1991 Super Sonic Fighters Rock and Roll - Around The Web

The Super Sonic Fighters Rock and Roll is one of those figures that, on the surface, seems bad.  But, upon a deeper review, it's a surprisingly good figure.  The base colors are amazing.  The orange is a lot of fun, too.  His gear is excellently sculpted and should be more popular.  In total, he's an underappreciated gem from later in the line.  Here's some of the best of him from around the web.

1991 Super Sonic Fighters Rock and Roll Profile

1991 Rock and Roll by corpscommandercody

1991 Rock and Roll by thedragonfortress

1991 Rock and Roll by ronnie_trickshot

1991 Rock and Roll by slipstream80

1991 Rock and Roll by thedustinmccoy

1991 Rock and Roll by 1990s_gi_joes

Funskool Rock and Roll - Rarities

1991 Rock and Roll by fun_time_at_serpentorslair

1991 Rock and Roll by sintechness

1991 Rock and Roll by relena_warcraft

1991 Rock and Roll by ptytoys2021

1991 Rock and Roll by 73larebear

Rarities - Funskool Rock and Roll

As Funskool figures become famous in the early 2000's, it lead to a trailblazing group of collectors whose mission it was to track down earlier Funskool releases.  In their acquisitions, it appeared that an unpopular repaint of the 1989 Rock and Roll was one of the more difficult figures to track down from India.  In the ensuing decades, the figure became more common.  But, it has remained a mostly obscure pre-mass import Funskool offering.

This figure is based on the 1991 Super Sonic Fighters repaint of Rock and Roll.  It has a few key differences.  First, the backpack does not create sound.  Second, the figure's weapons are a lighter tan color than the Hasbro figure.  And, finally, this figure also includes the Shotgun that appeared on the Hasbro card art in 1991 but, was completely missing from the actual figure release.

We'll start by looking at some carded figures of the Rock and Roll.  As you can see, the packaging art is the same as the Hasbro release of the figure.  However, the artwork is cropped differently so that it fits on the smaller cardbacks that were Funskool standards.

 

Below are some close ups of the figure and his accessories.  The actual figure is fairly similar to the Hasbro release of the same figure.  This is likely due to the cartoon reruns airing in India during the time of this figure's release that featured this look for the classic Rock and Roll character.  Of course, the figure is slightly different from the Hasbro version.  And, it's likely there are slight color variants among Rock and Roll figures released in India over the various production years.

The big difference is in the figure's gear.  While this Rock and Roll does include the sonic backpack from the Hasbro figure, the electronics and sound from the pack have been removed.  So, you get all of the size of the buffoonish pack without that pesky extra weight.

Rock and Roll includes the large machine gun, weapon stand and mortar from the Hasbro release.  They are in a nice, medium brown color that's probably preferable to the Hasbro colors of these stronger than you might realize weapons.  However, the figure includes one other piece that was included with the Hasbro mintings of this figure: the 1989 shotgun.  This weapon appears on the Hasbro card artwork.  But, it was not included with the Hasbro figure.  But, it is here on the Funskool release.

What's also odd is that the other weapons that were included with the 1989 Rock and Roll were also released in India with other figures.  The twin gatling cannons, backpack and ammo belts were used on various figures through the years.  They were continued on figures produced in the 2000's and not returned to Hasbro with this mold.

Below you will a couple of cardbacks for this figure.  One was made in 1996 and other in 1997.  This was kind of a dark period of Funskool releases when modern collectors started to chase down Funskool variants.  It has since become more understood.  But, this Rock and Roll was discontinued in the 1990's.

And, that leads to the most interesting part of the story.  It seems that when Hasbro recalled molds in 1997 or so, this Rock and Roll was among them.  With the mold in hand, though, Hasbro didn't rush to use it.  (Which is odd considering how terrible the 1997 Hasbro Rock and Roll figure is.)  They did, though, finally plan to use the mold with the 2001 HQ.  The figure in the set is even called Rock and Roll.  However, Hasbro returned the mold to Funskool before it could be used.  With the mold back in hand, Funskool planned to release a new paint job on Rock and Roll as a brand new figure for their line in 2003 or 2004.  But, the Funskool line was cancelled before it came to be and this 1990's figure remains the only Rock and Roll released in India.

Today, this figure remains expensive, especially if you want him complete.  But, he is findable and the days of there being only a handful of them in the collecting community are two decades in the past.  As an oddity, this figure is fun.  His gear is better than Hasbro's.  So, that's something worth tracking down.  But, really, no one cares much for this look for Rock and Roll.  So, the figure remains fairly obscure, even today.

1983 Battle Gear #1

After Christmas of 1982, I owned four G.I. Joe figures.  But, between Snake Eyes, Clutch, Hawk and Breaker, I had just one gun.  Three of the four figures did not include weapons.  This greatly limited my play options.  I went so far as to find an HO-scale coupler for train cars that kind of looked like a pistol and used it for Breaker.  I desperately wanted additional accessories so that all my figures could not only have at least one weapon, but even a choice of some of my favorite weapon designs.  My wishes came true one day when we were in Buffalo, visiting my grandparents.  We were there for a short trip early in the year.  We hadn't taken many toys, confirming the trip was shorter than our normal week.  But, when out shopping, I found a new pack of G.I. Joe accessories at a local store.  It was the original Battle Gear pack.

