2018 Skullbuster - Red Laser's Army

Red Laser's Army is no more.  But, in just a couple of years, they gave us a large number of figures.  Some were great.  Some were not.  Some were just out and out bizarre.  But, they offered a different approach to factory custom figures that I appreciated, even if I didn't like some of the designs.  While I tackled a large number of the figures I really like here, I haven't really looked at the middle tier of Red Laser Army releases.  In here are a bunch of good, but sometimes forgettable figures.  During the release window, Red Laser released all his figures at once.  As such, it was easy for some releases who used similar parts and paint applications as the standout figures to fall by the wayside.  Such is the case with the Skullbuster release from 2018.  This is a perfectly strong figure.  But, it's also somewhat bland and disappears into the drawer filled with other 2018 factory customs.  But, it deserves another look.

The Skullbuster character debuted in 2002 in the JvC era.  He was a repainted Range Viper done up in purple and designed to be a Skeletor homage.  Honestly, the purple gave him character and made him one of the better releases of the repaint era.  It was great of Red Laser to resurrect the character and give him another look using parts from the first few years of the Joe line.  Rather than keep the purple motif, though, this new Skullbuster was given a base of grey with black highlights.  While this choice stripped the figure of the panache that drove the value of his original release, it also allowed this character to be used with standard Cobra equipment and figures that match his construction style. 

As a character, there isn't much to Skullbuster.  He has appeared in a few 2000 and later items.  But, for the most part, he's a character that doesn't offer too much.  For me, the character's introduction in the Mardi Gras color scheme defines him.  So, it's difficult to see the same character in this grey figure with 1983 construction.  I've talked in other profiles about the early Cobra leaders that, eventually, all had to be killed by Cobra Commander.  Having Skullbuster be one of the rare ones who survived to later years would help Cobra continue to recruit new commanders.  His being relegated to the Range Vipers was a way to show that loyalty could be rewarded without putting him too front and center into Cobra's operations.  

But, I don't like that approach.  Instead, I see this Skullbuster as a freelancer that Cobra used from time to time.  He was not in the 1978-1983 timeframe, but more from 1982-1986 or so.  Here, he worked with Cobra much like Firefly or Major Bludd.  But, he just did various jobs for them.  He was a mercenary and not a tactician or strategist.  So, if Cobra Commander needed to move plans for a missile system out of the country, he could count on Skullbuster.  If he wanted to plot a coup in a third world country, Skullbuster would not be part of the plans.  But, this helps explain Skullbuster's survival.  He later joined Cobra in a more combat oriented capacity as he wanted the stability and Cobra could offer him safe harbor on Cobra Island.  In this way, Skullbuster's lesser rank makes more sense since he earned it through tenure.  He's not a great leader.  But, is a great fighter.  And, the Commander rewarded him accordingly with the Range Viper command. 

Skullbuster's parts combo used common Red Laser pieces of the time.  One drawback of Red Laser's big bang approach to figure releases is that the reuse of parts was very noticeable.  At the time of his release, Skullbuster joined several other figures with a black and grey color scheme.  Some had cammo pants that were nearly identical to Skullbuster's.  Asa Negra featured a skull face logo (done in gold with a red visor) on a body that also used grey as a base.  In addition to all these new characters, Topson was also released at the time and he also featured the grey cammo scheme that exists on Skullbuster's lower half.  You see the same parts and colors used over and over again.  The ostensible purpose was to make matching teams.  The real reason was to use the same color plastic and paints to cut costs.  But, all together, the mass release helped to obscure Skullbuster.

It's likely that Skullbuster would have been more popular had he been released 6 to 8 months after Shadowtracker and not with the other grey and black figures.  But, after a few years, the proximity of the releases gives me a chance to go back and review items like Skullbuster that I missed.  The figure uses the head and legs from Snake Eyes with arms and chest from Rock and Roll.  The waist is a standard piece based on the classic 1983 waist.  The parts combo works well together.  And, the figure is accented by dark grey cammo on the pants as well as silver bullets on Skullbuster's chest and a silver bomb on his left leg.  In all, the presentation is strong.  Grey bases are not common on in the vintage Joe line.  The Stinger Driver being an early example helps set this figure in that timeframe and allows for his use with vehicles of that era, too.  Skullbuster is, easily, the best Red Laser figure using the grey and black theme and he works far better with other Joe figures than most of the others.

