2024 BAT - Super7 ReAction+

About a year ago, Super7 attempted a crowd funding for an ambitious Cobra Mothership.  The campaign included a set of figures that, instead of the standard Super7 five points of articulation, would feature the classic o-ring construction of Hasbro G.I. Joes.  These figures proved more popular than the ship.  At some point during this process, it was announced that Super7 would be creating a full line of classically styled G.I. Joe figures.  This was somewhat remarkable: for Hasbro to abandon on in-house brand.  But, o-ring Joes had been a monumental failure for Hasbro.  (So much so that the stock is still lingering over 2 years later.)  And, Super7 had found success with  their ReAction branded Joe figures.  Hasbro wanted to, rightfully, put all their resources behind the Joe Classified brand.  So, licensing out the 3 3/4 license to a partner who was both willing and competent was a natural match.  In the summer of 2024, the first photos of the newly branded ReAction+ line surfaced.  They were met with cautious excitement.  As more images surfaced, the sentiment remained about the same.  People were excited for the figures.  But, at the same time, there were some doubts as to the final product.  Now, though, the figures are in hand.  And, the verdict on the figures remains, largely, the same.

Initial retail reports of the ReAction+ figures have suggested that Snake Eyes is the most popular.  Among collectors, the Snake Eyes was the least regarded figure.  We all have dozens of high quality Snake Eyes figures already.  Collectors were interested in Cover Girl and this BAT.  But, the BAT seems to be one of the most easily found figures.  This suggests that many of the retail buyers of these figures are casual fans who find interest in the major characters.  This is good since it will  leave the more obscure, collector oriented figures as something you can find at retail and, maybe, even army build.  And, it will sell out the less interesting figures of major characters that we all own in excess.

The presentation of the Super7 figures is geared towards collectors.  Unlike vintage figures that were meant to show off the toy, these modern releases are meant to be kept carded.  The layout of the figure and accessories are all geared for in package display on a shelf or in a case.  The figures are locked in place by a molded plastic tray to that the figure will still look great 100 years from now, long after the o-ring has dried up.  So, that's a nice feature for carded collectors and an added expense for loose collectors.

Accessory wise, the BAT is excellent.  You get two removable hands: one left and one right.  Then, there's the backpack that holds the additional three classic BAT attachments: the claw, laser and flame thrower.  The attachments are all new and feature updated detailing from their vintage inspiration.  The BAT includes one final piece: an oversized rifle.  As a Joe accessory, it isn't great.  But, when you look at the comic panels on which this figure is based, the rifle is a pretty nice match.  It's certainly better than the Hasbro accessories from the repaint era Comic Packs.  The Super7 weapons have been the weak point on the figures, so far.  It will be interesting to see how these evolve over time.  But, the gear has a precision fit to the figure in a way we haven't seen since about 1992.  So, that is a nice feature of these figures, so far.

I am also impressed with the quality of the figure.  The paint masks are sharp.  But, the real surprise was the joints.  All my ReAction figures had relatively stiff joints and would creak when you moved them.  Out of the package, this BAT has no such flaws.  The joints move freely with no sticking or catching.  But, they are also very tight and the figure can hold a variety of poses.  The removable attachments fit onto the pegs even better than those from the 1986 BAT do.  And, the figure could hold his accessories.  I could never get the ReAction figures to do that without fear of stripping paint or plastic off the weapon handle.  In short, they are very nice.  It's different plastic than vintage Joes and it's not the rubbery stuff that's rotting away from the 2000's.

So, my thoughts on the figure.  Since the beginning, I've felt something looked "off" about all the Super7 designs.  The most glaring design feature that drove this is the figure's heads.  The more cartoon inspired heads look very out of place on ARAH bodies.  And, the human heads, in particular are egregiously out of proportion to the older style body pieces.  But, even the masked and helmeted heads are a bit too detailed for the bodies.  The other thing that was noticeable is that the figures are smooth.  ARAH figures have just the right blend of folds, creases and pockets to give the legs and torsos some heft.  They are more realistic looks of how clothes hang on a human body.  The Super7 figures remain overly straight, though.  And, this gives them a bit of a knock off feel.  Remco and even Lanard skimped on sculpting and design elements like the detailed fit of clothing.  Super7 went the same route and it makes the figures stand out from vintage Joes and appear more in line with the cheap imitators who dominated the discount stores of the '80's.  

