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.

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.