2002 Gift Set Firefly - Random Photos of the Day

 Between 1998 and 2005, there were too many Fireflies.  Hasbro repainted the mold every chance they got.  The thing is, though, most of the repaints were pretty good.  And, 20+ years later, it's nice to have a rainbow of Firefly figures to choose from.  Among all the Cobra blue, grey, black and unproduced homage Firefly figures, we also got something completely weird: the 2002 Gift Set Firefly.

There's no reason for this figure to exist.  But, I'm glad it does.  We get Firefly in a red color that isn't crimson and, really, isn't even all that Cobra.  It's bright and vibrant.  He's offset by a greyish-blue hue that's used to color in his details.  If that weren't enough, he's wearing gold boots.  But, the best part is that his head is a poo-brown mask.  If this sounds a bit ridiculous, that's because it is. 

But, somehow, this figure works.  It works because Hasbro didn't do enough offbeat stuff during the repaint era.  And, it works because, after tons of great repaints, good molds also need to exist in far out colors that are non-sensical for the character.  It gives the line some life when it everyone wanted it to be "super duper pooper scooper serious".  

I really enjoy using this figure.  He's an interesting substitute for the multitudes of Firefly figures you normally see.  If I had to rank Firefly figures, this one would be in the bottom two: maybe even the worst Firefly.  Despite that, it's a fun figure to have around, if only to brighten up a collection that may take itself too seriously.

Rarities - 2002 Unproduced BJ's Firefly

 In early 2003, two oddball figures popped up on Ebay.  One was a red Roadblock.  The other was this metallic green Firefly.  Both figures used the paint masks from the BJ's exclusive Gift Set, but had different base colors.  The figures sold for ridiculously high amounts.  Within a few months, though, more of the figures started showing up.  In 2004, all of the alternate Asian figures were staples of Ebay.  And, in 2005, entire sets were blown out for cheap prices on Asian websites.  It was a great time to be a collector.

As a figure, this Firefly works better than the red version that was actually released.  The red figure is crazy and bizarre.  So, it has some value for that reason alone.  But, the brown head better meshes with this green figure.  And, even the oddball blue and copper look good with the green as a base.  I'd have liked this figure had it been released.  Sure, we have a green Firefly already with the 2000 version.  But, this would have been another that worked.

Like all these once common figures, modern pricing on this Firefly is just dumb.  It will sell for hundreds of dollars.  So many collectors think this figure really rare as they weren't around when these figures were ubiquitous and common.  Sure, there's probably only hundreds of them.  But, that's a lot more than some of the other unproduced figures from the '90's where there's maybe a dozen of them that exist.  This Firefly, though, is a nice update and works for the Firefly character.  But, there were so many Fireflies released in this time that even one more repaint would have been retail overkill.  But, seeing this figure again really brings back memories of a far better time to be a Joe collector.

2002 Gift Set Firefly - Around The Web

This "poo-headed" Firefly has aged much better than many figures of his era.  While he's still not a good figure by any means, he's something completely different from other figures from his time.  The paint masks are strong, the colors are unique and his gear makes little sense.  But, that's what makes the figure interesting.  He's fun to photograph since he stands out so much.  Here's the best of the 2002 Gift Set Firefly from around the web.

Gift Set Firefly Profile

Gift Set Firefly by strikeforce_codename

Gift Set Firefly by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

Gift Set Firefly at Nekoman's Viper Pit

2002 Gift Set Review at General's Joes Reborn

2002 Firefly at JoeADay.com

2002 Firefly by 1action_figure1

2002 Gift Set Stormshadow

In the vintage line, major characters were redone: but relatively rarely.  You could argue about Stormshadow's overall rank in the pantheon of Joe characters.  But, pretty much everyone would be in consensus that he's top 5 at least.  Despite that, Stormshadow only got three unique molds in the vintage line: 1984, 1988 and 1992.  It is this 1992 mold that is of interest to me this week, though.  This figure was repainted several times in the vintage line, both as Stormshadow and other characters (including Street Fighter repaints).  In 2000, though, Hasbro dusted off the mold, made some modifications and released it with a real o-ring.  At first, collectors liked this idea.  But, the novelty wore off and Hasbro then proceeded to repaint that update twice more.  The first of these repaints appeared in 2002 as a member of the BJ's exclusive gift set.  While the figure was released as Stormshadow, the figure was given an all red paint scheme and was quickly adopted as a classic red ninja by the collecting community.

In late 2002, when this figure was released, it was the best red ninja that Hasbro had ever made.  The 1993 Red Ninja figure was just terrible and, even in 2002, somewhat expensive and hard to find.  No one (except one person!) wanted to army build them.  In the summer of 2002, a red Slice repaint was made available.  Some collectors adopted this as an army builder.  But, that Slice was released with a Joe character and there was little incentive for most collectors to army build him when his wave also included a Viper and Alley Viper. When this Stormshadow appeared, collectors (who were army builder nuts at the time) quickly adopted him as the classic army building villain.  This was partly due to the fact that BJ's set included other army builders and collectors were desperate to find uses for the other figures that would help justify additional set purchases so they could get more Undertows and Fast Blast Vipers.  So, this Stormshadow was quickly rebranded by dealers and Ebay sellers as a red ninja.  Heck, even I got in on the game as I bought a few spare figures from sellers who were trying to recoup a couple of bucks for their real army builder splurges. 

As a red ninja figure, though, this Stormshadow kind of worked.  He matched the 2000 Stormshadow and allowed collectors to have a themed army behind a classic character.  And, as many collectors of the era saw their collections comprised of mostly recently released to retail figures, such a configuration was often the only representation of Stormshadow that many people had in their collections.  You'd see photos of four to six of these figures from time to time.  But, the reality is the limitations of the mold quickly manifest themselves and make this figure the neglected release he is today.

