1989 Night Force Repeater - Random Photos of the Day

The 1988 Repeater is a pretty solid figure.  The only real downside is that he might be a little bland.  The Night Force version that was released the following year, though, rectifies this.  The Toys R Us exclusive figure brings some splashes of color to Repeater and is, in my opinion, an upgrade over the 1988 original.  The black and dark brown better offset the green torso.  The best part, to me, though, is that the figure isn't too "Night Force" and can be used in any context as a replacement for the original figure.

Back in my early collecting days, I tended to avoid Night Force figures.  They were always expensive.  Though, expensive in 1999 is laughably cheap in 2024.  I also avoided, them, though, because I didn't find them all that compelling.  In most cases, the original versions of the Night Force team were better and more interesting.  I have this Repeated from an acquisition of 1990's era figures.  Meaning that this one is, likely, from the Rapid Deployment Force mail away that was offered in 1993.  Really, all that means is that I didn't get any accessories with him.  But, the 1988 Repeater gear works well enough and allows me to enjoy this figure either with close enough facsimiles of the figure's intended gear or with some supplemental weapons from my collection.  

The photos below were taken over the past 8 or 9 years.  I don't get this Repeater out as often as I'd probably like to.  But, he does tend to get used at least once or twice per year as he's both a solid subject of a photo and an excellent and interesting background filler.  He appears more often than any other vintage Night Force figure on this site's photos.  So, he's definitely a figure I enjoy.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Night Force in the comments.  It's a set that, in my opinion, has always been overhyped.  In recent years, dealer types have been desperately trying to convince new collectors that vintage Night Force figures are as rare or rarer than many mail aways.  While they did have lower production numbers, Night Force figures were a staple of Toys R Us stores for most of the year.  So, they're not as rare as some of the nouveau sellers want you to believe.  Beyond that, though, I think they carry over the cachet of the late '90's when older collectors who had stopped buying Joes in 1987 discovered some of their favorites were available in "gritty, realistic" colors.  But, what are your thoughts?  Does Night Force deserve its venerated position in the hobby?  Or, are they a set you view with an air of indifference?  

1988 Repeater - Around The Web

Repeater is a solid figure.  As a machine gunner, he's not Rock and Roll or Roadblock.  But, his figure is nice, his gear is fun and his colors are worthwhile.  He's a guy who fits well into various background photos due to his quality, but also his lack of character.  When I brought my site back online in 2015, I actually forgot to post my original Repeater profile.  It wasn't until early this year that I realized it was missing.  Now, it's back.  And, I have a chance to showcase some of my favorite Repeater photos as well as some of his top content from around the web.

1988 Repeater Profile

1988 Repeater at When It Was Cool

1988 Repeater by Scarrviper

1988 Repeater Review by HCC788

1988 Repeater Review at Joe Battle Lines

1988 Repeater by dantedmc37

1988 Repater at Nekoman's Viper Pit

1988 Repeater Review by Formbx257

1988 Repeater at A Real American Hero Book

1988 Repeater by elevatemetoahigherhuma

1989 Night Force Repeater - Around the Web

The 1989 Night Force Repeater was one of the first Night Force figures I acquired as a collector.  It's an excellent alternate look for a figure that was really well done the first time around.  Here's the best of him around the web:

Night Force Repeater Profile

Night Force Repeater at JoeADay.com

Night Force Repeater at 3DJoes.com

Repeater at Half The Battle

1989 Night Force Color Ad at YoJoe.com

Diorama - Tomahawk

Another shot from a fall day in 2001.  I was setting this up as a series of photos for some profiles.  Few of those came to pass.  But, I got this dio with the Tomahawk.   I really liked the visual of Snake Eyes on the rope at the time.

Rarities - Forca Electronica Figures - Brazilian Exclusives

Estrela produced around 150 unique figures for its Comandos Em Acao line.  Those range from completely new characters and figure combinations to straight up matches of American released figures.  The Forca Electronica subset of figures featured one brand new character in Letal, a repaint of a European exclusive Tiger Force Outback as Forasteiro as well as minor Brazilian repaints the HEAT Viper, Muskrat, Repeater and the Toxo Viper.

The Forca Electronica set featured 6 initial members:

Letal:

This neon green Frag Viper repaint is the most famous member of the set.  His striking appearance and general rarity have lead him to become very popular among collectors.  His golden weapons only add to the figure's mystique.  Letal is the most expensive, but also most often found member of the set.  His popularity makes him available, but his pricing remains consistently high.

