Rarities - 2005 Red Ninja Viper Pre Production Color Variant

Back in the mid and late 2000's, there were tons of alternate figures coming from Asian sources.  Some were unpainted prototypes.  Others were color tests.  Some were early paint samples.  Some featured slightly different colors in specific areas.  And, others featured entirely different paint masks or parts from the production figure.  There were so many of them coming out, though, that documentation was sparse.  And, the fact that there was so much misinformation about the figures contributed to many people not wanting what was known about them to be published.  Lost in the Tiger Force Steel Brigade and Night Force Tracker figures, though, are obscure and often missed variants like this Red Ninja Viper.

Released in 2005 as part of a Comic Pack, the Red Ninja Viper used the 1988 Stormshadow mold that had been recently returned to Hasbro by Funskool.  Hasbro painted it red and meant it to represent the fan favorite Red Ninja who appeared in the infamous G.I.  Joe #21 issue.  The figure worked well enough.  But, the Joe world was so jaded by the time of its release that the figure didn't really make a splash in the collecting world.  The production figure features a pale, brown coloring on the mask and boots.  But, some of the early figures from Asia changed that color to black.  It's a small change.  But, it's probably better than then production brown.  You'll also note that the pre-production figure has a painted sash on his waist.  Again, this is a substantial upgrade over the production figure where this was left unpainted.  

It's an odd juxtaposition.  And, it suggests that Hasbro was cost cutting on paint applications for the 2005 figures.  (There is a pre-production variant of the Stormshadow from the pack that has painted sleeves instead of bare arms, too.)  But, Hasbro knew the line was in trouble by the time this pack debuted.  It saw a solid production run.  But, much of that run went to clearance and discount outlets where you could buy the retail pack for $5 for over a year after its release.

Most collectors missed this pre-production figure because the change was so slight and there were so many better and more drastic pre-production figures available from Asia at the time.  It's pretty likely that, if you bought cheap army builders from Asian sellers in the early 2000's, you could have some of these pre-production color variants interspersed among your production figures.  These more minor paint changes often went unnoticed and were overlooked in many cheap lots of the day.  And, since the black paint seems like a logical production choice over a light brown, you might not even realize that you're missing the production version since you have this one available.

Sadly, both the swarm of cheap army builder lots and stream of alternately colored figures have dried up.  While it's likely that there are still a lot of them in Asia, they're not readily available.  And, modern collectors who snatched up the bulk of them back in the mid 2000's are holding onto them.  You see some of the big hitters switch hands and even go on public sale with a bit of frequency.  But, the more obscure figures like this Red Ninja Viper are often ignored and are nearly impossible to find outside of a few, enterprising collectors of the day who managed to buy them in bulk when they were just a couple of bucks each.

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes - Around the Web

Hasbro probably made way too many homages to the 1983 Snake Eyes figure.  None of them really make fundamental changes to the way you can view the Snake Eyes character or figure.  But, each of them is slightly different and can bring a bit of depth to any photo that otherwise features the classic version of Joe's most popular character.  This 2005 Comic Pack version, though, did bring about a new head to update Snake Eyes.  It's a neat upgrade for Snake Eyes and gives the figure a different look.

There's a nice cross section of looks at this figure from the time of his release, a few years later and then more modern looks.  So, take some time to check out the content on the 2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes from the creators below.

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes Profile

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes at Joe Battle Lines

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by corpscommandercody

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by joesandtoys

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by gijoe_for_fun

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes at JoeADay.com

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by joesandtoys

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by mrmikevinthepit

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes at Generals Joes Reborn

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by gijoe_for_fun

2005 Comic Pack Snake Eyes by Flatline

2004 Comic Pack Snake Eyes - Arctic Gear

I was never a fan of the Anniversary style G.I. Joe figures.  I always thought the chest joint was stupid and ruined the aesthetic of the toy.  There were two times, though, where I was tempted to start collecting the line.  The first was on a random trip to Target.  My local store happened to have both a brand new Hiss Tank and a couple of Python Troopers available.  I thought about how cool it would be to walk into a store and find a vintage combo like this.  (Hasbro never got close in the repaint era.)  So, I thought about getting some.  But, cooler heads prevailed.  And, I then went home and bought a nice vintage Hiss Tank and 3 vintage Python Officers and had them all delivered to my house for under $50...only about $10 more than what the Anniversary toys would have cost me.  (Man, those were the days when it came to vintage pricing.)  The second time was when Hasbro released an arctic version of Snake Eyes based on his appearance in the second issue of the Marvel comic.  The figure looked spectacular.  Everything from the card art to the actual gear included was just perfect.  It was a figure that I had always wanted.  I held him in my hands a couple of times.  But, eventually, passed him and the rest of the Anniversary series by.  Besides, technically, I already had a figure of Snake Eyes in that look from a Comic Pack that had been released in 2004.

The first wave of Comic Packs were highly anticipated by collectors.  Hasbro had a publicity date on the photos.  So, many dealers (who, back then, were also active forum members) had access to them before collectors did.  They tantalized the figures with slavish praise.  When the images were released, the reaction was pretty much in line with the early rumors.  Collectors were in love with the looks and figures selections.  Shortly after the images appeared, the first packs were found in the summer of 2004.  Collectors quickly scooped up the packs at retail.  And, were disappointed a bit.  Many of the figures had quality issues with poor paint, loose joints and the plastic ties used to hold the gear in place in the packaging would mangle hands and strip paint.  On top of that, figures that looked great in the photos weren't quite as good when inspected up close.  In short order, what had been the most anticipated collector themed product since the advent of the Toys R Us multi-figure sets quickly turned into another problematic release that left collectors with something far less than their expectations.

