Red Shadows Shadowtrak - European Action Force Exclusive

Everyone knows about the repainted G.I. Joe vehicles that were incorporated into the European Action Force line.  There are two lost gems from this line, though, to which G.I. Joe collectors pay little attention.  The first is the excellently sculpted weapons that were exclusive to the European line.  The second was the Palitoy exclusive vehicles that were created to accompany the figures.  It is the vehicles to which this profile is dedicated.  And, while there are are several exceptional Palitoy exclusive vehicles that were released, I find the Shadowtrak the one example that most fits with an American Joe collection.

The Shadowtrak was affiliated with the collector favorite Red Shadows faction of the Action Force line.  And, while it was designed for use with the 5 points of articulation Palitoy figures, the similar 3 3/4" scale G.I. Joe figures also work with the toy perfectly well.  The vehicle is also cast in red and charcoal black: giving it a wonderfully vintage G.I. Joe feel.  While you can tell the Shadowtrak isn't a Hasbro release, a casual observer would definitely mistake the vehicle for something straight out of Cobra's earliest years.

The Shadowtrak has about the same footprint as a Hiss Tank.  It is much lower in height, though.  And, despite the appearance of a lot of area for figures, the vehicle only actually holds two individuals: one in the driver's seat and one in the rear facing gunner's station.  For some reason, the driver's seat folds down to create a larger space in the vehicle.  But, since the driver is now precluded from sitting at the controls, the seat doesn't seem to serve much purpose beyond being one of those little nuances of a toy that make it appear to do more than it actually does.  You can put the driver in a prone position with the seat down, making the Shadowtrak work much like the 1987 G.I. Joe Low Crawl Vehicle.

The Shadowtrak is well armed.  It includes 2 mounted machine guns.  They can be configured differently around the Shadowtrak's various post holes.  You have have them forward facing or as weapons for use by the rear facing gunner.  If you can find either reproduction machine guns or extra originals, you could easily double the armaments for the Shadowtrak.  It also features two small missile caps on the side mounted bars.  Just the tips are removable and they are somewhat small and can often be missing from Shadowtraks found in the wild.  There's also an antenna that fits into the posts and can be moved around to fit your tastes.

Among the parts included with the Shadowtrak is a removable tow hook.  The hook isn't the standard G.I. Joe hook introduced in 1982.  It is just a single spike.  The upside is that is more versatile than the Hasbro designed hook that was really engineered to only be compatible with other Joe toys.  The downside, though, is that it's not standard Joe height.  Neither an ASP nor the SMS can be affixed to the hook as it sits too high: which is a shame as they both are great companion pieces.  But, as neither design was given to the Red Shadows, you can see why the precision of the hook with all Joe vehicles may not have been as much of a concern.  The Laser Exterminator, though, does fit onto the hook.  So, this makes the two Red Shadows vehicles perfect companions for each other.

The Shadowtrak was first released by Palitoy in 1983.  That version was released in a window box.  Around 1984, the packaging was changed to a card box, more similar to G.I. Joe vehicles from the U.S.  The vehicle itself, though, is a modified release of the Action Force AF5 vehicle that first appeared around 1982.  This vehicle was a flying car that included a lot of snap on accessories.  The body was used again on the Cosmic Cruiser around the same time as the Shadowtrak was released.  The versatility of the mold is shown by these three releases.  You will note there are a lot of unused holes on the Shadowtrak.  On the surface, these allow for the owner to configure the guns and antenna in different combinations.  But, they also allowed for Palitoy to get more uses out of the base body mold without the toys appearing to be just straight repaints.  This is both a marvel of engineering and design as well as a genius way to get more out a single toy mold.  Hasbro really never took this approach.  To a causal observer, the AF5, Shadowtrak and Cosmic Cruiser would appear to be different toys.  But, the use of the removable parts helped to obscure the fact that the base body was used several times.

It also allows you to move the guns and antenna around and set the Shadowtrak into different configurations. I love vehicles with rear facing weapons as you never know when the bad guys will start chasing you.  But, it's also practical to have the weapons forward facing for attack positions.  With the Shadowtrak, you can move the guns around to your preferred setting depending upon the situation.  It's a neat little detail that gives the vehicle more flexibility without sacrificing too much aesthetic.

The Shadowtrak included a driver named Red Vulture. Red Vulture was a straight re-release of the single carded Red Shadow figure with a minor difference.  Red Vulture has black gloves painted on his hands.  It's easy to remember that the driver is wearing driving gloves.  There are instances where the vehicle included the standard Red Shadow figure, too.  Fortunately, the vehicle being designed for a 5 points of articulation figure doesn't preclude vintage Joes from fitting inside it just fine.