Retaguarda:

This darker version of Repeater is one of the rarer members of the Forca Electronica series.  He was not publicly shown until the early 2000's.  Even today, the figure is very hard to find and you will pay a premium for him.  The darker colors are a cool take on the mold, though.  And, they bring something new to the Repeater character.

Forasteiro:

Really, this is the oddest figure of the bunch.  Forasteiro is slightly brighter version of the European exclusive Tiger Force Outback figure.  How this paint mask ended up in Brazil is a mystery.  But, it means that the most common appearance of the Outback mold is a paint application that was never released in the U.S.  We all know Outback's tend to be brittle.  The easier to snap Brazilian plastic exacerbates this and finding mint Forasteiro's is not easy.  Again, you pay a premium for an unbroken figure with no paint wear.

Estilhaco:

Estilhaco is a straight and slight repaint of the 1989 HEAT Viper figure.  The purple is a bit brighter.  He's the cheapest of the 6 figures in the set, mostly due to the fact that he was fairly common in the 1990's and he only has slight differences from a very common and rather unpopular American figure.

Explorador:

This slightly brighter green Muskrat exclusive is fairly elusive.  While he doesn't really offer anything you don't get in either the highly common American or Funskool versions of the figures, he's still different enough to drive you mad.  The fact that he's fairly rare props up the price, too.

Maligno:

This brighter purple Toxo Viper repaint is the bright end of the spectrum for this mold.  The American figure is a base purple color.  The Funskool version is a few shades darker than the American.  Maligno is a few shades brighter than the American.  He also features the golden weapons that increase his eye catching properties.  Again, Maligno isn't easy to find and high quality, complete versions fetch decent prices.

The Forca Electronica figures have gotten expensive.  While both Letal and Estilhaco were relatively easy to find in the late 1990's and early 2000's, the other figures were, basically, impossible to find and a few of them had never been seen until the early 2000's.  Today, all of the figures in the subset go for a premium.  They are extremely well done repaints and the rarity has lead collectors to appreciate them more than many, more interesting Brazilian subsets.

Estrela released a 2nd series of the Forca Electronica with 2 figures: General Ataque (a Scoop repaint) and Annihilator.  These two figures were released later, and on their own.  They are MUCH easier to find than the first series and are nowhere near as expensive.

Collectors long ignored the Brazilian figures that were similar to their American counterparts.  The last decade, though, has seen this trend reverse.  Subsets like Forca Electronica show that even the slight repaints can be interesting and have merit.  Unfortunately, so many have discovered this that the figure are not nearly as cheap as they used to be.

1988 Repeater

In 1988, I was mostly done with G.I. Joe. I was in eighth grade, heading to high school and buying Joe figures wasn't something I could really justify any more. My younger brother followed suit. He had never really been as into the toys as I was. So, when I stopped collecting, so did he. My youngest brother, though, kept on. Throughout 1988, he acquired a few new figures. I would always check them out and, from time to time, break out my vintage toys that were stashed in the closet and integrate these new figures into some quick adventure. This gave me a familiarity with some of the figures as their characters would appear in the comic. (Which I was still buying.) Many of the figures were cool and I always had designs on what I would have done with the figure had I owned it just a few years earlier. Still, though, a few of these 1988 figures ended up getting enough adventures behind them that they became part of my Joe world. One such figure was Repeater.

Repeater was greatly appreciated in my collection as Rock and Roll had long since been broken and lost. I never cared for the 1986 Roadblock and the 1984 version's .50 cal had snapped many years prior. I did have the 1988 Tiger Force Roadblock in my possession. But, after breaking the 1984 so quickly, I was loathe to use my new version and was overly cautious with the 1988 release. So, Repeater brought a full bore machine gunner with proper weaponry into the fold. He quickly became the go to machine gunner for most missions and could be found on the door gun of the Tomahawk, manning the turret of the Desert Fox or just part of a patrol on the ground. His machine gun was small enough that it wasn't cumbersome, but still menacing enough that it could strike fear into approaching Cobras.

