1987 Gyro Viper

In December of 1987, I turned 14 years old. I was, frankly, too old to still be playing with toys. My parents were loathe to buy me any additional Joe toys and rolled their eyes when I bought them with my own money. However, as 1987 progressed, I slowed down my Joe acquisitions. By the fall of the year, I was buying baseball cards with my hard earned money. This was, for many, a more acceptable collecting past time than toys. But, for that birthday, I got the final large Joe toy of my childhood: the Mamba. The large Cobra helicopter looked like an awesome toy but quickly showed its limitations. As such, the chopper simply never made a dent in many of my Joe adventures. The pilot, though, resonated with me much more deeply than the vehicle. The Gyro Viper was a figure that I thought was the best Cobra pilot ever released. In retrospect, that praise is probably overkill. The figure has its limitations. But, the design is still strong and the Gyro Viper delivers on the promise of a Cobra pilot that Hasbro often failed to deliver.

As a figure, the Gyro Viper is decent. The lack of traditional Cobra colors is a bit deceiving since the figure is mostly designed to be cooped up in the cockpit of an aircraft. The tan base is something new for Cobra. But, the red helmet does give him some standard Cobra relevance. The body mold features an array of hoses that suggest the suit has built in life support systems and that the Gyro Vipers can fly at great altitudes. It also appears that the suit has a molded on ripcord. I'm not sure how a pilot would abandon a helicopter with blades that would hit the canopy were it thrown open in flight. But, it's a detail that may suggest the Gyro Viper was originally intended for a different purpose and was pulled into duty as the Mamba pilot as a last minute replacement.

In the comic book, Cobra had a tremendously cool transport helicopter. Armed to the teeth, this chopper was also capable of carrying crew and vehicles. It appeared for a number of years as the go to Cobra air transport. Unfortunately, that copter never made it to toy form. Instead, Hasbro sold the Mamba. The selling point was that it was a twin blade attack copter with removable jet drones. The reality is that the Mamba looks a lot cooler on paper than it is in actual toy form. I was quickly disappointed with it as a toy. (Though, the drones ended up being an important piece of my Cobra army for many, many years.) It was the Gyro Viper, though, that kept my interest. The figure was high quality and needed to play an important role in my collection. For a few weeks, at least, the Gyro Viper was involved in any Cobra operation. He might be a pilot who was shot down and needed rescue from the Joes. Or, he was a new Cobra advisor partaking in his first battles. But, as 1987 wound into 1988, toys simply faded away. As such, the Gyro Viper didn't get the full treatment that other, solid vehicle drivers from 1987 saw. Instead, he was packed away with my other figures and left for many years, awaiting the day he would rejoin my collection.

These days, the Gyro Viper is a Cobra pilot. Figures like the Strato Viper can be more useful since he fits into any Cobra aircraft. But, the Gyro Viper still has a place. He is a perfect pilot for the AGP or even the Firebat. It's just a figure that can be plugged into any number of Cobra aircraft without looking out of place. The flight suit is flexible in that way and the helmet denotes both high tech and standard combat issue. Even as the pilot of his native Mamba, the figure works quite well. The maps on the leg and general detail really showcase that Hasbro still cared about vehicle drivers in 1987...even if the paint applications would fade away in 1988.

The Gyro Viper mold saw little use. Aside from its appearance as the Mamba pilot, the body was reused for the 1990 Skydive figure. After that, the mold disappeared. The Gyro Viper would have been an excellent candidate for a repaint during recent years. Done is more traditional Cobra colors, the figure would have been a welcome addition to the line. But, it was not to be. So, collectors are left tracking down the vintage version and living with the limitations of just a single release.

Gyro Vipers are not expensive. The figure was available only with the Mamba. But, it seems that unlike other vehicle drivers that were packed with expensive vehicles, the Gyro Viper is fairly easy to find. Mint and complete with filecard figures sell in $6-$8 range, with some skewing higher due to an impatience factor. It's a small price for a solid figure and one that works well as either a chopper or aircraft pilot. Due to the high availability and low price, it's a great candidate for army building and it's a cost effective way to standardize the Cobra pilot corps.

2004 Funskool Windmill

Windmill may have the distinction of being the last new G.I. Joe figure ever produced by Funskool. Declining sales in India have put the Funskool G.I. Joe line on a indefinite hiatus in India and it could be some time before we see any new figures: if ever. This has happened before. Every so often, Funskool stops producing new Joes and lets their stock sell down in India. After a while, interest is rekindled in the line and Funskool starts producing brand new figures again. In the meantime, though, there is little of interest for the casual Funskool collector. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, as the Funskool Joe line had become somewhat tired. Even the 4 or 5 new releases every year.

