1985 Bazooka - Around The Web

This weekend is Easter weekend.  For Easter in 1985, my younger brother found Bazooka in his basket.  He found his basket first.  So, I just assumed that I was going to have a Joe as part of my holiday haul.  I was desperately hoping for Flint.  But, when I found my basket, there was no Joe figure in it at all.  I have no recollection of what I did get.  But, it wasn't a Joe and that's all that I remember.  It's been 39 years and I'm still butthurt over it.  I need therapy.

I'm also known for posing Bazooka with his launcher backwards.  I never liked the idea of the rocket sticking out of the front.  I pose Footloose with his launcher the proper way.  But, it's a different mold.  Like Buzzer's saw, though, I find Bazooka's weapon posing to be a relic of my childhood.  So, it's unlikely to ever change.  None of the photos below feature him holding his weapon.  But, my older photos do showcase my preferred way of him holding his weapon.

It seems that hashtags are now extremely limited.  Which makes it hard (impossible, really) to search out old photos on everyone's favorite photo site.  It makes the site far less usable.  But, it's also indicative of the "fire and forget" mentality of social media.  In my searches, though, I found that several of my personal favorite photographers seldom use Bazooka.  It's likely because he's just so out of place in 1985.  And, it's really hard to make him look cool.  But, I found a bit of content using him.  There is, of course, a lot more.  It's just really hard to find.  So, take a look at Bazooka while I go and eat way too much chocolate in a desperate bid to overcome my sadness of not getting a G.I. Joe figure for Easter when I was 11.

1985 Bazooka Profile

1985 Bazooka by thedustinmccoy

1985 Bazooka at JoeADay.com

1985 Bazooka Unknown White Numbers Figures

Brazilian Bazooka - Rarities

1985 Bazooka by dreadnokdread

1985 Bazooka by steelbrigade

1985 Bazooka by sammyscollectibletoyhall

1985 Bazooka by theatticagazette

1985 Bazooka by ankolsamtoys

1985 Bazooka by thedustinmccoy

1988 Tiger Force Bazooka - Around the Web

Bazooka sucks.  He's a boring figure and an even more boring character.  I've never been a huge fan of the figure.  I'll argue the Tiger Force version is a better figure than the 1985 original, though.  And, the green of his backpack is a deep, rich color that doesn't appear anywhere else in the line.  In the end, though, the most interesting thing about him is that I've always had him hold his weapon backwards.  And, he looks silly with it being held any other way.  There's some strong content on the figure that's out there.  So, check them all out.

Tiger Force Bazooka Profile

Tiger Force Bazooka by dashiellrfairborn

Tiger Force Bazooka by atwooddan

Tiger Force Bazooka by gen_liederkranz

Tiger Force Bazooka at JoeADay.com

Tiger Force Bazooka by relena_warcraft

Tiger Force Bazooka by yojoe_collector

Tiger Force Bazooka by Hit and Run

Tiger Force Bazooka by thedustinmccoy

Tiger Force Bazooka by atticagazette

Tiger Force Bazooka by thedustinmccoy

Rarities - Estrela Homem Bala (Bazooka) - Brazil

Brazil released nearly 140 figures in their line.  While the Brazilian exclusive figures get most of the attention from collectors, the vast majority of the Estrela line is actually figures that are based on the Hasbro paint jobs.  But, each of them has slight variances.  The plastic tends to be far harder and more brittle.  (Broken thumbs and crotches are hallmarks of Brazilian figures.)  But, the colors also tend to be different from the Hasbro releases.  Below is the Brazilian release of Bazooka where you can see some of these subtle differences.

This figure is not named Bazooka.  Instead, he is the Homem Bala.  This loosely translates as "Bullet Man".  But, in the end, he's the same guy wearing a red shirt with a number on it.  He has the same gear as the Hasbro figure.  But, if you like the Bazooka character, there's just enough difference on this version to be worthwhile.  And, the green is a great blend with other Brazilian figures so he really fits in with his cohorts.

