1990 Sonic Fighter Law - Around The Web

1990 introduced new subsets to the Joe line.  The Sonic Fighters were a higher priced, premium figure.  The selling point was a huge backpack that made a bunch of primitive electronic sounds.  For 1990, the tech was fine.  Now, it seems painfully dated.  The figures also included extra weapons...most of which made no real sense with the figures.  But, the figures themselves were repaints of earlier molds.  And, all of them were solid designs.  You can argue that Law is the best of the set.  But, there's a couple of other figures who also have a legit claim to the crown.  

The upside is that there's some decent content featuring the 1990 Law out there.  Check out the content below and enjoy seeing this Law in action.

1990 Law Profile

1990 Law by thedustinmccoy

1990 Law by atticagazette

1990 Law by gijoecollector

1990 Law by fosilru

1990 Law by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

1990 Law by cobra_florence

1990 Law by evilface

1990 Law by gen_liederkranz

1990 Law by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

1990 Law by relinqueshed1979

1990 Law by Offc0ur5e

1987 Law and Order - Random Photos of the Day

There's a lot you can do with an MP figure.  Especially, if the figure is generic enough that he can be used as an army builder.  He can be a good guy or a bad guy.  He can be a single character.  Or, a nameless minion who simply dies a terrible death due to his incompetence.  And, when the figure is good, like the 1987 Law, it makes it fun to have him around.

At one time, I had a massive Law army.  They were the enforcers of my Joe world.  Some were virtuous souls who believed in the rule of law.  Others were corrupt as hell.  And, from these various takes on the role for the figure, I found value in Law.  The main reason this is important is because I never considered Law a real Joe character.  Even as a kid, he was just too bland to be much more than an army builder.  Others view him differently.  But, to me, the real purpose of the figure is to fill various gaps in the Joe world and be a bland, nameless automaton who could be used as one off story filler when I needed a break from the Joe vs. Cobra standard.

Despite still having a bunch of them, I don't use Law all that often any longer.  I do need to get a bunch of them out for a large photo shoot again.  Maybe sometime this fall.  But, below you'll see the photos of Law I've taken in the past 6 or 7 years.  He's still a neat figure who I enjoy.  But, he really only works in multiples.

2002 Funskool Law

 The A Real American Hero Collection (ARAHC) was Hasbro's resurrection of the G.I. Joe line in 2000.  But, though mismanagement, changing corporate priorities and general ineptitude, the line died at retail in 2001: less than 18 months after a strong debut.  Now, while this sounds like a failure (it was!) it should be noted that in 2002, Hasbro shifted to a new style of Joe sculpting.  As they felt that they were finally done with vintage G.I. Joe sculpts, Hasbro shipped off some recently used molds to Funskool.  Funskool quickly put some of these molds into production.  Collectors of the era were not overly thrilled as these new Funskool figures used molds that had, in many cases, pegwarmed in the U.S. and were generally loathed.  But, in a couple of cases, Funskool made something fun and slightly different.  One such example is the 2002 Funskool Law.

At its core, this Funskool Law is almost identical to the 2000 ARAHC release.  The brown color is very similar.  The white shirt is the same.  The big difference is that the figure's vest is also brown instead of the blue from the 2000 figure.  But, the biggest change is that Funskool painted a bushy mustache on Law's face.  When images of this figure debuted, the mustache quickly became the joke du jour.  It was a silly addition that made no sense.  But, it also was enough of a feature to allow collectors of the era to enjoy the figure as someone new.  (In the early 2000's, collectors had a lot of "rules" about Joes and who could be a character in their collection.  It seems odd, now.  But, it was a function of the fact that most collectors were new and had not had a chance to build up several versions of each Joe, yet.)  The fact that the figure quality was pretty good certainly helped, too.

I've always been a Law fan.  (I have never been an Order fan and don't really care for the dog as an accessory.)  Back in the winter of 1987, I took a few Joes out in the snow.   We had this battery operated 6 wheeled vehicle and two Law figures.  I gave one of them a Grunt M-16 from the accessory pack and had them be the bad guys who were chasing my Joes through the snow.  I don't know why that adventure sticks out so much as I never used Laws as bad guys again.  But, it was the start of seeing Law not as a character, but as a nameless, faceless army building MP who could be working for the Joes, working with the Joes or working against the Joes with some juggler.  It was a great way to get more mileage out of the Law figure.  And, as I was able to acquire more and more Law figures, the role of law enforcement grew in my collection.

