Fuego - Argentine Exclusive Ripcord

In 1984, my youngest brother got two Ripcord figures.  I'm not sure why he got two of them.  And, I'm not sure why he never got any other 1984 figures aside from those two Ripcords.  But, his acquisitions brought Ripcord into my childhood collection.  And, as I was loathe to use multiples of the same Joes, it also brought a second set of his parachute gear into my adventures where they were then used on Airborne, Duke and even Flint as they took second fiddle in the Skystriker.  Ripcord, though, had trouble staying near the top of the play list.  Once I removed his parachute pack, Ripcord was kind of plain.  While it didn't make sense to have Ripcord traipsing around the bush while wearing his parachute and airmask, I didn't find the figure all that cool sans these accouterments.  

So, Ripcord kind of fell to the wayside.  Until he appeared as a major player in the comic, that is.  As Ripcord's importance to the comic story grew, I brought the figure back around.  Ripcord found new importance to me and continued to be an often used figure through 1986 where he joined the Tomahawk crew.  One of my great disappointments as a kid was finding how lame Crazylegs was when compared to Ripcord.  The later paratrooper simply didn't match up.  Fifteen years later, though, I found a figure that did.  And, it was simply a slight repaint of Ripcord who breathed some new life into the Ripcord mold and made me appreciate the original figure all over again.  That variant is the Plastirama Fuego figure that was released in Argentina.

The Plastirama figures were a relatively small line of Joe figures released in Argentina.  While there are a few very significant coloring and mold combination exclusives in the line, the bulk of it was slight repaints of Hasbro paint jobs.  This was mostly so that the foreign companies could repurpose marketing materials that Hasbro had created for their markets.  But, it also created a bunch of slight variants that offer modern collectors slightly different looks for many of their line's early, classic characters.  Among them was Ripcord.  The Plastirama variant features different greens from the Hasbro figure as well as nice, blue cammo.  The main calling card, though, is that Fuego features flesh colored hands.  He is the only version of Ripcord released anywhere in the world that is not wearing gloves.  Usually, I prefer gloves.  But, in this case, the figure having uncovered hands allows for a different look for the Ripcord character, even if it's slight.

And, really, that's how I use him.  I like Ripcord and try to include him in various photos.  Having the Brazilian, Hasbro and Argentine versions allows for some diversity when he appears in various backgrounds and scenes.  The colors of this Plastirama release, though, really pop and they are the brightest and most vibrant of all the Ripcord variants.  The quality, though, isn't great and I'm leery of putting the rifle in his hand.  But, since he was used to cheap, the quality was less important than the visuals that the figure offered.  

Fuego includes all of the gear from the original Ripcord.  Though, there are significant differences that let the two sets of accessories stand on their own.  Fuego's pack is cast in a greyish-brown color that does not match the figure.  It is a color unique to Argentina and actually works with the repainted Ripcord figure named Sokerk.  His helmet is the same as the classic Ripcord.  But, it is cast in a glossy black.  It is shiny and easy to distinguish from other uses of the helmet mold.  The mask is tougher to discern.  But, it tends to be rigid and shiny as well.  Finally, Fuego's rifle is cast in black.  The Auriken release from Mexico also has a near black rifle.  American collectors are aware of the dark version of the gun from the Tactical Battle Platform.  And, the Gatilho figure from Brazil also includes a blackish version of the gun.  But, Fuego's rifle, once again, is defined by the sheen.  It is a very glossy weapon that is unique to Argentina.  In an age when loose figures from childhood collections defined foreign Joes that were imported to the US, these distinctions would be crucial.  But, since most of the Fuegos in the hands of collectors came via opened carded samples from the Plastirama warehouse find in the late 1990's/early 2000's, most of the figures you see out there will include the correct gear.

