Ripcord - Where in the World

Ripcord has been a fan favorite for as long as I've been collecting Joes.  His original figure with the amazing accessories caught the attention of a generation of kids.  But, his run in the comic established the character as more than a niche player in the Joe mythos.  Despite the popularity, though, the Ripcord figure only had one release in the United States: the 1984 version.

This figure coupled a base, military green with some basic camo to create a solid figure that hearkened back to the first year of Joes while still incorporating the more modern sculpting of 1984.  What made the figure, though, was his gear.  Aside from the rifle and helmet, the focal point of Ripcord was his parachute rig with attachable air mask that affixes over his face around the helmet.

Hasbro produced the figure in 1984 and 1985.  Hasbro also packaged Ripcord figures for release in Europe under the Action Force banner.  This kept the figure in circulation for several years.

In 1988, Hasbro planned for a subset of repainted figures called Tiger Force.  Among the original members was a repainted Ripcord.  This would have been Ripcord's second appearance in the line and would have been a welcomed version.  Handpainted samples of Ripcord appeared in some early advertisements for Tiger Force figures.  But, when Hasbro went to put the mold into production, it was missing.  Well, not so much missing as it had been sent to South America.

This leads to the second appearance of Ripcord: in Brazil.  Here, the figure was released as Fumaca.  This Estrela produced figure is a darker green than the American figure.  The regular accessories were included with the Fumaca figure.  What was notable, though, is that Fumaca features exclusive card art.  The Brazilian artwork showcases Ripcord freefalling, but also pulling his mask down a bit to expose his face.  It's a subtle difference.  But, Ripcord and Airborne were the only two American characters to get Brazilian exclusive card art.

The timeline for Ripcord's release in South America is a bit murky.  Typically, Estrela released figures first and the molds then showed up in Argentina where Plastirama used them.  It's possible that this timeline was followed as the Ripcord mold showed up in Argentina where it was released as a figure named Fuego.

However, around 1990 or 1991, Estrela released the mold again.  This time around, though, the mold was not Ripcord.  This time it was released as a Cobra member of Python Patrol named Relampago.  This new character was a Cobra, but utilized the full Ripcord body mold.  His gear, though, was gone.  (Though his rifle did appear with his exclusive contemporary, Gatilho.)

The interesting point on Relampago is that there are new paint masks.  Aside from the obvious cammo pattern (which matches that of the Python Tele Viper that was released in the US) the figure also includes painted cuffs around the neck and wrists.

Finally, we have the Plastirama release.  Like I said above, the exact timeline is unclear.  Maybe Plastirama released Fuego after Estrela released Relampago.  It would make sense and would explain why the Plastirama molds are largely gone.  The figure's green is brighter and he has flesh painted hands.

Plastirama, though, then used the Ripcord mold as a repaint of their exclusive Sokerk figure.  This figure was an all tan repaint of the full figure mold.  It did not, though, include any of the classic Ripcord accessories and, instead, features a light tan Doc helmet and an M-60 from Rock and Roll.  Originally, Sokerk was a repainted swivel arm Grunt figure.  But, later editions were this Ripcord repaint.

Here is a full comparison of all the Ripcord figures released:

You can see the difference as the figures go from left to right: Hasbro US release, Estrela Brazilian release, Plastirama Argentina release and the Brazilian Relampago.  The Fumaca figure is darker than the Ripcord figure, but the dark green cammo is colored blue.  The Fuego figure is much brighter green, but keeps the blue from the Brazilian release.  The accessories have similar differences with Fumaca's being darker green and Fuego's pack being a greenish brown and a glossy black rifle.

In the end, the figures are different, but not overly so.  For fans of Ripcord, none of the foreign releases aside from Relampago and Sokerk are not really all that different from the US version.  It would have been great to get a Tiger Force Ripcord and if that cost us the chance at Fumaca and Fuego, I would be OK with that.  But, when given a choice between the Python Patrol Ripcord, Sokerk and a Tiger Force version, I'll stick with the Python Patrol version or Sokerk since they something so different and allows for a great expansion of the Cobra or Joe ranks.

Relampago - Brazilian Python Patrol Ripcord - Around the Web

Relampago (The Brazilian Python Patrol Ripcord figure) is one of the more interesting international variants.  Translated loosely as "Lightning", Relampago is a motorcycle operator exclusive to South America.  I've long enjoyed the figure and his integration with the American Python Patrol figures.  Here's some of the best of the web on the figure:

Relampago Profile

Relampago at Kingtoys

Relampago at Yojoe.com

Relampago's Filecard Translation at JoeBattlelines.com

Relampago at JoeDios.com 1
Relampago at JoeDios.com 2

Relampago (Brazilian Exclusive Python Patrol Rip Cord)

By now, most of you are probably sick of me profiling foreign figures. I've tried, though, wherever possible, to only showcase those foreign Joes that I think integrate nicely with the standard, American figures. As international exclusive Joes are where my collecting focus has been of late, though, those are the figures that I'm most inclined to be using, and therefore, be profiling. Today's figure follows the tradition of many of the other foreign releases I've showcased here. He is a dramatic repaint of a classic American Joe that was released in Brazil as a Cobra: Relampago or the Python Patrol Ripcord.

