1998 Cobra Officer

In 1998, Hasbro released their second wave of Toys R Us exclusive figure sets. The sets from 1997 had sold well to a starved collector base, even though their quality left much to be desired. The '98 assortment was also geared towards collectors but featured much better quality than that of the previous year's figures. It still featured a plethora of newly released molds, collector favorites and more army builders. The crown jewel of the '98 3 figure packs was the Cobra Infantry Team. It featured two Vipers in Cobra blue and the subject of this profile, a grey Viper mold named the Cobra Officer. It was widely loved by collectors and the Infantry Team figures became a staple of collections. In the years that followed, the Viper mold was made largely irrelevant by a multitude of releases of other army builders and a new influx of collectors who had missed this Cobra Officer at retail focused their attentions instead on a new crop of retail army builders. Looking back, though, Hasbro got the Viper mold so right back in '98 that no subsequent retail release has lived up to these high quality gems.

For my money, the greatest army builder set that Hasbro has released since 1994 was the 1998 Cobra Infantry Team. It featured only army builders in classic colors, great accessories and all for a bargain price. Since then, Hasbro has tried many other army builder ideas but all have fallen just short of the brilliance that was their first attempt. This isn't to say they are bad, but, from a pure army building perspective, they failed to live up to the standard set by the original. The Python Patrol featured colors that were too offbeat. The Cobra Infantry 6 pack came close but just loses out to these figures due to the horrid accessories in the Toys R Us exclusive set. The Urban, Ninja and Crimson Guard set all featured too many characters to be in contention. The Night Watch was also close, but lost on mold choice and, again, lesser accessories. The Viper Pit got the accessories right, but the lack or originality coupled with the poor quality of the figures still gives this original Cobra Infantry Team the edge.

This figure holds a special place in my collection for a couple of different reasons. First off, back in late 1998 when I first acquired it, he was among a very small group of Joe figures that comprised my collection. This lead to the figure getting lots of use as he was, basically, the entire sum of my Cobra collection at that time. The other reason why I'm fond of this figure is because of the circumstances surrounding the first time I found it at retail. I distinctly remember the Saturday in December of 1998. I was moving apartments at the time and took a break when it started raining. My roommate and I went to get lunch and I stopped in a local Toys R Us. There, I found most of the packs and then proceeded to stand in a very long line to buy them. The other reason I remember this day so vividly, though, is because it was that night that I first met my wife. So, I associate this figure with great memories all around.

The 1998 Joe figure sets actually shipped on at least 3 distinct occasions. The first shipments appeared in very late 1998. These were readily available for about 6 weeks before 1999 began. By '99, though, Hasbro had shifted their production facilities away from Joe and were fully focused on producing massive amounts of Episode I product. In the summer of '99, though, Hasbro was able to squeeze in another full production run of the '98 Joe figure sets. Again, these weren't terribly difficult to find, but the Infantry set and the Cobra Polar Assault did sell out again in another 6 or 8 weeks. But, if collectors had missed both of these opportunities, Hasbro came through again in late 1999 and produced one last allotment of these figures for the Christmas holidays. Again, if you were hitting retail during this 6 to 8 week period the Cobra Infantry was not hard to find. But, if you missed these sets all three times, you were then out of luck.

The '98 Cobras actually feature the most intricate paint masks of any Viper molds released in modern times. In fact, they are actually more intricate than even the 2002 Convention Vipers. Their one fatal flaw is the lack of a Cobra sigil. As I've said before, though, I don't consider that a terrible thing. Cobra would not, necessarily, want to advertise their soldiers when they invade foreign lands. While it would be nice to have a sigil, it's not something that ruins the figure for me. What is interesting to me, though, is that Hasbro moved to such bland paint masks for its later retail release Vipers. The '98 paint masks had already been created (which is the most expensive part of the process) and had proven to work. As such, it didn't make much sense for the later Vipers to feature such reduced paint applications. I have a feeling that was done to make the Convention figures more special and Hasbro also realized that collectors would buy any Viper mold: regardless of how little effort Hasbro put into the figure. (Though it is odd that the Viper Pit with the solid accessories, colors and paint masks are warming the pegs at a greater rate than any other modern Viper.)

If you look at this figure, you can really start to appreciate the detail that went into it. The figure only really features 5 colors: grey, silver, gold, black and flesh, but the small details that had paint applications make the figure much more visually interesting. If you look closely, you can see that the figure's wrist gauntlets actually feature not one color, but two. They are thinly lined with gold. The figure's sidearm also features a differently colored pistol than holster. The figure even features a thin band of silver ringing his collar: separating the head from the torso. It is these small details that that set the '98 figures apart from the multitude of later Viper mold releases. It makes this figure look like more a leader since his uniform isn't as bland. It is also one of the reasons why this figure has remained popular despite the fact that Hasbro has subsequently released a large number of Viper molds.