The last thing, though, was not something I really recognized until I got the figures in hand.  This BAT features a ton of sculpted details on his chest and legs.  But, they are all flat to the figure's body.  There's barely any elevation at all from the base sculpt.  In the vintage Joe line, the sculpted details protruded quite a bit from the body.  Pouches, holsters, knifes and even superfluous details like zippers extend out from the pants, chest and arms in realistic proportions.  When looking at this BAT, his sculpted details are flush with his body.  This accentuates the smoothness issue because you don't have the visual break of extended details.  It also takes away some of the realism of the figure.  Things seem out of proportion because they don't have the necessary width.  It's not a design choice that, alone, makes the figures bad.  But, it contributes to these figures being very different from Hasbro figures and, to me, makes them more Joe-adjacent than actual Joes.

Where the ReAction Joe line succeeded was mining the depths of the Joe cartoon for obscure characters and offbeat paint jobs.  It was the most diverse Joe line released since the vintage days.  So far, the ReAction+ line seems to be following that formula.  Cover Girl, Tomax and Xamot are all cartoon icons.  Supposedly, this BAT was from the comic.  Upon first glance, I would have guessed it a cartoon paint job.  But, the this is the BAT coloring from its first appearance in G.I. Joe #44.  So, technically, it's a comic figure.  (I'm going to have to write about G.I. Joe #44 at some point because it's been mined so deep for figures that have actually seen release even though some of the best ideas from the issue have yet to be considered.)  If Super7 continues a mix of comic and cartoon figures, they'll do well.  And, to be sure, I'm invested in the line if only for the possibility of both a Dr. Venom and a proper Kwinn figure in both his cold weather gear and the khaki shorts.  I assume we'll get at least one of these in the line: along with a multitude of other figures that will exist in no other form.

ReAction+ figures are $20.  That's a lot for what you get.  But, it's a boutique line with low production numbers.  So, you're going to pay for that.  Historically, the first wave of figures of a new line is overproduced and, eventually, ends up on clearance.  This isn't an indicator of success or failure, it's just the nature of an exuberant launch.  So, I fully expect you'll be able to get this BAT for a discount at some point in the next few months, especially as future waves roll  out.  Like the ReAction Joe line, these o-ring figures are available at all online retailers as well as Target's brick and mortar stores.  It's nice to be able to buy a figure on the pegs.  And, were it not for this retail presence, I would not ever have purchased one of these figures.  Target was pretty committed to the ReAction line.  So, I hope that partnership will not only continue, but also bring us weird foreign repaints that are exclusive to the retailer.

I have no real prognosis on the future collectability of these figures.  I never thought the Toys R Us repaint figures would be anything more than late line oddities.  But, now, some of them command substantial premiums.  And, it's pretty likely that these Super7 figures will have similar or lower production runs.  So, in time, they'll disappear.  It's just a question of whether collectors disappear at a faster rate.  If they do, it won't matter.  But, if they don't, there might be some future interest in these figures.  For me, my interest in these will be as a supplement to my collection.  I'm not going all in on them as they still aren't a close enough integration with classic Joes for me to do so.  But, you can be sure I'll pick up some characters who appear in unique paint jobs or have never been otherwise released in ARAH Joe form.  

Rarities - 1986 Promotion Image (Pre-Production Figures)

Every year, Hasbro would go to the New York Toy Fair.  Here, they would showcase a catalog of their upcoming year's worth of toys.  As the Fair was early in the year, the catalog would often feature early designs and pre-production figures from various toy lines.  Below is not the 1986 catalog.  I'm not actually unsure of the origin of this image.  But, it's not from the official Toy Fair catalog.  But, in this promotional image, you can see several pre-production figures from the 1986 line.  The 1985 figures are all production level.  But, there are lots of 1986 goodies to explore.

The most interesting thing, of course, is that Mainframe still includes the little stands that were meant for his computer.  The holes into which these would have been inserted did manage to survive on Mainframe's production computer.  But, the stand was never released.  It is likely this was done to save cost as the stand didn't really add any additional play value.  But, the artifacts of it's early existence are proved out by its appearance in this photo.

Most people viewing this will likely focus on the BAT that is in the front and center of the presentation.  You'll notice that it has a different chest hologram as well as a different head.  This head appears squatter and fatter than the sleek head on the production figure.  I think the production figure looks better.  But, your mileage may vary.

