The Rankings - 1984

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

#20. Deep Six

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

#19. Clutch and Stinger Driver (tie)

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

#17. Duke

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

#16. Hooded Cobra Commander

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

#15. Roadblock

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

#14. Copperhead

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

#13. Scrap Iron

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

#12.Wild Weasel

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

#11.Cutter

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

#10. Firefly

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

#09.  Ripcord

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

#08. Thunder

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

#07. Recondo

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

#06.  Spirit

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

#05.Stormshadow

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

#04.Blowtorch

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

#03.Mutt

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

#02. Baroness

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

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

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

#01. Zartan

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

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

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

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

1984 Wild Weasel - Around The Web

In one of my many moves, the front gatling cannon on my Rattler snapped off.  The plane is otherwise perfect.  But, there's no real way to replace it without destroying the entire toy.  Which really sucks as, without the gun, I only see the imperfection on my Rattler and it has yet to appear in photos since the break.  

The figure this affects the most is Wild Weasel.  One his own, the Rattler Pilot isn't a great figure.  I always thought his appearance in #24 and #25 of the comic would have made for an amazing toy.  But, Wild Weasel is to the Rattler as the Skystriker is to Ace.  You simply can't have one without the other.  So, this means there's lots of great content featuring the 1984 Wild Weasel out there.  So, take some time and check all the artists who use Wild Weasel.

1984 Wild Weasel Profile

1984 Rattler Profile

1984 Wild Weasel by Nekoman

1984 Wild Weasel by evilface

1984 Wild Weasel by Purple_Cobra 75

1984 Wild Weasel by viper_space

1984 Wild Weasel by Cobra_Florence

1984 Wild Weasel by badger23actual

1984 Wild Weasel by Purple_Cobra75

1984 Wild Weasel by viper_space

1984 Wild Weasel by diorama_accessories

1984 Wild Weasel by thedustinmccoy

1984 Wild Weasel by viper_space

1984 Wild Weasel by Purple_Cobra75

1984 Wild Weasel by diorama_accessories

1984 Rattler

The Rattler is probably the most iconic Cobra aircraft in the line's history.  It was the first larger sized Cobra vehicle to be released at retail and was meant to be a foil to the Skystriker.  In the look and feel of the toy, Hasbro produced a triumph for the line.  The Rattler meshed with the Cobra army, had detail that rivaled any Joe vehicle and was fun to play with.  It was a perfect storm of awesome.  Which isn't to say the plane isn't without some problems.  But, the Rattler is as definitive a vehicle release in 1984 as the Whale.

The Rattler was a brittle toy. The landing gear were easy to snap off, making the plane somewhat useless. And, the canopies featured hard plastic tabs that were also easy to break. These were more problematic since, once broken, they fell off anytime you tried to have the plane fly in any way that wasn't perfectly parallel to the ground. This lead the Rattler's quick demise in my childhood collection. While the Skystriker had suffered great play wear, it didn't have the small, fragile parts of the Rattler and was able to remain useful to me for much longer. This, naturally, lead to the Rattler's diminished importance in my collection. Since the one I had was broken, I never used it. So, my Cobra air army was relegated to the Trouble Bubble and a Claw.

The Rattler first came to my collection in October of 1984. I had been anxiously awaiting the Rattler since I first saw it in the '84 catalog back in January of that year. Wild Weasel had appeared in the comic and I was eager to finally add this missing piece of the Cobra hierarchy to my collection. My younger brother finally got the Rattler for his birthday that fall. Once we had the plane, it's luster quickly faded. Wild Weasel wasn't nearly as cool as his comic appearance had indicated. The plane was missing fun features like the ejector seats that were standard on the Skystriker and the gunner seat barely held a figure and he was stuck facing forward. But, the worst part was that the Rattler was broken in a matter of days. Once that happened, the usefulness of the plane was destroyed. As such, the Rattler was never my Cobra plane of choice. And, as my Cobra air force was so paltry, I developed my Cobra as a more ground focused enemy. I viewed air combat as too expensive and counterproductive to Cobra's goals. They were better off fighting American air power from ground emplacements and mobile gun batteries rather than trying to dogfight with superior technology. When the Mauler was released in 1985, though, I thought the Rattler would make a perfect foil to the Joe's newest weapon. But, since my original Rattler had long since been buried in a broken heap at the bottom of the toy box, this confrontation never came to fruition and encapsulates my frustrations with the quality of the Rattler as a toy.