The line, though, had other problems.  Wal Mart didn't buy the initial wave.  The Hasbro brand manager went so far as to warn collectors that they weren't buying them in enough quantity to keep the line afloat.  Despite that, though, Comic Packs continued on at retail through 2005 and were a staple of the DTC offerings.  (The Hasbro guy went so far as to introduce Comic Packs to the Star Wars line where they were much more successful.  Though, they were also much better than the Joe offerings.)   For $10, the three figures and a comic were a retail steal.  But, parents didn't really find them compelling.  I suspect a big part of that was that the toys weren't as visually appealing as other retail offerings of the era.  And, the comic definitely dated the look of the packs at retail.  The upside, though, is that pretty much every Comic Pack outside of the Oktober Guard wave ended up at clearance and discount sellers.  So, it was even easy to get this Snake Eyes and his packmates for $5.  It's a shame cheap toys don't really exist like that any more.

The selling point of the 2nd Comic Pack was the debut of Kwinn.  Kwinn had never been released in the Joe line.  So, collectors were mad to finally acquire one.  The Scarlett in the pack was also a selling point.  She featured a new, more feminine head that featured a sculpted pony tail.  She was given Jinx's body and was the second most desirable figure in the pack.  That left this Snake Eyes as the odd man out.  What's odd to me, though, is that this Snake Eyes is the 3rd best figure of the original 9 Comic Pack figures.  He was just included in a pack with the other two who ranked above him.  As collectors had Snake Eyes fatigue and it was already known there would be yet another Snake Eyes (YASE as it was known at the time.) in the next wave of Comic Packs, they left this figure as the unsung release o his era.  You'd often see him posed with Kwinn, just to make up a comic homage.  But, even in those cases, Kwinn was always the focal point of the photo.  Snake Eyes just didn't resonate with collectors and also didn't seem to have an impact upon casual buyers at retail.

The colors on this Snake Eyes are very well done.  While I'm not sold on their applicability in the arctic, they are visually appealing.  The pea green on the figure's pants is a dead ringer for the colors used in the vintage Night Force and Tiger Force subsets.  You can see how similar it is in one of the photos below.  Seeing this figure as a Night Force Snake Eyes kind of works.  Except, of course, for the fact that no other Night Force figures use the old swivel head molds.  So, it's not a perfect match.  But, it does allow for this figure to be used in different settings than just the snow and ice.  There's still enough black to ensure everyone knows this is Snake Eyes.  And, the parts choices are good enough to establish this as a figure who is supposed to be specific to an environment.

One of the aspects of Snake Eyes character that I like to explore these days is that of the absolute crazed psychopath.  Snake Eyes is a guy who, without the benefits of his ninja training, would have absolutely shot up a crowded parking lot at a football game in his post military life.  Without the theatre of war, his killing instincts would have consumed him.  But, the ninja training helped to temper his psychotic and violent tendencies.  But, even with those safeguards in place, the completely unhinged Snake Eyes can come out at times.  Someone who kills as indiscriminately as Snake Eyes has will, in time, be unable to value human life.  In his mind, he'll know that someone under his control is still a person.  But, the impulses can overtake him and he'll just kill someone who didn't really need, or even deserve, to be killed.  It makes him an effective special operative.  But, also someone who can't really be unleashed into normal society.  So, Snake Eyes stays on the G.I. Joe payroll so that he doesn't harm civilians who might cut him off in traffic.  Here, he gets enough action to keep his deep psychosis buried.  But, it will come out at times when he's dealing with Cobras.  

That's not a take on Snake Eyes that fits with his movie-hero portrayal that Hasbro wants to push.  But, it's a more realistic view of who Snake Eyes would actually be had he gone through all those traumas in his life.  Larry Hama alluded to the very dark side of Snake Eyes at times in the comic.  And, even when  Snake Eyes was being "heroic", he was doing things that, with a slightly different context, would have him a most wanted criminal.  It also adds a new dynamic to the Joe team.  Because, this Snake Eyes isn't someone the Joes want to befriend.  They keep him at a distance because they realize that people close to him could be the victim of one of his rages should he snap outside of the battlefield.  This brings a level of suspicion to the team as once you question the stability of one operative, you start to have doubts about all of them.  

Snake Eyes gear is fine.  He includes the standard Uzi as well as a black backpack from a mold that originated with the 1991 Dusty.  By 2004, this pack was passe and had been included with many figures.  But, it actually worked in the context of this figure.  He also included the cartoon standard XMLR rifle.  This was always a welcome inclusion.  Thought the rifle was now more common than it had been just a couple of years before, they were still relatively sought after.  So, getting extras was nice.  The figure didn't include the weasel skull necklace.  This was a key selling point of the 2008 Anniversary figure.  But, the Kwinn figure in the pack was wearing the necklace.  It would have been a bit weird to have 2 figures in the same pack wearing the same necklace.  So, you can give Kwinn's necklace to Snake Eyes to complete the look.

