Rarities - Canadian Stinger & ASP Set

Canada got a few G.I. Joe exclusives.  The most famous are the all black repaints of the VAMP and MMS (the M.S.V.) and MOBAT (the Consumer Distributing Cobra Combat Tank), Canada also got another exclusive gift set.  This time, though, the vehicles included were the same as the regular release.  It was their bundling and exlusive packaging that set they apart.

Rarities - Canadian Consumer Distributing Cobra Combat Tank

Hasbro was always looking for ways to expand the Joe brand.  And, even in the early 1980's, retail partners were keen to cozy up with Hasbro to produce exclusive toys.  In the early days, these items were heavily focused on retailers with large catalog business.  In the U.S., both Sears and JC Penny's were able to carry specially packaged Hasbro products.  And, Sears was even able to secure exclusive toys for sale in their catalog and in their stores.  Sears was even able to secure an exclusive toy for their Canadian stores: the infamous Cobra M.S.V.  And, it is to Canada we look for another exclusive vehicle: the Cobra Combat Tank.

In 1984, the Consumer Distributing chain of stores was able to secure a Hasbro exclusive.  They got an all black repaint of the MOBAT.  This was named the Cobra Combat Tank and included a swivel arm version of the helmeted Cobra Commander figure.  It has since become one of the rarer vehicle repaints and is highly sought by many collectors.

Consumer Distributing was a warehouse store.  It seems to be most analogous to Service Merchandise in the U.S.  You ordered from a catalog in the store and waited for employees to bring it out to you.  (My Service Merchandise store had a conveyor belt on which your items would slide from the back of the store to the front where you picked it up.  So, it is this image I associate with this model of retail...even if other chains may have looked differently.) They were large enough to secure an exclusive repaint.  It would be interesting to know how many of these items were produced.  It's likely that the total number is quite small.

Consumer Distributing tanks are expensive.  It's rare to find one in mint and complete condition.  They aren't as rare as the M.S.V.  And, they only have one really small, easily lost part whereas the M.S.V. has several.  As a repaint, it's kind of boring.  It's just a black MOBAT.  And, the MOBAT, in general, sucks.  But, as a rarity, the tank is somewhat useful.  It matches well with Hiss Tanks and Stingers and would be an excellent addition to a pre-1985 Cobra army.

In 1985, Hasbro repainted the MOBAT for the U.S. market with the Sears exclusive CAT Tank.  Hasbro got their money out of the MOBAT mold.  But, it's somewhat odd that Cobra actually got more releases of the MOBAT than Joe did.  So, you can make a case that it's actually a Cobra vehicle, now.

Here you can see inside of the battery compartment.

Below are the blueprints for the CDT.  You will note that they still feature Steeler being placed into the turret.  You can see the instructions in both English and French.

As a cheap novelty, I'd love to get a couple of these to match up with my classic Cobras.  But, as an expensive, hard to find item, I have no interest in the Cobra Combat Tank.  I never liked the MOBAT and don't see an all black repaint of it being worth the hundreds of dollars or so it would cost to get a nice one.  Many collectors like the MOBAT, though.  That, and the fact that it was a Canadian exclusive, keep this item more desirable and expensive than I will ever find it.  But, this item is a great reminder of both how strong toy lines used to be and how powerful retail chains once were to commerce.

Rarities - Cobra M.S.V. (Canadian Exclusive)

In 2000, I bought a lot of figures and vehicle parts from a Canadian who was selling his childhood collection.  In the photos was a Rumbler, who I needed at the time.  So, coupled with a few army builders, this was enough to get me to bite on it.  He told me there was another pile of stuff, too.  When it arrived, it turned out the other "pile of stuff" was quite a bit of figures and gear.  I was ecstatic to get a not pictured Star Duster, Night Viper and Alley Viper.  There was also a lot of miscellaneous vehicle parts.  I didn't really look at them and put them into a case that was included while I sorted and put away the figures.  A year or two later, I was looking through the parts when two VAMP gas cans molded in black grabbed my attention.

They were flat black rather than the glossy black versions that were included with the Tiger Force VAMP.  Also in the pile was a black center piece to an MMS.  I thought it might be from the SMS.  But, that wasn't released in Canada.  That's when I realized that I had pieces to the Canadian Exclusive MSV.

The MSV was a retailer exclusive in Canada.  The set included a black version of the VAMP with an all black version of the MMS which were now aligned with Cobra.  The VAMP uses the 192 VAMP mold without the shovel on the hood.  The MMS appears to be unchanged from the original release, other than the color.  It's a classic pairing of iconic Joe vehicles done up in colors that would perfectly match the Hiss Tank.

At it's core, I'm torn on this toy.  It's extremely cool.  But, the fact is that we do have the Stinger jeep which is a very similar mold in the same colors.  The SMS is hard to find, but is the same as the MSV missile base and the only difference is red missiles instead of black.  Taking a Stinger and SMS missile trailer gives you a more visually attractive MSV at a fraction of the price.  So, from a practicality standpoint, the MSV offers very little to a Cobra army.  On the other hand, though, the all black VAMP is sleek and the differences with the mounted twin gun are enough that makes me really want a few MSV's to round our my classic Cobras.

High quality MSV's are very rare and very expensive.  Gem mint specimens easily top $1,000.  The extremely low production run and high propensity for breakage or lost pieces makes getting a perfect one a very difficult proposition.  The fact that it's the highly coveted VAMP mold in black and given to Cobra just adds to the mystique.  This set would look great among an early Cobra army.  I can picture Stinger Drivers manning the jeep with Cobra Troopers setting up the MMS.  It would be a perfect blend with other, early Cobra vehicles.  The price and availability, though, make this one a stretch dream for me, though.

Hasbro Canada Find

If you frequent this site, you have undoubtedly seen me refer to the Hasbro Canada Find. In the spring of 1999, some people on the alt.toys.gi-joe.1980s newsgroup contacted Hasbro Canada to see if they had any surplus G. I. Joe product left over from the old mail in offers. Similar efforts had been conducted against Hasbro U.S., but the people were flatly told that there was no surplus product. Hasbro Canada, however, proved a different story.

Apparently, Hasbro Canada did have quite a haul of surplus Joe product left over, and they were only too happy to get rid of it at dirt cheap prices. They offered figures for $1.00 American. The vehicles they offered were also insanely similarly priced. There were no limits, except on the amount of stock they had. Certain figures were sold out in a matter of days. They were replaced with other figures they couldn't get rid of. (Like Thunder!) There were reports of people getting some odd figures that weren't offered on the list, but, for the most part, the orders came in as people had ordered them. The figures were all bagged or on the cardboard backers the old vehicle drivers came in.

I got my Nitro Viper, Motor Viper, Crankcase, 1992 Ace, 1984 Thunder, 1985 Keel Haul, and several other figures from them. Most of what they offered were vehicle drivers, but they did have some other figures available. I also scored 2 bright red mail away Firebats and 2 bright green mail away Sky Hawks. I love small planes and these two are among my favorites to play with. I had always wanted a Firebat. When I got them, I opened one and planned on keeping the other in the bag. After about a week, I couldn't stand it and opened the other one as well. I certainly do not regret that move. It's an awesome toy that just begs to be played with.

Did you cash in on this find? What did you get? I would like to know so I can create a master list of everything they offered. Please, email me.