My Favorite Accessories - Part 2

Part 1 of this series looked at my favorite weapons from childhood.  This time around, I'll be looking at some of the gear that really drove my second phase of collecting.  This period, technically, covers 1988 through 1997.  During that time, I only was able to find a few figures.  So, you're going to see a cross section of accessories.  And, a few classic items will be missing because, while they were released during this period, I didn't acquire them until 1998 or later.  Some of these items appeared in my early teen years when I wasn't collecting or buying Joes, but my youngest brother still was.  So, the limited exposure to them made them loom larger than they otherwise might have.

Early Adult Favorites:

1. Duke/Stalker/Others MP-5 inspired rifle

As I returned to Joe collecting in the mid 1990's, I spent most of my time tracking down the remnants of the line at various retail stores.  Among the first figures I found was the 1993 Duke.  This is a solid figure.  But, the main source of interest in him was the "new" weapons on his tree.  While I was passingly familiar with Muskrat's shotgun (someday I'll tell that story...), the other weapons were ones I had never before seen.  As far as I was concerned, they were completely new sculpts.  It was the MP-5 inspired weapon that piqued my interest, though.  It looked great with Duke.  It was somehow both compact and large.  This was accomplished by having the overall footprint be small while giving the weapon a larger barrel.  I turned this into a story element.  These newer weapons became "Generation 4" weapons.  They were more powerful and could carry more ammo than earlier weapon designs.  As they were new, they were limited to only the highest ranking Joes.  Eventually, Cobra got some and gave them to elite troopers, too.  As I got more and more 1993 and 1994 figures, the weapons became less special.  And, with more colors in tow, the MP-5 like weapon became one of my favorite standards across my Joes.

Even today, this is my favorite weapon to use with 1993 and 1994 figures.  It exists in a plethora of colors...some rarer than others.  But, you can get it in black, gold, yellow, purple and other colors with a bit of looking around.  It remains one of my key weapons.  And, I'll always pick up a new one if the price is right.  I have unfulfilled plans of being able to outfit the entire 1993 carded lineup with these weapons for a photo at some point.  I'm not quite there on the right number of them in my collection, yet, though.

2. Annihilator Pistol

I first saw this weapon at the home of some family friends who had some younger children.  I remember it being awesome.  Around 1995 or 1996, I found my first Annihilator at a flea market in southern Ohio.  I picked him up for the rifle.  Once in hand, it reminded me of the awesome weapons from G.I. Joe #36 back in 1985.  In short order, I bought as many Annihilators as I could find.  The figure was "new" to me and I loved the portable helicopter.  I saw them as the airborne division of the Alley Vipers and they made up a key ingredient in my early notion of Cobra urban death squads.  With plenty of his weapons in hand, I had them available for use with any other figure I wanted.

And, with them in hand, my fascination with the weapon ended.  It was difficult to make the weapon look good with other figures.  And, it was a bit bigger than I had remembered.  It was less of a one handed pistol and more of a two handed weapon that switched up my notion of the weapon's versatility.  I still find it the necessary weapon for Annihilators.  But, I've long since sold off my army of that figure.  I have a couple of spares of the weapon, though, still hanging around.  I'll use them with another figure from time to time.  I do need to get a photo of it in the hands of a Fred to mimic that old comic.  

3. Hit & Run  Rifle

This one is a bit of a cheat.  I actually did own Hit and Run when I was a kid.  I bought three 1988 figures before I quit toys.  And, Hit and Run was one of them.  I immediately fell in love with his rifle.  But, I didn't to use it very often as I left  my Hit and Run hanging on a wall at my grandparents' house shortly after I got him.  Once the figure was recovered, though, my Joes were put away.  So, it was on rare occasion when I'd get them out.  Inevitably, Hit and Run would be among the figures chosen, though.  Part of it was the sheer quality of the figure.  Part was his amazing rope & grappling hook bag.  And, the final piece was his rifle.  Everything about it seemed perfect.  It had a long clip to store extra ammo.  It was compact enough to be used in close quarters.  And, the figures just held it perfectly.  I wanted to use it with pretty much every one of my favorite figures during this time.  But, I had just one sample with no way to acquire more.

That changed in the mid 1990's as weapon trees began to proliferate.  The real joy was finding extra samples of this rifle being included on weapon trees of 1993 and 1994 figures.  With this discovery, I was able to acquire an excellent rifle in a variety of colors.  As the weapon was my preferred rifle for the 1994 Shipwreck, I came to see it as a standard rifle used by all sorts of Joe themed army builders.  So, having it in cream with Snow Storm and even red with Outback allowed some consistency on the weapons used by the troops who supported the Joes.  Note that this weapon is often confused with the 1992 Shockwave rifle.  They are similar, but not the same.  Also, some late run 1994 figures featured the rifle but with a blocked out trigger guard.  Those aren't bad.  But, I do prefer the original design.