Snake Eyes' body construction was pretty basic.   It features the classic 1982 Snake Eyes head on a repainted 1983 Snow Job body...mostly.  The Snow Job body had been used a few times by 2004.  But, it was about the only swivel headed body wearing winter gear that Hasbro ever made.  I've have loved it if Hasbro had attempted something different like the 1989 head on an Iceberg body or something.  But, the fact that Hasbro was willing to release a Snake Eyes that wasn't mostly all black was pretty revolutionary...even as late as 2004.  One little oddity on the mold is that it uses the upper arms from the 1986 BAT.  Despite collector calls for it, Hasbro never released a 1986 style BAT in the repaint era.  Supposedly, the mold was damaged.  However, the figure's waist and legs were used on every Viper repaint that occurred between 1997 and 2005.  And, now, the upper arms appeared on this Snake Eyes.  So, what, exactly, was damaged?  And, with Hasbro very willing to resculpt Scrap Iron, Mutt, Lady Jaye and others, why didn't they just fix the damaged BAT parts and release a figure that would have sold in any incarnation they attempted?  The mismanagement of the Joe line by the early 2000's Hasbro team is so remarkable that it should be studied.

One of the main reasons I wanted to look at this figure is because he is such a perfect candidate for the Super7 ReAction+ line.  Here, a figure could be created in the vein of the anniversary figure where it's an all new sculpt that is, actually, comic accurate.  And, that would be spectacular.  Super7 has stated they plan to mine the obscure for figure releases.  They seem equally likely to look at the cartoon and comic.  The promise that the ReAction+ line gives is that we might see figures like this Snake Eyes.  But, this time, done up properly.  I like to think of an accurate Oktober Guard or weird outfits that Joes wore in specific issues or scenes.  (After Dr. Venom and a real Kwinn, though!)  And, while these could be releases that are considered, we're not going to see them offered in a 3 pack for the cost of a lunch out.  It will suck to acquire a real Oktober Guard over 4 years.  But, at least we'd have them.  The upside to a figure like this Snake Eyes is that it is Snake Eyes.  And, despite best collector efforts, any line is going to need major characters in order to sell well enough to continue for years.  So, we'll see what happens.  No matter how long the ReAction+ line runs, collector desires will never be 100% sated.  But, it would be nice to have one last shot at a few of the also-rans that didn't get the best effort during the repaint era.

While Comic Pack figures did see a significant increase in value during the Joe price upswing between 2018 and 2022, they have come down a bit.  Dealers will still try to get $30 for this Snake Eyes figure...thinking that the pandemic highs are still feasible.  But, you can buy all three of the figures for less than that.  Left to his own devices, this Snake Eyes is, at best, a $10 figure.  Considering it's 20 years old, now, that's probably a relatively fair cost.  At, at the price, I'd get one if I wanted him.  But, I paid $10 for the whole set back in 2004 and thought it was fair then, too.  Right now, I'm pretty much out of the vintage Joe market.  I haven't bought any figures in nearly a year.  I don't miss it, either.  But, that's what happens when you have a large collection focused on the things you like.  Eventually, you run out of new stuff to buy unless you find it stupidly cheap.  

2005 Stomavik - Random Photos Of The Day

The Oktober Guard Comic Packs saw a truncated production run.  This was due to the slow sales of the prior waves during the 2004 holiday season.  For about 6 weeks in the spring of 2005, you could find the October Guard figures.  But, after that, you were pretty much out of luck unless a collector had a spare to trade.  That's lead to a series of figures that tend to be fairly pricey, these days.

Stormavik was my favorite Oktober Guard character.  I thought he had the coolest rifle and I loved the white and blue undershirt.    So, I was looking forward to his first figure.  Sadly, though, the figure's head was not great, his signature weapon was nowhere to be found and the parts used for his body appeared far too often during this time to make a really unique figure.  So, I was vastly disappointed in the result.

In the 19 years since his release, not much has changed on that front.  I don't use the Oktober Guard figures all the frequently because they didn't live up to their comic appearance.  But, to be fair, I'm not sure that even a perfect figure could exist that lives up to the artwork in the second G.I. Joe Yearbook.  But, we're never going to see another Stormavik figure.  So, this one is as good as it's going to get.  So, enjoy the few photos below of the 2005 Stormavik.  Hopefully, I'll get inspired to try to use him a bit more often in the future.

2005 General Hawk (Comic Pack General Abernathy)

The Comic Packs were an inspired idea that lacked proper execution.  That's a thesis statement that I've held true for 20 years.  Because, yes, the first Comic Packs debuted in the summer of 2004: 20 years ago.  And, this poses the fundamental issue with figures like this Hawk that debuted a year later in 2005.  If you were around upon his release, this figure doesn't feel anywhere near as old as vintage Joes felt back during that time.  So, despite the advanced age of this figure, he still feels new enough that his flaws are accentuated and his attributes are left behind.  So, with fresh eyes, I took a look at this figure because the 1986 Hawk was a childhood staple and this updated look for the Joe general seemed like it should have been a great figure.

One of the issues I have with all Comic Pack figures is the heads.  While I appreciate the attempt to update the heads to better match their comic appearances, the heads didn't quite match up to the bodies of the figures with which they were matched.  The more modern sculpting done on the Comic Pack heads was in too great of a contrast to the figure bodies on which they were placed.  So, you have a hyper detailed, stern Hawk face set against the softer details of a sculpt that was done with technology of 20 years prior.  It's one of the reasons most Comic Pack figures feel just a bit "off" to me.  The early 2000's Hasbro wasn't so much interested in creating a perfectly aligned figure.  They were just about smashing together whatever was good enough to quell backlash and sell some toys to desperate collectors flush with their first real money in their lives.  And, the result are heads that, on their own, look nice.  But, they really stick out when posed among vintage Joes.