The Rattler is both superior to and quite inferior to the Skystriker. The Rattler was obviously meant to be a lower price point item than the flagship Skystriker. But, from a detail standpoint, the Rattler was better. The cockpit was more detailed and the rotating wings and back gunner turret were play features that surpassed the Skystriker with ease. However, the Skystriker's working parachute seats and retractable landing gear gave it an edge over the Rattler as well. The main thing that was apparent was that Hasbro's ability to create detailed vehicles was increasing every year and the Rattler showed an improvement in the toy making process in terms of what could be delivered at a price point. It was a trend that would continue for a few years with the vehicles and a few more years with the figures.

The Rattler mold saw decent use. After it's run in the US, it was also released in Argentina in colors very similar to the original. In 1988, it was repainted in Tiger Force colors, re-patriotized and turned into a Joe vehicle. In 1997, Hasbro surprised collectors with the well thought out A-10 that also used the Rattler mold. This plane, while visually appealing, has severe quality problems, though and is really a vehicle that looks much better than it actually is. In 2002, Hasbro released a copper colored monstrosity that didn't even include a canopy for the gunner. In 2008, the mold was refurbished and brought back to retail in identical colors to the vintage plane as part of the Anniversary line. In 2009, that same mold will be released again in Tiger Force colors as an homage to an homage. Going forward, it is likely that this is a mold that will be used whenever Hasbro finds a place for it. So, we have likely not seen the end of the Rattler mold.

Before you go out and drop ~$70 to buy a mint, complete Rattler today, you should look into the 2008 reissue of the vehicle that was a Target exclusive. This plane is nearly identical to the original (the missiles are slightly different colors) and can be purchased for about 1/3 the cost of an original. On display, the two would be nearly indistinguishable and you would get the benefit of plastic that is 25 years newer. If you are a nostalgia buff like me, though, the original still has it's place in a collection. There is just something about owning a toy that was around during those brisk fall days of 1984 when I first took my original Rattler outside to play. That is the main reason why this sample has stuck with me and remains in my collection. The look of it is enough to be meaningful in a display and the design is something that should be enjoyed. I'm long past the point where I'll be flying my Rattler around the house so the display aspect is what makes a vehicle relevant to me. It is rare for a vehicle this size that was part of my childhood for so short a period to attain such a place of prominence in my collection. But, that is a testament to the quality of this toy.



1984 Wild Weasel

As the Joe line progressed, Hasbro realized the need to create villains that would be offsets of Joe specialists. The reality was that they couldn't have Ace always flying against nameless pilots as that would quickly grow stale. The only way to keep many of the characters from fading too far into the background was go give them a nemesis. This allowed for expanded play patterns since kids could then work out their stories with two, more evenly matched adversaries. The result was an expansion of the Cobra roster well beyond the original old blue Cobras and a more diverse set of villains from which kids could choose. Among these new specialists was Cobra's first pilot: Wild Weasel.

When I first saw Wild Weasel in the comic book, I simply loved his design. He looked like one of the coolest figures that was going to be released in 1984. The Rattler didn't start showing up for sale until the fall of that year, so I had several months of anticipation for the Wild Weasel figure. My brother finally got the Rattler for his birthday in October. As soon as I help Wild Weasel in my hand, I was taken aback. This wasn't the awesome design that was seen in the comics. It had its similarities, but it was drastically different. I went and pulled out my comic to ensure I wasn't mis-remembering Wild Weasel's design. But, sure enough, I wasn't. The figure simply didn't live up to that original comic rendition. The head was too large and the figure, overall, was too red. It lacked the great grey details that really offset the comic version. This was a tremendous disappointment and Wild Weasel was never able to recover. I simply never used the figure. He wasn't interesting to me so he was largely ignored. He flew the Rattler for a time. But, as my brother broke the canopy on the Rattler within a week or two of his acquisition, that plane also quickly faded from my childhood collection.

Today, much has changed. A few years ago, I had little interest in Wild Weasel. Even after I acquired a mint Rattler, I had it manned by Strato Vipers rather than its intended pilot. But, in recent years, I've begun to appreciate the Wild Weasel mold much more. The figure is a deep red and has some amazing detail. It really meshes well with other Cobras from 1984 and before. But, it also has the bulk that allows it to still stand among Cobras from later years and not look out of place. As such, it offers a nice range and versatility that I often look for in figures that take places of importance in my collection.

