2003 Unproduced Wal Mart Hiss Driver

While there are many unproduced Joes in the modern line, very few of them can be traced back to original Hasbro documentation proving their intended existence. Probably less than 10% of the total number of unproduced figures that have surfaced since 2002 have published origins. This isn't to say that they are the best of the unproduced figures, but they are the ones that, long term, will have the most publicity. They have the paper trail that will put them in a different category for many future collectors. In the meantime, though, we are given a chance to enjoy some figures that were never released. In the case of this unproduced Hiss Driver, that is a very good thing.

Prior to my acquisition of this figure, I was prepared to down play its significance. I was going to say that collectors really didn't miss out on much by not having this figure released. I've never liked the Hiss Driver figure and didn't think that a simple color change was going to sway my opinion. As it turns out, though, I was flat out wrong. What a difference the coloring makes for this mold! The dark blue base is just so striking that it completely eradicates all my distaste for the Hiss Driver mold and suddenly makes this figure somewhat significant in my collection.   To be fair, it is unclear if Hasbro intended this figure to be an army building Hiss Driver or if they intended it to be another version of Rip It. As the Sky Patrol set already included one other army builder (the Alley Viper,) I think this figure was going to be a nameless, faceless army builder. It would have made the set more popular among collectors. As such, in my collection, this figure will be the simple Hiss Driver.

If you look through the photos I've published over the last 7 years, you will often see Hiss Tanks among my Cobras. However, you will rarely see Hiss Drivers at the helm of those tanks. Instead, that specialty is handled by Track Vipers. This isn't because I don't have any Hiss Drivers in my collection: quite the contrary. It is simply a function of the fact that I have never liked the Hiss Driver mold. Ever since I got my first one in 1983, I have felt that the Hiss Driver in no way lived up to the quality of the vehicle which he was supposed to drive. When I acquired several mail away hooded Cobra Commanders in 1984, those figures became my de facto Cobra vehicle drivers. They drove the Hiss Tanks, manned the Asps and flew the Fangs. I liked the Cobra blue far better than the bright red. (In fact, I still maintain that had the Hiss Driver first been released in 1993 instead of 1983, he would be reviled by collectors today.) This lead to Hiss Drivers simply being ignored. As I got older, nothing changed. Though I could not, in good conscience, use hooded Cobra Commanders as Hiss Drivers as an adult collector, enough time had progressed that Track Vipers were readily available. So, the bright red Hiss Driver never had a real role in my collection.

The release of Rip It did little to change that. When that figure was first released, many collectors simply planned to buy many Hiss III's and use Rip It as a new Hiss Driver. In fact, I planned the same. But, when I bought my first Hiss III in early 2001, I found that I was not that enthralled with the tank or the figure. The blue had too much of a purplish tint to it. On some figures, this works, but it did not on Rip It. So, I did not buy any more Hiss Tanks and my lone Rip It went into a drawer and has not emerged since 2001. As you can see, this didn't offer me much hope that I would have any other feelings toward the Wal Mart Hiss Driver. But, that is not the case. The deep blue which comprises his main body is a nice fit with the sea of standard Cobra blue Infantry and Viper figures. The silver goggles and black face mask blend better with the rest of the body and really meld nicely with the overall look. The red chestplate is dark and muted and offsets the dark blue base. It also allows the white Cobra logo on the chest to really pop.

The unproduced Sky Patrol figures were shown by Hasbro at a toy convention in early 2003. The figures shown were early hand painted test shots. As such, the Hiss Driver shown was actually a V1 Hiss Driver that was painted. So, it had the wrong waist. The other distinguishing difference is that the original figure had a gold chest plate and no Cobra logo. Now, it's likely that the lack of Cobra logo had to do with the fact that the figure was hand painted and that is a detail that was probably beyond the scope needed for Hasbro to showcase the figures. The gold chest plate is a definite downgrade from the red chest on the production figure. It's likely that the change was made early on. But, it is a subtle difference between the original, showcased prototype and the actual production item.