And, that's how you get this Hawk.  From afar, this mold amalgamation looks ok.  But, when in hand, many of the limitations become apparent.  The Talking Battle Commander waist and legs are long.  They seem too long for the resculpted 1986 Hawk chest.  (We'll talk about that, later.)  The TBC arms are also too puffy for the torso.  So, the whole figure looks improperly proportioned.  While all Joe parts are interchangeable, they are not always aesthetically compatible.  This Hawk proves that out.  The new head is well detailed...too detailed to match the sculpting appearance of the rest of the figure.  But, the blonde flat top is a great look for Hawk and finally gave collectors a figure that featured Hawk's signature look from the comics.  Hawk also features blue eyes.  There are not many other figures in the line with blue eyes.  But, it's a super subtle detail on the figure that most people will miss.  Beyond that, the colors are nice and the details are painted.  The green and brown are much brighter than those of the original 1986 figure on which this is based.  But, the colors work and do create a stark visual when the figure is photographed.

The biggest issue with the figure, though, is just the overall quality.  Many figures from this era will  have legs that stick out and waists that don't align.  Hawk is a perfect example of this.  It can be difficult to get the figure to stand up on his own just due to the poor materials used for the o-rings and t-hooks.  O-rings from the early 2000's are notoriously breakage prone, even if you never remove the figure from the package.  Some of the wonky legs might be fixed with better o-rings.  But, that seems a lot for a figure like this when you could just get a 1986 figure at the time for about the price of the comic 3 pack.  These Hawks aren't as prone to discoloration as many of his contemporaries.  But, you will see arms and torsos whose coloring doesn't always match.  This was a factory mismatch during production, though, and not later discoloration.  Overall, though, the plastic used in this era was not good and your vintage figures will likely age better than these 2000's releases in the coming years.

In 1997, Hasbro reused the entire 1986 General Hawk mold for release in the A-10.  This well painted figure is fairly obscure.  But, Hasbro had the full mold and made a cool figure with it.  In 2002, the mold was planned for the collector-friendly Wave 1.5.  However, for some reason, Hasbro could not locate the mold, despite it being used just 5 years earlier.  So, instead, the Talking Battle Commander mold was used instead.  That lead Hasbro to, in 2005, resculpt the 1986 Hawk torso.  This was common practice by this time.  But, there was no rhyme or reason to which figures got newly sculpted parts.  Hasbro made new molds for this Hawk, Lady Jaye (despite the mold being used sans issue in 2003), Scrap Iron (whose mold was in use in India at the time) and Mutt: among others.  Missing from this list, though, are fan favorite molds like the V1 Cobra Commander, 1985 Snake Eyes, Shipwreck and even Destro.  I will give Hasbro credit for re-doing the Cobra Trooper, Officer and Crimson Guard.  But, you can't help but wonder why so much of the vintage Joe budget went to remaking 2nd tier characters or molds that were recently used instead of hitting just a couple of the missing classics.  A V1 Cobra Commander could have been repainted 10 times with minimal collector pushback.  Instead, we got the Talking Battle Commander mold (flat back and all!) multiple times.  At least factory customs have finally filled some of those gaping holes.

One item of note is the figure's name.  While I call him General Hawk, the official name is General Abernathy.  Hasbro's name copyrights of the early 2000's were all over the place.  And, the Comic Packs are full of oddball naming conventions where you see some characters released under their original code names, some given additional qualifiers to their old name (Double Clutch) and lots of figures released under the character's file name: like this General Abernathy.  To me, he's just Hawk.  And, that's how most will refer to him.  But, the official name is General Abernathy which is much less of a mouthful than Lonzo R. Wilkinson.

Comic Pack accessories weren't great.  They were too generic to the later figures.  Hawk is no exception.  He includes a newly sculpted M-16 rifle that debuted in 2004.  It's a nicely designed weapon that does work well with many other figures from that era.  And, while, as a kid, I have the 1986 Hawk the M-203 from Leatherneck, I just don't see this M-16 rifle as a good fit for Hawk.  It is nice, though, to have a few extras lying around.  He then includes a pistol that's oversized and has a grip that is so wide it will permanently disfigure Hawk's hands and a knife that, again, is OK even though it's out of character.  Hasbro did sculpt a new helmet for Hawk.  It's skinny and narrow and barely fits over Hawk's hair.  And, on the figure, it makes his head look squished.  It's very soft.  So, it won't rub paint when applied to the figure.  It was a noble attempt.  But, the execution was lacking.

Hawk was released in the first wave of Direct to Consumer sales.  This meant that collectors were initially excited by his release.  But, they quickly moved on and the entire comic pack was available at clearance prices for a long time.  I bought several extras for gear and custom parts because, even after shipping, you were paying under $2 per figure.  You'll find some flattering reviews of this figure from the time.  But, the lack of photography of the figure and it's relative absence among collector usage today is a telling sign that the figure fell pretty flat in the collecting world.  The blonde hair was universally lauded.  But, the rest of the design just didn't resonate.  The figure wasn't an upgrade over the original and simply couldn't overtake the vintage design.

It has long been rumored that there will be an updated 1986 style Hawk figure that will be released by Hasbro at some point as part of their Transformers Cross Over line.  So far, the figures in that line have been disappointing because they tread no new ground and don't really offer cheaper alternatives to now expensive vintage Joe figures.  So, while I'm not really in favor of Hasbro releasing any more o-ring Joes, I will hope that, if the Hawk figure comes to be, that Hasbro takes a cue from this Hawk and finally brings a proper 1986 style Hawk to collectors.  While I'd love a black jacket figure from issue #50 of the comic, I'll take just a 1986 Hawk homage with blonde hair.  That little detail will be enough to make a new Hawk figure worthwhile.  