Shadowtraks are both easy and hard to find.  In the U.S., there are few people who sell them.  Those who do, want inordinate amounts for them.  You'll often see opened box samples offered for $100 or more.  They don't sell at that price.  However, if you can find sellers in Europe or, especially, the UK, the prices fall precipitously.  You'll often see mint and complete Shadowtraks in the $30 or so range from non U.S. sellers.  Unfortunately, many of them will not ship to the United States.  If you can find one who does, the shipping isn't terrible as the vehicle isn't overly large and is relatively lightweight.

While we don't know for sure what happened to the Action Force toy molds, it's a pretty safe bet that they no longer exist.  When Hasbro acquired Palitoy in the early '80's they shifted Action Force away from the Palitoy proprietary molds towards repainted Hasbro molds.  Then, the forfeited the repaints and just released American toys on Action Force cards.  These transitioned into differently logo-ed G.I. Joe cards and boxes and the Action Force roots slowly faded away.  It's doubtful that Hasbro had any incentive to save the Palitoy molds.  They could have sold them off or licensed them out like they did with G.I. Joe.  But, this would have likely cut into Joe's international revenue stream and there was little incentive for Hasbro to compete with its flagship toy line.  So, the molds have been MIA since these releases.  I'd have loved for a few of them to have popped up in the 2000's.  But, since Hasbro didn't know where most of its own molds were, it is unreasonable to think they had access to the old Palitoy offerings.

For me, the Shadowtrak is an excellent way to expand an early Cobra army.  You have seen mine outfitted with Crimson Cobra Troopers from factory custom Joe makers.  They are a perfect match for the look and feel of the Shadowtrak and allow me more flexibility when putting together a Cobra convoy using figures and vehicles from prior to 1985.  On top of that, the vehicle fits the Cobra aesthetic.  It's kind of odd and loaded down with lots of weapons that may or may not make sense.  But, that is Cobra to a "T".  The Shadowtrak is a nice addition for a Laser Exterminator and looks good among other Cobra vehicles.  It offers anti-infantry capabilities that were lacking on the Hiss Tank and Stinger.  And, the different configurations lend themselves to army building Shadowtraks without them all appearing the same.

The Shadowtrak has opened the door of Action Force vehicles to me.  There are a wide variety of Palitoy offerings (mostly on the good guy side, though) that look very cool and fill a niche that Joe could use.  The problem, of course, if that some of them are very hard to find in good condition and complete.  While this Shadowtrak can be affordable, many of the other Action Force exclusives are less so.  But, the additional value this item brings to my collection far exceeds it's monetary cost.  I'm not really sure how I went so long without a Shadowtrak: especially when you consider they were rather common from U.S. sellers in the early 2000's.  But, I have the Shadowtrak now and it's become a vital part of my collection.

1988 Destro - Around The Web

I've always thought of the 1988 Destro as a perfect upgrade of a classic character.  They made him different enough to stand out.  But, he still retains enough of his original personality to know that this is Destro.  As such, I've always been fond of the figure, even if he lacks some paint details.  However, I've found that many collectors don't share my fondness for the mold.  There's surprisingly little content on the figure out there.  Here's the best I could find around the web for a figure that I quite enjoy.

1988 Destro Profile

1988 Destro at ARAH Gallery

1988 Destro Pre Production at YoJoe.com

Destro Dio 01

1988 Destro at JoeBattleLines.com

Destro & Despoiler Video Review

Destro Dio 02

1984 Clutch - VAMP Mark II Driver

All G.I. Joe vehicle drivers have to live up to Clutch.  I state this as fact only for the simple reason that, in the fall of 1982, Clutch was the coolest figure that my brother got for the birthday that introduced G.I. Joe into our lives.  While he was a vehicle driver, the awesome factor was mostly driven home by the complexity of his design and the fact that his chest was not shared with other figures from the time.  So, it is my own bias that puts Clutch as the standard for vehicle drivers.  But, through the line's early years, vehicle drivers often showcased designs that were equal, if not superior to, most of the carded figures from the year.  As the original Clutch's chest was not shared with other figures, Hasbro had less chance to recoup their costs from his design.  So, in 1984, when they produced an updated VAMP, Hasbro took a bit of a cheap way out and gave kids a newly repainted Clutch as it's driver.

