1993 Edmond Honda (Street Fighter)

I've told the story of the peg-warming Street Fighter figures, before.  It is the legend that defines the entire slate of figures, for me.  But, I'm an anomaly in that regard.  I was never a fan of Street Fighter in general.  It came out during a time when I didn't much care for video games.  So, I'm mostly left with just some oddball figures that are part of the G.I. Joe line as their legacy.  But, in recent years, I've come to appreciate the figures for the designs they are.  And, Edmond Honda may be the most unique figure released in the entire Joe line's history.  

I'm not really sure what to do with Edmond Honda. The uniqueness of his mold makes him an anomaly among the Joe line.  And, that's what works for him.  He's supposed to be a Sumo wrestler.  And, he has the physique to prove it.  Hasbro went all out and created a deluxe level figure to match the character.  There was no one-size-fits-all that kept Roadblock the same height as Scarlett.  Edmond Honda was massive.  He features oversized arms, tree-trunk legs and a torso that is so heavy that it destabilizes his lower legs.  He is a singular piece of design that was made to create the visage of a popular character that kids of the day could instantly recognize.  In that regard, he might be the most successful of the Street Fighter figures.  You know who he is.  And he has the heft to allow kids to act out their favorite video game battles.

For someone who doesn't have the connection to the game, though, Edmond Honda is a weird figure to have around.  He looks cool.  But, his construction has a flaw that I'll discuss later.  More importantly, he doesn't really have much of a purpose.  To be fair, though, he really isn't wearing much less clothing than Quick Kick.  And, if you're going to have a samurai in the Joe line, why not a Sumo wrestler, too?  As martial artists were always my least favorite characters, though, Edmond Honda's appeal to me is also limited.  Aside from a weird battle scene, there's not much use for him.

I've also told the story of the "battle arena" scenario I used to play out in my friends' basement.  They had figures from an array of toy lines.  (Though, oddly, not much G.I. Joe....)  And, here, I'd pluck out two random figures and stage a battle to the death.  The figures rarely had accessories.  The notable exception was the M.A.S.K. figures.  But, they needed the weaponry in the masks to compensate for their small size.  Even with weapons, they always lost.  Masters of the Universe figures always did well.  Usually, just because they were bigger and could punch other guys to death.  I do wonder how I'd have evolved these battles had the Street Fighter figures been available in the mid 1980's.  Edmond Honda would have done well due to his size.  And, when looking at the figure today, that's really the only thought I have about him.

Edmond Honda features a fatal flaw.  Now, it's not the thong diaper that he wears under his skirt.  Nor is it the massive physique of the figure.  It is the action feature.  Most action features are annoying.  But, they rarely ruin the entire figure.  Edmond Honda's, though, does.  His left leg is supposed to kick.  And, due to this feature, it will not stay under his body.  So, it's basically impossible to actually pose the figure.  For years, you'd see occasional photos of E. Honda.  And, he'd always be in awkward poses.  It was only upon my acquisition of the figure that I learned this was a design feature of the figure's selling point.  So, even in my photos, you see Honda posed very carefully or just sitting.  Because, this is pretty much all he can do.  His leg will kick out and the figure will topple: making him not overly useful for a modern collector.

Edmond Honda features amazing sculpting for his release year.  His head is well detailed and his hair is remarkably intricate...a necessary element given his larger head size.  Hasbro went all out on the Street Fighter line.  They made all new parts and put forth some of their best efforts on some of the characters.  (They did kind of phone it in on a few others.)  So, the Street Fighter subset had substantial budget spent to make it appealing to kids.  And, while the survivor bias of seeing them on the pegs in 1995 and 1996 shapes my feelings on the figures, the reality is that they seem to exist in ample quantities.  Suggesting that Hasbro sold quite a lot of them during 1993 and 1994.  I'd love to find actual sales or production numbers on some of the later year waves.  I suspect many of them had massive production runs while others got just a fraction of the resources.  But, it's unlikely we'll be privy to that info any time soon.  

Edmond Honda features a large array of weapons.  Like most figures from 1993, he included a weapon tree.  His tree, though, was large and included an impressive 7 weapons.  When you add in the figure stand and the cloth skirt, Honda was among the better accessorized figures of his era.  His weapons are 2 swords, 3 knives an axe and a sickle: all cast in dark blue plastic.  The swords and axe are pretty well done and look nice with the figure.  The sickle is a personal favorite of mine.  But, that's mostly because it has a hook to which a rope can be tied: making it a much more fun accessory to use.  In total, though, Honda's gear is useful to the figure and also gives you some extras to hand out to other martial arts themed figures should you not have their gear handy.

E. Honda was used twice.  This blue skirted figure features red face paint and was available as part of the G.I. Joe line in 1993.  There is a much rarer version that debuted in 1994 as part of the Street Fighter Movie Line.  This figure features a white loincloth and blue facepaint.  As most of the figure is just a naked torso and legs, though, the two figures don't have massive visual distinction.  But, the Movie Edmond Honda is among the easier figures from that line to track down and isn't nearly the pricey acquisition that many of the other 1993 repaints who appeared in that line tend to be.  As the body mold is completely unique, there wasn't much to do with Edmond Honda outside of his character.  So, the parts never appeared again.