The basic body construction of the figure is the main problem.  The original figure was modified so that this version has an o-ring.  The waist and chest separate.  While this is the more classic vintage Joe construction, the reality is that this figure has no back screw.  So, if the o-ring breaks, you have no recourse to repair it.  This also makes the figure somewhat stiff and difficult to pose.  If that weren't enough, there are two blocky tabs on the bottom of the figure's torso.  These fit inside the waist and hold the waist and torso together as one part.  So, if you want to pose this figure in similar manners to vintage Joes, you have to clip those tabs off the figure or have them awkwardly protruding from the figure's waist.  It was a noble attempt to bring a solid mold into standard construction.  But, in some ways, they made the figure worse than if they'd kept the standard 1992 design.

My initial impressions of this figure were favorable.  The red is deep, dark and fits with most people's visions for Cobra.  As a display piece, the figure works well.  And, for a short time, I went about acquiring a few extras of the figure to have a small army.  Once in hand, though, the limitations of the figure became more obvious and pronounced.  The poor mobility really limited this figure.  And, once the Red Ninja Viper was released in late 2004, there were now better Red Ninjas for collectors that were cheaper and more available.  So, this figure fell out favor with me and was relegated to the bottom of his drawer.  Due to the fact that he was absolutely worthless in the early 2010's, though, I held onto my samples during my collection purge since there was no value in selling them.  I'm grateful for that as this figure is visually interesting, even if he's kind of otherwise limited.

The BJ's set figures came in two flavors: well deco'ed and basic.  Stormshadow falls into the basic category.  The figure only features black body and leg highlights and a white Cobra logo.  The figures hands, boots and mask are a somewhat brownish/black color.  It is tough to see.  But, fits with the non-traditional color choices that permeated the BJ's set.  The figure does have white eyes with black accents.  But, it's about as basic as figures of this era came.  In this case, the simplicity kind of works as Red Ninjas are supposed to be about their primary color and not tons of accouterments.  This Stormshadow is visually striking due to the stark contrast of the base red and the smattering of additional color. 

The BJ's set featured terrible accessories.  There really isn't a way to properly communicate how terrible they were.  In most cases, it would have been better if the figure included no weapons at all.  Stormshadow, sadly, included some of the better gear in the set.  Of course, it was only better because you could use it elsewhere and his weapons, mostly, made no sense.  His first weapon is the JvC era crossbow that first appeared with Scarlett.  The weapon is in 3 pieces: rifle, bow and arrow.  It seems cooler than it is.  But, it's tough for a figure to hold and falls apart on a whim.  Were it better designed, the weapon might have made sense.  But, with the added sound attack tab, it was just a terrible choice.  Stormshadow's other weapon is the Red Star AK-47.  In late 2002, the inclusion of this weapon was welcomed.  At the time, the rifle was still relatively scarce.  And, collectors had just bought dozens of repainted Alley Vipers and Vipers who had terrible weapons.  So, this Stormshadow became a weapon donor to other army builders.  In time, these weapons became more common and it's inclusion with this Stormshadow is no longer the rarity that it was upon the time of the figure's release.  Fortunately, if you bought retail Joes in the early 2000's, you were likely to have tons of spare ninja weapons.  So, it's not impossible to outfit this figure with better gear.  It's just frustrating that you have to do so.

This Stormshadow mold has a long history.  It debuted in 1992 in the Ninja Force subset.  In 1993, it was repainted as T'Gin Tzu.  In 1994, the mold was released in translucent plastic as part of the Shadow Ninjas subset.  In 1993 and 1994, the body mold was used for the Street Fighter Ken Masters figures.  There is a red version and blue version that feature new heads.  Was this mold able to be customized, those Ken Masters bodies would have dominated custom figures of the late 1990's and early 2000's.  But, as the bodies were fused together, there was no incentive for customizers to really explore the LBC possibilities.  In 2000, Hasbro modified the mold with an o-ring and released an 1984 homage paint job.  This red version was released in 2002.  And, there is an Urban Assault version that is grey and black that was released in 2004.  Fortunately, that was the end of the mold as the 1984 and 1988 Stormshadow molds became the de facto Hasbro releases for the short remainder of the repaint era.  If you're a fan of this mold, you have good paint jobs, classic homages, terrible paint jobs and gimmicks to track down.  But, few collectors are fans of this mold and pretty much all of its uses are ignored.

None of the BJ's figures are expensive.  Despite it being a relatively difficult release to acquire for many collectors, it hasn't found the aftermarket life that most of the other ARAH style figures from the early 2000's have seen since January of 2018.  This Stormshadow will run you $8 to $10 for a mint and complete with filecard version.  If you want spare figures, they run about $5.  And, if you check lots of miscellaneous 2000's era figures, you can often find this guy offered even cheaper.  Huge amounts of overstock figures that were available from Asia as well as massive clearances on these sets, though, have made figures like Stormshadow far more available than they might have otherwise been.  And, there are substantially better Stormshadow molds out there that have gotten the red paint treatment: either from Hasbro or by factory custom makers.  That leaves this figure as a relic of his era.  I haven't even pulled this guy out for a photo shoot since late 2002.  So, he doesn't even really register with me and my whole shtick is figure releases like this.

