Rarities - Funskool Maltova Red Toxo Viper

 A few years ago, I looked at the Funskool Maltova promotional figures.  In that write up, I had pictures of 6 different releases.  But, I mentioned that I had no idea how many more there might be.  Well, here's another one.  And, it's a doozy.  Funskool produced an all red Toxo Viper for the Maltova series.  Like the other figures, though, he has the super crappy straight arms that all but nullify his collectiblity.  

The red really works for the Toxo Viper character, though.  The hazardous nature of their job would make something like a bright red necessary for some members of the Leaky Suit Brigade.  So, in that regard, the figure has tremendous value.  

A-Man noted in the comments below that this figure actually has Red Dog legs.  I hadn't even looked at them and just assumed they were the same as the 1988 Toxo Viper.  But, the additional parts change just makes an already odd figure that much more unique.

The figure also included accessories.  This sample does not have a helmet.  But, I do not know if that is true of all of them.  The gear, though, seems to the standard gear included with a Funskool Toxo Viper.  So, there's no coloring exclusive to this figure as far as gear goes.

Of course, this figure is stupidly expensive.  And, if it had swivel arms, I'd be inclined to pay it.  But, the straight arms save me from that type of purchase.  So, I'm somewhat grateful for that.  It's a travesty that this color scheme didn't get a wide release with proper arms on a Funskool card.  I know I'd have bought a few had they been available.  

Rarities - European Force Randon

So, each year I try to showcase some piece of the European Force line of knockoffs.  This year's focus is Randon.  Basically, Randon is a red 1986 Dial Tone with Flint arms and Hawk legs.  He's not the type of thing collectors would love.  Except that he's exceedingly rare and that alone causes people to be interested in him.  Heck, I'm a Dialtone fan.  And, I don't really want an all red version of him with different arms and legs.  But, at the same time, I'd totally buy this figure if I ever came across one for a good price.

All of the European Force figures have a kitsch about them that makes them interesting.  We'd have never seen some of these colors on vintage Joes.  And, the lower quality and reduced paint masks definitely mark these figures as bootlegs.  (Randon doesn't appear to have Dial Tone's mustache painted.  Yet, Hasbro did the same thing in 2000.)  But, at the same time, the entire line has a panache that makes you want it.  The fact that some of the designs have never been revisited seems a shame.  And, after the oversaturation that's occurred with the Red Shadows in the past 10 years, having MyGal as an alternative European villain would be nice.

You'll note in the photos below that Randon included a rifle originally from the Baroness.  The red weapon in the last photo was from a different line that a seller just included since it kind of matched Randon.  With obscure lines, you see things like this often.  And, absent carded samples, it can be difficult to determine real gear that was included with a figure versus aftermarket items that were added from a box of unsorted weapons.

Like all the European Force figures, high quality Randons are nearly impossible to find and are extremely expensive.  You'll pay over $100 for even a sample with heavy paint wear.  The European Force quality is not good.  But, their designs were fun.  I just wish they were more attainable.

Rarities - Unproduced Funskool Shark 9000

We do know that Funskool had plans for the G.I. Joe line that extended beyond Windmill.  There was a new Rock and Roll figure that used the 1989 mold that was planned.  And, Funskool was also toying with the idea of releasing a new character that would have been an amalgamation of molds that would have been more "Indian" in origin.  We don't know what this would have been.  But, it's likely the figure would have been fun and interesting.  

The last Funskool new vehicle that we really know of was the 1993 Detonator.  Funskool created it in 2001 or so.  (Can't remember the exact date.)  But, this Funskool catalog below shows another vehicle that, to my knowledge, never saw the light of day from Funskool: the 1993 Shark 9000.

The catalog below is an interesting amalgamation.  The Sky Striker and Battle Hawk are clearly the Funskool versions.  Whereas the Detonator and Shark 9000 use old Hasbro catalog photography from the 1990's.  As such, the Shark 9000 that does appear is the Hasbro version.  So, we have no idea what Funskool's take on the vehicle may have looked like.  

Again, to my knowledge, the Shark 9000 was not actually released.  But, if you have information to the contrary, or pics of a sample, please let me know.

 

Rarities - Unknown White Numbers Bazooka

A few months ago, H5*0's Vintage Toys posted a question about a 1985 Bazooka figure that was missing paint applications on the number 14 that adorns his chest.  My initial thought was that it was simply a missing paint application.  But, within 2 days, another 4 or 5 samples of the figure had been produced.  With that type of distribution, it's likely that the figure is, indeed a legitimate variant of the 1985 Bazooka.  I doubt that the missed paint app was intentional.  But, it's possible that a bad batch was needed to fulfill an order and was green lighted for release.

But, where did it come from?  The initial guess is that the figure was a catalog or mailaway that was available bagged.  This is entirely possible.  But, we do know that correct Bazooka figures were bagged, too.  So, if this is the origin of the figure, then it would be a smaller subset of the bagged figures.

As variants go, this isn't overly exciting.  But, at the same time, it is extremely noticeable.  So, the figure missing these paint apps would catch your eye since the blue makes for such a large portion of Bazooka's overall appearance.

The variant figure doesn't have any different COO or date stamps than a standard Bazooka.  So, it was not a release from later in the line.  

If you have any information on the origin of this figure, or just have a sample, please let me know.  I'd love to learn more and determine if this is just a bad production batch or can be traced to a specific release.

This is one of the odder items I've come across.  And, you'd think that variants like this would be better documented.  Hopefully, the full story of this figure will come to light.  There's lots of pushback that the figure is custom where someone removed the paint.  That, of course, is possible.  But, the fact that so many showed up so quickly from various parts of the country and that none of the customizers bothered to remove the paint from the figure's armbands makes that explanation less likely.

Rarities - Pre-Production 2005 Comic Pack Horrorshow

In 2005, Hasbro finally produced a Horrorshow figure.  This long awaited release was met with general approval from the fan community.  Sure, it had issues.  But, overall, it was good enough.  As with all new figures from that era, Hasbro had some pre-production versions of the figure leak out.  This figure isn't overly different from a production Horrorshow.  It has pink hands and is missing the date stamps.  Not much of a variant.  But, it's an insight in the process that lead to this figure's release.

Sadly, this mold never got a re-release or even a repaint.  His wave of Comic Packs saw a truncated production due to the massive unsold inventory of late 2004 Comic Packs that were still being clearanced out from stores around the country.  For about a month, you could get this figure.  Then, he was gone.  He's always been the most pricey Oktober Guard figure.  But, the fact that he's now a triple digit purchase is a bit much.  Collectors have this figure en masse and almost the entire production run was purchased by collectors who were aware of the short production window.  But, times are dumb and Joe prices are dumber.  For a long time, you could get the pre-production Horrorshows for cheaper than a production figure.  But, those days are gone and you'll pay a premium even though only the most eagle eyed collectors would notice a difference.