Rarities - Unproduced 1995 Big Ben & Snow Serpent

The 1995 Joe line would have been pretty great.  Had it come to be, many of the items would be held in the same regard as precious items from the line's heyday in the 1980's.  And, with the lower production runs of the line's final year, many of the items would likely be super expensive to acquire today.  While the line featured a solid array of new figures, it was also going to include many repaints of earlier releases.  Two of these would have been the figures included in the planned 1995 repaint of the Tactical Battle Platform which would have been called the Battle Station.  For some reason, this set piece was going to include repaints of Big Ben and the Snow Serpent.

You can tell from the photos that both of these figures are hand painted prototypes that were used the 1993 mail away figures as their bases.  As such, you see production colors on the legs.  It's unlikely that the final figures would have matched these concepts, exactly.  But, they'd have been close enough.  So, you get the general idea of what the designers were trying to do.

Oddly, the concept art for the Battle Station doesn't actually feature the figures who would have been included with it.  Instead, it is a smorgasbord of unreleased 1995 figures and likely reissues of 1994 releases.  This would imply that the figures included with the set were more ways to just use molds that were available rather than really spice up the design.  But, the Battle Station concept art also showcases many of the figures in the cardart poses with positioning that suggests placeholder design.  So, it's likely that they box art would have changed upon release and probably featured the figures included with it.

I find it interesting that concepts from both of these figures did, eventually, see release.  The 1998 Snow Serpent borrows elements from this unproduced 1995 figure.  And, the 2001 Big Ben was an arctic repaint in the vein of this unreleased Big Ben.  So, it's nice that some of the work was eventually used...even if it was by a different team looking to save a few bucks rather than an homage to the founders of the brand.  

Seeing current prices of the 1993 mail versions of these two characters makes me shudder at what these 1995 figures would cost today had they seen release.  Being in a low production, high dollar playset would have made acquisition unlikely for many kids...meaning fewer figures going into the secondary market.  I take solace, though, knowing I'd have forked over the money for a Battle Station had it been released...just because it included these two figures.  I had a rule that I'd buy vehicles with figures included.  And, Big Ben was one of my earliest grail figures.  So, the Battle Station would have called my collection home.

Sure, it would now be yellowed and decaying in a box in the closet.  But, I'd have these figures and enjoy them for what they were.  I still maintain that collectors would hold the 1995 line in high regard had it seen production.  But, there were forces at work that were far beyond the G.I. Joe brand.  So, we're left with tidbits of what might have been.  Repaints like this aren't nearly as interesting as newly designed, unproduced pieces.  But, they would have been an important supporting cast for the planned new figures.  I'd still love to know if any of the 1994 molds that debuted that year would have gotten updated paint jobs for 1995: as was Hasbro's habit at the time.  I'm sure some would have been cool and others would have been...less so.  But, more figures are better than fewer.  And, we really missed out with the line's cancellation occurring in 1994.  

1985 Transportable Tactical Battle Platform

The G.I. Joe line was originally conceived as a series of vehicles.  They were high profit toys for Hasbro.  However, the figures that were designed to interact with those vehicles turned out to be massively popular.  But, the vehicles remained a vital part of the line's overall profitability.  As the line progressed, the scale and audacity of the vehicles grew as well.  Each year, Hasbro was able to produce vehicles that outdid the year before.  In 1985, though, the bar was raised as high as it could go.  Along with the excellent Moray and Mauler, Hasbro pumped out the unprecedented USS Flagg.  The 7 1/2 foot behemoth remains the flagship for the Joe line: both literally and figuratively.  Lost in between massive carrier and the amazing higher end vehicles, though, is the Transportable Tactical Battle Platform.  Despite its lack of an included figure, the TTBP (for short) is on par with Hasbro's other releases and is an excellent example of the overall vehicle quality that dominated the Joe line.

My younger brother got the TTBP for his birthday in October of 1985.  Unfortunately, the one he got had a production defect where the control room windshield was warped and didn't fit into the base.  This heavily colored the toy for me since it was frustrating to not have a cool feature like the window be available.  So, I didn't really pay the TTBP much mind.  Of course, I had my recently purchased Mauler and hope of a Christmas USS Flagg (that never materialized) to divert my attention.  One of my best friends, though, loved the TTBP.  Whenever I'd go to his house, he'd pick it first and have it be the focal point of his play.  He had his mom get him longer string and kept it on a small table.  The longer string could reach all the way to the floor and he'd use this as the means of making his base impenetrable.  I finally starting bringing my JUMP pack over so I'd have a way of attacking him other than the Skystriker, Rattler or Dragonfly.  (At his house, it wasn't Joe Vs. Cobra, it was me vs. him with each of our armies.)  But, that was about the extent of my interaction with the TTBP.