The pack was cheap enough that my mother bought one for both my younger brother and I.  With these weapons, I now had the ability to give Clutch a visor as well as offering a spare Uzi to Breaker.  I could choose any weapons I wanted for Hawk and Clutch, too.  Of course, Clutch got Stalker's M-32.  But, I also added some accessories to the VAMP.  The new Breaker headset would fit behind the seat with the wire tucked into the seam between the seat and the bottom of the vehicle.  So, this allowed for anyone riding shotgun in the VAMP to be able to communicate with the rest of the team.  I also placed a spare Uzi on the same spot.  This way, the VAMP had a backup small arm if it crashed or just ran out of gas.  Hawk, well, I learned a hard lesson with him.  I tried to get Grunt's M-16 into his hands and it immediately snapped his thumb.  That was the end of that Hawk figure.  And, it's part of what pushed me back to Star Wars figures as 1983 crept on.  

The odd thing about the Battle Gear pack was that the accessories were colored differently from those included with figures.  The weapons themselves are a lighter grey color than the original gear.  Even in 1983, I could easily tell the difference between the Battle Gear and original weapons.  But, the weapons are close enough in color to be useful.  The visors are identical to the originals, though.  The helmets and backpacks, though, were very different.  The helmets were dark brown and did not match any figure.  The packs, though, were worse.  They were a tan color.  Again, they matched no figures until the 1983 Falcon Glider Grunt was released.  There was no explanation for the color changes.  In fact, the 1983 promo catalog showed original gear in the set.  So, the color change was a later decision that was never explained.  

The 1983 Battle Gear set includes every accessory from the 1982 line.  There are 4 visors, two Uzis and even Snake Eyes' ammo pack.  There were three exceptions, though.  Short Fuze's mortar and stand were omitted as was Zap's bazooka.  These three pieces would later show up in white in the 1984 Battle Gear set.  But, again, there was no explanation as to why they weren't included.  It was made weirder by the fact that their shared backpack was included with the 1983 set.  The fact that both those accessories underwent design changes could explain it.  But, both the 1982 Snake Eyes Uzi and Stalker M-32 are different from the 1983 releases of both accessories.  So, other weapons were modified, too.  The exclusion of these weapons remains a mystery nearly 40 years later.

The biggest new feature of the Battle Gear set is the battle stands.  These little rectangles of plastic brought a whole new element to Joe collecting.  The stands allowed kids to pose their figures and stand them up in any pose they desired.  The Battle Gear included two stands.  Starting in 1984, differently colored stands would be included with several small playsets.  By 1993, every figure included a stand on their weapon tree.  This ingenious idea allowed kids to display figures.  But, it also allowed them to put their toys away on a shelf using vertical space and keeping their gear on.  

In the early days of Joe collecting, the ubiquity of 1983 Battle Gear weapons allowed customizers to accessorize their creations with great aplomb.  They were free to paint, slice up and otherwise modify the Battle Gear weapons without worrying about their original accessories.  For dealers, though, the 1983 Battle Gear provided a great way to bilk unsuspecting collectors out of their hard earned money by offering them as original gear with original 13 figures.  Even today, you'll see many seller "mistake" Battle Gear weapons for the original.  But, the colors are blatantly different and there's no excuse for any mistakes by a seller.  

The value to a collector today is that this Battle Gear is an excellent option to properly outfit factory custom figures.  Many of Red Laser Army's figures are obvious homages to various foreign and unproduced characters from the Joe line's earliest days.  They, though, lacked gear that was a perfect match for them.  Battle Gear allows you to give these characters the weapons they deserve.  And, while the 1983 helmets and packs aren't great for many figures, the weapons are a great way to update the homages.  Having some cheap alternatives for that purpose is a definite plus.

Back in the early 2000's, before people got stupid with Joe prices, it was relatively easy to put together a small team of original 13 figures in a tan style.  With Grunt, Clutch and Doc bodies, you could make a tan Breaker, Hawk and Stalker.  If you were handy with a little paint, you could put together a decent Snake Eyes, too.  And, the Battle Gear weapons are a perfect match for this set.  To this day, I store my Tan Grunt with the Battle Gear backpack and M-16 since they are so closely aligned in color to the figure.  The tan works with Scarlett, too, as a way to better accessorize her.

For me, the real value of the Battle Gear came many years after its initial release.  In 1986 and 1987, I often had third faction terrorists or freedom fighters (really, they're the same thing just with different marketing depending upon which side they battle against) who would interject into the Joe vs. Cobra conflict.  My favorite was having them drive up to a ceremony in the A-Team van, open the door and pop out with small sub machine guns and mow down the dignitaries in attendance.  As small weapons were not overly common in the Joe line (and, most of the ones that did exist were in use by their original owners!) the Battle Gear Uzis were a great means of making these civilian fighters a more formidable force.  I'd toss in some of the larger rifles, too, as part of their getaway plan.  

