1991 Ozone - Around The Web

Ozone has the misfortune of being a member of two subsets that were very unpopular in the early days of the online collecting community.  That lead to his solid mold and cool helmet being mostly ignored for many years.  Fortunately, these days, Eco Warriors and Star Brigade are much better liked among the collector set.  That's lead to a bit of a reckoning for the characters that comprised those series of figures.

And, today, you can find some decent content featuring the original paint job on the mold.  The Eco Warriors Ozone is a panoply of solid colors.  Few figures in the line look like him.  And, that really makes him stand out.  There's content in the links below that spans back a decade.  There's creators who are long gone from the community.  But, their work lives on.  So, check it out.

Ozone Profile

Ozone at the Dragon Fortress

Ozone by doksewage

Ozone by Pegwarmers

Ozone by rumble alley toys

Ozone by actionforcedk

Ozone by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

Ozone by kiers.customs

Ozone by thedragonfortress

Ozone by misanthropic_git

Ozone by thedustinmccoy

Ozone by corpscommandercody

Ozone by kitbashjoe

Ozone by knowingthebattle

Ozone by slipstream80

1994 Star Brigade Ozone - Around The Web

I'm kind of in a funk when it comes to writing new profiles.  I've got a bunch started.  But, I haven't been able to finish any of them.  And, while I have hundreds of random photos and around the web posts started, none are really ready to post.  That included this look at the limited content on the 1994 Ozone.  But, I wanted to get something out.  And, as this Ozone was shortpacked in the cases that are likely to have the lowest production in the vintage line, content on him doesn't exactly ooze out of the collective fandom.  

But, this is a figure I enjoy.  The colors are distinctive and memorable.  And, they keep this mold from being stale, even in it's fourth paint job.  1994 Star Brigade are having a bit of their moment in the sun in the collecting world and high prices reflect that.  This figure was never all that easy to find, even if he was super cheap when I tracked him down.  Because of that, there's little done with him.  So, enjoy the 1994 Ozone as it's not a figure you're going to see all that often.

1994 Ozone Profile

1994 Star Brigade Carded Set

1994 Ozone by gen_liederkranz

1994 Ozone by corpscommandercody

1994 Ozone at The Dragon Fortress

1994 Ozone by relena_warcraft

1994 Ozone by codyanskaya

1991 Ozone - Eco Warriors

Time heals all wounds.  Or, so they say.  In 1991, Hasbro released the Eco Warriors figures.  As collectors came online a few years later in the late 1990's, they generally hated the concept of neon Joes and, in particular, hated the Eco Warriors for being the harbinger of the bright colors.  Well into the 2000's this opinion remained true.  But, as the calendar turned to the 2010's, the stance began to soften.  This was due to the fact that many hardliners (those who felt the Joe line ended after 1987, or even 1985) had either left the hobby or had decided the later vintage Joes weren't bad since they had nothing else new to collect.  But, it was also due to an influx of younger collectors for whom the neon years had defined their childhood Joe experience.  While I won't go so far as to say that Eco Warriors are now popular, they are accepted and collectors find some value in them.  In looking back at the molds used in the Eco Warriors subset, they still exhibit the same high quality sculpting and design that Hasbro retained through the vintage Joe line's entire run.  This brings us to Ozone: an excellent addition to the Eco Warriors ranks and the subject of today's profile.

Ozone is known to me as an Astronaut.  The first time I came across the figure was in the spring of 1995 when I found the 1993 Star Brigade version of Ozone, Countdown and Payload for $2 each at a KB Toy Liquidators on the West side of Indianapolis.  The mold looked like an astronaut and it seemed perfectly reasonable to me that the figure was new to the Star Brigade assortment.  As collecting resources came online, I found that Ozone actually debuted two years earlier as part of the Eco Warriors assortment.  As I liked my 1993 figure, I made it a point to find an original Ozone figure.

