2003 Overkill

In the early 2000's, collectors wanted army builders.  Hasbro, to an extent, understood this.  While the JvC line had offered a nice run of army building figure, the vintage repaints that were interspersed in the waves left collectors wanting.  Sure, we'd seen Vipers and Alley Vipers.  But, the colors weren't great, they lacked decent gear and they were packaged with Joe figures that raised the price.  (Though it also made the army builders much easier to find.)  In early 2003, Hasbro finally seemed to get it and they took chance on the first real online exclusive in the Joe line's history: the BAT Pack.  For $15, collectors got 5 army building figures and one character.  You can be sure that single character caused more consternation than the 3 black BATs caused joy.  Such was the way of the collecting world at the time.  But, the Overkill figure was a welcome repaint that showcased a mold that was, in 2003, foreign to most collectors.

The BAT pack was a failure.  And, this Overkill is a big part of the reason why.  Had he been colored in more traditional BAT colors, it's very likely that collectors would have warmed to him.  But, in the early 2000's, collectors didn't tend to like molds from the 1990's.  And, they certainly didn't want to see anything that dared to take a chance in terms of color.  Overkill's third strike is that he was a character included in an army building set.  In short, there was simply no way collectors would like him.  And, most didn't even give the figure a chance.  But, did he deserve this fate?

In 2020, it's easy to look back at an obscure mold colored in bright blues with a red head a neon green torso as a fun bit of kitsche.  In 2003, when collectors were "super duper serious!!!!", this was an abomination that was written off as Hasbro not getting us.  But, both things can be true.  Hasbro was still trying some fun and offbeat ways to be creative.  And, collectors punished them for it.  At the same time, Hasbro simply didn't listen to collectors at all.  Had they done so, this Overkill might have been less ostentatiously colored and would have better fit with the BATs.  Had the Inferno BATs been the only oddball offering in the BAT pack, it might have fared a little better.  But, that's all ancient history at this point.  And, this Overkill stands as one of the few brightly colored figures from the 2000's.

Overkill included his original complement of accessories.  The only missing piece is the huge talking backpack that was the gimmick for the original release.  The pack is a giant burden that limits the figure.  So, it's absence isn't an issue.  (Though, the pack did have a place for Overkill to store his extra hand attachment.)  Overkill has a blue hand, a black rifle of some sort and a black claw attachment.  The black color is nice and is actually a better fit for the 1992 figure.  But, the design of the weapons is just as bizarre as the design of the figure.  So, it fits.  But, it's also somewhat out of place in the entire Joe line.

Overkill does have a hidden feature.  Inside his chest are a set of .50 caliber machine guns.  (According to his filecard.)  Prior to 2003, the presence of these guns was known to a small percentage of Joe fans.  Overkill was just so obscure and his 1992 release so far outside the "acceptable" window of collecting that most collectors had no exposure to him.  This 2003 version was good in that it showcased the design of this figure to a new generation of collectors.  For a time, vintage Overkill figures were somewhat sought after.  But, that quickly died out as the ire directed at the 2003 release boiled over and the character fell into ill-repute as Hasbro began to recycle him into the JvC line while other fan favorites were ignored.

I've told the story of the BAT packs before.  Hasbro wanted to sell 10,000 of them.  And, that was the likely production number.  But, online dealers simply weren't large enough to handle that many.  And, those who went all in were left with unsold BAT packs for years.  Hasbro liquidated their overstock to Amazon (who was the distribution arm for ToysRUs.com at the time).  And, eventually, to liquidation brick and mortar stores.  (Tuesday Morning stores carried leftover BAT packs for like $6 for a while.)  Being the only single figure in the pack, though, means that Overkill is actually quite scarce.  If there are only 10,000 of him (any other figure would be lower) then only convention figures and the infamous 2002 Wave V have lower production runs.  But, since nobody cares about this figure, his availability isn't an issue: even 17 years later.

