1988 Night Force Crazylegs - Around The Web

The vintage Night Force figures get a bit repetitive.  The colors start to run together.  And, in most cases, the Night Force figures aren't really an upgrade over the original color schemes.  But, in a few cases, the Night Force paint job salvages a poorly painted figure mold.  Such is the case with the Night Force Crazylegs.  The original red is just too much.  But, in black and olive, Crazylegs takes on new life and is a great update to the character.  To this day, I really only see this Night Force version as Crazylegs.  

While few other collectors share my dislike for the red Crazylegs, many do enjoy the Night Force look as I do.  There's lots of great content on the Night Force Crazylegs out there.  So, please check these links below.

1988 Night Force Crazylegs Profile

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by Slipstream80

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by 00zxcvb

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by nightforce72

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by thevintagetoylife

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by Sintechness

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by postvbobbieb

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by HCC788

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by corpscommandercody

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by Slipstream80

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by worldsofwondercomics

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by playfulmonkeycosplay

1988 Night Force Crazylegs by thevintagetoylife

1987 Crazylegs - Around The Web

So, real life intervenes and I'm going to be offline for a week or so and probably not back to normal posting for another week or two after that.  I still have Rarities Month planned for June.  So, that's happening.  But, It's going to take most of May to get back into the swing of things.  In the meantime, please see the best of Crazylegs from around the web.

1987 Crazylegs Profile

Night Force Crazylegs Profile

Plastirama Crazylegs Cardback

Funskool Skydiver using Crazylegs parts

Crazylegs Video Review

Crazylegs at 3DJoes.com

Crazylegs at JoeADay.com

Plastirama (Argentina) Cardbacks

Plastirama cardbacks are, to put it mildly, junk.  They are made of much flimsier cardboard than the American cardbacks and lack the glossy sheen on front and back as well.  As such, finding high quality samples of the cardbacks can be tough.  But, enough warehouse overstock came to the U.S. and was opened by collectors that good enough samples of lesser figures are pretty common.

The cardbacks themselves followed the general theme of American Joes.  You see the photo grid of character artwork for the other characters that were available around the same time as the figure you purchased.  You also have the requisite filecard on the back.  Only, Plastirama filecards are a bright yellow color.  It's visually distinctive and helps obscure the fact that the cards aren't as shiny or robust as those that were released by Hasbro.

The main item of note is that the characters listed on the were limited to 10 for these two series of figures.  You see the "Nuevo" banks on various figures on the Condor cardback.  Condor was part of a later wave release.  What's odd is that Recondo is listed as an earlier Plastirama release.  However, Recondo was never produced in Argentina and disappeared with Leopardo in Brazil.  The theme of unreleased figures is carried over to the Alado cardback, too.  Here, we see both Barbecue and Flint.  While both were released in Brazil (and, later, India) they were never released in Argentina.  Why these figures showed up on the cardbacks but were never released is a mystery.  It could be the molds were recalled by Hasbro or were never sent on by Estrela.  But, they offer insight into some possible other outcomes for the Plastirama line.

1987 Crazylegs

As a release year, 1987 is both spectacular and rather terrible. There is a huge dichotomy between some figures that are timeless classics like Falcon or Outback and some that are genuinely terrible designs like Raptor. In between, though, are a third group of figures. These are relatively minor characters whose figures are good, but not great. Some of these figures, like Fast Draw and Sneek Peek, fit into specialized niches. Others, like Croc Master and Big Boa, were interesting character ideas that never really took off. And then, there is the Crazylegs figure. Ostensibly, this is a character that should have been popular. He was a paratrooper, included paratrooper gear and had a decent sculpt. But, a poor coloring choice has somewhat doomed the figure to obscurity.

My first encounter with Craylegs was on the back of the 1987 cardbacks. As a paratrooper, he looked pretty cool. I hoped he would include a parachute and air mask much like Ripcord. Based on the card art showing him in freefall, I even hoped he would include a working parachute. In the late spring of 1987, my father took my younger brother and I to a Children's Palace store on Shadeland Ave. in Indianapolis. (Eerily enough, in the early 2000's, the building was still there, vacant, with a faint outline of the Children's Palace sign on the facade...a ghost reminding me of what had once been.) They had a full complement of Joe figures I had not yet found at retail. I grabbed the Crazylegs figure and looked him over. However, after seeing him in the full red glory with no air mask, my interest in the figure dropped considerably. I gave him to my younger brother and bought myself a different figure. (I can't recall who I got, but remember the disappointment of Crazylegs.)

Crazylegs simply got no use when I was a kid. The red color did not fit with the Tomahawk or Dragonfly and was difficult to use in combat situations. Even my beat up Ripcord and Airborne figures were better choices for airborne assault troopers. (Especially since the green Ripcord gear that worked so well on Airborne was a huge color clash with Crazylegs and did not fit over his bulkier mold.) So, Crazylegs became part of a legion of "no-name" characters who would randomly die in attacks on Joe bases, civilian outposts or Cobra encampments. He saw some use in that capacity for a while, but then faded away into the bottom of my figure box.