In Brazil, 2 exclusive Python Patrol figures were released. Relampago was one and Gatilho, a repaint of Airborne, was the other. Both of these figures fill in the one gap that has always existed in the Python Patrol subset, a named leader. It didn't make any sense to me to have this cool unit of specially colored Cobras who had no named leader. In the comic, Darklon, was kind of connected to the group, but that was more of a way to work Hasbro's '89 figure offerings into Joe media that it was any kind of sensical plot device. Without a definite leader, I've always relegated my Python Patrol armies to the back burner. Sure, the Python Viper got some use, but the rest of the figures were obscure and unused. Now, with the addition of Relampago, I no longer have that problem. This guy has become the Python Patrol commander and allowed for some previously unused figures to have some new prominence in my collection.

However, I also see another use for this figure. I envision him as a new, very young, up and coming commander. He is an expert marksman, but a novice commander. As such, he is currently relegated to leading the Python Patrol and Cobra's sweeper forces. He is the guy who heads Cobra's security divisions. He is very low on the totem pole in the Cobra world, but he is very ambitious. Of course, he has allied himself with the character portrayed by his fellow Brazilian exclusive figure the Flying Scorpion. The character portrayed by that figure sees great potential in the young prodigy and constantly challenges him to further his career. As he advances, I see this guy becoming another of my new Cobra legions who will eventually rise up and take over Cobra Commander.

This figure is very nicely done. As you can see from the pictures below, his cammo pattern fits in perfectly with the American release Python Patrol figures. In fact, there is really no way for this guy to be distinguished in any way from a normal, run-of-the-mill American figure. That's what I look for in foreign Joes. Oddly colored monstrosities that have straight arms and vac-metal parts and are high priced don't compel me. I'm after figures that I can use alongside my other Joes and have them fit in. Were you to look at my Joe collection, you would see figures from the U.S., Europe, China, Argentina, Brazil, and India all co-mingled together. The reason is that I like Joe figures. Any figure from any country that is cool to me is something I want. If I see a use for a figure in my collection, then I'm going to go after them. Value, or perceived value, and rarity become less important when it is the figure itself you want: not the prestige of owning it.

It seems that Ripcord was a popular mold for South American companies. Not only was a slightly repainted Ripcord available in Argentina, the mold was redone in tan to create the Argentine exclusive Sokerk figure. The mold then showed up in Brazil for Relampago. Most collectors know that Ripcord was originally supposed to be included in the American Tiger Force subset. He and a newly named figure called Sabretooth, an '84 Firefly repaint, were pulled from the set, however, and replaced with the figures we are all now familiar with. This is pure speculation on my part, but the reason Ripcord may have been pulled from the Tiger Force assortment was because the mold was missing. Most likely, Hasbro just mocked up existing molds for the Tiger Force figures. They had a Ripcord and thought he looked cool. When the time came to produce the figure, though, the mold was down in South America and there was no way to get it back in time to meet production timetables. Again, this is pure speculation, but I think it would help explain why a figure as cool as Ripcord never saw re release in the U.S. while losers like Bazooka did.

As Brazilian figures go, Relampago is kind of tough to find. I've seen very few of them ever offered for sale. Of those, the only one that was in mint condition and complete with all his accessories is the one now in my collection. I've seen a couple of these guys with broken crotches and broken thumbs. Like the American Ripcord, Relampago is subject to broken crotches. After holding the figure, though, I've also realized that him holding his gun puts undue stress on the thumbs. That would help explain the horrid condition most of these loose figures are currently found in. Like all Brazilian figures, this guy takes some searching to track down, especially if you want him complete. While figures like the Cobra De-Aco fetch $300+ for a loose, mint, complete sample though they are fairly easy to find in the U.S., guys like Relampago don't have the name recognition for people to really search them out and pay high dollars for one. That is good, though, for if you have the patience, you can actually acquire this guy for a fair price that will not force you to store him in a safe deposit box. Again, that's the way Joe figures should be.

****1/7/08 Update

While what I wrote about this figure's availability back in 2001 was accurate, we are now 6 years removed from that and Relampago has become easier to find. Now, mint and complete figures appear with regularity and they can be purchased for as little as $50 plus shipping from Brazil. For that price, the figure is still a bargain as it is a great way to grown an American Joe collection with figures whose look fit in with the line as a whole. As such, I wouldn't waste this figure's availability. A few years, there were always 2 or 3 mint, complete Relampagos available. Now, you only see a couple every month. While I don't see this figure rising in price as his availability dwindles, I certainly don't see him getting any cheaper. So, the time to act is now.