These days, mint and complete Overkills will run you between $5 and $10 depending upon how long you want to wait to get one.  The figure was the least desired of the pack and army builders of the era (who often had 10 or more total sets) usually sold or traded away extra Overkills just to clear out space.  Overstock figures were available from Asia for a long time, often in large lots.  And, they hung around forever since no one wanted them.  For the price then and, even, the price now, though, this is a fun figure.  Overkill isn't overly represented in the collecting community and he's rarely seen in photos or displays.  This version is not really any better or worse than the original release.  So, it's a nice supplement to the Talking Battle Commanders figure.

2000 Wild Bill - Around The Web

One of the releases that's getting lost to time is the 2000 release of Wild Bill.  As he was done in a color more traditionally associated with Cobra, many collectors have forgotten this figure even exists.  But, he and the Locust were excellent repaints and were a cheap way to pick up a Dragonfly repaint at the time.  Obviously, there isn't much content out there on this Wild Bill.  Here's what I could find.

2000 Wild Bill Profile

2000 Wild Bill at JoeADay.com

2000 Wild Bill by Albafica

2000 Wild Bill by Slipstream80

2000 Wild Bill at coolgijoestuff

1987 Road Toad

My childhood Joe memories are vast.  I spent copious amounts of time playing with my toys and use them as a proxy to recall places, events, feelings and emotions from that time of my life.  I've mined those memories for nearly two decades to tell tales of the joy these toys have brought to me.  In looking back at the items from my childhood, there are items that simply took ahold of me and became hugely important to my adventures.  In some cases (Hovercraft, Hydrofoil, Skystriker) the reason for the toy's importance was obvious.  But, there were smaller items that appear insignificant and unimportant that also became vital to my collection at various points in time.  Battlefield playsets were an excellent way to augment my Joe headquarters.  Even stupid items like a rope walker became a pivotal plot point on afternoon when the Joes had to pursue Stormshadow across a city.  The driving force of these toys is that many of these small, cheap playthings were given the same attention to detail and care in design as went into larger, more profitable vehicles.  That consistent quality is one of the key factors that drives the legacy of the Joe line.  In the spring of 1987, one small vehicle that seemed rather dumb appeared on the market.  I picked it up as it was the only new item on the shelf of Toys R Us one day.  But, once in hand, the Road Toad found a niche as a vital part of any Joe mission.

The story of the Road Toad really begins with the S.L.A.M.  As a kid, I loved Star Wars.  A friend of my father's had recorded the movie on HBO sometime in the very early 1980's and given the tape to us.  I watched the movie at least once a month, maybe even more frequently, for years.  I loved the final battle sequence.  And, after dozens of viewings, I saw all the small details of the Imperial gunnery stations and wanted to expand upon that idea in various play scenarios for both Joe and Cobra.  The introduction of the S.L.A.M. brought a new element to this dynamic.  The S.L.A.M. was a cool toy that could hold two gunners (a feature I loved) that had powerful cannons and was even armed with missiles.  It became a quick favorite.  But, it had a fatal flaw I couldn't get past.  The S.L.A.M. was supposed to be self propelled and even included a tow hook to drag other trailers behind it.  This didn't make sense to me and I couldn't get my head around the S.L.A.M. driving around a battlefield.  I felt it needed to be towed, like the Whirlwind before it.  The toy was limited because I couldn't haul it behind my existing vehicles.  So, the S.L.A.M. was a disappointment.  Then, the Road Toad entered my world.

At its core, the Road Toad is meant to be a tow truck.  It could serve as a battlefield recovery vehicle or mechanic's platform, too.  But, really, it's a cheap, thin, glorified tow truck.  But, this was exactly the type of thing that the Joe line needed.  While big combat vehicles were the core of the toy line, having options for some support vehicles took Joe to another level beyond any other toy line of the era.  The Road Toad wasn't meant to be the focal point of play.  It was designed to interact with other vehicles and bring a different element of play to G.I. Joe.  Of course, it was armed so that you could use it in combat if it was the only vehicle you had.  But the real fun was that kids now had a way to deal with disabled, captured or destroyed vehicles (read as broken toys!) in a more realistic way.