The biggest difference between this figure and the Hasbro Bazooka is the green color of the pants and accessories.  Estrela used a deeper, richer green for their figures.  And, Homem Bala features this color on his pants and also his helmet and backpack.  The figure has also had all the COO information removed from it.  Like many other figures, the differences between this Brazilian release and the Hasbro release are small.  And, if you have one version of the character, the other doesn't bring anything other than subtle diversity to your collection.  But, I find those little things to be quite a bit of fun

Rarities - 1997 Short Fuze (Brown Pants & Alternate Accessory Colors)

We all know about the black skinned 1997 Rock and Roll variant.  But, the set that included the most famous variant in the repaint era also included several other variant figures and accessories.  These have not gotten the press of the race changing figure.  But, they are equally frustrating to find. Below you will see a Short Fuze figure with much darker (nearly brown) pants and his cream colored weapons.

The cream colored bazooka and pack are the most distinguishing features of the figure.  They are an easily recognizable tip to help identify this figure.  You see that the entire pack is painted.  But, just on the front.  It seems very much like these weapons were meant for a paint application that was just removed to save cost by casting the gear in the proper green color.

The figure itself is definitely darker than the production release.  It was noted that there is a Breaker variant in the black Rock and Roll sets.  This Short Fuze adds another.  It's likely that many of the figures feature some type of production change just due to the continuous quality changes that the 1997 line underwent as it was rushed to retail.  

As variants go, the bazooka is interesting.  But, the figure is pretty banal.  But, it's also the type of thing that few people know about and you can track down just by perusing various Short Fuze figures that might be available.  But, if it exists in similar numbers to the Rock and Roll, that could still take quite a while.

Rarities - Unknown White Numbers Bazooka

A few months ago, H5*0's Vintage Toys posted a question about a 1985 Bazooka figure that was missing paint applications on the number 14 that adorns his chest.  My initial thought was that it was simply a missing paint application.  But, within 2 days, another 4 or 5 samples of the figure had been produced.  With that type of distribution, it's likely that the figure is, indeed a legitimate variant of the 1985 Bazooka.  I doubt that the missed paint app was intentional.  But, it's possible that a bad batch was needed to fulfill an order and was green lighted for release.

But, where did it come from?  The initial guess is that the figure was a catalog or mailaway that was available bagged.  This is entirely possible.  But, we do know that correct Bazooka figures were bagged, too.  So, if this is the origin of the figure, then it would be a smaller subset of the bagged figures.

As variants go, this isn't overly exciting.  But, at the same time, it is extremely noticeable.  So, the figure missing these paint apps would catch your eye since the blue makes for such a large portion of Bazooka's overall appearance.

The variant figure doesn't have any different COO or date stamps than a standard Bazooka.  So, it was not a release from later in the line.  

If you have any information on the origin of this figure, or just have a sample, please let me know.  I'd love to learn more and determine if this is just a bad production batch or can be traced to a specific release.

This is one of the odder items I've come across.  And, you'd think that variants like this would be better documented.  Hopefully, the full story of this figure will come to light.  There's lots of pushback that the figure is custom where someone removed the paint.  That, of course, is possible.  But, the fact that so many showed up so quickly from various parts of the country and that none of the customizers bothered to remove the paint from the figure's armbands makes that explanation less likely.

1993 Bazooka - Around The Web

1993 brought many classic characters back to retail.  Not all were great.  But, some were.  Bazooka falls somewhere in the middle.  This design is pretty well done.  The colors aren't great.  But, they have potential.  Overall, this figure can be Bazooka or it can be forgotten.  And, Bazooka seems to have fallen into the hole of figures in the line that collectors ignore.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

1993 Bazooka Profile

1993 Bazooka by Slipstream80

1993 Bazooka at JoeADay.com

1993 Bazooka by gi_joeisthere

1993 Bazooka by vulcan

1993 Bazooka by jogunwarrior

1993 Bazooka by gi_joeisthere

1993 Bazooka by tituslester32

Action Force Enemy Battle Gear

A while back, DragonFortress wrote a great blog post about weapon trees.  While some consider them the scourge of 1993 and 1994, they had a certain charm to them and did allow for figures of the time to include a much larger array of accessories.  In the comments from the article, it was brought up that the first appearance of weapon trees was actually in the European Action Force line.  Palitoy took the idea of Battle Gear and applied it to their toy offerings.  Rather than pack a bubble full of loose accessories, though, Palitoy dropped a few of their weapons onto trees, too.  The presentation of the toy was similar to the way Hasbro approached their weapons supplements.  But, Palitoy offered a far more diverse range of offerings by branding smaller sets of battle gear with the sub set of figures with which the gear was meant to be paired.  While there were several sets of Battle Gear released around 1983/1984, I wanted to look at the Red Shadows set and its connections to both Joe and Star Wars.

