Rarities - Unproduced 2003 Wal Mart Sky Patrol Figures

Back in 2003, Wal Mart worked with Hasbro to release an exclusive 6 figure set.  The toys were expected to be released around the 2003 holiday season.  The original plan was for the figures to be vintage inspired o-ring figures who would include working parachutes.  It was a novel idea and one that was sure to be a hit among collectors.  Hasbro went so far as to show off hand painted samples of the figures at various shows.  Collectors got excited about the figures as any new vintage style figures were always welcomed.  But, something happened between the planning and production stages for the figures.  And, the o-ring figures were cancelled and replaced by a hasty set of JvC style figures that included one urban camo Cobra and a desert clad Joe.  In the madness that was 2003 Joe retail, these figures were still quickly gobbled up and even commanded premium pricing for a while.  But, the real story was the demise of the more highly anticipated o-ring figures.

Supposedly, the reason for the cancellation was that the parachutes that were planned for the figures would not pass safety tests.  Why this lead to the demise of the entire wave of figures instead of just the problematic accessory is anyone's guess.  (At the time, the 2003 Ripcord was supposed to include a parachute.  His accessory was also removed.  But, the figure was still released, albiet a couple of weeks delayed.)   We would, though, later learn that Wal Mart wasn't as keen on vintage style figures as they were the newer sculpting style of the JvC designs.  And, Wal Mart would later take a lot of blame for vintage style Joe completely disappearing from retail assortments and being relegated to Toys R Us exclusives and Comic Packs.  How much of this is true and how much was just Wal Mart being a convenient scape goat isn't really clear.  But, a highly desired wave of 6 figures became something of an afterthought when it was changed to something completely different.

You will note that collectors often refer to these figures as "Sky Patrol".  There is no official documentation to back that up.  It was just an easy moniker applied to this set since we didn't know their official names.  The figures that replaced them at Wal Mart did not have any special markings on them and they were just packaged as standard Venom Vs. Valor releases.  So, the "Sky Patrol" is a colloquialism meant for quick reference to this series since the "Cancelled Wal Mart Exclusive O-Ring Figure Wave that Would Have Included Parachutes" is just too cumbersome to say.

The story wasn't over, though.  First, someone found a weird pack at retail that featured an oddly colored Snake Eyes and Stormshadow in a two pack.  The figures were pre-production samples of the Wal Mart figures that had, accidentally, gotten packaged and slipped through quality control.  Shortly after this, tons of the 6 figures began to appear from Asian sellers.  As 2004 progressed, the stock didn't dry up.  And, for a while, most of the Wal Mart figures could be had for under $15 each from Asian sellers.  Despite that heavy supply, the Wal Mart figures now command a premium and run in the hundreds of dollars each, even though they exist in ample supply.

We'll start with one of the original images from a Hasbro display.  There are many things of note in this photo.  Duke appears to actually be a paint master for the 2000/2001 figure.  While he's hand painted, the coloring is nearly identical to the earlier retail figure.  There's some differences.  But, the pre-production Duke is vastly different.  Snake Eyes is just a straight up production figure from the 2002 BJ's set.  The Hiss Driver/Rip It features a gold chest.  This would be changed.  Low Light is pretty close to his final colors.  The Alley Viper is blocked out in this photo.  But, he appears to also be drastically different from the final pre-production figure.  Stormshadow isn't featured at all.

Now for the individual figures.  Each  of these are full production level figures that were widely available.  It is noteworthy, though, that there are variants of most figure.  They exist in different blue hues and some have painted logos that others don't.  There's even a hair color variant on Duke.

Snake Eyes:

Snake Eyes is the least interesting of the figures in the set.  He retains the mostly black body.  He features red goggles.  This would have been a new look for Snake eyes.  But, it doesn't really match up and isn't visually appealing.  His arms have their weird blue forearms and rivet joint.  This might have been cleaned up had the figure gone to production.  It makes Snake Eyes look like he's half trying to be a Cobra.  When the Wal Mart figures were available, Snake Eyes was always the cheapest since he offered nothing new or interesting.  Had he been released, this figure would be as ignored as the 2002 BJ's version.

Stormshadow:

The Stormshadow figure wasn't shown in some of the convention displays.  He uses the 1992 Ninja Force mold.  Hasbro had used this mold in the 2002 BJ's set.  It was an OK figure.  The mold also returned in 2004 in the Urban Strike set.  A 2003 release would have been overkill.  The blue on this figure is different, though.  And, the color scheme was well liked by collectors of the day.  Had this figure been any other Stormshadow mold, it would be better remembered and a bigger loss.  

Low Light:

Low Light was the second most anticipated figure from this set.  And, as the army building nonsense of the 2000's died down, he's supplanted the Hiss Driver as the most interesting figure in the set.  The main reason is that this is the only use of the V1 Low Light mold that Hasbro offered for retail.  We got the 1991 Low Light in 2001 with his parts also appearing on other figures.  But, the V1 Low Light didn't appear until he was released as a convention exclusive in 2008.  

It really made no sense why Hasbro didn't get this mold into the Desert set in 2004 or the arctic set in 2005.  Both would have been great slots for Low Light and would have allowed him to replace a lackluster figure or character in each of those sets.  You'll note that this Low Light uses the same paint masks as the Slaughter's Marauders version.  So, Hasbro didn't spend a ton of money to update his painted details.  In general, this is a solid look for Low Light.  And, him including his real accessories would have been a big plus that put him over the top for collectors of the day.  (You'll note his rifle later appeared in some TRU sets.)  He's very much a more muted Slaughter's Marauders figure and would be a fairly popular figure had he seen wide release.

Alley Viper:

The Alley Viper was the most popular figure when this set first showed up on Ebay.  He would command the highest prices and always sell.  This was due to the extremes of the army building mentality among collectors of the day.  They would overpay for any army builder.