There was a time when I had more versions of Law than any Cobra army builder aside from the 1993 mail away Snow Serpent.  While that's no longer the case, Law still retains a strong presence in my collection.  Having extra police around is always a useful thing.  And, figures like Law do allow for army building as well as realistic reasons for these figures to exist in multiples and all look alike.  And, with figures like law enforcement, the fact that they are supporting the Joes, but not the creme de la creme the military has to offer still remains within the realm of possibility.  So, often, my childhood play would revolve around the Joes capturing some Cobras, handing them over to the police, only for the Cobras to escape the lesser qualified personnel.

The value in figures like Law is that they were useful as quick filler stories when I had 20 minutes before school or just a few minutes between brushing my teeth and having to turn out the light.  The other upside is that corrupt law enforcement was always another angle to take.  So, Law figures might be fighting the Joes because they had been bought off by Cobra.  Or, more likely, they were working under the orders of a corrupt general who convinced them the Joes were the enemy.  A diversion from the standard Joe vs. Cobra dichotomy was a welcome fresh breath at times and was just another reason why I was able to focus only on Joe toys as a kid and never get bored.

The Funskool Law's gear is not good.  The figure does not include any of the excellent gear from the Hasbro releases of Law.  (The helmets on my figures are after market additions from spare 2000, 1987 and 1990 Law figures.)  Instead of his uzi and nightstick, this Funskool Law gets a terrible 1989 Deep Six weapon.  The real calling card of the gear, though, is the mission cards.  By 2002, G.I. Joe sales in India were sluggish.  In an effort to revive the brand, Funskool tried several different accessory gimmicks.  Along with the decoder cards from Law, there was an inkpad with Grunt, play-doh grenades with Metal Head and a parachute with Wild Weasel.  All of these were attempts to increase sales.  But, they didn't really work as Funskool stopped producing new figures in 2004 and was mostly done with G.I. Joe by 2005 or so.  The mission cards would be fun for a kid for about 2 minutes.  After that, they are just clutter.  But, when you know why Funskool created them, their inclusion makes more sense.

During their Joe run, Funskool had some rules to follow from Hasbro about certain figure designs.  In cases where the Funskool figure looks similar to an American release (like this Law), that meant that Hasbro cared about the character and wanted a uniform look across all figure releases.  In cases of radical departure from the source material (like, say, Big Brawler), Hasbro didn't care about the character and let Funskool do whatever they wanted to the figure in terms of color scheme.  This is why you'll see an odd mix of Funskool figures where some are true to their roots and others are bright diversions that heavily stray from any existing view of a character.  

Law had a good run.  The figure was released in 1987 and got an awesome repaint in the Sonic Fighters series in 1990.  The figure was rumored to be one of figures to be included in a desert themed 1998 repaint of the original G.I. Joe Headquarters.  But, Hasbro could not make that happen.  So, instead, Law appeared in 2000 as an inaugural member of the A Real American Hero Collection.  He was carried over to Wave II of that line in 2001 and quickly backed up at retail around North America.  Hasbro shipped the mold off to Funskool where this figure debuted in 2002.  No major variants of Funskool Law have been found and the mold died in India...not even returning in 2009/2010 when Funskool launched a small resurgence line of Joes to accompany the G.I. Joe movie.

A few points on the figure.  The card art, shown below, features law with a Beach Head rifle and an unidentified pistol.  The Beach Head rifle was a piece of gear that was always welcome and it's a shame that this Law figure didn't include it.  The other point of note on the figure is the black armband.  On the US figure, this is emblazoned with an "MP" to denote Law's specialty.  The Funskool figure, though, just features a black armband that makes it appear that Law is grieving for the loss of some Joe team mate.  It's one of those things that doesn't seem all that important upon first glance.  But, once you see it, the black armband becomes a defining feature of the figure.

Funskool Laws were somewhat popular at the time of their release.  While 2000 Laws were still hanging around if you looked hard enough, the reality is that the figure is a solid army builder and collectors of the day did buy up items that could be used in that capacity.  So, while many of Laws contemporary releases have climbed to triple digit purchases, Law remains cheaper.  But, that doesn't mean inexpensive.  You can get carded Laws for $50-$60 which is a dozen times higher than the retail cost from 2002 - 2005 or so.  Loose figures sell in the $20 range.  But, finding them complete can be challenge since he includes so much paperwork.  For those prices, buy extra 2000 Laws and hand paint a mustache on some.  You get a better figure with a head of about the same quality.  And, you get better gear to boot.  But, as an oddity, the Funskool Law is a good way to expand your Joe police force.  You just need to get them some better gear.

