Rarities - Power Commandos 2022 Update

I've looked at Power Commandos several times in various Rarities Months.  And, in that time, I've learned a great deal about these figures, how they were released and a general timeline of the various series.  Through discussions in the comments in the past couple of years, it became apparent that there is a different release cadence for the Power Commandos than I had previously published.  What I thought was the first Wave of figures is more likely the second wave.  And, the second is actually the first.  Plus, I have some new info on the ultra rare third wave.  And, then, the mystery of the origin of these figures deepens, again.  As, the molds show up on an obscure line of figures from Argentina that no one would know about aside from the fact that they were packed with overstock Comandos Heroicos figures from the Plastirama line.

Wave 1 - 12 Figures (1992)

Originally, I thought that the wave of 6 figures was the first wave of Power Commandos.  It was marked 1992 and has no mention of the other 6 molds that are part of the series.  However, what I had thought was the 2nd wave is more likely to have actually been the first.  Confused?  Yeah, me too.

Below is the cardback from a wave of 12 Power Commandos set.  You'll notice that all 12 figures are shown.  And, the six figures that are the most common molds are actually shown in their alternate paint schemes.

This is where it gets confusing.

Below are two carded samples from this wave of 12.  You will note that each of the figures was both available in a different paint scheme in the series of 6, but also that their paint scheme on this cardback actually matches the card art.  Mummy Mask has dark blue sleeves and Metal Hawk has green pants.  You'll even note that the green accessories match up with the green color shown the card art.

This wave also includes these 6 figure molds who would not be carried over or repainted until 1995 or so.  Again, these figures feature the green weapons shown on the card art and the figures' colors and construction also matches the artwork.

Wave 2 - 6 figures (1992)

It is likely that the 6 repainted figures that are most known to collectors are actually a second wave of repaints.  This series tends to have the black weapons.  But, more importantly, each of the 6 figures is repainted and they no longer match their card artwork.  (This is especially notable on Condor Strike as the character in this wave features a different chest construction than the one in the original wave.  The card art still shows his original chest.)  As the packaging wasn't really changed aside from some minor cosmetic details, it's possible that the 1992 date on these figures was a carry over from the 1st wave.  That would help explain the odd gap with 18 figures being released in 1992 and the final 6 not appearing until 1995.  If these repaints were actually released in 1993 or 1994, the gap in production timeline is better explained.

Wave 3 - 6 Neon Figures

The Wave 3 figures feature a 1995 date on the cardbacks.  These figures were sold on single cards.  There were 6 figures in the set.  The fact that the six figures included happen to match up to the 6 who were excluded from the Wave 2 repaint set is both awfully convenient and also sensical.  You will note, though, that many of the figures feature construction changes from their Wave 1 appearance.  Some info indicates that the 6 molds from the 1st wave that weren't carried over to the 2nd wave was due to lost or damaged molds.  It's possible that the parts changes on these figures versus their original use was due to the mold issues.  

Argentina Johny Quest - Single Figure

So, here's where it gets even weirder.  G.I. Joe collectors have long known about the figures released by Plastirama in Argentina.  Tons of overstock came to the US in 1999-2000 and was widely available.  Among these finds were these oddball Johny Quest two figure packs.  Each included a Johny figure as well as a random Plastirama G.I. Joe figure.  The packaging is similar to that used by Galoob for the US release of Johnny Quest figures.  But, the Johny figure is different.  This one uses parts from the Power Commandos.  The Johny figures all appear to be the same.  But, the appearance of Lucky Bell parts is odd and doesn't make much sense unless an Argentine toy company imported Johny figures from China and then paired them with Comandos Heroicos figures that were made in Argentina.

So, what do we know?  Not much.  We know there are 24 unique figures produced with these molds under the Lucky Bell name.  Then, there is the oddball Johny Quest figure.  It's very possible that the molds could have been used in other obscure lines in South America or Asia and collectors will never find them as they have no real connection to G.I. Joe or the Power Commandos.  But, the overall story of how these figures came to be is likely lost to time.  