This figure, though, is among the weaker in the set.  While his colors blend with the other Cobras, the reality is that they are an inferior mix to figures that had just been released at retail.  If you wanted a light blue Alley Viper, there was a great one in Wave 1.5 that was cheap and easy to get.  If you wanted a red Alley Viper, there was one in Wave 2 that was well done.  (Though, it was shortpacked and somewhat harder to find than the blue version.)  This amalgamation of the two color schemes is a nice  middle ground between them.  But, it wasn't a figure that was really needed.  And, had it been released, it would have overlapped with the Wave 7.75 blue Alley Vipers at retail and been followed up with the Urban Strike Alley Viper.  There are some variants of this Alley Viper in terms of the coloring hues and if he has a Cobra sigil or not.  So, be on the watch for that.

In short, this figure would have been even more oversaturation of a figure mold that collectors were tiring of.  I don't think we lost anything with this figure's cancellation.  But, his popularity of the time suggests that I was not representative of collecting as a whole with my sentiment.

Duke:

The Duke figure from this set is the one I lament the most.  It would have been a great Duke.  Duke has the greatest variants among the unproduced figures as there are brown haired and blonde haired heads.  There are also green pants or brown pants.  You can see both versions of the figure below.  (There are likely more, subtle variants, too.)  The green pants version is a close take to the 1984 color scheme on the 1992 mold.  Hasbro should have made more figures like this since they had so many later versions of classic characters.

Duke had a bunch of accessories.  He included an exclusive helmet.  He then came with a black version of the Snow Serpent backpack and either one or two rifles.  The common weapon between the versions was a black Beach Head rifle.  Some also included an Ambush rifle.  The accessories were decent and worked with the figure.  The brown hair were the, likely, earlier figures with the the blonde hair figure being the one we would have gotten at retail.  A blonde Duke with the green pants would have been the best Duke released during the repaint era.  It's sad we didn't get it.

Hiss Driver (Rip It):

The Hiss Driver mold was the most anticipated figure in the set.  Collectors had gotten a couple of very easy to find retail Alley Vipers.  But, the Hiss Driver mold hadn't been seen since late 2000/early 2001 when it was included in the Toys R Us exclusive Hiss III.  Collectors were keen to army build it, especially in these colors.  

It is a near certainty that this figure would have been released as Rip It instead of as a Hiss Driver.  Hasbro was keen on characters.  So, this would have likely been one rather than a nameless army builder.  But, sans an official release, the figure simply became known as the Hiss Driver.  As he was readily available and not overly expensive back in the mid 2000's, many people were able to get a few of them to drive their armies of Hiss Tanks.  The blue was close enough to the classic Cobra color that everyone wanted for every single Cobra figure mold that Hasbro had in their library.  

There is a variant of this figure.  Some are darker blue.  And, some have Cobra logos on their arms while others don't.  Neither seems more rare than the other.  Hasbro never got the Hiss Driver mold to retail, again.  There was a short run 2007 Convention Rip It, tough.  That figure is notable as it uses an inverse color scheme to this Wal Mart Hiss Driver.  Together, the two figures are a great looking pair.  But, it would cost you nearly $1000 to get both of them, today.

In the end, it's a shame collectors didn't get this set.  But, with how quickly the Wal Mart exclusive Valor Vs. Venom figures sold out, it's also likely that many collectors would have missed these at retail and they would have commanded a premium on the secondary market.  As the Joe line cratered in 2007 through 2010, collectors might have been able to get the quantities they wanted.  But, these figures would have remained highly desired and expensive today, even if they had gone to retail.  

Today, the figures command premium prices.  Most newer collectors are unaware that these were available for several years from Asian sellers.  Most of the figures were available for under $15 each for quite a while.  Some collectors army built the Alley Vipers and Hiss Drivers.  So, the figures are out there in numbers.  It's just that they are mostly held by collectors who have little interest in selling them.  Many of the figures have reached nearly $500 each in recent sales.  That's too much for these figures.  But, sanity over recently released and somewhat common items has completely left the collecting world.  So, for most collectors, their closest way to experience these figures is through photos and stories from earlier times.

1992 Stormshadow - Ninja Force

Ninja Force is a bit of a tough nut to crack for me.  The figures have really grown on me over the years.  The mold designs and colors are all top notch.  But, old biases and disappointments from finding them on the shelves back at the time of their release also linger.  My main retail letdowns, though, were the 1993 series of Ninja Force.  The debut year of 1992 was long gone.  And, it's been from these 1992 figures that much of my renewed interest in the figures has sprung.  Most of the figures in the line were sculpts I had ignored.  So, upon finding them again, I was floored at how well done the figures tended to be.  But, in the end, the figures are still defined by their spring loaded action gimmicks.  And, that really costs some figures that should have been amazing...such as this 1992 Stormshadow.

I was out of Joe collecting in 1992.  But, I was still religiously reading the comics.  Really, a lot of the plot from that era just blends together for me, now.  I should go back and re-read the last 50 or so issues, just to re-familiarize myself with the happenings.  But, at the time, I did think that some of the Ninja Force designs were pretty cool.  I thought Slice would be a great toy.  But, on my one trip to Toys R Us in December of that year, I was too focused on some other familiar names and bought Destro, Gung Ho and General Flagg instead of anyone else.  This cycle repeated when I started buying up collections of figures in the late 1990's.  I'd focus on lots with figures I liked (back then, you had the luxury of being choosey) and I'd skip many lots that were heavy on Ninja Force figures.

Eventually, by chance, I acquired all the Ninja Force figures.  I bought way too many lots of 1992 figures when I was after Flak Vipers, Eels and Headhunters.  So, in time, I picked up this Stormshadow.  And, promptly, tossed him into a drawer and never looked at him again.  I was so blase about the figure that I didn't even realize that the 1997 Stormshadow (a figure I liked) was an homage to this 1992 figure.  And, it was only in the mid 2000's that I realized that collectors actually had a fondness for this color scheme on Stormshadow, even if they still hated the actual figure mold.  But, the mold's uses in 2000 and 2002 brought some spotlight to the sculpt and helped normalize it among the more hardcore collectors who comprised the community in the early 2000's.  