Truth be told, even if it would totally diminish the collectible value of this figure, I would love to see it actually see retail release. The figure is simply the best version of the Hiss Driver ever produced and it is a shame that more collectors don't have access to them. It is even more a shame that it is simply not feasible to acquire enough of these figures to have them be the backbone of any Hiss Driver contingent. The figure is that good. The Hiss Driver mold has only been used by Hasbro. It appeared in 1983 and was then used for many years as a mail in in the US. The bulk of the mold then appeared in early 2001 as Rip It. It's hard to remember that this Wal Mart Hiss Driver would have been so close on the heels of Rip It. But, Rip It was the last time the mold was used for a released product. (It should be noted that Rip It featured a different waist from the original Hiss Driver and the Wal Mart figure is actually the Rip It mold.) Since the appearance of these Wal Mart Hiss Drivers, no one has used the Hiss Driver mold. It is pretty much a given that this mold is available to Hasbro right now and they could easily produce either this figure or one very similar to it at any point. But, with the number of ARAH style Joe releases dwindling all the time, it is unlikely that they will go back and revisit this character as the Hiss Driver isn't, at least at this time, a heavily clamoured for character.

***Update 5/20/08***

For the 2007 G.I. Joe convention, Master Collector dusted off the Hiss Driver mold and offered collectors a well done repaint of Rip It. This figure is significant, though, since it is almost a mirror image of this unproduced Hiss Driver. The black and blue colors are reversed and this new Rip It makes for a perfect commander for a cadre of these Hiss Tank drivers. (This Rip It also featured the return of the original Hiss Driver waist piece.) Unfortunately, this Rip It sold out rather quickly and is pricey on the aftermarket. These days, you'll pay about as much for a Rip It as you will for one of these Hiss Drivers. But, while they might be expensive, they make for one of the best blends of color for a commander and his troops in the history of the line.

***End 5/20/08 Update***

The 6 unproduced Wal Mart figures (Low-Light, Duke, Snake Eyes, Alley Viper, Storm Shadow and Hiss Driver) were going to be part of a Sky Patrol like subset. They would have been sold in 2 packs and included working parachutes for each figure. However, the parachutes failed safety tests and could not go to market. Instead, Wal Mart received an exclusive 6 figure wave that featured new sculpt urban Cobras and desert Joes. That wave, though, sold very well and was gone in a matter of weeks. As such, it has always seemed odd to me that rumours persist that Wal Mart was the retail giant who gave up on the Joe line. The timing would have made it occur less than 18 months after the release of these successful exclusives. As such, I still think there is a lot more to the story than we will ever know. But, the result is that these Sky Patrol figures were never produced.

In late 2003, though, test shots of the figures appeared in Asia. They went for ridiculous prices. But, at the time, they were the first unproduced figures we had seen and no one had any idea of how many had been produced. As such, the prices made sense for the time based on the market conditions and what information about the figures that was available. In time, though, the supply got more continuous and prices fell. For a time, you could get pretty much all of the Wal Mart figures for under $15. But, those days are now gone and collectors who did not take advantage are now left with fewer options when searching out these figures. That's not to say the figures are not out and can not be acquired. But, they are a bit harder to find and you will pay a premium price for them.

If you want a Wal Mart Hiss Driver, they are out there. For a long time, this was among the most expensive of the unproduced figures, but he was available for almost a full year. As such, many collectors have him in their collection which is why this is one of the few unproduced figures that is still available for decent prices on the second hand market. With shipping from Asia, you should be able to get this figure for under $40. Considering the figure's quality, its rarity and the fact that this is a legit unproduced item that has Hasbro documentation to back it, that's probably a bargain. Long term, figures like this simply won't stay affordable. We've already seen some of the rarest and most desirable unproduced figures become very pricey. In time, others will follow. Were I to venture a guess as to the most probable figures who will become expensive in the future, this Hiss Driver has all the qualities. As such, if you can get one now, do it. Even if he costs a bit more than you tend to pay for figures, he is well worth it.

2003 Python Patrol Rock Viper

I've long liked Rock Vipers. The high quality mold, great accessories and cheap prices created a figure of which I always wanted more in my collection. In 2003, Hasbro finally dusted off the Rock Viper mold and included it as a member of the Toys R Us exclusive Python Patrol set. This set featured distinctive, unified colors, a great selection of obscure army building molds and included all the original accessories for each of the army building figures. In short, it was a great start to the exclusive army building packs...on paper. The reality was that the color scheme on the figure, while detailed, was also difficult to use. It didn't match the vintage Python Patrol figures and wasn't even close to any traditionally Cobra colors. Collector response to the figures was enthusiastic, but lukewarm. Many people army built the sets as there weren't many alternatives. In the 4 subsequent years, though, this set has become obscure rather than celebrated.