Ripcord appeared all over the world.  Yet, despite that fact, there are really only two major versions of the character.  After the figure's use by Hasbro, he was planned for release in the 1988 Tiger Force subset.  Unfortunately, the mold had already been sent away.  So, the mock up Tiger Force Ripcord never saw production and we're left with a couple of catalog images of what the figure might have looked like.  (I often wonder how we'd view Ripcord had the Tiger Force version been released.  It's pretty likely that the figure would, today, command a premium over even the original Ripcord figure.)  From there, the Ripcord mold appeared as Fumaca in Brazil, as Soga in Mexico and then as Fuego in Argentina.  All of these figures are based on the appearance of the Hasbro original: though they all have differences among them.  Ripcord was used twice more, though as new characters in each instance.  In Argentina, Ripcord's mold was used as the second, later and more common Sokerk figure.  And, in Brazil, he was turned into a Cobra and released as Relampago in the Python Patrol subset.  Ripcord's absence was a large hole in the 2000's as collectors would have gobbled up any repaint.  But, there are a lot of Ripcord figures to track down...even if most of them are very similar.  Hasbro finally released a new Ripcord in 2023 as part of the Haslab Skystriker.  This Night Force Ripcord looks great, but has poor quality, especially on the gear.  Maybe we'll someday get a repaint of it and finally see a Tiger Force release.

Time was, MOC Fuego figures were stupidly cheap.  You could buy individual figures for under $5 and you could buy up lots of a half a dozen figures for just a couple of bucks per fig.  Fuego was among the least popular Plastirama releases.  And, his lack of popularity continues today.  You'll probably pay around $25 for a carded figure.  Though, you might find loose versions for less if you have the patience.  Figures in COPS boxes tend to be a bit more popular.  Though, those are desirable for the packaging and the figures in the window are less important unless they are one of the ninjas or TNT.  For the money, this figure doesn't make a lot of sense.  You can get a mint and complete American Ripcord for about the same price as a carded Fuego and Ripcord is a better figure and is higher quality.  But, Fuego's unique coloring does make him distinctive and the lack of gloves is a fun update to a classic figure.  I'm a sucker for foreign versions of characters that are barely repaints of the original.  So, I probably get a lot more value out of figures like Fuego than most collectors.  But, I also got him at a time when he was cheaper to buy than retail Joes put out by Hasbro.  So, your mileage on this figure will likely vary from mine.

2022 SDCC Carded Skystriker Figures

I was really hoping these figures would be released on the old resealable bubble cards that were used for convention figures.  You'll have to tear up the cards to get a set of loose figures, which is what I'm after.  So, that kind of sucks for loose collectors.  

The artwork on the never before carded figures looks pretty weak, though.  It's similar to the fan art inspired stuff we see on Super7 cards.  It's definitely lost the feel of the vintage work.  It's just a bunch of guys (and one girl) standing around.  Meh.  These will definitely look out of place among either vintage carded figures and even the 2022 releases that were based on the standard vintage artwork.

But, these will resell for stupid amounts.  I'm guessing over $300 easy for the Cobra Commander, maybe higher if the vintage market hasn't cratered by the time this is released.  But, man, is his artwork weak.  It's really amazing how much the Ripcord artwork (which is based on the vintage) stands out among the rest of the statues.

HasLab Skystriker

I will preface with the fact that I am not a big fan of HasLab.  In general, it's a way for Hasbro to overcharge for a toy and assume absolutely minimal risk.  They take our money, sit on it for a year or more and then ship out an overpriced toy.  The upside to it is that you do get some offerings that would never be supported at retail.  But, paying $250 for an item that would sell for under $100 at a retail store is a tough pill to swallow.  The collectible toy market, though, is in a place where people are both willing and able to overspend for items that they want.  Hasbro realized this and is capitalizing on it.  I can't blame them.  I don't like it.  Yet, I'm about to drop $230 for the latest HasLab offering, the Skystriker.

I'm not a huge Skystriker fan.  While the plane looks great, the reality is that it's large, difficult to play with and takes up a huge footprint on display.  Despite all that, it does look amazing on display.  And, this new version (to ship in 2023!!!!) is only meant as a display piece.  It includes a stand.  But, everything about it is meant not as a toy but a piece of decor for an office, rec room or other such place in a collector's home.  Again, I'm not big on that.  I love Joe because they are toys.  

For me, though, the real value is in the figures.  The initial backing includes two figures: a rehash of the 1983 Ace and an all new co-pilot figure.