Now the rifle is ubiquitous.  And, I had so many of them that it's become a bit passe.  But, the early 2000's brought some weapons into the mainstream to a point where they started to get stale.  Hit and Run's weapon was one of them.  And, while I still love it, I don't see it as the staple for every figure as I once envisioned nearly 30 years ago.  But, I do still find uses for it and you'll see it being carried by other figures in some photos around the site.

4. Bullhorn's Mask

My youngest brother got a Bullhorn in 1990.  I believe he was  the only 1990 figure that we ever had.  While his rifle was amazing and everyone still goes ga-ga over his weapon case backpack, I found the real value in him was his gas mask.  I love gas masks.  And, as a kid, I lamented that the only ones you could get were either Ripcord's airmask or Lifeline's rescue mask.  I gave them to pilots, troopers navigating gassed caves and just to anyone I wanted to look cool.  But, they had limitations (like the hose you had to plug in for it to look good) and always left me wanting more.

Bullhorn's mask, though, solved this problem.  It was a self contained piece and was sculpted with the air filter right on it.  When placed on the figure's head, Bullhorn could be a faceless army builder.  I now had a way for more figures to be outfitted with protective masks.  Unfortunately, though, the specific design of Bullhorn's mask made it so that it was form fitted for Bullhorn's head.  And, that made it difficult or impossible to really use the mask with a variety of other figures.  And, this limited the mask's use.  But, the overall design still works.  I've since found Bullhorn to be a more boring figure than I'd remembered.  The mask, though, overcomes this and keeps the figure relevant to me.  I just wish it was a little more flexible for use on a wider variety of figures.

5. Spearhead's Rifle

I do not know how this weapon entered into our collection.  We never had a 1988 Spearhead.  But, at some point, his rifle appeared among our toys.  It was likely left by one of my brother's friends.  As soon as I saw it, though, the rifle simply enthralled me.  Mostly, this was because it was new.  But, also, the rifle featured a couple of key design elements that I found among the cooler features of Joe accessories.  First, it had a bayonet.  But, we'll talk more about this, later.  The second, and more important feature, was the strap.  I had long loved strapped weapons.  They allowed your figure to carry their weapon without having to always be holding it in their hand.  I never like my Joes climbing a rope if they didn't have a strap on their gun because it wasn't realistic to just have their weapon magically appear at the top if they didn't have a means to carry it.  It's weird what unrealistic elements bothered me when I was a kid and which didn't affect me at all.

Back to the bayonet, though.  While I really liked bayonets, the piece on Salvo's rifle made the weapons footprint rather large.  And, at some point in the early 1990's, I wanted a knife for some figure.  The bayonet on Salvo's rifle was of sufficient size to work as a knife for a figure.  So, since the weapon wasn't key to any complete figure in my collection, I snipped off the bayonet and gave the knife to someone.  The paired down rifle was then smaller and looked even better with the figures to whom I gave it.  At various points, I've found the snipped bayonet and wondered who's knife it was.  Usually, I then remember that I cut this off from the original weapon.  I'm 99% sure that the bayonet is still sitting in a plastic baggie of superfluous edged weapons stored in a shoebox in the basement closet.  And, you'll see the snipped version of the rifle in a photo below.

In the early 1990's, I gave this weapon that mysteriously appeared in our home to a figure who also had a similar origin: Salvo.  I don't know where Salvo came from.  And, our figure just had the helmet.  So, it was another likely leave behind from some unknown friend of my brother.  But, Salvo and Spearhead's gun just seemed to mesh.  And, without having Salvo's real accessories, it made sense for him to have this borrowed weapon.  So, between 1991, or so, and 1999, Salvo always carried Spearhead's rifle.  In fact, if you can find really old Salvo photos on the site, you'll see him carrying it.  To this day, I more associate Spearhead's rifle with Salvo than I do with Spearhead.  But, that's because Salvo is an awesome figure and Spearhead is...not.

Really, these were the dark days of Joe.  I didn't collect for several years.  And, when I got back into things, I was chasing the dregs of the line at retail while also scouring out the not ready for primetime flea market scene that define the pre-internet days.  You didn't find a lot of Joes back then.  And, those that you did find were often those from my childhood years.  Meaning they were figures I already owned.  So, it was hard to find items I didn't have already.  

There were many more, better accessories that were released in this time.  But, I didn't really acquire them until my collector phase began in earnest around 1998.  We'll explore those in the final installment in a few months.  Until then, though, what are some of your favorite accessories from this time?  Let me know in the comments below.