As a kid, this Clutch was the only Clutch who really saw use.  Both of the original VAMPs from my childhood were acquired in 1982.  So, the standard Clutch figures were both straight arm.  By 1984, straight arm figures were used for parts or cannon fodder since they couldn't measure up to the swivel arm versions.  So, the only real representation of the character for me was this Clutch release.  And, as a kid who read the comic more and more as 1984 wore on, I simply had to have a Clutch figure.

Clutch was one of those characters that simply stuck with you.  Larry Hama did a great job with Clutch's development.  And, as Clutch remained a mainstay of the comic for many, many years, it's likely that he was a favorite of Hama's.  Clutch was the guy who everyone should hate.  He was slightly misogynistic and completely full of himself.  But, he did it in a way that people liked him.  Scarlett felt that Clutch was relatively harmless and that made his swarm charming.  It's difficult to create a character like this.  Usually, the dichotomy is too much and the character ends up actually being unlikable.  But, Clutch retained his comic popularity and is a collector favorite to this day.

The VAMP Mark II is a solid vehicle.  It didn't live up to the VAMP in my childhood.  But, it was OK and served its purpose.  All of the original Joe vehicle drivers really just "fit" with their vehicles.  As such, Clutch was really the only choice to drive the updated VAMP.  Putting anyone else behind the wheel would have been disingenuous to the character and to the kids to associated the two together.  So, in this case, such an early repaint was entirely forgivable.  And, since I didn't have a good version of the original, it was an excellent way to keep Clutch in my collection.

As the VAMP Mark II didn't last all that long in my collection, I often found this Clutch figure other vehicles to drive.  There weren't many desert vehicles back in 1984 and 1985.  But, Clutch was the perfect driver for my APC.  This vehicle lacked a true driver.  So, Clutch was a good choice, especially if his jeep was out of commission.  In 1985, my younger brother got a toy jeep (non-military) that was a golden brown color.  It was slightly too large for Joes.  But, the fit well enough.  Clutch and Dusty had many an adventure in that jeep.  Clutch was Dusty's personal driver for the few weeks when Dusty was my newest figure and was the main focus of my play.

Like all the pre 1985 Joes, though, Clutch's days were numbered.  Starting in the second half of 1985, I became much more careful with my figures.  While I still played with them: I was more cautious and conscientious about keeping my figures nice.  The Joes who pre-dated this turn in my mindset found themselves on the outside looking in as the newer, nicer versions of figures became my focal point.  But, by 1986 and into 1987, the reality was that Clutch was dated.  He was a smaller, less detailed sculpt than the new offerings.  And, I was heavily swayed by recency in my collection so the newer figures always took precedence over the older models.  So, Clutch went into a box and became an afterthought.

When I first started up Joe collecting as a adult, though, Clutch was one of the first figures I sought out.  I remembered him vividly from my childhood.  A friend of mine at the time, who was only casually interested in G.I. Joe, could still recite Clutch's filecard: more than a decade since he had last read it.  That was the impression the Clutch character left behind.  So, now, both the original and this desert Clutch are vital parts of my collection.  You will often see them around as background characters in photos.  They may be driving a VAMP or other vehicle.  But, they may also be involved in general combat duties.  I'd viewed Clutch as a field trooper since day 1 of Joe in my life.  So, he remains more than just a driver to me.

Despite this early repaint, Clutch didn't see too much use.  After the original release and this 1984 repaint, the mold disappeared for about a decade.  Both the VAMP and VAMP Mark II were staples of release around the world with notable variants in Brazil.  Yet, Clutch didn't make the journey.  In the early 1990's, though, Clutch finally reappeared with his jeep when Funskool released their version of the VAMP.  There are several versions of the Clutch figure: all in various shades of green with a few instances of the Clutch body with a Short Fuze head: but with black hair.  The Funskool figures are very hard to find: especially in good condition.  But, they are very similar to the U.S. release and don't offer anything outside of different shades of what we already got through Hasbro.  Both the VAMP and Clutch appear to have gone out of circulation in the mid 1990's.  That implies that Hasbro may have gotten his mold back when they re-acquired the Funskool figures that made up the bulk of the 1997 and 1998 Toys R Us exclusive figures.  But, the Clutch mold was either not among the returns, was too damaged to be used again, or simply dropped into a Hasbro warehouse where it was forgotten again: never to return.

I'd love to see a factory custom Clutch.  While the Clutch character could be repainted into Night Force, Tiger Force and every other sub team imaginable, his parts would have other potential.  (If you want to see the potential for Clutch repaints, check out Chad and Matt's Clutch customs.)  Clutch's chest and arms could be combined with Cobra Trooper waist and legs and a Hiss Driver or Cobra Officer head.  This would be a great Cobra driver for Stingers or Hiss Tanks.  Again, the repaint would lend itself to a panoply of colors.  The head could be used for new Breaker or Rock and Roll figures.  Or, repainted into a color the head never appeared in and used to make a new figure in early Joe style.  In short, the possibilities are endless.  Hopefully, one of the factory custom makers is listening.