The other area where the '98 figures succeeded was with their accessories. All of the '98 Cobra Infantry figures featured the standard rifle with removable stock, full field backpack, combat pistol and a black battle stand. While not the traditional Viper accessories (the entire accessory complement was a repaint of that originally included with the 1991 Dusty figure) they perfectly fit the figure's purpose. These were truly the accessories of a field infantry soldier. There was no need to look beyond what was included with the figure to give him fitting accessories. It was perfect right out of the package.

In my collection, this figure serves a few distinct purposes. He may simply act as an officer to the younger blue Vipers. He may also act as a night attack squad that supports Night Vipers. Or, he may join in urban assault squads as his grey meshes well with the black Urban Alley Viper. Many collectors used the figure as a Stinger Driver or night assault figure. But, mostly, I use the figure as the officer for which he was intended. However, my Cobra Officers are not officers in the traditional military sense. Sure, they do lead lesser skilled or experienced troops into battle and can be the hard task masters. But, they are chosen more for these qualities than anything else. Cobra Officers are often men who rose from the ranks out of the run of the mill Viper corps. They don't, necessarily, have any special education, though that may be their gateway to bigger and better things. (If you want to be a Crimson Guard in my Joeverse, you have to have a college degree at least.) They act more as enlisted commanders rather than full fledged, decision making officers. To give the Officer recruits the hard edge they need to discipline an unruly cast that makes up the Viper Corps, the final initiation rite into officerhood is for the new officer to kill a Viper from the officer's own unit. It creates the detachment necessary for an officer to do his job, but also showcases the ruthlessness that Cobra espouses in their lowest ranks. It also gives the lower Vipers more respect for the Officers since they know what the officer had to do to achieve his position.

Due to this requirement, the Cobra Officer rank is often as high as most recruits can get in Cobra. There are alternate career paths that avoid this pratfall and allow for Cobras to be better accepted in western society. As such, I see the Cobra Officers as more of the sergeants of the Cobra ranks. They keep the rank and file in line, carry out their duty with ruthless precision, but lack the real critical thinking skills to move on to battlefield planning or any position beyond leading a group of less than two dozen men. This makes them especially dangerous foes, as they have little regard for any life...even that of the men in their command. In fact, it is well known that a good officer will sacrifice his men if it means the success of the mission. As such, these aren't enemies who are welcome sights on the battlefield.

It's hard to believe that back in '98/'99 I bought 5 Cobra Infantry sets and not only had one of the larger armies around but also could not fathom how I could ever need any more of them than that. Back then, armies were smaller and more diverse. As such, I didn't even think about buying more than I had and ended up leaving dozens of these sets on the shelves. I did, though, pick up a couple of extra sets at Christmas in '99. I was planning to sell them in the first half of 2000. I fully expected the sets to appreciate to about $20/set and figured I might as well make a little money. For whatever reason, though, I never got around to selling my extra sets. This proved rather fortuitous. In 2001 and 2002, I simply had no money to buy Joes. (I made a bad life choice and have just now, finally, recovered from it.) As such, I had no means to acquire any new foreign Joes that were becoming available and fascinating me at the time. However, it turned out that both Brazilian and European collectors were very willing to part with high quality native figures in exchange for Cobra Infantry Teams. You see, by that time, these sets were easily fetching $50 on Ebay with some going as high as $70 on a routine basis. As I only had $10 in each set, I was able to trade very well for the vast majority of my foreign Joe collection.

The Viper mold was used only by Hasbro in 1986, 1989 and 1990. The legs, though, were separated from the figure in 1993 when they were used with the '93 Dr. Mindbender. This would not be of significance except for the fact that the '93 Dr. Mindbender mold was sent to Brazil sometime around 1994 and did not come back. This left the Viper's original legs lost. Hasbro, though, came up with a solid solution when they wanted to resurrect the figure in 1997. The combined two of the most popular army builders of all time and combined the Viper torso, head and arms with the V1 BAT legs. These legs are substantially skinnier than the original Viper legs, but have never really bothered me all that much. (Though, Funskool removed the copyright information from the BAT legs so the backside of all modern Vipers is a bit odd.) This newly amalgamated Viper was released in 1997, in 2 colors in 1998, in 2 retail colors in 2002 as well as 2 convention colors. (The Crimson and Fuscia Vipers do rival these '98's in terms of accessories, quality and design. Shame they are so expensive these days.) The mold was then released 3 times in 2003. None of these various color schemes were spectacular though many were solid. But, fans were a bit sick of the mold in late 2003 and Hasbro did not dust it off again until late 2006 when they remolded the original Viper thighs and created a third Viper construction type in the highly anticipated but poorly received Viper Pit set. This is a mold that Hasbro will dust off at any time they want to get collector attention and it is likely that if we ever see the return of ARAH-style Joes to retail, the Viper mold will be among the first molds to appear.