2005 Heavy Assault Set Duke

In 2003, G.I. Joe was riding high.  Hasbro was investing massive resources into the brand.  Retailers were stocking Joe toys in numbers second only to Star Wars.  And, consumers were buying the toys as fast as the stores could get them onto the shelves.  The collecting community was strong, vibrant and interesting.  The Christmas holiday of that year marked the crescendo of the repaint and JvC era.  At that time, we didn't know that.  But, less than 18 months after that amazing time in the hobby, the Joe line had completely crashed at retail.  Hasbro cancelled marketing pushes and packaging refreshes.  Toys stopped appearing on shelves as retailers had no faith in carrying volume in their stores.  And, Hasbro, knowing the end was near, dialed in some products that were outright embarrassments.  The 2005 Heavy Assault Set (or, HAS set) was as bad as it got.

At the 2005 G.I. Joe convention, Hasbro was getting heavy pressure from the collecting community.  Everyone knew the line was in trouble.  But, Hasbro didn't even acknowledge that elephant in the room.  Instead, they pulled typical subterfuge that was common for them and those in their orbit during the early 2000's.  Hasbro showcased the HAS set at their booth on the first day of the convention.  And, they took flak for how much the set sucked.  By the third day, Hasbro had pulled the HAS set from the display: claiming that what they had on hand wasn't "ready", yet and shouldn't be showcased.  Just a couple of short weeks later, though, the exact set that was shown on Day 1 started showing up at Toys R Us stores all over the country.  It was another bold faced lie from a cowardly team.  The worst thing, though, was that Hasbro knew about the upcoming DTC experiment.  Rather than generating excitement among the fan base over this innovative idea, they simply ignored the fate the line.  This killed collector interest.  So much so that the community shrunk in just the few weeks between the failure of the convention and the announcement of DTC.  This tanked DTC's chances of success.  And, about a year later, DTC was dead and the last remnants of the Joe line were liquidated to Toys R Us for pennies on the dollar.

The HAS Set was bad in a lot of ways.  It used three figure molds that had all appeared in Toys R Us exclusive sets in 2004.  And, in each case, barely recolored them outside of the pants.  The Greenshirts were a bad figure mold.  And, Greenshirt sets were still backed up at every Toys R Us store in the country when the HAS set was released.  And, those Greenshirts included helmets, backpacks and an armory of weapons.  The figures in the HAS weren't even different from those in the Greenshirt set.  They just had crappier gear.  

It didn't have to be this way, though.  Originally, the HAS set was going to include Ace and Mutt.  We don't know which molds would have been used.  But, they still have filecards on the back of the package.  You can't determine their molds or color choices, though, as the artwork used on the filecards was art Hasbro made for other releases of the characters in the JvC line.  Poor Roadblock, though, doesn't have a HAS filecard: showing he was a late edition to the set.  You wonder what would have happened if the HAS set had included a repainted 1992 Mutt and 1992 Ace.  Even the Anti-Venom Mutt and the 1983 ACE would have been interesting choices that would have given the set more cachet.  

This Duke figure, though, isn't all that great.  The grey pants with dark cammo spots jus don't really work.  And, when matched against the dark greenish/blue shirt, the whole figures clashes.  The figure's chest, though, has potential.  It's nicely painted.  And, set against a different pair of legs, it might have worked.  Black Major produced a similarly colored Steel Brigade figure in the mid 2020's and it turned out very nice.  So, the color can work.  But, the terrible 1984 Roadblock arms suck any usefulness out of the design.  The arms are just too scrawny for the chest.  And, the thick face paint on the figure's head makes it too large for the chest, too.  So, you have this weird visual where the figure is top heavy while being puny at the same time.  The whole package just doesn't work.

G.I. Joe conventions used to be well documented.  Every collector who attended took photos.  And, every Joe website hosted massive convention galleries.  There were first hand write ups and recording of the various sessions.  All of that, of course, is now gone.  The forums have all disappeared.  Most of the websites have gone dark.  In short, much of the documentation that we have on the history of the Joe line of the early 2000's is now lost.  It's an unfortunate byproduct of the internet era.  And, with social media ravaging content outside of their walled gardens, there's little hope we'll ever recover that information.  Again, looking at the current slate of online videos that document the Hasbro livestreams of the Classified era, we think that they are permanent artifacts of the line's history.  But, our legacy is that these relics will also, at some point, be lost.  It probably doesn't matter.  But, for those of us who were around during those days, it's tough to confirm our memories as their original sources have all disappeared.

