2001 Pathfinder

I'm a Pathfinder fan.  On one hand, this makes sense since he's a good figure from a solid year of G.I. Joe releases.  On the other hand, though, Pathfinder was released long after I had stopped collecting toys and he never played a part in the comic.  (My only G.I. Joe consumption of the time.)  So, there's no real connection to the figure that explains my affinity.  Mostly, Pathfinder seemed exotic.  When I first started collecting Joes, all of the 1990 and 1991 figures were actually quite hard to find.  You never saw them in photos, beyond the fact that Pathfinder's head was often used in customs of the members of the LRRP that also included Snake Eyes, Stormshadow and Stalker.  When I first acquired a Pathfinder, it was as part of a large lot of figures that I had never owned before.  And, Pathfinder stood out among all the new acquisitions.  He remained a personal favorite for a while and kept his generally obscure stature in the collecting world until 2001: when Hasbro created this repainted version as the driver of a Toys R Us exclusive AWE Striker repaint.

At first, it was great to see Pathfinder.  In 2001, Hasbro hadn't really let the extent of lost vintage molds be known.  So, seeing a figure like Pathfinder gave us hope that many more exotic gems would follow.  (Spoiler, they didn't.)  But, in and of himself, Pathfinder was a good release that gave many collectors their first exposure to the sculpt.  Of course, though, he dark black and grey colors joined the muted look of his contemporaries and he faded into any group shot due to the over-saturation of various color hues.  But, seeing Pathfinder included with a vehicle gave hope that there was more great stuff to come in the line.

As a character, Pathfinder is a blank slate.  His sunglasses obscure his eyes and give him an eerie, mysterious look.  But, his specialty does not really lend itself to anything other than a standard infantryman who took on the dangerous work of blazing the trail for his team.  There's probably something slightly off about someone who would volunteer for point duty while wearing a massive buzzsaw that would be heard from miles away in a combat zone.  So, should I ever undertake a Pathfinder characterization, that will be my likely starting point.

This coloring of Pathfinder was largely seen as a "Night Force" incarnation of the character.  While there was nothing official to denote this, collectors of the era took the figure's colors in conjunction with the all black AWE Striker as a direct Night Force homage.  For that reason, this Pathfinder did see a bit of online notoriety for a couple of weeks.  But, that soon petered out and even the AWE Striker repaint fell off the radar.  There was simply so much going on in the Joe world of that time that new releases (unless they were spectacular) fell to the wayside once most people had them in hand.

Pathfinder has few variants for collectors to find.  There is the 1990 figure.  It has a European accessory variant, though the figure is the same.  The figure was planned for release in 1998 in a pack with Outback and Dial Tone.  But, that pack got cancelled.  We got this figure in 2001 and then a re-release of that same figure, though now with accessories in 2004.  The "Chocolate Chip" Pathfinder is a great miss for the collecting world as that set would have been great.  And, the 2004 figure could have been something different.  But, he was released in a set of two vehicles and three figures for $20, so there probably wasn't much budget to get something new.  Hasbro kept the Pathfinder mold after Funskool had stopped producing Joes, so there are no foreign repaints.  So, we get to enjoy two solid Pathfinder figures even if we could have gotten more.

While many vehicles from the 2000's have risen dramatically in price, the AWE Striker has not.  This is likely due to the mold's later overuse.  And, that disinterest in the vehicle has dragged this version of Pathfinder down, too.  Loose figures can be had for $1-$3.  (You'll pay around $9 for a 2004 version complete with the repainted accessories, though.)  You can get AWE Strikers with the figure for between $10 and $20.  Of course, neither the figure nor the vehicle are as common as they were a few years ago.  But, it's worth tracking down a version of Pathfinder for a couple of bucks.  He's something different, even if the 1990 figure is substantially better.  And, he's aged better than you would have thought back in 2001 just because we didn't see him again and the colors appeared with less frequency in subsequent years.

