The Rankings - 1984

1984 is an interesting Joe year.  It's considered a classic with some of the best figures ever released.  But, the 1984 lineup is very transitional.  About half the figures are in line with 1983 releases while the other half take a leap forward and give us the precursors of what the line would become in 1985.  It's going to be a tough year to rank as it contains some of my personal favorites, consensus icons and, one of the worst releases Hasbro ever created.  So, we'll jump in 1984 and see where this ends up.

#20. Deep Six

Yeah, it couldn't be anyone else.  This Deep Six sucks.  But, to be fair, he features an original head (which was intended to be the Alpine Trooper head that was going to be used with the Scrap Iron body) and an ambitious action feature.  I'm not going to convince myself that Deep Six is a good figure or toy.  But, he has all the hallmarks of a G.I. Joe figure and had the same care put into his design as did Stormshadow.  He loses due to articulation.  But, there are elements of quality to him that keep him above some figures from later years.

#19. Clutch and Stinger Driver (tie)

It's unfair to really include these guys in the 1984 lineup since they were both repaints of earlier figures.  But, in the case of each figure, the repaint was amazing.  Both are substantially different from their original releases while still maintaining the overall quality of the earlier design.  You can argue that both the 1984 repaints are even better than the original paint jobs.  They appear this low, though, because they were earlier sculpts and the other 1984 figures also brought new colors to the line.  It's not fair they are so low.  But, that's a testament to the quality of the overall year.

#17. Duke

At his core, Duke is a 1983 figure design.  He uses the classic helmet, reuses gear from prior figures and even recycles parts from earlier releases.  Design wise, he fits with the 1983 Team.  Because of that, his overall rank suffers for 1984.  His release year contemporaries brought more to the table.  Duke seemed like a pure throwback instead of something new.  His colors are nice.  But, they were more muted when compared against the other 1984's.  Then, he's got the goofy head.  In reality, Duke works as a figure.  He's just not one of the stronger releases in his year.

#16. Hooded Cobra Commander

An iconic look ranked this low?  Well, yeah.  Cobra Commander suffers from a lot of what ails Duke, Clutch and the Stinger driver.  The new head and the darker blue color make for a fantastic figure.  He just didn't offer anything new or revolutionary to the 1984 lineup.  The low ranking is more a function of him being mostly a repaint instead of an all new figure. 

#15. Roadblock

Roadblock is another 1983 throwback.  His body is a little beefier.  And, the reused parts do limit him.  His accessories push him up the list.  The machine gun, tri-pod and backpack all work in concert to produce a great toy.  His colors are nice.  If taken against the line as a whole, Roadblock would perform well.  He just can't outperform his fellow class of 1984.

#14. Copperhead

I'm not really sure if Copperhead should be this high.  He gets solid marks for bringing so much color to the Joe line.  And, he features a bulkier sculpt to showcase his size, too.  The fact that the figure persevered and remains somewhat popular despite him not getting any characterization is a testament to this figure's overall design.  So, he gets ahead of Roadblock even though Roadblock is a lot more useful.

#13. Scrap Iron

Scrap Iron started his life as a Joe Alpine Trooper.  At some point, he was converted to Scrap Iron.  The colors are great.  But, the head is weak.  It really doesn't fit with the rest of the figure.  It being designed later in the process explains the difference.  He gets some higher marks, though, for his gear.  The missile table was inspired and gave Scrap Iron value over just his figure.

#12.Wild Weasel

I don't like the Wild Weasel figure.  The reason for that is that I saw the artistic rendition of him in the comics in the summer of 1984.  So, I had months of waiting for him and anticipating him before we got him in October of that year.  And, the figure just didn't live up.  I thought the helmet was too big and there was too much red.  But, in the 42 years since his release, he's grown on me.  And, the design as a pilot is pretty strong.  

#11.Cutter

So, this one photo from 2008 is the only time I can ever find that I used the 1984 Cutter.  Back in 2013, one of my sons crawled into a storage room and opened up a drawer of 1984 Joes and managed to break my Cutter's crotch.  So, I haven't had one to really use in more than a decade and a half.  Despite that, the original design is pretty good.  The life vest gave him added bulk without making him too big.  The sculpted baseball cap also worked really well and brought a new look to the Joe line.  His colors are strong and different.  So, he's right in the middle of the year's lineup.

#10. Firefly

The first controversy in the list.  How could Firefly, one  of the line's iconic figures, only be the 10th best figure from his release year?!?  The answer lies is two parts.  First, Firefly is another 1983 style figure.  His head is the perfect size for the classic helmets.  Secondly, though, is that Firefly doesn't get any paint details that accentuate the amazing sculpting that Hasbro did for his body.  While Firefly is still visually interesting, he also lacks something because his grenades, pouches and pistol all blend into a seamless see of two toned grey.  Firefly's cool as hell.  But, his overall design didn't do much to move the Joe line forwards.  

#09.  Ripcord

As a figure, Ripcord is kind of bland.  But, his cammo is more dramatic than Firefly's.  The rest of the figure doesn't have much going for it.  What it does have, though, is some of the best gear ever released.  No parachute rig that came after was able to live up to the innovation of Ripcord's parachute pack and airmask.  With his gear attached, he's an amazing figure.  I had mine wear his mask even on ground missions because it just looked so cool.  