1988 and 1989 vehicle drivers were very popular Hasbro cast offs. The Secto Viper and Skidmark were both sold off to Olmec in the late 1990's. A large quantity of the '88 vehicle drivers then made their way to India where figures like Windmill were then re-released in new color schemes. (Wild Card was supposed to the final Funskool figure, but the line was cancelled before he was released.)

This figure is terrible. The bright red coat, blue pants and sloppy paint applications just create an awful visage. But, then again, Windmill didn't have much to live up to in comparison to his 1988 figure. The green and orange original is equally bad, but doesn't have the foreign cachet to offset the terribleness. But, as a pilot in an awkward vehicle, this Windmill works as well as the original version. He's also good for basic background filler and could work as a crewman on the USS Flagg. Beyond that, though, the figure is pretty limited. The colors are too garish and the mold too poor for the figure to ever have any great use.

Windmill's true camp value lies in his accessories. The figure includes a black version of the oversized .357 Magnum from the American figure. But, he also includes an accessory unique to India: a personal helicopter pack. This is not the high tech, you can believe it could exist with a small suspension of disbelief, helicopter pack from the Annihilator. No. This is a full on cheesy 1970's comic book propeller on a stick. Stuck with a yellow and purple combination, the pack is nothing short of hilarious. And, for the pack alone, the figure is worth having. Seeing the propeller in the position where it is would propel Windmill forward rather than up. But, that just adds to the figure's already comedic nature. It's hyperbolically bad. But, it's also what makes the figure good.

The demise of the Funskool Joe line was likely hastened along by collector desire to have some of the Funskool back in the US. In early 2003, Funskool returned 18 of their most popular figure molds to Hasbro and could no longer produce them. Hasbro and Master Collector both took advantage of these molds to produce figures like new Night Vipers, variations on the Muskrat mold, Tracker, Tunnel Rat, Flint and Beach Head. Despite the mold's appearances, though, the end result was a pretty poor crop of figures that brought these Indian figures back to American retail. A few of the figures were OK. But, the lack of accessories and general laziness that permeated the repaint era really leaves me with the feeling that the molds would have been better off in India where there was always the possibility of new variants, original accessories and new amalgamated figures using classic parts. Plus, Hasbro didn't use all of the molds. So, figures like Spearhead and Airtight never saw their molds return, despite being plucked from India with the others.

Funskool Windmill's are no longer the ubiquitous pegwarmers they were meant to be. In the decade since this figure's release, the collecting world has absorbed most of the figures imported to the U.S. As such, it can take a while to track one down. But, being both terrible and Funskool ensure that even carded versions rarely sell for much above $8 these days. For that price, the figure is fun. It's just such a terrible mold with worse colors that you really have to own one. This is a perfect example of Joe as a toy line and not a collector based toy property. As such, there is an innocence in the Funskool figures from the early 2000's that is not seen in the Hasbro based products. For that reason, figures like this have value to me beyond many of their American contemporaries just because the Funskool figures were so different from what we got stateside. It's just too bad the Funskool book has been closed for nearly a decade now.

1990 Salvo

Throughout my childhood years, there were many tales of figures who simply disappeared from my collection and were never seen again. I was usually very careful with my figures, so it wasn't a matter of careless misplacement. Some might have been inadvertently taken home by a friend. Others may have been stolen by my brothers. But, from time to time, figures just disappeared. However, the opposite of that was also true. Every so often, a figure would show up at our house with no explanation. The most glaring examples of this occurred after I had stopped playing with toys. I suspect that one of my brother's friends had brought the figure over and left it behind. In other instances, neighbor kids may have been playing in our yard and left their toys. Whatever the source, though, occasional figures would appear with no definitive information as to their origin. One such figure was Salvo. At some point in the early 1990's, a figure with his helmet appeared in our toy room. I looked him over and was impressed not only with the mold design, but also the excellently done helmet. So, when the time came, I rescued Salvo from the toy room floor and stowed away with my other figures I had saved.

The Salvo mold is rather simple. While the legs are well detailed with the array of ammunition, the upper body is little more than a t-shirt. From a practical standpoint, this doesn't make much sense. Seeing the figure wearing a backpack, though, makes even less sense. But, sometimes a toy is about being a toy and obvious errors can be forgiven due to generally cool overall design. Still, though, Salvo would have benefited from some web gear on his upper body. Whether molded or removable (like Outback's), some additional details would have gone a long to improving the figure.