But, the fact that so many molds were created and that the both the figures and packaging were high quality indicates that someone spent some money to produce these figures.  The first wave was heavily sold in the US at discount and liquidator type stores.  The second wave overstock has mostly been traced to South American and Mexico.  Though, the packaging indicates that this surplus was originally intended for sale in the US.  The 3rd wave's overall rarity makes it difficult to pin down.  The appearance of the mold on the Argentina release shows that these molds were there for other uses if someone wanted to spend the money to make some toys.  But, how they found their way to match up with Jhony Quest and the G.I. Joe overstock will likely remain a mystery.

Rarities - Later Series Lucky Bell Power Commandos

The Power Commandos were an obscure brand of Joe knock offs that few collectors really paid attention to.  However, after large quantities of the first series of 6 figures were found in Mexico and were cheaply sold to Joe collectors, they became a bit more famous.  Lost in the weirdness of a Mummy man and his friends, though, is the fact that the figures are spectacular rip offs of Joe...even going so far as to kitbash Joe weapons.  Beyond the first series of 6 figures, though, are at least two other waves of Power Commando figures.  The first additional wave contains repaints of the original assortment as well as a couple of new sculpts.  The second additional wave, though, features some interesting sculpts for Joe fans as you will see below.

The second wave of Lucky Bell figures included repaints of the 6 figures from the first wave.  Some of the new colors are subtle.  Others are not.  This series also saw the introduction of green weapons with the figures.  Along with the repaints, there are also 6 new figures that were introduced.  Among these are some releases that any Cobra fan will both recognize and instantly want.  So, we'll start with the good stuff first.  A HUGE thanks to the Black Major for these pics.

Below are Nite Serpent and Communicator.  You will see that Communicator is, essentially, a Cobra BAT.  He has an arm attachment (though, that was released in the first series) and his head is a dead ringer for the famous Battle Android Trooper.  Nite Serpent is even more blatant.  The figure's head is a near twin of the 1985 Crimson Guard and his body (also re-used from the 1st series) is a straight homage of the 1986 Viper.  Then, there's the colors.  He is Cobra blue and red.  Honestly, Nite Serpent is more Cobra than pretty much any figure Hasbro released after 1986.  

The cardback shows all 12 of the figures released in the 2nd series.  You see all the repainted figures as well as the newly sculpted parts.  Here are additional photos of the other figures where you can see the differences.  (To this day, I have never seen a Soundspeed or a Sniper figure from this series. The molds do show up in Wave 3, though.)

These six figures from top to bottom, left to right are: Condor Strike, Mummy Mask, Red Raven, Nite Serpent, Communicator and Metal Hawk.  This variant of Condor Strike features different parts than the original figure  He appears to be the only first series figure to now have major construction differences.  Mummy Mask is notable for his dark blue shirt and white pants.  Were his head colored in the same blue, this would definitely be a candidate for Cobra indoctrination.  Red Raven's upper body appears very much the same as his first series coloring.  He now, though, features white/tan pants.  Nite Serpent and Communicator were showcased above.  Metal Hawk (who might now be my favorite of the first six Power Commando figures) now has a lighter blue chest and the green pants.  Overall, if you're only casually interested in these figures, the fact that there are variants may slip by you.  It wasn't until I researched Mummy Mask a while ago that I realized these repaints existed at all.

Here are two photos of Lynx Eye Jack: another of the newly released figures in the second wave.  You'll note the color differences.  But, these are likely just due to age and improper storage.  The grayer figure is likely just a sun/heat damaged version of the light blue original.  Light blue plastic does not hold up well over time and is very prone to discoloration and that's the likely culprit of the visual differences in the figures below.  In the 2nd photo, you'll see the variant X Ray Eye figure.  His main difference is the orange boots.  Though, there may be other slight shading differences on the reds and greens as well.

Here you can see Lynx Eye Jack's packmate, Laser Cut.  This figure features a new, robotic looking head.  The dark blue and red body makes for another figure that would be easily integrated into a Cobra army.  You can also see a better photo of the Mummy Mask repaint.