The 1986 Hawk mold was released by Hasbro in 1986 and 1987.  There is a very rare mail away General Hawk from 1992 or 1993 that includes the golden rifle from the 1991 Cobra Commander.  It's one of the more difficult bagged figures in the line to find.  The entire figure was then released in Brazil and India.  Both the Estrela and Funskool figures are very similar to the Hasbro releases with the Brazilian figure featuring darker green and the more common Funskool versions featuring lighter green.  Hasbro got the mold back and released a repainted figure in 1997.  The full Talking Battle Commander Hawk was released in 2000 and 2002 before the parts were cannibalized for this 2005 Comic Pack figure.  This newly sculpted head and torso, though, never appeared again.  There is an alternate Asian variant of the figure that features a completely green torso.  But, that was the end of this Hawk mold.

All the Comic Pack figures got caught up in the market hype of the pandemic collectible world.  Now, you will still see high prices for individual figures and carded sets just due to incredibly low supply.  Collectors are holding their items, hoping the prices continue to rise.  But, they have not only leveled off, but actively fallen on more common and less desirable items...like this Hawk.  While dealers will still ask $40+ for a loose, complete figure and over $70 for a carded set, the reality is that the figure sits unsold for $20.  Carded sets are worth between $35 and $45.  You can argue over Flint or Hawk being the top figure in the set.  But, really, they're both about the same level of usefulness.  So, don't fall for the dealer hype and overpay for this figure.  In hand, he's kind of disappointing.  For a couple of bucks, that's OK.  But, for dealer prices, you'll feel cheated.

2005 Comic Pack Zartan - Around the Web

Zartan took Cobra to new heights of super-villainy.  He was just a bizarre character who bordered on super natural.  But,  he worked quite well.  And, to this day, he remains one of the most popular Cobra characters and figures.  In 2005, he got a Comic Pack release that was OK but not a substantial upgrade over the original.  At the time, it was a cheap alternative to the more popular original.  That remains true today.  But few people really care about this figure.  And, that makes content on him somewhat hard to find.  Most of the items I dug up are actually from the time of the figure's actual release.  So, it's an interesting look into the past.

2005 Comic Pack Zartan Profile

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at the Attica Gazette

2005 Comic Pack Zartan by joesandtoys

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at JoeADay.com

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at JoeBattleLines.com

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at GeneralsJoesReborn.com

2005 Comic Pack Zartan at Mike's Collection

2005 Comic Pack Cobra Commander - Clear

The Star Wars line has long been about scene specific figures.  Collectors clamour for their favorite characters as they appeared in just a few seconds of screen  time.  For the first 20 years or so of the Hasbro Stars Wars renaissance, Hasbro was happy to oblige.  One of the weird offerings, though, came in the line's earliest days.  You could buy some Lay's chip brands and send away for a clear "Spirit of Obi-Wan" figure.  Personally, I didn't really see the appeal of such a limited figure.  But, I was a sucker.  And, I mailed away for one of the figures.  (And, like everyone else, I actually thought the figure would have some future collectability due to the obscure release method.  Oops.)  The translucent blue plastic that was used was a pretty solid representation of the character's appearance on screen.  And, over the next decade, Hasbro would release a cornucopia of "spirit" figures using the same basic plastic.  Finally, in 2005, though, the concept was brought to the G.I. Joe line.  Instead of the figure representing a ghost, though, we were given an interpretation of Cobra Commander as his image is projected through a camera.  For a figure mold that had been a bit overdone by 2005, though, this approach of a clear Cobra Commander was an interesting and refreshing choice for a figure release.

Of course, the real question is what can you do with a translucent version of Cobra Commander?  With no paint, you can't really pretend it's a stealth suit.  (Like you can with the clear, Arctic Mirage figure.)  So, you're really left with the figure as a projection of the Commander who can gloat in front of his enemies and inspire his troopers: all while he is safe inside a basement bunker where he can feel safe.  Cobra's armies, in their brainwashed glory, fall for this cowardice.  Which, speaks to the gullibility of those who the Commander recruited from small town America.  The issue with a projection figure is that you need something to project the image.  This can be accomplished in various ways.  But, the best is just to use a Tele-Viper and his camera/gun.

And, that's about the end of the use for this figure.  But, like the figure's Star Wars cousins, the appeal lies not in the quality of the actual toy and it's playability, but the possibility of filling a very niche purpose.  In the right setting, this figure can look great.  Some Star Wars collectors have built amazing displays using the holographic figures.  But, you don't really see these set pieces in the Joe world.  Joe fans will display their figures standing on parade.  Or, maybe, on vehicles or in the few bases.  You don't see too many custom scenes that are built, specifically, to showcase a small selection of figures.  It's just a difference in the collector base.  And, is why there wasn't a huge upswell of support for more translucent Joe figures.

Originally, the Comic Packs were going to continue their numerical procession.  And, this Comic Pack #9 was planned for a much earlier release date.  But, the Comic Packs were kind of DOA by the end of 2004.  The Oktober Guard packs were under-produced.  And, Hasbro had to quickly retool and move up some more interesting packs in the release schedule.  While these diversified the figure releases, they didn't really help improve the lot of the Comic Packs at retail and all of the non-October Guard waves were pretty much clearance and discount store fodder.  For a while, it appeared that the pack with this Cobra Commander, Scarlett on her skis and a lame attempt at "Breaker" would end up cancelled.  But, Hasbro was able to pigeon-hole it into the initial waves of the DTC launch after the Joe line failed at retail in 2005.  