My other random memory of the Battle Gear weapons comes on a cold winter's day, probably in either 1984 or 1985.  It was a Sunday and I had been playing with my Joes in the garage.  (It was warmer in there than outside, but still counted as outside play.)  I picked them all up and took them in.  A few hours later, right before dinner, I went back out to put away some bikes or balls and happened to find a Battle Gear M-60 on the floor.  It wasn't part of my team that had been in the garage that day.  And, it was a neat find as we didn't have a regular Rock and Roll and this Battle Gear version was the only copy of his weapon in our possession.  I took the weapon inside.  Really, though, it's not finding the weapon that was memorable.  Instead, it was the feeling I had as I picked it up off the floor.  For some reason, I got an overwhelming feeling of sadness that it was Sunday night and I was back to school on Monday.  To this day, I get the same feeling on some Sunday afternoons as the sun goes down.  Every time I do, I think back to that day in the garage, finding Rock and Roll's gun and then being saddened by the fact that my fun was over and it was back to work early the following morning.

You'll see some dealers command premiums for various accessories in this set.  The Uzi tends to command the highest price and sells for around $7, even as dealers ask double that.  But, the real value in the set is the visors.  As such, you'll usually find sets that are sold sans visors.  A whole loose set with no visors will run about $20.  On their own, though, visors sell for around $20.  So, getting the visors, too, will be expensive.  You can get carded sets in the $85 range.  Which, with 4 visors is a little lower than the loose price.  For just the weapons, the price is probably decent.  Original Uzis aren't easy to find and this is a cheap way to get them.  My only real lament is that the other Battle Gear packs in subsequent years didn't follow the close coloring of the originals like this first attempt at additional accessories did.

Rarities - Auriken Rock and Roll Vehicle Driver Variant

In general, the Auriken line from Mexico is rather poorly documented.  While you can find some info on the boxed figures that were once somewhat common, the information regarding vehicles and later releases is sporadic and haphazard at best.  I'm still not aware of a published list that is anywhere near complete of the Auriken releases.  So, this makes some of the figures in the line incredibly obscure.  One such example is this hybrid Rock and Roll figure.  I no longer recall which vehicle with which he was included.  But, it's not a common figure and didn't first really make itself known until around 2003 or 2004.

What makes this figure interesting is mostly the green color.  This lighter green appeared on a few different Auriken figures and is a fun shade that's different than anything Hasbro produced.  The darker hair makes for a stark juxtaposition when you are expecting to see Rock and Roll's trademarked blonde hair.  Beyond that, though, the figure is pretty much as is.  It's fairly difficult to find and you'll pay a premium for a nice one.  Though, most of the ones you see for sale are drastically overpriced and don't actually move.  

I really wish factory custom makers were able to match the Auriken green.  It's a neat shade and would have allowed for some simple, but effective repaints of several figures.  I'd love a solid group of original 13 figures in this shade and with swivel arms.  But, those never came to pass.

Please leave comments if you are aware of the origin of this figure and which vehicle included him.

1989 Rock and Roll

In 1989, G.I. Joe toys were nothing but a memory.  While you can read my shameful story of the 1989 Snake Eyes to see how he came into my possession, the only other 1989 figure that was acquired by even my younger brothers was a 1989 Scoop figure.  After dominating our house for 6 years, G.I. Joe was done.  That didn't mean, though, that I wasn't keeping and eye on the brand.  While visits to toy stores were far fewer and there were scant opportunities to check out the retail releases, I was actively buying the Joe comic.  And, as such, I had a knowledge of the new figures and characters that would be released that year.  While the Cobras of 1989 now gobble up most of that year's attention, it was the new Joe figures that most intrigued me.  Downtown, Stalker, Recoil and Backblast all looked like amazing figures to own.  But, it was a new version of Rock and Roll that really captured my imagination and remained a figure that got away...kind of.

I worked out an entire backstory for this new version of Rock and Roll.  I imagined he was older and had destroyed his knees on a mission.  As such, he was still strong, but unable to carry his heavy gear on foot.  So, Rock and Roll had to be supported by a vehicle.  His preference was the APC as he could carry his large weapons and plenty of ammo.  I created all of this in the back row of my Spanish class.  I had enough background in the language to easily pass my first year.  So, I spent my time writing down mission specs and story outlines in a notebook instead of paying attention.  I had pages and pages of notes.  It was a way to build a creative outlet for me since playing with toys was pretty much something I could no longer do.  