Duke's gear is terrible.  Hasbro gave up on the HAS set and we were just given a couple of overstock, commonly used weapons with the figures.  Hasbro didn't even go the extra step of loading up the pack with a bunch of superfluous weapons like they had with some other dud sets.  So, Duke just gets a silver version  of the 1986 Low Light Uzi and a black shotgun that was sculpted in the 2000's and released with just a ton of different figures.  The gear isn't sensical for Duke and doesn't look good with him at all.  Sans helmet or pack, Duke feels lightly covered and the flaws of the Duke parts become more obvious.  You'll note that I try a variety of different gear combos on my figure in the photos below.  This is just an attempt to find a look for this figure that works since he didn't include any accessories that improved the figure beyond his paint applications.

This is a 20 year old figure.  The ARAHC figures that started Joe's return to full retail in 2000 are 25 years old.  This Duke is now as old as the 1985 Flint figure was when this Duke was first released.  It's difficult to wrap my head around this figure being two decades old.  It seems like the Joe line was at retail not that long ago.  What I do find interesting, though, is that the Joe team of the early 2000's never really understood collectors.  It took them years to find a way to appease collector wants.  And, even when they scored a hit, it was never followed up upon.  Hasbro's current Joe team, though, are not long time collectors.  And, yet, they seem to have a pretty good idea of what collectors want.  The Classified Haslabs are bona-fide hits.  Each new figure release seems to be met with, at worst, tepid enthusiasm.  And, most releases are considered solid if not great.  Maybe the designers not being collectors is what makes them good at getting items for collectors.  But, it's sad to see a team lead by a "collector' fail so miserably to get collector wants fulfilled in the 2000's while a new team consistently nails every release even though they don't really have a conduit into the fandom like the Hasbro team of the early 2000's did.

It's tough to price this Duke.  Dealers sell loose figures for between $20 and $30.  And, they try to get $40 or more for a complete with filecard figure.  But, those figures sit and sit with no interest.  You'll see carded HAS sets sell in  the $120 range.  Which is appalling on its face.  Most of the interest seems to be around Roadblock and Snake Eyes who make up over half of the carded pricing.  If you can find a market priced seller, this is probably around a $10 figure.  And, frankly, that's too much.  This is a bad figure from a bad release that really has no purpose in your collection.  He doesn't match the two good figures in the set and isn't even a useful Duke.  If you want the character, buy the 2022 version.  He's about the same price, has better coloring and includes amazing accessories.  

2022 Duke - Around The Web

We're coming up on 3 years since this figure was released.  And, he's still very available for original retail prices.  You can even find him discounted a bit to below retail.  He's still not low enough for me to splurge on a few extras just for the gear.  But, if you don't have this figure, he's well worth buying to get the amazing Cobra Commander and the bounty of extra accessories included with Duke.

This figure's head is still goofy.  If you like the color scheme, Super7 made an exact duplicate of it in Wave 2 of the ReAction+ line.  My local Target had four of them sitting on the pegs last week.  For $21, the ReAction+ figure's head isn't much better.  And, you don't get all the cool gear.  But, you have options if a cartoon Duke is high on your list of things to buy.

This Duke has kind of fallen into obscurity.  His bizarre colors don't go with much of anything.  And, as such, you don't see him the frequency that you do the Cobra Commander, Stalker and Sgt. Slaughter from the same series of figures released in recent years.  I still like the figure because the colors are bright and eye catching.  I just wish he was a better complement to existing Joe figures.  As Super7 makes more cartoon coloring inspired figures, maybe this Duke will have some better companions.  Until then, check out the 2022 Duke from around the web.

2022 Duke Profile

2022 Duke by Slipstream80

2022 Duke by tituslester32

2022 Duke by actionfigurefotos

2022 Duke by incrediblebulk

2022 Duke by yojoe_collectibles

2022 Duke by viperwilson

2022 Duke by codename.steve

2022 Duke by gijoe_for_fun

2022 Duke by viper_wilson

1993 Duke - Random Photos Of The Day

The 1993 Duke is really a great figure.  It's got a strong mold, great colors and cool accessories.  The sad part is that the mold had a ton of potential that Hasbro never even bothered to explore in the 2000's.  This mold would have worked great in various color schemes.  But, it was not to be.  At least, though, we got one great use of the parts.

I tend to use this figure quite often.  In older days, he was actually one of the most important characters in my Joe world.  He wasn't Duke, of course.  Because Duke sucks.  Instead, he was the chosen one who was anointed by the brass to take Hawk's place.  But, that type of character gets old.  So, he was set up to take the fall for some military failures and, ultimately, was sent to die in prison.  The characters who replaced this failed idea were more complex and had issues that made them more interesting.  They were also more successful as they had histories of failure that gave them the growth and maturity needed to overcome the most difficult situations.