Collectors were lukewarm to this pack, though.  The contemporary packs to #9 featured some less used molds and had more potential for great figures.  But, none of the releases actually caught on with collectors.  And, instead, they all ended up clearance fodder, too.  I only acquired this pack because they were half price or less at the old Hasbro Toy Shop.  The Breaker in the set was useless.  Though, the Scarlett actually turned out kind of nice.  Sadly, though, she badly discolors and is near impossible to find in decent condition these days.  I kept the Cobra Commander because he was unsellable in 2010 or so.  No one wanted him.  So, he remained in my collection even as his contemporaries were dumped for pennies on the dollar.  Now, though, I'm glad I held onto the figure: if for nothing more than a conversation piece.

Did you know that even translucent plastic can discolor?  Well, it can.  And, you'll often find this figure with darker upper arms than lower.  The upper arms of the 2000's figures are always the first to go.  So, it's likely that other parts of this figure will discolor, too.  And, it's pretty much guaranteed that no mint versions of this figure will exist in another two decades.  The darkening isn't really detrimental to the appeal of this figure.  The main issue is that the figures don't discolor uniformly.  So, you get two tone figures that don't look all that good.  Once all the pieces go, though, it will be back to a solid looking figure.  The soft plastic that Hasbro uses in the 2000's doesn't hold up all that well.  And, it likely that vintage figures will hold up better into the 2040's and 2050's than these newer figures from the same century.

The original body mold for this Cobra Commander debuted in 1992 on the Talking Battle Commanders Cobra Commander figure.  In 1993, the figure was repainted in black and also given a new back piece that wasn't the flat version used to accommodate the talking backpack.  In 2000, the figure was repainted in dark blue.  But, the flat back from 1992, somehow, returned.  The same mold was used in the 2003 convention set.  In 2004, Hasbro sculpted the new head sculpt that you see on this clear figure.  It debuted in a Comic Pack and was then repainted in a coppery red color in the Imperial Processional set.  Then, finally, this translucent figure appeared.  The flat back ruins many of the figure.  Though, the 2003 and Processional figures were aided by the inclusion of capes that hide the multi-holed backpiece.  I don't really consider the new head to be an improvement or a detriment when compared to the original head.  It's just different.  But, I do think that it looks the best on this translucent release.

For some, unknown, reason, Hasbro also updated this figure to have 1984 Roadblock arms.  2000's era Hasbro loved the 1984 Roadblock arms and used them way too often.  They are scrawny and undefined.  And, when paired with a rather bulky mold that debuted in 1992, they look out of place.  Just months before this Comic Pack figure was released, Hasbro used the original arms on the Imperial Processional figure.  So, there was no real reason why they couldn't also have been used for this Cobra Commander.  It's less of an issue since this figure has such a limited purpose.  But, it's just one of those weird choices that Hasbro made in the early 2000's.  And, we really don't know why.

This Cobra Commander includes his classic 1983 hair dryer pistol.  While it's not a great fit with the bulkier mold from 1992, it is iconic to Cobra Commander.  But, in another baffling move, the weapon is cast in black plastic.  So, you have a translucent figure holding an opaque weapon.  You just can't reconcile that.  The upside is that black hair dryers were never all that common.  So, extras were always welcome...especially since the Processional Cobra Commander didn't come with a weapon.  It would have been nice to have gotten the classic weapon in translucent blue plastic.  But, it doesn't make much sense for a projection to be holding a gun.  A staff or pointer?  Sure.  But, the gun isn't necessary.  So, it's one of the weird inclusions that's useful to have around, even if it's useless with the actual figure for which it's intended.

This figure has turned out to be kind of hard to find.  It wasn't a pack that collectors army built.  And, it was released during one of the lowest points in Joe fandom.  Today, this is a $22 to $30 figure based on timing and the number in the market.  Dealers tend to get closer to $30.  But, the figure has cachet and sells for a slight premium just due to the uniqueness of the design.  It's certainly not a figure that you need in your collection.  But, it is a neat set piece that can help define a display.  I, certainly, wouldn't pay a premium for one, especially with the spectre of discoloration looming so large in the figure's future.  But, for a cheap buy, the figure is worth owning.  I've used mine three times in almost 20 years.  But, I paid, maybe, $3 for him.  So, the price was worth it.  I'll leave it to you to determine if today's market also makes him a worthwhile acquisition.

2005 Comic Pack Flint - Around The Web

The 1985 Flint is my favorite figure.  In 2005, Hasbro released a Comic Pack version that was similar to the original figure.  It featured softer colors, poor accessories and a brand new head.  The new head, though, was not good.  On some level, it seemed like a younger version of Flint.  But, really, it's inferior to the original head in every way.  (And, I'm not blinded to the fact that the 1985 Flint head has some...flaws.)  Mostly, the head was famous for not being Falcon.

Now, nearly as much time has passed since the 2005 figure was released as had passed between the 1985 version and the 2005 Comic Pack release.  Unsurprisingly, the 2005 Flint has not held up.  You can tell from the relatively sparse content featuring the figure that he's not that popular.  You can't even catalog all the photos that feature the 1985 Flint.  And, collectors use the original as their go to choice for photographs even today.  It's just such a better option and is a nearly ubiquitous member of pretty much every Joe collection that's out there.