A Real American Hero Collection - 20 Years

20 years ago this week, we learned that G.I. Joe was returning to retail with the A Real American Hero Collection.  We didn't have much info at the time.  But, within a few weeks, we learned the roster and then saw initial mocks ups of the figures.  Collectors of the day were overjoyed at Joes coming back.  And, the enthusiasm carried over to when the figures finally showed up in October of that year.

What's more amazing to me is that when we learned about Joe coming back in 2000, 1982 Joes were only 18 years old.  Really, Joe had only been gone from the vintage run for 6 years.  Now, it's been two decades since Joe's "return".  These figures are older than the original Snake Eyes was when he appeared.  Yet, these figs still seem somewhat new...if only because they were released to a burgeoning collector community that would see exponential growth in the next 18 months as tons of early 20-somethings discovered they could collect their childhood favorites.

Through the years, I've reviewed many of the first wave of releases from the A Real American Hero Collection.  I've got a few more coming up in 2020 and 2021, too.  In no particular order:

2000 Undertow

2000 Dialtone

2000 Law and Order

2000 Chameleon

2000 Dusty

2000 Lamprey

2000 Wild Bill

2000 General Tomahawk

This series of figures has aged relatively well.  The colors in the overall collection got redundant in 2001 and beyond.  But, in general, the 2000 series of figures was the best overall set of figures that we saw in the 2000's and later releases devolved in some way or another.  It's hard to believe these figures are now that old.  But, time marches on....

Diorama - Shock Vipers Invade!

Shock Vipers invade the HQ.

2000 Law - Around the Web

When Hasbro released the ARAHC figures in 2000, collectors were ecstatic to see Joe return to retail.  The first wave featured almost all excellent repaints of figures that collectors wanted to see.  The Law repaint is a substantially different look for the character.  I won't say it's better than the 1987 version since that release is iconic.  But, it probably is.

Here's the little of him from around the web.

2000 Law Profile

Law Dio 1

Law at GeneralsJoes.com

Law Dio 2

1990 Super Sonic Fighters Law

Law is a staple of my collection.  He has been an army builder instead of a character ever since a snowy day in late 1987 where I took our two Law figures out into the snow, manning a motorized 6 wheeler and carrying Grunt's M-16 rifles from the original Battle Gear pack.  From that day, Law has been a security officer, policeman, prison guard and MP in all his forms.  The orange and blue original was a staple of my army building years and I'd often acquire lots of 1987 figures just because Law and Chuckles were included.  In 2000, I was ecstatic to see Law return to the line in a convention law enforcement color scheme.  With him, I now had Law as a vintage MP and a modern police force.  But, this left one open area: a real military version of Law that would be closer to the front lines and combat.  It was then that I found the 1990 Super Sonic Fighters Law figure.

This Super Sonic Fighters version of Law is about as perfect a repaint as Hasbro ever created.  The original Law figure was defined by his unique colors.  He was a bit bright.  But, that worked in the context of his specialty.  This 1990 figure uses the paint masks from the original figure, but swaps out the blue and orange for olive and standard green.  The result, when combined with the light tan pants, is a figure that looks much more at home on a military base.  He has enough color to be visually appealing.  But, the colors are more in line with traditional military appearance.  It's not that he's better than the original Law: he's different.  And, in this case, different is excellent.  With this figure, I am free to use the figure or character in different settings with different looks without resorting to gimmicks like Tiger Force.

1990 ushered in a new concept for G.I. Joe: the premium format figure.  Through the years, Joe had a line of single carded figures at a price point and then a variety of vehicle and playset offerings that hit a variety of cost attachments.  There were the odd ball figure releases through the years like Tomax and Xamot, the Listen and Fun Tripwire and the Battle Force 2000 multi packs.  But, Joe was pretty much single carded figures priced around $3 and vehicles.  The Super Sonic Fighters and 1990 Sky Patrol series changed that, though.  Now, in addition to the basic figure line, there was a set of higher priced figures that included special gimmicks that hung on the pegs next to the standard line.  The concept must have worked.  Hasbro released Super Sonic Fighters again in 1991, along with the Eco Warriors. 1992 continued the Eco Warriors, introduced the DEF and saw the Super Sonic Fighters evolve into the Talking Battle Commanders.  1993 introduced the Mega Marines and the Star Brigade Armor Tech line: though Hasbro cancelled the Eco Warriors and DEF figures that were planned and released them in the regular Battle Corps series.  1994 was muted as only the Shadow Ninjas received the large format cards and it seems that Hasbro planned to phase out much of the card differentiation in 1995.