On the surface, the Python Patrol set was a winner. But, time has cooled collector interest in the figures as the odd combination of red, black and goldish copper really didn't lend itself to definitive versions of the figures that were included...even if the Python version is the only version of the figure other than the original available. Still, the set has its merits and does offer some diversity in the Cobra ranks. (Plus, they colors are a decent enough match for the vintage Python Patrol vehicles.) The figures do have one of the most intricate paint designs on any figure ever released. They are solidly constructed and have, for the most part, great accessories. Yet, the total package falls just short of being one of the better liked exclusive figure offerings.

The Python Patrol set was released at the perfect time. In the latter half of 2003, if you wanted ARAH style army building figures, there weren't many options. There was a high priced convention set, a Viper/Alley Viper pack that had a short appearance at retail and that's about it. As such, army builder starved collectors were quick to buy up the Python Patrol sets. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite enough as Python Patrol sets lingered at retail until after Christmas of 2003 and were even clearanced in some markets. Hasbro had produced about 25,000 each of the Tiger Force and Python Patrol sets. As these sets stagnated at retail, Toys R Us adjusted their ordering down and all future exclusive 6-packs were only ordered in the 20,000 or less range. With the exception of the Cobra Infantry pack, though, those lowered quantities were still more than adequate to sate collector demand for each of the subsequent army building Toys R Us sets.

The sad reality is that had this set been released in late 2004 or early 2005, it would have been a collossal dud. By that time, collectors had plenty of other outlets for ARAH army builders and many had amassed large collections at retail prices. As such, the release timing of the Python Patrol was fortuitous as it allowed the set to get some press and become part of many people collections in numbers that would never have happened had it been released even 1 year later. But, the later releases did their damage and Python Patrol is rarely mentioned these days as being one of the better TRU sets.

In my collection, Rock Vipers probably see more use than they should. While they are supposed to highly specialized troopers, I use them for more common duties. This primarily is due to the fact that I currently live in the desert mountains that surround the outskirts of Phoenix. As such, I have the terrain in my yard where Rock Vipers would most likely operate. Plus, I'm a sucker for really good gear and the Rock Viper has it in spades. I love grappling hooks and ropes that you can actually use and the Rock Viper's accessories are fully functional. As my backyard is full of decorative rocks, the Rock Vipers are commonly seen climbing all over them. They may be acting in groups of like specialties or supporting more traditional Cobra Infantry. Regardless, they are often my Cobras of choice when my yard will be the setting.

The Rock Viper mold has been used 3 times. The first was in 1990 when the original Rock Viper was released. The Rock Viper head was then used for a very short run of Crimson Guard Immortals in Europe. This is a rather rare figure to find, though it isn't an upgrade for the original CGI head. The mold was last used for this Python Patrol figure and we have yet to see it again. Truth be told, I would like at least one more Rock Viper repaint. While the original is decent enough and this version has its uses, I would like to see at least one version that is either done in more traditionally Cobra colors or one that better fits with some different mountain environments. At this point, though, that seems fairly unlikely to happen unless the Rock Viper would appear in a convention set. But, given the figure's specific specialty, I don't think too many collectors would be disappointed were the Rock Viper to never appear again. The 2 retail releases are fairly easy to find and still fairly affordable.

Today, the Python Patrol is fairly common to find. A perusal of Ebay shows that MIB sets can be purchased for less than retail on a consistent basis. Individually, the figures can be pricier, though. Typically, a Rock Viper or Lamprey will run about $7 or so. They tend to be the most popular and prices fall for the other 4 figures. Even at the individual prices, Rock Vipers aren't too bad a deal. But, you can get vintage Rock Vipers for about $10, so the incremental value really isn't there for the Python Patrol stuff. As such, if you're missing the figures, I think you're better off buying a set rather than individually purchasing the 2 or 3 army builders you really want. For me, this figure is a great mold whose overall package just falls short. It's a great figure to have, but I have no desire to track down any more on the aftermarket.