It is interesting to read up on contemporary reviews of the figures that were written right after their release.  The sentiment on this Flint was tepid, even back then.  And, that's translated into a figure that's simply faded into obscurity.  It's probably a just fate for this figure.  The 1985 figure is vastly superior.  And, the Funskool version of Flint remains a cheaper option for the V1 Flint look and it includes the trademark shotgun.  So, enjoy what little content there is on this figure out there.

2005 Flint Profile

2005 Flint by Sintechness

Comic Pack #76 at JoeBattleLines.com

2005 Flint by toyjaeger

2005 Flint by gen_liederkranz

Comic Pack #76 Review at Generals Joes Reborn

2005 Flint by Slipstream80

2005 Comic Pack Buzzer

Buzzer is the only Dreadnok whose character I find even remotely interesting.  Ripper and Torch are just ignorant thugs who live to create carnage.  Monkeywrench is just an English version of them who likes to blow things up.  Road Pig is stupidly annoying.  Gnawgahyde and Thrasher don't have any real characterization at all besides "generic bad guy".  And, even Zanzibar doesn't play on the pirate theme of his character and is really only somewhat salvaged by the quality of his figure.  Buzzer, though, has some depth. His intelligence allows him to be ambitious and dangerous.  Yet, the fact that he indoctrinated himself into a criminal lifestyle shows a level of arrogance that makes him psychotic.  To me, this makes for a better villain.  Guys who just want to break stuff and kill people lack motivation and are easy to defeat because they just react to their gutteral instincts.  They lack the purpose and planning of a motivated and intelligent bad guy.  And, because of that, I find Buzzer being a useful guy to have around.

So, Buzzer has remained the only Dreadnok who really gets any use in my collection.  While I don't see him as the conniving genius who was capable to leading Cobra...or was at least under that delusion, I do still see Buzzer as someone who is more ambitious than his heathen friends.  He can climb the leadership ladder a bit.  And, he's someone who's entrusted with missions far beyond those of the other Dreadnoks.  This Comic Pack Buzzer, though, is an older, wiser Buzzer.  He's given up trying to outdo Zartan.  But, he's found value in leading small bands of unruly Cobra Troops.  And, through these missions, Buzzer has managed to enrich himself.  And, instead of dreaming of a devastated, anarchic world, Buzzer has realized that he can soon make enough money to retire back to a life of books and reflection as he walks the River Cam each day.  Of course, every now and then, Buzzer will cut down a tree and block the river just to sate his most carnal desires.

This Buzzer included black repaints of all the figure's original gear from 1985.  The chainsaw, axe, gas can and backpack holder are all here.  And, that was nice since it was rare for Comic Pack figures (or, even TRU exclusive figures) to include their original gear. I have been criticized for years for the way in which I have Buzzer hold his chain saw.  I have done it this way since I was a kid.  I found this pose the closest way the figure could actually emulate the pose on the card artwork.  And, it's stuck with me for 39 years, now.  Aside from that, though, I enjoy Buzzer's gear.  I find it useful, even with no firearms.

I also like the colors on this Buzzer.  The green vest is a nice updated look that is something different enough from the original figure to appear unique.  It even works with the blue pants.  The fact that all of Buzzer's details are highlighted in gold and grey paint also makes the figure appear of higher quality than most other Comic Pack and retail o-ring figures of that era.  It's a near certainty, though, that Buzzer's legs are going to yellow and his flesh colored arms will turn darker.  The poor quality plastic that Hasbro used during this era ensures that few mint Buzzers will be around in just a couple of years.  

The supposed selling point of the Comic Packs was that the figures featured new heads.  But, for the most part, the heads were a drastic downgrade from the vintage sculpting.  Many of the heads were just terrible.  But, a few of them were kind of nice.  This Buzzer is one of my personal favorites, though.  I feel it's an upgrade over the original head.  But, at worst, it's a lateral move where the 2005 head better matches the older Buzzer who appears in the comics.  I like the updated pony tail as it makes Buzzer look like his hair his thinner and that matches the older look on his face.

Buzzer had a good life.  He got a single release from Hasbro.  There are many filecard variants.  But, the figure remains the same.  From there, Buzzer went to India.  He was among the very first Funskool figures released.  And, he featured some exclusive color variants such as dark hair or a red vest.  Some of these are very rare and expensive.  He ceased production at some point in the 1990's.  But, was among the figures that Funskool pulled back into production in 2002.  Funskool was learning of a burgeoning American market for their G.I. Joe figures.  So, in addition to their five new figures for that year, they tossed in the return of Flint, Airtight, Zarana, Scrap Iron, Buzzer, Ripper and Beach Head.  Hasbro got the mold back in 2003 and used it for the 2004 Convention figure and this 2005 Comic Pack figure.  A Buzzer knock off also exists in the European Force set of figures from Europe.  The figure features a rendition of Buzzer's head with a painted black mustache.  He is named Mygal and is the enemy leader of that small group of figures.  It's a fun one for Buzzer aficionados to track down and gives Buzzer an impressive array of rare and expensive non-Hasbro uses.

The fact that Hasbro made this three figure pack at all is surprising.  First off, Buzzer and Ripper figures that were nearly identical to the original Hasbro releases were available from Funskool at the time.  And, every toy dealer on the internet was able to stock all the Funskool figures they ever wanted and sell them for $4 each.  There were plenty of these available to collectors at the time.  In addition to that, the club had made a Dreadnok set in 2004.  This set included Buzzer and Ripper (with all their original gear) and even included Thrasher as an attendee exclusive.  While this set was out of the range of some collectors and kids would have had no idea it existed, the reality was that the set was a colossal dud.  Buzzers and Rippers from the set could be had for $7 or $8 for many years.  And, even the Thrasher would sit unsold for $10.  So, there was plenty of Dreadnok availability at the time.  And, there was even a recent proof that Dreadnoks really weren't all that popular.  