In 1989, I went full in with baseball cards.  I had a couple of friends who collected and we were focused on finding Ken Griffey Jr. cards or the Bill Ripken Fuck Face error card.  (I remember my two friends calling me and boasting they'd found a box of Fleer with the error at a local store and hidden them.  They bought them the next day and didn't get a Ripken.  But, I'd pull one from an overpriced pack at a card show later that year.)  My collecting impulses and focus were spent on collecting cards instead of playing with toys.  It's something that has dogged my life.  I need something into which to throw myself for entertainment and distraction from boredom.  It was toys, then sports cards, then rugby and then this website.  As I've found this year by year, chronological accounting of the Joe line tedious (and, I'm only at 1989!!!!) I do think I'm starting to drift into something new.  I'm not sure what that will be, yet.  And, when I do, I always usually keep a finger in the pot of the hobby left behind.  

1989 was a reboot year.  There were 10 standard carded G.I. Joe figures (the other 7 were Cobras).  Among them, though, were 4 updated designs of existing characters: Rock and Roll, Stalker, Snake Eyes and Deep Six.  I argue that Downtown could easily have been a new Short Fuse and Backblast a new Zap.  And, I'll go so far to suggest that Dogfight could have been a new Wild Bill.  It seems that Hasbro was making at attempt to maintain some of their relevance with a stream of existing characters to supplement their new releases.  We know that 1987 was a turning point for the brand and that 1988 took on some different forms to hide some of the brand damage done in 1987.  So, it is possible that 1989 was a way to get the brand back on track.  And, I will admit that it was a strong strategy to keep a disinterested teenager around.  New looks for some of my favorite characters was a strong enticement to stay connected to the brand.  Even if it wasn't enough to get me to actually buy any figures.  

Once I fast forward a few years, though, I was back to collecting as an adult.  I had money to spend and the internet offered many opportunities to buy items I had always wanted.  One of my top priorities when returning to collecting was to acquire a 1989 Rock and Roll.  I hadn't been able to own one as a kid.  But, I wasn't going to let that opportunity pass me by as an adult.  And, I sought out the figure early in my online buying days.  While there were a few Rock and Rolls for sale as individual figures, it was far more cost effective to get one in a lot.  Back in the late 1990's, most lots that were for sale featured most mint and complete figures that were taken care of in someone's childhood.  You could get them for $1.50 to $2.00 per figure and the lots were full of army builders, mail aways and other goodies.  I sought out a lot with Rock and Roll, bought it and had the whole world of post 1988 Joes opened up to me.  Rock and Roll was the gateway to exploring the later years of the line.  And, I spent my early collecting years not rebuying toys from my childhood but, instead, buying up the Joes I had never owned.  It was counter to the thinking of the time.  But, to me, something new was always better than something I had owned before.

As a new sculpt, this Rock and Roll is gorgeous.  It is the true to the original character with the blonde beard and heavy machine guns.  But, the 1989 design brings a whole new element to Rock and Roll.  You can argue between he and Stalker as to who was the better upgrade in 1989.  But, both were near perfect ways to bring a character from 1982 back to life in 1989.  You'll notice that Rock and Roll has wrinkles sculpted around his eyes.  It shows a weariness from stress and age that you'd see in an old warrior like him.  This new depth in his facial expression helped mold the character I created for the new release.  The figure, though, has some issues.  While the entire body is covered in amazing sculpted details, Hasbro didn't choose to paint most of them.  The only thing that discerns this Rock and Roll from the sparsely painted 1988 releases is the camo pattern on his legs.  His chest and leg details, though, are left to blend into the base plastic color of torso and thighs.  It's a shame as the details would have popped with some silver, brown and black paint.  But, the cost of Rock and Roll's accessories likely diluted the budget that was available to him for additional paint masks.

When it comes to accessories, Rock and Roll is fully decked out in his heavy machine gunner role.  He includes a nicely sculpted, but largely useless, shotgun that affixes to his right leg.  It's a neat detail.  But, something that's difficult to get the figure to hold.  He then includes an ammo backpack.  It's not greatly detailed, but works for its purpose.  It has tabs on the left and right that are used to attach the two straps of bullets to the pack.  These flexible, grey pieces then connect to tabs on the underside of Rock and Roll's dual machine guns.  He has two of these weapons, one for each hand, and each weapon has two barrels positioned beneath a neatly designed pistol grip.  Rock and Roll is a walking wall of firepower.  Oddly, he does not have a right and left weapon.  Each of his two machine guns are the same.  This makes attaching the bullets somewhat awkward.  But, the overall size and bulk of whole setup is tough to use and the bullets easily detach in play.  So, it's easier to just take Rock and Roll with one gun and his pack.  

The Rock and Roll mold had three uses.  After this 1989 version was released, the mold was repainted in 1991 for the Super Sonic Fighters line.  This orange highlighted figure features excellent base colors and is a fun addition to a Rock and Roll collection.  Hasbro then sent the mold to India where Funskool released a figure very similar to the 1991 version for a few years.  After that, the mold kind of moved around.  Funskool returned it to Hasbro sometime in the 1990's.  Hasbro planned to use it for the 2001 Headquarters pack in figure.  But, for some reason, they returned the mold to Funskool before they could do so.  Funskool didn't really know why they got it back.  But, they planned a new repaint of the 1989 Rock and Roll for a late 2003 or early 2004 release.  Sadly, the Funskool line was cancelled before that could happen and there were no more uses of this mold.  There's tons of repaint potential in the sculpt, though.  Maybe Hasbro can revisit it in the 2020's.