Hawk also features an additional paint application on his helmet.  The goggles are painted black.  It's a very nice additional detail.  And, while it would have been great to see it at retail, it's also not enough of a change to really notice it's missing.

Several of the figures feature alternate heads.  The BAT and Dial Tone's heads are the most jarringly different from their production counterparts.  There are also lots of subtle paint differences, too.  Some of these figures might have been hand painted samples.  The awkward posing on the 1986 figures suggests that they were not production level at the time the photo was taken.  

You'll notice that Iceberg, Leatherneck, Low-Light, Monkeywrench, Zandar, Zarana and Roadblock are all missing from this display.  I'm not sure why.  I can see Zandar and Zarana being later releases while they finished up the color changing.  (Zarana is noted in some material as featuring a color changing "mohawk" which never came to be.)  All of these figures, though, do appear in  the official Toy Fair catalog for 1986...with a few pre-production oddities of their own.  By the time of the Toy Fair catalog, though, all of the pre-production figures from this photo (except the BAT)  had been replaced with production figures: even while the missing figures remained pre-production in that later photo

Stormshadow was also carried over into 1986.  This makes sense for one of the most popular G.I. Joe figures ever released.  There was a time when I was hell-bent on finding a grey Stormshadow filecard that would denote his 1986 release.  I can't recall if I ever succeeded in doing so or not.  But, check out that 6109 assortment that included Stormshadow.  You got Stormshadow, the 1985 Snake Eyes, Crimson Guard, Flint and the BAT in one case.  By Toy Fair, though, the assortment was modified to drop the Crimson Guard, but add the Eel, Low Light and Leatherneck.  That would have been a dream assortment to find hanging on the shelf at your local stores.

These old catalogs are a treasure trove of early designs and pre-production kitbashes.  In later years, Hasbro got better at including more production level figures in their materials.  At least until 1993 and 1994.  But, we'll talk about those at a later time.

2022 Blue and Red BAT - Black Major

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1986 Bat

In the spring of 1986, I was looking at new figures in the toy aisle at a local Target store.  There were two other kids there.  One of them mentioned how cool the BAT was.  The other kid was in awe as he had never seen one aside from the cardback and marveled that the first kid had one.  I simply couldn't fathom this conversation.  1986 was full of awesome figures.  And, the BAT was not one of them.  In fact, I had relegated the BAT to my younger brother as I thought it was a terrible figure and awful character.  But, here were these kids, my contemporaries, loving the BAT and thunderstruck at how cool the design was.  Fast forward 13 years and I was again flabbergasted to find the huge amount of collectors who simply loved the BAT.  It was something I could not comprehend...especially as these same people wrote angry rants about "brightly colored" figures and Eco Warriors as a concept.  It made me realize that many Joe collectors can't see beyond their childhood conceptions.  (Star Wars fans proved this in 1999, too.)  And, it also showed that maybe I was a vast minority in thinking the BAT was just terrible.

Bats are a cop-out.  There is no other reason for them to exist besides being cheap, exploitative fare that the Joes could wantonly destroy in the original cartoon.  There was no death in the cartoon and BATS made for a convenient way in which war could be sanitized.  No messy human trauma needed to be dealt with.  Instead, a bunch of lame looking robots could be blown up with laser guns while a bunch of colorfully dressed super hero tropes ran around screaming a pathetic catch phrase.  As you might be able to tell, I'm not a big fan of Bats.  I was not a fan of them in 1986.  And, I remain cool to the original figure's intentions and design.  I am more accepting of the sleeker 1991 BAT sculpt.  But, I still struggle with a character who was designed simply to be cheap cannon fodder.

It is the Bat design, though, that features the most intricate look at what the figure should have been.  Originally, the Bats were designed as cyborgs.  You can see this in their humanoid form, the fact they wear clothes and, if you look closely at the card artwork, it appears their flesh elbows were among the last elements to be edited out of their final design.  Cyborgs have issues, too.  But, at least you are still fighting something that's partially human.  Mindless automatons aren't all that much fun because they do one thing.  Once you figure out their programming, they are easily defeated.  People are much more complex and act unpredictably under stress.  As such, you can develop far more complex stories around human interactions than you can around a bunch of robots walking on a battlefield.

