perfect. Still, though, the weapon he comes with works very well, though it does lack in some detail. His sled (not pictured) is bulky, though it could be fun. It is his pack and air hose, though, that are spectacular. The pack snaps together. (An interesting feature that could allow for someone to put baking soda into it and achieve an Man-O-War type of effect with the figure.) His air hose then plugs into his face and attaches to the pack. The overall effect is very cool and makes this guy a better looking diver figure than most of the other Joes.

Currently, this guy is another member of my search and rescue corps. When I get the other version of him that is cast in black, he'll be a member of my combat diving corps. (This orange Action Sailor, as well as a differently colored Action Pilot came with the 30th Anniversary boxed set of 5 figures. The black Action Sailor came in his own box, by himself.) This is a figure that is a lot of fun to use. Next summer, I see him spending a great amount of time in the pool. His look may be dated, especially when compared to figures like the '94 Shipwreck or the '85 Eel, but he is a cool figure. This guy got the attention to detail that was heavily lacking in the line's final years.

All of the "Action Series" figures aren't too often seen in discussions about Joe. The Soldier and Marine are staples in many people's collections, though. All of the "Action Series" figures were relatively nameless. This allows for you to use all five of the different molds as faceless legions who battle Cobra. While I've said that I use figures like Recoil, Salvo, Dusty, and many others as Joe army builders, the "Action Series" figures allow just about everyone, regardless of how strictly they adhere to any particular Joe "canon", to have some Joe cannon fodder as well. I think that is the primary use any of these guys see. They make excellent nameless soldiers who can be sacrificed to Cobra without worrying about destroying an established Joe character.

Action Sailors are kind of difficult to find. That statement, though, only applies to loose specimens. You can find boxed 30th Anniversary sets, as well as individually boxed figures very easily. I guess speculators and dealers snatched up tons of these guys in expectation that they would become a valuable collectible. Here we are, years later, and those boxed figures still sell for very close to what they originally cost at retail. Since these guys lack the personalities that made Joe as popular as it is, I think collector interest is low. Most hard core collectors have at least a boxed set in their possession and don't want any more. As such, it allows you to still pick up mint, complete figures in new boxes for relatively cheap. While I have yet to start building armies with this figure, I easily see me adding one or two more next year. I've decided that one of my 2001 Collecting Goals will be to add loose, mint, complete specimens of all five 30th Anniversary figures to my collection. It shouldn't be a difficult task, but these figures should be very fun to have. Using the Action Sailor as a starting point seems to illustrate that this will certainly be the case.

I would like additional Action Sailors, be they version 1 or version 2. If you've got some you want to part with, email me.