At its core, this Enemy Battle Gear set includes just 7 pieces.  I'm not sure of the retail pricing in relation to single carded figures from the same series.  But, each set included far less gear than an American Battle Gear pack.  The pieces, though, are all excellent.  They include a small, clear figure stand, two weapons that were exclusive to Palitoy releases, a Palitoy backpack and two repainted accessories from the 1982 Joe line.  The set is Action Force in a microcosm and perfectly showcases the various inspirations for the Action Force line, its evolution into the European G.I. Joe line and the unique European-ess of the original pieces.

The Red Shadows were the main antagonist in the Action Force mythos.  They have been heavily co-opted into the G.I. Joe story at this point and some of their early European roots have been lost.  While most consider them a pre-cursor or European branch of Cobra, the Red Shadows were designed as a stand alone villain in the same veins as both the aforementioned Cobra as well as the Galactic Empire from Star Wars.  In short, they were a cross over of Nazi era extremism, uniformity and discipline while being just enough super villain to not run afoul of the still festering wounds left on the European continent by World War II.

We'll begin with the two G.I. Joe repaint weapons included in the set.  The first is a black Zap bazooka.  This thick handled version is a thumb breaker for G.I. Joe figures.  But, for the softer plastic hands of Palitoy Action Force figures, this was less of an issue.  The black color is unique to Palitoy releases and was included with the standard Red Shadow army building figure.  Red Shadows were ubiquitous for years.  But, the retconning of Red Shadows into G.I. Joe has driven interest and the Red Shadow figures are now more expensive and harder to find.  Most collectors can identify the black bazooka as a Palitoy release and will charge for it accordingly.  It's not a rare accessory by any means.  But, you'll pay a premium for it relative to its availability.

Rounding out the Hasbro molds is a red version of Short Fuse's mortar and stand.  You will note the mortar is the half-handle version with the thick handle.  This helps identify the timeline of the weapon's release.  I'm not aware of this red mortar being released with any Action Force figure at retail and believe it exclusive to this set.  This makes it much harder to find than the black bazooka.  But, as the red is a vibrant and bright color, there is less desirability here.  The black bazooka looks good with a host of Cobra and Joe figures.  The red mortar is less useful.  But, it still helps to make the weapon more Cobra and take away some of the association with Short Fuse and his signature weapon.

We then move to the red backpack.  Palitoy Action Force figures were based on Kenner's vintage Star Wars line.  They had five points of articulation and softer plastic hands.  Palitoy's designers took more risks with the figure posing and many of the figures had arm and hand positions that were designed for a specific accessory.  In addition to borrowing the Kenner figure design, Action Force also borrowed their design for backpacks.  After the Empire Strikes Back was released, Kenner introduced a mail away offer that included some new, soft plastic backpacks that affixed to figures via flexible plastic bands that closed and attached to the figures by plugging soft knobs into holes on the pack arms.  The same design is seen here with the included bright red backpack.  The pack seems to be an infantry pack with fun detail, but little specific purpose.  (There are other packs in the Action Force line, such as radios and diving gear that are purpose driven.)  The pack will fit on Action Force figures.  But, its use for Hasbro G.I. Joe figure is hit and miss.  This pack will not fit on either a 1983 Cobra Trooper nor any factory customs based on its mold.  It may fit on other figures from the 1982-1984 timeline.  But, the straps are tight and don't have much leeway.  Regardless, it's a fun piece of gear to help round out a diorama.  But, again, it's bright red.  This pack mold certainly appeared with other figures in the Action Force line, but I believe this color is exclusive to the Battle Gear set.