#08. Thunder

Apparently, I'm a Thunder fan.  While he's very much a 1983 throwback, he works on many different levels.  He included new helmet gear that elevated the standard helmet.  The rest of him, though, is well sculpted.  I've always loved his chest sculpt.  They layers of brown, green and black work as a visual treat.  So, I find Thunder a better piece of design than some of the more iconic figures from this year.

#07. Recondo

Recondo isn't perfect.  But, he is a great looking jungle trooper.  His muted base color allows his painted details to stand out.  The green hat is a perfect topper, too.  Recondo features a strong face sculpt to boot.  He only includes two accessories.  His backpack is one of the better pieces from the line's early years.  It's big enough to showcase all the details while not being overbearing like many of the packs from 1987 and beyond.  His rifle can be tough to pose.  But, it does look really good with Recondo...to the point where Recondo looks weird with any other weapon.  Recondo showed what Hasbro could do now that they had a couple of years under their belt.

#06.  Spirit

Like Recondo, Spirit showed what the Joe line could be.  His stern face is an understated element of the figure that helps define his character.  The molded hair piece, though, was a leap forward in design.  It opened the doors to more variety for heads.  We wouldn't see it that often.  But, Spirit allowed the 1984 lineup to look quite different from the previous years.  On top of that, he included another new addition to 1984: an animal companion.  Freedom wasn't a terribly useful accessory.  But, he was an element that set the Joe line apart.  The rest of Spirit's gear really only works  for Spirit.  That's a double edged sword, for sure.  But, shows that accessory integration is essential for any successful action  figure line.

#05.Stormshadow

The top 5 is where it starts to get dicey.  It's very possible that, if I were to revisit these rankings in 2028, that Stormshadow might end up #2 on the list.  For now, though, he rests at number 5.  Really, though, that's only because those above him are so good.  As a figure, Stormshadow isn't all that groundbreaking.  Sure, he introduced the ninjas mythos to Joe.  But, his sculpt is somewhat basic and hearkens back to 1983.  He excels, though, in the accessory department.  His backpack is a masterclass of engineering.  It was, likely, the most intricate accessory that existed in the 3 3/4" scale at the time.  The complete package remains iconic.  

#04.Blowtorch

Blowtorch gets high marks for his striking colors and his amazing gear.  I've always kind of lumped Ripcord and Blowtorch together because they both had air masks.  But, it is Blowtorch's design, where his mask is integrated into the figure itself, that is more memorable to me.  It's a stronger feat of engineering and something that Hasbro hadn't fully worked out when they were taking promo photos of the 1984 figures.  In addition, Blowtorch proved that bright, vivid colors could work perfectly in the proper setting.  You can see the fiery yellow and red and instantly know Blowtorch's specialty.  On top of everything else, his flamethrower and backpack integrated, too.  His suit is full of small details.  He's just a figure that defines his year while expanding the look of Joe into new areas.

#03.Mutt

Mutt is overly high.  He's among my favorite figures and is a guy to whom I hold great deference.  But, as an action figure,  he's amazing.  Mutt showed that brighter, more powerful greens could still work on a G.I. Joe.  And, his accent colors give him visual depth.  He also brought the first, real animal character to the line.  Junkyard became a fan favorite.  And, there are still collectors who prefer the dog to the man.  The rest of Mutt's gear is also great.  He might have the best pistol Hasbro ever created.  And, his muzzle/helmet combo gave him a talking point.  Without the muzzle, Mutt features a riveting head sculpt...including unexplained scars: a rarity for a good guy.  Mutt is just a complete package of a figure and is one who's always going to rank high with me.

#02. Baroness

I'm surprised I ended up with Baroness this high.  But, she is light years ahead of Scarlett and, certainly, Cover Girl in terms of female sculpting.  Her separate hair piece was inspired and gave an excellent approximation of longer hair.  The eyeglasses were perfectly proportioned and gave her a distinct look.

The only bad thing about the Baroness is that Hasbro then went backwards in female figure design after her release.  Lady Jaye is a step down.  Zarana does an OK job of replicating the Baroness design aesthetic.  But, the bad face sculpts keep her lower than the Baroness.  Jinx didn't have a face at all.  And, then we didn't see another female figure until the 1993 Scarlett.

The Baroness seems passe, now.  We got tons of repaints of her in the 2000's and even factory customs.  But, she remains Hasbro's best work for a female figure.  Her only detriment is her terrible rifle.  But, that's inconsequential when the rest of the figure design is so well done.  For her, the lack of color works as the all black ensemble conveys her affiliation and allows to match up with any of Cobra hierarchy where she may choose to lay her allegiance.

#01. Zartan

This should not be a surprise.  Zartan brings so much to the Joe line that he has to hold the top spot on this list.  The color changing gimmick is the least interesting thing about Zartan.  But, it's a big part of my kids loved him.  The character is just, generally, bizarre.  And, with little explanation as to why, kid's imaginations could run wild.  The oddball chest armor that held a heat sensing sticker added to the mystique.  And, his hood was an extension of the hair pieces used for Spirit and Baroness.  

To top it off, Zartan included great accessories.  His backpack held an alternate face.  Today, action figures include alternate heads for collectors.  But, in 1984, we got to play with a bearded weirdo who was disguising the most visually distinctive villain in the G.I. Joe line.  If that wasn't enough, his pistol rivals Mutt's for the top spot in terms of Hasbro's efforts.  