Production wise, this figure is definitely rarer than all the post '99 Joes that were released at retail. (With the exception of Wave V of the ARAHC figures.) But, it isn't nearly as rare as many people might want you to think. These were readily available at retail during three distinct periods of time and many collectors had a chance to acquire many of them. Plus, as the army building craze started to crescendo, many savvy collectors bought up the surplus Infantry Teams when they still sold in the $15-$20 range. Nowadays, this figure will set you back approximately $20 for a nice mint, complete with filecard specimen. MOC, you can get them for about the same price per figure and sometimes even less. Every now and then, this figure does see a drop in popularity and if you take advantage of that, you can get some good deals. Personally, I would not pay that for this figure any more, but I also have many which I purchased at retail so that certainly shapes my view of the figure quite a bit. Overall, this is still one of the most distinctive colorings of the Viper mold and is a great way to accentuate your Cobra armies.

Risco - Argentine Exclusive Alpine

Alpine has long been one of my favorite obscure Joe figures. He was one of the first few figures I purchased in 1985 and, as such, I still have many fond memories of playing with the figure in my childhood home. As he was never re-released, though, my exposure to the figure has been diminished over time. Once I acquired a new version early in my collecting days, the figure simply hasn't been high on my use list. That has recently changed, though. The acquisition of a foreign version of Alpine has rejuvenated my interest in the character and brought that figure into a place of prominence in my collection. That foreign version is the subject of this week's profile: the Argentine exclusive Risco.

Risco is very similar to the US version of Alpine. He features slightly brighter green plastic on his upper body and lacks paint details on his upper arms. He is missing a few accessories that were included with Alpine, but is otherwise remarkably similar to his American counterpart. Hasbro was very careful with many of their Joe characters. As such, they controlled the look of those figures in releases the world over. It kept a consistent look across the brand and ensured that things like the comic or cartoon could be used in various countries as a cross sell for the figures since Hasbro could guarantee the toys would match the character's media appearances. As such, you find that the vast majority of foreign figures are nearly identical to their American counterparts. Of course, collectors have flocked to the figures that are more famously different than the toys offered in the US. I've grown to appreciate the subtle differences in figures like Risco, though. The slight nuances in color or paint applications really makes a figure stand out and helps to mature a collection overall.

Alpine's accessories are among the most fun pieces of equipment ever released in the line. Risco, though, did not include all of them. Risco only comes with 1 of the grappling hooks and does not include the rope that made Alpine so much fun. Oddly, the second hook and the rope appeared with the Brazilian Everest figure that was released subsequently to Risco. The other odd thing about Risco is that he features a unique file name. Instead of Albert M. Pine, Risco's real name is Arthur Gray. There is no explanation given, though I'm sure the pun of Alpine's real name would have been lost when translated to Spanish.

The character of the G.I. Joe Mountain Climber was originally intended to be a 1984 figure release. The production art that exists for this character shows a head very similar to Alpine's but using Scrap Iron's body. In fact, on the Scrap Iron figure, you still see the remnants of his origins as a mountain climber. On the figure's leg, he has climbing pitons that were part of the Joe Mountain Climber's original design. Why was this concept abandoned, though? There really is no evidence and we are left to conjecture. Perhaps Hasbro needed another Cobra for the 1984 assortment and quickly drew up Scrap Iron and just used the body parts they had already sculpted. Maybe Hasbro looked at Alpine's artwork and realized that the ball headed joint that was to debut in 1985 was a better fit for a mountain climbing character whose head would tend to be tilted up. As such, they put the design on hold and whipped up Scrap Iron's head very quickly (which would explain it's odd look) and threw it onto the previously sculpted body so they would not waste their work. Whatever the reason, it remains one of the many mysteries of the original Joe line.

Risco is also of very high quality. While the early Argentine figures suffered from poor quality at best, Plastirama had refined their production by the time of Risco's release and the figure has very tight paint masks and is made of higher quality materials. (The same can not be said of the card and bubble stock, though.) I was pleasantly surprised by Risco's quality as he is one of the few, later Argentine figures in my collection. He is not quite up to American standards, but will still fit in nicely with a collection of American figures.

Alpine holds many fond memories for me. I still remember cold, early March afternoons in 1985 when I took Alpine and my new Cobra Eel outside to play on the small hill in front of my parent's home. Alpine always used his ropes to escape the spears fired by Eels submerged in the sidewalk "river". The grappling hooks stuck nicely in the soft mud created by the early spring thaw. Later in the summer, the figure climbed the limestone walls that surrounded the front stairway of my Grandfather's Buffalo, NY home. He braved the gunfire hailed down on him by Scrap Iron and the Crimson Guards as he navigated the sheer incline. When the '85 Snake Eyes came home, Alpine joined Bazooka, Footloose and Airtight as the Joes who were chosen to accompany that figure's first mission. They sat atop the Bridge Layer as they rode to the Cobra outpost. By winter, the figure joined Frostbite in the Snow Cat as they chased Snow Serpents out of the forest of newly planted pine trees in wilds of my childhood backyard. He was a figure for whom I was always able to find a use. Every mission needed a guy who could climb up on top of something.