The final two weapons are included in the carded set attached to the weapons tree.  I do not know if this tree was used for all Action Force weapons of these molds.  Or, if this was a new mold created from the originals to quickly and cheaply add some additional gear to this set.  Either way, it includes two black rifles: a STEN gun and an SA-80.  These are noteworthy because they were definitively British weapons of the era.  So, while G.I. Joe focused on the American-ness of its weapons (the M-16, M-60, etc.), Action Force focused on its British roots for the unique gear.  The inclusion of these weapons help to round a Joe armory from the early '80's and provide some nice diversity for the modern collector.

The STEN gun is interesting.  The real weapons are cool and would be a visual treat for Joe figures.  The toy, though, doesn't translate that well.  The side clip is small.  And, the weapon feels like more of a pistol than a famous rifle.  It still looks good with a variety of figures: especially early Joes based on the 1982 sculpts.  But, it's something that I was disappointed with and definitely expected to be more fun than it actually was.  The black version of the weapon was included with at least one Action Force figure that I can find.  It also appeared in other colors in various sub sets of the Palitoy line.

The final weapon in this set is the doozy.  Not because it's any better than the others.  But, because of where else it was used.  The black SA-80 in this set was included with a few Action Force figures, but always in different colors.  I can't find another Action Force figure who has the black version.  (I don't know Action Force off the top of my head like I do Joes, though, so please correct me in the comments if I'm wrong.)  But, there are other colors accompanying carded figures, including a silver version that I think looks better.  But, this black SA-80 was also released with the super rare German YPS Hoth Stormtrooper figure.  Basically, this is a Kenner Snowtrooper (missing some country of origin info and including a specific skirt) that includes the SA-80 instead of the Kenner large blaster rifle.  This little detail makes all the difference.  What was a relatively common Action Force weapon is now highly sought after among Kenner Star Wars collectors.  This gun, alone, can command over $100 to Star Wars fans.

Pricing on this set is troublesome for this reason.  While the SA-80 is super desirable, that is a more recent development.  Many Joe collectors were able to snatch up the huge quantity of overstock carded Action Force figures and gear sets for super cheap prices over the years.  So cheap that many of the sets were opened and incorporated into either Red Shadow or Cobra armies.  Many Joe collectors are not aware of the Star Wars connection and will sell the set to other collectors, ignorant of the single gem inside.  You can still get carded sets in the $70 range.  But, again, finding the right collector might get you one for a fraction of that.  While the SA-80 is cool, it's not cool enough to warrant the price tag.  If you want the rest of the gear, you should be able to get it cheap since it lacks the desirability of the signature piece.  And, you can get better colored SA-80's for the same price as other Action Force gear and that allows you to have the mold in your collection without breaking the bank.

For me, I always love getting Joe gear in different colors.  The black bazooka is one of my favorite international repaints of a Hasbro weapon.  The Palitoy exclusive weapons are also excellent and work surprisingly well with Joe figures.  I have found many of these weapons to be a great accoutremout to the factory custom figures that use so many early 1983 parts as their inspiration.  The unique weapons help to separate these figures from many of their brethren that use similar construction.  (I also like the bazooka and mortar as a call back to the JC Penny three pack of Cobras that included the weapons.  But, the black and red are more Cobra than the weapons that accompanied the Penny's figures.)  There are many other weapons in the Action Force line that cross over to Joes as well.  Without the Star Wars connection, many are available for relatively cheap: especially if you buy a lot of junk Action Force figures.  You might get 15 figures with 5 accessories.  But, that can be worth it when you consider the price you are likely to pay.  I've found parts of this set in American collections, too.  So, keep an eye out when buying up collections that were amassed in the early 2000's as Action Force figures and weapons do appear in these from time to time.

Rarities - 1997 Stars and Stripes Rock and Roll Skin Color Variant

Originally, the 1997 series of figures was planned to include a repainted Breaker and a repainted 1983 Rock and Roll figure.  Handpainted samples were shown on the back of the Star and Stripes set.  But, the molds for those figures were "lost".  Hasbro resorted to some quick replacements and both characters were released in 1997 as repaints of the 1986 Roadblock body with different heads.  Somewhere along the way, though, there was a miscommunication.  Somehow, Rock and Roll was given black skin.  This may have been a holdover from the Roadblock color templates that were used.  But, a good amount of the mis-painted figures were packaged into Stars and Stripes sets and sold in Toys R Us stores across the country.