Law has an interesting set of gear.  Of course, he includes the comically large Super Sonic Fighters backpack.  It's terrible and awful and useless.  He is also now missing his K-9 companion, Order.  The good part is that he has his original helmet: complete with the MP logo imprinted upon it.  His guns are a hodge-podge of rehashes from other figures.  The upside is that they are all cast in black.  The downside is that some are from Maverick and Avalanche.  Those weapons are kind of useless.  However, you also get a black version of Lifeline's pistol and a black version of the 1986 Roadblock's massive machine gun and tripod.  I've never been overly fond of Lifeline's pistol.  I always felt it was a poor imitator of Hawk's 1986 pistol.  The Roadblock gun is overly massive.  But, the tripod makes it useful.  Having it in black is a nice difference.  And, if you have the 1997 Rock and Roll figure, makes a good substitute weapon for that release.

For me, this figure is a great faceless legion to augment the Joe team.  I don't see any particular reason for the Joes to have MP's on their own team and Law's character has never really appealed to me.  Instead, I find value in multiples of the figure.  Once Joe defeated a group of Cobras, there was no longer any reason to be involved with their handling and processing through the legal system.  If the Joes captured a named Cobra, it would be different.  But, when a group of Vipers surrendered, they would be taken off by a multitude of MP's to face trial and long imprisonment.  The beauty of this was that it afforded a whole new angle of adventures for me as a kid.  The MP's could be inept, extremely good, criminally corrupt or just unlucky.  It also allowed for Cobra to kill some of the good guys: making them a much more effective enemy.

Law was decently used by Hasbro.  He got his 1987 and this 1990 release.  The character returned for a planned DEF release (that was changed to Battle Corps when DEF was cancelled) in 1993.  That figure is nothing like the iconic Law, though.  In 1998, Law's name appeared as a candidate for release with a planned desert repaint of the 1983 G.I. Joe Headquarters.  However, that release never materialized.  But, in 2000, Law was released in a solid blue repaint in a two pack with other 1998 release candidate Dusty.  As Hasbro was planning on scrapping the vintage Joes in 2002 and replacing them with the JvC sculpt figures, they then sent the mold off to Funskool.  In 2002, Law was released in India.  The figure is in a nice, dark brown color scheme.  The coup-de-gras, though, is that the Funskool figure features a painted mustache on Law's face.  After that, the mold disappeared and Law never saw another release.  But, all four of the releases of this 1987 mold are top notch and they do work well together.  So, I do feel the mold's potential was realized.

Mint and complete with filecard Super Sonic Fighters figures have gotten a bit harder to find and more expensive.  Left on the open market, mint and complete with filecard versions run around $10.  Dealers often sell him in the $16 range.  And, due to a generally limited supply, you'll see a few move at that price.  As there are many versions of Law out there and all are good and a few others are cheap, it doesn't make sense to spend a lot army building this version.  He works well as a Captain of the MP forces that are comprised of more common 1987 and 2000 versions of the figure.  But, as a stand alone offering, this Law is a must have.  He provides a great, alternate look for a classic character without being too sub-team specific.

Diorama - Busted

This dio was taken in Indiana in either December or January.  It was a clear, dry and sunny day: as you can see in the pics.  But, it was freezing cold.  By the time the whole thing was set up, the vintage thumbs started getting brittle and my camera kept shutting off as the battery was too cold.  I liked the idea of a large group of law enforcement capturing the Dreadnoks and the show of force it would take to do so.


You'll see the CORPS! Hummer in the pics. At the time, it was about the best Hummer you get for Joes.  But, it was cheap and brittle.  But, it also cost like $10 with three figures.  So, you get what you pay for.  Just off camera was my relatively new Funskool Super Cop capturing my relatively new Funskool Red Dog.  They were the main reason I got all this out.  But, the rest of the scene was pretty fun to work out.