For now, here's some photos of the figure in action.  I'm sure he'll appear many more times as he just works so well.

Chinese Exclusive Duke - Around the Web

I've had this Around the Web post for the Chinese Duke in my drafts for quite a while.  I have been hoping to keep finding more and more content on him.  But, that's proven difficult.  While this figure was widely available from Asia for about $1 as recently as the early 2010's, it has since dried up and the people who bought up the cheap overstock don't seem to take photos of their figures.  So, there's a paltry few entries in today's post.  But, it's still a foreign variant of Duke.  And, it's just different enough to warrant an acquisition if the price is cheap enough.

It seems that many new collectors aren't aware of this figure.  You see people denigrating it as "not original".  But, really, in terms of production, the Chinese Duke is probably substantially less common than the 1984 Duke.  But, reality isn't something that modern collectors are too concerned about.  In the first link, I lay out the differences between this version and the original.  So, there's at least something useful in there.

Chinese Duke Profile

Chinese Duke at JoeADay.com

Chinese Duke at The Viper Pit

Chineses Duke That's How I Found It - JoeADay.com

Chinese Duke by gen_liederkranz

2022 Duke

I don't much care for Duke.  Not being a cartoon guy, Duke never really resonated with me.  His comic character was rather bland and there were far better characters for any adventures.  His original figure was cool enough.  But, it also felt like a retread since it reused accessories and even mold parts from other figures.  Among the class of 1984, Duke felt like an anachronism.  And, as such, he rarely found a role in my collection.  In fact, Duke's most memorable contribution to my childhood was the donation of his parts that were used on other figures.  My favorite being a new Hawk that used a Duke's chest that I had repainted.  But, you can't deny Duke's importance to the Joe mythos and his place of prominence among collectors.  So, his inclusion among the first 6 of the Hasbro Pulse releases makes sense.  And, while I'm not a fan of the Duke character, this new rendition of him accomplishes some things that failed Hasbro from 1997 through 2005.

Duke has been re-released a ton of times.  But, none of those Duke figures really lived up to the version that appeared in the cartoon.  During the 1990's and, to a lesser extent, the 2000's, Joe fandom was heavily skewed towards the Marvel Comic.  As such, Hasbro was steered away from any cartoon homage figures.  In the ensuing decades, though, this has changed as more and more cartoon fans have come into the fold.  Now, there's a pretty even split.  And, the cartoon has proven to offer some nice designs for toys.  Super7 has mined the cartoon mythos very deeply and produced some figures that are unlikely to ever appear in any form again.  What's sad is that Hasbro could have done this very easily in the 2000's.  It's a shame there is no cartoon accurate Baroness, Snake Eyes, Cover Girl, Flint or any other cartoon rendition of your favorite character.  But, this Duke and Cobra Commander release of 2022 takes a step towards rectification.  Both figures are based on their cartoon appearances and include cartoon inspired accessories.  It's probably 20 years too late.  But, cartoon fans finally have some figures that are inspired by their favored medium.

As you likely know, though, I'm not really a cartoon fan.  I watched it as a kid.  But, it didn't really resonate with me and most of my Joe inspiration was taken from the comic.  So, the homage aspect of this figure doesn't matter much to me.  The colors are interesting.  But, they also aren't great.  I love the deep green of Duke's pants and helmet.  It is a great color.  But, the yellow of his shirt just doesn't match anything.  I tried to pair him with a variety of figures.  But, couldn't get a look that I liked.  Duke just doesn't go with anything.  And, to me, that limits him.  I'd love a Duke that could be easily melded into photos.  But, this isn't that Duke.  And, while the paint masks are spectacular, the color palette just doesn't translate into a neat looking figure.  So, Duke is just a toy that I own.  He sits in his drawer and I have yet to have any real compunction to pull him out for photos other than those in this profile.  It's not a terrible fate as it's the same way I feel about many of the 2000's releases.  But, I was hoping for more from a premium priced toy.

One of the supposed perks of premium pricing is that we get a bunch of extra accessories with each figure 2 pack.  With Snake Eyes and Stormshadow, it was extra 1989 Snake Eyes gear that didn't really go with the released figure.  With the Cobra Trooper/Officer, there was a nice cadre of additional weapons.  Most of them were Joe weapons.  But, they also represented pretty much every weapon that was released with a Trooper or Officer all over the world.  For Duke and Cobra Commander, though, the ante was upped again.  The Commander included a nice batch of weapons, computer pads and even binoculars.  Duke, though, was the real plum.  Aside from his helmet and card art inspired XMLR, Duke also included binoculars, his backpack (which keeps the 1984 color and doesn't match with this figure at all!), a green M-32 like the original figure, a dark green bazooka (still missing the sight!), an American flag and pole, a figure stand based on the anniversary figure design, a bizarre shoulder harness and, the coup de gras, a silver JUMP backpack that's meant to be held by the harness.  It's a great complement of gear and seems like a deluxe figure.  I'm not sure it's worth the $21 for the figure.  But, it does help make this figure feel like less of a price gouge.  Personally, I'd love for every Joe to include a specifically colored JUMP.  It would be awesome.  But, I'll take it just with Duke for now.

