1988 Iron Grenadier

1987 was the swam song of my childhood collecting days.  I only bought a couple of figures in early 1988 before "growing up" and moving on with other parts of my life.  My younger brothers, though, still bought Joes.  And, slowly, they acquired most of the 1988 basic figure line.  When they brought home a new figure, I'd check it out.  And, in many cases, I found the new assortment of characters to be the type of figure I'd have simply loved were I still playing with toys.  Among the figures my younger brother acquired was the 1988 Iron Grenadier.

Upon his entry into our home, I found the Iron Grenadier fascinating.  First, I loved the name.  It conveyed strength and ability.  Second, the figure was amazing.  He looked like the a cross between the original Cobra Trooper and the later Cobra Viper.  Third, his Uzi was the type of weapon I always wanted Snake Eyes' Uzi to be.  It was bigger and bulkier and just seemed more substantial than the original version of the weapon.  Fourth, the figure's colors were great.  Black wasn't a common Cobra color for figures.  So, seeing it on a trooper was really different from the other figures that had been the staples of my childhood.  Finally, the figure included a sword.  Sure, it was kind of ornamental.  But, it was like the swords that Cylon Warriors from BattleStar Galactica had used.  They made no sense at all.  But, the mere presence of the sword was a cool visual and a constant reminder of quick death by a sharp blade.  

I felt that the details on the figure were just excellent.  They implied a ton of great uses.  The figure had the cool helmet and accessories.  But, he had a gas mask covering his face.  So, I could use the Iron Grenadier as an elite guard for Cobra's leadership.  Or, I could use him as a standard field commando who was better equipped than most of the Joes of that time.  So, he was an upgrade from the final Cobras who comprised my childhood collection.

During the rare occasion that I was home alone and could actually get my Joes out for one "final" battle, I'd use my brother's Iron Grenadier.  Usually, he was among the last survivors and had often taken out more than one Joe.  His newness afforded him this opportunity.  But, the overall quality of his mold pushed him over the top.  Really, though, I never felt like the adventures I created for the figure could live up to the coolness of the mold.  So, he ended up being a figure I'd appreciate from a visual perspective.  Though, had he been released in 1986, he's probably have been the backbone of my Cobra army.  I was just too old to really get the figure into the down and dirty adventures that cemented earlier figures as my favorites.

In the early 2000's, I had quite the Iron Grenadier army.  He was, for a time, the most common figure in my collection.  This wasn't due to anything other than the dynamics of the time, though.  I was among the few collectors who bought lots of 1988 and 1989 figures.  And, those lots always included an Iron Grenadier because even the army building sensitive collectors of the era wouldn't remove him from a collection to sell on his own.  So, just through acquisitions of bulk lots, I ended up with nearly a dozen Iron Grenadiers.  But, I really didn't do anything with them.  So, during my purge of the early 2010's, I sold off all but a lone Iron Grenadier.  And, while I have many regrets over the figures I liquidated at the time, the Iron Grenadier is not one of them.  I took one photo of them in 2000.  They didn't come out again until one photo shoot in 2007.  And, then, they don't appear again in any of my photos until I dusted one off for a shoot in 2023.  The figures just didn't matter to me and I didn't use them at all.  So, I'm glad someone else is able to enjoy that early army I had acquired.  

One of the things that plagues all long running IPs is bloat.  In order to keep things fresh, new concepts and characters have to be constantly added.  Over time, the IP becomes too large to manage.  And, you have to retcon certain aspects.  Or, just outright ignore significant events that occurred in the past.  That's how I view Iron Grenadiers.  While I enjoyed their introduction in the comic, there really wasn't any place for them to go.  Destro didn't work as a third faction in the story.  Him seeing himself as Cobra Commander's equal or better was a more interesting place to keep him.  But, eventually, the second in command has to make a play for leadership.  And, that's a fun story for a time.  In the real world, people like are killed.  In fiction, you don't waste a valuable character.  So, you figure out a way to put them back into their standard place and start all over again.  

This is where Joe found itself in the 1990's.  Hasbro started the decade with a slew of new characters and excellent toys.  But, by the following year, they were bringing back classic characters.  In the comic, the story was "getting the band back together" and heading towards a consolidation.  The upside is that kids of the '90's got to enjoy classic characters that were still appearing in old cartoon re-runs to go along with the new life that Hasbro was still breathing into the line.  The lost years are 1988 and, to a lesser extent, 1989.  Those figures and characters don't have the zealous following of the prior years and have not really found the later life that many of the brighter figures from the '90's have found as youngsters of that era have grown into adult collectors.  

So, the shelf life of the Iron Grenadier is short.  And, in reality, it was.  Hasbro released the bulk of their faction's items in 1988 with some updated toys in 1989.  There were a couple of figures in 1990.  But, then, the concept didn't really appear again.  Destro was brought back into the Cobra fold with his 1992 release and the Iron Grenadiers didn't show up until the early 2000's when Hasbro was mining the vintage line for any character they could find.  The entire idea of Destro being an army unto himself may have been re-examined in more modern fiction.  But, as I've grown to find the character of Destro to be overly problematic (there is no noble villain), my interest in Iron Grenadiers as whole has fallen away.

I do think that part of the reason for the relative short time that Iron Grenadiers appeared in the line was due to timing.  There was no cartoon in 1988.  So, there was no cross sell among kids of the day to get them interested in the toys.  Instead, kids of that era were treated to re-runs of the original series.  So, they are more likely to see Destro as a Cobra instead of this weird third faction that appeared on retail shelves.  The Iron Grenadiers as a concept were also meant to be a foil to BattleForce 2000.  Both had futuristic designs for their vehicles.  But, this idea was never fleshed out and it's difficult to even find relics of their past alignment among the toys that were released.  BattleForce 2000 fizzled as a concept, too.  Had there been a new cartoon in 1988 that focused on their antagonistic dynamic, the two sub teams would likely have near fanatical support among a group of fans who aged during their heyday.  Instead, we're left with some cool toys that don't really fit with the overall theme of G.I. Joe vs. Cobra.