Zartan showed what the Joe line could be and firmly cemented it as military fantasy.  The illusion of the line being about green army guys was forever shattered and there was a full decade of future releases that were a function of that early decision.  

All in all, the 1984 line has a strong case for the best year of Joe releases.  There's just so much here and it's all packed into just 20 figures.  I'm sure everyone's list differs just based on your personal experiences.  But, I'd love to hear about your top figures from this year and why they are important to you.

1993 Mail Away Spirit - Random Photos of the Day

 The 1993 Mail Away Spirit remains one of my favorite figures.  The colors are different, but work on the mold.  He has a solid sculpt.  And, he looks good with a variety of 1992 or 1993 accessories.  This figure was once very available.  But, he's gotten pricey in recent years as more and more collectors forget his ubiquity and desperately try to prove that every figure they own is a piece of unrequited gold.

In the case of Spirit, though, the figure really is golden.  It's a great update to the character and gives you a choice when you want to use Spirit among later release figures.  I've photographed him quite a bit over the years and you'll find him in both backgrounds and forefronts of photos dating back to the early 2000's.  He's actually tied with several other figures at #7 on my list of most photographed figures.  So, he's definitely found good usage through  the years.

Usually, during Rarities Month, I spend my time refreshed and write up a good half dozen or so profiles to keep the content flowing through the rest of the summer.  This year, that didn't happen.  I've lost a bit of inspiration and haven't had much to talk about.  I'm barely taking any photos of Joes for a variety of reasons.  And, so far, I haven't really missed it too much.  Some of the recent Super7 releases have sparked a bit of my interest in Joe again.  So, we'll see if that gets me more motivated to get some profiles out the door.  I have about 30 of them started, with most being about 2/3 done.  But, each time I look at one, I just can't muster the energy to complete it.  So, I'm going to get some old features that showcase some of my favorite figures out there.  Usually, that's enough to break the malaise and produce something interesting.

1989 Slaughter's Marauders Spirit - Around The Web

Surprisingly, there's a lot of content out there that features the 1989 Slaughter's Marauders Spirit.  As it's kind of tough to find one in good condition and the figure is notoriously brittle, even when in mint condition, I didn't expect to see it used to often.  But, there's tons of great content featuring him out there.  So, check out the links!

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit Profile

Slaughter's Marauder Spirit by Purple Cobra 75

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by MrMikeVinthePit

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by Hit and Run

Slaughter's Marauder Spirit by Purple Cobra 75

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by emike

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by thevintagetoylife

Slaughter's Marauder Spirit by Purple_Cobra 75

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by yotothejoe

Slaughter's Marauders by gijoe_rama

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by el_main_man

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by buxovigo

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by Purple_Cobra_75

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by thedustinmccoy

Slaughter's Marauders Spirit by dashiellrfairborne

European Exclusive Spirit Iron Knife - Around the Web

With the new month, we'll bring back one of our old favorites: International Joe Month.  This month will be all about international Joe figures.  There will be profiles, Around the Web and some other features: all showcasing international figures.  So, we'll start with the European Exclusive Spirit.  The fact that he's missing eyebrows is a cruel joke.  But, this is still a great update for a classic mold.

European Spirit Profile

Euro Spirit at JoeADay.com

Euro Spirit by specialmissionforce

Euro Spirit by bruxovigo

Euro Spirit by dreadnokdread

Euro Spirit by nightforcetunnelrat

Euro Spirit by jsteved.yardsale

Euro Spirit by viper_space

Euro Spirit by cobra_florence

Euro Spirit by g.i. boyz

1992 Air Commando Spirit

The 1992 Joe line is incredibly strong.  It's full of new molds for classic characters as well as a nice variety of new introductions to the line.  The colors of the year blend well and create a cohesive visual display.  But, the standard carded line of figures only included a few figures.  The rest of the year's line was released in various subsets and smaller vehicles.  Yet, the quality of mold and color continued and the entire is one of the better looking entries of a displayed collection.  Among the releases was a new version of Spirit.  

After being introduced in 1984, Spirit got his update.  It's easy to recognize the new look as Spirit.  He kept his long hair, but has it styled into a single pony tail instead of braids.  He retains his trademark headband.  But, once below his head, this Spirit is less an homage to Native American culture than a newly designed badass combat soldier.  He is burdened with an over-abundance of grenades.  (A common thread among Joe figures.)  But, they aren't too bulky and keep the overall appearance of this new Spirit relatively slim.  His chest is a bright green that visually pops.  It is set against black paint that highlight the mold's sculpted details.  The figure features blue pants that blend with many other 1992 releases.  And, his red gloves offer a both a splash of color as well as tying together the red pattern on the figure's headband.  To top off the details, Spirit has molded feathers on his right arm that offer a little reminder of the figure's roots.

On paper, this figure should be amazing.  But, the thing is, it really isn't.  While it's nice enough, the sculpt was improved upon in 1993 with the mail away color scheme.  The brown, gold and white combo on that figure is more unique and better fits the mold and character.  The head might be a little too large for the body.  And, Spirit can appear to be disproportional at times.  And, the red gloves are a bit off-putting.  They really interfere with the blue, black and green.  The red and white on the headband works.  But, the gloves really take you out of the overall design.  And, as the hands are a key part of any figure's look, a bad color can have an outsized affect on the appearance as a whole.  