In the mid 1990's, I finally found a niche for the Crazylegs figure. The heavy suit could be construed as armor. The red color, was suitable for a jailer. So, Crazylegs filled a role I termed Sessions Officer. Basically, the Sessions Officer's job was to sit in session with a prisoner accused of a capital crime. It was the Sessions Officer's duty to ensure that prisoner lived to see trial and, if convicted, survived to be placed into his prison cell where he would await death. Sessions Officers were among the most highly trained and respected officers around and many would, eventually, go on to fine careers as senior combat officers, politicians or heads of corporations. But, when the Dreadnoks tried to free one of their members who was heading to death row, the Sessions Officer had to put his life on the line to ensure the prisoner was not freed and was not killed by his compatriots. (One of the Sessions Officer's last duties, though, was to ensure the prisoner did not escape. So, the Sessions Officer was authorized to kill his ward...provided that escape was ensured and all other options had failed.) I acquired multiple Crazylegs figures to fill this specialty. It was a fun diversion for a while. But, eventually, Crazylegs faded away again. He now stands as little more than display piece with the Night Force version being the figure of choice should I want the character to appear in photos.

As a mold, Crazylegs is remarkably well detailed. The airborne suit is bulky and detailed with quilts that look like a suit that would be worn when jumping from high altitudes. The molded helmet on the head is nicely scaled and fits with the overall look of the figure. The sculpted goggles and chin strap are nice adornments to accompany the grenades and knife that are molded to the figure's chest. The overall figure, though, isn't painted with great detail. Basically, the figure is just four colors: red, black, grey and a splash of tan on the figure's gloves. In comparison with other 1987 figures, the paint masks on Crazylegs are rather lacking and he looks more like a 1988 release due to the simplicity of the paint applications.

While Crazylegs' accessories were a disappointment to me, they aren't terrible. The parachute pack is very well detailed. The notion of having it wrap around the figure's legs was a neat idea that just didn't translate into the actual toy. Hanging on the wall of a flight deck or Tomahawk, the chute can be useful. But, attached to the figure, it's hard to make it work. Crazylegs' rifle included a folding, removable stock. This was the first such attempt in the vintage line. Again, it is a nice feature that gives Crazylegs some character. But, as an actual toy, the removable stock doesn't really add anything. As a kid, though, I always felt that Crazylegs' rifle was as close a representation to the Cobra rifles from the cartoon as we would see in the toy line. As such, I co-opted his rifle for various Cobras throughout my childhood. Later, the gun became a staple with figures like Sneek Peek as it just seemed to fit those figures well.

The Crazylegs mold is one of the most used in the world. It is likely that right after this figure was released in 1988, the mold went to South America. There, Crazylegs was released in Brazil and then again in almost concurrent succession in Argentina. (Crazylegs was the only post 1985 figure mold to be released in Argentina.) Both these figures were named Alado and are, basically, identical to the American Crazylegs figure. In an odd bit of timing, though, Crazylegs then appeared in India. Again, basically colored the same as the American figure, the main distinction for this Crazylegs figure is the red parachute. However, Crazylegs' head was also used by Funskool of the so-terrible-he's-cool Skydiver figure. So, Crazylegs fans have a lot of figures to track to down. But, the foreign variants are all, essentially, slight deviations from the American figure and don't really offer anything greatly new for the character. The Crazylegs mold was not among those recalled from Funskool by Hasbro in the early 2000's. That is too bad as the mold could have been a great candidate for repaints in jungle, desert or even arctic themes.

Crazylegs figures are neither hard to find nor expensive. The rifle stock can be problematic to find. But, it's not at rare as many other accessories. Being a 1987 release, Crazylegs figures can be susceptible to cracked elbows. But, finding a mint figure is still fairly easy. Mint and complete with filecard versions run in the $8-$9 range. That's a fair price for the figure. He's not as expensive as the more popular characters and is more expensive than the dregs of 1987. As a paratrooper, and a figure in general, the 1988 Night Force release is the definitive version and should be the choice if you only have one Crazylegs figure in your collection. But, this original figure has some charm due to the classic release year and does fit into a display with his contemporaries. For under $10 that's not a terrible purchase since the figure is a good way to add some visual diversity to the colors of your Joe characters.

1988 Night Force Crazylegs

The Crazylegs mold is solid enough. It is somewhat basic as it doesn't have a lot accouterments molded to it. But the mold is nicely textured and solidly detailed for what it is. The mold is actually somewhat bulky in appearance. While I hated that as a kid, it is a nice little detail that doesn't jump out at you even though it adds to the overall realism of the character.