E. Honda figures are not as ubiquitous as they once were.  Long a staple of the $5 carded figures bins you'd find at toy shows and comic shops, E. Honda has risen past that.  Today, mint and complete figures will run you $30.  Carded versions will cost you $50 or more.  But, as is the norm in today's Joe market, the price is heavily dictated by the slow supply of quality figures in the market at any moment.  Honda is a likely candidate for price reductions during the next supply boom.  Until then, you can can incomplete figures for cheap.  Though, the giant, fat guy in a diaper only has so much appeal.  I passed on this guy for a long time.  Now, I have one.  And, aside from taking him, specifically, out for photos, I have no real need to own him.  For cheap, he's a fun conversation piece.  But, at today's prices, the figure is an easy skip for me.  But, if you have an attachment to the Street Fighter game, the figure may hold a great deal more appeal to you.

1993 Street Fighter II Blanka

I returned to collecting as a college student in the mid 1990's.  While I dabbled a bit between 1992 and 1994, I didn't really start looking for Joe figures in earnest until 1995.  By then, most of the figures were gone from retail stores.  You could find some here and there at Targets, Wal Marts or K-Marts.  Toys R Us, though, usually had the largest stock.  While they'd still get straggler cases of 1993 or 1994 Battle Corps from time to time, most of their stock was unsold figures from prior years.  These were dominated by Shadow Ninjas, Armor Tech Star Brigade, Ninja Force and the Street Fighter figures that were, for some reason, incorporated into the Joe line.  I stared at these figures dozens of times as a young 20 something collector who had to be choosy with his figure purchases.  I only partook of one figure: a Ninja Force Night Creeper.  Many times, though, I perused the Street Fighter figures.  Some had black accessories, which was always a reason to buy a figure.  Well, almost always.  I simply couldn't reconcile the Street Fighter name in the Joe line.  And, oddball figures like Blanka just made it worse.  

As I got deeper into the collecting well, this attitude didn't much change.  Even in my heyday of buying lots of 1993 figures, I rarely found Street Fighter figures among the collections.  As I had no affinity for the Street Fighter franchise, the figures held zero appeal to me.  As I continued collecting into the 2000's, I still felt the same.  Around 2015, though, my opinions started to change.  I appreciate oddball G.I. Joe figures more than most people.  And, the Street Fighter line was full of them.  And, they were figures I had never owned.  But, at the time, my priorities were more on rebuilding the collection I had sold away a few years prior.  So, I ignored Street Fighter figures as I built out my ranks of other figures who had been banished a few years earlier.  By the time I started looking at Street Fighter figures, I was shocked to find that not only had they gotten harder to find, they were also now substantially more expensive that I would have ever imagined.  With all things Joe, though, patience pays off.  And, a cheap Blanka figure fell into my lap.  With it, I found that I was both correct in my assessment of these figures from 1995, but also correct in my current stance that the figures are well worth collecting.

I really don't know what to do with Blanka.  But, he works in the context of the Mega Marines and even the Lunartix.  I see him as an experiment of Dr. Mindbender's that went awry.  Blanka was meant to be an enhanced human with super strength, etc.  But, it didn't work and the green monstrosity was the ensuing result.  The colors work well with other 1993 figures and that allows for the Blanka figure to have some use.  I do like the green color.  And, it mixes well with the figure's purple gear.  I've found that he is often used in context with some of the Ninja Force as I tend to see him as an edged weapon specialist.  It's not a huge use for the figure.  But, it keeps the figure around and allows me to appreciate the colorful visuals the figure offers.

Blanka's most famous use was as the head for the 2008 convention Hotwire figure.  It was an odd release and looks bizarre.  But, it kind of works.  The rest of the Blanka figure is reused from the 1988 Road Pig.  The figure is also available with blue skin as the driver of the Beast Blaster.  And, there's another Blanka in the Street Fighter Movie line that features this same head as well as a new body.  Due to the green skin, it's difficult to see this figure and Road Pig as so similar.  So, that shows a good reuse of some existing parts.  

Blanka's accessories are just OK.  His gear is purple.  But, purple is a great accent color with green, so the combo works really well.  He includes a 1988 Shockwave knife, 1992 Destro rifle, 1990 Rock Viper rifle as well as the requisite missiles and spring loaded launcher.  The main draw of the accessories, though, is that Blanka includes a grappling hook and rope that can be used in conjunction with the launcher.  The weapons aren't my favorites.  But, I do find the knife to be a good accessory for the character.  

Street Fighter figures went from worthless to desired.  Even a decade ago, you could buy carded lots of the figure for a few bucks each.  Single carded figures would sell for $10, if they sold at all.  Now, though, much of the Street Fighter stock has dried up.  And, demand has increased not only from old collectors finally acquiescing and acquiring these figures to complete their collections, but also from Street Fighter fans who have found the series and buy it for its nostalgic bent.  As 2021 winds down, though, you're starting to see waning interest.  While loose, mint and complete figures were selling for $20 or more with regularity at the end of 2020, they now sit unsold for $10-$12.  Dealers sell an appalling amount of carded figures for $70 and even some loose figures for $30.  But, this is becoming less common.  So, it could be that Blanka's time has passed, again.  Which isn't a bad thing.  This guy is an oddball.  And, usually, I like oddball figures.  But, the biases of my younger days still hold and I don't find that many uses for Blanka these days.

