Rarities - Pre-Production T'Gin Zu

The 1993 vehicle assortment wasn't much.  Most of the entries were pretty bad.  And, the Ninja Force vehicles were among the worst.  As such, the drivers of those vehicles, T'Gin Zu and the Red Ninja are relatively hard to come by.  Few people collect them in earnest, though.  So, their scarcity is largely offset by lack of demand.

It is that disinterest in the figures that allows for oddities like the original paint job on T'Gin-Zu to slip by collector's eyes.  And, the fact that it's prominently displayed on the back of the 1993 Pile Driver box just shows how little of an impact a figure like T'Gin-Zu has on the collector zeitgeist.

Below, though, you see T'Gin-Zu's original paint job.  It is much more orange than the production figure.  It appears to be a straight re-use of the 1992 Stormshadow paint masks, just in orange in yellow.  And, frankly, it makes for a better figure.  This all orange version would have leaned into the neon-ness of the '90's and created a figure that would have found at least a few fans among the more accepting collectors who grew up in the '90's.  Instead, Hasbro kind of chickened out and gave us a more muted T'Gin-Zu offering.

As a bonus, the pre-production figure also appeared in the 1993 Toy Fair catalog.  The more you look at it, the more you realize it's a shame we didn't get this coloring.  The production T'Gin Zu isn't a figure anyone really prioritizes.  So, having him be even more outlandish would have made him more fun.  Maybe we'll get a factory custom that's like this.  It's out best hope for ever seeing an homage to this unproduced design.

Rarities - 1984 Blowtorch Pre-Production Images

The 1984 Blowtorch is one of my favorite figures.  His gear just made him so much fun to play with.  Sadly, my childhood figure quickly fell apart from overuse.  So, I've long lived with the lament of not being able to use him to his full potential when I was a kid.  I've attempted to compensate by tracking down all the Blowtorch variants from around the world.  But, even that won't solve the disappointment from the mid 1980's when Blowtorch's mask and flamethrower ripped apart.

That being said, the real story of Blowtorch is how the figure changed from his marketing designs to the production figure.  Originally, Blowtorch's accessories were going to be a bit different.  And, they give some insight into Hasbro's evolution from wires that were simply part of the accessory's design (like Flash's laser rifle) to the separate black hose pieces that would debut with the Dreadnoks in late 1984.  

Here is the best image I can get of an early Blowtorch.  You'll see what appears to be some parts differences on the arms.  The biggest difference, though, is the mask.  You'll note that this early version has open eye holes.  And, then, instead of a yellow wire to plug into the figure's body, you'll see a black hose.  This is very different from the solid piece mask that was released on the production figure.  The final difference is the black hose that is attached to the flamethrower.  The production figure has the hose molded as part of the weapon as one, solid piece.  Here, it's a separate hose to run between the weapon and the backpack.  This image, below, is a screenshot from a 1984 toy commercial.

But, the same figure was also showcased in the 1984 marketing catalog that was included with every vehicle and playset.  You can see Blowtorch still has the open eyes and the black hoses.  More interestingly, though, you can see that the hoses were intended to attach to Blowtorch's backpack instead of having the air mask hose plug into his body.  

Hasbro changed the hoses, though, to be solid pieces that were part of the mask and weapon.  In late 1984, though, Ripper would be the first figure released to include black hoses that connected two accessories.  These black hoses would remain the Joe staple for the remainder of the line until they were phased out after 1991.  It's likely that Hasbro realized the limitations of attaching plastic hoses that were part of an accessory mold to a backpack.  Even back in 1983, it was common for Flash's laser rifle or Breaker's headset to have broken wires.  In their quest to always be improving, the separate hoses were a novel way to solve this problem.  While they may have explored the idea on the 1984 Blowtorch, they must not have been ready to get it into production.  So, they made Blowtorch in a more traditional format and delayed the black hoses until the 1985 series.

The eye holes on the mask, though, make more sense.  I can see these being problematic.  They would have been a likely source of plastic flashing.  So, many pieces would have been opaque, anyways, as excess plastic leeched into the small spaces.  And, the top part of the eyes would have been extremely thin.  It would have easily ripped and torn; especially as kids stretched it out when they affixed the mask to the figure's helmet.  Hasbro was concerned about making quality toys back in 1984.  So, making a solid piece that was more sturdy made sense.

Personally, I'm a bit torn on this.  I do like the color continuity between the flamethrower and mask and their hoses.  But, at the same time, the addition of the black coloring adds a new dimension to Blowtorch's look.  I'd have loved for my childhood Blowtorch to have not torn.  But, the hoses would have only solved for the flamethrower as it was the connection pieces that wrapped the mask around Blowtorch's helmet that ripped on my childhood figure.  I'd have likely gotten frustrated that the hoses got lost, too.

Still, it's interesting to see how the figure evolved prior to release.  And, it shows how methodical the Hasbro team was in getting things right before they moved them into production.  But, when you know you have a hit toy that's going to run for years, you can be a bit more cautious in your approach to innovation.  I'll leave you with a final commercial screenshot.  You can see the the figure more clearly since he's not wearing all his gear.  He looks like more of a kitbash.  But, really, I'm putting it out there because I have idea what's going on with Cutter's head in this photo.  But, that's probably something to dig into in a future Rarities post.