Today, this variant is rather tough to find and is worth a couple of hundred dollars.  But, in 1997, the figure was findable.  Anecdotally, collectors of the era estimated that about 1 in 30 Stars and Stripes sets had the variant.  As the production run for the set was believed to be around 30,000 sets, that would place 1,000 Rock and Roll variants into the collecting community.  Of course, that "back of the napkin" estimate could be wildly off.  But, the variant was quickly discovered by collectors of the time.  However, the figures weren't overly desirable and you could easily trade a spare 1997 Alley Viper straight up for one. 

The variant set that includes this Rock and Roll also contains a significant Breaker variant.  But, since it's just a color hue change, no one cares about it and it lacks the cachet and value of the Rock and Roll.  It was extremely rare for Hasbro to race change a figure mold in the US.  So, in the cases where it did occur (either intentionally or by accident) the resulting figures have found great collector interest.  You used to be able to find sealed Stars and Stripes sets with the variant figures in mislabeled online sales and could get deals.  But, it's been more than a decade since those dried up and this figure is now well known and accordingly priced in the community.  It's safe to say that almost all of the variants ended in collector hands due to the rapid identity and communication of the variant.  But, it's still one of the rarest and most significant retail variants in the history of the G.I. Joe line.

1988 Tiger Force Bazooka

1985 is a spectacular year of Joe figures.  But, every year has some characters or figures that simply don't resonate with the collecting community as much as others.  For 1985, Bazooka remains the least popular figure and character from his year.  (You might make a case that a vehicle driver like Crankcase or Frostbite are less popular than Bazooka.  But, Bazooka was a carded figure which gives him the edge.)  That isn't to say that Bazooka is unloved.  He definitely has his fans.  And, being the worst figure of 1985 is way better than being one of the best figures of 2005.  In 1988, Hasbro revisited Bazooka when they included him in the Tiger Force subset.  While this figure isn't perfect, it's also probably a better version of the character than his original incarnation.  

In trying to name all members of Tiger Force from memory, Bazooka is the most likely member I'd omit.  Skystriker would get recalled for rarity.  I'd definitely recall a few of the European members before Bazooka.  And, I'd even bring up the 2003 team members before getting to Bazooka.  This isn't because the figure is bad.  It's because Bazooka isn't a character that ever really resonated with me.  And, the Tiger Force look is so subdued that it's almost non-descript.  Other Tiger Force members feature ostentatious designs that seer into your mind.  Bazooka does not.  His mostly white shirt and and pre-dominantly green pants hide his Tiger Force affiliation more so than any other team member.  He features yellow stripes on his pants to give him away.  But, this entire ensemble looks as if Bazooka has home and away jerseys for when he fights Cobra.

It's the sports theme that really limits Bazooka, for me.  As a kid, the character didn't resonate much with me.  And, Bazooka was mostly limited to second seat duty in the Bridge Layer or Mauler.  Here, he could utilize his secondary specialty of tank operator and still come off the bench to blow up a Hiss Tank or two.  This was an extremely limited role.  And, as such, my childhood Bazooka found himself taken apart and his legs given to custom figures which had more potential uses.  Bazooka's legs were used on several of my favorite custom figures and it was only my acquisition of all new retail figures in 1986 that lead me to replace the original Bazooka with another version to be used as the intended character.

I quit buying Joe figures in 1988.  I did, though, pick up a Tiger Force Roadblock, just to get the Roadblock accessories that had been broken on my original figure for a few years.  I have no recollection of whether I saw Bazooka that day, or not.  I bought both the Roadblock and Hardball.  I remember thinking I'd like a Flint since my original Flint's shotgun had been lost several times and was currently MIA.  But, the thought of picking up a new Bazooka was never really entertained.  But, in the Tiger Force colors, Bazooka is actually more useful.  With the bright red jersey now gone, Bazooka's muted colors better disguise his sports theme.  He still has no straps on his shirt to denote any real way to wear his backpack.  But, the overall look of the Tiger Force Bazooka is definitely superior to the original version.  

