2001 Manimal Warwolf

I suppose something's not really a tradition if you've only done it one time in 17 years.  But, a Halloween Manimal profile is something that makes sense.  (And, JoeADay.com did it first this year.)    Slythor was my first back in 2013.  So, I'll showcase Warwolf now and you can expect Iguanus in 2019.  That will bookend nicely.

The Manimals are the most infamous legend in G.I. Joe lore.  In 1994, each figure in the Joe line was numbered.  The Manimals were numbered lower than the second series of Star Brigade figures that were released.  So, they were intended to make it to retail: which was reinforced by their appearance as coming soon on the back of the series 2 Star Brigade figure.  This is why so many loose and carded samples of the figures exist.  Hasbro had every intention of releasing them.  But, when it was time to start cancelling the line, the Manimals were the first to go.  (Many collectors were very unsure if the 2nd series Star Brigade would make it out to retail, too.  Hasbro was less than committal on what would and would not be released as the line died out.  For most collectors, finding the series 2 Star Brigade on retail shelves came as an immense surprise.)  It's possible that the higher price point of the Manimals in terms of production costs may have been the reason they got the ax while the Lunartix made it out.  In terms of concepts, the two aren't that far apart and the Manimals are more in line with other, more popular toy lines of the mid 1990's than the Lunartix are.

As a mold, Warwolf is, in my opinion, weaker than Slythor and Iguanus.  His "transformation" is somewhat boring and the wolf head doesn't really pop like Slythor's snake head.  The teeth are well detailed, though.  The selling feature, though, is that Warwolf has an articulated tongue.  While the usage of this is probably nil, it is a neat little feature that shows the care applied to the Manimal design.  Outside of this, though, there's not much to be impressed with.  The figure has no o-ring and, instead, features the slide joint legs that were starting to appear in the mid 1990's.  The hands just have holes poked through them for the Kenner POTF era pre-cursor rifles to fit into.  The artwork shows eyes painted onto the side of Warwolf's head.  Those eyes do not exist on the figure itself.  It's a wasted paint application.  But, had the eyes been painted on, they would not have likely looked good.

The planned deco for the 1994 Warwolf is vastly different than what we saw in 2001.  The retail figure features a human flesh colored head.  It's likely meant to be a "disguise" for Warwolf to blend with humanity.  The 1994 figure, though, was completely different.  The head was a much darker color and he had red eyes.  The appearance was much more alien and worked to a far greater level than the flesh colored figure we saw in 2001.  Instead of the production green and blue body, the original used light purple and maroon as the color base.  In general, the 1994 was a far better figure.  But, better is relative.  The coloring would have been an upgrade over what was released.  But, the different construction and general theme remained the same.

Manimals were an utter retail disaster.  At $10 per figure, they were almost double the cost of a retail 2 pack from the ARAHC at Wal Mart.  They clogged the pegs at KB Toy Stores around the country for several years.  KB immediately cancelled the 2nd series of figures due to poor sales of the first wave.  KB also refused to clearance them and it was only through sheer attrition that they finally disappeared from retail.  In the following years, aftermarket pricing was so low that few sets would go up for sale.  Usually, the price for a set was below retail.  A decade a half after their release, though, pricing has started to rise.  Carded, the figure sells between $20 and $30.  (The other two Manimals seem to be similarly priced.)  Loose, mint and complete figures are not commonly found.  But, those sell in the $15 to $20 range.  Though, this price is likely predicated on the lack of options and if you have multi year patience, you might get them for less.  As a $20 figure, Warwolf doesn't hold up.  As a $10 figure at retail in 2001, Warwolf didn't hold up, either.  If you're a glutton for the horror that could have befallen the Joe line, this figure is worthwhile.  But, even a Star Brigade aficionado like me has little interest in the figures.  As a window into history, they have value.  But, it's tough to put that value into action.

Personally, I am ambivalent towards the Manimals.  They are decent enough toys.  They are G.I. Joe.  But, they are just so odd and differently designed that they don't feel like they belong with vintage G.I. Joe figures.  Mine sat unopened for years.  I finally opened them up and dropped them into bags in order to save some space.  They have sat in those bags for over a decade.  Slythor came out one time in 2013 for a profile.  Warwolf has come out just this one time for this profile.  And Iguanus has never come out of the bag.  It's possible that, someday, they could make their way to a Star Brigade display.  But, even then, I don't see them being anywhere but in the back of the display, out of sight and out of mind.  Most other collectors have similar feelings and you rarely see these guys displayed any way other than MOC.  They're just too bizarre to ever be relevant to the majority of Joe collectors.

Diorama - The Landing

One rainy night after work, I saw the water collecting in the ditch behind my house.  I had a few spare minutes and had been sorting my Eels earlier in the week.  So, I quickly decided to get them out into the water.  The plan was for Big Brawler to be witnessing the scene.  This photo set was going to be for his profile.  But, I ultimately decided to not profile Big Brawler until the Funskool version was released: mainly due to the fact that the Big Brawler photos from this set didn't turn out.  The Eel photos did, though.

This was one of my most popular dioramas from the old site.  I used it in banner ads and the like back when such a thing was popular.  The photos seem quaint today.  But, for 2001, posting a bunch of Eels in action was something you didn't see every day.

1989 Night Viper - Around the Web

Between the beginning of 1988 and the end of 1992, I bought just one G.I. Joe figure.  It was the Night Viper.  Check out the best of him on the web to understand why.