Rarities - 2005 Red Ninja Viper Pre Production Color Variant

Back in the mid and late 2000's, there were tons of alternate figures coming from Asian sources.  Some were unpainted prototypes.  Others were color tests.  Some were early paint samples.  Some featured slightly different colors in specific areas.  And, others featured entirely different paint masks or parts from the production figure.  There were so many of them coming out, though, that documentation was sparse.  And, the fact that there was so much misinformation about the figures contributed to many people not wanting what was known about them to be published.  Lost in the Tiger Force Steel Brigade and Night Force Tracker figures, though, are obscure and often missed variants like this Red Ninja Viper.

Released in 2005 as part of a Comic Pack, the Red Ninja Viper used the 1988 Stormshadow mold that had been recently returned to Hasbro by Funskool.  Hasbro painted it red and meant it to represent the fan favorite Red Ninja who appeared in the infamous G.I.  Joe #21 issue.  The figure worked well enough.  But, the Joe world was so jaded by the time of its release that the figure didn't really make a splash in the collecting world.  The production figure features a pale, brown coloring on the mask and boots.  But, some of the early figures from Asia changed that color to black.  It's a small change.  But, it's probably better than then production brown.  You'll also note that the pre-production figure has a painted sash on his waist.  Again, this is a substantial upgrade over the production figure where this was left unpainted.  

It's an odd juxtaposition.  And, it suggests that Hasbro was cost cutting on paint applications for the 2005 figures.  (There is a pre-production variant of the Stormshadow from the pack that has painted sleeves instead of bare arms, too.)  But, Hasbro knew the line was in trouble by the time this pack debuted.  It saw a solid production run.  But, much of that run went to clearance and discount outlets where you could buy the retail pack for $5 for over a year after its release.

Most collectors missed this pre-production figure because the change was so slight and there were so many better and more drastic pre-production figures available from Asia at the time.  It's pretty likely that, if you bought cheap army builders from Asian sellers in the early 2000's, you could have some of these pre-production color variants interspersed among your production figures.  These more minor paint changes often went unnoticed and were overlooked in many cheap lots of the day.  And, since the black paint seems like a logical production choice over a light brown, you might not even realize that you're missing the production version since you have this one available.

Sadly, both the swarm of cheap army builder lots and stream of alternately colored figures have dried up.  While it's likely that there are still a lot of them in Asia, they're not readily available.  And, modern collectors who snatched up the bulk of them back in the mid 2000's are holding onto them.  You see some of the big hitters switch hands and even go on public sale with a bit of frequency.  But, the more obscure figures like this Red Ninja Viper are often ignored and are nearly impossible to find outside of a few, enterprising collectors of the day who managed to buy them in bulk when they were just a couple of bucks each.

Rarities - Pre-Production 1987 Knockdown

BattleForce 2000 was a late 1987 release.  The figures were among the final ones I acquired when I was a kid.  But, the actual products were meant for wide release in 1988.  So, they first appeared in the 1988 Toy Fair catalog.  The figures in that publication, though, feature a lot of differences.  Knockdown is the most notable.  Below, you'll see some of the photos featuring the pre-production figure.  

You'll note an even more barrel torso with a rounded collar.  I'm not sure if the chest piece is just a repurposed piece from another figure like Payload.  (The Secto Viper in the 1988 catalog is just a repainted Payload.)  The effect when his helmet was fully affixed  made Knockdown's uniform look more like it was a single, unified piece instead of a helmet on top of a jumpsuit. 

In the photos, you can see paint wear on the front of Knockdown's helmet.  So, it wasn't anywhere near production level for these promos.  You can see the wear in both photos.  So, Hasbro reused this piece time and again.  It's doubtful anyone thought the photos could be blown up and scrutinized by someone at thirty five or more years in the future.  But, it's an interesting detail to see in official photography that was meant to sell the toys to retailers.

I actually like this pre-production design for Knockdown more than I do his actual production pieces.  The helmet seems more like a part of his overall uniform instead of just a head piece.  It gives the figure more cohesion than was present in the final form.   I'm not sure why he was changed.  But, it does appear that the figure underwent more refinement in the final months before his release.  And, we ended up with the production figure that had a very different look.

2024 Sgt. Slaughter & Leatherneck Transformer

 Sgt. Slaughter himself posted this photo today.  It shows the long rumored Sgt. Slaughter and Leatherneck Triple T that is also a Transformer.  We all knew it was coming.  We all knew what it would look like.  And, now that it's here, it's exactly what we knew it would be.  Which is to say, this breaks no new ground.  

If you have a 1986 Leatherneck (which is a cheap and easy to acquire figure), you don't need this one.  It's nice to have access to a Slaughter baton.  But, this thing will run between $80 and $100.  You can easily get any version  of Slaughter, complete with a vintage baton, for under this price.  Triple T vehicles remain cheap and easy to find.  Some discolor, especially on the engine cover.  But, they're still not a difficult thing to acquire.  

So, really, what purpose does this serve?  It's great that Sgt. Slaughter remains involved in the brand.  But, there's nothing here that really speaks to collectors.  And, with the, arguably, more collectible Thunder Machine with Zartan and Zarana rotting at every online retailer, I really wonder who the audience for this product actually is.  Joe fans leave these behind.  Transformers fans do, too.  If Hasbro got weird, these wouldn't do any worse.  A green and purple Megatron that turned in the Cobra Bugg might actually sell out.  This...won't.

I've never waited for clearance for any Joe o-ring product.  I've regretted that decision terribly.  I've found almost no value in the Pulse era releases of vintage inspired Joes.  And, this product does nothing to alter that.  So, I think I have my first item where I will wait for clearance.  And, should this be the one item that sells out and I can't get for 1/3 the retail price, I'm OK with that.  I don't need to be a completist any longer.  And, I'm not convinced that these modern remakes will deteriorate at a slower rate than the already 40 year old originals.  