In general, 1988 figures are pretty common.  Hasbro expected big things from the G.I. Joe Movie.  But, that didn't work out.  I've never been sure if my perception of the fate of 1988 figures was based on the fact that I happened to age out right when the movie failed.  But, in 1990, I could still find the entire 1988 Joe line at Kohl's stores around my city.  They had given up on Joe after 1989, likely due to the massive unsold stock that lined their shelves.  So, this has always left me thinking that Joe got a lot less popular starting in 1988.  But, a focus shift away from the core along with the end of the syndicated cartoon series both also contribute to my feeling this way.  As my local hobby shops still had pegs full of 1986 Joes on their shelves as late as 1988, I do think that my perception is just related to the kismet of me happening to age out of Joe right as the other things were happening.

The Iron Grenadier mold was used just twice.  The first was for this Iron Grenadier.  It was then sent down to Brazil and released in nearly identical colors as Terrork.  Terrork is a great name.  Even if the figure, itself, is just the standard Iron Grenadier.  The club wanted the mold for the 2005 convention set.  But, they didn't find it.  (Hasbro had it since Terrork's Brazilian contemporaries were all under Hasbro control at the time.)  They resculpted a new head to resemble the 1988 figure's and put it on a new body.  Around 2017, or so, a new factory custom maker named Letal Toys produced an Iron Grenadier mold.  The first wave included a green, tan, white and crimson versions.  Later, a light blue convention exclusive was released.  There were many more planned waves that included a Cobra Blue version and a classically colored version with more paint applications.  But, there were some mold shenanigans at the factory and no further Iron Grenadier factory customs were produced.  Black Major did resurrect the Uzi from the figure and included it with his Worms figures around 2020.  There's lots of life left in the mold.  And, a factory custom maker could make a go of it with the Iron Grenadier as his base.  But, those days are probably past.

Iron Grenadiers remain pretty easy to find.  It's tougher to find figures with perfect gold these days.  But, even that is doable as long as you're prepared to pay a premium.  High quality figures tend to run between $20 and $25, now.  Dealers will sell an appalling amount for $35, though.  There are bargains to be had, if you're willing to sacrifice the pistol and some of the gold paint.  But, the days of getting a few of them for three or four bucks each are long gone.  I don't think I'd pay a premium for this figure.  He was never important enough to me to justify a high price.  But, I also have a figure left over from my army building days.  So, I don't have to make a decision on a more expensive purchase.  

1988 AGP (Anti Gravity Pod)

I quit collecting Joe in 1988.  I bought three figures.  But, that was it.  My younger brothers, though, did continue to acquire Joes throughout the year.  In the end, they acquired a good chunk of the 1988 figure catalog.  But, they did not have the same fervor for vehicles that I had when I was their age.  So, 1988 vehicles were few and far between in our household.  One that was acquired was the Anti-Gravity Pod or AGP.  This was a ridiculous design that was cool because it was new.  And, bad guy aircraft had been sparse outside of huge items like the Night Raven and Mamba that looked great but weren't all that much fun to actually play with.  My final Joe playing days of childhood had heavily focused on small aircraft battles between Sky Hawks and various Cobra drones that were vastly outgunned.  With the addition of the AGP, the bad guys finally had a weapon hat was superior to that of the Joes.

Childhood paints our memories of toys.  And, things like this AGP, which are, objectively, terrible can become beloved playthings just due to the fact that they are all you have.  And, that's the story of the AGP to me.  Upon its arrival into our home, I found it an excellent weapon to defeat the Joes.  My friends down the street, who had exited Joe and toys before I had, were more harsh in their appraisal of the AGP.  They pointed out the absurdity of the contraption.  The made fun of the colors.  And, most importantly, pointed out the absolute certain death that awaited the pilot since the entire ship was, basically, a glass cockpit with the pilot's entire body exposed.  It was this point, though, where I was able to exploit the AGP's weakness as a juxtaposition to its strengths.

The one thing I loved about the AGP was that it was heavily armed.  The Night Raven drones only had two, small guns.  The Mamba drones had even smaller guns, but did have some small missiles.  The AGP, though, had two massive guns on the front that could rotate 360 degrees.  On top of that, it has 4 large, golden missiles that looked strong enough to shoot down any Joe aircraft.  The cannons were absurd.  But, they were deadly.  The flimsy Skyhawks, that could withstand a full brace of fire from a drone, were blown to bits by the heavier weaponry of the AGP.  In fact, the Joes' introduction to the AGP was when a single one destroyed two Skyhawks in just two shots.  Both the Skyhawks were disintegrated with no hope that the pilots could have survived.  And, suddenly, the tide of the war between the factions had turned.

In short order, though, Skyhawk pilots learned that the AGP's superiority in firepower and speed were more than offset by the fact that a single burst of cannon fire to the front of the ship would shatter the canopy and instantly kill the Nullifier flying the aircraft.  I even explained the Nullifier's armored appearance by saying the pilots had to wear heavy armor to compensate for the lack of protection from the huge glass that encased them.  So, the Joes learned to attack the AGP head on.  The Nullifiers, fearing certain death, would then break their formations in an effort to create more difficult angles for the Skyhawk cannons to hone in on the cockpits.  While this was effective in keeping the pilots alive, it was not all that conducive to destroying the attacking Joes.  The Nullifiers turned to expensive and more easily dodged missiles to incinerate the Skyhawks.  In extreme situations, this was warranted.  But, more likely, the ordinance was wasted and all the combatants returned home with empty fuel tanks and no confirmed kills.