The Red Laser introduced some new additions to his accessory complement in 2018.  But, they also continued the tradition of being relatively light.  The lack of packs and helmets hurt a lot of figures.  But, the overall accessory allotment was fine for a $12 figure.  Skullbuster included a grey pistol that originated with the 1986 Lifeline and a grey rocket launcher.  I'm not sure if this is a replica of a Joe accessory (Horrorshow) or a Marauder, Inc. design.  It's very nice, though.  I've always hated the Lifeline pistol.  It's too big and too thin.  I'd have much rather gotten a 1986 General Hawk pistol or a Chuckles gun.  But, I suspect that the influence of the "anti-repo" crowd influenced this decision as they hold large numbers of Hawk and Chuckles weapons that are valuable on the market while Lifeline weapons are not.  I'm not big on the rocket launcher for this character and prefer either a grey M-60 to match the bullets, a grey Stalker M-32 or a grey Mac-11 from Mutt.  I would have liked a pack with Skullbuster with shells to make the rocket launcher more viable.  And, a helmet would have differentiated the skull print on his face.  But, grey helmets exist that can be given to the figure.  The upside is that the figure's color scheme works with many of the Battle Gear weapons that Hasbro released.  But, this is most likely coincidence rather than part of the design.

The quality on Skullbuster is very high.  The figure has tight paint masks (which is instrumental on a figure with black and silver highlights) and good colors.  The joints of the figure are tight and allow it to hold poses.  They are not too tight to hinder movement and posing, though.  The hands on the 2018 Red Laser figures are much better able to hold weapons.  This is a huge upgrade over the 2017 set.  And, it makes the 2018 releases seem closer to vintage Joes.  There are no gaps in the figure's parts and the mold is solid.  In short, this figure is about as close to a vintage Joe figure as we've seen from factory custom makers.  As with all factory customs, though, there are duds out there and it's possible that others may have different quality.  But, Skullbuster is tight and that just makes him that much better to have around.

Pricing on this figure is tough.  It was not one of the most popular releases when it debuted.  But, it wasn't one of the least popular, either.  With a little looking, you should be able to find one in the $20-$25 range.  But, dealers will charge a lot more.  So, be patient and don't give in to gougers.  At the $12 introductory price, this figure was a good deal.  At double that, I'm not sure I'd indulge in his acquisition.  Shadowtracker is a much better representation of the skull face paint.  And, there are better uses of the Rock and Roll chest, too.  But, Skullbuster does fit nicely with some other Red Laser Cobras.  And, he's a good match for Hiss Tanks and Stingers, as well.  There's value in that, especially if you want to have a large force of figures using the same construction style.

Diorama - Snow Blind

In early 2003, we got a lot of snow.  One Sunday evening, I took some Joes out to get some snow pics.  It was late in the evening, so I had to use the flash.  But, I liked how the flash photos looked.  This photo set was planned to be the showcase for the 2001 Big Ben figure.  But, he didn't come out well enough in the photos and this was the last real snow I saw before I moved back to the desert.

Rarities - Unproduced 2002 Skullbuster

In late 2002, Hasbro introduced the Skullbuster character to the G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra line.  The figure is a surprisingly cool blend of purple and white on the classic Range Viper mold.  Originally, though, the figure was going to be a much brighter color.  Below you see a pre-production Skullbuster that is drastically different from the produced figure.  The bluish base color is definitely more garish and eye-catching.

The Range Viper mold quite quite a bit of use during the 2000's.  The skull like face seemed a popular meme for Hasbro to exploit.  And, the figure was fairly well done, from late enough in the line that collectors didn't have tons of them, but not so late as to be ostracized by bulkier sculpting and lack of original accessories.  Hasbro also had the full range of gear for the Range Viper, though they didn't use it for Skullbuster.

The Skullbuster figure suffered from setbacks.  He wasn't, technically, an army builder.  And, he was packaged with a straight re-release of the hugely pegwarming Heavy Duty figure.  Heavy Duty wasn't even a repaint.  At the time when this figure was released, you could find the original Heavy Duty pack still collecting dust at many secondary retailers around the U.S.  So, the character and figure's star was somewhat tarnished by these packaging decisions.  Collectors still appreciated him to an extent and most collectors of that era have at least one.

While I prefer the actual Skullbuster figure who saw release, it would have been cool to get the version below, too.  He's different and different was mostly missing during the Joe Vs. Cobra time period.  Plus, the character deserved at least one other release.  The brighter colors may have been the decided factor in making the changes before the figure went to production.  But, when a figure's base coloring is purple, it's hard to justify slight shading variants as the determining factor in retail success or failure.  I don't know of too many of these pre-production figures that are actually out there.  But, it's an interesting take on a character that should have seen more use.

2002 Skullbuster

As 2002 has progressed, we have seen some awesome newly molded figures, some pretty poorly designed new sculpts, and a smattering of repainted classic figures that have been hit or miss. As the year winds down, though, I look back at the nearly 100 figures released (it will be more if Wave 5 is considered part of the '02 line, though my personal opinion is that it should not) and think that 2002 has been a pretty good Joe year. There have been plenty of army builders, lots of new characters, and plenty of old favorites have been revisited with remarkable success. Not everyone out there is pleased with the direction the line has taken, but there really has been something available that should have appeased all factions of Joe fandom. As such, I'm greatly anticipating 2003 as I think we will continue to see some great new stuff combined with special offers of classically molded figures that should keep collectors' interest high. I really don't think much else could be expected for the line's future.