So, I'm left with what feels like the end.  Hasbro has finally released enough sub-par o-ring products that I've lost any interest in what they've done.  I'm OK with simply letting them go.  And, I'm one of the biggest marks for vintage style Joe figures that is still left in the community.  I've never even bothered to open the Zartan/Zarana.  Not even the scathing profile on the worst Joe figure ever released is enough to get me to pry open the box that's collecting dust in the bottom of a tucked away, basement closet.  Even at a steep discount, this Sgt. Slaughter/Leatherneck product will face the same fate.

Rarities - Unproduced 1995 Big Ben & Snow Serpent

The 1995 Joe line would have been pretty great.  Had it come to be, many of the items would be held in the same regard as precious items from the line's heyday in the 1980's.  And, with the lower production runs of the line's final year, many of the items would likely be super expensive to acquire today.  While the line featured a solid array of new figures, it was also going to include many repaints of earlier releases.  Two of these would have been the figures included in the planned 1995 repaint of the Tactical Battle Platform which would have been called the Battle Station.  For some reason, this set piece was going to include repaints of Big Ben and the Snow Serpent.

You can tell from the photos that both of these figures are hand painted prototypes that were used the 1993 mail away figures as their bases.  As such, you see production colors on the legs.  It's unlikely that the final figures would have matched these concepts, exactly.  But, they'd have been close enough.  So, you get the general idea of what the designers were trying to do.

Oddly, the concept art for the Battle Station doesn't actually feature the figures who would have been included with it.  Instead, it is a smorgasbord of unreleased 1995 figures and likely reissues of 1994 releases.  This would imply that the figures included with the set were more ways to just use molds that were available rather than really spice up the design.  But, the Battle Station concept art also showcases many of the figures in the cardart poses with positioning that suggests placeholder design.  So, it's likely that they box art would have changed upon release and probably featured the figures included with it.

I find it interesting that concepts from both of these figures did, eventually, see release.  The 1998 Snow Serpent borrows elements from this unproduced 1995 figure.  And, the 2001 Big Ben was an arctic repaint in the vein of this unreleased Big Ben.  So, it's nice that some of the work was eventually used...even if it was by a different team looking to save a few bucks rather than an homage to the founders of the brand.  

Seeing current prices of the 1993 mail versions of these two characters makes me shudder at what these 1995 figures would cost today had they seen release.  Being in a low production, high dollar playset would have made acquisition unlikely for many kids...meaning fewer figures going into the secondary market.  I take solace, though, knowing I'd have forked over the money for a Battle Station had it been released...just because it included these two figures.  I had a rule that I'd buy vehicles with figures included.  And, Big Ben was one of my earliest grail figures.  So, the Battle Station would have called my collection home.

Sure, it would now be yellowed and decaying in a box in the closet.  But, I'd have these figures and enjoy them for what they were.  I still maintain that collectors would hold the 1995 line in high regard had it seen production.  But, there were forces at work that were far beyond the G.I. Joe brand.  So, we're left with tidbits of what might have been.  Repaints like this aren't nearly as interesting as newly designed, unproduced pieces.  But, they would have been an important supporting cast for the planned new figures.  I'd still love to know if any of the 1994 molds that debuted that year would have gotten updated paint jobs for 1995: as was Hasbro's habit at the time.  I'm sure some would have been cool and others would have been...less so.  But, more figures are better than fewer.  And, we really missed out with the line's cancellation occurring in 1994.  

Rarities - Pre-Production 2005 Comic Pack Horrorshow

In 2005, Hasbro finally produced a Horrorshow figure.  This long awaited release was met with general approval from the fan community.  Sure, it had issues.  But, overall, it was good enough.  As with all new figures from that era, Hasbro had some pre-production versions of the figure leak out.  This figure isn't overly different from a production Horrorshow.  It has pink hands and is missing the date stamps.  Not much of a variant.  But, it's an insight in the process that lead to this figure's release.

Sadly, this mold never got a re-release or even a repaint.  His wave of Comic Packs saw a truncated production due to the massive unsold inventory of late 2004 Comic Packs that were still being clearanced out from stores around the country.  For about a month, you could get this figure.  Then, he was gone.  He's always been the most pricey Oktober Guard figure.  But, the fact that he's now a triple digit purchase is a bit much.  Collectors have this figure en masse and almost the entire production run was purchased by collectors who were aware of the short production window.  But, times are dumb and Joe prices are dumber.  For a long time, you could get the pre-production Horrorshows for cheaper than a production figure.  But, those days are gone and you'll pay a premium even though only the most eagle eyed collectors would notice a difference.

Rarities - 2005 Comic Pack Scrap Iron Test Shot - Discolored

Fun fact: the blue plastic Hasbro used in the 2000's absolutely sucks.  Even figures that were well cared for are now starting to discolor...including carded figures.  It's not great.  And, soon, there will be no mint figures in the blue plastic left.  Some will hold out longer than others.  But, short production runs ensured that bad plastic was evenly spread.  So, soon, your nice 2005 Scrap Iron figure is going to turn to a dull greyish blue.

To illustrate this point, here is a test shot of Scrap Iron that uses the blue plastic.  Notice that's he almost entirely discolored.  The thing is, when the plastic's crappy, there's really nothing collectors can do to stop the decay.  Comic Pack Scarlett, Thrasher and even the Nullifiers are all starting to go and it's just a matter of time until yours do, too.  It's sad.  And, one of the reasons I take so many pictures.  I have proof that Scrap Iron was once all shiny, bright blue.  And, by the end of this decade, that will be all that we have left of the way figures like this were supposed to look.