I remain steadfast in my belief that Stormshadow only works as a Cobra.  He's necessary as a foil to Snake Eyes.  Without the ying to Snake Eyes' yang, the Joe team's ninja/commando/superhero is just too overpowered.  He lacks the worthy adversary that can keep him from just killing Cobra Commander at any point and ending the whole, pointless conflict.  As I've grown older, I'm also more leery of redemption arcs.  While there's some value in the entire notion, the reality is that you really can't rehab a truly terrible villain.  Once someone will corrupt their morals to follow a dark path, their actions can't be erased by later good deeds.  Stormshadow slashed Gung Ho.  While the physical wounds would heal, every time Gung Ho saw the sword slash scar on his back, he's not be as forgiving of Stormshadow as a new ally.  Sure, you can find some conflict in that story.  But, the entire notion of the anti-hero and the redeemed bad guy have lead us to moral uncertainty where society is unable to grasp that, in real life, bad guys are bad guys and are not to be trusted...especially with power.  

While this figure uses just three basic colors (black, white and gold), the visual that they create is stark and memorable.  You have the white upper body that blends into the black midsection before spotting into white, again for the figure's lower third.  The transitional splotches work really well.  And, it's all offset by the golden highlights painted on the figure's torso.  Stormshadow's arms turn black...allowing for the figure's hands to be unpainted black.  This reduces paint wear.  But, it's also an example of how cost cutting on paint applications can be done in such a way to be un-noticeable.  Stormshadow has no paint applications on his lower arms.  Hasbro designed the figure, though, to make this paint savings appear as part of the overall design.  Stormshadow is no worse for not having paint applications because the blending was so well done.  When you compare this to the cost cutting moves of the 2020's era Hasbro, it's appalling apparent the difference in design skill and approach.  Today's Hasbro isn't afraid of making a stupid looking arm to save a few fractions of a penny.  The vintage Hasbro team did it in a way that no consumer would notice.  And, that's a big reason why the original Joe line resonates so much, even 40+ years after its debut.

I'll go out on a limb and say that if this Stormshadow mold used traditional construction, it would have surpassed even the 1988 version in the collector zeitgeist.  The figure is amazingly detailed and the headsculpt is an even better execution of the design that was introduced on the '88 release.  The body is detailed enough to be interesting.  Much moreso than the blander '88.  But, it's not overdone.  The figure suffers from an oversized torso that's designed to hold the spring loaded action feature that was the hallmark of the entire Ninja Force series.  Sans this feature, the figure would be better proportioned and more in line with other vintage figures.  It's a shame the figure has the action feature as it dominates an otherwise excellent Stormshadow figure.

The 1992 Ninja Force figures actually look amazing when all displayed together.  The color theory used to create the entire series works very well.  Again, this was all intentional on Hasbro's part.  How figures looked when displayed together on retail shelves was of utmost importance.  And, seeing all the first series Ninja Force figures together creates a sum greater than the value of the parts.  The 1993 series is similarly constructed.  And, once you see it with a full set, you realize how visually impactful all the colors can really be.

Stormshadow included three accessories.  The first is the standard black battle stand.  From there, he includes two, white bladed weapons.  He has a long, thin white sword.  It is in scale with the figure and is more lithe than most of the other swords in the Ninja Force line.  The final accessory is my personal favorite.  It's a white scythe with a spiked handle end.  While you can debate the practicality of a weapon like this in real life, it's a really cool weapon.  It's also small enough to be easily wielded by any figure.  It's is somewhat of a legacy weapon, too.  The original Stormshadow included distinctive accessories that helped define the figure.  The 1988 figure included the unique bow and claw.  This 1992 figure has the scythe that carries on that tradition.  And, even with just two weapons, Stormshadow has originality that hearkens back to his origins.

This Stormshadow mold was used too many times.  While Stormshadow didn't get a 1993 repaint, the entire mold was reused for T'Gin Zu.  Hasbro then gave the body parts a new head and used released it for two versions of Ken Masters in the Street Fighter II subset.  Stormshadow returned in 1994 when the mold was used in the Shadow Ninjas set.  In 2000, Hasbro decided to release a new Stormshadow using this mold in the first wave of the ARAHC series.  The mold returned as a Red Ninja in the BJ's set in 2002.  It was planned for inclusion in the ill-fated 2003 Wal Mart parachute figure set.  Plenty of the unproduced figures made their way to the collecting community, too.  In 2004, the mold was finally retired after it was released in the Urban Strike set.  It's worth noting that there are two unproduced variants of Stormshadow from this set: both of which were also heavily imported from Asia by collectors of the early 2000's.  So, there's plenty of this mold available.  

If all that's not enough, though, this figure's paint design is homaged on several other figures.  The first is the 1997 Stormshadow.  The coloring then appears on some anniversary figures.  And, in the 2020's, Black Major had co-opted the colors and released them on several different bodies.  So, if you like the way this figure looks, but not the actual parts which were used, there are alternatives to get the visual appearance into your collection, too.

The upside to this Ninja Force Stormshadow is that he remains cheap.  While dealers will fail to get $30 for a mint and complete figure, you can get really nice versions for around $12.  Just the figure will run you slightly more than half of that.  But, I recommend getting the figure's gear because it complements him so well and is only a slight premium from the loose figure.  Be sure to watch out for discoloration on the white plastic.  And, look out for loose o-rings as they are extremely difficult to replace and will require you to slit the figure's glue apart to fix it.  For the money, this is a worthwhile acquisition, though.  It's a neat look for Stormshadow, even if the actual toy is lacking.  But, standing on the shelf, that's less of an issue than it was in the days when everyone used their new figures for photos, dios or other showcases.

Rarities - 1986 Promotion Image (Pre-Production Figures)

Every year, Hasbro would go to the New York Toy Fair.  Here, they would showcase a catalog of their upcoming year's worth of toys.  As the Fair was early in the year, the catalog would often feature early designs and pre-production figures from various toy lines.  Below is not the 1986 catalog.  I'm not actually unsure of the origin of this image.  But, it's not from the official Toy Fair catalog.  But, in this promotional image, you can see several pre-production figures from the 1986 line.  The 1985 figures are all production level.  But, there are lots of 1986 goodies to explore.