1989 Rock and Roll figures are very common.  He must have been owned by nearly every kid in 1989 as they are easy to find today.  While his ammo belts aren't always seen, they aren't rare by any means.  Mint and complete with filecard Rock and Rolls are about $15-$20 figures.  If you sacrifice the ammo belts, though, you can get them for under $10.  That's a travesty for a figure of this quality.  But, it's also nice since newer collectors can get an excellent upgrade on a classic character for a cheap price.  That's getting harder and harder to do.  There was a time when I had more than half a dozen of this figure.  While those days are gone, the lone sample remains a vital part of my collection and has specific memories from two different eras of my collecting journey.

1983 Rock and Roll - Around The Web

 Rock and Roll is one of the few original 13 figures to feature unique parts.  His bullet strapped chest was an amazing look and has made him a fan favorite after all these years.  He remains one of my most used early figures as he holds up with later releases without some of the baggage that other early figures feature.  Of course, he's popular.  And, I only scratched the surface of the Rock and Roll content out there.

1983 Rock and Roll Profile

Rock and Roll Diorama

1983 Rock and Roll by R.T.G.

1983 Rock and Roll by General Liederkranz

1982 Rock and Roll by masterbungle

1983 Rock and Roll by Cobra_the_Enemy

1983 Rock and Roll by slipstream80

1983 Rock and Roll by scarrviper

1983 Rock and Roll by BrazilianRecondo

1991 Super Sonic Fighters Rock and Roll

In 1989, Hasbro rebooted a few of the original 13 characters from the Joe line.  Snake Eyes and Stalker were the big two.  But, they were joined by a new take on the Rock and Roll character, too.  Rock and Roll was both an upgrade over his original figure as well as an homage that kept a few basic premises that made the character unique back in 1982.  It was a perfect blend of design that was matched with solid colors and an amazing contingent of accessories.  In 1991, Hasbro also introduced a line of figures called the Super Sonic Fighters.  These figures were repaints of existing molds that included a super expensive electronic backpack.  One of the molds selected for this series was the 1989 Rock and Roll.  This time around, he was given new accessories and darker, richer base colors.  The figure was destined to join Falcon and Law (from the prior year) as amazing repaints of classic molds.  Hasbro, though, added a fun little perk to Rock and Roll.  They tripped him out in orange highlights.  The bright color was a harbinger of things to come and was used to draw the eye of potential customers to this higher priced (and more profitable) Super Sonic Fighters figures.

In the comic book, Rock and Roll's 1989 look was introduced in a dark green ensemble.  It's a repaint that Hasbro should have made.  And, if you look beyond the orange of this 1991 repaint, you see that Hasbro was so very close to delivering on that artistic license from Marvel.  The figure's shirt is a rich evergreen color that is rare in the vintage line.  His pants are brown.  Sans orange highlights, this combo would have been a great update for Rock and Roll that would not have treaded upon the 1989 version.  Hasbro, though, did include bright orange highlights.  And, while they might have somewhat ruined what could have been the perfect Rock and Roll, they also give the figure some personality.  The orange allows this figure to stand out and be seen.  Brightly colored Joe figures tend to photograph well.  And, this Rock and Roll is no exception.  The neon highlights help showcase the figure's quality and pull him out of a drab background.

I'm a fan of neon Joes.  I love them because they are eye catching toys.  Joe was never about "realistic military!".  It is superhero fantasy set within a military framework.  And, figures like Rock and Roll fit into that.  This guy lugs around a massive machine gun that he can fire standing up as well as a mortar that's thicker than his waist.  His original design had him with pistol grip double barreled gatling cannons that were fed from an ammo pack on his back.  He was a superhero archetype right from the beginning.  So, having him in colors that are bright and eye catching fits with that motif.  When you are larger than life, realistic rules no longer apply.  And, in this context, Joe makes a lot more sense.

My biggest issue with this figure is not the orange highlights.  Instead, it's the amount of unpainted details on the figure.  The 1989 Rock and Roll suffers from the same fate.  This figure sculpt is covered in bullets, buckles, belts and pouches.  None of which are painted.  So, you lose much of the sculpt's amazing details as they obscured by being the same color as the figure's base pants, shirt or orange harness.  The legs, especially, are under-detailed.  Rock and Roll's legs are covered in bullets and straps that, if painted, would have raised this figure to another level.  Instead, they are lost in the sea of brown and collectors miss out on the amazing sculpting that covers this entire mold.