Here's Hasbro's original promo image that went to vendors who wanted to buy the Comic Pack #49 cases.  See how nice and bright Scrap Iron is?

Rarities - Unproduced 1995 "Star Brigade" Falcon

In 1999, Whiz Bang Collectibles sold off some of their pre-production G.I. Joe pieces.  These had been acquired from ex-Hasbro employees and they remain the primary source of most of the resin prototypes of unproduced 1995 items.  If you were willing to spend the money on one of their auctions, they offered you the chance to also buy some ancillary items.  One such piece was listed as "Star Brigade Falcon".

Whether or not this figure would have actually been Falcon, or even Star Brigade, is probably open to interpretation.  Many of those early prototypes were mis-labeled or simply unknown.  But, it is generally accepted that this figure is as advertised.  You will note many missing parts in the photos.  Hasbro only sculpted new parts for their pre-production pieces.  Falcon would have used some existing tooling for the remaining parts.  In this case, the waist and legs were rumored to have been the 1987 Payload.  However, that figure was planned for a full repaint in 1993 and Hasbro could not find the mold.  So, it's likely that, had this figure made it to production, it would have had different parts used to complete him.

In the years since this figure appeared, the parts have been cast and made available to customizers.  You can see one such cast that was painted up on JoeCustoms.com.  The colors on this figure are the artist's interpretation.  And, to my knowledge, we have yet to see any official coloring from Hasbro.  So, we don't really know what this guy was supposed to look like. But, the painted details give you a better look at the quality of this mold and the amazing sculpting job that Hasbro did on it.

While Star Brigade may not be every collector's passion, this Falcon figure appears to have been very well done.  It's likely that, had he been sold at retail, that he would be relatively sought after today.  The Joe line, in general, would have been better off had the 1995 figures come to light.  And, were it not for the victorious Kenner forces in the boys action figure division after their Hasbro acquisition, these figures would have seen the light of day.  Instead, we got G.I. Joe Extreme.  It's nice that we have looks into what might have been.  While the bad of 1995 gets most of the press, figures like this Falcon show that the good might have been worth it.

Photo From Whiz Bang that was offered with the 1995 Dr. Mindbender resin prototype.

Rarities - Duke Crimson Guard Disguise Prototype

See A-Man's comments below:

This is the Duke from the Crimson Infiltrate set.  My image from 2005 was named Agent Faces.  But, it is the Duke as noted by the arms.

The Agent Faces mail away figure was a bone that Hasbro threw to collectors to get them some cheap army builders without having to resort to retail stores and the potential scalping that could ensue. And, it worked.  While some collectors were content with one figure since it was a character, those who were army builder inclined could buy this figure to their heart's content.  But, once it became known that Hasbro was going to use the mold more in 2004 and 2005, collectors backed off on Faces and saved their money for the later uses of the mold that were legit army builders.

Below you can see an unpainted prototype/test shot of the Faces figure.  The big thing about this Agent Faces figure is that you can really see the Duke head that was used to make the Faces head.  The good thing about Faces was that Hasbro painted facial hair on him that helped to distinguish him from a standard Duke release.  But, sans paint, the Duke head is plain as day.

Oddly, I like the helmet on this piece.  The actual helmet featured several different paint applications of black and silver.  In some ways, it's too busy.  The cleaner look of the unpainted helmet almost works better for me.  Though, I'd have liked the eyes painted.

Unpainted prototypes/test shots of 2000's era figures were a dime a dozen for several years.  You could buy lots of them by the dozens from Asian Joe sellers for a buck or two each.  Collectors tired of them to the point that they were completely undesirable.  Now, some of those once common figures have become more desirable...especially if they have their full array of gear, too.  It's weird to see things that the collecting community grew to hate now become valuable and hard to find.  But, that's the evolution of the collector base.

20th Anniversary Key Moments - 1995 Unproduced Dr. Mindbender

In 1999, I dropped way too much money on a figure that was sold as a 1995 Battle Rangers Flint prototype.  I missed out, though, on the figure I really wanted: the unproduced 1995 Battle Rangers Dr. Mindbender.  The person who bought it had every intention of hiding it away and keeping it from collectors.  But, a cool thing happened: turns out the dealer selling the prototypes had an extra Mindbender and he sold it to another collector who kept photos of it in the community.  As luck would have it, this person wanted to sell his right at the time I was in position to buy one.  And, with a little negotiating, the 1995 Dr. Mindbender entered my collection in May of 2001.

I like weird figures.  G.I. Joe's appeal to me was that it wasn't just some random military line where every guy was in the same color and basic uniform.  Really, it was super heroes that happened to be in the military.  And, wacky figures that stretched the boundaries of realism were what attracted me to the line and kept me in to this day.  This Dr. Mindbender would have been the culmination of that tradition.  The figure is an homage to the self-mutilating 1993 Dr. Mindbender while also having roots in the iconic 1986 version.  It would have been the perfect benchmark villain for 1995.  But, that never got to be.

The Joe line died before this figure saw the light of day.  Many collectors deride the 1990's as moving off topic of the classic Joe of the 1980's.  But, really, only 1993 heavily strayed from the military fantasy of the bygone decade.  1994 did have Star Brigade and Hasbro was going to go heavy on the aliens and Manimals in later 1994 and 1995.  But, the core of the Battle Corps Rangers would have matched with the 1994 Battle Corps in that it was pretty true to the line's roots.  And, 1995 would have seen many classic characters return to the line...just like we saw in 1994.  In short, it wasn't the neon or a loss of focus on Joe's core that derailed the line.  G.I. Joe had just run it's course after 13 consecutive years of retail release.  1995 would not have saved the line.  But, had it seen production, it's likely that collectors of 2020 would be hugely over-paying for the lower production runs that surely would have accompanied the 1995 retail releases.