1993 Vega - Street Fighter

As the Joe line died at retail in the mid 1990's, there were a few stragglers that could always be counted on to be available.  Shadow Ninjas and Ninja Force, of course.  Armor Tech Star Brigade was another.  The final faction that was always hanging around was the Street Fighter II figures.  While these toys featured the G.I. Joe branding, the reality is that they were entirely different in concept from the standard Joe line.  As a budget minded new toy collector, it was easy to pass these figures by.  They didn't really match up with my vision of G.I. Joe.  But, also, their odd construction and articulation was a severe detriment to their addition to my collection.  Even the odd figure with black weapons was simply too far out there for me to really take an interest in the toys.  I wasn't a gamer during the Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat craze and didn't have that affinity for the characters.  All I saw was some oddly colored martial arts figures that were a pale imitation of even the Battle Corps Joes that I sought with such gusto.  I passed the Street Fighter II figures by, even as they slowly disappeared from retail.  And, even as an adult collector, I avoided them as they were cheap and easy to get should the bug ever hit me to track them down...until they weren't.

In recent years, the Street Fighter figures have taken on substantially more life.  It's a combination of younger Joe collectors coming into the fold who had them as kids, older collectors running out of anything else to collect and a generation who grew up with the Street Fighter video games coming into the collecting world.  The reality is that there's plenty of Street Fighter figures.  But, the influx of new collectors seeking them out has created a perception of scarcity as many dealers and collectors long ago wrote the figures off as they were worthless and simply didn't sell.  In time, these inequities will straighten out.  But, it can create short term frustration for a collector looking to move into the Street Fighter line.  If you like ninjas and other martial arts figures, the line is definitely for you.  And, figures like Vega give you a nice diverse list of characters from which you can choose for your adventures.

At his core, there's not much to Vega.  He's bare chested, wears purple pants with a yellow stripe and has golden highlights.  His head provides most of his characterization.  He's masked in a white obfuscation that shields his identity.  He is golden haired and features a waist length, braided pony tail.  It is a marvel of sculpting and the most ambitious hair piece Hasbro ever attempted.  It is also the feature most often hidden in the few online photos you can find of Vega.  So, his best asset is also his most mysterious.  Not being a fan of the Street Fighter series, I know little else about Vega.  So, for me, he's just another ninja who's available in the black market world of assassins, spies and hired muscle.  His coloring is a somewhat match for the 1994 Night Creeper Leader.  So, he might find use as his sidekick or something.  But, neither figure is someone who appears all that often in my collection.  And, aside from appearing in photos of other martial arts themed figures that I profile in the future, it will be rare for Vega to show up.

Vega features the spring loaded action features that were introduced with Ninja Force in 1992.  He features a "Matador Smash" feature where, if you twist his waist to the right and release it, it snaps back into position.  As ninja action features go, it's kind of innocuous.  Unlike the spring loaded arm action, this feature allows Vega's arms to be used in normal G.I. Joe positions.  That gives him more value as he's not stuck holding with sword at a specific height with no way to alter it.  It's kind of hard to use the Matador Smash in any way that makes sense for playing with another figure.  But, that wasn't really the point of the feature and the simple fact that the figure twists and moves like a He-Man figure from more than a decade earlier was supposed to the selling point that justified an extra dollar at retail.

Vega uses the entire body mold of Banzai.  Bazai is also a bare chested ninja.  He just wears hot pink instead of blue and yellow.  The calling card of Vega, though, is the head.  The character wears a mask to cover his face.  But, the back of the head features a massive, flowing, braided pony tail.  It's quite the feat of engineering and is, likely, the most elaborate hair piece Hasbro ever sculpted.  A similar design could have been used for Cammy had Hasbro made a figure of her.  But, it's doubtful that Cammy's hair was the stumbling block for an action figure of her.  Vega did get an entirely new figure in the Street Fighter movie line.  This figure is among the rarer figures from that line and features a new body and different head.  The head has a human face and the figure includes a removable mask.  It appears, though, that the Movie Vega's head uses the same hair piece as this original Vega.  It's a solid reuse for something that probably took a great deal of work to design and implement.

Almost all the Street Fighter II figures included edged weapons that could be used with their spring loaded action features.  Vega is no different.  And, as the weapons were on a tree, he's got more than he can use.  Vega's gear is cast in gold plastic.  While gold figures tend to be very brittle, I've found the Hasbro G.I. Joe accessories in that color have managed to hold up relatively well.  And, gold is a color that lends itself to metal weapons like the knives, swords and axe that are included with Vega.  Along with his golden stand, Vega includes 7 edged weapons.  Many of them were reused multiple times with the Street Fighter II figures.  But, the swords are decently sculpted and look great with 1993 figures.  The axe is small and useful.  The knives work well, too.  And, the sickle is a fun little weapon that is even more amazing when a string is attached to its base.  In short, his accessory complement is top notch and matches the figure in both color and function.  (If you are a fan of the video game, though, he's missing his most distinctive feature: the claw.  It was, however, added to the Street Fighter Movie figure.)

All Street Fighter II figures have seen substantial price increases in recent years.  Vega is no exception.  Carded figures will now run $75-$100.  That's a far cry from the figures that sat unsold for $10 just a decade ago.  Mint and complete figures will run you $30 or so.  And, just loose figures that are high quality consistently sell for $20.  That's a lot for a figure with limited use.  But, for Street Fighter II fans, it's also a good way to get the character.  For me, Vega's one of those guys who might appear as background of a random other ninja I'm planning to profile.  But, he's mostly just a box on a list that I can now check off.  As a figure, he's fine.  He works for what he was supposed to be and isn't too over the top.  I still, though, don't really see him as a G.I. Joe figure.  I can work some characters from Street Fighter into Cobra or as oddball side characters that the Joes and Cobras can both fight.  Vega is not one of these, though.  