I also struggle with collector love of the Bats while they also dismiss bright colors from the 1990's.  The Bats are bright yellow.  For some reason, though, this is forgivable.  To me, this figure's coloring is equally ostentatious to that of the 1991 Bat.  But, few will agree with that assessment.  The Bat gets a pass.  And, that freedom is entirely derived from the Bat's early release year.  Had this character debuted in 1991, no one would care about him.  And, I find it difficult to simply let blind nostalgia dictate my tastes.  You can like something because you loved it as a kid.  But, you also need to be honest in your adult assessment of that release and realize that the 1986 Bat is closer to Star Brigade than it is the Original 13.

For me, the entirety of the Bat's usefulness was summed up in one throw away sentence on their filecard.  Bats tend to burst into flames when hit from behind.  So, Bats were quickly beaten by one person getting behind them and then just shooting them in the back.  As a kid, I'd even have Sgt. Slaughter get behind them and turn them into fireballs by hitting them with his "swagger stick".  They were laughable and useless enemies.  Their inability to think made them more of a liability than an asset and their most valuable usage was to cover a Cobra retreat and slow down the Joes in their pursuit back to Cobra's hideout.

As a kid, my entire play pattern was designed around interpersonal interactions.  The Joes had to outsmart the Cobras and vice-versa.  Battles had objectives and fighting did not occur without a purpose and an end game.  Wanton destruction was rarely useful.  A bunch of unthinking robots could cause carnage.  But, that carnage was boring unless the Joes were overwhelmed and had to devise a complex solution to escape.  But, that didn't often play out.  Bats were useless in small, commando type engagements.  And, in a base attack setting, Bats just got in the way of more capable Cobra Troopers and Vipers who were better trained and more focused on the results of the battle.  A robot didn't care if it destroyed the computer banks full of the Joes' secrets.  Vipers did and realized they would pay a worse price for demolishing an objective than if they just failed to achieve it.  

Between 1983 and 1985, the Joe line took massive leaps forward in terms of design and execution each year.  Aside from swivel arm battle grip in 1983, the individual figures introduced new colors and more complex accessories to the line.  1984 went further.  The figures were bulkier, featured even more enhanced sculpting and introduced vibrant colors that surpassed even the 1983 releases.  The 1984 accessories were taken to another level as now had air masks, swords, walkie talkies, binoculars and complex builds like both Scrap Iron's table and Stormshadow's backpack.  Animal companions joined the line.  The Baroness and Spirit brought hair that was a separate piece from the head.  And, Zartan with his color changing skin gave a new feature to action figures.  1985 went further, again.  Hasbro introduced a new, balled head that allowed for greater range of movement.  The static wires and hoses that were easily broken parts of earlier weapons were replaced with generic rubber hose.  Alpine, Shipwreck and the Crimson Twins included ropes.  And, Hasbro introduced the first cloth piece attached to Dusty's head.

All of this is important because, in 1986, that innovation really stopped.  The newest offering in 1986 was that Serpentor and Dr. Mindbender included cloth capes...something Kenner had done since 1983.  While the 1986 line is strong, it didn't feature that leap forward like the prior three years had seen.  You can make a case that the BAT is the most innovative figure of the year.  While his backpack is intricate, it's a relative of what was done with Stormshadow and Snake Eyes from prior years.  The lenticular sticker was also new.  But, it wasn't something we saw often, again.  A couple of accessories featured it in 1988 and then the 1991 BAT had one.  That's about it.  The removable lower arm with interchangeable pieces is probably the most innovative change for the entire year.  It was neat and worked for a robot.  But, again, we only saw this on robot figures going forward.  (Can you imagine the frustration if every Joe released from 1986 onward had removable hands?  There'd be no complete figures in the wild today and replacement hands would be big business.)  Nothing else from 1986 really stood out, though, as something new.    

After 1986, the Joe line was stagnant for a long time.  There were individual innovations in figure and accessory design.  And, we did see changes in the amounts and quality of gear included with each figure.  But, it wasn't until spring loaded accessories debuted in 1991 that there was another fundamental shift in the line.  I'd argue that the spring loaded gear was the last innovation that moved the line forward.  As, things like weapon trees and repaints were heavily cost saving measures instead of ways to make better toys.  One key element of the Joe line is that a figure from 1985 is pretty much indistinguishable from one made in 1994.  The construction and parts were the same.  There was some improvements in individual sculpting.  But, starting in 1986, the Joe line didn't push itself to introduce anything really new.  You can effectively argue that the line was, pretty much, perfect and didn't need improvement.  And, the fact it lasted 8 more years is testament to that.