During a pursuit of the Cobras back to their base, though, the Joes also learned that the comically large engines were rather inefficient.  As such, even slight damage to them would cause the pods to lose power and be forced to land.  Just a couple bullets to the back of the engines could send an AGP into a freefall resulting a crater forming fireball on the ground below.  All of these flaws made AGPs relatively ineffective against Skyhawks.  So, they were scrapped as air to air combat weapons and used, instead, to support ground operations.  The rotating cannons could strafe the ground and were powerful enough to even destroy some Joe vehicles.  Here, the AGPs found a bit of a second life.  Though, the thin airframe was still susceptible to ground fire and infantry supporting AGPs could often be counted on as guaranteed casualties of any encounter with the Joes.

As my childhood ended, though, this was my take on Cobra as an organization.  They were willing to sacrifice large quantities of troops since they were an expendable resource.  Cobra's vehicles were designed around a single purpose.  The STUN was fast.  The AGP was heavily armed.  The SMS was powerful.  But, that singularity of design meant that each weapon they introduced was also heavily flawed.  And, it was because of these flaws that even Cobra's vastly superior numbers could not easily defeat the Joes.  Had Cobra reused Joe equipment, things might have gone better.  (Though, I was out of toys when the Python Patrol and their repainted Joe vehicles debuted.)  But, a lot of Joe vehicles have flaws, too.  So, maybe that wouldn't have been the case.

I have one main childhood memory of the AGP.  We took it to my grandparents' home in the summer of 1988.  Here, it battled my Hit and Run who was scaling the ivy covered, limestone terrace walls that defined their backyard.  In the course of the battle, Hit and Run won and the AGP crashed into a patch of ivy near the wall.  I went inside with the toys still out there.  When it was time to leave, I grabbed the AGP out of the ivy and completely forgot about the perfectly camouflaged Hit and Run who was still hidden in the ivy on  the wall.  Hit and Run stayed on that wall for months.  When we finally returned to my grandparents' house in the late fall, I found him still hanging in the green ivy.  So, for this reason, I still forever link Hit and Run to the AGP.

Since 1988, though, the AGP hasn't much mattered to me.  I did acquire a complete one in a lot in the late 1990's.  So, I still have two of them as my childhood one is still around, too.  But, things like the Firebat are superior to the AGP and I was able to get some of those in the Hasbro Canada find in 1999.  So, the AGPs have mostly just sat around for more than twenty years.  Every now and then, I've tried to get it out for a profile.  But, those attempts weren't successful until now.  Heck, one of the photos below was taken 4 houses ago.  That's how long I've been hoping to get around to an AGP profile.  And, now that I've done it, I'm not sure the AGP's fate will be improved.  There's just better Cobra aircraft to battle the small Joe flying machines.  

The AGP was just released by Hasbro.  While many Iron Grenadier vehicles went to Brazil, the AGP was not among them.  After it was discontinued at retail, though, it was available as a mail away for a short time.  In 2005, the club produced a low quality AGP repaint.  It's nearly a full mirror of the colors used for the 1988 release.  Collectors were disappointed in it as the materials used for it weren't great, the colors were odd, it didn't have a pilot and many were expecting a different vehicle to be used.  So, there's just two releases of the toy.  Which, is probably enough.  The design is odd enough that the AGP would not have been a well received retail release.  Especially, with so many other, better vehicles that Hasbro could have used in the 2000's.

AGP's aren't expensive.  Dealers sell nice, complete ones for $30 or less.  You don't find too many complete ones left to the open market, though.  As the missiles are often missing, the engine coupling is often broken and the canopy scratches easily, $30 is probably a fair price to pay for a truly mint specimen.  Most of the market interest seems to be focused on the Nullifier and you'll see mint and complete figures actually sell for more than his mint and complete vehicle!  As the colors are a good match for the 1988 Astro Viper, though, that figure becomes a much cheaper alternative to fly the actual AGP should you choose to acquire one.

2005 Convention Metal Head

Metal Head is one of my favorite Cobra characters from the 1990's.  I first became aware of him when a kid down the street had one.  I thought the figure was really cool.  Then, I came across him in the comic and the character was interesting enough.  As I hunted down the remainder of the Joe line at retail, I discovered that Metal Head had returned in a new version.  I quickly bought him and he became a key component of my first foray into collecting.  Once I acquired a 1990 Metal Head, though, I found that I actually appreciated the 1994 design much more.  

When Joe returned in the early 2000's, I was hoping that the 1994 Metal Head would return with a nice, new repaint.  That never happened at retail.  But, he did appear in the 2005 convention set.  This figure returned my favorite look for Metal Head.  But, the figure didn't resonate with me.  While it was great to see a late mold return, the overall colors for the figure weren't spectacular.  And, I wasn't really a fan of tying him to closely to the Iron Grenadiers.

The Iron Grenadier set is generally considered the best overall convention set.  While others may have individual figures that surpass any in the 2005 release, the Iron Grenadiers tend to win out when taken top to bottom in terms of each individual figure.  But, at the same time, this Metal Head is generally regarded as the bottom figure in the 2005 set.  The army builders are well liked.  And, both Destro and General Mayhem have found stupid aftermarket interest in recent years.  Metal Head, though, has not.  He's one of the most neglected convention Cobra characters.  

The figure is flawed for many reasons.  While the Iron Anvil and Iron Grenadier figures are really nice repaints that feature Iron Grenadier adjacent colors, Metal Head seems more of a mess.  First, he was given a bright red shirt.  And, this gives him a base color that is difficult to offset.  It's especially difficult when the color covering it is gold.  Gold paint is notoriously brittle.  And, slathering the figure in that base color, especially on the chest is a recipe for disaster.  The final piece is the asymmetrical arms.  Sure, this exists on the 1994 figure, too.  But, the 1994 keeps the left arm in all black.  So, the differences are less noticeable.  But, the extra paint on the arms showcases the unexplained differing details on each.  And, it calls out some of the limitations of the mold.  I find the head problematic.  But, that's more personal preference as I feel Metal Head's beard should be fuller and the sunburnt skin tone that was so common in the 2000's always feels off to me, especially when you have a figure using red as one of the primary body colors.