General M Bison - Around The Web

M Bison has long been a figure that Joe collectors have integrated into Cobra.  Mostly, it was the Street Fighter G.I. Joe figures.  But, those who had this Shadowloo HQ figure from the Street Fighter Movie line found a much better figure to lead some of their Cobra legions.  Not a ton of content on this guy out there.  But, here's what I could find.

General M Bison - Street Fighter Movie (Shadowloo HQ) Profile

General M Bison by Outrider

General M Bison by gigamech

General M Bison by Flatline

General M Bison by The Faceless Master

General M Bison by Relena_Warcraft

Dhalsim - Street Fighter Movie Edition Around the Web

Dhalsim is an interesting figure and one of the few Street Fighter figures that calls my collection home.  Really, my interest in him is limited to the lab coat.  But, the character could be interesting.  In looking for content on him, you get tons of Street Fighter sites.  But, none of them ever talk about this 25 year old action figure.  It's too bad because the figure is fun to have and proves a good foil for several Joes.  There's really no content I could find on the figure.  So, here's some updated photos I've taken through the years.

Dhalsim Profile

Dhalsim at The Unofficial Street Fighter Movie Fan Site

General M Bison - Street Fighter Movie (Shadowloo HQ)

What is a G.I. Joe and what is not a G.I. Joe figure?  The answer depends greatly by collector and even within an individual collector's personal timeline.  I, personally, fall somewhere in the middle.  I love factory customs and anything that uses actual Joe parts.  I don't go for knock off lines with similar construction, though.  The Street Fighter Movie and Mortal Kombat lines that Hasbro produced in the mid 1990's definitely fall into the "collect" category for me.  There are many designs in the lines that mesh well with Joes and help provide some fun additions to a collection.  There are some bad figures in there, though, that I find too far detached from Joe.  (Oddly, I'm fine with a four armed space alien in Joe, but not a four armed pit fighter.  Go figure.)  In the case of the M Bison character, though, I can find a niche for him within my Joe world.  Though, it is his incarnations from the Street Fighter Movie line that I find most interesting.

From the very beginning of my collecting days, the M Bison figures have been heavily integrated into Joe collections.  The most common usage is as a new, named Cobra: usually a high ranking military official.  The general vibe of the character is "general".  So, it was natural that collectors took to him in this manner.  In the days before Hasbro brought the line back with any zeal, collectors had few alternatives for Cobra characters.  M Bison could fill that role and you often saw him leading squads of Crimson Guards.  In this capacity, though, it was mostly the limitations of the more common Street Fighter version of M Bison that came through.  The newly sculpted head looked too large for the body that had been created years earlier.  So, while the intention of using the figure was good, the execution suffered due to the quality of the most common M Bison.  Fortunately, though, Hasbro made several other versions of the character.

This version of M Bison uses the basic silver and black color scheme.  For something so effective, it was rarely used in the vintage Joe line.  (I'd say it probably had to do with not infringing too much on Snake Eyes' iconic looks.)  As such, figures like this M Bison stand out since they look good, integrate with Cobra and aren't in a scheme that's too common.  At the same time, this guy definitely follows the Hasbro cost cutting theme of that time period.  There are few paint applications, making him a generally cheaper figure to produce than one with multiple paint masks.  The newly constructed parts are also far larger than those of the previous version.  They likely go too far in the opposite direction as the figure is now somewhat blocky and clunky. 

I'll grant you that the cape on this figure makes him look like a super hero knock off.  Some capes give off a malevolent vibe.  Others make the wearer look like the Man of Steel.  M Bison's cape falls into the latter category and somewhat diminishes the figure.  I suspect part of this is the figure's very broad shoulders and large torso.  What is interesting, though, is the way in which Hasbro affixed the cape to the figure.  Gone was the removable cape from the 1980's.  M Bison's cape is permanently attached via two points on the figure's shoulders.  This makes the cape hang lower but also help ensure that it's not separated from the figure.

Somehow, Hasbro was able to create brand new body molds for many of the Street Fighter Movie figures.  There were lots of repaints, too.  But, the economics of the day allowed them to drop a nice selection of new parts into the various toy lines.  The Street Fighter Movie M Bison figures were a great example.  The basic design uses the head created for the 1993 Street Fighter figure that was part of the Joe line.  But, the chest, arms, waist and legs are all new.  This is somewhat great as there are new parts.  But, as these lines came out in 1994 and 1995, the bodies are generally more bulky than most vintage Joes.  M Bison's new chest and arms fit in with 1994 and the figures planned for 1995 very nicely.  But, they look overly large when compared with '80's Joes.  They do, though, solve the main issue I have with the 1993 M Bison figure: the head is no longer too large for the figure's body.

There are five different M Bison figures: two in the G.I. Joe line that use mostly Joes molds and a new head and three in the Street Fighter Movie line that use the existing head and an all new body.  The Movie figures, in my opinion, are better colored and can be better integrated with Cobra than the figures from 1993.  This black body version from the Shadowloo Headquarters is very nice just due to the simple black and silver theme.  There is a blue version that was available as a carded 2 pack that is a bit more complex.  I like it a bit better.  The single carded red version isn't great, but he includes excellent silver versions of both Interrogator's and the Flak Viper's weapons.  But, the black version best fits into a Joe collection.  (And is a nice companion piece to both the Funskool Streethawk and the Convention Firefly, too.)