The BAT saw three uses, all of which are pretty similar.  The Hasbro release has two distinctive colors of yellow for the figure's highlights.  One is more yellow.  The other is more orange.  They seem to exist in about similar quantities.  Once Hasbro was done with the mold, it went to Brazil where Estrela released the Roboid figure.  Again, this paint job is similar to the Hasbro release.  The final use of the mold was in India where Funskool released a Bat for a short time in the mid 1990's.  This figure features very bright yellow as well as a different sticker.  Hasbro got the mold back when they recalled key pieces for the 1997 Joe releases.  However, the Bat mold had some damage and only the legs appeared again when they became the de facto parts used for 1997 and later Vipers.  The head was resculpted in 2008 and released in a Convention set.  Collectors lamented the lack of 1986 Bat repaints for many years.  Black Major released some Bats in the 2010's.  They don't exist in the same numbers as his early Cobra Troopers.  But, he did hit some of the key colors.  Red Laser released repainted 1986 Bats until 2018.  Black Major created a new Bat mold in 2022 and will be releasing a panoply of colors that are sure to sate some Bat demand.

So, BAT pricing is dumb.  It's not as dumb as it was in middle 2021 when mint and complete BATs were routinely selling for $110 or more each.  But, you'll pay $70 to $80 for a mint and complete BAT these days.  Fortunately, Black Major is revisiting the BAT in 2022 and there will be many flavors of BATs available for cheaper prices.  And, you can be sure that Hasbro isn't going to miss a chance to get a vintage style BAT out in whatever ARAH anniversary line they put together.  I hated Bats when they were $15 each.  And, I don't really care for them at 5 times that price, either.  But, I know that I am about the only collector who doesn't like them.  So, I accept that and realize that others will enjoy the character greatly.  And, despite my personal desires, I could only encourage Hasbro to release more and more BATs as the demand for well done originals will likely never be sated.

2003 BAT - Around The Web

In 2003, the BAT Mail Away pack was highly anticipated.  But, the actual result landed with a quiet thud.  Retailers didn't have faith in Joe fans wanting cheap army builders.  And, they were proved right as Hasbro ended up dumping excess BAT packs for pennies on the dollars to closeout stores.  18 years later, though, this pack holds up pretty well.  The 2003 BAT is a very solid army builder.  And, as more collectors have realized the value of the 1991 BAT sculpt, they have come around on the 2003 repaints, too.  Sadly, much of the material written about the BAT Pack back in 2003 is lost to time.  There's a few old gems in here, though.  So, enjoy the best of the 2003 Battle Android Trooper from around the web.

2003 BAT Profile

2003 BAT Pre Production Figures

2003 BAT by Scarrviper

2003 BAT by thedustinmccoy

2003 BAT at GeneralsJoesReborn

2003 BAT at JoeADay.com

2003 BAT by Lava Boss

2003 BAT by Nekoman

2003 BAT by pinoyronin

2003 BAT by Lava Boss

2003 BAT by yotothejoe

2008 Headhunter BAT - Around The Web

The 2008 convention set is one that promised a lot but delivered a little.  The Headhunter Stormtroopers were pretty bad.  The Headhunters were weird colors.  And, the BATs had some issues.  For many years afterwards, all of these figures were cheap.  You could get BATs for about original cost for quite a while.  Now, though, some of the stink of the set has dissolved and you see figures from it commanding a premium, again.  This Headhunter BAT has nice colors, perfect gear and matches up quite well with just about any faction you desire.  There's not a ton of content on him out there.  But, here's what I could find.

2008 Headhunter BAT Profile

2008 Convention Set Review at GeneralsJoesReborn

Headhunter BAT at Action-Force.dk

2008 Convention Set Review at Basement Toys

Headhunter BAT At Hisstank.com

2008 Headhunter BAT by the.faceless.master

Rarities - 2003 BAT Pack Pre Production Figures

In 2003, Hasbro released a BAT army builder pack.  It was cool and imperfect and lame all at the same time.  Due to the oddities of 1/2 the figures in the set, it didn't sell very well and Hasbro nixed all future "mail away" army building 6 packs and shuffled them off as Toys R Us exclusives instead.  Below is a set of pre-production BATs (and Overkill).  They are pretty much identical to what we got in production.