Personally, I don't like Metal Head being so bogged down as a member of the Iron Grenadiers.  But, that is heavily a function of the fact that I had the original Metal Head figure in the mid-1990's and used him as one of the many "new" Cobras that I had created.  The 1994 coloring allowed Metal Head to be independent.  So, seeing the sculpt with an Iron Grenadiers logo on it is somewhat off-putting to me.  But, this is a function of my own, personal, experiences with the figure mold and character.  For others, seeing Metal Head as an Iron Grenadier and in colors that perfectly match army builders and characters from the same set would have been welcomed.

Metal Head's accessories are typical of the 2000's era.  They are random weapons assigned to the figure with no real purpose.  I guess the same could be said of the 1994 Metal Head's weapon tree, though.  Convention figures included grey accessories and clear figure stands.  This was, supposedly, done to prevent the new weapons from being mistaken for the originals.  I do think, though, that the club also wanted the special gear so that it wasn't possible to stock the figures with indistinguishable weapons from the cheap retail fodder of the era.  It helped to justify the exorbitant pricing on their sets.  Metal Head includes a JvC era machine pistol.  It's small and just OK.  Then, he has a redone 1992 Duke weapon.  This gun looks good until you put it into a figure's hand.  Then, the imbalance of the handle placement and oversized sculpt become obvious.  The upside is that lots of overstock convention weapons were sold over the years.  So, it's not impossible to complete a figure like Metal Head if you can find an incomplete one for cheap.

If you've been around this site enough, you know I am not a fan of the collector club that existed in the 2000's.  Their utter disdain and disrespect for their customers irreparably harmed the entire G.I. Joe brand.  And, their entire tenure is just a series of one fiasco and public relations disaster after another.  If you ever want to study how a nepotistic monopoly still managed to run itself out of the business, the club is the prime example.  But, I have to be fair to them when it comes to the 2005 convention set.  In either late 2004 or early 2005, the worst kept secret in Joe fandom was the list of proposed 2005 convention figures.  

This list laid out the Iron Grenadier theme.  If mentioned the Iron Grenadiers using the original 1988 mold.  Desto was there.  And, the convention vehicle was going to be the Cobra Condor.  People who could discuss the list in private showcased excitement.  But, as the club was know for pettiness, the list wasn't shared publicly for quite a while.  And, when it was, the club denied it 100%.  Then, when the convention set ended up being about 90% correct, the club got self inflicted egg on their face.  But, the fact that the list was wrong wasn't their issue.  In 2004, they would have been seeing if molds could be found or utilized.  It is known that a mold labelled 1988 Iron Grenadier was found.  But, it actually ended up being the 1988 Destro.  So, the fact that they had to improvise for the Iron Grenadier and swap out the Condor for something different isn't really an issue when you look at a proposed list generated so far before a production date.  The list itself wasn't the problem.  But, the club's consistent bungling of their messaging ended up with their best set being met with a bit of malaise.

Pricing on this figure is weird.  In just 2021, you could get mint and complete versions for under $30.  Now, you see dealers trying to get $150-$250 for him just because he's a convention release.  You can occasionally find one for $75.  But, that's rare and hard to do right now.  In another year or two, I expect this figure will back down into more normal pricing realms.  He's not popular and the Iron Grenadier set seems to exist in more than ample enough quantities to satisfy the demand from a dwindling collector base.  Most importantly, though, this isn't a figure that gives you enough satisfaction to demand premium pricing.  He doesn't stand out on his own.  And, I'd argue the original version is better.  So, he's a definite figure to avoid in the current market.

Rarities - 2003 Unproduced Blue Iron Grenadier

In 2003, Hasbro produced a new Iron Grenadier figure.  While the look of this figure is somewhat dated, now, collectors of the time liked the mold and design.  The figure was well sculpted and featured an array of decent gear.  Shortly after it appeared, though, this Cobra blue version popped up in Asia.  As, at the time, Hasbro was notorious for repainting figures and sometimes even releasing them to retail without any prior publication of the changes, many suspected it was a figure that would be coming in a later wave.  But, that never happened.  

Instead, this blue Iron Grenadier was one of the rarer and more sought after alternate Asian figures for a while.  But, slowly, large amounts of stock made their way to the collecting community.  And, the JvC style of figures also started falling out of a favor with many collectors.  So, the figures got somewhat affordable for a relatively long time.  Eventually, though, they dried up and have since become difficult to track down, again.

As far as repaints go, this blue Iron Grenadier is among the better unproduced figures and certainly would have done well at a full retail release.  The blue suits the mold.  And, even in the JvC line, Hasbro didn't paint a ton of figures in Cobra blue.  As far as alternate Asian figures go, this one has fell into obscurity as the entirety of that era has been left behind by collectors.  But, there's some good figures in it and it's a better toy line than the anniversary figures were...by far.

1988 Voltar - Around The Web

The other new subset that debuted in 1988 was Destro's Iron Grenadiers.  Originally incepted as a foil to Battle Force 2000, the subset became a dumping ground for some abandoned Cobra La expansion.  As a concept, Iron Grenadiers was pretty cool.  And, most of the figures were pretty well done.  But, some could have used a little work.  Among them was Voltar.  While the color of the figure gets a the brunt of the criticism, the reality is that Voltar's mold is really just a bit much.  He's got tons of details.  But, many of them are details for the sake of additional work on his mold.  In this case, a few little subtractions from the mold might have done a world of wonder.  