2002 Gift Set Fast Blast Viper - Around The Web

The BJ's gift set had a lot of problems.  At the time, though, there was a good consensus that the Fast Blast Viper was the cream of the set.  17 years later, this still holds true.  For some reason, the color really works on this mold.  Asian overstock and clearance sales helped to sate collector demand and have left this figure available.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

2002 Gift Set Fast Blast Viper Profile

Fast Blast Viper at JoeWiki

Fast Blast Viper at Half The Battle

Fast Blast Viper at General's Joes

2002 Gift Set Exclusive Undertow

2002 was 16 years ago.  When Hasbro released the 2002 8 figure Gift Set pack, the 1986 series of figures were 16 years old.  Those '86 figures were considered vintage and were already commanding premium prices.  In 2018, though, the 2002 figures are still considered "modern" and most of them sell for a pittance.  That's the difference when a toy line only depends upon original, childhood adopters of a property to continue it's relevance. Hasbro's 2002 releases were a mixed bag.  At the time, they were trying to mix both JvC style figures along with vintage style figures in the retail offerings.  This lead to some great figure pairings as well as some clunker ideas.  One of the ideas that wasn't a great success was the 8 figure Gift Set that was given mostly to the BJ's Wholesaler line of stores.  (A few other chains were able to get some, but BJ's was the primary reseller.)  The set featured 8 vintage molds.  But, the character selection, accessory choices and packaging left many collectors dissatisfied.  Looking back, the set had some really nice repaints.  It had some really bad figures.  And, it had this all red version of Undertow.

Simply put, this figure makes no sense.  I can get behind a crimson diver as a general idea.  Hasbro, at the time, was hell bent on repainting every Cobra army builder in red.  And, while boring, it somewhat works to establish a cohesive army. But, this Undertow is just bright.  The red is so stark that there's nothing to break up the color in any way.  You just see this eye gouging red.  Under the water, the color might be more muted.  But, that doesn't help when the toy would be out of the water.  The grey highlights are too dull to really distract from the overall redness of the mold.  There's nothing to break the figure up and showcase the mold's details.  It's just a mass of color with no defining characteristics.

The biggest atrocity with this Undertow, though, was the figure's accessories.  Undertow did not include any dive gear...including his mask.  So, this figure is just meant for use on land.  If you can find some spare 2000 Undertow masks, they work great on this 2002 version.  But, those are not easy to find, either.  So, you're really left with a diver with no way to dive.  In addition to this omission, Undertow includes a massive Sound Attack chainsaw based on the 1985 Buzzer's weapon.  It's big and clunky and, again, makes no sense.  The figure also includes a black 1985 Snow Serpent backpack.  It's nice to get this pack in a color that can be used outside of the Arctic.  It doesn't work for Undertow.  But, it nice for use with the 2004 Cobra Troopers who lacked decent gear.  The final weapon is a 1992 Destro pistol.  I've never really liked this weapon. (Which is ironic as it was a huge draw when I first saw the 1992 Destro at retail.)  But, at least you can make a case that this weapon works with the figure.  Finding decent gear for this Undertow is nearly impossible.  And, the figure really isn't of the quality that justifies spending that kind of time and effort to outfit him correctly.

For me, this figure never really held any significance.  I had all the Undertows I wanted from the 2000 retail release.  I had no desire for a crimson version.  And, the lack of gear certainly doomed the figure.  As I was a completist at the time (more obsessively than I am, now) I wanted the figure and acquired him to check him off the list of figures I needed.  But, that was the end of my thoughts in regards to this Undertow.  The main thing this figure brought up was how the Undertow mold seemed a lot cooler than it is.  On the surface, the figure looks cool.  But, he's a poor man's Eel at best.  Even the Hydro Viper has substantially more personality than Undertow.  It's not that Undertow is bad.  It's just that other divers are better.

Looking back, though, this figure actually holds a lot of associated memories.  2002 was a pretty fun time to be a Joe fan.  The community was vibrant with many active communities: all with their own personality.  It was easy to find a place for any collector to fit in and be able to contribute.  Hasbro released a ton of toys to retail.  So, there was constant news about upcoming releases.  The community was engaged because there was a lot of content being created: be it by fans, licensees or Hasbro themselves.  The Joe convention turned into a mostly 3 3/4" affair in 2002.  In short, fandom came of age.  Must of the nonsense that would pop up in later years had yet to rear its head.  Collectors, generally, helped each other out.  Personally, I had a lot of friends from the collecting world.  It was, in my opinion, the best time to be a collector as vintage was plentiful and cheap and Hasbro was making some effort at getting products collectors wanted into their hands.  Even the divisiveness of the JvC sculpting style changed didn't have the long term detrimental effects that the switch to anniversary sculpts did in 2007.

The Undertow figure had a decent life.  He first appeared in 1990.  That figure is probably the best Undertow.  His grey, black and red coloring hearkens back to the 1985 Eel and works well in Cobra aquatic vehicles.  The 2000 version is also very nice.  The paint wipes can be problematic.  But, the blue coloring is a decent repaint of what was an obscure mold at the time.  During the 2000 release window,  the Undertow mold was changed.  Originally, the hose from the mask connected to a peg on the figure's chest.  It was then changed to a hole in the air tank.  It is not known why Hasbro did this.  But, all future releases of Undertow featured this mold change.  This 2002 release is far and away the worst.  The Undertow head was used for both the 2001 and 2002 Fast Blast Viper figures.  Then, in 2009, the club produced an Iron Grenadiers Undertow figure that was painted in the style of the 2005 Iron Grenadiers convention set.  It's an interesting figure and works well with his intended associates.  (It also has a red mask that might work with this 2002 version, but I've never attempted to see how close the colors actually are.)  But, the Iron Grenadiers lack any underwater vehicles so that Undertow version stands as a display type item more than a valued part of an army.

Upon his release in 2002, the Undertow got a bit expensive.  Collectors were bonkers over anything army builder.  And, as Undertow was somewhat difficult to army build (being part of an 8 figure set with only 2 army building figures), he commanded a premium for a while.  But, between 2003 and 2006, Hasbro released tons of better army builders.  And, large quantities of this figure became available from Asian sellers for a fraction of the cost of a local figure.  This dropped the Undertow's price to a couple of bucks or less for a figure.  Now, though, must of that surplus has dried up.  And, because the figure's accessories kind of sucked and so many of the figures were brought in from Asia, it's actually kind of a pain to find a mint and complete with filecard figure.  When you find them, though, you'll only pay around $6-$8.  That's still a lot for a figure that has terrible gear and isn't all that useful.  But, as a oddity of the era and a reminder of the army building craze that defined 2001 through 2004, this Undertow has a quaint charm.