1987 Law and Order - Around the Web

Law is a great figure.  A highly detailed MP, Law's colors are generally forgiven by collectors and he remains a favorite.  Here's some of the best content on the web for the character.

2000 Law & Order

Back in early 2000, Hasbro let it be known that they were bringing Joes back to regular retail outlets. They leaked the potential names of 10 figures who would comprise the first wave. The list contained the usual suspects of high profile characters as well as a few second tier entries who really filled out the assortment nicely. Among these was Law: one of my all time favorite figures. As such, I had high hopes for the new version and, when the first pictures were finally shown, was not disappointed in the slightest. The new version of Law was an improvement over his original incarnation yet still included all of the great accessories that marked the original figure. Once the figures hit retail, I quickly army built Laws faster than even the Firefly/Undertow packs. To this day I hold this figure in high regard as it remains the best version of the great Law mold.

Law remains the perfect Joe cop. He is an excellent policeman rather than Mutt's pseudo military look. He looks like a real MP and has the gear to back it up. As such, he has long found use as an army builder in my collection rather than a character. Even as a kid, I ended up with 3 Laws and I used them as my Joe police squad. Early on, they were mostly used to arrest Cobras. But, as I got a bit older, they also began to play the role of internal military investigative police. They would go after rogue soldiers who either were going to endanger the Joes or after Joes themselves who had violated military rules. From there, their role expanded into the police force who served under my security officer figures who were always portrayed by Dialtone. This has been, perhaps, about the only aspect of my Joe collection where I have developed characters as deeply as those I have developed for my Cobra hierarchy. For some reason, the aspect of dutiful lawmen chasing down criminals has lead to a large part of my Joe world. For the most part, I don't view these policemen as anything more than guys doing a job. They don't really think about the motives of those whom they pursue, but they react to any violations of the law. As such, they are very prone to mistakes and often overreact to the most benign situation. Basically, they are very good at creating conflict where there is none. As such, they can be either a disruptive or a beneficial force depending upon how they react to a situation. This creates heightened tension for the Joes when these guys are involved as the Joes can never be sure if the police will make the situation worse or if they will help. It's just an added little part of my Joeverse that makes things a little more interesting.

As a figure, Law is very solid. He features a bulky, unzipped vest that could be taken to be ballistic or just stylish. He has a nice, big badge and a tear gas grenade molded onto his chest. His upper body is topped off by the shoulder mounted pistol holster. He also features handcuffs molded onto the back of his pants as well as a loop on his belt where he would hang his nightstick. Where the figures really shines, though, is the accessories. Law includes a basic helmet and silver Uzi that nicely complement the mold. He also has a nightstick that is better designed that Mutt's and that is actually useful with the figure as he can hold it. Finally, Law is topped off by his dog Order and a leash. Personally, I only use the dog as a very specific accessory for a scene where a dog might be used. (Such as a checkpoint or at a prison intake.) I don't use it as an everyday accessory with the figure, but it is nice to have available.   The Law mold saw several uses and each of them was very good in its own way. The original '87 figure features a nice use of color. It looks like the type of policeman who would be used as basic security. They would be very visible and would be the type of presence needed for your basic police duties. The '90 Super Sonic Fighter is more militaristic and makes for a perfect field police officer. I also use this version as a higher ranking police officer as this is probably the most difficult version of Law to find. This 2000 version is simply the best overall version ever made with the muted blue and white that really make the figure stand out as police. And, finally, the Funskool version from India also features a nice, dull brown color scheme that blends well with the 2000 figure. Plus, the Indian version features a cool mustache that brings some diversity to the Law ranks.

One of the things that has happened in the more than 5 years since this figure was released is that I have found a new appreciation for the ARAHC figures from 2000-2001. While the new sculpts figures have been nice, I consider them a line unto themselves. When you compare the ARAH style releases we have seen at retail since 2002 with those from the ARAHC, though, you realize how lazy Hasbro got with their later releases. While these early figures stagnated as the line progressed, they at least continued to include the original accessories from the mold's first release as well as complex, if uninspired, paint applications. Since then, ARAH-style Joes have suffered from horrid accessories and less and less detailed paint masks. In 2000, many collectors found reasons to complain about the ARAHC figures. Little did we know how good we had it then.