In the late 1990's, though, finding figures from the 1990's on the second hand market was actually kind of tough.  Not too many kids had gotten to the point of selling their figures.  So, it took a good amount of time before I found a lot that included a complete Ozone.  Once in hand, though, I found that I still got more use out of my later Ozone releases.  The blue and yellow color was visually appealing.  But, I was more interested in Clean Sweep as a new acquisition.  And, as I was familiar with Ozone from Star Brigade, I had difficulty in seeing the original release of him in the Eco Warriors light.  Plus, the figure I got was very stiff.  So, he was difficult to fit into the Razorblade (my aircraft of choice at the time) which limited his display use.

Ozone's design is very strong.  His distinctive visage is one of the highlight.  The figure itself is named after a Hasbro designer of the time named David Kunitz.  The helmet is tight fitting and well placed without being a true danger of rubbing off the head's paint.  The rest of the body is somewhat bulky: befitting for a figure who would be wearing lots of protective gear.  He has lots of armor bits around that add depth to the mold, but really can only be explained away as aesthetic choices.  Ozone features an array of 6 neon green grenades on his chest.  They provide a visual break to the blue and yellow background.  And, they are a nice complement to the neon green accessories.  The overall color scheme works well despite the non-traditional bright colors.  Sure, Ozone is blue.  But the hue would never be mistaken for Cobra.

Ozone's accessories are a mixed bag.  His helmet is awesome.  It fits well and is in scale with the rest of his body.  The water squirting backpack is, essentially, the same as the device included with the other Eco Warriors figures.  For the time, it's a solid toy.  But, the weapon and hose are large and can easily snap thumbs.  The sniffer is a cool device.  However, in my first Eco Warriors lot I acquired, the sniffer was placed into the bag with Clean Sweep.  I never bothered to look up each figure since all the figs in the lot had their correct accessories.  So, until 2016, I considered this piece of gear to belong to Clean Sweep.  I've always seen it as an extension of the nice pack and controls setup included with that character.  So, seeing this vacuum gun with Ozone still seems odd to me.  But, the quality and oddity of the weapon remains the same regardless of which figure you have use it.  The bright green is a nice offset from the subtle blue and yellow of the figure.  So, I find it very aesthetically pleasing: even if it is very bright.

The Ozone mold got a lot of life.  Hasbro created it for the Eco Warriors in 1991.  It was then released in two variants as part of Star Brigade in 1993: a tan and a brown version.  Hasbro recolored Ozone into a dark brown and included him as a shortpacked figure in the second series of 1994 Star Brigade figures.  The mold then appeared in India around 1999 or 2000.  There, Funskool released a Star Brigade Ozone based on the 1993 American release of the figure.  There are a few variants of the Funskool figure to track down as some have different arm construction or differing shades of grey coloring.  Funskool still had the mold in 2010.  As such, it's more possible that Ozone's mold still exists.  Though, it's doubtful that he'll ever appear again.

Mint and complete with filecard Ozone figures are cheap.  While dealers sell them for $10, you can get them with the filecard for around $6 without too much difficulty.  You can still get carded figures in the $25 range without too much searching, too.  So, while the figure isn't as hated as it once was, it's still not loved by collectors.  However, for the price, Ozone isn't a bad buy.  The colors are different and vibrant.  The mold is solid.  And, the character is a relative blank slate that can be incorporated into any collection with no media baggage.  You can use the figure in a variety of settings and the panoply of later colors allow for some diversity when using the character.  Personally, I don't mind either Eco Warriors or brightly colored Joes.  I've been this way for 20 years, now.  But, the nostalgia of the neon years is strong with me as it was when I actively became a collector.  So, the value you derive from an Ozone figure may differ quite a bit.  But, I'm glad to have this guy in my collection.