This 1992 Spirit was part of the Air Commandos subset.  While the figure was sold on a card, the cards were drastically oversized to show off the gliders that were the real selling point.  Hasbro's original gliders in 1983 were garbage.  These 1992 releases, though, promised they would fly 40 feet with the figure attached.  Hopefully, not too many people actually did that with the gliders.  But, Spirit's red, white and blue patriotic overkill special seems out of place with the character.  And, today, the Air Commandos are remembered for the high quality figures rather than the cheesy gliders.  Unfortunately, though, the gliders cost anywhere between $8 and $10 each.  And, when you consider that there were far better alternatives available at that cost, the high price point was rather prohibitive to the toys really selling on par with sets like the DEF and even the Eco Warriors.  Which is why, even today, all the Air Commandos figures appear with less frequency than most other carded 1992 figures.

Did you know that Spirit was never released without Mutt?  In every single instance where Spirit was released, Mutt was also available at the same time.  They both debuted in 1984.  Then, they both returned as Slaughter's Marauders in 1989.  At various times, they were both released in Brazil and Mexico in the same waves.  Then, exclusive repaints showed up in Europe in the early 1990's.  Both characters got new molds in 1992.  Then, Mutt was repainted as a carded figure in 1993 and Spirit was available as a mail away in the same year.  It was not until the post vintage era where the two were separated.  Both appeared together in the comic.  So, there was a deliberate pairing of the two.  But, all of their designs work pretty well together until the 1993 versions.

Spirit comes with a single accessory.  He has an oddball pistol.  My introduction to the mold was with the 1994 Viper.  And, I felt the sci-fi nature of the weapon worked well with that figure.  With Spirit, it seems out of place...especially if you know of the amazing accessories that were included with the character's debut figure.  The upside is that there are many, more common, accessories that work well with this mold.  But, the disappearance of Freedom and the lack of other gear that would have accentuated the character feels like a missed opportunity.

My introduction to this figure mold was with the 1993 mail away version.  And, that remains my default use of this mold today.  Back when I got a bagged 1992 figure from Canada, I was never compelled to open the figure.  The 1993 was enough for me.  And, when I got a loose 1992, that feeling continued.  Now, though, I do find this figure works well with other 1992 releases.  And, is a nice background filler in photos and dioramas.  As a main focus, I'm still going with the 1993.  And, my first choice for any use of Spirit is the original from 1984.  

The 1992 Spirit mold got two uses.  The first was this Air Commando version.  Then, in 1993, the mold was repainted for the International Action Team.  This maroon and white version is probably better than the 1992 coloring.  But, both uses of the Spirit mold were relatively obscure releases.  Bagged overstock Spirits were offered as a Canadian mail away.  And, a great number of bagged Spirits came into the collecting community during the Hasbro Canada find in 1999.  Those figures, though, are bagged without guns.  So, if you see bagged figures sans weapons, you know they are from the Canadian overstock.  Sadly, Hasbro didn't use this mold in the 2000's.  It's a shame as it would have been great in a 1984 Spirit color scheme or a Euro Spirit color scheme.  But, it was not to be.

Dealers will sell loose Spirits for $30 and complete versions for $60.  That's a lot of money for a weapon that's not that small, isn't overly cool and doesn't really have any cachet.  On the open market, though, you can get Spirit figures for $13.  But, open market pricing on complete figures runs between $50 and $60...meaning the dealers are right at market on the complete figures.  That's very odd.  And, something that's likely to correct if the Joe market doesn't get back to normal soon.  The upside, though, is that a relatively hard to find, high quality update of a classic character is still affordable if you are willing to sacrifice his non-iconic weapon.  There's much worse outcomes in the Joe marketplace today.

Olhos de Fenix - Brazilian Exlusive Spirit Iron Knife - Around The Web

The 1984 Spirit is a classic figure.  He has a major issue, though, in that the light blue shirt and sleeves tend to discolor very badly.  Even properly stored figures are starting to go.  And, as the color fades and yellows, it ruins the aesthetic of a great toy.  For some reason, though, the blue plastic used on the Brazilian release of Spirit (Olhos de Fenix) does not fade.  And, it is a brighter, more brilliant blue than even the Hasbro figure had in 1984.  

This creates a great version of Spirit.  And, there's actually a good amount of content featuring the figure.  The upside is that you can still get quality Olhos de Fenix figures with relative ease.  The downside is that you'll now pay triple digits for the privilege.  But, if you love the Spirit character and are tired of faded blues, this might be the way to go.

Olhos de Fenix Profile

Olhos de Fenix by atticagazette

Olhos de Fenix by vintagebraziltoys

Olhos de Fenix by Relinquished1979

Olhos de Fenix by specialmissionforce

Olhos de Fenix by gladiousbrazil

Olhos de Fenix by andrey_collector

Olhos de Fenix by vintagebraziltoys

Olhos de Fenix by Reliquished1979

Olhos de Fenix by RTG

Comandos Em Acoa Review

Olhos de Fenix by comandos_em_acao_gijoe

Olhos de Fenix by Relinquished1979

Olhos de Fenix by indio_iwa

Olhos de Fenix by Relinqueshed 1979

1985 Battle Gear #3

In very early 1983, I found the first G.I. Joe Battle Gear on a peg at a toy store in Buffalo, New York.  The weapons were similarly colored to the guns included with the carded figures.  But, the helmets and backpacks were drastically different.  In 1984, a new set was released.  This filled in the gaps from the prior year with the inclusion of Zap's bazooka and Short Fuse's mortar.  As 1985 dawned, I was excited for the Battle Gear pack that would surely be released.  The 1984 series of figures were amazing.  And, through heavy play, I had lost gear to Mutt, Firefly, Scrap Iron and Blowtorch, broken gear for Roadblock and simply wanted more Ripcord parachute packs and masks.  The Battle Gear would solve many of my desires for a reasonable price.  Then, though, I found the actual pack that was released.  Looking at the list of figures above, you can imagine my disappointment.  None of the gear I actually needed or wanted was included.  Despite this, we had at least three of the sets in my childhood collection.  And, when reviewed outside the context of my childhood disappointment, this set has some redeeming factors.