Funskool Toxo Viper

As the Joe line progressed, Cobra slowly moved away from their traditional terrorist organization roots and morphed into a more technologically savvy foe. With this transition, though, the figure concepts slowly moved away from staid, uniform look of the original old blues and started to diversify into more defined specialties with corresponding uniforms. This metamorphoses produced a wide array of highly popular figure concepts and sculpts. But, as Hasbro took the idea to the more extreme edge of reality, the entire notion of Cobra was changed. While some of the ideas proffered forth were well thought out, others were really half-baked, even if the explanation was plausible enough for the idea to catch on among the kids of the day. In 1988 Cobra took a big step forward in the technological sense with the introduction of their own space troopers and the subject of this profile: the Toxo-Viper.

The Toxo-Viper is actually a rather chilling concept: especially in light of world events of the past several years. And, as such, the figure is worth another look. Toxo-Vipers are Cobra's hazardous materials troopers. It is implied they handle everything from toxic waste to radioactive materials to high tech nerve toxins to the trash in Cobra Commander's bathroom. It is also stated that the Toxo-Viper duty is considered the lowest of the low in the Cobra hierarchy because the suits that Cobra provided those unlucky enough to be demoted to Toxo-Viper status were made by the lowest bidder and "leaky". In some respects, this is an interesting idea. It makes the Toxo-Vipers more motivated since they don't want to stay in a unit where they will be exposed to toxic substances for very long.

In more modern times, though, I just can't see that being Cobra's stance. The notion of radioactive or germ warfare is just too great a potential threat for Cobra to waste their troops by giving them poor gear.  As such, I no longer see Toxo-Viper duty as lowly within Cobra. Instead, Toxo-Vipers are Cobra's front line scientists. They are the ones who push Cobra's nuclear technology, develop powerful new strains of virii for germ warfare and create new chemicals that are capable of incapacitating an entire geographical region. They are among the most dangerous Cobras as what they are working on could, potentially, destroy all of Cobra Island should they make just one mistake.

As such, Cobra Commander no longer allows the laboratories where Toxo-Vipers work to be placed on Cobra Island. While this gives him less direct control, it also insulates the Island against a mistake that would render all the land uninhabitable for thousands of generations. The figure gets use, though, when Cobra wants to test their new contaminants on the world. Toxo-Vipers are highly trained in the handling of volatile chemicals and they are given new, highly protective suits that save the wearer from the effects of their cargo. Often times, though, these tests are conducted in out of the way places (Usually somewhere in the midst of the Amazon jungle in Brazil. Thus, the importance of the South American operations to Cobra these days.) so it rare for the Joes to come into contact with actual Toxo-Vipers in combat situations. Once Cobra is able to reliably manufacture and sell condensed toxins, it is likely that Toxo-Vipers would become the only front line Cobra troops as they would simply appear in an area, spray it with whatever horrible creation their scientist brethren had developed and leave as the carnage unfolded. Fortunately, at this point, Cobra is not interested in leaving land unusable as Cobra's strategy is to take land for themselves. However, this isn't the goal of all of Cobra's customers and it is possible that the output of the Toxo-Vipers could one day be unleashed.

While the American version of the Toxo-Viper is the same mold, I feel that the Funskool version of the figure is actually a rare case of superior coloring on the foreign design. The Funskool figure uses a darker purple base and features a black helmet as opposed to the lighter purple of the American release. The figure's gloves are also a blood red that really jumps out. This gives the figure a more useful appearance as he isn't too bright, yet he still retains the design elements that allow for you to easily intersperse a few American Toxo-Vipers among the Funskool armies. As such, my personal Toxo-Viper army is mostly Funskool versions of the figure. Of course, the blue on the figure's chest still doesn't quite work and his backpack is bright green and that keeps this figure from being one of my most often used. But, when I need Toxo-Vipers, it is the Funskool version I seek.

The Toxo-Viper mold was released on 3 continents. After the American figure was released, the mold was sent down to Brazil where it was released as Maligno. From there, it went on to India where Funskool used it for many years producing this version. (Maligno is a much brighter shade of purple than the American figure while the Funskool version is substantially darker purple than the American version. So, you can acquire this mold in the whole spectrum of purple. If you don't like purple, well, then there isn't much to look for in this mold around the world.) Now, the mold is likely back in the hands of Hasbro. But, if I had to wager, I'd bet that the likelihood of Hasbro bringing this mold back are fairly slim. Not that it's a bad mold, its just that there are still so many other molds that Hasbro could use to fill their small slate of ARAH offerings that would be much more popular than a new Toxo-Viper. So, while I'd welcome a new Toxo-Viper version, I'm not going to anticipate one in the near future.