Gearwise, Bazooka includes the same weapons as his original figure.  The backpack is in a darker green that was common in Tiger Force and is very similar to the green color commonly used on Brazilian accessories.  The deep, rich color is a nice difference from the lighter 1985 hue and gives the pack more depth.  The brown helmet is, again, a stark contrast to the 1985 helmet.  It also brings some additional color to the figure, overall.  The helmet color is relatively rare in Joe accessories.  So, it's a refreshing break when reviewing accessories.  The rocket launcher is, basically, the same as the 1985 release.  I still have my Bazooka hold the weapon with the handle at the rear where the pointy end faces Bazooka's body.  I get constant grief from this on every photo I publish of Bazooka.  This posing is a holdover from when I was a kid and is the way Bazooka will be posed in my collection until the day I die.

Bazooka got little use.  There were only three figures that ever used the mold.  Though, his legs did appear on the 1987 Rumbler figure.  We have the 1985 Bazooka, this Tiger Force version and a Brazilian version based on the 1985 that was released by Estrela.  The only real difference for the Estrela version is that the green accessories are the darker, Brazilian green.  So, fans of Bazooka have two looks for him: the original and Tiger Force.  There were many figures in the carded 1985 lineup who only saw release in the U.S. and Brazil.  The Crimson Guard, Tele Viper and Dusty join Bazooka as figures released both in a U.S. repaint subset and in Brazil.  It's possible the mold disappeared there.  But, with so many other figures from that year going on to India, it's possible that Funskool got the mold, but never produced the figure.  Regardless, Bazooka would have been a great repaint candidate in the 2000's.  But, the character's shoddy treatment in media of the time didn't really lead to a great amount of collector demand.

Tiger Force Bazookas aren't nearly as common these days as they should be.  We're about a year into a massive upswing in G.I. Joe prices.  And, figures like the Tiger Force Bazooka are getting swept up in the wave.  Dealers sell an appalling amount of the figures for $40.  Left to market prices, though, mint and complete figures can be had for $20 to $25 each.  You can get deals, though, from sellers who don't pay much attention to current trends and find them for $12 from time to time.  At $12, this Bazooka isn't bad.  But, at $20+, this guy is an easy skip.  Still, he's more useful than the original Bazooka figure.  And, if you're a fan of the character, this version is a much better match with a Mauler to fit Bazooka's tank operator secondary specialty.

1993 Bazooka

Many of the stories I've written in the past few months have heavily focused on the later years of the Joe line.  The reasons for that are heavily based on the nostalgic factor from that time period.  While not the innocence of childhood, that time in my life was full of the anticipation of the road ahead while also enjoying the moment to the fullest.  Recalling those tales from that period of my existence is fun and has been a good way of further documenting some of the events of 20 plus years ago before they become murky from time.  The 1993 Bazooka, though, does not hearken back to those days.  Truthfully, I have no recollection of ever seeing the figure on the shelves.  While the green weapons would have been a reason to skip him, the relatively solid mold and familiar character would have made him an acquisition target had he been available.  But, this figure did not enter my collection until either 1999 or 2000, when I was firmly buying older collections rather than scrounging retail for the last scraps of the line.

As a mold, the '93 Bazooka is pretty solid.  While the waist and legs are repainted from the 1990 Bullhorn figure, the head, chest and arms are original.  The Bullhorn legs are a decent mold and not overused.  They are in scale with the new parts and create a figure that fits together well.  The arms are fairly non-descript, save for the string of grenades around his left wrist.  Practically, these are inane.  These would be so heavy that Bazooka would be hard pressed to even move his arm: much less use it effectively.  But, as a look, they are different and interesting.  The torso is also well done.  The vest features a pistol and holster and....some fishing gear.  Yes, fishing gear.  It seems that this Bazooka will take a few hours to fish while waiting for Cobras to stroll on by.  Again, it's somewhat ridiculous.  But, the sculpted details are not overly obnoxious and could be construed as standard, military gear.

The figure's color scheme, though, doesn't live up to the sculpt.  A red shirt, tan vest and blue/green pants are an odd combo.  As a standard Joe, this isn't a uniform you would want to see.  But, if you expand the definition of Joe to incorporate more of the Adventure Team motif, this figure starts to work.  The colors are more acceptable when taken in the context of a civilian adventurer who, while out fishing, could also scare up a cache of deadly terrorists.  Sure, it's different.  But, it gives figures like this more solid footing in the Joe mythos and helps to validate some of the odd color choices that dominated the early 1990's.