The 1985 Battle Gear includes a lot of 1984 gear.  It is also missing quite a bit.  The first Battle Gear pack did not include three pieces: Zap's bazooka and Short Fuse's mortar and stand.  The 1984 release was missing Tripwire's mine detector and all of Torpedo's gear.  1985, though, omitted quite a few pieces of gear.  Included in the set was red versions of: Baroness' rifle, Firefly's rifle and walkie talkie and Scrap Iron's pistol.  There were tan versions of Recondo's backpack and rifle, Spirit's rifle and pack, Roadblock's pack and ammo box as well as Blowtorch's backpack.  There were 4 grey helmets: Mutt's, Blowtorch's, Ripcord's and a standard 1982 style helmet for use with Duke or Roadblock.  There were 2 green battle stands.  And, finally, a deep, rich green array of weapons and gear that include Mutt's pistol, Torpedo's spear gun, Blowtorch's flamethrower, Ripcord's rifle, Zartan's pistol, Duke's binoculars, Thunder's monocular and two new visors.  The visors were not opaque versions of the classic 1982 release.  They featured a nose notch like the goggles included with Thunder.  But, Thunder's piece required his earmuffs and their elongated pegs to affix the visor to the helmet.  These visors were stand alone.  The black version of them is similar to the one included with Starduster.  But, the design debuted in this 1985 Battle Gear set and never appeared again.

What's missing from the set, though, is more notable.  Thunder's earmuff's and visor are absent.  There are no Cobra backpacks at all.  So, Baroness, Firefly, Scrap Iron and Zartan are left unaccessorized.  No animals were included: nixing Freedom and Junkyard.  None of Duke's gear aside from the binoculars (and helmet) is included.  None of the masks included with Mutt, Ripcord or Blowtorch are present.  Roadblock's machine and tri-pod are absent: despite the inclusion of his backpack.  Ripcord's parachute pack is a no-show, as is Mutt's nightstick.  But, the most glaring omission is that there is no repainted Stormshadow gear in the entire set.  In 1985, edged weapons for Joes were nearly impossible to track down.  Getting a repainted Stormshadow sword or two would have been great.  Everyone lost or broke Stormshadow's bow.  But, it's not here.  (It's my guess that Stormshadow was popular enough that kids would get parents to replace that figure entirely so his accessories weren't wanted in Battle Gear that might blow another figure sale.)  It's an appalling amount of missing gear for a set and it started a trend that would continue through the rest of the Battle Gear's retail life.  This was a likely function of the fact that 1984 figures started including more gear and many pieces that were far more intricate than anything that had come before.  But, it was an unfortunate shift for kids of the time.

As 1985 began, I had lost my Zartan's pistol.  Firefly's walkie talkie and backpack cover were long gone.  Mutt's mask and night stick were distant memories.  Roadblock's pack peg was broken, a stand was broken away from his tri-pod and his machine gun had been snapped in two.  A friend I was outgrowing had stolen my Scrap Iron's missile table.  And, Blowtorch's air mask had ripped and was no longer usable.  Of the 10 items I needed to rehabilitate my 1984 Joes, this Battle Gear pack included just 3.

What was great, though, was that the set did include some pieces that were useful.  I loved Recondo's backpack.  I wanted more of my figures to wear packs that carried more supplies.  The neutral color of the pack make it more useful for many other figures.  (It's also still commonly mistaken for Recondo's real gear by dealers who aren't Joe specific since the colors of the pack and the Recondo figure match up.)  Having a few additional walkie talkies was fun since it gave all my figures ways to communicate.  The long range sight devices were another useful inclusion since advance teams always needed them.  (The binoculars also became standard issue in the cockpit of the Whale for Cutter to use at any time.)  Additional Mutt and Zartan pistols were also nice since the color wasn't terrible and small pistols were always getting lost.

The biggest value of this set, though, was realized when I started to take apart my old, broken Joes and frankenstein together some new figures.  At first, Battle Gear helped to simply flesh out figures who had no other gear.  But, as 1985 moved into the summer, I began to paint many of my creations into new designs.  Along with this, I painted accessories.  I didn't want to waste "real" gear on this endeavor.  So, Battle Gear was the logical choice.  My favorite was a Ripcord helmet painted blue with white "fur" lining the edges.  As I used cheap paint, the helmet quickly chipped.  But, this became part of the character of the commander who wore it.  Slowly, that character turned into the leader of the Joes and became the character that is represented by the General Flagg figure today.  I actually still have 2 pieces that I painted as a kid, including that Ripcord helmet that you can see below.