For me, the Road Toad quickly became a central part of any story.  I was big on defining both capabilities and limitations for my toys.  So, a VAMP could tow a heavy weapon.  But, that slowed it down considerably and left it exposed to enemy attack.  This meant that heavy weapons like a S.L.A.M. had to be towed by Maulers or Havocs.  These larger, armored vehicles were not always available.  Nor, were they always practical.  So, the Road Toad was invented to help out smaller vehicles.  My Road Toads would be synched to the engines on the VAMP that was towing them.  The Road Toad would then augment the VAMP's power while it was towing a S.L.A.M. or H.A.L.  It would even allow a VAMP to tow a disabled Mauler or Havoc.  In short, the Road Toad was designed to allow VAMP's to keep their speed while also allowing them to haul weapons to places where a Havor or Mauler could not go.  But, even when a Havoc was tasked to haul a heavy trailer, the Road Toad would be included.  

There were a few reasons for this.  First, the Road Toad provided the crew another vehicle that could move.  So, if the main vehicle's engine was damaged or destroyed, the Road Toad still gave the crew a working vehicle to aid their escape or objective.  Second, the Road Toad brought additional capacities into the convoy.  It had a tow hook that was far more versatile than the standard hitches on the big vehicles.  (The rope was dropped down into a hole on more than one occasion to pull out a stuck crew member.)  It also brought some additional firepower.  While the Road Toad only had a small, mounted twin gun, that gun could elevate almost 180 degrees and could swivel 360 degrees.  This was hugely beneficial to something like a Havoc where the main guns only pointed forwards and the smaller guns also had limited range of motion.  The Road Toad could serve as back up anti-aircraft weaponry for vehicles that were designed to be anti-armor or anti-infantry.  The final reason was more a pet peeve of mine as a kid.  To me, the value of the Joe line was the figures.  I always lamented that few vehicles could carry more than a basic crew into battle.  This became more of an issue as the line evolved and characters from 1986 and, especially, 1987 started including more accessories.  There was simply no place to store all these items on most vehicles I had.  The Road Toad introduced some additional storage space on its platform.  Sneek Peek's telescope was a staple of the deck.  Fast Draw's missile rack was another.  And, in rare cases, additional Joes would ride on the platform, holding onto the rope strung from the winch to the back.

The Road Toad's life was short and forgotten.  It was only released by Hasbro and never saw any international releases beyond Hasbro controlled territories.  While it would have been nice to get a gun mount that wasn't orange, the rest of the Road Toad's colors were well done enough that there's no real reason for a repaint.  In the 2000's Hasbro kind of shied away from items like the Road Toad.  But, truth is, items like the Night Landing Craft were just as silly as the Road Toad.  They were just poorly executed.  While collectors of that time would have left a repainted Road Toad to rot on the shelves, I would have enjoyed at least one more take on the little platform.

Road Toads are cheap.  Boxed versions can be had for around $20 or so.  Loose versions can be purchased for as little as $5. The missiles are easy to lose and the gun is easy to break.  But, that's about it.  You can even supplement the include short rope with something longer if you're so inclined.  But, there's not much to the Road Toad and the cheap modern pricing also pretty much insists that every collector own one.  For me, the Road Toad is the quintessential toy.  It's fun to play with, has lots of uses and really makes no sense.  But, it was these little items that allowed for so much latitude in the vintage Joe line and are the primary reason why it still resonates so well today.

2006 Operation Flaming Moth Shipwreck - Around the Web

Sometimes, a simple repaint creates a fig for the ages.  In the case of the 2006 Operation Flaming Moth Shipwreck, what should have been a mundane repaint brought new life to the character and gave collectors a great update to two vintage molds.  The combo of Cutter and Shipwreck gives collectors a version of a classic character that no longer looks like a reject from the Village People.  Collectors have adopted this version as a de facto original and made him a popular visage for the Shipwreck character.  Here's some of this figure's best content from around the web.