The most interesting thing, of course, is that Mainframe still includes the little stands that were meant for his computer.  The holes into which these would have been inserted did manage to survive on Mainframe's production computer.  But, the stand was never released.  It is likely this was done to save cost as the stand didn't really add any additional play value.  But, the artifacts of it's early existence are proved out by its appearance in this photo.

Most people viewing this will likely focus on the BAT that is in the front and center of the presentation.  You'll notice that it has a different chest hologram as well as a different head.  This head appears squatter and fatter than the sleek head on the production figure.  I think the production figure looks better.  But, your mileage may vary.

Hawk also features an additional paint application on his helmet.  The goggles are painted black.  It's a very nice additional detail.  And, while it would have been great to see it at retail, it's also not enough of a change to really notice it's missing.

Several of the figures feature alternate heads.  The BAT and Dial Tone's heads are the most jarringly different from their production counterparts.  There are also lots of subtle paint differences, too.  Some of these figures might have been hand painted samples.  The awkward posing on the 1986 figures suggests that they were not production level at the time the photo was taken.  

You'll notice that Iceberg, Leatherneck, Low-Light, Monkeywrench, Zandar, Zarana and Roadblock are all missing from this display.  I'm not sure why.  I can see Zandar and Zarana being later releases while they finished up the color changing.  (Zarana is noted in some material as featuring a color changing "mohawk" which never came to be.)  All of these figures, though, do appear in  the official Toy Fair catalog for 1986...with a few pre-production oddities of their own.  By the time of the Toy Fair catalog, though, all of the pre-production figures from this photo (except the BAT)  had been replaced with production figures: even while the missing figures remained pre-production in that later photo

Stormshadow was also carried over into 1986.  This makes sense for one of the most popular G.I. Joe figures ever released.  There was a time when I was hell-bent on finding a grey Stormshadow filecard that would denote his 1986 release.  I can't recall if I ever succeeded in doing so or not.  But, check out that 6109 assortment that included Stormshadow.  You got Stormshadow, the 1985 Snake Eyes, Crimson Guard, Flint and the BAT in one case.  By Toy Fair, though, the assortment was modified to drop the Crimson Guard, but add the Eel, Low Light and Leatherneck.  That would have been a dream assortment to find hanging on the shelf at your local stores.

These old catalogs are a treasure trove of early designs and pre-production kitbashes.  In later years, Hasbro got better at including more production level figures in their materials.  At least until 1993 and 1994.  But, we'll talk about those at a later time.

2004 Ninja Strike Stormshadow

When it comes to Stormshadow, Hasbro has always been a bit schizophrenic.  They could never decide if he was a good guy or a bad guy.  But, post 1994 and until the Anniversary series in 2007, Hasbro seemed to land on Stormshadow being a Cobra.  In short order, we saw his 1984 and 1992 molds both released as Cobras.  At the time, though, the 1988 mold, Stormshadow's first appearance as a good guy, was stuck in India.  In April of 2003, though, Hasbro got the mold back.  About 18 months later, the 1988 Stormshadow appeared in the 2004 Toys R Us exclusive Ninja Strike set.  This time, it was clearly released with the intent of Stormshadow being a Cobra.  The sigil was right there on his chest.  The look for Stormshadow was drastically different.  And, because of that, it's held up a little better than most other figures released around his time.

It's very likely that Stormshadow's appearance as a Cobra during the 1997-2007 timeframe was simply fan service.  Hasbro of that time believed that Joe fans were still almost exclusively guys who stopped collecting in 1987 or earlier and were far more interested in the Marvel Comic's Joe world than that of the cartoon.  There was, of course, evidence to the contrary.  But, Hasbro ignored that since the people who they most trusted to guide the brand were either people who were adults by the time it debuted in 1982 or were a small cadre of privileged collectors who fit the mold described above.  

To be fair, this isn't an entirely bad thing.  I've always found Stormshadow more interesting as a bad guy.  Cobra needed a foil to Snake Eyes.  Someone who was capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Joe's most powerful member.  With Stormshadow allied with Snake Eyes, the balance of power shifted too far to the Joe side.  Cobra had no credible threat for them.  As a bad guy, Stormshadow kept the conflict balanced.  This, though, disrupted the solid connection and story between Snake Eyes and Stormshadow.  But, that story could have been told without the redemption arc.  In the end, Zartan did kill the Hard Master because he was emulating Snake Eyes.  Stormshadow could have still not forgiven that and the story would have remained intact.

Hasbro of the repaint era, settled on Stormshadow being a Cobra and collectors were treated to him with this affiliation for nearly a decade.  Stormshadow was released in 1997, 2000, 2002 and mid 2004.  Around the time that the Urban Assault Stormshadow was released in 2004, word broke that Hasbro would be releasing a set of Ninjas that would hit stores right before Christmas of that year.  I seem to remember that an initial list of names appeared with the set when it appeared on Amazon.  But, details like that are among the multitude of information about releases of that era that have been lost to time as message boards and fan sites have disappeared.  But, the Ninja Strike set showed up in late 2004: replete with the newly acquired 1988 Stormshadow mold.

I was not a huge fan of the Ninja Strike set.  I felt that the red and black ninjas were too derivative of the Argentine figures.  And, the Vypras used far too much of the set's budget for some lame paint masks.  I had no need for this Stormshadow.  But, 19 years later, this set has help up far better than most of the other Toys R Us exclusive 6-figure sets.  And, this Stormshadow is a big reason why.  The green color is extremely rare on Cobra figures.  And, despite the fact that he's missing the trademarked Arashikage tattoo on his arm, the overall paint applications are fairly strong.  The dirty brown wash that covers the figure is more natural looking than the paint wipes from 2000.  And, it works to give the figure some depth without making him look shoddy.  