In the days when slightly off condition Joe figures were cheap and plentiful, Battle Gear weapons were far more useful.  Customizers abounded and they were always in search of cheap gear they could paint, cut apart or combine into new pieces.  Battle Gear was a cheap and easy way for the customizers of the early 2000's to build out and re-accessorize their creations.  Now, they are weird colored items that take up space and cross an item off a list.  In this era of factory custom figures, though, things like the helmets, visors and even weapons will match up with some of the figures we've seen.  That has given these sets a new niche in which they have value.  But, there's still so many of them that even new uses does little to move the large surplus of these items that are still out there.

While some individual items from this Battle Gear pack are more desirable than others, the truth is that the entire set is not overly expensive.  You can still get complete sets for around $10.  Duke's binoculars, Zartan's pistol and the green visors are, far and away, the most expensive and desirable items.  And, they are often the pieces most often missing from sets.  But, the non-standard colors and general ubiquity of the gear has left it an undesired piece of Joe collecting.  If you bought collections of figures at any time in the past twenty years, you have plenty of Battle Gear weapons lying around.  I still find the deep green a fun visual treat.  But, they don't really work with any figures.  The childhood disappointment still clouds my vision of this set: 35 years later.  But, you have to give Hasbro credit for understanding that kids lost gear and trying to give them a way to fix that.

1989 Slaughter's Marauders Spirit

In all the time I have been reviewing G.I. Joe figures, I have only looked at two members of the Slaughter's Marauders subset that was released in 1989.  Part of this is that there were only 6 members of the team released in the U.S. and only two real international variants of the figures that exist.  (Both of which are very similar to the U.S. releases.)  Another part is that the figures are relatively obscure, break easily and are not significant upgrades over the figures' original designs.  The penultimate part is that Slaughter's Marauders has not really taken off in the collecting community like Tiger Force or even Sky Patrol have.  The final element is that while the paint jobs on the Slaughter's Marauders have merit, they quickly blend together and lack the complementary cohesion of a Tiger Force or Python Patrol.  All of this isn't to say that the figures are bad.  In fact, they have a lot of merit and can be extremely useful in many situations.  In cases like this Spirit, they are drastic departures from the figure's original paint job and give collectors a diverse way to use the character.

All of the Slaughter's Marauders figures were made by Estrela in Brazil.  Hasbro did this due to the molds being in Brazil.  But, also to test additional production capacity should they ever need it.  The result, though, is that the Slaughter's Marauders figures have extremely brittle plastic.  (They match with the quality of all the Estrela releases and are a great way for a modern collector to experience Brazilian quality prior to taking the plunge into Estrela exclusive figures.)  You see an extremely high frequency of broken thumbs and crotches on Slaughter's Marauders figures...even if the rest of the figure shows almost no wear.  Spirit is a notoriously brittle release, though.  His rifle's large handle and the thinness of his crotch piece make him even more susceptible to breakage.  Three decades removed from his release, this has manifested in a figure that has become tough to find and even tougher to accessorize and pose due to fears of his thumbs snapping from just giving him his rifle to hold.

The Slaughter's Marauders color scheme is very close to being the perfect forest team.  Their base colors of brown, black, dark green and light green are an excellent way for them to blend into forested environments.  Alas, there is an outlier, though, as the final color in their palette was a unique blue.  The color isn't Cobra blue, but is odd enough that it takes away from the figure's realism.  Fortunately, Spirit joins Footloose and Low Light as the figures with the least amount of the color and its appearance on the figure's accents help keep this Spirit fairly militaristic.  The blue gloves, boots and undershirt can be a bit off-putting.  But, the figure's general color tones are well done and rarely otherwise seen in the vintage line outside of the Marauders subset.

Spirit features all new paint masks from the original figure.  The multi-tonal shirt and pants give the figure some depth...even if the reality of the clothes is a bit odd.  The biggest change, though, is that Spirit is missing his eyebrows!  I'm not really sure how a paint mask like this could be overlooked.  But, it happened.  And, it gives this figure an eerie face that doesn't seem quite right.  (Sadly, this missing paint mask was also carried forward to the European Spirit figure.)  It's the main detraction on this figure and it takes what would, otherwise, be a top notch repaint and knocks it down a few pegs.

The other difference is Spirit's skin tone.  The Olhos de Fenix figure that was originally released in Brazil featured a more sunburnt skin tone.  (The same tone was seen on other figures, too.)  This Slaughter's Marauders figure has pasty white skin...a stark difference from the mold's prior use in Brazil.  But, it's also more in line with the skin tone that was used on the American release in 1984.  Making Spirit's skin so blanched is an odd choice for a character who wears clothing so tied to his heritage.  It's not likely that this was anything more than a function of the plastic mixture since all of the Marauders figures with exposed skin have matching flesh tones.

The Slaughter's Marauders Spirit has a few interesting packaging differences from the 1984 original.  First, the card art is reversed.  Instead of holding his rifle in his right hand like he is on the 1984 card, the 1989 release shows him holding it in his left hand.  The artwork is just a mirror image.  What's interesting, though, is that this reversed image is unique to the Slaughter's Marauders Spirit.  The Ohlos de Fenix figure, also released in Brazil, features the original orientation.  And, the subsequently released European Spirit also matches the positioning of the 1984 figure.  Barbecue, Footloose and Mutt also feature reversed card art.  While Low Light's orientation matches his original release.