You will notice a few very slight differences between these pre-production figures and the production releases.  The most notable is on the BAT.  The production figure had far more yellow.  These muted colors are less in line with the 1986 figure to which the 2003 color scheme was meant as an homage.  But, I also kind of like this one better since it has more metallic colors and looks more like a robot.  Still, had these figures been released this way, it's doubtful I'd have bought any more or any less of the set.  But, this is an insight into how products change slightly before they finally get released.

2003 Overkill

In the early 2000's, collectors wanted army builders.  Hasbro, to an extent, understood this.  While the JvC line had offered a nice run of army building figure, the vintage repaints that were interspersed in the waves left collectors wanting.  Sure, we'd seen Vipers and Alley Vipers.  But, the colors weren't great, they lacked decent gear and they were packaged with Joe figures that raised the price.  (Though it also made the army builders much easier to find.)  In early 2003, Hasbro finally seemed to get it and they took chance on the first real online exclusive in the Joe line's history: the BAT Pack.  For $15, collectors got 5 army building figures and one character.  You can be sure that single character caused more consternation than the 3 black BATs caused joy.  Such was the way of the collecting world at the time.  But, the Overkill figure was a welcome repaint that showcased a mold that was, in 2003, foreign to most collectors.

The BAT pack was a failure.  And, this Overkill is a big part of the reason why.  Had he been colored in more traditional BAT colors, it's very likely that collectors would have warmed to him.  But, in the early 2000's, collectors didn't tend to like molds from the 1990's.  And, they certainly didn't want to see anything that dared to take a chance in terms of color.  Overkill's third strike is that he was a character included in an army building set.  In short, there was simply no way collectors would like him.  And, most didn't even give the figure a chance.  But, did he deserve this fate?

In 2020, it's easy to look back at an obscure mold colored in bright blues with a red head a neon green torso as a fun bit of kitsche.  In 2003, when collectors were "super duper serious!!!!", this was an abomination that was written off as Hasbro not getting us.  But, both things can be true.  Hasbro was still trying some fun and offbeat ways to be creative.  And, collectors punished them for it.  At the same time, Hasbro simply didn't listen to collectors at all.  Had they done so, this Overkill might have been less ostentatiously colored and would have better fit with the BATs.  Had the Inferno BATs been the only oddball offering in the BAT pack, it might have fared a little better.  But, that's all ancient history at this point.  And, this Overkill stands as one of the few brightly colored figures from the 2000's.

Overkill included his original complement of accessories.  The only missing piece is the huge talking backpack that was the gimmick for the original release.  The pack is a giant burden that limits the figure.  So, it's absence isn't an issue.  (Though, the pack did have a place for Overkill to store his extra hand attachment.)  Overkill has a blue hand, a black rifle of some sort and a black claw attachment.  The black color is nice and is actually a better fit for the 1992 figure.  But, the design of the weapons is just as bizarre as the design of the figure.  So, it fits.  But, it's also somewhat out of place in the entire Joe line.

Overkill does have a hidden feature.  Inside his chest are a set of .50 caliber machine guns.  (According to his filecard.)  Prior to 2003, the presence of these guns was known to a small percentage of Joe fans.  Overkill was just so obscure and his 1992 release so far outside the "acceptable" window of collecting that most collectors had no exposure to him.  This 2003 version was good in that it showcased the design of this figure to a new generation of collectors.  For a time, vintage Overkill figures were somewhat sought after.  But, that quickly died out as the ire directed at the 2003 release boiled over and the character fell into ill-repute as Hasbro began to recycle him into the JvC line while other fan favorites were ignored.

I've told the story of the BAT packs before.  Hasbro wanted to sell 10,000 of them.  And, that was the likely production number.  But, online dealers simply weren't large enough to handle that many.  And, those who went all in were left with unsold BAT packs for years.  Hasbro liquidated their overstock to Amazon (who was the distribution arm for ToysRUs.com at the time).  And, eventually, to liquidation brick and mortar stores.  (Tuesday Morning stores carried leftover BAT packs for like $6 for a while.)  Being the only single figure in the pack, though, means that Overkill is actually quite scarce.  If there are only 10,000 of him (any other figure would be lower) then only convention figures and the infamous 2002 Wave V have lower production runs.  But, since nobody cares about this figure, his availability isn't an issue: even 17 years later.