The quality of this figure is pretty strong.  There is, though, quite a bit of consternation over the eye paint on the figure.  They eyes of most figures are not symmetrical.  In close up, macro photos, the eyes look terrible.  But, under normal vision, it's far less noticeable.  The head is goofy.  But, Duke has always been goofy.  The paint ops, though, are top notch.  They are a step up from the 2000's era.  The plastic quality is about the same as the 2000's, though.  So, you have softer overall plastic along with more pliable thumbs and crotches.  I do not, though, like painted hands as they are susceptible to wear.  But, few of these will be played with.  So, that's less of an issue.  

This figure is an all new Duke mold.  So, while Duke was released in 1984, 1988 and then in a variety of times in the 2000's, those were all different molds from this figure.  Hasbro is just releasing its first repaint of the Pulse era when the Stinger Driver shows up in a few months.  I'd love for Hasbro to start repainting some of these new molds.  But, I'd prefer them to come in a cheaper option for packaging.  I don't really want a Tiger Force Duke or a 1984 colored Duke on a full cardback.  But, I'd love one of each in a baggie for a cheaper price.  It would be awesome to get a Night Force Duke.  Or, even a figure based on the European Force Mirage.  I do hope that we see some repaints in the line, just to get more than 8 or so figures in a year.  We'll see if that ever happens, though.

If you want Duke, buy him right now.  He and Cobra Commander are $42 plus shipping.  You can even buy up to 5 of them.  Honestly, if I could just buy a Duke with all the gear for $21, I'd probably get one or two more: just for the gear.  But, I'm hesitant as the price seems high with the Cobra Commander.  The long run value for these figures is unknown.  I'm sure the Cobra Commander will remain desirable as it's the first release of that mold since 1984.  Duke is less certain as this is a specific look for the character.  But, the figure is solid and the gear is amazing.  That's usually a recipe for prolonged interest from collectors.  

Top 10 Spring Loaded Accessories

Starting in 1991, Hasbro began to move the standard Joe accessories in a different direction.  Instead of leaving them the static pieces from 1982, they began to incorporate more action into the toys.  At first, it was simple kid interaction where you could flick a missile.  But, soon, it evolved into a series of spring loaded action features that allowed for kids to have their figures interact through propulsion.  While I title this article spring loaded accessories, that's just because the spring loaded pieces dominate Hasbro's offerings.  But, there are a few other gimmicks in the 1990's that are worthy of inclusion as they added interactive elements to G.I. Joe action figures without forcing the figures to be something incompatible with what came before.

So, you will not see Ninja Force on this list as those features were limited to the figures.  You won't see Sky Patrol, either, as the parachutes only worked with proper preparation and was designed as a stand alone toy that was commandeered for Sky Patrol.  This list covers 1991 through 1994 as those were the years when the action feature accessories were dominate.  And, while older collectors tend to revile this gear, the reality is that there are some amazing toys in here that are both tons of fun to play with while also being in line with the look and feel of the Joe line from the decade prior.

10. 1994 Lifeline Grappling Hook

I'm a sucker for grappling hooks.  As a kid, I loved them.  But, I never got any that actually worked.  So, things like Alpine's grappling gun were left to imagination.  Which, was fine.  But, there were times it would have been cool to have actual hooks that could shoot up and grip something.  Enter the 1994 Lifeline.  His grappling launcher is huge and his two pronged hook is, too.  But, you can tie a rope to it and shoot it at rocks, walls or plants and it might actually stick: just like the real thing.  That's  enough for me to view it as an essential accessory.

09. 1991 Eco Warriors Squirt Guns

Among the first of the action feature weapons are the Eco Warriors squirt packs and guns.  Instead of using a spring for their action, these packs can draw up and hold water that is then expelled from the nozzle of the gun when you press on the soft plastic container that is held in place by a harder plastic frame.  For Eco Warriors, this made perfect sense.  And, the water was used in conjunction with the figures as they would change colors when water of hot or cold temperature hit the special paint on the bodies.  The self contained squirt gun was a solid design.  The guns are pretty large, but not so much that they aren't usable.  But, the weapons are very useful and a lot of fun to have around.