As with many figures my youngest brother owned, though, Repeater's weapons were soon broken. His stabilizer was snapped in two and his gun was lost. The figure, though, was still too good to leave in the scrap heap. With his backpack and an accessory pack M-60 from Rock and Roll, Repeater was able to live on. When I first returned to collecting, I acquired an actual Rock and Roll M-60 to replace the accessory pack version and only displayed Repeater with this weapon for many years. I still have a spare Repeater figure, outfitted with the M-60 even though I have a complete version as well. 

Repeater's solid color scheme made him very useful. The combination of tan and green allowed him to be used with desert themed figures and vehicles as well as traditional, military green figures. He had a nice flexibility which made the figure more useful and allowed him to remain active in my collection even as other 1988 figures were discarded. Repeater became my go to machine gunner for a while. In the early 1990's, he was one of the few figures that I had available and found himself often holding off Cobra with only a skeleton crew of hodge-podge Joes. 

As a mold, Repeater is fantastic. Starting from the head, Repeater's hat is intricately detailed and nicely scaled. His face has hardened cheekbones that show the grizzled experience of the character. Repeater's vest is just a sculpting masterpiece with the small texturing, detailed pockets and buttons. His arms have the rolled up sleeves of someone who gets things done while also having the half glove that protects only his left hand while firing his weapon. The figure's waist is covered in grenades and additional ammo pouches. But, it also features a slot into which the machine gun's stabilizer fits. This allows Repeater to better distribute the weight of his weapon. The legs are fairly straightforward with a few pockets. Of course, this panoply of detail is all lost due to one simple issue: the lack of painted details. Repeater's vest and waist are just solid green. His had is solid tan, with unpainted adornments. The figure's overall color scheme is very good. But, the lack of details really holds the mold back. A few splashes of black or silver here and there might have created one of the best figures in the line. But, the minimal paint applications obscure the remarkable detail on the mold. 

The Repeater mold saw some solid use. Hasbro used the mold for this figure and the Night Force Repeater in 1989. From there, the mold was sent to Brazil. Estrela released Repeater in a color scheme very similar to the American version named Retaguarda. A few years later, the figure was colored bright green, given an evil mustache and released as a Cobra character named Urzor. After that, the mold disappeared. Collectors would have loved to have seen Repeater return in some capacity as the mold has such great potential. Many of the figures released contemporarily with Retaguarda in Brazil later showed up in India or in the U.S. during the repaint era. So, it's likely that Hasbro had the mold but didn't use. That's too bad as collectors would have enjoyed the character's return. 

Repeater's are not overly expensive. Mint and complete, they tend to run in the $9.00 to $10.00 range. For a figure of this quality, that's a fair price and in line with the figure's popularity. I've found Repeater to be an invaluable member of my Joe team and have seen him take on greater roles than even figures I had in my full childhood collection. That's a testament to the figure's quality, excellent specialty and just overall excellence. To this day, I find Repeater to be a vital part of my collection. He doesn't have the characterization of some of the earlier Joes, but his solid sculpt, specialty and colors keep him around. He's not one of the most important figures I own, but he is in the second tier who fills out displays once the most preferred figures are gone.

Urzor - Brazilian Exclusive

As most of you know, my current collecting focus in on figures that were never released in the United States. It has been my focus for nearly a year, now, and I have experienced some modest success in growing my collection in this direction. Most of you are familiar with my other profiles of Brazilian exclusive figures and know that I have found them an excellent addendum to any Joe collection. Well, that trend has continued. While this figure does not posses the true originality of those earlier figures, he is slightly different from his American counterpart. As such, Urzor plays an important role in my collection.

Urzor is a straight repaint of the American figure Repeater. He is done in a slightly brighter green base color and has a brown hat. The most distinguishing feature on the figure, though, is his mustache. As if from a bad Star Trek episode, this mustached Repeater is not a Joe, but a new Cobra figure. He was included in a four figure subset with Kangor, Leontor, and Tigor. Kangor is a straight Big Boa repaint who has a black head. For some reason, he is the most scarce of the Forca Fera figures. He is kind of unspectacular, but his card art is almost worth having. On it, it appears that Kangor is boxing a Kangaroo! Perhaps the humour is just me, but seeing that card art always makes me chuckle. Leontor is the least desirable of the 4. He is nearly identical to the American Backblast figure. He has no real paint differences that are noticeable without very close scrutiny. Tigor is a tangerine colored amalgamation of Recoil's upper body and Scoop's legs. He has highlights in light, olive green and comes with a bluish-grey version of Recoil's gun. While he may not sound like much, the figure is pretty decent. He and Urzor are probably the most known figures in the bunch due to their differences from their American counterparts.