Salvo's accessories are plentiful and interesting. His full complement of gear was in line with the over-accessorized frenzy that was the 1990 Joe line. Some of the launchers and weapons lack practicality. But, the look is still strong enough that the figure stands out from many of his contemporaries. The brown shoulder launcher is large, but well detailed. Salvo's gun is completely bizarre. But, the inclusion of layable land mines as part of the overall weapon is something very different and a neat little add on for the figure. Of course, the highlight of Salvo is the tight fitting helmet with painted silver visor. It fits better than most helmets in the line and showed that Hasbro was capable of making high quality removable helmets. The final overlooked piece of Salvo's arsenal is a briefcase. This accessory appeared many more times in the line in subsequent years. It was, at one time, the accessory du jour for customizers creating Crimson Twins or civilian Cobra Commanders. For Salvo, it doesn't bring a lot of value. But, it's nice to have around for other figures.

In my collection, Salvo's role has evolved. In the late 1990's, the figure was my Joe army builder of choice. Outfitted with a Tiger Force Flint backpack and a Sonic Fighters Lamprey's black version of Spearhead's gun, the figure was a basic infantry trooper who fought against the Cobra legions. He remained in this role until 2000 when Dusty and then Mirage figures replaced him in this role. From there, Salvo became more of himself. I ditched the add on accessories and returned the figure to his true role. His bulky weapons made him ill suited for an infantry patrol. But, he was the perfect crewman on an APC, Havoc or Monster Blaster APC. Today, that is still his primary duty. The figure, though, gets much less than he did a decade and a half ago. But, that's how my collection tends to be: with figures ebbing and flowing in and out of popularity as time goes on.

Salvo's shirt carries the slogan "The Right of Might".  In and of itself, this isn't anything particularly special.  However, there is book published in the 1890's entitled "Might is Right".  Where it gets interesting is that this book , published in 1890: 100 years before Salvo's release, is heavily influential in modern Satanism.  Could Salvo's shirt have been a subtle occult reference?  It seems a bit much...until you really look at some of the themes in Joe.  Serpentor was basically about raising the dead.  Crystal Ball's character was written by Stephen King.  Cobra La included references to mythical, evil creatures.  So, there are definitely some dark themes that pervade the Joe world. Personally, I don't think there's anything to it. But, it's a fun reference for Joe collectors.

The Salvo mold was used for this figure only in the vintage Joe line. In late 1994/early 1995, the entire body mold was used for the Street Fighter Movie Balrog figure. (This is actually a pretty nice villain figure done in blue and white.) In 2003, Hasbro slapped collectors in the face when the released the body with a Low Light head as the Tiger Force Big Brawler. A recolored Brawler showed up in 2004, too. So, Hasbro had the body mold during the repaint era, but chose to not use it for a re-done Salvo figure. It's a terrible waste of a good mold as collectors generally ridiculed the Big Brawler figure, but would have welcomed a new Salvo...even if it were only as part of Tiger Force. But, the repaint era is marked by missed opportunities and poor figure choices. Being so close to getting a new Salvo, though, makes him sting a bit more than most of the other errors from the time.

Salvo figures are not cheap. Being prone to paint wear on the gold bullets and eyebrows as well as including a large volume of accessories has put a premium on genuinely mint and complete figures. Top conditioned Salvos sell in the $11-$13 range and will sometimes range upwards of $15. For an obscure Joe character who debuted in the 1990's, that's a fairly high price tag. But, the figure is worth it. The great helmet, solid design and cool colors all combine into a package that every collection needs. Many of the figures from the 1990's are easily on par with releases from 1985. Salvo is no exception. It seems that collectors are finally realizing the quality of many later figures and giving them their due.

1997 Lady Jaye

In the early days of Joe collecting, female figures were held in high regard.  There was a misconception in the collecting world that female figures were produced in smaller numbers than other figures.  So, collectors were willing to pay a lot more for figures like Lady Jaye than they were for many of her contemporaries.  As such, when Hasbro looked to bring back Joe for the 15th Anniversary in 1997, they included the Baroness, Scarlett and Lady Jaye molds in their offerings: hoping that they would appeal to collectors.  The tactic was likely no more or less successful than had they included other, high quality figures.  (All of the packs were pretty much pegwarmers.)But, it did offer collectors different takes on all of these iconic characters.