Ace figures are neither hard to find nor expensive.  So, I would have liked something on his paint apps to set him apart from the original.  But, as an homage piece, anything other than the original Ace coloring would have seemed out of place.  It's certain that these figures will be all new sculpts, likely based on the originals.  The real gem, though, is the co-pilot figure.  Not yet named, this mold is light years ahead of the new ARAH-style pieces Hasbro tried to scupt in the 2000's.  He has Ripcord's head.  So, it's tough to see him as anyone except Ripcord.  But, the chest looks pretty good.  I do not like the painted faces.  They look weird and are easy to chip and rub, even just in storage.  And, helmets, like the co-pilots, wreak havoc on painted faces.  So, I do hope that's something that changes prior to production.

Hasbro has to sell 10,000 of these for the Skystriker and the 2 figures to happen.  That is all but a certainty to happen.  Beyond that, though, Hasbro went ahead and revealed three other tiers right off the bat.  And, I will say that it's good that they did.  With just the plane and 2 figures, I would have been hesitant.  But, the possibility of 6 figures makes me all in.

The first tier figure is a flight suit Scarlett.  Coming available at 13,000 units, she is also all but guaranteed to be released.  It's an odd figure, Scarlett in Ace's flightsuit.  But, it's something different and the coloring isn't something you've really seen in the Joe line.  And, she'll be $80+ within a year of this thing's release.

The next tier brings us Ripcord.  At 16,000 backers, I'd put Ripcord at about 90% certainty to happen.  This is supposed to be a "Night Force" Ripcord.  As my friend RTG said, this figure looks like an early 2000's custom figure.  But, it is Ripcord.  And, fans have been clamoring for a new Ripcord since the early 2000's.  The figure is relatively bland.  But, the parachute rig really helps him.  Not being Duke also really helps him.  And, again, this is going to be an expensive aftermarket purchase.

The final tier brings us the army builders of this project.  For the first time ever, Hasbro is making flight crew.  The yellow and red figures are nothing special.  But, also something that every USS Flagg owner will love.  You see the re-use of the Ripcord legs and arms.  But, they appear to have new chests and heads.  The digital renderings kind of make them look like CORPS! figures.  But, I suspect they'll be decent enough.  And, considering their role, will fit perfectly for their intended purpose.

The Skystriker also includes a re-fueling and ammo vehicle.  Again, this is a little something extra that's sure to spur rumours of a HasLab Flagg is the Skystriker does well.  The vehicles are pretty cool.  Joe has always needed a missile rack to carry around re-loads for aircraft.  And the fuel vehicle is also something that's useful outside of the deck of an aircraft carrier.  For the money, that's a nice add on.

Below are more pictures of the Skystriker from the Hasbro promo images.  For $230, this thing is expensive.  But, it's also a reseller's dream.  The vehicles will recoup some money.  But, the figures alone are guaranteed to be at least $300 or more on the aftermarket.  And, the plane itself will sell for a premium.  That's why I think this will reach the 18,000 backers without issue.  While there aren't a ton of Joe fans, there are enough.  And, many people will buy two of these.  The resellers will pounce, too.  And, speculators know that HasLab's like this tend to appreciate pretty well.

In the end, this Skystriker was a surprise.  It's a low risk offering that's sure to find a market.  While not my choice, it's also fine and something I'm going to buy.  That's the first time I've said that about a high dollar Hasbro item in decades.  Let me know your thoughts on the Skystriker in the comments.

Diorama - Eel In Training

We had a bit of early winter rain.  Overnight, it turned cold and the ground water froze.  We then got a light dusting of snow.  I liked the idea of Arctic training for the Eels and thought of having them break through the ice.  Rather than attacking the Joes, I turned the table and had the Joe surprise the trainees.  I was hoping to get some better photos of Airborne.  But, none of those turned out.  The plan was to use the pics for a Duke profile, too.  But, I only ended up getting his back.  Still, this was a fun set to set up and take as the weather wasn't too bad, but the setting made it look like it was.