By 1989, I was done with Joe.  I bought no figures and even my youngest brother had mostly moved on.  But, I was buying the comic.  And, as I was bored each day in my first period Spanish class, I'd often write up adventures for Joe figures that I did not own.  Rock and Roll was the one who most stood out.  I thought his gear was awesome and his new look was perfect for a character from my childhood.  When I started collecting as an adult, a mint 1989 Rock and Roll was among the first figures I tracked down.  This orange figure, though, never entered my mind.  

In 1999, I was about the only person scouring Ebay for lots of figures from the 1990's.  Most collectors of that time believed the line ended in 1987 but would allow for Hit and Run and Shockwave.  Even the vaunted 1989 army builders were not overly sought after.  In one of these lots, I managed to pick up an entire set of mint and complete with filecard Super Sonic Fighters figures.  I paid less than $2 per figure for that lot.  It was a great time.  I was enamored, though, with Falcon.  And, Road Pig was terrible enough to draw my ire in and early profile.  Rock and Roll, though, fell into the back of my 1991 drawer and never escaped.  His weapon appeared with my 1991 Grunt as I thought it a better fit for that figure.  But, Rock and Roll never appeared in any photos and was completely lost.  In 2009 or so, I sold the figure in a lot of junk.  But, for some reason, I kept his accessories and filecard.

Over the past few years, I've been slowly rebuilding the collection I sold.  While I lament the rare stuff that's now too expensive to ever re-acquire, I've found that finding figures like this Rock and Roll can be a challenge, too.  Mostly, that's because I'm cheap and refuse to pay for figures.  But, also, I can take a while to find figures like Rock and Roll from sellers who have enough other items I want to be able to justify the shipping cost.  (I never pay to ship just 1 figure.)  But, as I track down each of the unchecked boxes in my database, I get to rediscover some gems like this Rock and Roll figure.  It's doubtful I'd have such glowing things to say about him had I kept the original figure that had weird, pink residue on his head.  But, in the hunt, I found value and this figure has captured my attention now, for several months.

Rock and Roll's accessories are his calling card.  The figure includes the massive sonic backpack and a green cone that serves as a weapons stand.  He includes a brown mortar and machine gun.  The mortar is good if you have it set in the stand.  But, it doesn't work on its own.  The best weapon, though, is the machine gun.  It's an excellent sculpt that's just the right size.  The color is fun and unique to the line.  For some reason, though, the brown plastic on the weapons is very soft.  As such, the weapon handles scuff easily.  I'm not aware of any other weapons in the vintage line that are as soft (except, maybe the 1985 Shipwreck's gear).  So, it's likely a function of the plastic color.  Rock and Roll does not include his shotgun from the 1989 figure, though.  This weapon does appear on the card art.  And, in India, the Funskool version of this figure does include an exclusive version of the shotgun.  So, it was likely a last minute omission from this figure.

There are three versions of this Rock and Roll sculpt.  The 1989 figure is the best.  He has the best weapons and the best colors.  This orange figure is great, too.  But, if you can only buy one, get the 1989.  In the mid 1990's, Hasbro sent the mold to Funskool where they released the figure in Sonic colors.  This mold went out of production after a couple of years and is hard to find.  The story then gets interesting.  Funskool returned the mold to Hasbro in 1997.  In 2001, Hasbro wanted to include a version of this Rock and Roll with the 2001 HQ.  Hasbro had the mold, but then could not find it.  So, they went with the 1994 Flint mold instead.  But, then, Hasbro sent the mold BACK to Funskool.  Funskool, not really sure why they got it back, decided they would release it again in 2003 or 2004.  But, the Funskool line was cancelled before they could do that and this Rock and Roll is left with two figures that never came to be.

Dealers will sell complete Rock and Rolls for upwards of $40.  But, you can buy carded versions for that price.  Mint and complete with filecard figures will cost you about $20, with a few deals here and there.  If you sacrifice the filecard, the price for mint and complete figures falls by half.  For that price, everyone should have this figure.  The gun is worth it alone.  But, the dark green color with the bright orange is just a vibrant look that is great for photos and just looks fun.  If the figure wasn't orange, but black, this figure would probably be more than double his current price.  For a figure that's kind of scarce, though, the pricing on this guy is still affordable and makes him a very worthwhile pickup.

1993 Star Brigade Rock and Roll

Everyone knows that Armor Tech figures exist.  You can't avoid that fact.  For many collectors, though, Armor Tech is one of those things that you'll keep for completeness' sake.  But, it's rare to actually go out and find them.  In my younger collecting days, I was mostly in that camp.  As I got older, and the holes in my collection smaller, though, I found myself searching for the missing members of Star Brigade who wore stupid armor and weren't really compatible with "real" Joe figures of my youth.  In owning the figures, I have yet to find any real value or usefulness to them.  They check a box for me and that's about it.  In the case of Rock and Roll, though, he at least has one point of interest that both got me to spend a bit of time searching for him and also, eventually, writing this profile of his 1993 figure.