This Mindbender really started a trend for me showcasing more and more rare figures.  Mostly, I branched into foreign Joes as those became my focal point after my acquisition of this Mindbender.  And, from the summer of 2001 through 2004, the site became known more for foreign and rare releases than the actual lesser appreciated figures that had driven the first 18 months of the site's life.  It was a reputation that lasted for a long time.  In the past 5 years, though, I've exhausted my supply of rare releases.  So, I've turned more to the site's roots of finding uncovered gems or just odd figures that no one cares about.  Each focus was aligned with my collecting philosophy of the time.

I no longer own this Mindbender.  He was a casualty of my collection purge in the early 2010's.  I simply didn't have a need to own him any longer and got a good enough offer that it made sense to liquidate him.  In some ways, I regret it.  This figure is great and it was always fun owning a piece of Joe history.  But, in other ways, it made no sense to hold onto a figure that was barely a display piece.  My collection is focused on loose toys as that's what I played with as a kid and appreciate today.  This Mindbender wasn't painted and, therefore, wasn't all that useful to me beyond being a conversation piece.

Since 2001, a lot more of these figures have surfaced.  We even have found hand painted samples.  And, Hasbro released the intended card for this figure a few years ago.  So, we know a lot more about him than we did 19 years ago.  But, the age of social media is swallowing the Joe knowledge that's out there.  And, photos, info and stories of figures like this Mindbender are lost in private groups and the poor search functions that plague sites whose only purpose for existing is to get users to constantly share new content (so they can sell ads).  The Joe world is losing its collective archive and most of the discoveries of the past decade are not well documented in a place that's easily accessible to Joe fans.  I bought this Mindbender to help prevent that from happening.  For a while, things were OK.  But, the past few years have turned the tide and the secretive nature of the Joe world has won out and collectors of today simply don't have access to the recesses of the Joe line's history and many gems like this Mindbender will simply never be known to the Joe collecting public.  And, that's too bad.

Rarities - 2004 Desert Patrol Set (Convention Prototypes)

At the 2004 G.I. Joe convention, Hasbro showcased some upcoming Toys R Us exclusive sets.  One such set was the Desert Patrol.  This five figure set showed some promise.  It included the long missing 1991 Snake Eyes figure as well as a spiffy looking version of Stalker and Ambush.  (Though, with Low Light's head.  Tunnel Rat and the odd hybrid figure that would be named Dusty weren't all that exciting.  But, it was enough to get collectors interested.

When the set finally showed up at TRU in 4th quarter of 2004, there were a couple of small differences in the actually released figures.  In addition to Gung Ho being added to the set, the Ambush figure went from a solid cammo pattern (like Stalker) to a combo of the agave green and desert colors that matched Dusty, Tunnel Rat and Snake Eyes.  It took a solid set and turned it into a dud.  But, overall retail sales of the set were strong as Christmas of 2004 saw TRU sell out of most of its exclusive Joe products.  (That the set only had around 16,000 total units produced also helped.)

Today, the production set has actually gotten somewhat hard to find.  There is a ridiculously hard to find set of unreleased Desert Patrol figures, too.  But, these photos from the 2004 San Diego Comic Con show a set that still had promise before Hasbro made it worse.  This was a theme in 2004 and really carried into 2005 as the line died at retail.  The DTC offerings that used ARAH molds turned the tide a little bit.  But, it was too late.

You'll note that the photos below have a combo of what appears to be production figures as well as hand painted samples.  I am not aware of any full cammo Ambush figures actually making their way into the collecting world.  The version below could be hand painted or it could be production.  I can't tell from the old photos.  But, it is a massive upgrade over the figure that was actually released.  With the "final" Joe convention occurring this weekend, it's kind of sad to look back at a time when a convention meant seeing lots of cool, new stuff.

2004 Unproduced "Night Force" Tracker

There are certain figures who have found decent popularity despite poor colorings on their actual releases. Many of these are molds that are well done and unique. Oftentimes they are also characters that have potential. One such character is Tracker. Since the early days of online collecting, repainted Tracker figures have been a staple of the collecting community. The great mold but bad colors made it a customizers dream piece. In the modern line, Hasbro has taken a few occasions to give up properly colored versions of under appreciated vintage molds. In the case of Tracker, collectors were oh so close to finally seeing a properly colored version of the figure in 2004. But, a last minute change left Tracker in the cold as his character was changed to Action Man and he was given a bright orange shirt in the Night Force set. But, a little Easter Egg was left. A few of the Night Force Tracker figures were actually produced and they found their way into the hands of Asian Joe sellers. The result is the best version of Tracker never made and the subject of this profile.

There are a few collecting phrases that truly annoy me. The first is "Argen 7". There is no Argen 7. There are 6 rare figures released in the scarce 2nd series of Plastirama figures. The Cobra Invasor was not in that wave and is not part of them. It is a cutesy term that novice collectors use to make themselves seem more knowledgeable than they are. The other is "Midnight Chinese". I'll grant this, the term is clever and catchy. But, it is also derogatory and misleading. It is true that some Asian factories likely churned out after hours product using whatever material was in the machines at the end of the day. But, these are almost certainly limited to the unpainted, odd colored "prototypes" that have become all too common. The fully painted production level figures, though, are unlikely to be "bootlegs" and are more likely truly unproduced items. This is an important distinction as it lends the proper amount of credibility to figures such as this Tracker.