Rarities - European Exclusive Firing Weapons Figures

Everyone is familiar with the European exclusive Action Force G.I. Joe repaints, the 6 European Tiger Force exclusive figures and even the more obscure European variants of Mutt and Spirit.  But, there were actually many more European exclusive figures.  Some are just minor color differences.  Some are date stamp discrepancies.  And, some are exclusive accessory variants.  It is the last category that is the focus of today's profile.  In the 1990's in Europe, Hasbro released 15 figures who featured exclusive accessories.  They are defined by the fact that the most identifiable characteristic is that most included spring loaded, firing weapons.  But, these are a lot of interesting tidbits hidden within these figures that we'll look at below.

The 15 figures are all 1990 and 1991 figure molds.  It should be noted that most, if not all of these figures were also released in Europe with their American accessories.  But, these altered releases were exclusive to the continent.  I'll start with my favorite of the bunch, the Rock Viper.

As you can see in the photo above, the Rock Viper now includes gear from the 1991 Snake Eyes figure.  The backpack is in an exclusive dark maroon color.  But, the thing that I really like is the neon green gun and missile.  The green is a nice color offset for the Rock Viper and I don't mind neon accessories in some cases.  But, this colored missile and gun are exclusive to this European version of the Rock Viper.

Next up is the Night Creeper you see below.

The main reason I like this version is because I like the Night Creeper in general.  This version, though, includes the backpack and launcher from the 1991 Mercer figure in a dark purple to match the Night Creeper figure.  He also includes an exclusive silver missile.

Next up is Ambush.

The obvious difference in Ambush is his accessories.  He now includes the backpack and missile launcher from the 1991 Snow Serpent in an exclusive light tan color.  He also have the Snow Serpent missile in red.  But, if you look closely, the figure itself is different.  Instead of dark brown cammo on his body, this Ambush features a brighter, lighter brown that has an orange-ish hue.  It is definitely a variant to Ambush.  Though, I'm not 100% certain that this cammo variance was exclusive to Europe or was also available elsewhere.  This European figure also features exclusive card artwork.

The 1991 jet pack General Hawk stands out because he does not include a spring loaded weapon.

As you see above, Hawk includes the launchers and missiles from the 1991 Crimson Guard Immortal figure.  They appear to be in the same color as the CGI weapons.

Next, we have Bullhorn.

Bullhorn is still the same great figure.  But, this version includes the 1991 Snow Serpent missile launcher in an exclusive maroon color.  He also has a neon green missile.

The most famous figure from this crop of missile launching figures is the 1991 Dusty.  This is because Dusty was also released in Asia with the same accessory configuration.  (There were some other figures in this series that also saw Asian releases with the alternate gear including Range Viper, Laser Viper and Desert Scorpion.)

You see Dusty includes the 1991 Red Star AK-47 and missile launcher.  The figure also features unique card artwork that showcases his alternate inclusions.

The 1991 Low Light follows the Dusty.

Low Light also includes the 1991 Red Star launcher and missile.

Up next is the Laser Viper.

This Laser Viper variant includes the missile launcher and missile from the 1991 Sci Fi figure.

Pathfinder shares a detail with Laser Viper:

Pathfinder also features the 1991 Sci Fi missile launcher.  These accessories appear to be unchanged from the American Sci Fi figure release.

Captain Grid Iron makes the Sci Fi launcher reuse a trifecta.

Captain Grid Iron, though, also features exclusive card artwork to help make him a little more interesting than just the reused launcher.

Metal Head brings us back to exclusive gear.

Metal Head includes a golden launcher from the 1991 Cobra Commander figure.  He also includes the standard 1991 Cobra Commander gun.

The final four figures are all Cobra army builders.

Range Viper:

The Range Viper also features Red Star's AK-47 and missile launcher.  He includes an exclusive golden missile, though.

SAW Viper:

The SAW Viper includes the gear from the 1991 Incinerator figure.  He also features exclusive card artwork that showcases his different accessories.