To say the filecards from 1993 and 1994 were bad is an understatement.  Rather than have them be the defining character profiles that hallmarked the early years of the line, the later filecards dropped to promoting the sculpted features of the figure and cross-selling other Joe toys.  Bazooka is highlighted for wearing a vest, splats, boots and pants.  Really, his filecard points these features out as selling points for the character.  Sure, the grenade ring, spring loaded launcher and machine gun are included.  But, 4 of the most interesting things about this figure are the clothes he wears.  On top of that, Bazooka's specialty is listed as Blockbuster Driver.  While the heavy armor operator fits with the established skillset of Bazooka (as a kid, the 1985 Bazooka was second fiddle in my Mauler for years due to his filecard listing tank operator as a specialty), this figure is hardly a match for the arctic themed Blockbuster.  Especially when 1993 saw release of both and Iceberg and a Snow Storm figure that would have, at least, matched the environmentally specific design of the Blockbuster.

For me, the figure's use is mostly filler.  I wave never a big Bazooka fan.  He is the 1985 character I most often overlook.  The true value of this figure lies in the customizing potential.  His head was a staple for early customizers who sought to create renditions of the unreleased 1995 Battle Corps Rangers Footloose figure.  The rest of his parts are quite useful as well.  I've mostly found this figure filling the position of equipment operator in various vehicles through the lifespan of this site.  He can take that role so that a better figure isn't relegated to being mostly obscured by the vehicle's cockpit.  I don't really see that changing.  But, Bazooka at least has some value in the regard since he's a recognizable character.

Like most figures sculpted in 1993 and 1994, Bazooka would greatly benefit from a modern repaint.  The mold is solid and could be used to create an excellent figure.  But, that never happened.  The mold was not even repainted or re-released in 1994.  So, there is but this one version.  The 1993 figures who were never repainted mostly showed up in Brazil.  As such, it's possible that this mold was given to Estrela.  But, they could not find a way to release it.  If that were the case, though, it's also likely that Hasbro got the mold back.  The later Brazilian figures who were found indicate the likelihood of Hasbro having all the molds back.  But, who was going to spend time searching for this figure?  While it would have made a great repaint, the reality is that Bazooka was not a hugely requested character.  Nor was this mold overly popular.  Hasbro repainted a few '93 and '94 molds in the 2000's.  But, collectors mostly met those with a yawn.  So, there was no incentive for anyone to spend time looking for figures like this Bazooka.  And, we as a collecting community are worse off for it.

Like most of the 1993 Battle Corps figures, Bazooka is super cheap.  Even carded, he can be had for under $10.  The late release year, odd color scheme and widespread clearance of the line lead to a surplus of carded 1993 Battle Corps figures.  So, they are easy to find and priced in line with their availability.  So, there is no reason for any collector to not have one.  As Bazooka, the figure works.  But, the colors are odd and don't really mesh with much from the line.  So, it's hard to see him as a main player in any collection.  The original Bazooka figure isn't great.  But, it's 1985 release year tends to cause collectors to give it a pass.  This 1993 version is a worthy successor and can be a fun part of a collection.  You just have to give it a chance and use a little creativity.

1985 Bazooka

Back in early 1985, my mother took me to a Kay Bee toy store who, I had heard, had received the first shipment of the new Joes. 1985 was a neat year because the Dreadnoks had been released the December prior and everyone knew about the new figures before they hit the shelves. Sure enough, this Kay Bee had quite a selection of figures. I really wanted a Flint but passed on all of them because the figures' heads were drooping and I thought them broken in the package. (Imagine my surprise when I discovered the new head articulation that year!) At any rate, I purchased a Footloose and Airtight figure and went on my way. Now, this lead to later great lamentation as, after learning about the new head articulation, I really wanted a Flint figure. Alas, I could not find one anywhere. For Easter that year, my family went to visit relatives in Lacawanna, New York. On Easter morning, my brothers and I got up and followed a candy trail to our respective Easter baskets. My middle brother found his first. His "large" gift was the figure I am profiling today: Bazooka. This lifted my spirits as I thought, for sure, that I would receive a Flint. Alas, it was not to be. My youngest brother received a Tele-Viper, but there were no Joes for me. However, as I had brought a nice contingent of figures with me, this allowed me an opportunity to really use the Bazooka figure.