Ostensibly, this figure should be pretty rare and somewhat expensive.  The Shadowloo Headquarters was big and pricey and not produced in huge numbers.  But, it seems that like many of the later vehicle pack in figures, this M Bison was later made available via overstock sales.  As such, even today you get bagged versions of this figure for under $15.  For a figure that is so easily integrated into the Joe line, that seems under-priced.  But, Street Fighter Movie and Mortal Combat figures ebb and flow in terms of popularity quite a bit.  There was a time when every figure in this line was more expensive than '86 Vipers.  Then, they crashed and you could get most of them for under $15 for a MOC figure.  Savvy collectors can take advantage of these fluctuations and acquire figures like this M Bison in down times.  For a reasonable price, this figure is a worthy addition to any collection.

Diorama - Nullifiers

The Cobra Urban Strike set is just about my favorite Toys R Us 6 pack that was released.   The Nullifier figure was just excellent.  In those days, I was up very early to beat the traffic to my office.  In the mornings, I'd go out and water the plants, though.  Usually, the sun was only partly up.  So, you can see the shadows and lack of light on the periphery of the photos.

This was also a way to highlight my recently acquired Paratrooper Guile.

Dhalsim - Street Fighter Movie Edition

In my trips to Toys R Us in 1995 and 1996, there was one group of figures that I simply could never even bring myself to try: the Street Fighter G.I. Joes.  They were too far removed from what I considered to be Joe.  Even figures with black weapon trees (the one thing that could get me to buy any figure) were not enough to sway me.  More than once, I held the figures in my hand and simply couldn't bring myself to buy one.  To this day, I have no Street Fighter G.I. Joe figures in my collection.  Through the years, though, I have found many of the Street Fighter Movie figures to have value.  Various Guile incarnations have called my collection home and the Balrog figure was a Cobra villain in my collection long before Master Collector re-used the head in 2007.  The Street Fighter movie line contains some very interesting takes on the various characters from the franchise.  (Though, I know nothing about the franchise outside of the figure lines that accompanied it.)  The Dhalsim figure from the movie line, though, isn't all that different from his G.I. Joe release.  He's got a few different colors.  The differentiating factor is his accessories.  Dhalsim includes a white lab coat that was a staple of Joe collectors in the 1990's as it was the one piece of gear that could effectively create a Dr. Venom custom figure.  In my zeal to acquire that piece, though, I found a character who has some odd, and redeeming traits that can work for Joe.


Dhalsim is billed as a Yoga Fighter from India.  Yoga is a meditative practice whose moves are not offensive.  As such, it makes little sense that the practice of said discipline would make one a formidable combatant.  However, Yoga is known to be both a physical and mental test that pushes the body.  Many professional fighters practice Yoga.  It helps them retain flexibility and strength while clearing their mind and helping them focus on their profession.  As such, a Yoga disciple could very easy use his mastery of the form to enhance his combat prowess.  So, seeing a "Yoga Fighter" might be a bit liberal with the vernacular.  But, it is in line with the training regimen that any professional fighter might employ.

Dhalsim is listed as 6 feet tall and 148 pounds.  That would make him quite lithe.  And, while he could have a defined physique, the massive muscles seen on the artwork and figure would likely place him a bit heavier.  Still, it's hard to not see a bit of Anderson Silva in Dhalsim.  So, you can see him as a formidable opponent in a combat arena.  It is not this physical description that is most interesting to me, though.  Dhalsim is also described as a scientist.  (Hence the lab coat.)  He was a professor of bio physics in Calcutta.  That part of his background is useful.  With this pedigree, Dhalsim could have been sought out by Cobra to continue work of enhancing Cobra Troopers to be capable of unspeakable feats.  The fact that Dhalsim would willing join into this endeavor plays into his over the top look and just cements that reality that he is one of the most dangerous men in the world.

The single most disturbing thing about the figure, though, is the small necklace of human skulls.  Wearing old bones is a time honored tactic to instill fear into an opponent.  Ancient warrior cultures employed the practice quite often.  However, Dhalsim's skulls speak to something much worse.  The skulls are small...implying they come from children.  At first, I thought the skulls might be from shrunken heads.  While those are mostly a South American custom, it's feasible that anyone in the modern world would pick up the skills.  However, shrunken heads do not actually contain any human bones.  The skin is removed and then shaped over small, often wooden, balls.  The skin is what is shrunken, not the bones.  So, these skulls would have to be from small children.  What type of absolute monster would wear the remains of children?!?  It provides an insight into Dhalsim that speaks to an evil.  An evil that could be useful to an organization like Cobra.

It is here that I've found use for the character.  Sure, he's dressed like a wildman.  But, that's part of the visage Dhalsim has worked for himself.  By looking primitive, opponents may underestimate him.  The biggest part of that underestimation, though, is Dhalsim's scientific and technological bent.  Anyone who sees a barefoot, shirtless man with vibrant, blank eyes wearing a necklace of children's skulls would likely not have an initial thought that this person was a scientific genius and had access to technological weapons that are far more dangerous than engaging Dhalsim in hand to hand combat.  The notion of a noble savage permeates western literature.  Dhalsim being this evil savage stands in stark contrast to the archetype.  He has the refinery of the standard bearer.  But, he has a darkness in him that defines his actions and appearance.  The skulls and primitive dress are actually a dire warning to any who approach him that he is evil and will carry out unspeakable acts.  The fact that he has a brain and is capable of creating weapons that can destroy humanity rather than just a few individuals is hidden behind the savage countenance.