This version of Law is insanely easy to find. The first wave of the ARAHC figures wasn't nearly as rare as people thought it was. If that wasn't enough, Law and Dusty were then re-released in cases of Wave 2. Wave 2 was probably the most overproduced wave of Joes in the entire ARAHC series and was available at retail for more than a year. As such, many stores ended up clearancing out their final stock and many people were able to snag great deals on Dusty/Law 2 packs. Now, most dealers will still sell the figure for ~$5 just because it doesn't really pay for them to handle a figure for much less than that. Even at that price, though, this is a good figure of which to acquire multiples. Personally, I simply can't use this version of Law as anything other than an army builder. That's just what he is to me.

1993 Battle Corps Law

In the history of the Joe line, Hasbro really produced some clunkers. While the line if chock full of some amazing figures, you can also find some examples that are just really, really bad. In some cases, the mold was just poorly sculpted. In other cases, the colors were horrendous. As the line progressed, some were just poor molds for the characters that they were chosen to represent. The subject of this profile, the 1993 Law, was a combination of the last two. This is a poor mold choice that has little to remind you of the classic character and it was poorly colored. However, he does still have some potential uses as I will outline below. My first encounter with this figure was when I found him hanging on a neglected clearance shelf at the Bloomington, Indiana K-Mart during Christmas break in 1995. At that time, I picked up any Joe figure I did not have, so I added this Law to my collection. However, I was stymied as to his purpose in my collection.

Even back then, I had multiple versions of V1 Law and used that figure as an army builder. The Law character was not someone who had ever really been developed in my Joe world and this figure just didn't lend himself to an important, named character. As such, I packed the figure away into a plastic bin where he would emerge every now and then in various meaningless capacities. One day, though, I put him on the crew of my Shark 9000. When I did this, I finally found a purpose for this figure.

Now, in my collection, 1993 Law's are nameless, faceless maritime vehicle operators and gunners. They are also full fledged combat divers, but only perform that duty in times of extreme duress. (Other figures like the '93 Payload and '94 Shipwreck better fill the full time role of combat diver.) Mostly, these figures can be found manning the guns on the Shark 9000 or even the Whale. They might be the helmsman on the Tiger Moray. Most times, though, they can be found as the sole pilots of the Devilfish. This figures colors actually kind of work with the bright orange Devilfish and I think the figure looks decent as its captain. (If you have the blue Devilfish from India, this figure matches it even better.) It's very much a bit role, but this isn't the type of figure who demands to be a major player in a collection. As such, I think that he works well in this capacity.

As was proven by the Shock Viper, Joe molds can be converted to successful Cobra army builders. One look at this mold and you could easily see how this figure colored in Cobra blue and dark grey and outfitted with air tanks, some flippers and a spear gun could easily be turned into a new version of the Cobra Eel. I think that would be the type of thing that would earn Hasbro raves as it would produce a cool figure of a character that needs to return in ARAH format as well as offer collectors something new and original. Hopefully, if we will get the opportunity to see something like this down the road. Hasbro's non-convention ARAH figures have been bland at best for some time now. While there is little to indicate that this will change: there is always the hope that a breakout figure will appear at some point down the road.

At first glance, this figure isn't that bad. His base color is a soft grey (that perfectly matches the color or Torpedo's backpack) surrounded by deep blue trim. Had the figure stopped there, he would be very useful. As he was released in 1993, though, he would not be complete without the requisite splash of neon. So you see his chest is now covered in a bright greenish-yellow that makes it harder to find a use for the figure. The mold itself, though, isn't that bad. The head is quite detailed, even though the detail are not painted. The body is bulky (probably as his intention was as an urban combat specialist) but has some minor trappings that give him more depth than it would, with a cursory perusal, appear. His accessories are terrible as they are neon versions of bad weapon molds. He does have a neat little feature on his spring loaded launcher, though. Law included a (neon!) shield that fit over the barrel of the spring loaded weapon. The idea behind it was neat, even though the execution was poor. If Hasbro were to revisit the idea today, I think they could make a very nice weapon/shield combo that would become one of the better accessories in the line. But, as it was '93, this version is only useful for the concept.