1989 Dogfight

I did not buy G.I. Joe toys in 1989.  Even my youngest brother was pretty much out of them.  I had my ill-gotten 1989 Snake Eyes figure and he got a Scoop.  But, that was it.  I did, though, follow the comics and was at least keeping up with the toys that were released.  From the comic, I was aware of many new characters as well as spectacular new vehicles.  I wanted to buy them.  But, I was in high school and such a thing was simply not acceptable.  When I finally returned to Joe collecting, I discovered 1989 as one of the best years of Joe toys.  It was full of top notch figures, interesting characters, lots of army builders and spectacular accessories.  In their zeal to modernize the Joe team, though, the designers of the time offered a throwback as well.  Dogfight isn't a figure that's captured all that much attention.  But, his anachronistic appearance was something that deserves another look.

At his core, Dogfight is a guy wearing 1970's era headphones and a bomber jacket.  He's got an antique flight cap and the aviator glasses that hearken him back to the pilots of the heydays of aviation.  Practically, Dogfight is nothing more than a guy dressing up at an airshow.  Aesthetically, though, Dogfight is visually interesting and fits right in with some of the outfits chosen by Joes much more popular than he is.  (I'm looking at you, Shipwreck!)  His design shows some attention to detail and an eye towards historical homages.  He has character.  Which is something that's greatly appreciated on a figure that, on its surface, was a throw away inclusion in a low price point vehicle.

1989 was a year of character remakes.  Snake Eyes, Stalker, Rock and Roll and Deep Six all got new figures.  A few of the other retail figures from that year, though, appeared to have either been originally intended for existing characters.  Or, were heavily based upon them.  Backblast and Downtown are the two most obvious examples.  Both could have been named Zap and Short Fuse and no one would have batted an eye.  Dogfight is another.  This figure could easily have been Wild Bill.  The aviator glasses, bodacious mustache, orange hair and retro outfit all fit perfectly with the characterization of Wild Bill.  It had also been a while since Wild Bill had a figure and he retained a great deal of popularity in the comic.  It might be that Dogfight began his creative process as a Wild Bill update.  Or, the coincidence is just easy to spot after the designers had to come up with hundreds of unique character designs in the vintage days.  But, as Wild Bill, I think this figure would have been more interesting.

For me, Dogfight's primary value was his pistol.  In the early 1990's, his sighted weapon appeared in my collection.  One of my brother's friends likely left it at the house.  But, I was enthralled by the design.  The weapon made its way to the Track Viper that also appeared.  When I started collecting again and found the weapon was Dogfight's, I was somewhat disappointed.  But, it made the figure more relevant to me since I had the childhood connection to his accessory.  In early 2000, I wanted to get a Mudfighter and Dogfight figure.  It was just a lark, but one I quickly followed through on as they were available and cheap.  I found the Mudfighter to be a cheaper toy than I would have liked and it fell into obscurity.  Dogfight, though, was decent.  However, his resemblance to Wild Bill was too great to put him into the Dragonfly.  And, I had other figures to man the co-pilot chair on the Tomahawk.  So, despite his quality, Dogfight was forgotten, too.

But, every now and then, I find the figure and am reminded of his quality.  The brown jacket and white undershirt are a strong contrast that give Dogfight some visual appeal.  His blue pants are more Cobra than I'd like.  But, they work with the brown upper body quite well.  The head is very distinctive with lots of sharp paint applications.  He has molded flight wings and a radio transmitter molded to his chest.  He's something different is the battalion of Joe pilots.  He may not, practically, work in the Skystriker.  But, he does work in a lot of other aircraft, especially the helicopters.  His subdued color scheme just makes him a better fit for earlier Joes vehicles, as well.

Dogfight's mold was just used for this original figure before it sat fallow for 18 years.  In 2007, it made a surprise appearance on the Convention Steeler figure.  It was cool to see an unused mold at the time and the Steeler figure was excellently executed.  But, Dogfight's appearance was also bittersweet.  It showed that Hasbro had more molds available to them then they ever admitted to.  I would have loved to have seen the Dogfight head used in a wildly colored Dee Jay remake.  That would have been the type of figure that would have made the line fun.  But, those things never happened.  Still, it's tough to lament too much.  The mold is good, but not spectacular and the Dogfight character was never going to matter.  If this was supposed to be a new Wild Bill, I'd have enjoyed at least an attempt to remake him in that vein.  But, having just this one Dogfight isn't bad.

Mint and complete with filecard Dogfight figures tend to sell for slightly over $7.  For about double that price, you can get the figure along with his Mudfighter.  As it's not a bad vehicle, that may be more worthwhile.  As a figure alone, Dogfight is worth having just to fill out a pilot corps.  He looks good in the co-pilot seat of the Tomahawk and has value in that capacity.  The main thing is that he's distinctive.  Many of his contemporary vehicle drivers are lost in a sea of banality.  That can not be said of Dogfight.  He has a look you remember and a general appearance that lends itself to display.  There's great value in that.  So, Dogfight remains one of those figures that you own, appreciate and never, ever use due to his obscurity.  But, when you find a spot for him, you can start to realize that there's enough going on here to have hold a more prominent position that he might otherwise occupy.

Diorama - The Arrival of the Commander

I took this picture in early spring in 2002.  It was still pretty cold out and we got a late evening rain on a Sunday.  I went out and set this up as the sun was setting.  Mainly, I wanted to show off the Air Devil figure and my Crimson Guard Immortal figures.  This was in my grove of trees where I'd get a nice lake with every rainstorm.  Most of my Indiana photos were taken in this spot with various trees or rocks added to showcase the water.