These days, mint and complete Overkills will run you between $5 and $10 depending upon how long you want to wait to get one.  The figure was the least desired of the pack and army builders of the era (who often had 10 or more total sets) usually sold or traded away extra Overkills just to clear out space.  Overstock figures were available from Asia for a long time, often in large lots.  And, they hung around forever since no one wanted them.  For the price then and, even, the price now, though, this is a fun figure.  Overkill isn't overly represented in the collecting community and he's rarely seen in photos or displays.  This version is not really any better or worse than the original release.  So, it's a nice supplement to the Talking Battle Commanders figure.

2003 Inferno BAT - Around the Web

The 2003 BAT Pack was released with great fanfare.  But, the set landed with a thud at retail, though.  Collectors bought a lot.  But, there weren't enough collectors to absorb the stock.  There were some massive armies out there for a while, though.  The Inferno BAT was an afterthought to the standard BATs in the set.  But, years later, the figure has some cachet and can be fun to own.  I don't need too many of them.  Having a handful makes for a useful army.  Here's the best of the Inferno BAT from around the web.

Inferno BAT Profile

Inferno Bat by Ironman3719

Inferno BAT at JoeBattleLines.com

Inferno BAT at JoeADay.com

Inferno BAT at Half the Battle

Inferno BAT makes the Halloween List at Castle Geek Skull

Inferno BAT at GeneralsJoes.com

2017 Muton - Red Laser's Army Custom Figure

In 1986, G.I. Joe introduced robotics to its pantheon of technological advances.  Both Joe and Cobra had skirted the edge of robotics with things like the Pac Rats and SNAKE Armor.  But, the introduction of the Battle Android Trooper brought full scale robots into the Joe universe.  I still largely believe that BATs were mainly designed as a way to have Joe destroy bad guys in the cartoon without actually killing anyone.  But, the line was crossed and full scale humanoids were now permanently ensconced on the G.I. Joe mythos.  Oddly, though, a few years earlier, the European based Action Force realm was introduced to near indestructible robots.  While they looked like 19th century era deep sea divers (they were a repaint of a deep sea diver figure), the Muton were the pre-cursors to BATs in many ways.  Since Cobra had the BATs, there really was no cry for the Muton to be incorporated into the Joe world in the same way there had been for bad guys like the Red Shadows, Baron Ironblood and the Black Major.  The Action Force Muton figure remained cheap and available and largely forgotten.  In 2017, though, Red Laser's Army produced and all red repaint of the BAT with a Red Shadows skull logo.  The figure became Muton in most people's eyes and has become one of the more popular repaints of the factory custom BAT mold.

One area where Joe never really ventured was the notion of sentient robots.  Joe had characters cloned from the DNA of long dead historical figures, monsters, zombies and space aliens.  But, the closest they came to artificial intelligence was the various enhancements that (mostly Cobra!) characters underwent to enhance their natural abilities.  There was no super smart, independent robot that was a villain on his own.  (Overkill comes close.  But, he was never really utilized.)  So, at first, this was the road I explored for the Muton figure and character.  Maybe he was a BAT that was retrofitted with better technology that gave artificial intelligence.  Maybe he was the computer cloned brain of a mad genius.  Or, maybe he was just a robot that was given the appearance of super intelligence.  None of the ideas really resonated with me.  Each seemed to cling to too many cliches.

I did, though, want to tie Muton to Red Laser.  Most collectors see Red Laser as a leader type figure since he uses the Cobra Commander body.  However, Red Laser is actually a Japanese technological genius who built his Laser Exterminator.  The fact that he would have a robot near him fits with his character.  It also gives Mutor a more relevant origin to his presence in the Red Shadows.  I see Muton as Red Laser's creation.  He started as an experiment in artificial intelligence.  But, grew into an exercise in humanoid robotics.  Red Laser found use for a robot that could move around heavy machinery and perform delicate, technological tasks without needing rest.  In time, that robot was upgraded to also protect Red Laser.  He was outfitted with armaments and greater memory.  Muton became an ever-present sight at Red Laser's side.  This allowed Red Laser access to the inner workings of the Red Shadows and kept him in contact with men like the Red Jackal (Destro) as the Red Shadows disbanded.  The criminal contacts of Red Laser were ruthless men who had the desire and the will to kidnap him and steal his ideas.  With Muton, Red Laser was safe from these plots and the evil-doers had to deal with Red Laser as an equal.