This figure's coloring is pretty good. The black motif with the splotches of grey and white create the aura of a Night Force Lady Jaye figure. Hasbro really experimented with the paint application blending in 1997. They seemed to learn from it as the 1998's and later featured even better blends than the guinea pigs. (Note the Vypra from 1998 uses about the same colors as Lady Jaye, but the blends are more subtle and create a more aesthetically pleasing figure.) Overall, this is probably my favorite Lady Jaye color scheme. But, it is not my favorite Lady Jaye figure.

There's something off with the construction of this figure.  The torso no longer fits perfectly to the waist piece.  The result is that the figures often appear lopsided due to the tilt from the imperfect fit.  This is likely a combination of the mold being returned from Funskool along with the fact that the 1997 materials were of very poor quality. However, it does impact the ability to display the figure and definitely lowers the value of the figure in relation to the color scheme. The poor plastic of the 1997 figures is also an issue. The figure feels weak. It seems like the joints could easily snap and the figure broken with just the slightest movement. The plastic also did not take paint very well and many Lady Jaye figure faces look more like a Funskool paint job than a full fledged Hasbro application.

As a character, though, Lady Jaye is someone whom most collectors consider to be extremely important. As such, it is nice to have an alternative look for her, especially when her original green is rather bright. The black motif lends itself to Night Force comparisons and blends well with many of the darker colored figures from the line's history. This version also complements Flint very well and gives the pair more of a matched look. It's a shame that such a quality color scheme was used on a figure of such poor material quality. Were this not the case, it's likely that this figure would be more popular.

The 1997 Lady Jaye included black versions of her original accessories. The javelin gun, pack and video camera were all part of her weapons complement. One thing the 1997 series got right was the inclusion of most of the original figure's accessories. Through 1992, really, accessories were a key component of any figure's characterization. Having Zap without his bazooka wasn't worth having at all. So, seeing the original gear with the classic figure molds was something that helped these figures age better than most collectors who were around when the figures were released in 1997 would have guessed. Hasbro moved away from the unique accessories as the 2000's wore on. And, many otherwise excellent figures suffered for it as their generic gear made them too mundane to stand on the merits of their mold alone.

The Lady Jaye mold enjoyed a solid life. After her American release, the mold was sent to India. There, Funskool released a Lady Jaye figure for a few years. (They also used the mold for the Canary Ann figure in a knock off line, too.) Hasbro got the mold back in 1997 and used the body again in 1998 for the Volga figure. In 2003, the mold made its final appearance in the convention set. After that, Hasbro resculpted the Lady Jaye mold and all Lady Jaye and her derivatives since then have used that newly sculpted, smaller mold rather than this original version.

For a time in the early 2000's, this version of Lady Jaye was difficult to find and substantially more expensive than her original version.  Slowly, though, interest in the figure waned.  First, Hasbro produced more Lady Jaye figures.  But, collectors also realized the 1997 series was likely not as rare as they had anticipated.  So, prices on this figure have dropped steadily since then.  Since the set includes a nice Stormshadow with his original accessories and a decent Snake Eyes in the pack, too, that's probably the better way to go if you want the figure. For my money, this is an interesting take on Lady Jaye. But, the figure's construction problems really offset the solid colors. As a display piece, this figure is decent. But, beyond that, I find its use limited.

1983 Snow Job

Imagine you were a kid in early 1983.  While you likely played with Joe figures in 1982, it is also likely that your main interest at the beginning of the year was the upcoming Return of the Jedi figures in the Star Wars line.  Now, imagine watching cartoons on your local station one afternoon and seeing a fleeting 30 second commercial showcasing not only the newly designed G.I. Joe figures for 1983, but also touting their new articulation feature (Swivel Arm Battle Grip) that allowed the figures to use a whole new array of accessories.  Seeing Return of the Jedi in the theatre might have kept those figures near and dear to you for a while.  But, the increased Joe articulation, more varied colors, exceptionally detailed molds and incredible new accessories likely swept you into G.I. Joe and made it your preferred toyline.  At least, this is what happened to me, my friends, my brothers, their friends and a host of other kids in 1983.

There were, basically, 4 new Joe figures who got the most face time in the Joe commercials: Gung Ho, Airborne, Doc and Snow Job. Each of these major characters brought a completely new look to the world of G.I. Joe. The introduced specialties beyond those of the original 13 and really allowed the figures to show the characterization that was evident from the filecards. For me, these four new characters opened up the Joe world beyond anything Star Wars could offer. As soon as I had my first Airborne figure, G.I. Joe had replaced Star Wars as the figure brand du jour in my home and would hold that place until I stopped playing with toys entirely.