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

Fumaca - Brazilian Exclusive Ripcord

Through the years, I've profiled hundreds of G.I. Joe figures.  In that time, I've hit on both major characters and minor bit players.  One niche I have found to be particularly enjoyable, though, is finding an obscure version of a major character, especially if that obscure version is from a country outside of the U.S.  Such is the case with Fumaca.  At his core, this is just Ripcord from Brazil.  But, the reality is that the figure is distinctly different from the American and Argentine releases of the mold.  The result is a figure that is extremely cool, even if he's something that, on the surface, appears to be commonplace.

Fumaca is a much deeper green and blue than the American Ripcord figure.  Really, that's his most notable difference.  But, visually, it is major as the figure is very distinct from the Hasbro released figure.  Brazilian figures have a distinct shade of green that is mostly seen on their accessories.  But, Fumaca uses that color as his base.  The darker green gives Fumaca a more visually attractive look and really draws the eye to him when displayed among his contemporaries.

Fumaca includes the full complement of Ripcord's accessories.  The helmet and mask are cast in the standard black.  The plastic is of Brazilian quality, though, and the mask tends to be a bit more fragile than the American version.  The parachute and gun, though, different shades of green.  I wrote before of a "Brazilian Green" and these accessories fall into that description.  Estrela used a specific shade of green for their figure accessories.  It is darker and deeper than the green used on 1984 American accessories.  Estrela used this color, though, on all their green accessories produced in the line.  It is the same color used for Spirit, Recondo, Hawk, Footloose and many other figures in the Estrela line.  I find this green to be much more interesting than the Hasbro green used in 1984 and it really helps to make the figures pop even beyond the slight differences in figure color.

For me, Ripcord has always been a figure whose gear made him vital to a collection.  Without the parachute and mask, Ripcord would be relatively unused as the mold, sans accessories, is somewhat bland.  But, that's the genius of the figure.  With the accessories, Ripcord is a must have.  Without them, it's a bland figure, but still good enough to keep around.  As a kid, I always had Ripcord in his full gear.  Even when part of a patrol who had miles of ground to cover, Ripcord wore his parachute and mask.  I liked the look and always felt the mask gave him an edge if Cobra dropped a gas grenade on the Joes.

The Ripcord mold got a lot of use throughout the world.  After his release in the U.S. in 1984, he was shipped of South America.  There, he was released as Fuego by Plastirama in Argentina and Fumaca in Brazil.  In Argentina, Plastirama also used the mold in tan for some versions of their Sokerk figure.  In Brazil, Estrela painted Ripcord in Python Patrol colors and released him as a Cobra named Relampago.  In 1988, Ripcord was slated to be a charter member of Tiger Force in the U.S.  Painted mock ups of the figure even appeared in advertisements for Tiger Force.  But, due to the mold's continued use in South America, Hasbro did not have the actual figure available to them.  So, Ripcord fans are treated to mostly foreign releases of the mold to sate their desires for differently painted Ripcord variants.

Fumaca's aren't terribly hard to find.  They were very common in Brazil and many survived to this day.  Getting one mint and complete, though, is a bit of a challenge.  The paint wears easily and Fumaca's thumbs are notoriously brittle.  As such, it can take some time to find a mint specimen.  But, even mint and complete with filecard Fumaca's sell for under $20.  Now, you may pay an additional $15 to ship one from Brazil.  But, the overall price isn't terrible when you consider that the figure has enough differences from the American version to be noticeable by eye alone.  Personally, I enjoy the foreign figures that are similar to their American counterparts.  They give me an opportunity to appreciate a classic mold in a slightly different way.  As the vastness of any collection grows, that is something of value.

Sokerk - Argentine Exclusive

In 1999 and early 2000, Joe figures from Argentina were incredibly scarce in the U.S. Ninja-Ku's sold for $300-$400 a piece for carded specimens. Even straight up reissues of American molds were incredibly hard to find. Then, in the early fall of 2000, Argentinian Joes began to appear with great regularity on the American second hand market. Figures like Airborne, Sgt. Slaughter, Alpine, Blowtorch, Doc, Ripcord, Sparta, Destro, Ninja Ku, Satan, Storm Shadow, and Sokerk suddenly became very affordable and easily acquired in the U.S. While I'm not often one to be high on some of these Argentine issues, I am also not one who lets a good deal pass him by. For just about nothing, I picked up Sparta (a Cover Girl repaint with unique card art), Destro, Ripcord and the figure I am now profiling: Sokerk.