Funskool Toxo-Vipers are fairly easy to find. They were readily available from American dealers in the $4 price range for more than half a decade. Now, they have started to sell through, so you might see secondary market prices climb as high as $7 or $8 for a MOC specimen. The reality, though, is that thousands upon thousands of Funskool Toxo-Vipers were imported to the US over the years, so this figure is unlikely to ever become hard to find or considerably appreciate in price on the second hand market. That's a good thing, though, as late-to-the-party collectors can still affordably army build this figure and have a low cost opportunity to enjoy the superior Funskool color scheme.

2005 Heavy Assault Roadblock

2005 did not offer collectors much on the ARAH style figure front. While Hasbro did put out several TRU exclusive sets, the figures offered in them were not up to the standards of the 2004 figure offerings. As the year wore on and the line's cancellation became imminent, Hasbro got even lazier in their figure creations and produced some of the most boring figure sets in the history of the line. The TRU exclusive line ended with a whimper. But, in these tail end duds were a couple diamonds in the rough. A perfect example is the Heavy Artillery Set (HAS) Roadblock.

Personally, I think this is the best version of this Roadblock mold that has ever been released. The '92 figure is very good, but the dark blue pants offset the better torso coloring. The Anti-Venom figure is very well done. The tan pants are more visually distinctive, but could also be a detriment for using that figure in certain environments. The HAS figure is more darkly colored and works great for night, jungle or urban missions. I think that most collectors will have a different favorite among these molds (I do not own a '93 Roadblock with the neon highlights and can not comment on it.) but all will agree that each figure has its own merits and fits well in certain situations.

This mold is finely detailed. It benefited from 10 years of sculpting experience at the time of it's creation and that history shows. The ridged shirt, shoulder harness and belt are all full of details that give the figure a rich appearance. (Granted, none of these details were painted, so they are easy to lose, but that was also a trademark of the '92-'94 figures.) You will also notice 2 Easter Eggs on the figure. First is the obvious RB on Roadblock's belt buckle. A nice personalization that helps prevent this mold from being used on other, non-Roadblock figures. The second is the "H" buckle on his chest. It's just a little subtle reminder that Hasbro made the figure. (Most of the '82 figures feature a hidden "H" as well.) It shows a level of pride in the figure's design and indicates that the designers really understood the character they were attempting to re-envision.

At the 2005 Convention, Hasbro was ducking questions galore about the future of the line. The felt they were under pressure from fandom. The fact is, they were. Hasbro was not being forthright with the collector base at the time and Hasbro knew that collectors were largely dissatisfied with what was happening in the collecting world. In an effort to stave off more criticism, Hasbro went so far as to pull the Heavy Assault Set from the Convention showcase. They claimed the set "wasn't ready". Yet, when the set appeared at retail a few weeks after the Convention, it was the EXACT same set that had been captured the first day of the Convention before Hasbro pulled it. That was indicative of the crap that Hasbro was pulling at the time and only cemented this set's status as a dud. (To further comment on the lies told during that convention, Hasbro mentioned that the sound attack rifle that was included with the Night Watch was because they "couldn't find" the non sound attack version. Of course, the reason they couldn't "find it" was because it was used in the HAS set which was hidden away under their table: hiding their shame.)

One other black mark against the HAS set was that the figures in the set did not match the box or filecards. Mutt and Ace were supposed to be part of the set, but did not appear anywhere...except on the filecards that were included. In fact, this Roadblock does not even include a filecard as he was a late addition. The whole set was FUBAR from the get-go.

In early 2003, Hasbro got this mold back from Funskool. Within a year, they used the mold to produce the high quality Anti-Venom Roadblock. That figure features the exact same upper body as this HAS figure but has tan pants. The paint masks on the pants are exact with the exception that the cammo patterns differ. The darker colors on the HAS figure, though, blend better with the dark torso. It gives the figure a near Night Force appearance and allows it to be used in many environments. It is a very versatile figure that is a great representation of the Roadblock character. The HAS accessories are poor, though, as they lack any of the distinctive weapons that are the hallmark of the Roadblock character. Fortunately, at this point, accessories are an easy problem to fix as Hasbro has offered us many chances with other figures to acquire fitting weapons for this Roadblock.