The upside is that Voltar has a good bit of content on him out there.  As Iron Grenadiers are relatively popular subjects for photos, Voltar often appears among them.  So, there's lots of good content on Voltar out there.

1988 Voltar Profile

Mestre Rapina (Brazilian Voltar) Profile

1988 Voltar at the Attica Gazette

1988 Voltar at JoeBattleLines.com

1988 Voltar by diorama_accessories

1988 Voltar at Nekoman's Viper Pit

1988 Voltar by Kremax

1988 Voltar at JoeADay.com

1988 Voltar by gen_liederkranz

1988 Voltar by Hit and Run

1988 Voltar by thedustinmccoy

1988 Voltar by elmobfaelnar15

1988 Voltar by metalheadviper333

1988 Voltar by HCC788

1988 Voltar by yooo_joe_den

Rarities - Estrela Volanter (Blocker) Weapon Variants

Collectors have know about the Brazilian Comandos Em Acao line for years.  Most of the knowledge, though, was focused around the Brazilian exclusive figures.  In time, people realized that every figure from Brazil had some unique trait.  But, the figures that were close to their Hasbro counterparts were still relatively ignored.  Even people who did care about them usually only got a single sample for their collection.  This has lead to a number of Estrela variants not being well documented.  There are some subtle differences between many Brazilian releases.  One variant, though, seems like it would have gotten a bit more play in the collecting community: the weapons variants on Volanter.

Volanter is the Brazilian version of Blocker.  The colors are slightly different.  But, for some reason, there is a weapon variant on the figure.  One release has the standard weapon mold that was included with the 1987 Blocker figure.  The other, though, includes an exclusive silver version of the 1988 Iron Grenadier Uzi.

Volanter appears with the same gun as the US figure.  You can see the slight color and skin tone differences on the figure itself.

Then, you see him with a silver Iron Grenadier Uzi.  There's no real explanation as to why the figure has one weapon or the other.  

From watching this figure for years, both variants seem about equal.  But, when you base that off of, maybe, 15 samples, even one or two oversamples throws off the whole observation.  But, if you collect Comandos Em Acao, this is a variant to watch for as the silver Uzi is exclusive to this figure.

Rarities - Unproduced 2005 Destro

In 2005, the Iron Grenadiers concept was chosen as the theme for the convention exclusive figure set.  It turned into one of the most popular sets in convention history and remains one of the most popular releases nearly 15 years later.  One oddball in the set, though, was the Destro figure.  Instead of a classic Destro mold, the Destro figure used the 1992 figure's head and a 1991 Crimson Guard Immortal figure.  All of the figures in the set seemed to fit together except for this Destro.  But, in the zeal of the set's quality, the Destro was largely forgiven and collectors moved on.

However, as 2005 progressed, an unproduced prototype of a 1988 Destro figure started to appear in Asia. The first speculation, of course, was that collectors were finally going to see a good Destro in a Toys R Us 6 pack.  But, as those sets' days at retail were done, that was not the case.  The mystery figure was actually something different.

It seems, in their infinite wisdom, that the club stumbled across this Destro mold when looking for figures to release in the 2005 convention set.  Since they were so plugged into the 3 3/4" collector community, they decided that collectors hated this version of Destro and discarded it.  When the 2005 Destro figure was revealed, most collectors wondered why it wasn't the 1988 figure mold in the set.  Caught with their pants down in embarrassment at their lack of understanding the 3 3/4" collecting world, the club released the mold in 2006: but as Overlord.  Collectors never got a 1988 Destro repaint and the club was embroiled in another snafu that even a novice 3 3/4" collector could have avoided.

In retrospect, it's very unfortunate that this Destro never got reuse.  In 2005, Hasbro released a terrible repaint of the 1992 Destro in a comic pack.  It is a completely wasted release and is ignored by collectors today.  Had it been a 1988 mold repainted in 1983 style, though, it would be among the more favored repaints of that era.  Seeing this figure is reminder of how badly both Hasbro and club bungled the few vintage Joe repaints in the 2000's.  They got some right.  But, they missed on so many more.  This Destro is a perfect example of what might have been.  This mold in Iron Grenadier colors and with convention level paint masks would have made the 2005 convention set perfect.  A feat that was never accomplished.  But, it was not to be.

1988 Iron Grenadier - Around the Web

The 1988 Iron Grenadier figure has always seemed like an updated Cobra Trooper, to me.  As the staple of Destro's new army, the figure was about the perfect way for Hasbro to make the Iron Grenadiers menacing and powerful.  The mold and colors are an excellent blend that make for a highly popular army builder.  It's nice to finally see some repaints of the mold coming out.  Here's the best of him from around the web:

Iron Grenadier Profile

Iron Grenadier Video Review

Iron Grenadier Concept Art with Unproduced Helmet

Iron Grenadier at 3DJoes.com

Iron Grenadier Pre Production at YoJoe.com

Iron Grenadier at Half the Battle

1989 Darklon

I was pretty much out of Joe toys in 1988.  I still followed the comic, though.  And, as such, was familiar with Destro's new Iron Grenadiers faction.  My younger brother got an Iron Grenadier figure and I was enthralled with its design.  But, it wasn't enough to entice me back to toys.  As 1989 dawned, I kept Joe at arm's length.  I still bought the comic and read it.  But, the stories didn't speak to me in the same way that the earlier issues had.  I didn't like the splintering of Cobra and the fact that Destro had gone out on his own.  The 1988 through 1990 comic story lines became a string of largely forgettable arcs for me.  Among these stories was the introduction of Darklon: a distant relative of Destro's who didn't seem to serve much purpose.