The weakness of a character like this, though, is that his certainty and strength of character blind him to to his faults.  While Dhalsim wants everyone to know that he's crazy, it is that knowledge that holds him back.  Cobra Commander will never allow Dhalsim to work sans oversight.  There would always be contingency plans in place to eliminate Dhalsim should his work begin to progress beyond what Cobra Commander can control. As such, he is relegated to tasks that don't give him access to the weapons of mass destruction that he could so easily create.  Dhalsim is kept away from the Toxo Viper labs and is not allowed near any of Destro's most calamitous machines.  Of course, Dhalsim is smart enough to know this and it feeds a seething hatred deep in his belly that he may one day take out on Cobra itself.

While the figure sculpting is decent, it is the accessories that make this figure worthwhile.  Ostensibly, he included the same accessories as the 1994 Night Creeper Leader figure.  The swords, wicked knife and Night Creeper crossbow are all decent accessories.  They give the figure close quarter weapons while also offering him a firearm that can take out more distanced opponents.  There is a Road Pig, wrist mounted explosive tipped crossbow and an arm guard, too.  In all, it's a strong complement of gear in golden colors.  The coup de gras, though, is the lab coat.  The white cloth coat completely changes the look of this figure.  But, it's also a perfect accessory to procure for an upgrade to any Dr. MindbenderDr. Mindbender figure or Dr. Venom custom.  The coat may have been released elsewhere in the Street Fighter Movie or Mortal Combat figures lines, but I can't find any evidence that it was.  But, the fact it was made for these limited run lines implies that Hasbro either had greater hopes for the future of the franchises or the coat had been made up for a figure that was going to be part of the G.I. Joe line in 1995.  Either way, the coat is a great accessory that is essential for any Joe collection.

The Dhalsim figure was created for the 1993 Street Fighter G.I. Joe line.  That figure lacked the lab coat and had yellow shorts.  Being in the Street Fighter line, though, meant that the figure was saddled with the action features and non standard G.I. Joe construction.  While the scale is there, the articulation at the waist is gone.  The arms lock into positions based on the spring action feature and can not be posed with the flexibility Joe collectors had come to expect.  As such, the figure becomes limited by his construction.  Like some of the Shadow Ninja figures, the coolness of the design is tempered by the choice of articulation.  And, the figure suffers for it.  Were Dhalsim in vintage Joe construction, it's likely he would not only be more popular, he'd be far more expensive, too.

The Street Fighter movie figures had a solid package presentation.  Above the figure bubble was artwork unique to the character.  While not as pronounced as Joe artwork, it's still there and a way to quickly determine a figure from the card.  The figure is posed in a flat bubble.  Most of the figures in the line were posed in some sort of action pose.  Surrounding the figure are all the accessories included.  Anyone looking to buy the figure instantly can see the full array of gear included with each figure.  The plastic trees that obscured Joe accessories in 1993 and 1994 were gone.  The packaging style was also used in the Sgt. Savage line.  The reason the packaging is significant, though, is that this is what Joes would have looked like in 1995.  Had the Joe line survived for one more year, the traditional side card artwork would have been gone and replaced by this more presentative format.  These ancillary lines are likely where a lot of abandoned G.I. Joe concepts ended up.  (Many Mortal Combat Movie figures use unproduced molds from the cancelled 1995 Ninja Commandos line.)  For that reason, the Street Fighter Movie and Mortal Combat lines are more intertwined with Joe that the simple 1993 cross over connection.

The Street Fighter Movie figures are not common.  They were widely clearanced by KB Toys back in the mid 1990's due to the movie's poor reception.  Many dealers bought up overstock as that was what dealers did in the 1990's.  But, they are not overly popular and many people who have them don't realize that their greatest value is among G.I. Joe collectors.  There are times when they are nearly impossible to find and other times when there are a few sets available.  Dhalsim isn't the rarest figure in the series, but he is harder to find than many of the Guile variants.  Since the lab coat was widely coveted by early Joe collectors, many of Dhalsims were absorbed early in the collecting market.  As such, MOC Dhalsims tend to run between $20 and $25.  Loose, mint and complete figures can be had for around $15.  But, it's actually easier to find carded samples than it is loose.  So, this isn't a cheap figure in terms of the Joe line.  But, he's also not expensive.  (There was a time in the mid 2000's when this was a $40 figure.  Those days are gone, though.)  If you're new to the Joe world, this probably isn't a figure that should be high on your list.  If you have mostly completed your collection and are looking for new, odd things to add on, this is a great addition.  The regular Street Fighter figure is substantially cheaper.  But, I think the lab coat is actually worth the extra money since it adds to Dhalsim's characterization.   I'm actually happy with this figure, even if the construction is non standard and it's not a true Joe character.  He's one of those fun ancillary collection items that can add a lot of value to a Joe collection.  So, I'd definitely recommend one to all collectors.

Rock Trooper Guile - Street Fighter Movie

Several years ago, I profiled the Paratrooper Guile figure. At the time, I was enjoying the various Guile variants that are available and felt the paratrooper was one of the better options for a profile as it was one of the higher profile Guile variants. Accompanying that Paratrooper Guile was another, more obscure Guile theme: the Rock Trooper Guile. This version of Guile features the same head as the other figures, but has a repainted body from the 1991 Dusty figure. The result is a solid repaint that has found a home in my collection.

The Street Fighter Movie figures were a ploy by Hasbro to milk some last pennies out of their now defunct G.I. Joe toy line. The line featured some new parts. But, the vast majority of the figure construction was leftovers from the Joe line. At the time, it was a way for Hasbro to keep the costs down while still producing a line of toys that would take advantage of the marketplace. It is curious that Hasbro has again done this just this year with toys from the Hulk movie line. The existing Joe molds were a cheap way for Hasbro to bring more diversity to that line without having to invest in all new tooling. I don't mind this approach. In the case of the Street Fighter and Mortal Combat Movie figures, the results were some great additions to any Joe collection. In time, it would be nice for Joe collectors to have some other lines like this that would keep classic Joe molds on retail shelves.