A better photo of the Metal Hawk repaint as well as the second wave Submarine figure.  Submarine appears to be a lighter blue color than the first wave (though, this could be heat/sun damage) and now features blue pants.

Better photos of Condor Strike and Red Raven.  Condor Strike now features a different chest and arms.  Though, his legs appear to be the same as his original release.  Red Raven also now has white pants.

Some more photos, including some of the green weapons.  (Note, the 1996 POTF II era Tie Fighter Pilot rifle is just in the photo.  It was not included with these figures.)  There were no new weapons sculpted for the later wave figures.  Even the new figures included gear that was recycled from the original releases.  The green color, though, is new.

Here's a carded image of Mummy Mask/Metal Hawk.  You'll note the darker blue on Mummy Mask and his white pants.  Metal Hawk has green pants and red boots.  You see the green weapons in the package, though.  The molds of the accessories are the same as the Wave 1 figures and it doesn't appear any accessories debuted in later waves as they were all carry overs from the original releases.  But, the green color is distinct to the repainted figure wave.  You will note that the figures actually better match the card artwork.  The first wave figures featured the same card art, though, so the original releases didn't really match the coloring of the art like they did in the second series.

The third wave is the rarest and most desirable of all.  These figures were single carded.  You'll notice even more familiar parts in this series.  The bright colors really add to the bizarreness of the designs.  But, as "Space Age Soldiers", the overall ensemble works quite well.  There were at least 6 figures in this series and they rarely appear for sale.

The first figure is the same mold as Sound Speed from wave II.  He now has new, very 1990's colors.  This figure is very close to the Cobra Eel and even includes flippers.

Next up is Laser Cut.  The purple colors are new to this single carded wave. 

Lynx Eye Jack also got a brightly colored makeover.

I don't know who this figure is.  He uses the Condor Strike head, but different body parts from the other two Condor Strike releases.  I guess Condor Strike liked to have a variety of outfits and not just the same style in different colors.

Next up is Communicator.  (Again, I'm guessing at the names based on the figure's head.)  Again, the nice purples and browns appear and would be a great complement to the purple Cobras that debuted in 1986 and later.  I love that this figure features a robotic head and hand, but also flippers for use underwater.

Finally, we have the Nite Serpent figure.  Now, though, he features a different chest that's derived from the 1985 Tele Viper.  This figure doesn't appear all that useful.  But, he's just so weird that he'd be fun to have around.

In all, the Power Commandos are a great little subset of figures for a Joe collector to find.  There's at least 24 of them.  There could be more or there could be less.  But, all of them sans the first wave are pretty tough to track down.  I'd love to see more and better photos of these guys...especially side by side comparison shots.  But, this is the best I can do for now.

Mummy Mask - Power Commandos

The vintage G.I. Joe line had many imitators.  Usually, they were cheap lines that tried to ply on the Joe brand while appealing to the limited budgets of gift givers or parents.  As a kid, I abhorred most of the attempts to knock off G.I. Joe.  I found the quality, accessory and articulation differences to simply be too much to overcome.  So, none of the classic knock off lines like Remco, Sgt. Rock or even the CORPS! were ever part of my childhood toy experience.  This, of course, has carried over to my adult collecting.  In general, I have no interest in toy lines that attempt to mimic G.I. Joe.  While there are a few conversation pieces out there, I rarely find the figures actually compatible and avoid them.  But, the opening of the collector world to worldwide experiences has introduced some knock off brands that have been able to capture my attention.  In the case of the Power Commandos, the line gets me both due to the offbeat nature of the theme as well as the blatant rip offs they stole from the Joe line.  In recent years, the Power Commandos have become more famous.  Much of that has to do with the singular character of Mummy Mask: who is profiled today.