In my collection, Roadblock is exactly as advertised. He is a big, hulking machine gunner who provides the fire support for nearly every mission. He may be on the ground in an infantry role or operating a mounted gun on the Tomahawk, Whale or other vehicle. Regardless, he is one staple of my collection. Whenever a mission might require heavy firepower, Roadblock is included. As such, a figure like this one is a welcome addition as it offers me the ability to use the figure in a variety of environments. (I guess we still could use an arctic Roadblock, but I can wait a bit on that one.) I now have a more modern looking version of the character who shows the beefiness you expect when used among figures from later years in the line. (This isn't to say the original mold of Roadblock is bad. Far from it. It's just that this figure fits better with more of the line than the original. Though, the original Roadblock has held up better than most of his contemporaries.)

Roadblock remains one of the few characters whose place in my collection has remained relatively constant since my childhood. I think that is heavily a tribute to Larry Hama and the way he developed the character. Roadblock's first appearance in the comic was memorable and the character didn't get stale like so many others did. Roadblock was a guy you could count on. He was immensely strong, but also gentile and loyal. He was not a guy you wanted across from you in a fight, but someone who, when standing with you, made you feel invincible. He showed his loyalty to Hawk during the whole "Jugglers" fiasco and cemented himself as one Joe who could always be trusted to back his teammates.

This Roadblock mold has been used 4 times by Hasbro: in 1992, 1993, 2004 and 2005. In between the '90's and '00's, the mold was produced by Funskool in colors very similar to the 1992 figure. Beyond that, the mold did not appear anywhere else in the world. At this point, though, it has probably been used enough. Even in ARAH form, Roadblock has been done to death. Were we to be subjected to another ARAH style Roadblock release, I would want it to utilize the underappreciated 1986 mold. Properly colored, that would give us a new enough version of Roadblock to enjoy. But, this mold has pretty much been done right and I don't see much of a reason to continue to use it again and again at this point.

The HAS set probably had around 16,000 sets produced. Many collectors, though, passed on the set due to its horrid quality with the hope that they would get it on clearance. Many collectors were able to do so, but many more were not. As such, there are a lot of collectors out there who do not have this figure. But, as the set is pretty much worthless except for Roadblock and Snake Eyes, it is not too high on most people's want lists. The reality, though, is buying one of each of the loose, mint and complete versions of Roadblock and Snake Eyes will set you back about the same price as the entire set. So, you're really better off just buying a set and keeping the plethora of accessories and trading or selling off the surplus figures. I've found this Roadblock to be a welcome addition to my collection, but not one that I would seek out were I not a completist and had I not acquired one when it was available at retail. It's a strong figure, but not one whose absence leaves a collection lacking.

1983 Tan Grunt

I'm not a big fan of the early Joe figures. Sure, they have their place in history and are worthy of respect for that fact, but the reality is that they were greatly paled by the later Joe releases and were largely made irrelevant by subsequent, better detailed figures. As such, though the years, I have profiled very few of the original figures. This is somewhat a shame as these molds have had far more interesting lives than those of most other figures even if their actual designs have become dated. The subject of this profile, though, is the first true repaint of a character that was offered in the Joe line. For that, he is significant. But, it's what became of this figure in modern collecting terms that is the figure's true legacy.

In 1982, Grunt was the face of the Joe line. It was his card art that adorned most non-toy Joe merchandise and it was his image that came to represent the line as a whole. As such, it's fitting then, that Grunt was also the first character in the line's history to get the repaint treatment. (This isn't to say that Grunt was the most important or interesting character, he was just the guy who appeared on a lot of non-figure merchandise in the early years.) The Glider's were heavily hyped toys and it made sense to have figures that were at least somewhat known as the pilots. (Never mind that it made no sense for a ground pounder to be the glider expert.) The new color didn't really fit in with the color of the Glider, but it did offer something very distinct from the original Joe colors.