Really, what is a "rock fighter"? Is he a mountaineer? A survivalist? Or, is he just a figure that has some a tan base and comes with an eagle? At its core, this is what makes the figure useful. This Guile can be a Joe, an unaffiliated, military consultant or just some guy who likes to forage in the woods with a high powered assault rifle. As such, he brings some much needed diversity to a collection. He is a visually distinctive method of adding some diversity to your Joe ranks. The figure looks like a Joe, but is different enough that most people would not recognize the body at first glance.

This leads to the question of how does one use this Guile version? I see him as a standard infantryman. He is somewhat of a survivalist and is capable of operating unsupported for long periods of time. In a way, he has many of the characteristics of Outback. But, I see more of an independent and rebel streak in the Outback character. Guile is more straight and narrow when it comes to his outlook. He will get the job done. But, he often lacks the creativity that someone like Outback could provide to a situation. But, this trait is also highly desirable in some circumstances as Guile is somewhat predictable. His teammates know what to expect from him and will not be surprised by Guile going against his training when the situation becomes stressful. He is a dependable soldier who is always a known commodity. In a unit like the Joes, this is the type of person who is needed to offset the more rebellions tendencies of some of the other team members.

Guile features a very intricate set of paint masks. They are the most significant part of the figure. Guile is covered in overlaying applications of red, green and blue cammo all on top of a light tan base. He features black painted details that offset the colors, nicely. You wouldn't think that red and blue would make a color palette that was pleasing to the eye on an action figure. But, surprisingly, it actually works. The colors are muted and work to give the figure depth without making him stand out like so many of his neon contemporaries. Even the red and blue help the figure to blend into a neutral background like you find on many rock formations. He isn't invisible, for sure, but he also doesn't stick out like some of his neon contemporaries would.

Guile's mold was well used. Originally, the entire body was used for the 1991 Dusty figure. From there, it was used for the obscure Chinese Exclusive Flint figure. Immediately after that, this Guile figure appeared. In 2000, Hasbro recolored the mold for inclusion with the first wave of A Real American Hero Collection figures. The mold was planned for use in 2001 as the driver of the Desert Striker, but that figure was replaced with Flint. It then appeared for the last time in 2002 as the seldom seen Convention Paratrooper Dusty figure. At this point, we have probably had enough of this body mold to satisfy even its most ardent fan. However, I would not mind seeing the Guile head return. Master Collector has proven that some Street Fighter heads make for great new characters. As such, I would not mind seeing the Guile head return as a different take on a characters like Mace or, maybe, even Duke. It would be a daring departure from the norm. But, in the right context, it would also make a figure for the ages.

Guile's accessories are very solid and provide an interesting look into what was available at the time. The figure includes the first black version of the 1991 Dusty's backpack. (Which has subsequently become quite common.) It also includes an olive version of the 1991 Snow Serpent's rifle. This accessory is somewhat fun as it gives the rifle that is only otherwise available in white a very different look. As such, it helps to distinguish the figure. Guile also includes the missile launcher from the 1994 Flint figure. Only, this version has an olive trigger and missiles that match the plastic color of the figure's rifle. The final accessory, though, is the most interesting. Guile also includes the falcon from the 1987 Raptor figure. This is notable as Raptor was last seen in Brazil only a few years prior. Among Raptor's contemporaries, though, were Blizzard (who also appeared in the Guile series), Hydro Viper, and the unproduced Crimson Guard Immortal and 1991 Cobra Commander. Just about all of Raptor's Brazilian contemporaries ended up in India. But, Raptor did not. Not to say that I would like for Raptor to return. But, it does lend credence to the theory that Hasbro had access to molds like Repeater, Sci Fi and Psyche Out. Perhaps they could one day appear if one knew they were likely under Hasbro's control.

Rock Fighter Guile figures are not easy to find yet still inexpensive. It will likely take a few weeks to find a mint, complete or carded version of this figure. But, a carded sample will run no more than $15 and a loose, mint, complete figure will typically run about half of that. As such, when you do track one down, it will not cost you a substantial amount to add the figure to your collection. Of the Street Fighter Movie figures, the Guile variants are the most common. You will pay substantially more for some of the ancillary characters in this series of toys. Personally, I find these Guile environmental figures to be a fun addition to my collection: but not figures in which I maintain any level of long term interest. They are fun to have, but hard to use. On display, it's cool to see all the Street Fighter Movie figures. But, as integral parts of a collection, only a select few of the total figures released in this set are really worthy of distinction.

1995 Paratrooper Guile (Street Fighter: The Movie)

Many years ago, I profiled a lone Star Wars figure. At that time, I vowed to never showcase another Star Wars figure again. Since then, every figure I have profiled has been, at least in some way, affiliated with G.I. Joe. Technically, the subject of this profile is not a G.I. Joe figure. However, his body is taken directly from a Joe mold and he was released at a time when Hasbro was trying to squeeze every penny they could from every Joe mold they had since the end was near. In late 1994, Hasbro released an obscure line of figures that were to tie into the awful Street Fighter movie. Unlike the Street Fighter 2 figures that are part of the Joe line, these movie figures were completely separate from Joe, even though they shared many molds in common. Many of these figures are the martial arts type figures that have little use in my collection. However, there are a few hidden gems in the Street Fighter line. One is the Paratrooper Guile.