This Tracker has a nice paper trail that cements its status as a true unproduced figure. At the 2003 Convention, a hand painted Tracker in colors eerily similar to this figure was shown. At that time, it was Hasbro's intention to release Tracker as part of the Night Force set. As the existence of this figure indicates, that remained Hasbro's intention until fairly late in the process. While this Tracker figure does feature the same paint masks as the Action Man figure, there is one important difference: the Night Force insignia on his chest. This stamp is unique to Tracker and shows that Hasbro produced a entirely new paint mask for the Tracker figure. It also proves that the change From Tracker to Action Man occurred at nearly the last minute and it's likely that had there not been other issues with the Night Force set that we would have seen Tracker at retail.

As a figure, this Tracker is beautiful. All of the Night Force figures were well done with intricate paint applications. Tracker is the exception, though. Instead of the complex Night Force cammo pattern, Tracker's base color is just simple, olive drab. But, it is this simplicity that makes the figure special. Instead of being part of a specialized team that is difficult to integrate with figures of a different paint design, Tracker fits perfectly with figures from all generations of Joes. The figure actually uses the same paint masks as Action Man. So, he has silver and green grenades, a silver knife and a green pistol on his legs. There are 2 points that differentiate this figure from Action Man, though, and prove that he is a true, unreleased figure.   First, Tracker has black boots. For whatever reason, the first incarnation of the Night Force figures wore white pants. Tracker is no exception. However, his boots are painted black. This was an unnecessary detail on Action Man as Action Man featured black pants. But, on Tracker, the contrast between the green upper torso, white pants and black boots creates a visually remarkable figure. The second detail is the Night Force logo on Tracker's chest. Action Man features a unique Action Man logo on his chest. Tracker, though, features a distinctive yellow Night Force logo that is unique to the Tracker figure. This is an entirely new paint mask and that helps prove the intention of Night Force Tracker as a truly unproduced item.   As you might be able to tell, I am quite pleased with the Night Force Tracker figure. He fills a huge gap in my collection and is a figure who I would use endlessly were he not an unproduced rarity. Tracker, as a character is highly underused. The reason, though, is because the figure features such a high quality mold.

Collectors do not have any Navy SEAL who was not released in underwater diving gear. Since one of the early issues of Special Missions when Wet Suit was featured in standard fatigues, Joe collectors have wanted a Seal who could be used outside of the water. Tracker offered hope of that, but fell short in the most important area: his colors. The original Tracker is a horrid mishmash of yellows, oranges and browns. As such, he isn't all useful in standard combat situations. In the early years of online Joe collecting, a repainted Tracker was a standard right of passage for novice customizers. The mold features strong details, solid design and a look that, properly colored, would stand among figures and characters from any year. Alas, to this day we have yet to see a decently colored Tracker offered in any official release.   And this brings me to the crux of this profile. As a figure, I think Action Man is quite nice. However, as a replacement for this Tracker, he is inferior. Night Force Tracker shows us the great opportunity cost when figure slots are either wasted or underutilized. Had Action Man replaced the Night Force Roadblock, I don't think anyone would have any issues with him since the NF Roadblock figure sucks. But, as a replacement for this Tracker figure, Action Man simply has too high of standards to live up to. This was the Tracker figure that collectors were waiting for and the unreleased figure offers a tease of what might have been available to all collectors had things gone a bit differently. It is this opportunity cost that most collectors struggle with. Many collectors have the notion that anything Hasbro puts out is fine as they will, eventually, release some good figures.

However, as we've seen with Tracker, that is simply not the case. We missed our window for the definitive Tracker figure. And now, over 3 years later, we have yet to see the figure revisited and there is no hope on the horizon for a decent Tracker to ever make an appearance. As such, due to Action Man, we lost out on one of the better figures of the modern take on ARAH. This is why each and every figure that is released carries such importance. Every slot wasted on Avalanche, another V1 Duke, Firefly, Alley Viper or several other characters is one Night Force Tracker, Wal Mart Low Light or other, high quality, otherwise unreleased figure that never gets to see the light of day. I get quite cynical about this hobby at time and can be animated in my criticism of Hasbro and others. But, that is a direct result of this notion above. It is a waste to see a single figure slot used on something that collectors and consumers have no use for since it cost us the chance at something cool. When Joe is an infinite line and everything we want is released, things will change. But, while ARAH-style releases are finite and infrequent, each and every slot counts and should be treated as the opportunity it is.

The alternate Asian figures tend to feature soft paint that chips and rubs easily. As such, if you hope to use a figure like this as your everyday Tracker, you need to be especially cautious. The silver paint rubs easily and the Night Force logo is incredibly fragile. These figures do not seem to full production quality. But, that is to be expected from a quality control run.   This Tracker is truly a striking figure. His deep green matte offset by the while pants and heavily painted details really makes for a figure that could be considered convention quality. The Night Force set as a whole is greatly under appreciated as most of the figures featured up to 8 different paint applications. Much of this is lost, though, due to the overdone striping and patterning on the figures. Granted, it's a great detail. But, it clutters the figures and doesn't allow you to fully appreciate the quality of the underlying colors. Not so with Tracker. He is devoid of the patterns that clutter the rest of the Night Force figures and stands apart in his simplicity.