As a figure, Snow Job is exceptionally well done. His base is standard white. But, the small details just bring him to life. The black scarf and goggles along with brown shoulder pads and belt provide just enough color to break up on the monotone body and give the figure depth. But, the true highlight is the flaming orange beard. This gives Snow Job a definitive look and allowed the designers to add a bright color to the figure in a way that was realistic. Much has been made about the abundance of redheads on the Joe team. I suspect that this was a way for the early designers to incorporate the color into figures without giving up realism. Thunder is a great figure in green and brown that fits with military style. But, the red hair brings much more color to the mold without sacrificing realism.

I got my first Snow Job figure for Christmas in 1983. Due to the figure's popularity with wintertime gift givers, though, both of my brothers also got one. So, we had three Snow Job figures for winter fun. That first snowfall, Snow Job saw some use. But, as the snow melted, the figure became less interesting. At some point, though, I saw a television movie (possibly The Day After, but I'm not sure as it's a fleeting memory) where enemy troops were dressed nearly identical to Snow Job. At that point, Snow Job figures became an army, often against the Joes. It was easy since I had so many of the figure and the white uniforms weren't really all that much more ridiculous than Cobra's blue. This lasted a short time before Snow Job fell out of the limelight again. In 1985, he saw a bit of duty on my new Snow Cat. But, he was replaced by Iceberg in 1986 and never returned. The figure really became more valuable for his accessories as I spread his gun out to Duke, Hawk and Flint and his skis would be brandished by any figure I wanted to take out in the snow.

These days, Snow Job doesn't see much time in the limelight. Living in the desert, I haven't seen snow in over a decade. Even cold days are few and far between. On top of that, the only real arctic vehicles I have are the Snow Cat and Blockbuster tank. The Snow Cat is really left for figures like Iceberg and Blizzard while the Blockbuster is weighed down with Snow Storm figures. For whatever reason, the Polar Battle Bear never resonated with me as a toy. So, Snow Job is basically just drawer fodder for now. It's an unjust fate for a figure of this quality, but Snow Job is just a victim of circumstance. Should I ever move to a colder climate, I could see the figure taking on greater importance. But, for now, he is mostly just memories.

Snow Job's accessories are remarkable for the time. His laser rifle became a cartoon staple. But, it's original appearance was something very different from the rifles included with the first wave of Joe figures. It is the backpack, skis and ski poles, though, which up the ante for all action figures that would follow Joe. In a feat of engineering, the skis and poles fit into the pack allowing Snow Job to carry his accessories when he's not using them. The skis are a well detailed with bindings that attach to the figure's feet. The poles are a bit fragile, but they are also nicely designed and can wrap around the figure's wrists or be held in Snow Job's hands. The Joe designers of 1983 showed what was possible with accessory complements. Kenner had upped the ante a bit with their initial Return of the Jedi figure line in early 1983. But, Hasbro completely blew them out of the water with their own yearly offerings. It was just the beginning of accessory progression, too, as the Joe team would push the envelope of that type of accessories they could offer to consumers well into 1992.

As a mold, Snow Job was done to death.  Aside the Hasbro releases, the figure was also produced by the Funskool toy company for release in India and the Nilco toy company for release in Egypt.  These figures are basically identical to the American release.  Hasbro re-acquired the mold and first re-used it in 1997.  It then appeared in 2000/2001 as Whiteout, in 2003 as the Snowcat driver, in 2005 as part of the Winter Operations exclusive set and 2010 as part of a Then and Now concept.  On top of these releases, parts of the mold have been used for the arctic Snake Eyes in 2004 and a convention figure in 2007.  Basically, Snow Job has been done to death and there are really no reasons for him to ever appear again.

Mint and complete Snow Jobs have greatly decreased in value in the past decade.  For a time, truly minty white Snow Job figures would fetch upwards of $25.  But, years of re-paints and re-releases helped to temper the demand for the figure. It's still somewhat difficult to find a gem mint, white figure. But, it can be done and they will likely cost only around $15-$18. If you are willing to take on a slight bit of discoloration, the price is cut in half. (And, no matter how good of care you give to that gem mint Snow Job, it's likely that he will, eventually, discolor, too. It's just the nature of the plastic. You can stave off the deterioration for a while, but it will happen, eventually.) As a classic Joe, Snow Job is an essential part of any collection. As a high quality figure, he is even more so. Figures like Snow Job showed what action figures could be. And, for these reasons, he is a figure who will always be a part of my collection.