There were at least 7 versions of Guile that were released in the Street Fighter line that shared the same head. Most of the bodies was taken from a previously released Joe figure and was intended to give kids the opportunity to use the Guile character in just about any imaginable environment. The Paratrooper Guile figure used the body from the 1992 Ace figure. The Arctic Assault Guile used the body from the 1988 Blizzard figure. The Rock Trooper Guile used the body from the 1991 Dusty figure. The Night Fighter Guile used the body from the 1991 Snake Eyes figure. The Navy SEAL Guile used the body from the 1992 Wet Suit figure. The other 2 Guiles used slightly different construction that is similar to the later Ninja Force figures in the sense that the figure's articulation is limited. (Fused waist) It is the 5 figures who use the classic Joe bodies, though, who hold collector attention. Each is usefully colored and includes newly colored accessories from the vintage Joe line. Some (like the black helmet with the Night Fighter Guile or the green Snow Serpent guns with Rock Trooper Guile) are great repaints that can be easily integrated into any Joe collection. Others (the baby-blue Deep Six diving bell that comes with Arctic Assault Guile) make no sense and have little use.

The reason I like the Paratrooper Guile figure is mainly because I like the Ace mold from which he is created. I also like the bright orange color scheme. While orange has long been the bane of collectors (despite Hasbro's best efforts to use it) it does work in certain situations. Among those situations would be a rescue pilot. These troops would wear the bright orange as not only a symbol of their purpose, but also as a means to assist them in their duties. This is the role I have assigned to the Paratrooper Guile in my Joe collection. He is a rescue pilot who is also capable of serving in combat. He is certainly not a large part of my collection but remains a figure who can bring something different to the table in specific situations. The Joe line is so vast that figures like this comprise a large part of it. However, this allows the modern collector to find any niche and fill it with a larger sample of figures than most other toy lines allow.

Aside from the mold that was taken from the original Joe line, the Paratrooper Guile's accessories were as well. He included the helmet and mask that originally came with Ace. However, due to the design of Guile's head, the helmet will not fit onto his head properly. This makes the figure less useful. But, as Ace heads of that mold are easily found, a simple headswap makes either a new uniform for Ace or a covered Guile head that doesn't look ridiculous. On top of that, this figure also included a silver version of Big Ben's rifle. At the time, this was a cool accessory as the Big Ben rifle was still somewhat unique. Now, though, that gun has been used so many times in the re-releases that is seems overdone with this figure. The part of Guile that made him the paratrooper, though, is the parachute pack. The black pack with solid white parachute are of the same design as was available via mail order and with the Sky Patrol figures. All of the Street Fighter Movie Guiles included new takes on classic Joe accessories. Some of them are worth tracking down for just the included pieces as they are a new way to expand a Joe collection into something a little more unique.

As the Joe line ended its original retail run, Hasbro scrambled to utilize whatever molds it could in order to cut costs of other, lesser toylines. As such, G.I. Joe molds were used things like the Street Fighter and Mortal Combat movie lines. (In fact, the Mortal Combat movie line of figures contains many of the parts that were intended for use in the ill-fated Ninja Commandoes line of Joes: the only way for collectors to really acquire them.) Hasbro also sold off a few molds to the now-defunct Olmec toy company who produced them in a set of figures called the Bronze Bombers. Other, more obscure toy lines also re-used Joe parts. Many were licensed tie ins and the parts were recycled in order to cut the costs for toy properties whose shelf life was known to be limited. The Joe line was so large, though, that the wealth of molds offered Hasbro a chance to move into different things with reduced risk at a time when toys in general were looking for an identity in the marketplace. The nice thing about this is that it gives today's Joe collector a wider arena in which to find pieces that are not only Joe compatible, but actual re-uses of original G.I. Joe molds. When the current run of Joe products ends its production life, it will be interesting to see where Joe molds continue to make appearances.

For a time, it appeared that Hasbro did not have access to the Guile figure molds. In the chaos surrounding the end of the Joe line, they may have been misplaced, mislabeled, or just packed separately from the rest of the G.I. Joe stuff. However, since 1997, most of the Guile figure molds have been reused. (The NF Guile Snake Eyes mold will appear at the end of this year in the Desert Strike Force set.) The one who is missing is the Arctic Assault Guile who utilized the Blizzard mold. However, if Hasbro has tracked down all the other molds, it would stand to reason that Blizzard may be back in the fold as well. As the 2005 G.I. Joe Convention is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an arctic themed Convention set seems like a good bet. If this comes to pass, perhaps the Blizzard mold will finally return. I can imagine that a good many collectors would like that.

Paratrooper Guiles (as well as the rest of the Street Fighter Movie figures) can be tough to track down. The movie was a flop and kids didn't really take to toys based on the video game. As such, these figures didn't see high production numbers. In fact, many of them ended up in the clearance bins of KB Toy Stores around the country. As late as 1997, you could still find an occasional beat up figure in the stores. What this means, though, is that Paratrooper Guiles are most often found in one of two conditions. They are either loose, incomplete and exhibit some paint wear as they were cheaply bought on clearance by a parent and given to a child who used the figure, or, they are MOC: usually salvaged by a toy dealer from the clearance bins in hopes that these figures would one day be popular. The end result is that while these figures are tough to find, they still routinely sell for under $20 for a MOC figure. Since these figures are not, technically, G.I. Joe figures, they are under most collector's radar and have remained in relative obscurity since their original release. They are, though, a great way to grow a collection and add something much more unique than many of the common Joe figures. You just have to take the time to find them.