The Darklon figure is interesting.  If you start at the head and work your way down, it takes a while for the issues to come to light.  The figure's head is strong enough.  The helmet is odd and weird.  But, that's not bad and it fits the Cobra theme.  His painted, reddish eyes beneath the mask are a spectacular touch that give the head far more depth.  As you move to the figure's torso, the green and black remain quite strong.  Sure, the traditional military colors are more a fit for a Joe.  But, Cobra needed some green and Darklon brings it.  From the waist up, this is really a figure everyone should love.  But, the design completely goes off the rails starting at the figure's waist.  It's red.  And, not a cool, crimson red that would tie to Cobra.  No, it's an off red that simply looks out of place everywhere.  Add to that brown highlights and a golden cluster of grenades on his right boot and you've suddenly got one hot mess of an action figure.

Fittingly, Darklon doesn't see much press these days.  He's a rare participant in Joe photos and isn't often seen on any favorite figure lists.  He's just so odd that he doesn't resonate with collectors.  While his Evader vehicle is a nice match for the Iron Grenadier vehicles, the figure is not.  Darklon simply doesn't match up with any of Destro's other compatriots.  That leaves Darklon without a real purpose.  He's not cool enough to stand on his own.  But, he's so different from other Iron Grenadiers that he doesn't match with them, either.  In the comic, Darklon was selling the Python Patrol technology to Cobra.  If you look at his filecard, you can see that the artists had him in a more python-esque theme with his shirt pattern.  If that had found it's way to the figure, you might have more collectors who viewed Darklon as a Python Patrol member or leader.  But, as he was released, he doesn't work in that capacity, either.

Personally, I have no use for Darklon.  As the figure isn't that good, I have little reason to find a place for him.  And, since I was out of Joe in 1989, I have no nostalgic sentiment attached to the character.  I've found the Bronze Bomber version of Darklon to be somewhat useful.  But, even that figure couldn't survive my collection downsizing of the early 2010's.  So, Darklon becomes a figure I own for completion's sake and little other reason.  His weird gun is kind of fun.  But, it's also so bizarre that it's tough to take it too seriously.  And, it really looks like Darklon's weapon and that makes it difficult to attach the gun to other figures.  So, Darklon languishes in obscurity, even for me.

As a character, Darklon is all but forgotten. He is as a figure, as well.  Hasbro never reused the Darklon mold.  They thought so little of it, they sold it Olmec Toys in the mid 1990's.  Olmec found value in the mold when Hasbro did not.  They released what is probably the best Darklon figure in their 1997-ish Bronze Bombers set.  Crazeblaze, a full repaint of the Darklon mold in dark purple (almost black) and tan is easily a far better figure to represent Darklon in any collection.  If that weren't enough, there is a "good guy" figure in the set who utilizes Darklon's body mold in grey and blue.  He's a great match for a Snow Serpent and can work with a simple Darklon headswap...assuming you can find a cheap Bronze Bomber with which to work.  The mold died with Olmec as they ran into legal problems and was, likely, sold for scrap.  Darklon did see two releases in the anniversary line.  One a convention exclusive and the other a club exclusive.  Both figures are overly expensive and not great alternatives when you consider what else you could get with that kind of money.

Dealers sell mint, complete with filecard Darklons in the $16 range.  But, left to the open market, you can get them for just a hair under $10.  Sacrifice the filecard, and you can get them for $6.  You can still get mint in bubble figures for around $12, too.  For a figure that's susceptible to paint wear and breakage, that's not a terrible price.  But, Darklon is a terrible figure.  So, he's never going to be overly popular and will pretty much remain the lost member of the Iron Grenadier fraternity.  The upside is that you can add a bizarre enemy figure to your collection for peanuts.  The downside, though, is that you have a figure that really doesn't fit anywhere.

1988 Destro - Around The Web

I've always thought of the 1988 Destro as a perfect upgrade of a classic character.  They made him different enough to stand out.  But, he still retains enough of his original personality to know that this is Destro.  As such, I've always been fond of the figure, even if he lacks some paint details.  However, I've found that many collectors don't share my fondness for the mold.  There's surprisingly little content on the figure out there.  Here's the best I could find around the web for a figure that I quite enjoy.

1988 Destro Profile

1988 Destro at ARAH Gallery

1988 Destro Pre Production at YoJoe.com

Destro Dio 01

1988 Destro at JoeBattleLines.com

Destro & Despoiler Video Review

Destro Dio 02

1989 Wild Boar - Around the Web

The Wild Boar figure isn't all that spectacular.  He's a bit oddly shaped, has few paints masks and is extremely susceptible to paint wear on the few parts that are painted.  He had potential, though, There's more content on him than I thought there would be.  Here's what I could find:

Wild Boar Profile

Wild Boar at JoeADay.com

Wild Boar Dio 1

Wild Boar Video Review

Wild Boar at Joe Wiki

1988 Voltar

In 1988, Hasbro pivoted the G.I. Joe brand a bit.  Cobra was de-emphasized for that year and a new villain for G.I. Joe was introduced: the Iron Grenadiers.  Lead by the popular Destro, the Iron Grenadiers brought a third dynamic to the Joe world.  They were given several figures and large run of highly complex vehicles.  The figures and vehicles were unified by a black and gold theme.  However, there was a single deviation from this palette in 1988.  Along with the army building figures and Destro, Hasbro also released Destro's top general for his troops: Voltar.  Voltar featured a unique color base with some unifying elements.  He is a figure that suffers from poor color choices, but still remains somewhat popular.