This Stormshadow mold is excellently done.  It's different than the more classic 1984 release.  But, that's good.  I loved the fact that this mold was simple, but extremely effective.  The hood was a distinctive feature.  But, the overall Gi conveys the purpose of the figure while being different from other martial arts figures that had been released prior to 1988.  The main feature that interested me was the rope strung across the figure's chest.  I loved ropes.  And, I wished the 1988 Stormshadow had included a real rope.  I viewed the claw as both a tool used for climbing rock walls and a weapon much like Wolverine's claws.  I always imagined this Stormshadow scaling the crumbling walls of some long forgotten compound to infiltrate the hidden fortress.

And, it is in that context that I view this Stormshadow.  I've always used the 1988 Stormshadow as a bad guy.  It's just a leftover from Stormshadow debuting during my most formative years.  Back in 1999, I gave my 1988 Stormshadow a cloak from an Episode I accessory pack and he's worn this Sith cloak as an indicator of his evil nature ever since.  I have yet to move this robe to the 2004 figure.  But, the coloring is such that I feel the obfuscating hue of the added accessory is unnecessary.  This green base for Stormshadow works for my vision of this figure as an infiltrator.  He dons this costume when it's time to break into some top secret installation as it provides visual cloaking and necessary equipment for such endeavors.

The accessories included with the Ninja Strike set were...just nonsense.  First off, the set included three repaints of the 1984 Stormshadow mold.  Yet, it did not include a single accessory from that mold.  There were two 1987 Jinx repaints in the set.  Neither included any Jinx gear.  And, the only accessory from the 1988 Stormshadow that was included with this Ninja Strike repaint was the claw.  In addition, the figure included a Scarlett crossbow, a Ninja Force sword and a black backpack that originated with the 1991 Dusty.  The 1988 Stormshadow backpack and sword not existing in any color other than red is a travesty.  And, this set would have been a great way to include that gear in a more useful color.  But, the end was coming and Hasbro had given up trying to make the Toys R Us 6 packs anything special.  So, the set just got a hodge-podge of random weapons that were recently included with other, retail figures.  

One big issue with this Stormshadow, though, is that his hands are rather small.  I'm not sure why this is.  The mold has fresh from India and the Funskool Stormshadow has no such issues.  It's possible that the thick, flesh colored paint uses up too much space.  But, the reality is that it's tough to get this Stormshadow to hold any weapons.  They'll often just pop out due to the small hand size.  If you're just storing this guy in a clamshell in your closet, this isn't much of an issue.  But, it's something to consider when you're looking to get a Stormshadow out for some photos.  Other Ninja Strike figures have other, major quality issues.  But, I've not heard of them being as rampant with this Stormshadow.  But, in general, the 2000's Joes aren't aging all that gracefully.  

The 1988 Stormshadow mold got good use.  After its run with Hasbro, it was sent down to Brazil.  There, Estrela released a figure that is nearly identical to the Hasbro figure.  It includes the same colors and gear.  It's not all that easy to find.  But, collectors don't much care for it due to the similarity with the Hasbro figure.  Post Brazil, the mold appeared in India.  Again, Funskool didn't much alter the figure and they released a near identical Stormshadow for many, many years.  You can find some variants among the Funskool figures with reversed tattoos and even missing camo.  But, those are harder to come by.  Upon the mold's return to Hasbro in 2003, it was used two more times.  The first for this figure in late 2004.  And, the mold's final appearance came as the Red Ninja that was released in a Comic Pack in early 2005.  Of course, this mold has tons of potential and could have been repainted ad naseum.  But, Hasbro didn't do that with the 1984 mold and they didn't do it with this 1988 mold, either.  Maybe a factory custom maker will get to this mold someday.  But, that's probably a pipe dream.

The 2004 Ninja Strike figures have gotten harder to find.  Once upon a time, they were cheap and easy to find.  But, all the Toys R Us figures have dried up.  Dealers will try to get $30 to $50 for a mint, loose and complete version.  But, those prices are dumb.  On the open market today, this Stormshadow is, at best, a $15 figure with loose figures going as low as $5 each.  So, there's no reason to pay a premium for this figure.  Especially, since his accessories are generic and available with other, cheaper contemporary figures.  Just wait until it comes up for sale at open market and save a ton of money.  With interest in vintage Joes waning, you're likely to see a few more of these show up in coming years at very attractive prices.

Satan - Plastirama (Argentina) Exclusive

What do you do when you've owned a figure for nearly 15 years, but never actually been able to use it?  The answer, of course, is you find a close enough proximal figure and finally bring one of the most sought after characters to your collection.  But, what happens if you miss those, too?  And, suddenly, your desire for any representation of the figure is suppressed by prices that seem out of line for rarity and popularity of the figure?  The answer there is, you go without.  And, one of the most iconic foreign repaints in the entire history of G.I. Joe is among the last figures from Argentina to make an appearance on a site that was heavily built upon the introduction of foreign figures to American collectors.  All due to the generosity of a fellow collector who had a spare Black Major figure he was willing to give to me.  Thus, without further ado, I present a profile on, really, 2 figures: the Satan figure that is exclusive to Argentina and the Black Major homage from 2016 or so.

As 2007 wore on, I decided to close the gaps in my Plastirama collection.  I had noticed that a few figures that were once common were starting to disappear.  So, in short order, I completed my run of the common swivel arm figures.  Two of the last three acquisitions were Cobra De Hielo and Satan.  The plan, of course was to open the figures.  I had just taken most of the other Plastirama releases off their cards.  And, Satan and Cobra De Hielo were next.  But, I never got around to it.  Shortly after I acquired these figures, I started a new job, lost interest in Joe for a bit and simply left the figures out in the garage for years.  I accidentally acquired a second Cobra De Hielo and did open that figure for my loose version.  This sparked my interest in Satan.  But, upon reviewing Ebay listings for him, I found that the figure was now worth way more than I had thought he'd be.  And, as such, opening him became a fool's errand.  It's one thing to open a $10 carded figure.  It's another to open a $150 carded figure.  So, Satan stays on his card to this day...something that I'll never open due to the current collectible value.