Rarities - Alternate 2002 BJ's Snake Eyes

I've showcased 6 figures in the BJ's 8 figure set who had alternate figure designs.  Today is the seventh: Snake Eyes.  The unproduced version of Joe's iconic character has a decidedly different look.  This body is in a base of faint green.  It is a stark new look for Snake Eyes and gives him an odd appearance.

Hasbro was fairly protective of Snake Eyes' iconic black base for a long time.  So, it is unlikely that this figure was ever seriously considered for release.  But, the fact that it is fully painted shows that it was part of a color sample and did get far enough in the process to be a late rejection.

During the heyday of the these alternate figures' availability, Snake Eyes wasn't too popular.  The 1989 mold was overused by Hasbro and collectors soured on it: even in unproduced forms.  While the Firefly and Roadblock from this set fetched high prices, this Snake Eyes was relatively forgotten.  He would often go unsold or sell cheaply.  What interest there was in the mold was mostly focused on the better unproduced Wal Mart Sky Patrol version of the same mold that was also available at the time.  Like all of these alternate, unproduced Asian figures, though, this Snake Eyes has gotten harder to find and more expensive.

As an oddity, this guy is actually kind of interesting.  The gold looks better on the green than it did on the production black.  You will note this figure is missing the terrible GI JOE logo on the figure's leg.  And, the production figure features a 2nd, silver paint mask over the knives' blades that is missing here.  But, this figure also has paint armbands and grenades that were left black on the production piece.  So, it's definitely a mishmash of a few designs.

As an oddity, this figure is interesting.  But, as a fully released figure, I think he'd be as forgettable as the retail BJ's set figure is.  The green would have been a short topic of conversation during the time.  But, the purple release in 2003 would have stolen all the focus off of this figure had it seen production.  It is, definitely, a relic of that era's unproduced figures.  But, isn't anything that really catches a collector's eye.

Rarities - Alternate 2002 BJ's Set

In late 2002, Hasbro surprised collectors with the 8 figure Gift Set.  Originally, the set was exclusive to the BJ's chain of wholesalers.  But, later, the set was also made available to some other outlets.  The set was expensive, in way too much packaging and not available at retail in large sections of the country.  The figure selection wasn't the greatest, either.  So, collectors filed it away and checked it off of lists without paying much other thought.

In early 2003, though, a couple of odd figures appeared.  One was a Roadblock that looked like the BJ's figure, but with a red torso.  The other was a BJ's Firefly, but with a metallic green base body.  These were the talk of the collecting world for a few weeks.  But, in that era of constant Joe news, the figures were relatively forgotten, too.

In 2004, though, it became apparent that Firefly and Roadblock were not the only alternate figures that were originally looked at for the BJ's set.  Dial Tone was, originally, missing his mustache, just like the 2000 figure.  The Fast Blast Viper and Wet Suit had slight color shading differences.  The third major variant, though, was a new Undertow figure.  Rather than the bright red base, the figure featured a white base and appeared as an arctic version of the character.

Like the Firefly and Roadblock, though, this Undertow seemingly disappeared.  While not overly expensive these days (as compared to other, unproduced figures) these alternate BJ's figures are not easy to find.  They were lost in the hype of the other, newer unreleased variants that were showing up every other day during 2004 and 2005.  But, these variants remain an interesting footnote to Joe history.  Personally, I think Firefly and Undertow are improvements over the released figures.  Roadblock is not.  But, missing out of the ridiculous BJ's Firefly was likely not worth the green figure seen below.

2002 Gift Set Firefly

If you went back in time to the summer of 1997 and posted to Usenet or the Pit mailing list (how's that for dated technology!) that collectors would be sick and tired of the Firefly mold just 8 years later, you would have been laughed and flamed out of existence.  There was no way possible at that time that Hasbro would take such a beloved mold and make collectors rue the day it was created.  But, that's exactly what happened.  And, while the 2005 collector was REALLY sick of Firefly, by 2002 the mold was already becoming stale.  Collectors had seen the figure in 1998 and 2000.  As 2002 wound down, the third Firefly of the era, and the beginning of Firefly's diminished appeal, appeared: the Gift Set Firefly.

The repaint era of 1997 through 2006 created a large sea of banality in the Joe line.  When taken in retrospect, there is a lot of sameness throughout the years.  There are obvious gems as well as some real losers.  What was rare, though, was something so different that it's inherent oddity overcame the fact that the figure was pretty poor.  This Firefly is a perfect example of that.  The figure is cast in a basic red.  Not crimson, or any other red color associated with Cobra: bright red.  The figure is a better match for the Plastirama Satan than he is for the Crimson Guard.  If you can forgive the base coloring, though, you are left with a few other, bizarre color choices.  The figure's gloves and boots are copper colored.  It's a metallic copper paint that is easy to miss, but is basically unique to this figure.  Copper was not an oft-explored color in the Joe line.  So, its inclusion here adds to the uniqueness of this figure.  To complement the two inexplicable color choice so far is a greyish/blue accent paint application that highlights Firefly's holster, bandoleers and leg attachments.  Again, it's not Cobra blue and isn't, really, a great accompaniment to the bright red.  The figure is finished off with some additional, brighter red explosives and black grenades.  The crowning touch, though, is the brown head.  (The figure was dubbed the poo-headed Firefly by some at the time, but those with a more literary slant could refer to him as Gen. Scheisskopf.)  It's an odd topper to the figure and just completes one of the most head scratching color combinations on any figure in the entire line.