My younger brother got a Voltar figure at some time in 1988.  He was the least interested in Joes and quickly left the figure and moved on to other things.  At the time, I was not buying or playing with Joes.  But, I kept an eye on anything my brothers acquired.  The same brother had gotten an Iron Grenadier figure the same year and I had found that design incredibly cool.  When I saw the Voltar figure, I initially thought he was pretty nice looking, too.  I found him discarded in our spare room one day and put him together with all his gear.  As I looked at the assembled figure, I thought he was very nice.  However, in short order, I found that he wasn't all that much fun to use.  The bizarre color and golden accessories were just a combo that didn't really work for me.  I tried to incorporate Voltar into a story, but he couldn't retain my attention.

In the comic, Voltar was kind of the same.  He wasn't all that interesting and his appearance did little to increase my interest in the character.  So, Voltar quickly fell into obscurity.  When I opened up my box of Joes in 1997, there was a nicely conditioned Voltar still there.  However, as I was looking for figures to represent the characters I had designed a few years earlier, Voltar was never really considered.  He couldn't beat out the 1992 Firefly, 1994 Metal Head or the 1993 Dr. Mindbender for a coveted spot on my new Cobra roster.  That speaks volumes to my opinion of the figure.

Voltar's gear is odd.  His gun is a rather terrible sub machine gun.  I've never liked it and grew to hate it when Hasbro kept recoloring it as part of 1993 and 1994 weapon trees.  The gold color is gaudy and somewhat fresh for a 1988 release.  But, the design is really limiting.  Voltar then includes a golden backpack.  It is large, but doesn't really seem to do anything.  It's designed as a communications pack.  But, that seems out of place for a general.  It has a handle on it as well as a protruding arm.  The arm is actually a perch for Voltar's most unique accessory: a vulture.  The bird is well designed enough to recognize as a vulture.  And, it has a red head to further the illusion.  As animal companions go, it was better than Spearhead's bobcat.  But, not quite up to Polly or Freedom standards.  The figure looks much better with his full load of equipment and they match his look quite well.

The introduction of the Iron Grenadiers in 1988 is somewhat peculiar, too.  The G.I. Joe Movie was released in 1987 and, at the time that the 1988 figures would have been in pre-production, it was not yet known that the Transformers movie would flop and G.I. Joe would be relegated to off hours TV airings and VHS sales.  We do know that Cobra La would have continued into 1988 and some of those designs (the Nullifier specifically) were co-opted into other parts of the line.  But, this was a rebranding of already designed toys.  So, Destro and his Iron Grenadier cohorts was likely always planned for a 1988 release.  It may be that Cobra Commander's movie fate lead the brand stewards to bring about a new enemy with a new leader while they tried to get everyone to forget about the Commander.  In the comic, the introduction of the Iron Grenadiers brought another interesting dynamic.  They were not, specifically, enemies of G.I. Joe.  Really, they were just a third faction out for themselves and, at time, the personal interests of Destro himself.  They were a nice diversion as the '80's wound down to help break up the continuity.  But, when Destro returned to the Cobra fold, it felt like the comic was finally getting the band back together and all was right in the Joe world.

The Voltar mold was used just once in the U.S. for this 1988 release.  He was also packaged into a two pack with Muskrat and sold as an "Ultimate Enemies" set.  That figure is the same as the standard carded figure, but has an orangish/yellow filecard like the parachute pack Hit and Run. Around 1993, though, the figure appeared in Brazil where he was released as Mestre Rapina.  The Brazilian figure is a lighter purple color and is probably a better version of Voltar than Voltar himself.  The mold never appeared again after that.  Collectors would have welcomed a Voltar repaint during the 2000's.  But, it never happened.  In 2005, the Iron Grenadier themed convention set would have been an excellent way for the character to return.  Instead, though, a new character named General Mayhem was created.  The new character was created to be different and stand on his own.  But, he seems to at least have a bit of an homage to Voltar's original design.

Voltar's mold, though, is a staple of the vintage customizing community.  One of the rights of passage for any customizer seems to be a more realistic take on Voltar.  Some of the customs are good.  But, mostly, they show the limitations of the design.  The figure's head is tough to disguise and, while it does look better in some different colors, it's difficult to overcome the basic mold limitations.  In the end, Voltar is kind of a mess and even enhanced paint applications can't cover that up.

Voltar figures are relatively popular.  The easily broken vulture helps to prop up pricing.  Mint and complete with filecard Voltar figures usually sell in the $8-$10 range.  Dealer pricing tends to run between $12 and $15.  So, there's not the gap for high quality figures between market and dealer sales like you see on other figures.  There's ample supply of the figures and if you are willing to sacrifice the vulture, you can get Voltar's for almost nothing.  But, in the end, the limitations of the figure persist.  To me, Voltar is just a figure that I have.  Even when Iron Grenadier figures were prominent in my collection, Voltar was an afterthought.  The pink hue of his uniform and overall absurdity of his golden trimmings pretty ensure that he will always remain one, too.

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.

1989 Annihilator - Redux

I originally profiled the Annihilator in December of 1999. In the nearly 6 years since I wrote that profile, little about my interest in the Annihilator has changed. I still consider him a great forgotten army builder from a year that is already full of great army builders. My re-examination of the figure stems from the fact that as one of my earliest profiles, my take on the Annihilator was not "finished". It felt lacking as the profile had no depth and did not fully cover the usefulness of this figure. Plus, the Annihilator's role in my collection has expanded as my Cobra now focuses its operations in manners that suit the Annihilator.

The Annihilator is a very well done figure. His mold is sleek and streamlined: just as needed for a trooper whose primary duty is operating an individual helicopter pack. His accessories are amazing with the fully detailed and spinning chopper as well as one of the most distinctive guns in the original run of the line. He suffers, though, from poor color choices. The orange and purple simply don't allow this figure to be as popular as the mold and accessories would suggest. The side benefit to this, though, is that the figure is cheaper than many of his contemporary Cobra army builders. 1989 is generally considered one of the best years for Cobra army builders in the history of the line. It is so good that most people would not consider a figure like the Annihilator (who would be the class of several other figure years) to be even in the top 5 army builders released in his own year. That helps to further denigrate this figure and pushes him lower on the popularity scale than he probably deserves.