In the recently released Wave 4, Hasbro tossed two bones to collectors of classic sculpts: a new version of the Shock Viper and a newly created character that utilized the original Range Viper mold who is named Skullbuster. Skullbuster has already been much maligned even though he utilizes one of the greatly under appreciated molds in the history of the line. This figure has been called wonderful names like "Mardi Gras Viper" as a slam to his metallic purple base color. However, in an admission that is sure to be a shock to every long time reader of this site, I like Skullbuster's color scheme and think he is another high quality aesthetic addition to the Joe line.

Skullbuster has a primary color of metallic purple with copper highlights. It is very pleasing to the eye, even if it is not something you would normally consider a "Cobra" color. (Also not the highly detailed Cobra logo on Skullbuster's leg. It is a very nice addition to the figure.) However, it is the white face masking that truly stands out. On the 2001 Rock Viper, the skull like face was painted white in an attempt to accentuate the mold's detail. On this figure, the effect was decent, but the stark contrast on Skullbuster really allows for the effect to be appreciated. It allows the figure to portray the fearsome helmet that was obviously designed with this intent. While the figure is nice looking, though, he is poorly accessorized. Rather than including the full complement of Range Viper equipment like the aforementioned Rock Viper did, Skullbuster includes a version of Low-Light's backpack without the knife or flashlight to fill in the holes. He also includes a version of the 1992 Destro's pistol. The underwhelming accessories leave a sour taste, especially when the originally intended accessories are known to exist. However, on a good note, the awesome 2002 Headman figure comes with a Range Viper rifle. As I outfit my Headman with Mutt's silenced pistol, I have a spare weapon for my Skullbuster to use. With this in hand, he fits in well with original Range Vipers, recent Rock Vipers, or the Acid Vipers you see in the photos below.

Skullbuster is not an army builder. Instead, he is the leader of the Range Vipers. It is nice that we have been given a new named Cobra who had such a specific purpose. However, the utilization of a mold that already has been used for two previous army building figures makes this guy a little harder to accept as an individual character. As such, I don't know if I'll be able to use him as the intended character. Instead, I foresee this guy becoming a ceremonial Range Viper. In my Range Viper profile, I mention how I use them as basic Cobra troops. They aren't only for wilderness use. As such, having one in purple makes sense from a differing uniform perspective, even if the color is not something that would be heavily utilized in the field. As such, I foresee this figure filling out dioramas and melding with my other Cobra hierarchy as a way to augment their visual appearance. In the field, though, I still find uses for oddly colored figures. So, while I don't foresee it now, Skullbuster will probably make future appearances in some of my dioramas.

Skullbuster may suffer from what I, and many others, consider the biggest packaging error in the line's history. Rather than including Skullbuster with another repainted old sculpt figure, or a repaint of a new sculpt figure from a previous wave, they included a Wave 1 Heavy Duty figure. Now, this isn't even the repainted Heavy Duty from Wave 1.35. This is an exact copy of the original Heavy Duty figure that anyone who built a Cobra Claws army has dozens of. This is the same Heavy Duty that is still VERY available in his original pack all over the country. Why he, of all figures, was included with Skullbuster makes no sense. However, I have a theory as to why this was done. Again, this is only my theory and not something that has been confirmed or anything. You see, there are many old sculpt only collectors out there. Hasbro knew that all of them would buy this Skullbuster figure. In an attempt to get them to at least try the new sculpt figures, Hasbro packed the old molds in with new molds so those who had been avoiding the new figures would have to buy at least two. The only problem with this theory is that why would they include Heavy Duty? He is an okay figure, but there are many others from earlier in the line who are better. As such, you would think that if my theory were true, they would have at least offered a high quality figure as the attempted enticement.

Skullbusters availability is yet to be fully determined. However, this figure only ships one per case. As Wave 5 is now starting to ship from Hasbro, it seems that Wave 4 may have had a truncated production run. What truncated means, though, is open to debate. Regardless, if you find a Skullbuster figure and want one, I would buy it when you see it. I don't think that Wave 4 will have the recurrence of some previous waves. On top of that, when a Wave 4 case does appear, the Skullbuster figure is the second fastest to go behind the BAT/Shipwreck pack. Long term, I think this will make the Skullbuster figure one of the lesser produced 2002 figures, but as they are available now and the figure is not a true army builder, I don't think the he will see any major price increases in the future. For me, I'm content with one of these guys. The lack of accessories and inclusion with Heavy Duty is enough to keep me away from any beyond the one you see below. While I like the figure, I don't hold him in high enough regard to spend money for another example that would be better spent on additional versions of other, more desirable, figure packs. Regardless, I'm glad that we got this figure. While he is certainly not the most important figure I've come across, he is cool enough to warrant residence in just about everyone's collection.

Skullbuster is a decent figure. I'm looking forward, though, to seeing this mold in Python Patrol colors. What about you?