There is something to be said for figures that are so terrible they become good.  Figures like Rumbler, Big Brawler and even the Create A Cobra have all found collector followings just due to the absolute awfulness of the figure.  While this Firefly remains obscure, it has fascinated me.  There's something about it that makes me keep it around, even though there is no non-completist reason to do so.  The fact that the figure is so bizarre and out of place is the main draw.  This has no relation to the Firefly character I know.  (As an aside, there is an unproduced version of this figure available that replaces the base red with a green color.  It is a substantial improvement, but extremely hard to find.)  He really doesn't fit with any other Cobra figures.  Is this who Firefly really is and what he wears when no one is looking?  Or, is it a red herring and something Firefly dons when he wants to completely rattle anyone with whom he meets?  Either way, it's a uniform that gives some levity to the Firefly character.

The Gift Set which included this figure was an odd item.  An 8 figure set including Snake Eyes, Stormshadow, Dial Tone, Undertow, Fast Blast Viper, Wet Suit, Roadblock and Firefly, the Gift Set was packaged into a massive cardboard box that was logistically challenging to ship.  This fact is important as the Gift Set was only released regionally in the U.S.  The set was originally commissioned by the BJ's Warehouse chain.  At that time, they were only in slightly more than half of the states.  Some of their corporate partners, mostly regional grocery stores that also stocked retail items, eventually sold the sets, too.  But, the reality was that for many collectors, the set was simply not available at retail in their local market.  As the set was "exclusive" only a couple of online dealers were able to get any.  So, for those outside of the retail footprint, this set was extremely pricey.  Dealers rarely sold it below $35 and the large, heavy and overly long box added another $10-$12 for shipping to the cost.  After a few months, the retailers began to clearance the sets.  Many collectors were left rather non-plussed at the fact they had paid nearly $50 to get one set and were now hearing of collectors leaving stacks of them on the shelves at $12 in locales lucky enough to have a retail seller.  The result is that this was the only Gift Set ever created.  (Some dealers who acquired a supply had stock left sitting unsold for years after the set's release.)  And, beginning in 2003, Hasbro looked only to more national retailers for exclusive offerings.

One of the great things about the re-releases of Firefly was that they all included his original accessories.  Even the 2003 Wreckage, that used the Firefly mold, included the iconic gun and backpack.  There is one lone exception, though.  This Gift Set Firefly did not include any of his original accessories.  For most figures, this would be a huge detriment.  However, there are times when new accessory complements can breathe some life into a figure.  The Gift Set, largely, failed in this regard as figure included non-sensical accessories.  (Stormshadow with an AK-47, Wet Suit and Undertow with no flippers or underwater gear and Dial Tone with a bazooka.)  However, Firefly kind of works.

The figure includes a gun metal grey version of Beach Head's submachine gun.  (Oddly, this would not come with the Night Force Beach Head just 18 months later, but that's something for another time.)  In the context of Firefly, it is acceptable as it is reminiscent of his original rifle but gives him something different.  He also includes a silver version of Hit and Run's knife.  The fact that it's silver is great.  But, there is not a single vintage or repaint version of Firefly that includes any edged weapon.  For a character who was a ninja master, this is an odd omission.  So, finally having a figure with a knife is a solid addition to the character.  The figure is rounded out by a silver version of the 1991 Dusty's pistol.  It became a ubiquitous accessory in the repaint era.  But, the silver color is somewhat fresh and gives the weapon a bit of a shine for Firefly.  The last piece is a silver version of Firefly's original rifle.  In silver, this would have been an awesome upgrade to this figure.  But, alas, it has a fatal flaw: sound attack.  The rifle is not the classic version and, instead, has a massive sound tab on the side that renders the weapon useless.  For me, overall, though, this accessory complement only adds to the oddity that is the figure.  It makes is stand out even more and gives it a bit more cachet.  (And, if you really insist on classic Firefly accessories, they are now so common that it's easy to find a set from this figure's contemporaries and outfit him with those.)

As a collector, this is a great figure.  Not great in the sense that it's the definitive Firefly and should be included in every display of Cobra command.  It's quite the opposite.  If I could only keep one Firefly figure, this would be the first to go.  But, the figure is great because it's so different.  In an era where Hasbro tried so hard to placate collectors and so often misfired, it's refreshing to find some figures that defy that trend.  This Firefly is rather terrible.  But, that awfulness makes him awesome since he's so different from pretty much everything else released during his time.  Copper, brown, bright red and blue do not a classic figure make.  But, in this case, the combination creates something that's fun and odd.  The vintage line was good at doing that every now and again.  The repaint era mostly created duds.  So, the few times that Hasbro released something like this figure should be enjoyed.  The Gift Set Firefly makes my collection different and is so out of place among the rest of my figures that I have to appreciate him for the ugly duckling he is.

2002 Crimson Fast Blast Viper - Gift Set Exclusive

I don't know why this figure has my attention these days. It's been in my collection now for almost 6 years and almost all of that time has been in a bag with the figure's filecard and accessories, safely packed away in a drawer or a box. The 2002 Gift Set Fast Blast Viper really shouldn't be the type of figure in which I have any interest. Yet, in recent months, I've taken a new interest in the figure and found it an asset to my collection...all the way to the point where I've actually gone out and acquired multiples. On the surface, this should be an inferior version of this figure. But, there is something about the look of the Crimson Fast Blast Viper that attracts collectors.

Beginning in 2002, Hasbro became fascinated with crimson. For some reason, it became the color du jour for Cobra repaints. While crimson has long been a staple of the Cobra army and the popularity of the Crimson Guard over his equally high quality contemporaries like the Eel and Snow Serpent shows that collectors hold it in high regard. But, Hasbro went a little overboard with some of their Crimson choices. Figures like Firefly, Undertow and this Fast Blast Viper really had no purpose in the crimson color. Collectors were quick to adopt the figures, though, as either ceremonial outfits or as the colors the unit leaders. It was an innovative approach and one that allowed collectors to be satisfied with fewer of these crimson army builders in their collections. But, at the end of the day, how useful, really, is a Crimson Undertow or Fast Blast Viper? Up until late 2004, the answer was not much.

