2003 Overkill - Around The Web

Overkill isn't a figure I've ever used with any frequency.  When it was time to reduce my collection in the early 2010's, I even got rid of my vintage Overkill.  The reason was that I had this nice 2003 version and there was no reason to keep two versions of the character.  Now, I regret that decision as the original figure is quite well done.  But, I have some solace in that I kept this 2003 figure and can still enjoy him.

The truth, though, is that I don't really take the time to appreciate this figure.  In fact, my only remaining copy was still packed in his original baggie from the mail away set that shipped in late spring of 2003.  I've taken him out once or twice.  But, that's it.  And, that makes little sense.  Overkill is a cool looking figure who has some really nice gear, fun play features and solid colors.  In short, he's everything I want in a Joe figure.  Yet, he doesn't resonate with me.

Mostly, it's because he's a robot.  I feel BAT's are a poor excuse for a villain.  And, anything that dehumanizes the toll of war should be immediately suspect.  So, that instantly reduces Overkill's usefulness.  But, there's no reason I can't find a better aspect for the figure.  While sentient robots carry a tremendous amount of baggage that extends beyond their role of protagonist or antagonist, you can find some ground where they can be useful.

Recently, I read a quote about how "all the best robots outwardly hate their creators" and that's a line that's stuck with me.  Though, I'm not sure how to make it work.  Overkill is equipped with weapons.  No good person would built a robotic killing machine.  So, Overkill can't be rebelling against his benevolent creators.  So, that leaves him as the evil killing machine created by the most vile villains on earth.  Hating them makes Overkill a bad guy.  And the whole trope of a bad guy turning good is also problematic because no amount of good can overcome a murder.  

So, I now see Overkill as a weapon of last resort for Cobra.  He is activated when the situation is either very dire.  Or, it can be carefully controlled.  Overkill is an unrequited killing machine.  And, once activated, will not really discriminate about his victims.  Cobra Commander, of course, doesn't really care about some friendly fire casualties among his rank and file troopers.  What he does care about, though, is that Overkill has the ability to escape dire situations, is fully cognizant that the Cobras in his vicinity are there to destroy him once his objective is attained and Overkill then still has the determination to pursue the Cobra hierarchy.  And, even the fail safes built into Overkill can't be trusted because the robot is smart enough to detect and disable them prior to confronting the Cobra hierarchy.

So, if the Cobra technicians aren't able to turn Overkill off before he escapes, then Cobra Commander and his ilk are in danger of being stalked by a killer robot who is hell bent on revenge.  At the same time, the Joes can't work with Overkill because his primary purpose is still to kill them.  So, you have a monster who is loose in the world with no allies and grudges against all who he encounters.  There are some Cobras who can negotiate with Overkill.  But, his concessions are not killing them and them providing information on the Commander's whereabouts.  It makes the decision to use Overkill much more dire.  And, it also sets up a plotline where both Cobra and Joe are deathly afraid of a killer robot that is out there, trying to kill them both.

2003 Overkill Profile

2003 BAT Set Pre Production Figures

2003 Overkill by fun_time_at_serpentors_lair

2003 Overkill by themexicangriswolds

2003 Overkill by toysandtomfoolery

2003 Overkill by kitbash_joe

2003 Overkill by slipstream80

2003 Overkill  at JoeADay.com

2003 Overkill by toysandtomfoolery

2003 Overkill  at Action-Force.dk

2003 Overkill at GeneralsJoesReborn.com

2003 Overkill by g.i.joe_manila_ph

Rarities - 2003 BAT Pack Pre Production Figures

In 2003, Hasbro released a BAT army builder pack.  It was cool and imperfect and lame all at the same time.  Due to the oddities of 1/2 the figures in the set, it didn't sell very well and Hasbro nixed all future "mail away" army building 6 packs and shuffled them off as Toys R Us exclusives instead.  Below is a set of pre-production BATs (and Overkill).  They are pretty much identical to what we got in production.

You will notice a few very slight differences between these pre-production figures and the production releases.  The most notable is on the BAT.  The production figure had far more yellow.  These muted colors are less in line with the 1986 figure to which the 2003 color scheme was meant as an homage.  But, I also kind of like this one better since it has more metallic colors and looks more like a robot.  Still, had these figures been released this way, it's doubtful I'd have bought any more or any less of the set.  But, this is an insight into how products change slightly before they finally get released.

2003 Overkill

In the early 2000's, collectors wanted army builders.  Hasbro, to an extent, understood this.  While the JvC line had offered a nice run of army building figure, the vintage repaints that were interspersed in the waves left collectors wanting.  Sure, we'd seen Vipers and Alley Vipers.  But, the colors weren't great, they lacked decent gear and they were packaged with Joe figures that raised the price.  (Though it also made the army builders much easier to find.)  In early 2003, Hasbro finally seemed to get it and they took chance on the first real online exclusive in the Joe line's history: the BAT Pack.  For $15, collectors got 5 army building figures and one character.  You can be sure that single character caused more consternation than the 3 black BATs caused joy.  Such was the way of the collecting world at the time.  But, the Overkill figure was a welcome repaint that showcased a mold that was, in 2003, foreign to most collectors.