Apparently, there are two versions of Sokerk. One version is actually the Tan Grunt. The figure matches the card art. The second version, and the one that seems to be more prevalent right now, is the one you see here. It is a straight repaint of the Ripcord mold that has been recolored to more closely match the tan uniform you see on the card art. Frankly, this feature was simply a bonus. You see, I purchased the figure just for the card art. I like things that weren't available in the U.S. Since the Tan Grunt figure was never available on the card here, I seized the opportunity to pick up one of the foreign versions that was. It was just a happy coincidence that the figure I bought happened to be the repainted Ripcord. For once, I got doubly lucky. I managed to acquire not only unique card art, but a unique figure as well.

I will quickly admit that I am not anywhere near an authority on South American Joes. In fact, I know very little about them. However, I do know that the series of which Sokerk was part seems to be fairly plentiful. There is an earlier series of Argentine Joes that features straight armed figures that are very unique repaints from their American versions. Figures like Topson, Shimik, and the legendary Cobra Mortal are among the scarcest Joe figures ever produced in any country. In fact, in the years that I've been buying Joes online, I have never, ever seen any figure from that original Argentine assortment offered for sale. While Brazilian figures like the Cobra De-Aco and Cobra Invasor seem to appear several times every year, these original Argentine figures are impossible to find. I would run for cover should a gem like a Cobra Mortal ever appear for sale in a public forum. My guess is that his sale price would shame even those of the 1995 prototypes that have found their way to the second hand market.

Frankly, I like Sokerk. The figure is a very nice take on the classic American figure. In fact, it was only through careful scrutiny that I was able to determine this to be the same mold as Ripcord. The colorations are that different that you would never know they were the same mold. The one problem with this guy, though, is that the paint job sucks. I don't think the Argentines were as careful with paint mask and attention to quality as their American counterparts. For that reason, this figure looks terrible. It's no fault of anyone's, save the manufacturer. This is a common problem with early South American Joes and it takes away from the figure. I was once planning to open both Sokerk and Sparta. After seeing them, though, I decided that it just made no sense to do so. The quality of the figure is so low that taking them off the card would make them useless. It is unfortunate, though, as I would have liked to have had Sokerk available in loose form for various missions. I think he and Sparta both would have helped expound the interest in some basic dioramas I was planning. At any rate, though, he will remain as one of the few carded figures in my collection if only for the fact that I currently like him that way.

Were I writing this profile even one year ago, I would tell you how Sokerk was a very difficult figure to find in the U.S. and a carded version of him would probably cost $40-$70. Now, the story is very different. Sokerks are very easy to find and they are pretty cheap. Sure, a few MOC specimens still fetch $20-$25, but that is usually due to uninformed buyers. It is much more common for this figure to sell in the $12-$15 range for a MOC figure. At that price, he is a great acquisition. Sokerk offers you the opportunity to add a unique foreign figure with unique card art to your collection without setting you back an entire collecting year's budget. However, I would take advantage of Sokerk's availability now. The supply of these guys that has made its way to the U.S. could dry up. Collectors are slowly absorbing Sokerk and his other brethren. I would imagine that in a few years, figures like Sokerk will be a tougher find once again. At his current price levels, though, even if this guy became more common, he is still attractive. It's getting very hard to find any American Joes MOC for under $10. As more and more collectors move away from loose collections and into the carded realm, I would think this will remain the case. Having a figure like Sokerk gives your collection some individuality and provides some relief from the monotony of American Joes. At any rate, I enjoy this figure and see myself keeping him for a long time. I think you will find he fits into your collection very nicely as well.

Sokerk's cool, but I don't want any more. Frankly, I don't really know if I want any more Argentine figures. Well, unless you've got a Shimik, Topson, or Cobra Mortal you want to get rid of for cheap! ;-> At any rate, what is your opinion of the South American Joes? Let me know.