The accessories are cool, if unspectacular. The rifle is small and interesting. I always felt that it was very similar to the weapons used by Cobras in the cartoon. The little stock, though, was somewhat confusing. While it was a nice feat of engineering to make the stock removable, it feature added little to the figure. As such, it was something to appreciate but not really enjoy. The parachute pack, though, was a failure. While it was realistic in how it affixed to the figure, the required bulkiness made it impossible for Crazylegs to wear it and be posed sensibly. Plus, it didn't work. While this was an improvement over Ripcord's chute in terms of realism, it was a step backwards as a toy. Ripcord's chute had the hole for the mask and was intricately detailed...even though its design required the odd strap on the back. While Crazylegs' chute was more like what you'd find a local skydiving club, it made for a poorer toy.

My first encounter with Crazylegs was on the back of my first Falcon figure that I acquired in December of 1986. I remember looking at Crazylegs and thinking how cool the small picture of art was. I imaged that he would have to include an air mask like Ripcord and might even include a working parachute. While the figure looked red, it was not until I walked into a Children's Palace store in early 1987 and first found the figure at retail that I realized just how red he was. On top of that, all the cool accessories I had imagined for the figure were no where to be seen. Plus, he had this weird quilty suit that just didn't live up the expectations I had set for the figure based on the artwork.

So, rather than waste the one figure I was allowed to get on a disappointment like Crazylegs, I bought another figure. For the life of me, I can not remember who it was. It might have been Outback. But, I remember pawning Crazylegs off on my little brother. (I always convinced my brothers to buy the crappy figures I didn't want. That way, I would still have the figure, but not waste any of "my" figures on toys that were disappointing.) When we got to the car and opened our figures, I was even more disappointed in the figure when I realized that the only way to attach the parachute pack was to make the figure's legs spread apart. So, a figure design I didn't like was made worse by the fact that the only way to use his accessories was to put him in a ridiculous pose. Naturally, Crazylegs did not get much use in my childhood.

If you fast forward a few years, though, I rediscovered the Crazylegs mold. While the coloring still had its shortcomings, I grew to appreciate the mold a bit more. In fact, I went so far as to find a place for the figure in my then small collection. I enjoyed the figure, but still felt the colors held it back. When I first discovered online Joedom, though, that problem was quickly solved when I learned of the Night Force Crazylegs figure. It had the solid mold of the original but was done in decent colors. Of course, when I went to find one, I discovered that they appeared rather infrequently and were rather pricey. (Even in 1999, Night Force figures were expensive. I remember a lot of 12 complete figures selling for more than I spent to buy a lot of over 70 mint, complete figures from '86-89: including a Starduster, 2 Rumblers and a ton of army builders.) As such, the figure remained elusive. Finally, I was able to trade for a decently conditioned (but certainly not mint) version of the figure. He immediately found great use in my collection as an integral part of helicopter missions, insertion teams or just outright assault squads.

Now, the figure holds the same position. As he's no longer new to my collection, he doesn't see the use he once did. But, he still remains an important part of my collection. As the original Night Force Crazylegs I acquired lacked his parachute, I found that the Argentine Fuego figure has a decent replacement. It is a brown Ripcord backpack that meshes well with Crazylegs and also gives him the mask. The best part is that Fuegos are dirt cheap and you can get a MOC version for less than you would spend to just get the Night Force Crazylegs parachute.

The Night Force figures were largely good, but not great. While Outback, Tunnel Rat, and Falcon were solid figures, they were not substantially better than their original incarnations. Crazy Legs, Psyche Out and Sneak Peek, though, could be considered upgrades. The issue with the Night Force set, though, is that the colors remained too consistent and start to get repetitive once you get a few of them. Alone, they are nice figures. As a whole set, they get boring and mundane. I think that's the reason I've been so slow to add the Night Force figures to my collection. Once you have a couple, you see diminishing returns on the rest. Fortunately, the characters that are the best upgrades are also the least popular and tend to be the least expensive.

As a character, Crazylegs doesn't have much to offer. He was killed in the comic with almost no use. As such, he really isn't a player in most people's Joe worlds. Personally, I've done little with his characterization beyond having him be a common infantryman. He doesn't have large personality quirks and isn't a character who's anything more than combat filler. But, a collection needs characters like that. A team of huge personalities is less likely to be cohesive than one that has a few subordinates who just follow orders and do their job. Crazylegs fits that position well and has found a home based on that.