This brings me to the inevitable question, "what do you do with a Cobra aligned repaint of a classic American figure?". Well, I've got that angle covered. ;->

As some of you may have noticed in many of my dioramas throughout the site, I always have the Decimator figure positioned with my new, young Cobra hierarchy. Ever since I acquired him, this figure has been the highest ranking Cobra enlisted field trooper in the Cobra army. (Worms represents the highest ranking enlisted man in Cobra, but he no longer fights in the field.) This character has stood alongside the character portrayed by the Chinese Major Bludd as his most trusted field advisor. This character is the combat veteran that the character portrayed by the Flying Scorpion figure needed to have a real perspective on the realities of combat. However, this character has served his time. He has now been an enlisted man at the beck and call of the field generals for several years. Naturally, a promotion was in order. The Flying Scorpion character decided that this high ranking enlisted man needed to be a full field general in order for him to be able to command troops and officers who were not fully loyal to the Flying Scorpion's cause. However, in order to do this, he needed a new person who could assume the role of the highest ranking enlisted man. The current Sergeant Major (my rank for this person) then sought out a suitable replacement. As soon as this was done, the current Sergeant Major was promoted and became the named General called Urzor.

Urzor decided to buck the Cobra tradition of hiding his face. Of the men in the Flying Scorpion's cadre, only the character portrayed by the 1993 Firefly covers his face. (That is due to necessity as he is a fast attack commander and often rides in the front of uncovered, fast attack vehicles.) Urzor decided to follow the trend and allow his face to be seen for the first time in his Cobra career. As he is a veteran combat trooper, he shows some of his age and this head sculpt allows the story to flow right into this figure. With his new promotion, Urzor still works with the Chinese Major Bludd character, but he is a full field general and no longer simply relays orders from his superiors. With Urzor firmly in place, the Flying Scorpion character has another trusted associate who can carry out his plans without fear of being compromised by backstabbers in the more traditional Cobra hierarchy.

Urzor is a straight repaint of the American Repeater. The mold was used twice in the US before it was sent on to Brazil. In South American, Estrela released the mold twice: once as Retaguarda and then as Urzor. Retaguarda is a slight repaint of Repeater and is a fairly difficult figure to track down. Urzor is the more significant repaint that features the affiliation change and is much easier to find. After the use of the mold for Urzor, the Repeater tooling has not been seen again. As it was likely that Urzor was produced around 1993 or so, it is fairly safe to say that mold is lost in Brazil and will simply never be available for the modern repaint line.

Quality wise, Brazilian figures are just about on par with American releases. They are, though, more brittle. It is something you can feel when you handle one. The plastic squeaks when you first turn the joints and arm swivels can often be frozen. Broken thumbs are a common affliction of Estrela produced Joe toys and when you handle a figure, you can feel why. Very rarely do I put a gun in any Brazilian figure's hand. The purple version of Spearhead's gun that is included with Urzor is an accessory that I will have hang by its strap, but not one that I will put in his hand. I just fear breakage and look for accessories with smaller handles and smooth grips to use with my Brazilian Joes.

As Brazilian exclusive figures go, Urzor (along with the rest of the Forca Fera figures) are about the cheapest and easiest to acquire. Even MOC, you can get them for under $25. For whatever reason, they are out there in quantities that the collecting market has yet to truly absorb. You can often find these figures from American as well as Brazilian sources. As figures, I've found Urzor and Tigor to be worth their price. Both of them see use in my collection and continue to play important roles. I like figures that are unencumbered with almost 20 years of Joe "canon" behind them and are free to be developed in any way you wish. To that end, Urzor is a great figure. He has the look of a traditional soldier that Cobra is really lacking. Yet, he is still different enough to not be confused with the American figure with whom he shares a mold. If you are looking to expand your collection with Brazilian figures, I would recommend starting with the Forca Fera set. The figures are usable and even affordable. It's pretty hard to beat that combination!

As you can see, I have an Urzor. I also have a Tigor. Neither Kangor or Leontor interest me. However, if you have a Corrosao, Marujo, Marfim, Reptil Do Ar, Albatroz, or Asa Negra figure available, email me.