In addition to this, Spirit's filecard was changed.  Gone are the references to how poor Spirit was when he grew up.  Instead, his Marauders card refers to the beauty of his homeland.  It's an odd omission and one that somewhat changes your view of the character's upbringing.  Also gone is the reference to Spirit being a Shaman.  He is now a tough warrior.  This change fits with the Hasbro narrative.  As the line progressed, every character needed to be the toughest, baddest or best trained good guy or the most evil, vile and terrible villain.  Characters were pushed to the extremes to make them appear larger than life and fit with the hero and villain narrative.  But, the filecard differences paint two different pictures of the same character.

The Slaughter's Marauders Spirit includes all of the gear from the original Spirit, but in different colors.  The rifle and pack are now black.  However, as they are made in Brazil, they are not the same as the black accessories that accompanied the European Exclusive Spirit figure.  So, be aware of that.  The loincloth is now black with brown paint to better match the updated paint masks.  And, Freedom again makes an appearance.  Once again, though, the Freedom is different from the more common 1984 Freedom due to his manufacture in Brazil. The rifle and backpack are a pair that really require each other due to the ammunition in the pack matching that which appears in Spirit's rifle.  But, the full complement of gear is necessary for Spirit and makes the figure feel far more useful than just a loose figure with no weapons would.

When I took my Spirit out of his bag, though, I found yet another example of the inferior Brazilian plastic.  Back in 2001, I wrote about how the soft plastic used for Escorpiao Voador's helmet was "melting" inside the still carded figure's package.  To this day, it has an oily residue on it.  I've found the same residue on my Slaughter's Marauders Junkyard.  And, I have now found it on Spirit's loincloth.  These figures have been stored in moderate temperatures and away from sunlight for many years.  But, the plastic is still degrading.  I now have to keep the loincloth separate from the figure to prevent it from damaging any other parts.  This is just the beginning.  Spirit's loincloth is over 30 years old, now.  And, these toys were never intended for such long use.  But, if you haven't checked your Marauders figures in a while, it's probably a good idea to look over the softer accessories and see if this degradation is happening to you, too.

Spirit traveled around the world.  Aside from the U.S. release, he was also released in Brazil and Mexico.  Both of these figures are similar in coloring to the 1984 Hasbro version.  Estrela produced the Slaughter's Marauders figures in Brazil for Hasbro.  But, Spirit was not among the Brazilian releases of the Marauders figures.  (Sgt. Slaughter, BBQ and Low Light were the only three released on Brazilian cards.)  Spirit did appear on the cardbacks of late run Plastirama packaging in Argentina.  But, he was never actually released there.  In the early 1990's, Spirit, Mutt and Low Light were all given back to Hasbro and were put into production in the European market.  Low Light kept the Slaughter's Marauders theme, though has exclusive to Europe coloring.  Mutt and Spirit, though, were given radical redesigns.  The Euro Spirit is black and red, but uses the same paint masks as the Slaughter's Marauders version...right down to the missing eyebrows.  It's very likely that Hasbro had access to Spirit in the 2000's but either never looked for him, or didn't care enough to produce a new version.  It's unfortunate as the mold could have been given at least one more really nice repaint.  But, Spirit collectors have three major paint variants and two additional country of origin variants to sate their Spirit appetite.

Mint and complete Slaughter's Marauders Spirit figures run about $40 these days.  Dealers will charge up to $60 and even get it from time to time.  (Especially if the figure has the filecard.)  In the case with this Spirit, the value is in an unbroken figure as the brittle plastic makes intact thumbs and crotches a tough find.  You can get most of the accessories (aside from Freedom) relatively cheaply.  The Slaughter's Marauders figures, in general, have taken off in price in the past few years as the frequency of broken figures and general lower production runs of the figures have become more evident.  The coloring of this figure works for a more militaristic version of Spirit.  But, the look isn't as iconic as the 1984 original.  As a Spirit fan, though, I find a great deal of value in both versions.  They serve different purposes and are different enough to warrant owning both.  And, with all versions of Spirit now being fairly expensive, the only reason to choose one over the another is personal preference.  I find value in having different looks for classic characters.  And, the Slaughter's Marauders paint job on Spirit is a nice way to have a solid look for the character that is less often seen than his more famous original design.

1993 Spirit Iron Knife Mail Away - Around the Web

The 1992 Spirit figure was a great mold update of a classic character.  But, he was included in an obscure release with lower production numbers.  So, Hasbro repainted the figure in 1993 but also released it in an obscure mail away promotion.  The result is an excellent repaint that's rather hard to find.

This is my de facto Spirit figure.  The colors are strong and he looks good with an array of accessories. There's not a ton of content on this figure out there.  But, being an obscure release from the line's latest years generally leads to a dearth of information.  He remains one of my favorite figures, though.  Here's what I could find on him from around the web.

Spirit Profile

Spirit Dio 1

International Action Force at JoeADay.com

1993 Spirit by dreadnokdread

Menace in the Wilderness Insert at YoJoe.com

International Action Force at 3DJoes.com

Spirit Dio 2

Olhos de Fenix - Brazilian Exlusive Spirit Iron Knife

As Joe figures were cycled out of production in the United States, Hasbro looked to license their toys for use in other parts of the world.  It was a way to grow the global G.I. Joe brand while also stretching a lot more profit out of molds that had paid for themselves with just the U.S. run.  In the latter half of the 1980's, most G.I. Joe figures from the line's first three years found their way to South America where local companies (Plastirama in Argentina, Rubiplas in Venezula and Estrela in Brazil) licensed the figure molds and produced exclusive versions of the toys for their domestic markets.  These figures contained small subtleties that differentiated them from the Hasbro releases.  In some cases, the changes were somewhat major.  But, at least for the early figures, the changes were mostly due to the plastic mixture colors and some different paint.  But, the figures produced have left a legacy of high quality and fun variants for collectors to track down.  In a few cases, foreign companies produced figures that had superior benefits as compared to the Hasbro release.  One such instance is the Olhos De Fenix figure released in Brazil.  