1984 Ripcord

I've said before that sometimes an accessory does a figure make. Never is that thought more demonstrated than by the 1984 Ripcord and his parachute pack and mask accessory. They alone make the figure worth getting. The fact that the Ripcord figure, if a bit plain, is also very nice just adds to the overall satisfaction this figure can offer a collection.

Back in 1984, a buddy of mine managed to snag most of the '84 Joes very early when his family went out to California. He wowed us all with not only the catalog of what was to come that year, but also several new, fabulous Joes. Among those, Ripcord really stood out. Most of us had gotten the Skystriker the year before. The parachutes that came with that plane, though, were kind of lame. Still, my friends and I all wanted a parachute trooper who could jump out of the plane. Most of us had gotten by with Airborne. When we saw Ripcord, though, we all had to get him. Of course, this made the figure nearly impossible to find. I remember going to a K Mart in Chillicothe, Ohio that summer. They only had 2 Joe figures. One was Recondo, the other was Ripcord. Of course, being K Mart, the Ripcord was torn open and someone had stolen all of his accessories. I had to settle for Recondo. The reason I was in Chillicothe, though, was because my youngest brother was visiting my grandparents in Dayton, Ohio. Imagine my surprise when we went to pick up my brother and I discovered my grandparents had bought him not one, but two Ripcords! Needless to say, I quickly commandeered them both and put them to immediate use.

The Ripcord figure has always been, at least to me, rather plain when you are missing his chute pack and mask. He is in a very nice camo pattern and works great for forest or jungle missions, but he was just too plain to use without his gear. Since I had 2 of the figure, though, I often gave the second pack to another figure that was more fun to use once the chute was off. Still, Ripcord was a staple of most of my missions. His gear enabled him to be used in all sorts of situations. He was either the guy who was stranded behind enemy lines and had to be rescued, or was the last minute cavalry who would fall out of the sky to save the day. Either way, he was a figure that I used extensively. I loved green camo figures. I've always liked, and still like, to have multiples of these types of figures. For some reason, though, I have only recently added a new Ripcord to my collection. It was quite by accident, but I was very pleased to have another one. He is a nice figure to have.

Ripcord had quite a run in the comic. He was the focal point for many issues. I think this exposure helped keep him around in my collection. I most often had him jumping off the Dragonfly skids rather than parachuting from a Skystriker. I always had more fun with the helicopters rather than the planes. The original Dragonfly was great, but the Tomahawk copter is one of my three favorite vehicles of all time. With vehicles like this, figures like Ripcord could really be utilized. I think that Joes most enduring feature is that it was a fully accessorized line. The figures were great, but wouldn't have enjoyed the success they did had there not been the full complement of vehicles to accompany them.

The Ripcord mold got quite a worldwide workout. After he was released in the US, Ripcord was sent to Argentina where he was released in brighter green as Fuego. The mold was then painted tan and used for the excellently done Sokerk figure. After that, the mold went on to Brazil. There, Ripcord was also released in colors similar to his American figure. In 1988, Hasbro intended Ripcord to be a member of Tiger Force. A hand painted mock up of the Tiger Force Ripcord appeared in some toy advertisements. However, as the mold was in South America, Ripcord never got a chance to be repainted in the US. However, the mold was not quite done. Around 1991, Estrela repainted the Ripcord mold as a Cobra in Python Patrol colors named Relampago. After that, the mold disappeared and it is likely that the Ripcord tooling was forever lost in South America.

Ripcords are getting tougher to find. The parachute pack and mask were made of soft plastic that easily tears, especially over time. He also has a brittle crotch that is often broken. It is nearly impossible to find a sample that doesn't have at least some paint wear on the hands. That being the case, near mint, complete Ripcords are starting to get pricey. While he is certainly not at the price point of Storm Shadow or Firefly from the same year, this guy is still going to set you back a little more than many of his other contemporaries. That's really too bad, as this figure really lends himself to army building. If you have the cash, I recommend picking up a couple of these guys. I love having extra masks and chute packs. It's just a shame that they were never offered in any other way. The accessories, though, make the figure worth having. Ripcord is one of a handful of non ball headed figures to still be used in my collection. I think you will find he is one of the few figures in the line who was truely timeless and was never improved upon.

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