In the vintage line, Hasbro really didn't do too much with repaint until the very end of the line.  Sure, there were Tiger Force, Night Force and Python Patrol.  But, they were always supplements to the main figure line rather than parts of it.  As an adult collector, I lament the fact that Hasbro didn't do the entire original 13 in a desert scheme to make a variant, unified team.  As a kid, though, I probably would have hated it since I would have lost out on other figures.  (Though, getting the gear I had lost from the original figures would have been a welcome perk.)  In the collector era starting in 1997, though, Hasbro really had no reason to not revisit the original 13 Joes and do some sort of specifically themed team.  The 1997 Stars and Stripes and the comic packs from the mid 2000's were the two closest attempts.  But, the Stars and Stripes was more about getting the molds out to appease collectors.  The comic packs were closer.  But, the odd greens and mix matched parts from different eras created a mis-match that's probably worse than the Stars and Stripes set.  I keep hoping that factory custom Joe producers will look to bring some desert variants of original 13 Joes into the fold. More and more parts are available.  And, I'd love a tan Flash, Grand Slam, Hawk, Stalker and the rest.  But, since I've played with and collected Joe since 1982, I have a more nostalgic bent to these original figures and my preferences may not play well in a larger market.

The desert Clutch is about middle of the road as far as Joe figures go in terms of price.  Mint and complete with filecard figures can be had for $10.  But, dealers will charge $20 and you'll see more sell at that price than they should.  But, you don't see as many desert Clutch figures as you used to.  And, the lower supply leads to more dealer sales.  For $10, this figure is a no-brainer.  You buy him and move on.  He's a great companion to the Tan Grunt and his parts can be used in conjunction with that figure to make a perfect Tan Breaker, too.  When these guys were cheaper, they were desired for the custom possibilities.  Now, though, they are desired for the figure itself.  Collectors like Clutch and they like his desert repaint.  It's awesome to get an iconic character in environmental themed colors.  It's just too bad we didn't see a few more of the early Joes get this treatment.

Clutch doesn't take kindly to Wild Card stealing his parking spot.

1995 POTFII Boba Fett

While I quit buying Joe figures in 1988, I never really left the hobby.  Aside from a few month hiatus from the comic, I was still acquiring something related to G.I. Joe every month.  At the end of 1992, I bought a few figures at retail, again.  I'd check the toy aisle on various shopping trips.  As I was in college, though, those trips were infrequent at best as my primary focus was on college life.  In 1995, though, that changed.  The driving force behind my newfound interest in toys was the retail return of Star Wars figures.  Hasbro's newly acquired Kenner division returned the classic franchise to 3 3/4" figure form in the latter part of 1995.  At first, I was not a fan of the bulky, oddly posed designs.  Slowly, though, nostalgia took over and I wanted the figures.  I picked up a few odds and ends as I found them in the sparse retail environment of my college town.  My girlfriend of the time bought me all the ships for my birthday.  But, she had not been able to find any figures.  This would be the theme of Power of the Force II's retail beginnings.  Over Christmas of 1995, I went home where a friend of mine had found 4 figures that I didn't know existed: Princess Leia, Luke X-Wing Pilot, Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett.  He had found them for a huge mark up at the local FAO Schwartz store.  Otherwise, these figures simply did not exist at retail.

As the calendar turned to 1996, my frustration with retail Star Wars continued.  I managed to find a solitary Luke X-Wing at a K-Mart on my way out of Cincinnati in early 1996.  But, there was no sign of the figure I most wanted: Boba Fett.  After failing for months to find him, I decided I was going to buy one from a second hand dealer over spring break.  I had my dad stop at a local comic shop on the drive home from school.  There, the store had a carded Boba Fett for $6.95.  I had planned on paying up to $8 for the figure.  So, I didn't balk at the inflated price and purchased my first Boba Fett figure since my childhood.

I sent away for a Boba Fett mail away in 1979.  My parents actually went to buy a new figure to get enough proofs of purchase.  His arrival in the mail marked the first package of toys I had ever received.  I played with the figure constantly...even taking him on a family winter trip to Pokagon State Park in northern Indiana.  Here, I forgot my original Boba Fett figure.  The fact I remember where and when I lost figure (37 years later!) shows how important he was to me.  (On a side note, if you find a vintage Boba Fett in the Pokagon lodge lost and found, it's probably mine.)  In time, another Boba Fett showed up in our vintage collection.  I'm pretty sure both my brother and I had our own.  So, the adventures continued despite that early loss.