In my collection, Annihilators are not Destro's troops. They are a highly specialized branch of my Cobra Urban Death Squads. My Cobra learned a few years ago that the best way to terrorize the citizens of various countries was to show them how tenous their civil safety really was. To accomplish this, Cobra targeted several small but densely populated but still rural towns and cities. In a matter of minutes, Cobra dispatched highly trained Alley Vipers to basically run over a small geographical portion of the town: killing everyone and everything they came across. The raids simply underscored how easy it was for a terrorist organization to strike at anyone in the country at any time. No one was safe: not even in the small, almost off the map towns that have reputations as havens from urban crime.

The Urban Death Squads who carried out these macabre orders are comprised of highly trained Alley Vipers. They are trained to shoot first and kill everything. In order to cut down on their friendly fire fatalities, though, Cobra outfitted the brigades in bright orange. While this may seem like it would make them easy targets, the reality is that these troops descend quickly upon towns with small, undertrained and underarmed police forces and no military presence. So, they have little to worry about in terms of opposition soldiers shooting at their orange visages. Instead, they know that anything they see moving that is dressed in orange is one of them and they can sedate their killing tendencies for that one instance. It helped reduce friendly fire deaths but also allowed me a way to explain away the V1 Alley Viper's orange color.

The Annihilators came into play after the third Urban Death Squad attack. During that attack, the Joes had a covert operative in the town. As the Death Squad descended, the operative managed to signal a Tomahawk to come rescue him. The Alley Vipers watched in vain as the chopped picked up the operative and carried him to safety. (Actually, the chopper was hijacked on the roof as it picked up the operative but that's a story for another profile!) This lead to the first surviving witness to a Death Squad attack. Cobra could not afford that and they invented the Annihilators as means to patrol the skies and prevent any more helicopter rescues. While keeping opposing choppers away is part of the Annihilator duties, they are also the first line of offense in a Death Squad attack. When Alley Vipers burst out of their hiding places and come running through the town, the Annihilators appear over the horizon and start landing much as is described in their filecards. They are simply an extension of the Alley Vipers. While some stay airborne the entire time to act as spotters or to mop up any survivors who try to run through the attack line, Annihilators, typically, land on the rooftops of larger buildings to work their way down through the top floors to meet with the Alley Vipers coming through the bottom at some point in the middle. They also land in the center of the attack area and fan their way out to also meet up with the Alley Vipers who are closing in from the outside. It makes the attacks much more efficient and allows them to finish much more quickly. The hallmark of an Urban Death Squad attack is that it is over, everyone in the area who isn't a Cobra is dead and any Cobra fatalities or injuries are cleaned up in under 15 minutes. That way, by the time authorities arrive, there is simply no evidence of who perpetrated the attack but there is a devastating amount of civilian death and destruction left behind.

As the concept of the Urban Death Squad is rather prominent in my Joe world, the Annihilators get used rather frequently. As my Death Squads have matured, they have begun to take on military installations and some Annihilators now fight against real armed foes rather than panicked, unarmed civilians. Here, they don't fare as well. But, the experience learned from the civilian attacks has given Cobra a much more experienced army: especially in South America. As my Cobra looks to expand its operations into Africa, I can see the Annihilators remaining an important part of Cobra's military strategy. The personalized choppers give Cobra a mighty force with the portability to retain the element of surprise against their quarry and a reliable means of extraction if something goes wrong. That is a good combination for them to have as it meshes with their planned style of guerrilla warfare.

After its use in the US, the Annihilator mold was sent to Brazil. There he was released with slight color variances and different accessories. The figure has not been seen since. The Brazilian Forca Electronica series of which the Annihilator was a part also included molds from the '89 HEAT Viper, '88 Muskrat, '87 Outback, '89 Frag Viper, '88 Toxo Viper, '88 Repeater and the '89 Scoop. These don't offer many useful clues as to the status of the Annihilator mold as 2 of the figure molds have been subsequently used in the US, 2 were used in India and the other three have yet to appear anywhere else. So, it's difficult to say whether or not this figure is available. The fact that he was not repainted as part of the 2005 Iron Grenadier themed convention set, though, leads me to believe that the Annihilator mold is gone and this is a figure forever doomed to his orange legacy.

Personally, I would like to see a repaint of the Annihilator. This is a mold that could be painted in a multitude of ways and all would be more useful than the original. The figure could be painted Cobra blue and integrated into Cobra or offered in black and gold as part of the Iron Grenadiers. Either way would work. Unfortunately, as we have yet to see this happen, I doubt it will ever come to pass. Even so, I don't mind that as much as it allows the Annihilator to remain one of the undiscovered gems of the vintage line. I think that some figure molds should be left alone and never repainted. Usually, though, those are only figures that were done right the first time. As the Annihilator was flawed in his original incarnation, though, he would be a perfect candidate for repaint and a figure I would have considered long before many of the repainted molds we have actually received.

Annihilators are actually rather easy to find. Mint versions can be tougher since he the gold paint on the chest does tend to fade easily. However, even a figure with slight paint rubs is still very useful in a collection and makes for a great army. Even complete, you can easily acquire Annihilators for around $10 each. If you want them with less than their full complement of accessories, you can get them even cheaper than that. The fact that this figure is not, technically, a Cobra and the multitude of other 1989 Cobras who outshine the Annihilator help keep him lower in price. He remains a vintage army builder with a great mold and awesome accessories that is still affordable. While his color might scare some away from spending too much time acquiring the figures: I have found it to be an integral part of his specialty. I doubt my use of the figure will change the perception at large in the collecting world about this figure. But, if he gets even just a little more respect, it's worth it to me.