Desert Scorpion:

The Desert Scorpion includes the backpack and missile from the 1991 Mercer figure.  The only exclusive part of the figure is the card artwork that shows an oddball configuration for the new gear.

Undertow:

The Undertow figure also uses the gear from the 1991 Snake Eyes figure.  But, it's in an exclusive red color meant to mimic the Undertow's colors.  He also features an exclusive grey missile.

As accessory variants don't tend to command great attention as opposed to figure variants, these European figures remain very obscure.  But, they are generally hard to find and carded figures can command a premium in the right setting.  I'd love to track down a few of them as the offbeat colors are right up my collecting alley.  But, the general rarity of them makes them another fun subset in foreign Joe collecting.  One final picture is from a European catalog that showcases several of the figures in their alternate accessory configurations.

1990 Pathfinder - Around The Web!

Pathfinder is a figure that I really like, but always forget about.  In the early days of collecting, he was a staple of LRRP custom figures.  But, he stands well on his own with a good mold, realistic colors and amazing accessories.  Here's the best of the content relating to Pathfinder I could find:

Pathfinder Profile

Pathfinder Pre Production at YoJoe.com

Pathfinder at JoeaDay.com

Pathfinder at JoeDios.com 1

Pathfinder at JoeDios.com 2

Pathfinder Video Review

Rarities - 1998 "Chocolate Chip" Unproduced Figures (Pathfinder, Outback & Dial Tone)

In 1998, Hasbro planned to release a desert repaint of the 1983 G.I. Joe HQ.  This would have been the flagship toy of the 1998 Joe line and was planned to include an amazing 5 figures: Outback, Dusty, Pathfinder, Law and Dial Tone.

Hasbro, though, discovered that the HQ mold was gone or unusable very early in the process.  And, as such, the HQ was cancelled.  Three figures that were rumored in the set, though, did turn up in very small quantities from Hasbro sources.  Pathfinder, Dial Tone and Outback are all available as full production figures in the 1998 color scheme.  It is possible that they were saved from the HQ and planned for a 5th three pack in 1998.  But, that did not come to be.

Below, you can see the figures planned.  They feature intricate paint masks that were the hallmark of the 1998 releases.  There are several points of note:

1. Dial Tone includes the gear that later turned up in his 2000 release.
2. Outback has the same gear that later appeared on the 2001 Big Brawler figure
3. Pathfinder's full gear did show up in 2004 in the same colors and the figure first reappeared in 2001.
4. Outback featured white/grey hair reminiscent of the European exclusive Tiger Force Outback rather than his traditional orange flock.

Why these figures were cancelled and the paint masks never used makes no sense.  Hasbro never did release an Outback figure in the repaint era and he remained one of the most requested figures until his mold was shipped to India in 2003.  While both Pathfinder and Dial Tone were released multiple times in the 2000's, none of those figures featured the wealth of paint applications and details that you see in these figures below.  Hasbro incurred the expense of developing these intricate paint masks.  And, as those are, usually, one of the priciest parts of the figure creation process, Hasbro letting them die without a full production use seems very odd.  Not even Master Collector resurrected the paint masks and they ignored the Outback character in the repaint era as well.

These three figures are likely the rarest G.I. Joe figures in the world.  They have been confirmed to exist in quantities between 4 and 12 each.  Dial Tone appears to be rarer than the other two, but this just may be due to the secretive nature of these figures.  Usually, the figures price out at over $2,000 each.  The limited supply and fact that they originated with Hasbro sources rather than Asian resellers will keep them at the top of the rarity ranking for some time.  

These figures are very busy, but also very detailed.  Had they been released, they would have been the standard bearers for all future desert themed figures.  This is definitely a case of collector regret.  I'd have gladly traded both the 1998 Oktober Guard or Navy Seal 3 pack to get this desert set at retail.  Neither of those have the cachet you see demonstrated on these figures.  Due to the rarity and expense it takes to get these figures, it's likely that photos like these are the only way collectors will ever get to see what they missed in 1998.  That's really too bad as these figures are definitely something that collectors would have enjoyed had they seen release.