The bad thing is that the accessories for the Night Force set suck. This was the beginning of Hasbro cheaping out the accessory complements in their exclusive sets. As such, none of Tracker's hallmark accessories are available with Night Force. But, the enterprising collector can find ways around this. The one accessory on the original Tracker that was done in black was the mask. Tracker's gun molded in black was then available with many figures in 1993 and 1994. Finally, Tracker's Funskool raft is actually blue. It's not a perfect match, but it is darker than the American raft. As such, collectors are really only left with Trackers oars not being available in a good color. For me, a spare face mask and gun is all this figure needs to make it a vital part of my collection.

The Tracker mold has a decent history: even though the offerings available out there all have issues. After Hasbro used the mold in 1991, it was supposed to be used in Brazil. Tracker even appeared on Brazilian cardbacks and in the catalog. But, Tracker was never actually released in Brazil. From there, Tracker showed up in India in the early '00's. The Funskool figure was actually brighter than the American figure and didn't really offer collectors the perfect version of Tracker they sought. In 2003, Hasbro recalled many molds from Funskool and Tracker was among them. The first figures to utilize the newly reacquired Funskool molds were the Night Force set. While this Night Force Tracker is a great figure, the Action Man who was released at retail suffers from the same issues as earlier Tracker figures since his base chest color is bright orange. Since then, we have not seen the Tracker mold used at all. Frankly, this is baffling. Tracker is a high quality that has never been released en masse in a good color scheme. As such, he is a logical candidate for a future release in a Convention Set or other exclusive that utilizes ARAH style molds. But, for now, if you want the best version of Tracker ever released, this unproduced figure is your only option.

When the alternate color, unreleased figures first started appearing out of Asia, this Tracker was among the rarest of all the releases. Initially, only a handful of samples made their way to the US and it was believed this figure might pull a Pimp Daddy Destro and become one of the true rarities of the line. In time, though, more of these figures were found in Asia and they were imported to the US in decent enough numbers to appease the hard core collectors who were really after them. Truth be told, though, this figure is still probably among the rarest figure in the history of the line and there are probably a few hundred of them in the hands of collectors at maximum. Here's the rub, though...collectors have yet to properly value most of the alternate, unproduced figures. As such, you can get this figure for next to nothing in terms of his rarity. Price wise, you might pay upwards of $80 for this figure, but people pay that for mass produced figures from the '80's. My point is that most of these unproduced figures have yet to fully realize their value potential. As such, deals can be had these days. In five years, I don't know if that will be the case. But, as many of the alternate figures have dried up and almost never appear for sale these days, I certainly wouldn't let an opportunity to add this figure to my collection pass me by.

1995 Unproduced Battle Corps Rangers Dr. Mindbender

Back in the summer of 1999, a prominent G.I. Joe dealer offered via Ebay a number of A Real American Hero prototypes. For most, it was the first real look at many of these items. Naturally, Joe fans flocked to auctions and saw their first glimpse of what the proposed 1995 line was going to look like. During all this hullabaloo, Ebay crashed. During the span when the auctions ended, Ebay was only available periodically. Because of this, many collectors missed out on their chance to snipe away these prize prototypes at the last minute. I was one of these frustrated collectors. I finally connected to Ebay only to discover that the figure that most intrigued me, a very unique and incredibly cool Dr. Mindbender figure, was gone. Instead, I settled for the Battle Rangers Flint and just figured that my one opportunity to own the Dr. Mindbender was gone forever. About a year later, another Dr. Mindbender appeared on Ebay from the same dealer. Unfortunately, I had just bought my house, and just couldn't come up with the money necessary for a purchase this large. In the auction, the dealer commented that this was his last Mindbender. I figured this was it. However, just a couple of weeks ago, another opportunity presented itself. I decided that I couldn't let this go. I made an offer the owner of this figure and it was accepted. Now, finally, I have the crown jewel of my collection: the unproduced 1995 Battle Rangers Dr. Mindbender.

It is well known that 1995 would have been a very interesting year for Joe. While concepts like the Lunartix aliens, Manimals and Replicators would have taken Joe to the very edge of science fiction and the Ninja Commandos would have given us yet another Snake Eyes and Stormshadow rehash, the Battle Rangers would going to be the more military themed Joe toys. Characters like Flint, Footloose, and Duke were going to anchor the Joe team while Cobra was finally going to see a new Baroness and, of course, a newly frankensteined Dr. Mindbender. The line was also going to feature a few repaints from the 1994 Battle Corps series and was going to also have a full array of newly molded vehicles. The paint schemes were going to be realistic, (You can see the beginnings of this with the 1994 releases. While '93 offered horrid color choices, 1994 was much better. Figures like Stalker, Shipwreck, Joseph Colton and Snowstorm all had very nice, more realistic color schemes that showed Joe was regaining its focus.) and the line may have even included original accessories rather than the hated weapon tree. All in all, the Battle Rangers could have salvaged a little of Joe's lost dignity in the mid '90's. At least the new releases have helped take away the bad memories of what was the original Joe's final years.