The figure itself is modeled on the highly recognizable and popular 1984 Spirit figure.  Olhos de Fenix loosely translates into the "Eyes of Phoenix".  Eyes of Phoenix is a mouthful of a code name: as is Olhos de Fenix.  What's odd is that the figure is also named Flecha Veloz, which translates as Fast Arrow.  Fast Arrow is a better code name and is something you can say.  Even Flecha Veloz would work as a distinct name.  But, it's tough to look at this figure and see anyone other than the classic visage of Spirit Iron Knife.  In some ways, though, that is a very good thing.

There are a few items of note about the Olhos de Fenix figure in relation to the American release of Spirit.  The Spirit figure has two major flaws.  First, the blue shirt and arms tend to discolor terribly.  Second, the golden wrist gauntlet paint will wear off is you breathe on it.  This makes finding truly mint Spirit figures very difficult.  The Olhos de Fenix figure, though, does not suffer from these issues.  The brilliant blue shirt does not discolor easily.  And, the golden paint on the figure's wrists is much more robust than that of the American release.  Oddly, South American produced Joes do not have nearly the same discoloration issues as those produced in Asia.  You see it on Olhos de Fenix, Cobra de Hielo and other South American issued molds.

The other difference in the Brazilian figure versus the American version are the general colors used.  Olhos de Fenix figures feature much richer color palettes.  The blue shirt is a much deeper blue than the American version.  In turn, this makes the red and gold pop more from the base background.  Olhos de Fenix's skin tone is darker, too.  It's actually more in line with his Native American skin color than the American release.  The overall color brilliance carries over to the accessories, too.  The figure's pack and gun are the much darker Brazilian green that was common to Estrela produced figures.  The loincloth is about the same in color.  But, the eagle included with the Brazilian figure is actually a lighter brown color than the the American released version of Freedom.

Ever since I acquired my first Brazilian figure back in 2001, I've had an issue with the softer plastic on the figures turning tacky to the touch.  This has occurred to figures stored in different ways in different parts of the country.  I've had it happen to figures I've opened off the card and figures and those I've acquired loose like this Olhos de Fenix.  In this case, the figure's hair has started to turn soft to the touch.  His loincloth has as well.  You can feel a slight, oily residue on your hands after handling these parts of the figure.  At this point, the plastic is 30+ years old.  So, the deterioration that's occurred may be the extent of what I'll see.  Or, it could be the harbinger of finding globs of gelatinous goo inside my figure storage bins.  But, I'm curious if others have this same issue.  Since I've seen it on figures acquired from American dealers, Brazilian aftersellers and even carded figures, I assume I can't be the only one who has found this problem.  So, if you have any experience with the Estrela plastic, let me know in the comments.

For me, Olhos de Fenix fits into a specific niche.  Like many foreign remakes of classic figures, Olhos de Fenix is a way for me to enjoy a classic figure from my childhood in a new way.  I find this figure better and more fun to photograph than the American Spirit due to the color differences.  More than one collector has commented on the quality of the Spirit in one of my photos, not realizing it was actually the Olhos de Fenix figure.  Posing him with remakes of classic characters from around the globe brings a worldliness to my collection that I enjoy.  You really don't need this figure as he brings nothing to a collection that Spirit does not.  But, having more than one way to showcase one of the figures who dominated the latter half of my 1984 play patterns is a nice, nostalgic bonus.

Spirit had a long life.  After the American release in 1984, the figure went to Brazil.  Olhos de Fenix was likely released sometime around 1986.  Subsequent to that release, the figure was then released by Auriken in Mexico in colors based on the American figure.  In 1989, Estrela fired up the mold again and produced the Slaughter's Marauders Spirit figure that was actually sold in the U.S.  Then, though, the mold was returned to Hasbro.  How this went down is unclear.  But, around 1991, a new Spirit figure was produced in Asia and released by Hasbro as a European exclusive figure.  The mold died after this.  Circumstantial evidence suggests that Hasbro could have had the mold in the 2000's.  But, it's impossible to know for sure.  All we know is that Spirit got a good number of releases around the world, but hasn't been seen in over 25 years.

A few years ago, Olhos de Fenix figures were fairly cheap.  You could get mint and complete figures for around $30 shipped from Brazil.  (So, about half that cost was shipping.)  Now, they cost much more. Nicely conditioned and complete with filecard figures will reach nearly $100, and sometimes more.  If you sacrifice some gear, the filecard or condition, it can still be a $50 figure if it's unbroken.  That's a lot to pay for something that's a slight variant to the American figure.  But, finding cheap American figures that are not discolored and have no gold paint wear is a challenge in and of itself.  The deeper colors of the Brazilian version do make him worth owning.  But, I"m not sure that the differences are worth the massive price differences between the Olhos de Fenix figure and the Spirit figure.  I was fortunate to acquire this guy when doing so was about the same price as getting a Hasbro release.  That is no longer the case.  But, I'm glad I have him now as the differences make for a better version of Spirit.