2005 Iron Anvil - Convention Exclusive

I first looked at this figure 5 years ago.  But, I didn't feel that profile really did this figure justice.  The 1994 Viper mold is a design gem that was obscure behind poor color choices in it's only release year.  Seeing the sculpt in fully paint glory showcases how amazing the final years of the Joe line could have been.  And, it also shows how spectacular the 2000's era repaint line could have been were these molds better utilized.  In short, you see a lot of missed potential in those statements.  But, the Iron Anvil figure from 2005 is one of those items that we should celebrate since it exists, is relatively common and remains one of the cheaper convention army builders out there today.

You can not discuss the 2005 convention set without touching upon the controversy that surrounded it.  Many months before the convention, a list started to circulate around collecting circles.  It quickly became the worst guarded secret in all of fandom.  But, it was the list of 2005 convention exclusive figures that were planned.  At the time, Master Collector was weirdly secretive and were quick to discredit the list when it appeared publicly.  But, the final set ended up being pretty much what the list showed.  The Iron Grenadiers had to get a new head that fit onto a Night Viper body.  And, the redone Condor never saw the light of day.  What was odd, though, was that the advance knowledge of the convention theme and possible items actually made the set more desirable and many collectors were given incentive to save up for the set since they had ample notice of the theme.  Despite that glorious bit of marketing intelligence, the leaks were plugged and the convention sets remained under wraps after that...heavily diminishing much collector interest.

The Iron Grenadier set, though, remains many collectors' favorite set of the convention era.  It had a solid theme, was in line with the vintage figures and included figures that were different from the originals, but also were well done.  In many ways, it was a set done right.  And, the Iron Anvils are my personal set highlight.  I've been a fan of the 1994 Viper since I found my first one at retail in 1995.  I found another near the end of the summer and began army building them before I knew what army building really was.  I found the design in the comics and always wanted a repaint of the mold with the green body and golden helmet.  As the mold was new for 1994, it's very possible it would have been repainted in 1995.  But, that didn't happen.  And, as Hasbro was releasing Viper repaint after Viper repaint, it never occurred to them to bring back the 1994 mold to offer collectors something different.  So, the mold's appearance in the Iron Grenadier set felt like someone had finally realized the mold's potential.

Starting with the base black color, the Iron Anvil is designed to work with classic 1988 Iron Grenadiers and the 1988 Destro figure.  He even matches the Iron Grenadier vehicles.  The gold and red highlights would be overwhelming.  But, they are toned down by the grey boots and gloves the figure is wearing on his extremities.  The gold and red, though, both feel somewhat fragile to me.  And, I've never been too keen on using these figures in similar ways that vintage figures are exploited.  I'm not sure if that's just fear or genuine experience from dealing with decades of figures with fragile gold paint.  Overall, though, the figure is just four colors: which is somewhat light for a convention release.  But, showing off the color, zipper and goggles makes the colors seem more complex than they are.  You get to see the details of the figure's sculpt without it being too busy.

The Iron Anvil's accessories are well done.  He includes a grey version of the wicked lightning knife that debuted with the 1988 Hydro Viper but was also released in red with the 1994 Viper.  It's a cool looking weapon and makes the figure a bit more dangerous.  The Iron Anvil's weapon of choice is the sub machine gun that originated with the 1989 Annihilator figure.  Again, it is an under-utilized weapon that is well sculpted and really deserved more releases.  It's also a perfect fit for the figure's specialty of para-trooper.  The final bit of gear is the convention issue backpack and parachute.  This combo of metallic vinyl parachute and recolored Jinx backpack originated in 2002 with the Paratrooper Dusty and remained a convention staple after that.  It's not spectacular.  But, it's not bad, either.  Working parachutes are always fun and this chute's colors match the figure. 

I think my opinion of this figure is over-inflated.  I love the 1994 Viper.  I wanted to see repainted 1994 Vipers.  And, the Iron Grenadier set was pretty nice.  So, I have a soft spot for this figure where others may not.  Collectors of the 2000's punished Hasbro for releasing any mold made after 1990.  The club fared a little better.  But, they received a lot of criticism for their use of later molds, too.  Everyone would have loved to have seen the Annihilator get released as the Iron Anvil.  (By the way, the Iron Anvil name is stolen from the obscure Iron Panther driver from the ill-fated Sgt. Savage line of toys.)  But, this Viper repaint is a suitable replacement.  Seeing an under-utilized mold was greatly appreciated by me, even if not every collector felt the same. 

Despite this, I don't have too many of these figures in my collection.  While they are great figures and not overly expensive, I'm not a huge Iron Grenadier fan.  And, I usually don't go overboard buying up specialty army builders, especially if they fall outside of my core Cobra vision.  Though, it's not from lack of trying.  Through the years, I've sought to pick up small lots of these guys.  But, I never get around to it.  They were cheap and common and that drove me seek out other opportunities that I feared would not present themselves again.  Even with a sparse few samples in my collection, I don't go out of my way to use the figure.  While I like the 1988 Destro, I see the character primarily as a member of Cobra.  So, him having his own forces didn't make much sense to me.  It doesn't diminish the quality of this figure.  But, it does reduce my desire to own him in bulk.