But, as this would have occurred in the early 1980's, Muton was limited.  Red Laser was able to create some programmatic intelligence for Muton.  But, Muton could only learn from his direct environment and encounters.  Muton could have information loaded into his memory and use that to help him learn from his environment.  But, as the internet as we know it didn't exist, Muton didn't have an unending repository of information from which he could draw insights or knowledge to apply to a situation.  All of this means that Muton is actually very limited.  He has the appearance of intelligence.  And, that is very intimidating.  But, his actual abilities are limited to recognizing threats to Red Laser and being able to perform repair and maintenance tasks on machines where the schematics have been preloaded into his memory.  And, as the android was a scientist's pet project, Muton is subject to breakdown and will overheat if he exerts too much processing power.

To someone like Destro, though, the technology was very enticing.  Destro had the facilities to manufacture the androids, bringing down costs and increasing the quality and durability of the machines.  Destro also realized that the intelligence aspect, of which Red Laser was so proud, was the least valuable part of the package.  The androids could just be programmed with some basic combat functions and they would then take the place of cannon fodder troops.  They would be fearless soldiers and would be programmed to repair themselves from spare parts of destroyed robots from the field.  In short, they were repeatable assets that were much cheaper and more effective than humans.  Now, he just had to get the technology and find a buyer.

Of course, this lead to Red Laser's downfall.  Red Laser wanted to build more intelligent robots.  And, he refused to give Destro access to his technology...going so far as to destroy all of his research and documentation: except for a copy hidden inside of Muton's memory.  Red Laser, though, underestimated Destro.  Destro lured him to dinner at his castle.  Here, he poisoned Red Laser's food.  Destro correctly surmised that Red Laser had not programmed Muton to deal with passive threats.  And, as the young genius lay dying, Muton overheated with indecision as it was unable to comprehend what was killing his master.  Destro was able to get the disabled robot disassembled before it could restore itself.  From there, Destro extracted the plans and began the groundwork for what would become the BATs just a few years later.

Despite this figure's popularity, it is still available for its $12 retail price.  I find the figure to be worth the price.  Aftermarket BATs behave oddly once they sell out.  Some sell for outrageous premiums over their original price.  Others, sell for 1/2 their original price.  Usually, the quality of the color scheme determines which route a figure will take.  But, there are a ton of BAT variants out there.  (I've documented 34 without really digging into all the variants of logos and nuanced colors.)  So, Muton could double on the aftermarket, once he sells out.  Or, he might stay around or slightly below the current pricing.  There are many collectors who army build this configuration.  And, many more who have bought him even though they skipped most of the other BATs.  So, the figure has some popularity.  As always, the time to buy is now.  Most factory customs either stay around retail pricing or see aftermarket increases.  So, buying at retail is the best hedge.  You'll lose on a couple, maintain on many, and win on a few more than you lose on.  So, I try to buy now and move on.  With the volume of figures that were released in 2017 and the mass coming in 2018, it's easier to stay current than it is to catch up.

1991 BAT - Around the Web

The 1991 BAT was a modernized version of the 1986 classic.  It is sleeker and more humanoid than the original.  But, the neon green and orange are a definite downgrade.  The 2003 repaint showed the mold's potential.  But, this brightly colored 1991 release has its charms.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

1991 BAT Profile

1991 BAT Dio

1991 BAT at realheroamericano

1991 BAT at 3DJoes.com

BATs by Ironman3719

1991 BAT By fun_time_at_serpentorslair

Diorama - The Trojan BAT

Hot Seat picks up the latest supply crate and enlists Fast Draw and Dodger to unload it.

But, the crate comes to life as a hidden BAT explodes from the box.

Hot Seat is quickly taken out.

Fast Draw fails as the BAT moves on to Dodger.

Mutt hears the commotion and arrives just in time.

The BAT is dispatched.

Diorama - Bat Factory

There was a time when I bought a lot of new sculpt figures.  They were cheap and plentiful and were a way to buy something at retail.  The Joe world was a lot of fun in 2002 and 2003 as the community was especially vibrant.  2004 started a downturn, though.  These photos were taken in 2004 when the single pack figures started showing up at local CVS stores.  By the end of 2004, I had abandoned collecting anything other than vintage style Joes as Hasbro made collectors jump through too many hoops to get the figure they wanted.

Ultimately, sold my entire new sculpt collection to fund the purchase of some bootleg Cobra Troopers.  I don't regret that decision at all.

You will notice the unpainted Neo Viper pre-production piece below.  At the time, it was cheaper to get figures like this than it was to buy retail figures.  How times have changed on that front.