Armor Tech Joes were easy to find in the mid 1990's as I hunted down the retail remains of the vintage Joe line.  Toys R Us stores would have pegs of them, priced higher than the dwindling supplies of Battle Corps figures.  You'd find them at toy liquidators: again mostly untouched by retail buyers.  They were the last vintage Joes I spotted at retail in the fall of 1997 when I saw them at the lone toy shop in a newly opened mall in Arizona.  After the retail stock dried up, Armor Tech figures actually got cheaper.  You could often get them for a couple of bucks per carded figure at flea markets.  And, Ebay auctions of the entire carded set of figures would sell for under $20...if they sold at all.  Even into the 2010's, Armor Tech was about the cheapest set of vintage Joe figures you could acquire.  And, the low prices and high availability lead many collectors to simply ignore them, figuring they could pick them up at any time.

As figures, Armor Tech are terrible.  They are large, bulky and lack standard Joe articulation.  They are like an entirely different line that uses some familiar faces and names.  But, the figures are difficult to integrate into a collection and don't even really fit with the aesthetic of the rest of the 1993 or 1994 Star Brigade figures.  The non-standard construction was what lead me to leaving these figures behind as Joe faded from retail.  Had I found them at a low enough clearance, I might have bought them just for some additional gear.  But, even that's a stretch.  And, I didn't care enough about the figures to really follow them and see if they ever reached discount pricing at stores near me.  Even when I was starved for new Joes and had money to burn, I couldn't bring myself to stoop so low as to buy an Armor Tech figure at retail.

In the age of completism, though, Armor Tech has more appeal to me.  It's a goofy and stupid concept that doesn't really fit with anything.  And, even as one of the few Star Brigade aficionados around, I can't really get behind the figures.  Yet, I still bought most of them in recent years.  They are cheap.  And, I really didn't want to be left paying $30 for these guys in a couple of years.  So, I bit the bullet, bought a bunch of figures and found that my impressions from 1995 were still spot on, even in 2021.  The figures still don't resonate with me and I don't have much use for them.  Even in a display, the figures take up too much space and offer too little enjoyment to occupy precious real estate.  

So, now we get to the real reason why I profiled this figure: his accessories.  At a glance, Rock and Roll just includes a random accessory tree cast in bright yellow plastic.  His tree, though, is one of my favorites with Tracker's rifle, Muskrat's shotgun and the big-ass blaster from the 1991 Grunt figure.  In bright yellow, though, who cares?  Except, Rock and Roll has a variant.  Later version of the figure include purple accessories.  Again, many of you say, "who cares?".  Purple weapons aren't all that more useful than yellow ones.  But, for an aficionado of 1990's weapons, the purple gear is a lot of fun for me.  9 figures included accessories of some shade of yellow in 1993: including two other members of Star Brigade.  (Countdown and the B.A.A.T.)  Four additional figures included yellow weapons in 1994.  No other figures included purple weapons in 1993.  (Three figures had gear in some shade of blue, but they were definitely blue with no purple tint.)  Only the 1994 Metal Head figure also includes purple gear.  So, it is a rather rare color for Joe accessories.  Seeing the MP-5 inspired weapon in purple just looks cool because it is unique, distinctive and not something you see every day. 

In general, neither the yellow or purple accessories seem all that difficult to find.  As the Armor Tech figures are unpopular, not even dealers who look to squeeze every penny they can from Joe variants really care about the weapon colors.  Even if you find a sale that advertises the color, you won't have to pay a premium for it unless you choose to do so.  The purple gear came with later editions of the Rock and Roll figure while the yellow gear was the initial release.  I like the purple because they are so distinctive and set this figure apart.  I also feel that they help mute the figure's appearance and that Rock and Roll is substantially better looking when holding the darker weapons.  Of course, collector mileage varies for things like this.  I like obscure little variants like these weapons.  And, the fact that weapon trees are nostalgic to me just adds to this figure's mystique.  Of course, after opening the variants, the figures went into bags and have only reappeared for the photos below.  So, the appeal of purple gear only goes so far.

The value in Armor Tech, though, is the heads.  This Rock and Roll head is insanely detailed and is, easily, the best facial sculpt of the character.  Having it locked beneath a tight fitting and opaque helmet doesn't allow it to improve the figure, overall, though.  Enterprising customizers have used Armor Tech heads with great success.  (It requires some modifications to work, though.)  Rock and Roll's is one of the more frequently used since it's a top notch character and using this obscure head makes any customs of the character more unique.  It's a shame that more wasn't done to salvage figures like Armor Tech and the parts that are worthwhile.  There is some value here, it's just hard to find.