That's where the Black Major comes in.  In the middle 2010's, Black Major started producing Storm Shadow repaints.  Among the earliest releases was a red repaint based on Satan.  Sure, Hasbro had tried the Red Ninja thing in 2004.  But, those figures were a poor man's Satan.  Black Major's version was tied to the original figure and featured colors very similar to the Argentine release.  And, as a huge bonus, the Black Major figure included a full complement of 1984 Stormshadow accessories.  In short, it was a cheap way for people to acquire a Satan (or an army of red ninjas) for sane prices.  

There is the question of how to pronounce this character's name.  Of course, there is the generally accepted SAY-tan.  This, though, ties the figure too much to a devilish motif and seems overly cliched.  I prefer to say Sah-TAN as it's less obvious where the name's origins lie.  Modern comic writers, most ignorant of foreign Joe characters beyond Ebay listings, incorporated the character with various mnemonic takes of the name.  Some are better than others.  But, in the end, it was the basic Red Ninjas who were introduced in Silent Interlude (#21) that were the driving force behind the collector appeal of this figure.  The Satan name only became interesting after the fact when there were other Red Ninjas available and collectors were desperate to find anything that could break their Joe worlds from the Hama-verse and set them a bit apart.

For me, though, having the figure carded meant that he didn't really join my collection.  But, I also acquired the figure late in the game, as I was losing interest in Joe for a bit.  So, I never really came up with a characterization of him.  While Ninja Ku often appears in photos as a random ninja, I have yet to find Satan as useful.  Having the Black Major figure finally gives me a loose version to use.  I just haven't found myself incorporating him into the fold like I thought I would.  There was a time when an army of red ninjas was enticing.  But, I built one with the 2004 Red Ninja Vipers and found that it wasn't all that interesting.  If I ever set up a Cobra display with early figures, you can be sure that Satan will find a way to be a part of it.  I just don't think that's ever really going to happen, though.

So, here's the thing.  Satan's aren't rare.  They're not.  Tons of cases of them were imported to the U.S.  And, all the carded figures you could ever want sat unsold on Ebay for between $30 and $50 between 2001 and 2003.  Satan's case mates of Cobra De Hielo and Ninja Ku were similar.  As were Destro, Sparta and Sokerk.  Those three are important as the Destro figure exists in similar quantities as Satan.  Yet, he's very available and cheap.  For every Fuera De La Ley, there is a Satan.  And, there are more Satans because, in the early 2000's as Argentine collectors foraged every nook and cranny of their native land for G.I. Joes to sell to American collectors in American currency during that particular economic crisis in Argentina.  Those collectors found many additional, loose Satan and Ninja Ku figures to offer to collectors who could pay in stable currency.

The reality is, Satan is super popular.  Neither the 2004 Red Ninja Viper nor the anniversary figure release did much to offset the massive appeal of Satan.  And, because of that, Satan is way too expensive today for as common as the figure is.  You can be sure there are many collectors from 2001 - 2004 who have long been out of the hobby with carded Satans and Ninja Kus in their basement who have no idea the figure has increased in price more than 40 fold in the past twenty years.  In the summer of 2020, Satans were $600+ MOC figures.  Just one year later, carded figures sold for $1200+!  Now, you can get MOC figures under $1000 again.  But, some still climb to $1500.  Loose, mint versions are $250 or more.  Even figures with broken thumbs or broken crotches will break $100.  This is difficult to swallow as I remember all those figures sitting, unsold, with $30 buy it now prices.  I remember thinking $30 was way too much for a loose, complete with cardback 3 figure set of Satan, Ninja Ku and Cobra De Hielo.  But, I also remember scrambling to buy the last Satan I could find for $70 in 2007 in fear that he would continue to rise out of my price range.  

You see way too many collectors who are new to the Joe world incorrectly calling this figure "rare" because they can't find one.  He's not rare.  He's popular.  And, that popularity drives the price...even if there are hundreds, or thousands, of carded examples that were imported to the U.S. and now sit in tons of old collections.  This, though, has been the fate of many of the foreign Joes that were readily available for cheap prices in the early days of online Joedom.  Action Force vehicle drivers, Funskool Street Hawks, Brazilian Eco Warriors and all of the Plastirama figures have dried up and are now thought to be only the domain of enterprising collectors who braved foreign postal services to acquire the figures.  Old timers know differently.  But, in the end, it is demand that drives prices and the current crop of collectors are willing to overpay for items like Satan since they think it's something exotic.  If only they really knew how these figures were ignored and derided by earlier generations.

Rarities - The Great 2021 Ninja Commandos Lot

In November of 2021, a lot of over 100 figures appeared on Ebay with a $4,000 BIN price.  At around $40 per figure, this probably wasn't a great deal.  Except, when you looked at the lot, there were over 60 unproduced 1995 Ninja Commando figures included!  On top of this, there were vintage test shots as well as some other oddball items.  A collector bought the lot.  But, unscrupulous people reached out the seller, offering much more than the selling price.  The lot purchase was cancelled.  And, it's likely that we'll see the figures parsed out and sold individually for much higher prices in super secret sales at some point in the future.

The one thing this lot proves is that there were more Ninja Commandos that reached full production than we ever thought.  Around 2002 or so, a collector friend of mine was able to visit Hasbro.  There, they had a bin of figures that they used to kitbash figures for the early 2000's figure releases.  In this bin of abandoned figures were several production level Ninja Commandos.  So, it's likely that Hasbro HQ got a ton of them and they just floated around: no one really knowing that something as desirable as an unproduced set of figures were collecting dust with the rest.

Here are the photos from the auction.  It's amazing that finds like this still exist out there.  You will note the following:

1. 14 Ninja Commando Budo figures
2. 12 Ninja Commando Road Pig figures
3. 14 Ninja Commando Knock Out figures
4. 14 Ninja Commando Stormshadow figures
5. 13 Ninja Commado Flint figures
6. 1 M Bison figure with blue hands
7. 2 Clear Ken Masters pre-production figures
8. Lots of bagged figures from late in the line.  Tough to see the details on them, though, for oddities.
9. Multiple Ninja Commando brown weapon trees. (Some unproduced sculpts on there.)