1989 Night Force Repeater

I've avoided most of the Night Force figures for a variety of reasons. The primary reason, though, is that I only own three of them, and of those three, only my Repeater is in any kind of shape to be profiled. While I would like to have the entire set of Night Force figures, in fact, it was one of my goals this year to add 3 new ones, I just can't seem to have any luck when it comes to acquiring them. As the end of the year approaches, I'm facing the reality that many of my goals will go unfulfilled. However, 2000 has been a smashing success and, as of now, is my best Joe year ever. I more than doubled the size of my collection. Joes returned to retail shelves. And, I completed enough of my goals so that I no longer have any "Holy Grail" figure without which I can't live.

Repeater was always a cool figure. By the time he came out, though, I was, for the most part, out of Joe collecting. Sure, I picked up a couple of the '88 figures like Hit and Run, as well as Hardball and the Tiger Force Roadblock, but I had mostly let the Joe portion of my life pass me by. My youngest brother, though, was still buying up many Joes. One of the figures he had was the original Repeater. Being younger, though, he quickly broke many of the this figure's accessories. While this shouldn't have mattered to me, I still couldn't help myself and would, from time to time, break out some of my Joes. When I did this, I always grabbed a few of my brother's newer figures since they were ones I didn't have. Repeater was very cool and I wanted to use him. Since his weapons were gone, though, I had to improvise and gave this guy the '82 Rock and Roll's M-60 instead. It was a perfect fit.

Since Repeater was a figure I only got to use sparingly, when I returned to Joe collecting, I wanted to pick up a mint, complete specimen. Once I did so, though, I found him lacking. His bland color scheme just didn't look right compared to the other figures I had taken to using. Just about a year ago, though, I picked up the Night Force Repeater in a large lot. Once I had him, the problems I had with the original version's color scheme was solved. Now, the Night Force Repeater is Repeater in my collection. The original is tucked away and rarely sees the light of day while the Night Force version currently stands on my CORPS! assault vehicle along with many of most used Joes like Low Light, Falcon, Crankcase, Stalker, and Big Ben. He fits in very nicely with this montage and has managed to keep himself among my most used Joes for just about a year. Very few figures are able to claim a distinction like that.

Many collectors disdain the Night Force concept. After all, the entire subset was just full of repaints. However, in many of these cases, I consider the repainted Night Force figure to be superior to the original. Repeater is a prime example. While the original is very nice, this version adds a bit more color that makes the overall presentation that much nicer. On many of the figures, most notable Outback, Crazylegs, Sneek Peek, and Spearhead, the Night Force showed what a good mold that had originally been given a bad color scheme could be turned into. Others, like Falcon and Tunnel Rat, really didn't improve upon their original incarnations. This is what makes the Night Force subset problematic. It is full of great repaints, but also figures who didn't really need any attempts at improvement. For this reason, there is a small camp of collectors who don't like this subset. Personally, I thought that many of the figures are done well. I would take a Night Force Crazylegs over the original any day. The subset, though, was overdone. Had it been left to six or eight figures and none of the neon and black vehicle repaints, I think it would have been much better. While Hasbro is currently repainting existing molds and releasing them as new figures, I think they would do well to go back to the Night Force subset and look at what worked. I don't think we need a dozen figures dressed in all black, but one or two who were properly done and neither one of whom is Snake Eyes would be a welcome addition to the 2001 Joe line.

All of the Night Force figures are tough to find. They don't appear all that often, and even more seldom appear complete. They are also highly sought after by many collectors. All this adds up to an expensive bunch of figures. These guys are the most expensive subset in the entire line. While I'll let you decide if they are worth the money or not, I've found that shelling out in excess of $40 for a mint, complete Night Force figure is just too much. Quite simply, they aren't that rare. However, the Night Force Repeater and Shockwave were available as a mail in near the line's demise. As such, these two figures aren't nearly as difficult to locate as the other members of the subset. Of course, these two figures didn't come with the regular Night Force accessories. Fortunately, both of their primary guns are easily available in black with other figures. In fact, the figure you see here is from the mail in and is outfitted with a spare Repeater's gun. Once I can find a pack, then I'm set. However, I don't see myself adding any new Night Force figures anytime soon. They are just too expensive for me to justify.

I need this guy's pack. If you can help, email me.