In late 1986, the TTBP finally found a calling.  Having given up my dreams of a Flagg, I looked to other options for an aircraft carrier.  So, I used my bed.  I set up the 1983 HQ at one end and put the TTBP at the corner of the other end.  The HQ was the ship's bridge and command center.  The TTBP was the air traffic control who launched the fighters and spotted approaching Cobras.  This made the TTBP the action center when it was time to fight.  Cobra would attempt to destroy it first, so the Joes couldn't launch any more aircraft.  Usually, the TTBP would last for a while: its missiles taking out the first few Night Ravens or Rattlers.  But, eventually, Cobra would take it out.  Once that happened, the battle turned into a sea fight with Hydrofoils and Hovercrafts while the ground crew on the ship tried to sort out the carnage while also trying to fend off boarding Eels.  Some of these battles were so elaborately set up that I'd sleep in my parent's guest room for a few days so I didn't have to move all the toys each night.

This scenario, though, was a recurring theme throughout 1987 and continued as a key plot point until my final days of playing with toys.  Having a massive command ship opened up large opportunities for play.  In that regard, the TTBP held its own.  The bridge, helipad and mounted gun and missile launcher offered a myriad of different stories.  If the missiles shot down the Cobra aircraft too soon in the battle, the next attack would be differently formulated to avoid this problem.  It allowed for an ever escalating conflict to remain fresh.  And, with large surface area of the "ship", I was able to combine sea, air and land vehicles into one battle.  This was perfect as it allowed me to use all of my toys and keep my favorites in the mix, even when it wouldn't, on the surface, appear that a Mauler tank would be all that useful at sea.

The TTBP has a few key elements to the design.  It's set up so there are multiple play areas that can either act alone or in concert with each other.  The primary point is the command center.  This is a large, open pit with a control room piece that surrounds the space.  Inside is a mounted spotlight and the whole area is enclosed by a windshield.  There is just a single seat.  But, there's lots of other space to pose figures around the controls or in command.  It has an opening to a tunnel that connects the command center to the cargo area.  It's nicely tucked along the back of the toy and is a somewhat forgotten feature of the TTBP.

The cargo area is another wide open space that allows for lots of figures.  The keystone is a crane.  It has a winch with rope and hook from the Dragonfly.  It has a small ladder to allow characters to climb in and out of the depressed pit.  The lowered floor allows for figure posting around the edges.  There's some small details on the floor.  But, in general, the space is open and uncluttered.  You can easily store some of the mundane pieces of the Joe line like weapon crates, gas cans and other battlefield necessities in the space.  It's something that's overly practical on a base like this, even if it doesn't seem like much fun out of the box.  (Oh, and as Jeremy reminded me in the comments, there is also a 5 weapon rack that fits across the outer wall.  Included with the TTBP were slightly differently colored versions of Stalker's M-32, Grunt's M-16, Snow Job's XMLR, Airborne's XM-16 and a very differently colored version of Ripcord's SLR-W1L1 rifle.   The weapons were attached to a tree and slightly lighter in color than the versions packed with the figures.  It's a great additional detail that adds some more play value to the cargo area.)

Between the command center and cargo area is a helipad.  It is accessible by a small ladder.  (The entire playset uses ladders to great effect as they don't take up much real estate and provide great realism.)  The helipad can hold either a Dragonfly or a Skyhawk, depending upon your preference.  You could also set a JUMP platform up there.  Thought that's overly redundant.  You will notice small hooks on the dec.  In the comic, two Dragonflies attached their hooks to these and carried the TTBP out to sea.  As a kid, I re-enacted that scene with two Dragonflies.  It actually held for a while and I could the whole thing.  But, eventually, one of the hooks gave way and snapped under the weight.  So, they aren't overly useful bits, but are kind of fun to remember from the TTBP's introduction in the comic.

Across the front the TTBP are three main details: a gun turret, missile stand and ramp.  The ramp is somewhat interesting.  The slot for it is about the exact size of the 1985 Armadillo vehicle and it's a perfect piece to combine with the ramp for extra defenses.  The missile launcher uses slightly recolored versions of the missiles that were available on the Skystriker.  The Skystriker missiles are darker and you often see TTBP missiles sold on complete Skystrikers.  So, that's something to watch for.  The gun is massive and can shoot up in the air or straight.  Not being able to point down is a bit of a letdown.  But, it's still cool to see a gun station on a Joe base.  Each weapon sits on a small platform and has a hatch that is covered with a tab.  You can remove it to see additional mechanical details.

The overriding theme of the TTBP is space.  There's lot of open area to display figures.  In that regard, it's an excellent toy.  You can showcase pretty much an entire year's worth of figures without being overly cramped.  For something with a small footprint, that's a real rarity.  And, adding in the fact you could also showcase a Dragonfly and Armadillo on it, it has a full range of possibility.  As such, you often see TTBP's as showcase items in many collections.  They aren't there to show off the possession of a TTBP: like you see with both the Flagg and Terrordrome.  They are a clean way to show off a collector's favorite Joes while being able to use a fun playset.

The TTBP is slightly reminiscent of a Maunsell Fort from World War II.  There are pictures of samples that are in colors similar to the TTBP's.  The notion of a water fortress has been ingrained in man since early warfare.  So, getting something like this in the Joe line was just another example of how the early designers were tuned into real military concepts.