In late '04, though, Hasbro released the Operation Crimson Sabotage set. This highly popular exclusive included 3 Crimson Guards in different racial and hair colors, a crimson Hiss Tank and a Crimson ASP. Most collectors really don't use Crimson Guards as standard Cobra infantry. Yet, the set was so well done and the demand for Crimson Guards so strong that the sets were largely gobbled up prior to Christmas. It is the vehicles, though, that were the real gem of the set. The Crimson Guard figure mold has now been released no less than 4 times, with 3 of them in easily acquirable crimson color. Collectors largely liquidated their extra vehicles from this set, though, as they tried to recoup some cost but also wanted to gain some storage space. At first glance, crimson Hiss Tanks and Asps don't have all that much practical use. But, coupled with a figure like this Fast Blast Viper, they can take on more significant roles within a Cobra organization.

In my collection, the crimson equipment serves a dual purpose. It is the ceremonial display that Cobra puts on for the tourists of Cobra Island. It is also, though, the equipment that dots Cobra Island. Since satellite imaging and surveillance techniques are so advanced, Cobra chooses to hide much of its weaponry in plain site. These Crimson tanks drag Crimson Asps all over Cobra Island and they are full service weapon emplacements. By doing this, Cobra lets the outside world know they are protected by standard weapons. But, it also suggests that if they are so overt about it, that they must have other, nastier weapons hidden. The casual invader isn't likely to be a world power. As such, they will probably not look below the surface and will underestimate the Cobra defenses. At the same time, those who know that Cobra must have other, hidden weapons, can't find them as the electronics zero in on the stuff in plain site. The tanks leave tracks and the Asps leave trenches that, at night, are used by Cobra's secret safeguards. But, since the tanks are overtly running day and night, no one is ever able to discern what types of weapons might be hidden beneath the island's surface.

This all leads to the Fast Blast Vipers. For me, the Fast Blast/Heat Vipers serve dual purposes. The HEAT Vipers and the black Fast Blast Vipers are the mobile armored weapons specialists for which the figure was designed. The crimson Fast Blast Viper, though, is the gunner of the Cobra world. The crimson attracts less heat than the black when stationed in the sun and it looks stunning as these Vipers man the turrets and gun seats of the Hisses and Asps that are their specialty. It's not much of a use, but it is an important one as it gives me a figure that is perfectly suited for these vehicles without sacrificing one a figure who is also well suited for other, more glamorous duties. The Joe line is filled with niche and role figures. Frankly, they are what makes the line so enduring since there is something for everyone. This crimson Fast Blast Viper is such a figure and one of the rarer examples of the role player on the Cobra side.

The Heat Viper/Fast Blast Viper mold has a bit of a history. After it was first released in 1989, the mold made its way down to Brazil where Estrela released it as Estihaco in colors very similar to the American figure. From there, the mold was returned to the US and dusted off by Hasbro in 2001 and released, with a new head, as the Fast Blast Viper. This Fast Blast Viper was released in 2002 and the full HEAT Viper mold returned in 2003 as a member of Python Patrol. It has not been released since. But, this isn't a bad thing. While the mold is good, it isn't a classic. With the first Fast Blast Viper, collectors had the mold in a coloring that was pretty much as good as we needed. The Crimson figure offered some diversity and the Python figure served the dual purpose of giving us a niche version of the HEAT Viper but also offering a fully black head that was the perfect way to turn the first Fast Blast Viper into a fully helmeted HEAT Viper.

The Gift Set in which the Fast Blast Viper was offered was the epitome of a marketing and distribution mess. To this day, the full set can be purchased for less than 2/3 retail price at many online dealers. Individually, some of the figures in the set can be acquired for under $2 each. Overall, the set was a disaster full of overused figure molds done in obscure and relatively useless colors that included no sensible accessories. But, time has shown that we actually got a couple of decent figures in the set. In fact, this is the third figure (along with Dial Tone and Wet Suit) that I have profiled from the set. But, it is also likely the last as these three figures are the highlights of the set and the other, remaining figures are less useful.

The thing was, in 2002, we had high hopes for what the Joe line would become. Largely, at least in the ARAH-style arena, these hopes went unfulfilled. Sure, we got some great figures in the 6 years of the ARAHC and its successors. But, most of the releases were flawed in some way. With several hundred figures released now, we have the opportunity to reflect and look back at the line as a whole and find the figures that really stood out, but were forgotten for whatever reason. They are out there and have become somewhat of a focus of my collection in recent months. During this time period, Hasbro released Joes as fast as they could. (In fact, they released more unique figures between 2001-2006 than they did between 1982 and 1994.) As such, the frantic pace caused more than one collector to acquire something and not get the time to integrate it into their collection and gain the appreciation of the figure's design because there were new items with short shelf lives that had to be acquired. This has given me a great chance to take this time when there really isn't much new to collect to look back and find figures like this Fast Blast Viper and give him his due.

When the gift set first appeared, the Fast Blast Viper quickly became the most popular figure in the set. At the time, collectors were starved for army builders and even obscure figures in useless colors got a lot of attention. As such, this has always been the most expensive figure from the Gift Set and continues to hold that distinction. However, a large quantity of these figures appeared over in Asia. That supply has helped keep the figure below the price it might otherwise have achieved. Still, this figure, complete with filecard, will typically cost you $7. That's not cheap for an army builder that most collectors agree is only needed in quantities of 1. As such, the price is a testament to the figure's overall quality. In time, I don't see the figure appreciating too much in value, though. It seems that the current price is fairly good for what the figure is and I would expect that in another 5 years you'll be able to still acquire Fast Blast Vipers for about this same price. Regardless, if you like this figure, you might as well get them now. They are a useful addition to most collections and can fill a valuable role in some of the Crimson vehicles that Hasbro has released since 2002.