08. 1992 Duke Bronco Launcher

So, this toy is dumb, stupid, lame and incredibly fun for any kid in 1992.  Who wouldn't want a missile launcher that a figure can ride?!?  This piece is an integral part of the 1992 Duke's card artwork.  And, it translates very well into the actual toy.  The only downside is that the brown tripod is made of plastic that has turned to glass.  I literally had one crumble to dust, yes, dust, in a box of other launcher parts.  I didn't know what all the dirt was until I found one intact foot.  The one in the photo below spidered all those while lines just from me gently trying to insert the peg into it.  So, using it today isn't overly practical.  But, man, this is just a stupid idea that made for an iconic piece for Duke.

07. 1992 Destro Disc Launcher

The 1992 Destro disc launcher is another one of those ideas that actually kind of works as a toy.  It's similar to Scrap Iron's missile table.  But, this one shoots discs.  The fact that they actually shoot, though, helps sell the idea of the weapon.  The disc launcher looks like something a comic book supervillain would use.  And, Destro is as close to that trope as the G.I. Joe line tends to get.  So, it's a perfect match of character and weapon.

06. 1992 Firefly Top Spinner

This spinner is also ridiculous.  But, as a toy, it works well.  You can set up a bunch of figures on a hard floor and let the ripcord fly.  The top can then knock over the figures.  Hours of fun!

05. 1991 Cobra Commander Drone

So, this thing is either a radio controlled surveillance drone or a buzz bomb depending on which part of the card you read.  But, any way you look at it, this is a little drone with a spring loaded launcher.  The drone is laminated plastic with cardboard pieces.  It's a neat little idea that worked out.  The launcher features a powerful spring.  It is mounted on a bi-pod and is meant as a stationary weapon.  The idea of a drone was rather innovative back in 1991.  So, it's inclusion is akin to things like the JUMP showing up in 1982.  

04. 1992 Eel Robo Shark

Full disclosure: I don't much care for the robo-shark.  In general, I think robots are dumb.  And these things are a pain in the ass for anyone who, like me, tends to army build 1992 or Funskool Eels.  The sharks are huge, sharp and just a pain to store away.  With that Andy Rooney moment past me, though, what kid in 1992 would not have loved a robot shark with a moving tail that shoots a missile out of its mouth?!?  This is the exact type of over the top ridiculousness that Cobra would have created in their descent into super-villainy.  

And, to top it off, the toy is amazing.  It's full of detail.  The tail moves and the mouth opens.  And, it can then shoot a spring loaded missile out of the creature's mouth.  To top it all off, the shark is also a backpack that affixes to the Eel to be used underwater!  Really, this has a case to be number 1.  But, what's a list without some controversy?  And, personally, I find the Flak Viper's missile backpack to be much more useful than the robo-shark.  But, I'm an adult who was in college when this came out.  If I'd have gotten it when I was 9, there's a good chance this is my favorite toy ever created.  So, if you're going to refute me in the placement of this piece, come with some good anecdotes of how it fit into your play and was a major part of your childhood. :)

03. 1992 Cutter Grappling Hook

I'm kind of cheating as there are two grappling hooks on this list.  But, as I said for Lifeline, I'm a sucker for grappling hooks.  As a kid, I used them not just as tools used to scale mountains, walls or buildings.  They were also Batarang type weapons that could be used to apprehend and tie up villains.  I'd use them between vehicles to either tether boats or even just capture an enemy vehicle that was about to outrun the good guys.  For me, the grappling hook was my irrational childhood dream toy because I got one when I was about 9 and it locked in the idea of a hook on a rope that could be used as a tool in most any situation.

I rank Cutter's hook higher for a couple of reasons.  It came first.  So, it has that going for it.  But, more importantly, Cutter's hook has four prongs.  This made it much more likely to actually catch onto something.  I have memories of being a kid and tossing Alpine's grappling hooks into a pile of rocks.  When the figure went to use it, the hook wouldn't catch anything and it would slip out, sending Alpine to his doom.  I had weird rules where if a rope didn't catch, then the Joes couldn't use it.  (I actually had a little, metal four pronged hook that was attached to a long length of white string.  I used this since it worked more often than the Hasbro toys.)  Cutter's hook is comically large.  But, that's what makes it fun.  If the hook hit anyone, it would kill them.  But, honestly, that's a plus in my book.  

In doing this article, I noticed that the tripod for Cutter's launcher looks the same as that included with the 1992 Duke.  The white plastic isn't nearly as brittle as the brown, though.  