Just about everybody is familiar with the Bazooka character. He played a prominent role in the cartoon, though was less utilized in the comic. Anyone who has read it, though, can not forget Bazooka's cameo appearance in G.I. Joe Reinstated #1. Frankly, that panel alone is worth the cover price. However, while the character got some recognition, the figure received less so. Given the football jersey motif and the basic, bright red color of his chest, it is hard to see why this figure isn't more ridiculed in modern collecting circles. Had this guy come out in 1991, he would be on the receiving end of more jokes than even Captain Grid Iron. With the star of being released in 1985 shining on him, though, Bazooka has remained below the radar in most collecting circles and has retained his supporters.

In my collection, Bazooka's role was varied. Back in my youth, I had no Zap figure. As such, I missed the rocket launcher, anti tank specialist that every team needs. While Footloose's law rocket was nice, I used the figure as a true infantry trooper. (On a related note, the original Bazooka figure came with the same rocket launcher as Footloose. This was quickly corrected, though, and he is far more common with his traditional, handled rocket launcher. Both weapons are easily acquired, though, so don't let any unscrupulous dealer sucker you with claims that one accessory is rarer than the other unless you are dealing with a carded specimen.) With the acquisition of Bazooka, though, I finally had a figure who could take out HISS tanks and other heavy vehicles. This ability alone made Bazooka a valued member of many of my missions. I was able to forgive his basic red color scheme and use him as a primary field trooper.

As 1985 progressed, though, I acquired the Mauler tank. This remains my favorite tank in the Joe line and was among my most used toys. While Heavy Metal was great as the driver, I needed a second chair for the tank. While some older figures like Steeler worked in this capacity, I've always been more fond of my most recent acquisitions. As such, Bazooka found his way into the second seat on the Mauler. Again, he just fit perfectly. Unfortunately, though, since the figure was such a natural for this position, that's where he stayed. Over time, I forgot about Bazooka and he remained under the Mauler hatch for years. Once he was there, Bazooka ended up being replaced. In more recent years, figures like the '91 Zap fill the role the original Bazooka did. The just look better and are more interesting to me than Bazooka is.

Why, then, did I profile this figure? Well, the short answer is that he was requested. However, for me, Bazooka is the definition of a forgotten figure. He came out in one of the greatest Joe years ever and is overshadowed by most of his contemporaries. When choosing figures for a mission, most people would pass on Bazooka without even giving him a thought. While I might count myself as one of these people, the Bazooka figure is worth a little more respect than that. I think my main problem with both the figure and the character is how he was portrayed. Bazooka was always shown as stupid. While his filecard calls him "a decisive fast thinker" it also implies he is illiterate. While I can understand that some Joes might not be geniuses, having someone portrayed as so dumb just didn't fit with the team. The Joes are elite and its members would need to have some sort of intelligence. While some may love this characterization, I had to change him around to make him more palatable.

Bazookas are easy to find. He came out in 1985 which is one of the most plentiful Joe years and probably exists in numbers that would boggle the mind. However, Bazooka is prone to paint wear, especially on the numbers on his shirt and on his mustache. Spending some time to get a truly mint specimen can be frustrating as most examples that saw any real play, or even just unprotected storage with other figures exhibit some noticeable paint wear. The good news, though, is that they are cheap. Even complete with filecard, Bazookas consistently run under $8.00. Bazooka suffers from the popularity of other '85's and finds himself as one of the less popular figures from that fan favorite year. That's not a bad thing, though, as it allows you to acquire a decent enough figure from a cool year without dropping $20. For me, though, Bazooka's day is past. He just isn't a guy that I find use for anymore. There are other, better figures from later years that are more suited to represent Bazooka's specialty. This is function of time, though. Many early figures were replaced as the line progressed and Bazooka is just one of them. Perhaps, one day, we will see an updated Bazooka figure. I think many people, myself included, would be happy with that. Until then, though, Bazooka remains on of the unheralded supporting members of the class of '85. It's not a bad lot, just one that allows me to pass him over.

I need a MINT Bazooka figure. I don't need accessories or anything like that, but the figure must be mint with absolutely no paint wear. If you can help, email me.