This mold had a short history. 1993 was supposed to have its own D.E.F. subset as a carry-over from 1992. After the '92 D.E.F. bombed at retail (It really had nothing to do with the figures. It was a matter of economics. Why would a parent buy a D.E.F. figure for $5 when a similar figure in the regular series sat next to it on the shelf for $2.79? The price point was the failure: not the concept or the figures.) Hasbro canned the '93 version and just threw the '93 D.E.F. figures into the regular Battle Corps assortment. These figures sat around, too, as the Joe line died around them and were easily found at clearance stores well into 1995 and 1996. In Australia, though, the figure was released on a D.E.F. card. There was no difference in the figure: just the card. Sometime around 1995, the mold was released in Brazil as Bolidus. The colors were slightly different, but still bright. As he was one of the final Brazilian releases, it is doubtful that Hasbro has access to this mold. If Hasbro had intentions of bringing this figure back as Law: then it is a good thing that the mold is likely gone. However, if they were going to bring it back in a faction-switching role as I mentioned above: then it is our loss that it the mold is in Brazil.

If you want a 1993 Law, you won't have to look very hard or spend very much. MOC, you can get them for under $3 at times. Dealers will sell complete versions for more: mostly because they can't justify handling a figure that they can only sell for a dollar or two. If you scour Ebay, though, you can get nice versions of this figure for nothing. Collectors simply don't care about him and never will. I've found that he's useful in a collection to a point. I have a few of them that I use to man various positions on my aquatic vehicles. Beyond that, though, his use is limited and I have little desire to add any more to my collection unless I get them for a ridiculously cheap price. Most collectors feel the same way and this figure is likely to forever remain one of the more obscure releases in Joe history.

1987 Law & Order

Law is the consummate cop. He is perfect for both civilian and military police work. He quickly became one of my favorites right after he was released and still remains high on my list today. Of course, you really can't consider him a forgotten figure as Law remains rather popular to this day. He is just so cool and usable, though, that I have to dedicate a page to him. Supposedly, Law's head was sculpted after a Hasbro employee. He looks just like my sixth grade teacher, Stanley Morgan. I don't know why I mention this, but I think that since he was molded after a real person, Law's head just seems far more realistic. Law's accessories are great. The night stick was very nice. If you're into dogs, Order was pretty cool, too. I am not much one for the dog. I use the leash as a rope that the security troops keep prisoners lashed to. It is far more fun. His pistol left something to be desired, but it still worked for this figure. It is odd that while some people rant and rave about neon figures, they never mention Law. He is cast in orange and aqua blue. For him, though, this works. The uniform is pretty cool. He has the ever popular chest holster, a badge, and a sculpted ring on his belt for the nightstick. The handcuffs sculpted on the back of his belt are just icing on the cake.

As Law works so well, he is one of the few Joes that make excellent army builders. They are perfect MP's, or civilian police. I often have several of them in pursuit of the Dreadnoks. It provides a great break from the normal story line considerations. Law just looks tough. Because of this, he remains a believable law enforcement figure. While Mutt was the military Dog Handler, Law is the cop. I think Mutt was an awesome figure, but Law is just a figure that I can't get enough of. Some people have dozens of Cobra Troopers, Vipers or Crimson Guards. I have nearly a dozen Law's. He has so many uses that I pick one up every chance I get.

Law actually had three incarnations. This one is far and away the best. He also had a 1991 Super Sonic Fighters repaint version that wasn't too bad. The colors were slightly more militaristic, but still worked well. The 1993 version with an all new mold was awful. He looks most like a diver, but even that's a stretch. Like most of the planned 1993 D.E.F. figures, this mold was very poor and lacked any sort vision that would have at least grounded the figure in reality. This version has uses, but not as a MP or anything pertaining to that occupation. The 1987 version was just too good. Like Shipwreck and the Viper, the first incarnation of this figure was so good that no future version could live up to it. This is good, though, as the sonic fighter Law is also very easy and cheap to get these days. At least the original version was made in Joe's heyday. The production runs were up and everyone was opening their figures. This has been a Godsend for modern collectors as they can accumulate to their heart's content without really affecting the supply.

Law is a very popular figure. As such, he is starting to command a slightly higher price than many of his contemporaries. 1987 wasn't the greatest year in Joe history. It had its moments, but there were quite a few stinkers. As such, the good figures from that year are starting to become a bit pricey. (They also make excellent trade bait, especially if you're after newer figures.) Law's are rather easy to find in very good condition. If you don't want Order with him, Law starts to get very cheap very quick. He is a staple in large lots of figures, and can almost always be found for sale mint and complete by himself. It is rather easy to build an army of these guys. While slightly more expensive than other figures from this time, Law is still pretty cheap. He doesn't command anywhere near the prices of the Cobras of his era and remains a good figure for the beginning collector to add to their budding collection.