And, thus, another Rarities Month comes to an end.  I liked this year's group as I had more time to work on them through the year.  The archives are running low.  But, I've got one more good year in them.  Oddly some of the posts did really poorly.  Like, historically poorly in terms of overall views.  But, that could just be a function of too many posts in the last week or just the stuff got buried in all the other Joe news of the month.  Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed it and we'll see you next June!

Rarities - Plastirama Satan Accessory Variants

Plastirama is well known for their weapon variants.  While some figures are pretty tight and always include the same gear, others see quite a bit of fluctuation in terms of what may be packaged with the figure.  When the Plastirama overstock was common in the early 2000's, collectors had their pick of figures with the various weapons.  I didn't pay too much attention to the variants.  And, I got a Sparta with Footloose's rifle instead of the M-32 from her card art.  As they were $10 figures at the time, it wasn't a huge deal since I could get another at any time.  The more problematic releases, though, were the ninjas.  These were tough as there were several variants among them, they were $20-$30 figures at the time, and it was tough to determine which gear would look best with each figure.  Black 1984 Stormshadow gear was not uncommon in the early 2000's.  So, figures with black gear seemed blase.  The silver and golden Stormshadow gear that was available was far more appealing to me.

Satan's main difference is that figures either include golden weapons or black weapons.  Most figures include both the bow and the pack.  But, you can find figures with just the bow.  At the time, neither variant seemed overly desirable.  And, both were very available.  Now, though, the golden weapons seem to be more common.  But, due to the limited supply in the market, this could be just a function of what's available right now and could change in a year or two.  

There is also a 3rd variant where Satan includes silver weapons.  These silver versions were included with Cobra De Hielo.  It's possible that the silver inclusion with Satan was just a quality control error that occurred from time to time.  Plastirama was not too high on being consistent with their accessory complements as the line ran out of steam.  Both the black and gold bow, though, appear to be unique to Satan.  I haven't seen any Ninja Ku figures that didn't include golden accessories (and, he did not include a bow) and Cobra De Hielo appears to have only been available with silver gear.  But, with Plastirama's notoriously bad quality control, it's possible that there are some samples out there with different colors and the Cops or Jhony Quest figures may also have had oddball combos.  (Cops, in particular can have haphazard weapons.  There were stories of people finding 20+ of the same weapon in some boxes.)  So, be on the lookout if you're a loose collector and determine which gear you require to consider the figure complete.

Black Accessories:

Oddly, the black accessories are probably the most rare configuration for Satan.  Black Stormshadow gear was not available with any other figure released by Plastirama.  So, its inclusion with some Satan figures is unique.  You'll note the different positions for the backpacks in the bubbles below, too.  Sometimes, you get the pack in the traditional accessory bubble above the figure.  Other times, you see the back packaged in the figure bubble.  

Golden Accessories:

These appear to be the most common color for Satan figures.  As the golden color is unique to Argentina and the bow only appears with Satan, it's the generally accepted default for loose Satan figures you might find in Argentina.  

Silver Accessories:

Silver gear appears to be the least common color to be included with Satan.  However, you can get silver packs and bows with the less desirable Cobra de Hielo.  So, the overall availability of silver gear is much higher than its appearance with Satan would suggest.  With silver so tied to the De Hielo figure, it's my least favorite combo with Satan.

There are also Satan variants where the figure does not have the backpack.  It seems the backpack was often omitted from all three of the ninja figures released in Argentina.  So, you could claim the figure was complete with just the bow.  

Both the black and golden bows appear to be mostly unique to Satan.  Ninja Ku did not include a bow.  And, I've not seen any Cobra de Hielos with non-silver accessories.  (Though, that doesn't mean they don't exist.)  So, both bows should be considered unique.  In the days when these were $30 figures, it made sense to look to own both.  At $1000+ today, that's less likely to be something that is worthwhile.  

2022 Stormshadow

So, it finally happened.  After a decade with no classic G.I. Joe releases, Hasbro finally acquiesced and bowed to the "retro" market pressure to create some new figures.  Only, they didn't create new figures.  Instead, they recreated two classics from the vintage line.  Sure, they are 100% new sculpts.  But, they are designed to mimic the original in nearly every way.  We can have different opinions as to if this approach is what collectors really want.  But, early sales showed that remakes of the 1983 Snake Eyes and 1984 Stormshadow, even at $20 per figure, were in line with the market's desires.

At its core, this is the 1984 Stormshadow.  It includes all the Stormshadow gear and is a nearly identical representation of, arguably, the Joe line's most famous sculpt.  There are differences with the most notable being the skin color, plastic type and the painted face on the figure.  With white figures, it's great to a brilliant version that hasn't discolored.  But, Hasbro's plastic from the 2000's is notoriously yellowing with aplomb these days.  So, there's no guarantee that Stormshadow won't face the same fate in 15-20 years.  But, until then, collectors get a mint Stormshadow figure whose thumbs won't snap and who doesn't look like he either peed himself or left his clothes out in the blowing desert sand for too long.

At some level, it's great to have a high quality V1 Stormshadow that I'm not afraid to use.  I have lots of fond memories of the original figure from childhood.  And, I'd love to recreate some of those moments in updated photos featuring a pristine figure.  So, this 2022 Stormshadow gives me that opportunity.  The problem, though, is that this figure, once in hand, felt like it had all been done before.  I got excited for a new Stormshadow in 1997.  Then, again in 2004 and 2005.  And, again in 2016-ish when the first factory customs appeared.  And, that's one of the main problems with a 100% homage line.  While it's awesome to get a carded Stormshadow for less than a car payment, the figure itself offers nothing that anyone with a collecting history doesn't already have in spades.  So, while the idea of Stormshadow is great, I've found that mine has been sitting in a book case, lying on the shelf since a few days after I got him.  Once in hand, the novelty wore off since there is nothing novel about the figure.  