02. 1994 Star Brigade Cobra Commander Suction Cup Walker

The 1994 Star Brigade Cobra Commander includes this oddball harness that's attached to a suction cup walker.  It actually works, though.  And, that alone makes it the 2nd best action accessory in the line.  It's a marvel of engineering and also a fun toy.  It's like those old wall walkers you got for birthday prizes except that it's high quality and a lot of fun.  Everyone should have one of these.

01. 1992 DEF Mutt Net Launcher

You really can't go wrong with this contraption.  It is a massive net launcher.  The launcher is fairly large.  But, it stands by itself and looks like something that would launch nets.  The best part is that the included net is massive.  It's large enough to cover an entire figure with plenty left over.  The four corners of the net are anchored.  The top two are attached to the firing missiles and the bottom two corners have weighted balls to hold down the net.  The net is perfect as a stand alone toy and the launcher just adds more play value.  The only downside is that the weight of the four anchors limits how far the launcher can shoot the net.  But, of all the action play features that Hasbro released, this is the best.

Here is a video from corpscommandercody showing the net in action.

This list is my own.  And, while all of these have their merits, I'm sure you have opinions of ones I overlooked, deliberately omitted or just plain ignored.  So, please let me know your favorites.  These were not the toys of my childhood.  So, my appreciation of them is based on what I think I would have liked as a kid and, more importantly, what I really like now.  So, seeing how kids of the day actually felt about them and which were their favorites is definitely something I'd like to hear about.  

Hasbro Pulse - June 8th, 2022 Reveals

It's that time again where Hasbro does a G.I. Joe livestream and showcases their new products.  This is an exciting time since they usually have a little something for everyone.  Today was no different.  There were a bunch of Classified announcements, including that the next G.I. Joe Haslab will be for Classified.  To me, that's good news.  I'd like the Skystriker in hand before I have to front the cash for another Haslab.

For me, though, there were two main announcements today.  One, Duke and Cobra Commander, was something we have known about for a while.  Now, though, we will be able to pre-order later today and we got a look at the plethora of accessories that are included with the figures.  The second announcement was new.  It's Stalker with a Transformer that turns into the AWE Striker.  I hate this.  I hate this because I don't collect Transformers and I'm now paying $70 to get a figure that I really want. I would have built a small Stalker army since he's such a personal favorite.  Now, I'll get one.

I want to rant more about this.  But, the reality is that the Megatron sold well.  And, it got way more press than a Cobra army builder two-pack that still hasn't sold out after months of pre-orders.  So, the Transformers/G.I. Joe hybrids are likely here to stay.  I'd rather get a real AWE Striker than a Transforming one.  But, there's lots of crossover between Joe and Transformers collectors.  So, a good number of collectors will be happy to see this.

On to the items.

Duke Vs. Cobra Commander:

We knew this two pack was coming.  We saw mock ups several months ago.  Now, though, we're seeing pretty close to final figures along with packaging and all the extra gear.

Cobra Commander looks pretty good.  It's definitely a cartoon based color scheme.  But, this is the first really different take on this mold we've seen since 1984.  So, that's exciting.  In looking at his gear, it seems he includes a new staff and a tablet.  He also has a rifle instead of his standard pistol in the blister.  I assume this a cartoon thing.  And, new weapons are always welcomed.

Duke is less impressive.  His grin is now massive and is exaggerated far too much.  Beyond that, though, the figure looks to showcase an array of 1997 colors.  And, that's not a good thing.  The helmet is shiny and the figure's colors look way too bright.  We'll see how the final piece looks.  But, I'm not as enthused about this figure as I was, originally.  His gear, though, almost makes up for it.  You'll see his full 1984 complement of weapons with the helmet, pack, binoculars and green M-32.  But, he also get's the standard Snow Job rifle, a bazooka and a jetpack based on the JUMP.  It appears that instead of using the standard backpack peg, this jet pack has a harness that goes over Duke.  We'll see how the final configuration appears.  But, it looks like a big upgrade.  I would love an accessories pack to be able to get a few more of them.

For reference, here is the original mock up photo from a couple of months ago:

Stalker:

I hate the Tranformers crossovers.  I don't collect Transformers and don't like paying an exhorbitant surcharge for including them with Joes.  I'm in the minority on this point, though, as Megatron sold well.  But, I love Stalker and seeing him appear is amazing.  But, instead of army building a couple of them as he's one of my favorite figures, I'll just get one since I have to pay in excess of $70 for a Bumblebee in which I have ZERO interest.

But, these offerings are probably the future because they sell well and lots of people who aren't old curmudgeons really like them.  I'll buy one, too.  So, I'm the real sucker when we get down to it.

Overall, not an overwhelming day.  But one where I'm going to drop nearly $200 for the privilege of getting these figures in the mail in 6 to 8 months.  But, that's toy collecting in 2020 in a nutshell.