So, it was inevitable that this Dreadnok three pack with Buzzer, Ripper and Thrasher would fail.  And,  it failed spectacularly.  Many collectors skipped it as there was no reason to get another version of the characters in such close proximity.  And, others just didn't have any interest.  So, the sets floundered at various online retailers.  In time, they were clearanced out.  And, when the sets were 1/2 price, I finally bit and added them to my collection.  I picked up a couple of more when they dropped to $3 or $4 per set as I figured they'd be good custom fodder.  But, even at blow out prices, the sets sat around for quite a while.  Retail Joe was dead in 2005 and 2006.  And, there was no breathing new life into it until it had been on hiatus for a while.

But, yesterday's pegwarmer is today's hot collectible.  And, now, all the early 2000's Comic Packs command high prices.  This is odd, though.  As, the figures from this time, especially the Comic Pack figures, are not aging well.  They are discoloring in the package and you see their chests and necks cracking if you simply move an arm on  loose samples.  In short, they really aren't worth the money.  But, Buzzer's pack tends to sell in the $60 range from dealers.  Though, it's worth about $40 on the open market.  Dealers will get up to $25 for a mint and complete with filecard Buzzer.  But, if you can find an open market seller, he'll go for under $10 these days.  Chances are, though, that he'll either be discolored or will discolor within a year or two of his acquisition.  Really, it took clearance prices to get me to buy this Buzzer in the first place.  And, I really like him.  But, if I didn't own one already, I doubt I'd ever actually acquire one.  It's a neat look for Buzzer.  But, I'll never see the Comic Pack figures as anything other than clearance fodder that promised so much to collectors but delivered so little.

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" Cobra Commander - Around The Web

Comic Packs were a mixed bag.  They were full of pretty bad figures.  But, there were also some pretty good ones.  And, this Fred is one of the best.  The head really captures the essence of the character.  And, more importantly, the head was also compatible with some of the contemporary Cobras released and could be used on Crimson Guard heads to really recreate the concept of "Fred".  These sets were heavily clearanced as they didn't sell well.  So, it was cheap to get extras to use the heads for customs.  That isn't so much the case today.  

There's lots of great content out there on this figure.  Many people have done cool things with it.  So, check out the links below and enjoy!

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" Cobra Commander Profile

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by corpscommandercody

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by dashiellrfairborne

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" at JoeBattleLines.com

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by relinquished1979

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" at JoeADay.com

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by mrmikevinthepit

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by corpscommandercody

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by misterbungle

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by sintechness

2005 Comic Pack "Fred" by corpscommandercody

Rarities - 2004 Comic Pack Hawk - Unproduced Head

In 2004, Hasbro came up with the idea of Comic Packs.  This alternate selling method would offer consumers three vintage style Joe figures with a comic book featuring those characters for the whopping price of $9.99.  It seemed like a great idea that was certain to pave the way for the future of retail action figure sales.  And, for a short time, it kind of was.  But, as was common with alternate G.I. Joe retail products, the Comic Packs quickly stalled out at retail and were gone just a year later.  While they offered a nice variety of relatively unimpressive or memorable figures, the Comic Packs also had a few pre-production pieces that featured some oddball coloring.  One such example is this 2004 General Hawk.

If you're a fan of this site, you've seen this head before.  It's the head I put on a 2004 Comic Pack Cobra Officer body for my character Skeres.  I thought the head was distinctive enough to create a new character.  So, this set was the first of the alternate Asian figures that I tracked down.  Originally, the figures were sold as a set of three figures and accessories: all still in their tray from the Comic Pack.  I paid about $33 to have the three figures shipped from China.  Quite a stretch from prices today.

There are no other major changes to the figure aside from the head.  But, the head's distinctive coloring was what made it stand out.  And, even as more and more uproduced figures from Asia began to appear, this Hawk kept his status.  But, he did lose his popularity.  With many more figures that collectors desired, these early oddballs like Hawk fell into obscurity.  And, as alternate Anti Venom and unproduced Wal Mart figures became common in standard collections, this Hawk never appeared.  

It's very unlikely that this figure is anything more than a plastic test.  Since the Stalker in the pack featured pale, white plastic for the skin on the head, it could be that a run got the plastic colors for each mold wrong.  Regardless of how this figure came to be, it's a fun piece of Joe history that was a member of one of the hallmarks of the early 2000's Joe community.

2005 Comic Pack Firefly - Random Photos of the Day

I haven't been able to finish any new profiles for a while.  I've got dozens of them started, with many 80% or more completed.  But, I just can't bring them home.  I'm really going to work to get a fun Ripcord version done for next week.  Usually, when I get one done, that gets the juices flowing and I can then finish a bunch of other ones, too.

In the meantime, here's a bunch of photos featuring the 2005 Comic Pack Firefly.  I think this version might be the best Firefly Hasbro ever released.  And, because of that, I use him quite frequently.  Sadly, I've started to notice some discoloring on his upper arms.  This is common with most figures from the 2000's.  I hope we don't see it on the figures from the 2020's, too.  But, it's now a sad fate for some quality figures that collectors get to deal with.