Mummy Mask is the perfect blend of complete oddball design with off putting colors.  There is no reason for the character to have any interest except for the fact that he's just so bizarre.  The primary selling point is that the figure is a mummy.  He's the classic all bandaged visage.  But, for some reason, he's wearing a captain's hat.  The result is something that both makes no sense and is still totally familiar looking.  On the surface, a mummy may seem too out there to be integrated into Joe.  But, Cobra had a snake man, a guy who dressed up as a bird, an alligator, monsters, zombies and a gypsy hypnotist on their roster.  So, I'll hold off on denigrating a mummy as too far out there.

Power Commandos are supposed to be a space themed line.  Mummy Mask brings an element of fantasy to it, too.  If you read the figure's bio-card, it refers to him as a creature.  He is an alien, as well.  His entire persona is a Master of Disguise and the bandages wrapping his face are an obfuscation of his true self since he only removes them to showcase the countenance of his disguised persona.  He is afraid of both fire and water.  So, if you can catch him on fire, he won't put himself out.  My favorite part of the dreadful writing is that he's from the "City of the Underworld".  I read it like various wrestling heels hailing from "Parts Unknown".  But, the cheesiness of the filecard fits the figure, perfectly.

If you look at the Mummy Mask parts, you can see the influence of the 1985 Tele Viper.  Mummy Mask's chest is, basically, the same as the Tele Viper.  It's pretty likely that the company who produced these items used real Joes as the basis for their parts and then modified just enough to avoid any legal issues.  (Lanard did the same thing with CORPS! accessories.)  It creates an cohesive look for these figures when posed with Joes, though, since the familiarity of the parts ties the two figures lines together.  The parts are used on additional figures in the line, so Lucky Bell worked hard to minimize their costs while still creating some interesting figures.

In the end, Mummy Mask is really no different a concept than many other out there Cobras who populate the Joe world.  And, in that regard, this figure can be a fun addition to any collection.  For me, he's going to be some sort of villain character.  But, I haven't found the perfect backstory for him, yet.  Until then, he's a fun conversation piece that can appear in photos.  In some ways, he's a good companion for Serpentor. But, that's also a bit too on point.  I'm not sure what would convince someone to dress up as a mummy as their gimmick.  A burn victim leaves too many questions.  But, a guy who's just kind of off may work.  I see the hat on his head as kind of a 1930's era pilot cap.  Again, though, I'm not sure how to make all of this fit into something that isn't too hackneyed.  I'll have to revisit this figure in a few years to see if I've made any progress.

Mummy Mask's gear is fun.  He's got a big blade thing that looks like it incorporated a bit of the Techno Viper's tools.  He's also got a pointed staff that's neither a spear nor a sword.  Both weapons fit with the oddity of the character.  His rifle is a black mash up of the 1986 Viper rifle and the barrel of a weapon I can't place from memory.  (There is a later Mummy Mask variant that includes a green version of this weapon.)  Sadly, the figure has tight, brittle thumbs that preclude me from really trying to get his accessories into his hands.  But, the gear is original, weird and still useful.  The quality of the weapons is high and the colors are realistic and match the figure.

Once upon a time, Power Commandos were super rare and rather expensive.  However, in the late 2010's, a large quantity of them began to show up in Mexico.  These were offered to American collectors for very cheap prices.  Buying in lots, you can buy the full first series of 6 figures for around $8 per figure.  If you can find complete figures individually, you'll pay a premium for Mummy Mask...usually to the tune of $15 to $20.  But, today, it is still a bit easier to find carded sets than it is loose samples.  The series 2 Power Commandos figures, which include a variant Mummy Mask who features much darker blue highlights as well as figures that are near exact matches for the Cobra Viper and BAT, remain incredibly rare.  Once the Mexican stock dries up, it's possible these series 1 figures will once again get hard to find and be priced accordingly.  As we've seen with both Plastirama and Funskool figures, once the common overstock is finally absorbed, pricing can increase quickly.  The good news is that Mummy Mask is a gimmick figure that isn't really all that necessary.  He's fun to own and can fit with an oddball Cobra army.  But, he's a knock off from an obscure line and that precludes him from ever being a key figure for anyone to own.  But, if you think you're ever going to want Mummy Mask, it's probably best to act now before they get harder to find, again.