The BAT pack was a failure.  And, this Overkill is a big part of the reason why.  Had he been colored in more traditional BAT colors, it's very likely that collectors would have warmed to him.  But, in the early 2000's, collectors didn't tend to like molds from the 1990's.  And, they certainly didn't want to see anything that dared to take a chance in terms of color.  Overkill's third strike is that he was a character included in an army building set.  In short, there was simply no way collectors would like him.  And, most didn't even give the figure a chance.  But, did he deserve this fate?

In 2020, it's easy to look back at an obscure mold colored in bright blues with a red head a neon green torso as a fun bit of kitsche.  In 2003, when collectors were "super duper serious!!!!", this was an abomination that was written off as Hasbro not getting us.  But, both things can be true.  Hasbro was still trying some fun and offbeat ways to be creative.  And, collectors punished them for it.  At the same time, Hasbro simply didn't listen to collectors at all.  Had they done so, this Overkill might have been less ostentatiously colored and would have better fit with the BATs.  Had the Inferno BATs been the only oddball offering in the BAT pack, it might have fared a little better.  But, that's all ancient history at this point.  And, this Overkill stands as one of the few brightly colored figures from the 2000's.

Overkill included his original complement of accessories.  The only missing piece is the huge talking backpack that was the gimmick for the original release.  The pack is a giant burden that limits the figure.  So, it's absence isn't an issue.  (Though, the pack did have a place for Overkill to store his extra hand attachment.)  Overkill has a blue hand, a black rifle of some sort and a black claw attachment.  The black color is nice and is actually a better fit for the 1992 figure.  But, the design of the weapons is just as bizarre as the design of the figure.  So, it fits.  But, it's also somewhat out of place in the entire Joe line.

Overkill does have a hidden feature.  Inside his chest are a set of .50 caliber machine guns.  (According to his filecard.)  Prior to 2003, the presence of these guns was known to a small percentage of Joe fans.  Overkill was just so obscure and his 1992 release so far outside the "acceptable" window of collecting that most collectors had no exposure to him.  This 2003 version was good in that it showcased the design of this figure to a new generation of collectors.  For a time, vintage Overkill figures were somewhat sought after.  But, that quickly died out as the ire directed at the 2003 release boiled over and the character fell into ill-repute as Hasbro began to recycle him into the JvC line while other fan favorites were ignored.

I've told the story of the BAT packs before.  Hasbro wanted to sell 10,000 of them.  And, that was the likely production number.  But, online dealers simply weren't large enough to handle that many.  And, those who went all in were left with unsold BAT packs for years.  Hasbro liquidated their overstock to Amazon (who was the distribution arm for ToysRUs.com at the time).  And, eventually, to liquidation brick and mortar stores.  (Tuesday Morning stores carried leftover BAT packs for like $6 for a while.)  Being the only single figure in the pack, though, means that Overkill is actually quite scarce.  If there are only 10,000 of him (any other figure would be lower) then only convention figures and the infamous 2002 Wave V have lower production runs.  But, since nobody cares about this figure, his availability isn't an issue: even 17 years later.

These days, mint and complete Overkills will run you between $5 and $10 depending upon how long you want to wait to get one.  The figure was the least desired of the pack and army builders of the era (who often had 10 or more total sets) usually sold or traded away extra Overkills just to clear out space.  Overstock figures were available from Asia for a long time, often in large lots.  And, they hung around forever since no one wanted them.  For the price then and, even, the price now, though, this is a fun figure.  Overkill isn't overly represented in the collecting community and he's rarely seen in photos or displays.  This version is not really any better or worse than the original release.  So, it's a nice supplement to the Talking Battle Commanders figure.

Spanish Speaking Overkill

In 1992, Hasbro released the Talking Battle Commander series of figures.  The designs were pretty good.  But, the figures all included backpacks that were screwed into the backs of the molds.  This largely ruined the figures and has put them on the backburner of the collector world.  In the late 1990's, though, I came across the figure shown below.  It was a Spanish release of Overkill.

Ostensibly, the packaging difference is the most interesting part.  The figure is named Barracuda, which is a fun alternate name for the character.  You see the Spanish language tags on the rest of the card, too.  The phrases that the figure speaks are in Spanish writing.

This leads to the figure's real surprise.  The pack actually speaks in Spanish.  Instead of the English words, the electronic pack produces bad, 1990's era quality sound of the phrases in Spanish.  So, you can hear Overill (or Barracuda) scream "Nos Atacan!" over and over again.  While I've never seen the other three figures from the set on Spanish cards (to be fair, I've never looked, either) it's reasonable to surmise that they also exist and also have the Spanish speaking variant.

Alas, I sold this figure back in 2001 in an ill advised attempt to raise money to buy retail Joes.  I gave up oddities like the figure below to buy up Laser Vipers and Mirage figures.  Oops.  I'd like to see if the Spanish version has any other differences.  So, if anyone has this figure, or others in the series, and has any additional insights, please leave them in the comment below.