1994 Star Brigade - Carded Set

In the second half of 1998, I really started to look to G.I. Joe collecting as my hobby of choice.  I had dabbled a bit in a Joe resurgence for a while.  But, the retail stream of new Star Wars figures consumed not only most of my money, but also my time.  However, by the summer of 1998, the Star Wars market was over-saturated.  The huge volume of shipments and new waves that included carry over figures from earlier releases had caused a pegwarming backup that was unprecedented.  While the early part of 1998 had been a great time of constant new figures and refreshed army builders, Hasbro had made too much and the waves planned for later in the year could not get out to retail.  This resulted in a some waves being cancelled, others only showing up in obscure retailers and the complete reboot of the line in early 1999.  To me, though, the retail frustration of Star Wars, coupled with my first major promotion in my adult career lead me down another path along which I could spend my money.  All of this, of course, coincided with the emergence of Ebay as a means to purchase items that were not available from local toy dealers or second hand shops.  As I shifted my collecting priorities, I first focused on a few items from the Joe line that I had long wanted.  Among them were a Hammer, the 1989 Rock and Roll and, at least one Lunartix Alien.

In 1998, the alien figures, MOC, fetched about $15 on the secondary market.  This seems low, but was a princely sum back then.  You could get lesser character 1985 figures MOC for that price at the time.  So, it was a large purchase when I bit the bullet and got a Lobotomaxx figure.  When he arrived, I realized how cool the overall card presentation was.  I liked the colors and look of Star Brigade.  And, I had a connection to the 1993 series that I had found at KB Toys liquidation stores a few years prior.  As I surveyed the other 1994 Star Brigade offerings, I was enthralled by the designs and colors.  At the time, the figures were relatively hard to find, especially if you wanted them loose.  However, you could find them carded: and they were cheap when you did.  So, I put together my first complete series of carded figures: the 1994 Star Brigade.

The '94 Star Brigade line was divided into two distinct series.  The first wave consisted of Cobra Commander, Cobra Blackstar, Sci Fi, Payload, Space Shot, Duke and Roadblock.  The second wave contained Ozone, Countdown, Effects, Lobotomaxx, Predacon and Carcass.  This left an unlucky 13 figures in the retail, single carded line.  But, the overall presentation remained.  Gone were the generic pink cards from 1993 and in was a visual delight of black, blue and purple with a clean G.I. Joe logo running up the card's left edge, culminating in a bright Star Brigade logo at the card's top.  Each character got his own, unique card art along with a yellow "gimmick" tag that touted some feature of each figure.  In short, they were a crisp, clean look for the last unique retail wave of figures to hit stores.

Wave 1 showcased Hasbro's commitment to the line.  5 of the 7 figures featured either mostly new parts, or all new parts.  On top of this, the characters all included a wide array of feature rich accessories that were essential for retail success at the time.  Hasbro did skimp on the overall paint applications, though.  Most of the figures only have three or four minor paint masks.  And, Duke and the variant Roadblock only featured one paint mask on their entire body.  This Roadblock and the Payload figure were repaints of Star Brigade molds that had been released in 1993.  Which, in turn, were mostly repaints of prior years' retail release figures.  So, the line spent money wisely in terms of bringing something new to the market.

1994 Star Brigade Wave 1: Duke, Sci Fi, Space Shot and Cobra Commander

1994 Star Brigade Ozone

Why, oh why, do I like the Star Brigade figures? I'm sure many of you reading this site have wondered that. I mention them constantly, and have started, finally, showcasing them in the Forgotten Figures realm. Truthfully, I don't know what it is about the line. I've always been a sucker for cool removeable helmets and figures that can be used as pilots, divers, firefighters or science troops. I've been a science fiction fan for quite some time. I integrated my Star Wars and Joe toys at an early age. I also think that my interest in the Star Brigade line exists because it was something I never had as a kid. I always wanted the Defiant, but it came out at a time when I was getting out of toys. When I returned to Joe collecting in the early '90's, the Star Brigade stuff was kind of exotic. The '94 stuff dried up from retail very quickly. The '93 stuff was only available in non-standard outlets. I didn't even know about the series 2 non alien Star Brigade figures until late 1998. As such, the later Star Brigade figs are like some forgotten secret at the end of the line that not everyone is privy to save a select few collectors.