2002 Dial Tone - Gift Set Exclusive

In early 1986, one of my younger brother's classmates brought a bag of new G.I. Joe figures to school. He had found them at the local Target. For most of my friends and I, 1985 had been a long Joe year. While the figures were top notch, we had known about most of them since the fall of 1984 when many appeared in the cartoon. Those that we didn't know about that early were discovered in early December of 1984 when the Dreadnoks were released with card art that depicted all of the upcoming '85 figures on the back. As such, by the time '86 rolled around, I was starving for some new Joe figures. The 1986 offerings did not disappoint. I was immediately enthralled by the new colors on many of the figures. They weren't neon or anything like that, but they were refreshing in the sense that they offered some colors that had not been seen in the two prior years. The one figure in that bag of goodies that most intrigued me that cold February day was Dial Tone.

Dial Tone became one of my favorite figure molds from the instant I first saw him. There was something about his look that just captured my attention. His mold was full of the type of detail that you would expect from a communications trooper. He was covered in silver highlights that just made him seem more technical. His colors were somewhat bright, but not the point of making the figure useless. But, it was his accessories that really stood out. His gun was just a compact cross between a rifle and a pistol, but it remains one of my favorite weapons ever released. His pack had nice detail that made it look like a powerful field radio. It was the mouthpiece, though, that was the truly unique element to the figure, thought. While it was not the compact microphone we had seen in 1985 on Heavy Metal, it allowed Dial Tone to be the communications expert he was intended without forcing the accessory onto the mold. As such, the figure retailed value even when the pack was missing.

It remains my opinion that this is the best version of Dial Tone ever released. This figure retains the color that personified the original figure, but does it in a more realistic way. This figure looks like the combat field communications trooper that Dial Tone was always meant to be. He has the dark colors that collectors like, but wasn't bogged down in the too realistic colors that trapped many of his contemporary in blandness. This version isn't perfect, of course, as many of the details on Dial Tone's lower body were left unpainted. This is almost made up for by the fact that many of the details on his upper body, though, are actually painted on this version where they had been left all black on the original. The fact that this mold appears so late in the line, though, is the amazing part. This version is lacking in accessories that are apropos to the character, but his weapon complement is the best of the figures with which he was included. The silver Leatherneck rifle and large pack can fit with the figure. The web gear works on this version, but hides too much of the mold's color for my tastes. As such, I remove the web gear and give it to the more bland '00 Dial Tone figures to give them more life.

In my collection, Dial Tone has almost always been an army builder. I have used his figures as various nameless officers and security personnel for years. When I was a kid, I had 2 Dial Tones. They quickly became a security patrol who was in charge of prisoners: Cobra and Joe. That role has followed the figure into the current day. Now, my dozens of Dial Tone figures are various forms of security captains who are responsible for the large Cobra prisons that the Joes oversee. Every now and then, though, I do use the figure in his intended capacity. I give Dial Tone his original accessories and use him as a field communications officer as he was intended. These times are rare, though, as I don't get the use out of the figure in that capacity that I do when he is used as the security troopers. Since I like the mold so much, I use it in the way that affords me the most usage.

Dial Tone has always been a Hasbro produced figure. He was not sent off to India or Brazil. The mold was originally used in 1986-1987 on both the original and the Mission to Brazil figure and was then repainted in 1990 as part of the Sonic Fighters line. In 1994 or so, Dial Tone was released in Chinese packaging. It is unknown if these were a new production of the original colors or just overstock. After that, Dial Tone's life gets a little interesting. In 1998, Dial Tone was supposed to be included with the cancelled TRU exclusive G.I. Joe Headquarters. This never came to be, but a few Dial Tone's in desert "chocolate chip" cammo were produced and have made their way into the collecting market. These figures are actually probably rarer than the fabled Pimp Daddy Destro from 1997. But, since the lack of catch name, are pretty much under the collecting radar. The figure is interesting, but rather busy and something that I wouldn't really want to see released at retail. After that, the figure was repainted in 2000 and this version appeared in 2002 and then again in 2003. In 2001, the body was used for the Night Rhino Dusty figure and Dial Tone also appeared in the 2003 Tiger Force set. At this point, I think collectors are sick of Dial Tone and don't ever want to see him again. I can't really argue that point as I've gotten my fill of the mold. I do think, though, that at some point in 2006 (if the Joe line is able to survive that long) Dial Tone could make another appearance as long as he was part of a set that offered him in colors we have yet to see. That could work for me, as long as he was something different from the 4 released and one unreleased version.

The BJ's gift set has never really enamored collectors. Initial reports lead many to believe that it would be quite scarce, maybe even rare. However, within a few short months, the set was clearanced for less than 1/2 it's original retail price. In fact, you can still find many dealers today who would gladly part with their overstock sets for barely over cost, just to get rid of them. The set was bulky in the box and was difficult to ship. Unfortunately, for many collectors, this was an unavoidable problem. The set was simply not available to retail outlets in many parts of the country. This started the set off on the wrong foot with many collectors. The bad figures didn't help it from there. Of the 8 figures, Roadblock and Firefly are just terrible. Snake Eyes is OK, but nothing interestingly different enough from his other releases to make him worth getting. Undertow and the Fast Blast Viper are good army builders, but their red color makes them less useful in multiples. Stormshadow is a good figure and was the best red ninja available until 2004. Now, though, he is the third best choice for an army building ninja since better alternatives have been available at retail.

The two remaining figures: Wet Suit and Dial Tone are actually very good figures. However, they, and the rest of the figures in the set, suffer from the absolute worst complement of accessories ever offered in a Joe set. The accessories don't match the figures at all and were the original cheap alternative for Hasbro. The divers don't even have flippers! This is enough to sink the set and has kept all 8 of the figures very affordable. Dial Tone, though, is among the cheapest. Mint and complete, he will rarely run you over $4. This figure was also re-released in 2003 as the AWE Striker driver. This retail dud was heavily clearanced in 2004 and only further cemented this figure's reputation as a loser.