Why do I like this figure? I really can't tell you. From the moment I first saw it, this prototype grabbed me more than any other element of Joedom that I have ever seen. I think it was the incredible detail on the figure. His mold is just astonishing. The level of detail put into the hand and head are far above any other figure ever produced. Frankly, I don't know how they could have mass produced this figure without losing some of the head detail. The other thing about that is so neat is the helmet. He is the only '95 prototype I have seen that actually comes with an accessory. The helmet fits onto his head perfectly. I think of it as a Darth Vader type thing where the helmet helps his ravaged body survive. While I know of no evidence that points to a purported paint scheme for this figure, I let my imagination run wild. I'm sure he would have offered the nice, subtle, realistic color scheme that was found on all the other Battle Rangers figures. (Flint and Footloose can be seen in Battle Rangers production art. A copy of a painted Baroness hard copy has been found. A character that seems to be the Battle Rangers Duke can also be seen on many licensed Joe items from the late '94 - early '95 era. Another unnamed and unknown Cobra figure is shown on the box art of a new Cobra helicopter. [See YoJoe.com for details.] He could have been a new version of Cobra Commander, a totally new named Cobra villain, or a new Cobra army builder who would have rounded out the Cobra assortment in 1995. All are very nice and would have fit in very nicely with the Joe line as a whole.)

The main thing that grabbed me, though, was the darkness of the character. This Dr. Mindbender looks truly evil. Of all the characters in Joedom, none, not even Snake Eyes, would have experienced the horrors to which Mindbender was subjected. The look of evil in his eyes, as well as the devastated body would have created a character that would have been the epitome of darkness. Personally, I feel that Mindbender would have been a monster capable of doing gruesome things to prisoners, spies, and poor test subjects. In this capacity, he is underrepresented. The Mindbender we saw in the comics and cartoon was not this dark. I think Joes' creative team, though, was steering for a new path with a character this mutated. Remember, in 1994 and 1995, Spawn was starting to see some popularity on the toy market. The dark character was something that was selling at retail. It made sense for the Joe brain trust to look down this avenue. Personally, I would love the opportunity to see Dr. Mindbender appear in the new comic in the same characterization that was meant for the Battle Rangers. Perhaps, with his rumoured (I stress, RUMOURED!) appearance in wave IV of the new Joes that are slated for this fall to coincide with the comic release, we might finally get a glimpse of this character as he was planned to be.

The one thing about this figure that many people will deride is that he looks so sci-fi. The mutated hand and scarred face make this figure appear to be something out of a horror flick rather than a simple, military villain. However, closer examination of the Mindbender character reveals that this figure follows a path that was laid down by the original 1986 version almost a full decade before this figure was ever conceived. The 1986 filecard made reference to the fact that Dr. Mindbender liked to experiment on himself. It would only make sense that his mutated hand would be the side effect from one of his experiments. The scarred face (it's hard to see because of the photography. Once I get my digital camera back working, I will get more detailed pictures of the amazing head sculpt.) also shows that the good Dr. has been working to update his computer enhanced body parts. The original file card said the Dr. Mindbender had become vain. It would only make sense that he would attempt to remove the computer terminal from the outside of his head in order to improve his appearance. The scars he left behind, though, would seem to indicate that he still has a good way to go before his countenance is back to anything near its original state. All of this, though, shows that the Battle Rangers would have been a subset for Joe diehards. They took the personality traits laid down in all the filecards and expanded upon them to create a new manifestation of the character. Again, it was all of Joedom's loss that the Battle Rangers never came to be. I think they would be held in very high regard by the modern collector had they ever made it to full scale production.

Personally, I know of three unique examples of this figure. All are in private collections. There seems to be a consensus, though, that this figure probably had about a dozen of them produced. I would imagine that at least 6 survive to this day. I would imagine that at least one is still in the possession of the source for most of the '95 prototypes that have made their way to the second hand market. A couple of others are probably sitting in private collections, never to be known for many, many years. The rest, I would imagine, are quietly rotting away in Cincinnati's Mount Rumpke, or some other similar place, along with other '95 Joes, Gargan, and the Luke Skywalker in Robes figures. Perhaps, some day, we will know the full story of the Battle Rangers and find a treasure trove of the unreleased toys. Until then, we only have snippets, like these prototypes and the box mock ups you can find at YoJoe.com. Despite the fact that it would greatly reduce the monetary and collectible value of this figure and the Flint, I would like to see these molds used in the line of new releases. I'm not sure if the general Joe buying public is ready for this version of Dr. Mindbender, but I know that I, and many other collectors, would relish the opportunity to own this figure in a playable version. It would help bridge the gap between Joe's original run, and its current manifestation.

*****

Updated 10/10/06

In 2006, the first painted test shot of Dr. Mindbender appeared. The figure was in a base of dark purple with black highlights. It is a very muted tone for the figure and one that, at first glance, I was disappointed in. However, as this figure had been built up inside my head for over 7 years, there was no way the first glance of his intended coloring would have lived up to the hype. With more reflection, though, I actually quite like the color scheme as it was in line with the intentions of the Battle Corps Rangers, kept with the character's roots and was visually pleasing. My one gripe was that the skin tone for Mindbender was vibrant. For some reason, I've always pictured this figure with a more ghoulish skin tone. I figured the facial bruises from the massive surgeries couples with the lack of sunlight from hiding his visage inside the mammoth helmet would have left Mindbender's skin an otherworldly palour. Naturally, it would have been tough for Hasbro to pull this off, but it would be the one change in the way I would represent the figure were I the one painting it up.
The appearance of this painted Mindbender gives us more insight into what was planned for the Battle Corps Rangers line. I have long felt it would have been a line that collectors would have enjoyed without being the repetitive monotony we have seen in the post '94 re-releases. This figure shows the perfect evolution of the Mindbender character over a decade. It offered a glimpse into a more monstrous world of Cobra. I think that would have been a vision that collectors would have enjoyed had it come to fruition.

*****

This Dr. Mindbender figure is my favorite unproduced item. Would you like to see the Battle Rangers some day see a wide release? Do you think this is a cool figure? Let me know your thoughts.