Yeah, it's that time again. We're going to look at a Super7 figure. Once again, the figure in question is a Target exclusive. Instead of a flavor of Stormshadow, though, this time around the figure is the Tiger Force Shipwreck. Super7 is releasing a wave of Python Patrol and Tiger Force figures. Among them are some first time members of each team. And, the designs of each figure are very strong and interesting. Shipwreck's appearance can be attributed to both the endearing legacy of the Shipwreck character from the cartoon and the figure's appearance in the Brazilian version of Tiger Force. That figure was a new character named Marujo. But, it gives vintage legacy of Shipwreck's appearance in this now collector favored subset.
You'll notice no loose pics of this figure in the write up. Once I had the figure in hand, I had a bit of buyer's remorse. I also had a bit of a collectorism bite me, too. See, the card I found was in really nice condition and was unpunched. It's the type of thing I normally don't care about. But, since this loose figure isn't something that's all that important to me (he'd get photographed once and disappear into a box), opening him isn't a priority. I do like to have a clean carded figure added to my collection from time to time. And, this seemed like the prime chance to do it. But, the remorse was that I paid full price for this figure and that money could be spent elsewhere. And, while I really like the yellow rope and grappling hook and would likely use it with my vintage Joes, the Shipwreck's lack of the cool double barrelled pistol that appears on the card artwork limits my interest in an open toy. I'm not sure why the pistol was omitted. But, it was probably a cost savings measure on a figure that has a lower production run since it's exclusive. But, leaving the figure carded means I can return it next week if I decide that $20 was just too much for this type of collectible.
Tiger Force Shipwreck makes more sense than something like Tiger Force Frostbite or Blizzard. At sea, the crazy yellow is less of an issue. And, Shipwreck's iconic appearance isn't something that really lends itself to repaints. So, getting one in a subset makes as much sense as any other release. (And, he's a great fit for the Tiger Force Hovercraft.) On display, the Super7 figures look great. And, a full lineup of Tiger Force will always look good. And, this figure for $20 is far better than $200 for a real Marujo.
As a figure, this Shipwreck checks the Super7 boxes. The paint applications are tight. The quality looks good. And, the card artwork is fairly poor. I'd have preferred a Marujo card art homage. But, that would have probably cost too much and put the figure over budget. I'm a sucker for grappling hook and rope accessories. But, the lack of a weapon is a big mark against this figure. The real Marujo features long sleeves, though. It's a slight difference. But, again, this figure had to be a straight Shipwreck repaint to keep the costs in line. New arms would have been too much. And, not too many newer collectors have enough familiarity with Marujo to really argue about the appearance difference.
In recent years, it's become a bit of a subversive theme in the community that the Classified collectors (and, therefore, the bulk of the retail buying adults) are not really Joe collectors, per se. But, instead, scale collectors who flock to Classified due to a slight connection to a childhood memory. But, moreso, due to the fact that the Classified figures are among the best 6" figures on the market today. This has finally become confirmed in recent months. Many posters in large online forums are flummoxed by figures like the Funskool Snake Eyes and this Tiger Force Shipwreck homage. But, the real event that confirmed it was the announcement of Glenda as part of the Dragonfly Haslab. Despite the fact that Glenda is one of the most famous international exclusives and has been a key collector piece since the 1990's, you saw far too many posts from people who didn't know who she was. It's one thing to not know all aspects of foreign Joe ephemera. But, figures like Glenda and Marujo have been very common and available for two and a half decades. Casual collectors have at least cursory knowledge of them. And, to see the vitriol aimed as Glenda shows that the new breed of Classified collector is even more different from the traditional Joe collector than many of us thought.
All of the Target exclusive Super7 figures have gone to clearance around the country. Most of them finally sell out around $5.50 or so. So, it's entirely possible that this figure will be clearance fodder in a few months when the next Target exclusive figure is ready to ship. Target clearance items don't appear at every store. And, it's rare that they stick around for more than a week or two since Target tends to cut deeply just to get rid of the stock. But,I leave it to you to use your own judgement as to when or if you acquire this figure.
The one takeaway I have though, is that Super7 collectors get Tiger Force Shipwreck and an awesomely unique Python Patrol Cobra Commander while Hasbro gives o-ring collectors a craptastic Zarana with black elbows and a Zartan who got kicked out of Kiss. It's such night and day in how each company views the older collector base. I just wish Hasbro would get over itself and give the o-ring license to Super7. Sure, the figs would be $20. But, I'd feel that their $20 designs would be well worth the money while Hasbro's feel like $3 figs from the asshole early 2000's Hasbro Joe team that are repackaged at a 600% markup.