The first Ozone figure I ever had was the grey 1993 Star Brigade version. He didn't look very cool in the package, but he was on sale for $2.00 and, at that time, I was buying any G.I. Joe figure I could find. (I also paid for him and Countdown in quarters and dimes because I was so broke, but that's another story all together.) When I got him home, though, the figure was really cool. He immediately became the pilot of my Razorblade helicopter. He just looked good in it. As such, I started looking for more Ozone's. As time has passed, I'm picked up three of the grey version, one of the 1993 tan version, and the origial 1991 Eco Warriors blue version. The Eco Warriors fig has been the leader of my top cadre of test pilots who are the guinea pigs for all the new aircraft that need to be tested. Now that the 1994 Ozone is in my collection, though, that leadership post will be challenged. While I like all the color schemes this mold came in, this final brown version is my favorite. It is just so distinctive. All of the 1994 Star Brigade figures use subtler colors than their previous counterparts. The result is a nice group of figures that are easy on the eyes and look great as stand alone figures or as part of group. This version is cast in 5 colors. It is amazing that with how lazy Hasbro had become in its Joe creation that the Series 2 Star Brigade figures are so nice. They blend perfectly and don't have the clashing colors that had been a hallmark of the 1993 line.

Ozone is my pilot. Currently, I'm after a Defiant complex, or at least a Crusader shuttle. I fully plan to staff it with Countdowns. However, the first combat mission it flies, Ozones will be at the helm. Countdowns look cooler than Ozones, but the Ozone helmet is much better for Star Warsesque pilot death sequences. Their helmets are easily removed and it allows you to move their heads. As the shuttle explodes, the pilots can lean forward before they burst into flame. It's the little things that make figures like this so much fun. I think the reason why I have latched onto the '94 Star Brigade figs is because I never felt the G.I. Joe line had a supreme pilot figure. The 1992 and 1993 Ace are about the best the line had to offer, but even they are a bit lacking. I wanted a cool figure that had a great flight suit, a cool helmet that wasn't too bulky, and an air mask that looked like what real pilots wear. (Not too demanding, eh?) Since that figure was never made, I had to create my own. In the early to middle '90's, most of my figures were locked away in an attic were I couldn't get them. I only had the figures I was able to find at retail. I did, though, have lots of aircraft. I needed pilots in order to fly those machines. Ozone and Countdown were about the best figures that I had available for that use.

Ozone is unique in that he is the single rarest, non variation Joe that was ever available on a card. He was only shipped in the series 2 Star Brigade cases that came with 24 figures. It should have been 4 of every figure (there were 6 figures in the series) per box. However, the cases shipped with only 2 Countdowns and 2 Ozones. I don't know why Ozone was shipped in smaller quantities, or why others were chosen to have the extra figure in his place. The end result is that this guy is tough to find. I've never, ever seen him offered loose. He is starting to appear carded more often now, but in the past year and a half he was very difficult to find in any manifestation. I got my loose sample by opening a carded figure I bought as part of lot. I paid $5.00 for the carded version.

Needless to say, Ozone is Star Brigade and Star Brigade means cheap. Collectors aren't interested in these guys and don't care about how difficult they are to find. If you have no qualms about opening carded figures, you can build armies of all the Star Brigade figs. Otherwise, finding loose samples is very difficult. I've found, though, the search for these guys to be rewarding. I appreciate some figures that most people could care less about. Since there are few Star Brigade collectors out there, it makes collecting the line that much more fun. It also keeps this part of the Joe line very affordable. Many collectors know little about the line and are impressed by it when they see loose figures in person. I like to think of Star Brigade figures as being my collecting niche. Now that I have that, the time I spend with my collection is more greatly appreciated.

I dig Star Brigade figures. Needless to say, I want them all, and in multiples. If you can help, email me.