It is a perception that is not deserved, though. This version of Dial Tone is one of the best Joe figures released since 1997. He has realistic, yet not overused, colors, decent accessories (even if they are not perfect) and is true to the roots of the character. He suffers from his plight mainly due to the fact that collectors are simply not interested in Joe repaints. Plus, this version came out too quickly on the heels of the 2000 version. Finally, he was part of a set that many collectors army built anyways just because there was no other ARAH style product on the shelves. This lead to an oversupply of the figure and has doomed him to a life of obscurity, even though he is of very high quality. The good part of this, though, is that you can now get him rather easily for pretty much nothing. It's hard to find a figure about whom that is true, especially when he is of Dial Tone's quality. I doubt this will ever be a figure that is popular among collectors, but Dial Tone is one that is worth a second look.

2002 Wet-Suit (Gift Pack Exclusive)

I've already profiled two other versions of the Wet-Suit character and this mold. However, those profiles were done in close proximity back in the site's earliest days. As such, I thought I would take an opportunity to profile one of the more recent interpretations of the original Wet-Suit mold. The fact that the repaint is done in great colors and finally gives the mold the final color scheme it needed is just an added bonus.

This Wet-Suit mold is classic. Made during the height of Joe's original popularity, it features all of the experience from the first 4 years of the line coupled with the availability of resources that were present when Joe was the toy king. As such, we are left with a timeless figure. What past incarnations of the Wet-Suit have lacked, though, has been proper coloring. While never bad, the bright orange and teal from the '86 and '98 versions kept the figure from being just about perfect. (The Mission to Brazil Wet-Suit fixed this but came with bright orange accessories.) This figure solves most of those problems. The figure is cast in a basic black with grey highlights. Rather than use bright colors for his secondary hue, though, this Wet-Suit has a dark blue chest. The result is a figure that finally looks like a combat diver.

Not that this figure is without its flaws. For one thing, the paint details are lacking. While not like the '94 figures who were simply painted in 2 colors, this figure does not have all the details that his earlier versions have enjoyed. This is most noticeable on his head. The piece is solid black with the only break the exposed skin around Wet-Suit's eyes. While not bad, you lose some appreciation for the mold's detail when points that were previously accentuated by differently colored paint are now melded into the figure's overall color appearance. It is a minor point, but something you notice when you compare this figure to previous uses of the Wet-Suit mold.

For me, though, this is about the perfect Wet-Suit figure. I've long used the original as a rescue and exploratory diver. He hasn't really seen the depth of combat that other, more suitable colored divers have experienced. The Mission to Brazil Wet-Suit filled this void when I was a child. Now, though, the expense of acquiring multiples along with the less than subtle accessories have made me look elsewhere. This figure will be able to act both as deep sea support as well as back up my S.E.A.L commandos in more shallow water based operations. His colors make him perfect for rising out of a murky depth and surprising a passing Cobra contingent.

This figure, like just about all the figures in gift-pack, suffers from a fatal flaw: his accessories. Wet-Suit is a diver. On top of that, he is a diver whose mold was designed to be used with his specific accessories. His head has the pegs for his breathing hose molded into it. However, the gift-pack did not include the proper accessories with the figures. Instead, each figure got the complement of accessories that was originally given to the original figures that comprised Wave 2 of the 2002 new Joe releases. While in some cases (Dial-Tone) the choices were okay, it left figures like Undertow and Wet-Suit with terrible choices of accessories like chainsaws and field packs. Wet-Suit includes a silver flare gun (from the 1994 Lifeline) a silver sound attack version of Tunnel Rat's gun, and a black backpack. None of these are the type of accessories that you would associate with a diver! He has no air tanks, breathing hose or fins. The lack of accessories leaves this figure almost useless in his intended capacity. Fortunately, if you can find them, the pack and hose from the '98 Wet-Suit figure, they perfectly match this color scheme and help make this figure useful. (You can see them on the figure in the pictures below.)

If you wanted to acquire the 8-figure Joe gift-pack of which this Wet-Suit was a member at retail and you live in the Midwestern United States, you were completely out of luck. The set simply was not made available to stores outside of the East and West Coasts. While this (apparent) lack of availability got one toy magazine to name this set as a good potential "investment", it frustrated many Joe fans who knew they weren't going to be able to find this set locally. Fortunately, many online Joe dealers were able to pick up some stock from Hasbro and offer the sets online. While this allowed many collectors who were geographically cut out of the availability for this set to actually acquire it, it did not really endear the entire situation to a great segment of the Joe collecting world. (The set was poorly boxed in a way that made it very expensive to ship for just 8 figures.) To add insult to injury, many BJ's warehouses got overstock gift pack sets after the Christmas holiday. As they don't like to stock toys during the non-holiday buying time, they clearanced the sets out. Many collectors got extremely lucky when they came across caches of the sets with a clearance price of $10-$12 each.

While this thwarted many of the non-Joe collecting speculators out there who were hoping to cash in on the set, it only further infuriated those who could not acquire it as they heard stories of people finding these sets for ridiculously cheap and passing them by. The only good thing about these clearances was that a few dealers were able to pick up loose figures for very reasonable prices. As such, you can now get a loose Wet-Suit figure for about $4. However, despite the figure's lack of accessories, at that price, they tend to sell out quickly. Many dealers still have the Snake Eyes figure and an army builder or two from the set but do not have Wet-Suit. This strikes me as a bit odd (especially considering how collectors flock to anything army builder these days) but speaks to the quality of the figure. Personally, I've long army built Wet-Suit figures and would like to be able to add a few more of this guy to my collection. He is the best colors of this mold that are not too expensive to drop into a mud hole and actually use. If you can find the right accessories to accompany him, I think your collection will welcome this version of Wet-Suit as well.

I'm well set for the gift-pack figures. Would you like for Hasbro to produce another set of this type for 2003? Let me know.