1990 Pathfinder

Much has recently been made of this figure. Most of that hullabaloo, though, centers around the '01 rerelease that comes with the new A.W.E. Striker. While I have yet to acquire that figure (stupid toy moratorium!) I point you to General Hawk's Page and, specifically, his profiles section. There he has a very nice write up on the new version of Pathfinder as well as his new vehicle. While the good General laments the lack of accessories on the new figure, I decided that those would make an excellent subject for a profile of my own. Couple that with the fact that I just recently acquired a new Pathfinder in a large lot of figures, and you can see why I might choose this guy to help shift the balance from Cobra in this section of profiles.

1990 was the year of accessories. Most of the figures (Bullhorn, Salvo and Big Ben) came with tons of great accessories that often overshadowed the figure itself. Such is the case with Pathfinder. Most people know about his accessories but care little for the figure. In fact, were the mold not such a ringer for one of the members of Snake Eyes' and Stalker's LRRP, I don't think you would ever see him. It is for this reason that Pathfinder definitely fits into the forgotten mold. He is just another of the bland, over-accessorized carbon copy Joes that came out in the early '90's. Because of that, though, he is also a figure that can draw attention to himself when he appears in fan fictions and dioramas. People don't really remember him and can be drawn by his presence.

While I do find Pathfinder kind of cool, I really don't have all that many uses for him. His machine guns, while kind of neat in design, aren't really that much fun to play with. His buzzsaw is the same. It just really isn't a fun accessory. In some instances, like the photo below, Pathfinder works very well. Most of the time, though, I have no use for him. In fact, until this most recent acquisition, my other Pathfinder figures had not seen the light of day since the day I first acquired them and put them away into their drawer. He's one of those figures who looks pretty cool when he is on display, but really isn't that much fun to actually have. I found myself really wanting Pathfinder, Rampart, Ambush, Stretcher, and Topside back when I first returned to Joe collecting. Now, though, I can't remember the last time I used any of these figures. The abundance of accessories make the figures appear cool, but they take away from what the figure itself has to offer. I've said before that sometimes an accessory does a figure make. In this case, though, the opposite is true. A huge amount of accessories take away from what is really a nice figure. Had this guy come with a hand held gun and a traditional Joe pack, he might have found himself very comfortable in many collections. Instead, you rarely hear about him.

While Hasbro has access to the Pathfinder mold, they haven't really used the most of it. There was a decent repaint in 2001, but that was all we saw of the figure. The exact same figure as the '01, only this time with a full complement of black accessories, was released a member of the 2004 VAMP exclusive set. Other than that, Pathfinder's chest was used with great effect on the 2007 Convention Clutch figure. However, beyond that, the mold really hasn't been utilized. I feel that, properly colored, a Pathfinder repaint could be the type of inspired figure that collectors would enjoy. But, if that never happens, at least there is one other version of the figure to give the character some depth.

Pathfinders, like most of the 1990 figures, are kind of tough to find. Especially if you want him mint and complete. He is, though, very cheap. A complete one will probably run you under $7. You really can't beat that. It took me, though, about a year to get one. Since then, I've only acquired 2 others. When you consider that I focus on lots containing '89-'92 figures, you start to realize that there aren't too many Pathfinders out there. Perhaps that is why we saw him as the driver of the new AWE Striker. People would have forgotten about him and not seen the reissue as Hasbro just pawning off popular molds on all too eager collectors. He is a figure that has its place in a collection. For me, that place is tucked away with most of my other obscure and seldom used Joes. Perhaps, though, that will change. One of the great things about profiling figures is that often times I rediscover them as well. Maybe this will be the case with Pathfinder.

What do you think of this figure? I've found many of the 1990 figures to be forgotten by just about everyone. Who is your favorite? Email me.