Flaming Moth Shipwreck Profile

Shipwreck by magoage

Shipwreck at JoeADay.com

Shipwreck by Flint

Shipwreck at Generals Joes Reborn

Shipwreck by cyko

Shipwreck at JoeBattleLines.com

Shipwreck manning the USS Flagg by Flint

1986 Dreadnok RAM - Sears Exclusive

My dad was a Sears junkie.  He would go to the store and browse the various aisles like I peruse toy web sites today.  He had no real intentions of buying most of the items he saw.  But, I'm sure part of him thought that if he won the lottery, he'd buy up every tool, yard gadget and electronic device in the store and those items would somehow provide him with a modicum of satisfaction...even if he never used them.  The upside to this was that when the family was at the mall, my dad would take my brothers and I to Sears while my mother would shop in the other department stores.  In our local store, the toys were located right next to the tools.  So, he could wander those aisles while we would drool over the toys.  My main memories of spending my time at Sears are not only looking at off Joe brand toys like Rambo, Sectaurs and even the Temple of Doom toy line but also seeing the Sears G.I. Joe exclusives and holding the boxes, memorizing the details of toys I didn't really have hope that I would own.

All that longing, though, paid off.  In 1985, I found the Sears SMS under the Christmas Tree.  It quickly became one of the staples of my Joe adventures and survives, to this day, in relatively good shape.  In 1986, my younger brother opened the Dreadnok Air Assault.  I had seen this at the store, but wasn't overly fond of it.  (I had hated the FANG as a kid.)  Within a few presents, though, I discovered the Dreadnok Ground Assault as one of my flagship gifts.  This was something I had wanted since my 1986 era Cobras were wanting for additional ground vehicles.  It was quickly opened up and joined my collection as one of the few new pieces that arrived in the 1986 holiday season.

The Dreadnok RAM, though, didn't find use in the Cobra arsenal.  By late 1986 and early 1987, my original RAM was long relegated to a super glued mess that no longer worked at all.  The Silver Mirage sat in a junk pile due to the low quality and general frustrations I had when playing with it.  So, a mostly green RAM seemed like a better fit for the Joes than the Dreadnoks: characters I didn't really use any longer.  At the time, I had a slew of custom characters that I had cobbled together from parts of broken 1984, 1985 and 1986 figures.  One of these was a combo of Flint's head, Footloose's torso and Snake Eyes' legs.  (I forget the arms.  I think they actually changed a few times as I snapped thumbs.)  This character, named Thunderbolt (how original...) was the principle warrior in my collection.  He wore Flint's backpack but carried the Ripcord rifle from the Tactical Battle Platform.  His primary specialty was fast attack and his signature move was riding a motorcycle with reckless abandon into a battle.  His cycle of choice?  The Dreadnok RAM.

Perched atop the RAM, Thunderbolt would ride into the fray to save the day for the Joes time and time again.  He would both use the gatling gun sidecar and exclude it, firing his weapon with one hand while he drove the cycle with the other.  This personal transport became as much a part of the character as the figure, his rifle and the ammo he found at the bottom of the "waterfall" that was my grandfather's concrete front steps on his Buffalo, NY home.  In very short order, the Dreadnok RAM became his and his alone.  I kept pretty good care of my toys in 1986 and 1987.  But, this RAM had some pieces break due to heavy usage.  It shows how important the cycle was to one of the most integral toys in my collection.  When it came time to pack my toys away in early 1988, the Dreadnok RAM was packed with the Thunderbolt figure and kept safe while the Stinger was tossed in a box and left to the exposure in the attic of my parents' home.

Today, though, Thunderbolt is long gone...dispatched to simple memories.  The Dreadnok RAM has, instead, found itself the primary ride of the Brazilian Relampago figure.  The greens of the RAM and Stinger mesh nicely with the vintage Python Patrol figures.  Python Troopers and Officers are the right match of mold year for the Stinger and man it very well.  Relampago is a motorcycle rider.  So, his assignment to the RAM is a natural fit.  And, having a relatively rare figure ride a relatively rare motorcycle seems like an additional bonus.  But, due to the fragility and rarity of both the cycle and the jeep, I rarely use these items any longer.  It's just too dangerous to take them outside and risk breaking a three figure part on the toys just to get a photo that will get a few likes and then disappear forever.  So, this RAM and the Stinger remain boxed up and rarely venture out into the wild.  I hope to someday change that and get a nice set of photos fully showcasing the Python Patrol's symmetry with this set.