The Crazylegs mold has had a long history. The figure first appeared in the US in 1987. This figure appeared in 1988. Around that time, the first Alado figure that used this mold appeared in Argentina. It then appeared almost simultaneously in Brazil where it was also released as Alado. Both of these South American versions are highly similar to the US version and included all the original Crazylegs accessories. Some time in the mid to late '90's, the Crazylegs mold appeared in India. There, it was used to make not only another exclusive Crazylegs figure, but the head also appeared on the very unique Skydiver figure. Since then, the mold has not appeared again, though it is likely that Hasbro is now in possession of it. Truth be told, I don't really think we need another Crazylegs figure. Granted, I would not be disappointed to see it return, but feel that the Night Force version is adequately available for a minor character like Crazylegs.

All the Night Force figures are hard to find. That's reality. As they were exclusive to a retailer who, at the time, was not fully saturated around the country, it was likely that large numbers of kids who would have bought these figures never even knew of their existence. The result is a group of figures that is difficult to find in any condition and that can be downright maddening to find complete. That isn't to say, that deals can't be had. While highly popular Night Force characters routinely sell for close to $50, you can still get mint, complete Crazylegs figures for under $25. Collectors largely don't care about Crazylegs and his figures (hard to find or not) are priced accordingly. My feeling is that if you're going to have a Crazylegs in your collection, it should be the Night Force version. It is just so superior a coloring to the original that it makes the character worth owning.

Funskool Exclusive Sky Diver

Some time ago, during one of the frequent flare ups in the Joe newsgroup, a noted collector of foreign Joes made a statement along of the lines of, "when you grow up and get grown up tastes, foreign Joes will be of the most appeal to you as a collector". At the time, I figured no way. I hated foreign Joes and found absolutely no interest in them. At that time, though, I had about 250 unique figures and about 500 overall. Now that I've got over 450 unique figures, the few that are left in the line hold little appeal to me. That's why I have yet to acquire them. As such, there is very little out there that I really want. In my attempt to continue the expansion of my Joe collection, I've had to find new avenues in which to do so. Earlier this year, I picked up a Chinese Major Bludd. Shortly thereafter, I acquired a Tiger Force Outback. The bug had bitten me. Now, I've found myself seeking out foreign Joes. Not too long ago, I found a source for several Funskool Joes from India. Of these, Skydiver is the most unique.

Skydiver represents everything that is so wrong about non-U.S. Joes as well as everything that is right about them. His color scheme is terrible. This figure is as bad as they come. Had he been a U.S. release, this guy would knock Crystal Ball and Big Boa out of the worst action figure ever perch. Because he was only available in India, though, this guy has a mystique about him that makes the figure very cool. They would never have released this guy in the U.S. The color scheme is just too whacked. This is what makes non-U.S. figures so much fun. They use the same molds with which we are familiar, in this case it is Crazylegs and Beach Head, but color them in different ways that makes them dramatically different from their U.S. counterparts. This is what is so fun about non-U.S. Joes. They aren't in realistic military colors, but do reflect the fact that they are toys. While collectors may gripe and moan about how they don't like unrealistic figures, we have to remember that we are collecting a children's toy and that is for whom it is designed. Since that is still the case in many other countries, foreign Joes have a sort of innocence about them that makes them that more appealing.

One thing about Funskool Joes is the flimsy cardbacks upon which they come. I had heard about how flimsy the cardbacks were, but I was not prepared for when I first held a Funskool figure in my hands. I have resume paper with more tension that those cardbacks have! They are not much stronger than normal, run of the mill printer paper. I don't know how these things could ever hang on a shelf without tearing under their own weight. Because of this, finding mint cards on Funskool figures is nearly impossible. For me, though, I'm after the figure on the card. I like figures that are differently colored than their U.S. counterparts. Some of the Funskool figures have unique card art that was not available in the U.S. (The General Flagg comes to mind.) I also like these figures as they offer the Joe collector something different that not everyone is used to seeing.

Funskool Joes aren't too tough to find. There are some that are considered among the rarest Joes ever produced. As Funskool was still manufacturing Joes at least until February of 2000, though, there are others that are very easy to find. I paid $8.00 for this figure, as well as 8 other Indian exclusive figures. You do have to look, but you can find many of the Indian Joes for a very reasonable price. For this reason, I've found the Funskool Joes to be a new, interesting way to grow my Joe collection without dropping hundreds of dollars for some of the South American figures. As I've exhausted the possibilities for my American Joe collection, there are thousands of variations of those figures and molds from other countries that help keep the hobby interesting and challenging. Some of you who know me know that this stance is dramatically different from the position I held only a few months ago. I see myself maturing as a Joe collector and moving on past things like army building and searching for some Shadow Ninja. Foreign Joes are an excellent avenue to grow my collection. Being a completist of foreign Joes would be impossible, but it's that vastness that creates such exciting opportunities. As we head into 2001, we'll see if I continue to search for non-U.S. Joes. I have a feeling that I certainly will.

I'm getting into non-U.S. Joes. If you have some Funskool, Estrela, Plastirama, or European exclusive figures with which you are willing to part for not too much money, email me.