The TTBP was only ever released by Hasbro.  It saw production in American, European, Canadian and Japanese packaging.  But, all the toys were made from the same facilities.  It was never exported out of the Hasbro family.  In 1995, Hasbro planned to repaint the TTBP and release it as the Battle Station.  It appears this would have been an Arctic themed release that was mostly white.  So, not all that much different from the original release.  But, it would have included a couple of figures: Snow Serpent and Big Ben.  Had it been released, I probably would have bought it just to get the two figures.  But, it would have been cool to see another take on this mold.

Transportable Tactical Battle Platforms have lots of small pieces that are easily lost and broken.  On top of that, you have a windshield that tends to yellow.  And, the base itself is easily discolored white plastic.  As such, truly mint and complete TTBPs are pricey.  Usually, they'll run between $60 and $80 depending on the number in the market and the brilliance of the white base.  You can get them a lot cheaper if you sacrifice a few pieces or are fine with some discoloration of the plastic.  There are some spectacular custom TTBPs out there made from discolored parts.

As a playset, the TTBP is tough to beat.  It can display a lot of figures, and even hold a vehicle or two.  It can use the storage footprint to offset other toys and becomes a relative bargain as a display piece in terms of space used.  Plus, it's a great way to incorporate figures from across G.I. Joe generations since many different figures integrate well with the design.  In short, it's one of those toys that pretty much every collector has: but none really love.  It's awesome to own.  But, once you have your setup complete, there's no real reason to come back.  Other, more popular vehicles of the vintage era are returned to by collectors time and time again due to their complexity and general spectacular design.  The TTBP is kind of like an Alpine or Footloose figure.  They are rarely anyone's favorite.  But everyone has them because they are great toys.  They are just eclipsed by other figures from their time that were better.  That's the TTBP's fate.  But, that's OK since that will keep something that's attainable and useful for pretty much everyone.

Rarities - Unproduced 1995 Battle Corps Rangers Tactical Battle Platform Box

The 1995 G.I. Joe Line would have seen a return to Joe's more militaristic roots in the Battle Corps Rangers line.  Some figures from this line have been seen in prototype form.  But, not all have been identified.  Along with the figures, 1995 would have seen a return of some classic G.I. Joe vehicles and playsets.  Among them was the Tactical Battle Platform from 1985, renamed as the Battle Station.  Below is the box art from the proposed toy.

There is a lot going on in this artwork.  To me, the playset is relatively uninteresting as it appears to barely be a repaint from the original toy from a decade earlier.  The real gem is the character artwork that appears.  There are 10 unique characters shown on the box.  Of these, five are definitely holdovers from 1994: Flint, Ice Cream Solider, Stalker, Shipwreck and Dial Tone.  This makes sense as none of those five had yet had repaints.  It's disappointing that they appear in their 1994 colors.  But, that does not mean that they would have been precluded from a new, 1995 paint scheme.

There are two very recognizable figures from 1995 on the artwork: Footloose and the Unnamed figure.  The Unnamed figure has a baseball cap and was believed to be Flint.  (I list him as Flint on this site.)  However, there has long been speculation that this is not Flint.  And, the appearance of the 1994 Flint on the box would seem to confirm that the new figure is also a new character: not Flint.  (The notion that this is Flint is traced to an article in a Toy Magazine back in 1995.  It's very likely they were wrong and that incorrect info has lasted for 20 years with no official refute.)

The remaining 3 figures are all new characters for 1995.  The oddest, or course is the Cobra figure climbing the ladder.  Was this a new army builder or character?  He's definitely something collectors would either love or hate.  There is a new figure in the control center who is covered in armor and is wearing a helmet.  Again, he's an interesting take and something more akin to the sci fi elements of the line than the traditional military.  Then, there is a white clad "gunner" figure by the missile launcher.  This guy definitely has the look of a more traditional military figure.  While he's arctic in nature, the design is subtle, but nuanced.  He looks like a figure I'd have easily purchased back then. 

(2020 Update: the white figure is Frostbite and the sci fi figure is Duke.  Both were numbered like Mega Marines but would have been 1995 releases.  The Cobra looks a LOT like the 1995 Dr. Mindbender...especially now that we know Mindbender would have included that weapon.  The helmet is weird, so it might have been something else.  But, Mindbender is the best guess.  End 2020 Update.)

 This set would have included a Big Ben and Snow Serpent figure.  (Odd, as both of them had been released as mail aways in 1993.)  But, they are not pictured on the box.  Based on the poses for many of the figures, it's probable that this was an early mock up and the box would have been updated with more natural posing for some of the characters once their final colors and looks had been confirmed.

I've always felt that collectors lost a lot by not seeing the 1995 G.I. Joe line.  It seems that it would have been as strong as the 1994 offerings.  Though, it would have had other elements outside the Battle Corps Rangers heading that would have been really, really outside the traditional norms of G.I. Joe.  But, I think what we lost was worth far more than what we managed to avoid.  With as far as many of the 1995 concepts got in the production process, it was a crime we didn't see any of them make their initial appearance during the 2000's.  (Though, I suspect the abject failure of the KB Manimals had something to do with that, too.)  Collectors would have loved a few of these molds.  And, they would have been easy wins for Hasbro.  But, that didn't happen and we are just left to lament what might have been.