One of the calling cards of the Dreadnok exclusives was that they changed color.  For a kid in 1986, this seemed really cool and fun.  Once you owned the vehicles, though, you realized that the reality of the color changing ability was limited.  If you didn't take the toys outside, you wouldn't know they changed color.  And, if you did take them out, they would change into the other color and stay there for quite a bit of time before slowly fading back.  In short, it was a dumb gimmick, but it sold toys.  What it also did, though, was leave a legacy of super brittle and easily discolored plastic.  Dreadnok vehicles that are stored relatively well will still have broken parts due to the fragility of the aging plastic.  The color changing parts will turn dark if you're lucky.  But, more commonly, they take on a yellowish brown hue that renders the vehicles useless.  Supposedly, there is a variant on the RAM where parts can be in different colors.  I still believe that much of this is a function of plastic deterioration.  But, the variants are officially listed, legit and are something for the truly sadistic collector to track down.

Every Joe collector who grew up in the '80's has a favorite retailer story.  There is an entire subset of collectors who track down vintage cardbacks with specific price tags that denote the retailer of origin.  I recall peg after peg of figures at department stores, specialty retailers, hardware stores, mom-and-pop shops, niche providers and the multitude of chain and independent toy stores that used to dot American malls.  If you had asked people back then to forecast the retail environment 30+ years out, it's doubtful that anyone would come close to the apocalyptic space that is 2020's retail stores.  All of the small, regional, local and even national stores have long since been consolidated, merged or forced out of business due to changing consumer habits.  Old price tags and retailer exclusives like this RAM are memories of different times.  While I doubt we'll ever see a toy renaissance like the 1980's again, the reality is that today's retail simply couldn't support it.  In the '80's, there were dozens, if not hundreds of outlets in which your ideas could be sold.  Today, if Wal Mart and Amazon pass on your product, you're left with either a really cheap product that can be sold at discount stores or a really expensive niche product that's marketed to a small, affluent group.  Neither of these will ever lead to the mass adoption of a toy line and we'll never again see the culture of a youthful generation defined by hugely popular toys.

As I think back about those trips to Sears with my father, I wonder what memories my kids are forging now that they are entering the same age brackets as I was when Star Wars and G.I. Joe dominated my experience.  I also now better understand why my dad would not mind sitting in Sears for an hour or two, the kids safe, nearby on a Saturday afternoon.  There are days I'm happy to buy the week's groceries, just to get out of the house for an hour's peace.  I'm saddened that there are no longer toy stores where I can take my boys to look and browse for new playthings.  But, that experience was a big part of my childhood.  They will have a chance to experience something different.  And, I'm sure that there's some activity we do today that I consider innocuous that will burn deep memories in them and be their happy nostalgia at some point in the future.  I only hope that they're able to share those thoughts with me so we can relive them together.

I was prepared to talk about how expensive Dreadnok RAMs are.  However, I was not prepared for exactly HOW expensive they are.  Mint and complete motorcycles will sell for over $200 with most reaching $250.  Just the cycle with a broken kickstand will run you well over $100.  Simply put, that's insane for something like this.  Sure, the toy is relatively rare and time hasn't tended to be kind to the brittle and discoloring plastic.  But, the toy is also limited and not something that is essential for a collection.  But, the Dreadnoks are popular.  The RAM is popular.  And, collectors are gladly overpaying for harder to find vintage toys these days.  Personally, I'd never pay anywhere near that for this cycle.  But, I have the luxury of having both one from childhood and one from a pre-insanity priced adult collector purchase.  So, that certainly colors my view of the current pricing.  Having the toy as a kid certainly has left this item as a vehicle that I'm glad to have...just for the nostalgia.  Without that, it's value would be limited to me.