It's extremely rare that any new figure into my collection isn't used in a photo within a week or two of acquisition.  Yet, I had to make a special set up just to get this figure into a photo for this profile.  I didn't have the urgency to do something with him since I have so many other options for this look for Stormshadow that I have acquired in the past 25 years.  And, that really sums up this figure in total.  If you've never had a V1 Stormshadow, this figure is awesome.  If you have multiples of the various releases of this mold over the years, though, it's blase.  I have no beef with Hasbro choosing this figure and Snake Eyes as the maiden releases for the line.  They make sense.  But, they aren't as exciting to me as if they were something new.  The upside, though, is that often means I'll find great value in these figures at some point in the future when I "rediscover" them after their newness has faded away.

The packaging of the figure is nice.  The cards are a bit flimsy.  And, even shipped inside the extra, special box, many collectors found the cards warped or bent when they removed them.  There was a small contingent of online butthurt about the international packaging.  But, as usual, it was a small group of people making a lot of noise about something they bought anyways.  For some reason, though, Hasbro didn't pack all the figure's accessories inside the card bubble.  Instead, there are a few of them tucked into a paper towel that is stuffed inside the bottom of the box.  

What has been interesting to watch has been the reaction to the Super 7 3 3/4" figures.  These 5 points of articulation releases have found some success.  They have a built in market.  But, at the same time, they have released nearly 50 figures in less than a year.  And, many of them are brand new characters and sculpts that have never been released anywhere.  Compare that to Hasbro where we know of a whopping 7 o-ring figures for 2022.  And, so far, only 2 of them are anything different than 100% homages to the original Joe release.  I'd love some of the diversity and fun that Super 7 offers in their line to slip into the Pulse line.  I doubt it will happen unless the o-ring line really takes off.  But, even then, the oddball and obscure new figures would be few and far between.

So, what do we call these?  Joe eras have been odd as there are often competing figure styles that can't fit under one definition.  I see the vintage o-ring era of Joe as 1982-1994.  The repaint o-ring era then spans from 1997-2011.  (And, there were precious few of them after 2006.)  This isn't the same as the JvC era which runs from 2002-2007 and features figures from that sculpting period.  The 25th Anniversary era runs from 2007-2016 and covers the figures in that sculpting style.  With Classified, it's easy.  It's just the Classified era.  But, that doesn't work for these o-ring retreads.  Personally, I'll classify them as the Pulse era.  We have yet to see any of the o-rings really appear outside of Pulse.  And, it's a good way to denote that these figures, while sharing a common sculpting style with the vintage and repaint eras, are completely new and appeal to a different type of collector than existed in 2000 and 2004.

Technically, this is the only use of this Stormshadow mold.  As it's all new, it has just this one appearance, so far.  I'd love if Hasbro were to make a red Satan homage or even fill in the all too obvious missing Cobra Blue Stormshadow.  But, I'd rather see repaints like that in an army building boxed set that offered a lower price point.  With sparse releases announced, so far, it's unlikely we'll see anything more from this mold for a while.  But, Hasbro's not really in the business of letting cheap repaints pass them by.  So, if the line holds out for a few years, it's pretty much a guarantee we'll see this mold dusted off, repainted and re-released in some form.  I'm OK with some repaints in the line.  If it means we get more frequent releases, they can be a good thing.  And, even with the 2000's era Hasbro repaints of the mold and the multiple releases done by Black Major, there's always something that can be done with the original Stormshadow that will attract collector interest.

Within fairly short order (a few weeks or so) the pre-orders for Snake Eyes and Stormshadow sold out.  This lead some to think the figures were going to be aftermarket superstars.  But, on the day that the pre-orders shipped out, Pulse restocked with figures that could be ordered that day.  At first, it seemed likely these were just leftovers from credit card declines and things like that.  But, the set stayed in stock for days, then weeks and then months.  In fact, you can still buy it from Pulse for original price, now.  What does that mean?  It's hard to tell.  The Cobra Trooper/Cobra Officer 2 Pack that is exclusive is also still available for pre-order.  And, while Pulse has sold out of the Hiss Tank/Baroness set, this was a shared exclusive that can still be ordered from other retailers for retail price.  So, the o-ring revival is either not as popular as the Classified series, or is produced in such greater numbers that it hangs around.  (My money is on the former, though.)  I'm not sure how that will play out in future months.  We know we're getting some additional figures.  And, the Skystriker's success will likely lead to another o-ring Haslab in late 2022 or early 2023.  

But, with figures not selling out, it does make you wonder if there really is a long term future in the format.  But, as we've seen with bizarre and collector oriented figures in the Star Wars line, Hasbro will milk something even for just a handful of releases each year.  That being said, it sucks to pay $20 for a brand new from the manufacturer figure.  Sadly, most vintage Joes that are mint and complete are heading for that threshold, though.  I don't know how this figure will play to the market in coming years.  We know there is a correction on the horizon.  But, we've also seen very common Toys R Us figures from the 2000's now command just ridiculous prices.  So, those who missed out on this figure might pay out the wazoo for this Stormshadow in 2037.  Or, there may be no market at all.  But, really, you can't get any high quality version of this mold with the full array of Stormshadow accessories for under $20.  So, there's no reason not to buy him now while he's still available.

My final verdict on these figures is that they are fine.  The toys are quality.  The designs accomplish their goal.  The price is too high.  And, there is too much packaging that I end up paying for.  But, we have vintage style Joes available, again.  This time, so far, Hasbro seems to be taking the line seriously and not treating it with the disdain that they did in the early 2000's.  So, that's a huge plus.  And, while I'd love more frequent releases, the $20+ price point keeps me content with fewer figures for now.  If we got back to the days of 50 or 60 new releases per year, the financial weight would be too great.  I'd love an option where collectors could buy duplicates in baggies, sans all the extra packaging.  And, we could save a few bucks.  But, toy openers are becoming scarcer.  So, there's probably little incentive for Hasbro to do this.  I do hope for some new paint jobs or even new sculpts to join the line.  And, as we've seen with the Skystriker, there might be at some point.  So, for now, I'm content.  All is well.  The line could be a little better.  But, it could also be a lot worse.  The Hasbro team seems to be aware of what collectors might like.  I'm just not sold that there's enough of us left to really drive this line to be anything other than sporadic nostalgia.