My acquisition of this figure in 1996 brought Fett back into the fold.  And, this figure was light years ahead of the other options from the time.  The added bulk of the POTFII figures made more sense within the context of Fett's armor.  Plus, Fett being a later release, he benefited from the lessons learned of the less than stellar Luke and Han that came before him.  Plus, I was willing to be forgiving for a character that I so wanted to be in my collection again.  The added details of the backpack, cape and Wookie scalps and his updated rifle were exactly what I wanted out of a modern Star Wars line.  The panoply of colors looked like they walked right out of the movie.  But, then again, in 1995, we only had VHS copies of the movies that played on old, pre-HD TV sets.  Even the internet was so nascent that there was little reference material for the character available and most of that was either a blurry screencap or low resolution scan of an old trading card or magazine.  So, the nitpicky details that doom this figure today were less obvious upon his release.

As 1996 progressed, I picked up a couple of extra Fett figures.  I also bought the Shadows of the Empire repaint in a two pack with IG-88 when I found it at the Oxford Wal Mart while I waited to get an oil change so I could drive half way across the state to attend my cousin's wedding.  I really couldn't get enough of the mold.  At the time, Star Wars was a novelty.  People my age grew up with it and were starting to carry that love into early adulthood.  The Special Editions were still months away.  And, the Prequels were just a pipe dream.  The all Star Wars/all the time world we live in now was simply unfathomable.  And, because of that, Star Wars was still something that was somewhat fringe.

At the height of my Star Wars collecting days in the late 1990's, I probably had half a dozen or more of these figures.  I had a couple loose.  I had an orange carded version, the green carded version, the freeze frame carded version and multiples of many of them.  I fancied myself a "serious" collector even though I really didn't buy everything and I collected some of these items just to brag I had them.  In 2007, it came time to move my Star Wars collection.  I was back buying figures at retail and was upgrading all of the old POTFII era figures.  In my zeal to remove the clutter, I got rid of everything: often for about 1/5 of what I had spent at retail for it: nostalgia be damned.  A decade later, I had pangs of regret.  This was driven by the fact that I now had young kids and those early POTFII figures would be great for them as they were indestructible, cool and worthless.  I managed to find a bag of high quality figures at a local thrift shop.  I only bought the bag as it also had a high quality, unbroken 1982 Straight Arm Snake Eyes figure in it.  But, Boba Fett returned to my home.  The fig below belongs to my boys who enjoy playing with him and I don't have to give Hasbro $8 for a crappy 5 POA figure they made in 2017.

There was a time when Boba Fett figures were rare, expensive and popular.  People would pay huge amounts for this figure if he had one of the glove paint variants or the right cardback.  The mid 1990's were a silly time when it came to collecting toys.  But, Boba Fett is probably the most popular character among collectors and Hasbro obliged not only by releasing this figure many, many times: but also constantly making new and better Boba Fett molds.  As such, calling this figure worthless is an understatement.  Mint on Card versions of this Boba Fett sell for under $5.  (Though lots of dealers will sell a few for $10.)  Loose versions aren't easy to find because who wants to handle a figure for a buck or two?  And, frankly, if you're going to buy a Boba Fett figure to show off, there are dozens of better figures made subsequently that are equally easy to find and cheap.  This figure was in production for years and was shipped in many case assortments.  Hasbro was actually really good at keeping high demand characters on the shelves in 1997 and 1998: before the bottom fell out of the market.  But, seeing this figure again reminds me of why I loved it so two decades ago and why I also got rid of it when better Fetts came along.  It was fun, though, to recollect those mid 1990's toy runs.  It was a great time in my life and this figure reminds me of that.

1983 Major Bludd - Around the Web

The 1983 Major Bludd figure is one of the iconic Cobra characters from the earliest years of the line.  His unique look, cool name and fun accessories added up to a villain for the ages.  This original release of Major Bludd works perfectly well with the other contemporary Cobras of the time.  Though, he is a bit out of place when posed with later figures.  But, being a classic character means there's lots of content out there on him.  Here's the best of Major Bludd from around the web.

Major Bludd Profile

Major Bludd Review at Whenitwascool.com

Major Bludd at JoeADay.com

Major Bludd at ARAH Gallery

Major Bludd At 3DJoes.com

Major Bludd Video Review

Major Bludd Pre-Production at YoJoe.com

Major Bludd at JoeDios 1

Major Bludd at JoeDios 2