Now, Wild Weasel proudly calls the cockpit of my vintage Rattler home. He simply looks right as the pilot of his intended vehicle. As the Rattler is one of the few vintage vehicles that I keep around these days, that is an honor. Aside from that, the character may pop up from time to time. But, in looking through my old pictures to see if I had any old photos where Wild Weasel was used, I found that the figure really doesn't get much use outside of his intended specialty. I doubt that will change much. But, 2008 is going to see a re-focusing of my collecting efforts on the years of 1982 through 1984. Really, those are the years of my childhood (though I was collecting through 1987) and are the toys that bring back the most innocent memories. As such, one of my goals is to get a display case finally done and showcase only the best pieces from those years as well as 1985. (I'm not focusing on '85 this year as the only mint, complete figure I need from that year is Heavy Metal and I'm not at the point where I'm going to drop $175 for a microscopic plastic microphone when that money could fill so many other holes in the earlier years.) Once that is done, Wild Weasel will join his classic brethren as the centerpiece of my Joe room.

While Hasbro always put out a full catalog of the year's toys during the first months of year during the vintage line, it is likely that many of those toys pictured were not fully finalized at the time the catalog photos were taken. If you look at the vintage Joe catalogs they are full of pre-production and prototype pieces that, in some cases, drastically differ from the actually released toys. It is hard to see the Wild Weasel figure that was used for the pictures in the '84 catalog, but the Rattler itself has some obvious differences. The most glaring is the fact that the turret guns are substantially longer and more pronounced. It is a fun diversion to look through some of the old Joe photography since it's full of such interesting first takes on many toys and gives an informed glimpse into what might have been.

Several of the early Joe filecards contained imagery that simply stuck into my brain as a child. Clutch's filecard was probably the most vivid. But several of these characterizations contained lines that conjured up an image of the character that was hard to shake. Wild Weasel's was among those. Being 10 years old when I first read his filecard, I didn't understand that "cut his teeth" was an expression. As such, I took it that someone physically cut wild Weasel's teeth and that was the mouth injury he suffered. Just imagining someone taking a knife across my teeth is still enough to make me shudder. So, I always viewed this as an insight into the toughness of Wild Weasel. The characteristic speech pattern that is referred to on the filecard, though, never really came across in the vintage comic book and it remains one of the great unexplored nuances of the Wild Weasel character.

The Wild Weasel mold was used by Hasbro for this figure. (It was also released in Europe in the Action Force line as Red Wolf: the driver of the grim Roboskull.) It was used for many years as mail away fodder and likely went through several production runs. (Wild Weasel figures exist with either 1984 or 1988 date stamps.) The entire body mold was used in 1988 for the Tiger Force Skystriker figure. Aside from that, though, the mold had no other vintage uses. However, in 2002, the Wild Weasel mold showed up India and was used by Funskool. This figure features unique card art, brighter colors, neon accessories and a working parachute. It is a fun figure, but one that is definitely inferior to the American figure in terms of collection integration. However, as this mold was used to recently by Funskool, it is likely that is available to Hasbro. As the Wild Weasel character was used by Hasbro several times in the new sculpt figure line and he has been shown in a planned Anniversary sculpt comic pack scheduled for 2008, it's possible that the character could come back at some point. I would welcome that as a new take on this mold would be a figure well received. The modern ARAH-style Joe line has been light on Cobra pilots so seeing Wild Weasel return would be a welcome sight.

Wild Weasel figures are easy to find. Aside from being shipped in the very popular Rattler jet, he was also available as a mail away figure for many years. Still, the figure does feature some easily damaged silver paint and he also tends to discolor. So, it may take a few samples before you find a perfectly mint version. Either way, though, the figure won't cost you. While some places may try to get $10-$12 for the figure, you can usually find them for half that. And, if you're looking for lots of figures, Wild Weasel is usually easy to find in those as well and you can get him even cheaper that way. For me, this is a figure who is necessary for completion but has never really gotten any real use. He stands as a figure that would be perfect had the head just been slightly smaller. But, these days, I'm growing to appreciate the figure more and more and find him a more useful addition to my collection than I ever have previously. But, for the price to get one, that's all really moot as this figure is really an addition that is too cheap to pass by.