The Armor Tech filecards were not good.  Rock and Roll's has potential before it completely goes off the rails.  The bio acknowledges that Rock and Roll was a founding member of the Joe team and mentions that he has continually upgraded his equipment.  (Technically, this is true since the 1989 version has upgraded gear over the 1982 original.)  But, it then talks about him jumping on live grenades and chasing B.A.A.T.s into the sun.  Both of these would result in Rock and Roll's death and he would do one of those events just once before he was nothing more than a memory.  To make it worse, the filecard mentions twice! that Rock and Roll likes to roast marshmallows on the end of his laser rifle.  Look, I get it.  These figures aren't meant to really reflect the reality of space.  But, the whole roasting marshmallow thing was dumb in the card's first quote and was too lame to justify a repeat of the joke at the end.  But, this filecard shows the evolution of Joe characterization and how it diminished as the brand's pioneers moved on and Hasbro began to cut corners to keep the line afloat.

Unsurprisingly, no one cares about this Rock and Roll.  Even today, you can buy carded versions for under $10.  Dealers will usually charge $20-$25.  But, these don't sell since there isn't much demand for the figure and there is enough supply.  Even the variant, purple weapons don't generate interest and will not sell for a premium unless you get really lucky as a seller.  Overall, though, the stock of carded Armor Tech figures is drying up.  20 years ago, you could have bought 40 of these guys in one week without even trying.  Now, they are fewer and farther between.  At some point, they will also dry up and be like the 1994 series.  But, as the figures are not desirable and are one of the more reviled concepts of the vintage Joe line, it's unlikely that their pricing will follow suit for the 1994 figures.  If you're a completist or just looking for something different, Armor Tech offers some diversity not often seen in the vintage line.  And, since it's also still cheap, it makes sense to take advantage of their availability before they go to the way of most of the rest of the once plentiful 90's carded Joe overstock.

Rarities - 1997 Stars and Stripes Rock and Roll Skin Color Variant

Originally, the 1997 series of figures was planned to include a repainted Breaker and a repainted 1983 Rock and Roll figure.  Handpainted samples were shown on the back of the Star and Stripes set.  But, the molds for those figures were "lost".  Hasbro resorted to some quick replacements and both characters were released in 1997 as repaints of the 1986 Roadblock body with different heads.  Somewhere along the way, though, there was a miscommunication.  Somehow, Rock and Roll was given black skin.  This may have been a holdover from the Roadblock color templates that were used.  But, a good amount of the mis-painted figures were packaged into Stars and Stripes sets and sold in Toys R Us stores across the country.

Today, this variant is rather tough to find and is worth a couple of hundred dollars.  But, in 1997, the figure was findable.  Anecdotally, collectors of the era estimated that about 1 in 30 Stars and Stripes sets had the variant.  As the production run for the set was believed to be around 30,000 sets, that would place 1,000 Rock and Roll variants into the collecting community.  Of course, that "back of the napkin" estimate could be wildly off.  But, the variant was quickly discovered by collectors of the time.  However, the figures weren't overly desirable and you could easily trade a spare 1997 Alley Viper straight up for one. 

The variant set that includes this Rock and Roll also contains a significant Breaker variant.  But, since it's just a color hue change, no one cares about it and it lacks the cachet and value of the Rock and Roll.  It was extremely rare for Hasbro to race change a figure mold in the US.  So, in the cases where it did occur (either intentionally or by accident) the resulting figures have found great collector interest.  You used to be able to find sealed Stars and Stripes sets with the variant figures in mislabeled online sales and could get deals.  But, it's been more than a decade since those dried up and this figure is now well known and accordingly priced in the community.  It's safe to say that almost all of the variants ended in collector hands due to the rapid identity and communication of the variant.  But, it's still one of the rarest and most significant retail variants in the history of the G.I. Joe line.

Diorama - Red Jackal's Negotiations

Red Jackal negotiates the release of some Cobra Elite Troopers.  Hawk is not pleased and fears this Red Jackal person will become a thorn in the fledgling G.I. Joe Team's side.

Diorama - Secret of the Ooze

In the fall of 2001, I took these pics out in the yard.  I hadn't really brought out the Toxo Vipers in over a year and I wanted to showcase them more.  Plus, it was always good to use Cesspool.  I had the idea of finding the Toxo Zombie as a deceased Toxo Viper and it gave me chance to finally get some photos of that figure, too.

This was the first real fall I'd seen in 4 years and it re-affirmed that season as my favorite.  These pics are 15 years old, now.  The entire vintage Joe line could have been released with room to spare in that time.  Sadly, these figures are all gone from my collection.  At the time, no one cared about them and you could get them cheap.  Now, they are much harder to find.

1989 Rock and Roll - Around the Web

While I didn't buy any Joe figures in 1989, I was aware of this Rock and Roll and really wanted him.  I was not disappointed when I finally got him nearly a decade later.  He's a great figure.  I'd have loved to have seen him in the 2000's as a repaint.  But, it wasn't to be.  But, we have a nearly perfect first attempt by Hasbro.  Here's some of his best content on the web:

1989 Rock and Roll Profile

Pre Production Rock and Roll at YoJoe.com

1989 Rock and Roll Video Review

Rock and Roll at JoeDios.com

Rock and Roll at JoeDios.com 2

Rock and Roll by gijoebarcelona

Rock and Roll at JoeDios.com 3

Rock and Roll at G.I. Joe Wikia