Oddly, this was one of the first obscure figures I ever owned. While just about all my friends had the standard, retail Joes in '82 and '83, the glider figures were less common. As far as I can remember, the reason for this was that my parents purchased the Falcon glider for my brother. Within a few hours, he had broken it to the point of uselessness. The shoddy construction simply could not withstand the hearty play of a 7 year old. My parents spread this information to other parents as the gliders were (relatively) expensive toys and they didn't want others to waste money. As such, we remained the only kids we knew who actually had the tan Grunt figure.

For a long time, though, I ignored the figure. Sometimes, I had him work with Doc since both were tan. In early 1984, though, this figure became more important as I added a V1 Duke to my collection. Duke was similar enough in color to this Grunt that I finally had use for desert figures. When Dusty was released in 1985, I had a full desert team of which this Grunt was an important member. I outfitted the figure with an accessory pack Grunt backpack (which perfectly matches this figure) and an accessory pack M-16. As such, this was a perfect copy of the original Grunt...a figure that had long been destroyed by my younger brothers. (In fact, it was on this version of Grunt that I first noticed the silver painted knife. I had missed that on the original figure because it had been destroyed so quickly.)

After a short run on the desert team, though, Grunt faded away. The reality was that the new figures simply made this mold seem outdated and it was hard for me to fit him in with new faces like Flint, Snake-Eyes and Footloose. So, the figure fell deeper and deeper into my old figure box and remained there for some time. When I finally dug him out in the early '90's, I found that someone had been using the figure and broken both his thumbs. I then replaced the figure's arms with those from an old V1 Duke. I rolled him into a plastic bag and forgot about him until early 2000. At that point, I realized that the figure I had been counting as part of my collection was actually nothing more than a custom at this point but I really didn't care enough about the figure to acquire a new one until just recently. My new figure that you see below will be used for these photos and then put away. I simply won't have any use for him unless I want to take a nostaligic picture with lots or original figures. Beyond that, this mold has been replaced in my collection.

The Grunt mold had a long, productive life. After the three unique (straight arm, swivel arm, tan) uses in the US, the figure then surfaced in Argentina (though, in Argentina, the Falcon Glider actually included a tan colored, straight arm Zap figure rather than Grunt), Brazil and then showed back up in the US in the 1997 Stars and Stripes set. In Argentina, the Tan Grunt was released on a single card and was a new character named Sokerk. (This is the harder version to find. The Sokerk made from the Ripcord mold is more common.) The same mold was then released in Brazil as Estopim. So, aficionados of this mold have many different variations of the mold to track down.

On the surface, Grunt should be only slightly easier to find than the Viper Pilot. In the early days when you bought figures out of childhood collections, this was largely true. (However, it was still more difficult to find a mint Viper Pilot than a mint Grunt.) Now, though, Tan Grunts are easy to find and very cheap. The reason for this brings up an interesting point regarding Joe collecting that really speaks to how broad collectordom really is. The reason that Grunts are so available is because one single person purchased a huge amount of them and later divested them on the secondary market. This person had purchased hundreds of mint-in-bubble Tan Grunt figures (I don't know if he was able to buy them from Hasbro directly or if he acquired them from secondary market sources in the '80's and early '90's.) as well as hundreds of bubbled V1 Grunt figures. His plan was to use them in a grand military diorama. But, those plans never came to fruition and he sold his entire stock to a Joe dealer. This dealer then offered the figures to the collecting community for ridiculously low prices. As such, many collectors were able to bubbled Tan Grunts and open them for pristine versions of a figure that should have been hard to find. The point of this is that a one person can have an affect on the supply of aftermarket Joe figures to the point where a rare figure is available to point of commonality.

The effect of this is that Tan Grunts are cheap. Mint and complete, they rarely run more than $6 or $7. The filecard is a bit harder to come by as the dealer purchase did not have filecards. But, even that doesn't make the figure expensive. This version of Grunt remains about the cheapest '82/'83 figure to acquire. The cool thing about this is that you can buy several Tan Grunts, add a few Tan Clutchs and maybe a Duke or two for variety and you can re-create several of the original '83 Joes in desert garb. As the V1 accessory pack weapons match this color scheme, it is a creative way to build an alternative look at the original Joes. Beyond that, though, there isn't much need for this figure. As a completist, I recommend buying one now while prices are still good. History has shown that demand will, eventually, overtake the supply of figures like this and you will see prices rise. This is a figure well worth his current price, but I'd be hard pressed to pay too much more for one.