Like pretty much all the once common convention figures, Iron Anvils have gotten harder to find.  You used to see tons of lots of 3 to 6 of them that would sell for around $10 per figure.  While those days are gone, the figures are still among the cheaper army builders of those early convention sets.  The Iron Grenadier set was well received.  But, many collectors liquidated surplus army builders as a way to recoup costs.  These days, dealers sell the figures in the $30-$45 range.  Few sell at that price.  But, the more limited supply leads to some desperation purchases.  At open pricing, these are $15 figures: which is a very solid price for a figure of this quality.  But, the Cobra transitioning to an Iron Grenadier and the late year mold are mitigating factors in the figure's popularity.  I find they are worth their price, even if it takes a while to get an army.  With convention army builders, you never know what the future holds.  But, this figure hasn't taken off in almost 15 years.  So, I'm not sure why he would now.

2005 Iron Anvil - Convention Exclusive

There are some large gaps in the ARAH-style G.I. Joe line. Usually, they are defined by missing Cobra troop types or by high profile characters that appeared in the comics or cartoon. Since 2000, Hasbro has done an adequate job of filling some of these holes. But, despite their efforts, there remains a few key specialties that are unfulfilled. During the repaint era, there was great hope that Hasbro would revisit some of those missing specialities. Instead, collectors were treated to a barrage of repaints rather than reimaginations. Every now and then, though, a figure was re purposed into something new and interesting. That is the case with the Iron Anvil.

Cobra Paratroopers first appeared in issue #14 of the original Joe comic. Lead by Destro, this group of Troopers (with air masks and parachutes) showed that Cobra had specialized units within their standard Cobra ranks. In time, Hasbro would exploit this with wave after wave of specialty Cobra Vipers. But, while collectors were treated to Cyber Vipers, Monstro Vipers, Gyro Vipers and other obscure specialties, we never were given a chance to buy a Paratrooper Viper. It seems like such a glaring omission, especially in light of subsets like Sky Patrol and the fact that a parachute pack was a mail away item for years and years. But, it was simply a unit of the Cobra forces that never received any attention.

That finally changed in 2005 with the release of the convention exclusive Iron Anvil figure. Granted, the name was stolen from an obscure Sgt. Savage figure who drove the Iron Panther tank. But, it worked well enough. As Destro's paratroopers, the Iron Anvils finally gave the enemy some airborne insertion capabilities. But, the Iron Anvils were pigeonholed as Iron Grenadiers. That limited their use since they were not full fledged Cobras and were in traditional Iron Grenadier colors. The fact that it took a high priced convention set to actually bring any type of Cobra paratrooper to collectors was another issue altogether. Hasbro had tried to bring Sky Patrol Cobras to retail in 2003, only to have Wal Mart go another way. (Supposedly, the parachutes failed safety tests. But, Hasbro has released other parachutes at retail since then. So, there may be more to the story.)

The Iron Anvil features high quality paint applications and great accessories. The homage to the classic Iron Grenadier colors is a great feature and something that really ties the figure back to the vintage line. But, I still find the overall colors off-putting. The black, red and gold are just a bit too contrasting. I have the same issue with the original Iron Grenadier. I find the idea of the figure much more interesting than I do the actual toy. It isn't a bad figure. But, the general use fullness is very limited. Many convention Cobras are best utilized as part of the overall set. They don't stand on their own as well. The Iron Anvil is no exception. Posed with the rest of the set, it is a great figure. But, taking him out of the context limits the figure's use value since he isn't in more traditional Cobra colors.

The 1994 Viper mold was criminally underused.  It appeared in a shade of purple and orange in 1994 and not again until this set in 2005.  In the comics, the 1994 Vipers appeared with green suits and golden helmets.  I don't know if these were just artistic license by the comic creators, a discarded design for the Viper that was changed or if they were the planned 1995 repaint of the mold.  Regardless, the high quality mold was only used these two times and still has some potential.

Despite initial positive fan response to this convention set, the Iron Anvil has become rather cheap to acquire on the secondary market. While many collectors did like the coloring and re-use of the high quality mold, the reality is that the figure is difficult to use. Even with a full complement of army builders, the Iron Grenadier convention set did not sell out and was still available a few years after its release. As such, these days, you can get mint and complete Iron Anvils for under $12 on a consistent basis. This might seem somewhat pricey, but it right around the original cost if a collector bought a boxed and bagged convention set. It's not a bad price for a figure of this quality. But, it is a price at which I've found the value of army building this figure to be low. It's cool to have one Iron Anvil and it would be cool to have 12. But, with the money it would cost to buy 12 of them, I could get about the same number of Stinger Drivers or original Cobra Troopers. So, in those terms, the figure might be overpriced. Regardless, it is a figure that works well with the existing Iron Grenadier figures and offers something new and unique to a collection. As there have been so few figures in modern times about whom that could be said, the Iron Anvil is worthwhile.