The other memory I have of Alpine is more of an observation on the vintage Joe line as a whole. While all the Joe figures released had a military slant to them, it was figures like Alpine, Torpedo, Ace, Doc, Ripcord and many others that made the line much more than the simple group of green army men which were the line's beginnings. You see, with figures like those, I didn't need to go outside of the Joe world when I wanted a play pattern that moved away from strictly military themes. Ace could be an astronaut in any world. Rather than having to dust off some Fisher-Price diver family, I could have Torpedo and Wet-Suit combs the depths of the neighborhood pool where they could fight off plastic sharks and squid or search for buried treasure. Snow Job could be a world class downhill skier who was simply racing in the Alps. Barbeque could be a firefighter rescuing Sylvanian Families from any toy house. Alpine could climb any mountain to rescue an injured skydiver. The result was the Joe line became self contained. While it meshed with other toy lines of the day, it also stood on its own and gave kids figures that they could use in any storyline they could imagine. I think that, above all, was what created the brand loyalty to the Joe line and was an integral part of why the line had such an amazing retail run. Kids only had to buy G.I. Joe figures to be able to have any adventure they wanted. It's an idea that is unlikely to be repeated but shows the foresight and deep understanding the original Joe design had of their audience.

It is those memories that make this figure interesting to me. His great sculpt, solid colors and incredible accessories make the figure collectible, but the memories I hold of Alpine are why a figure like Risco holds such cachet for me. You see, I have several Alpine figures. With the acquisition of each, I failed to find the sense of excitement that had as a child. These were simply upgrades since I still had my childhood Alpine figures. (Yes, I had 2 Alpines as a kid. After I lost my original's gun, I purchased a second. It was great to have your own income as a kid since you could do things like that without your parents giving you grief over buying something you already owned.) Risco, though, is something new and exciting. It's like adding Alpine to my collection all over again. Maybe that's the reason why I like foreign Joes so much. They bring me back to those fond memories of childhood where I'd spend weeks dreaming up uses for figures I had yet to find for sale. While I would never go back to those days, it is fun to reminisce about them. Figures like Risco allow me a nice escape in my current world to stop and reflect on good times. It is a nice respite in an otherwise busy world.

The Alpine mold was released in the US in 1985 and 1986. After that, it appeared as Risco in the late '80's. From there, the mold went to Brazil where it was released as Everest. After that, the mold has disappeared. Everest's contemporaries featured 4 popular molds that have never reappeared and 2 that later surfaced in India: but only after Estrela had used them again to produce the Slaughters Marauders figures. As such, it is likely that Alpine mold is lost for good. My feelings on this are split. I'd love to see an Alpine figure that did away with the white t-shirt underneath his heavy coat and that better matched the unique rock formations in my geographical area. But, I would hate to see the mold dusted off and released with minimal paint applications and missing his trademark accessories. As that is the more likely way Alpine would return, I'm happy to see the mold remain lost for the time being.

A few years ago, Ebay was flooded with carded Riscos. He was part of the assortments of Plastirama figures that had been found in a warehouse in Argentina and heavily imported into the US. At the time, you could easily acquire the figure for under $10 shipped. Now, though, Riscos have largely dried up. You don't see them for sale nearly as often as you used to. However, that does not mean the price has increased. While some of the once common Argentine figures have experienced drastic price climbs when they disappeared, Risco is still very affordable and, when they do appear, they rarely sell for more than $15 shipped for a MOC figure. For that price, this figure is a no brainer. He's a great way to offer some variety for fans of the Alpine character and doubles as a conversation piece that makes for nice background filler. Cheap foreign exclusives are always of interest to me and the day will come when more collectors feel the same. The downside is that when that happens, it will become very difficult to find the foreign exclusives for cheap. So, now is the time to make figures like Risco a part of your collection.

Poluicao - Brazilian Exclusive Cesspool

Few Joe collectors care about the Eco Warriors. For many collectors, they mark the definitive beginning of the downfall of the vintage line. For all the hatred spewed their way, though, the Eco Warriors line actually features some nicely detailed sculpts and solid ideas...even if they were horribly colored. Eco fans, though, have several ways to build their collections. There were Eco Warriors released in 1991 and 1992. In 1993, two other figures were to join the ranks and were released in Eco colors even though the subset had been cancelled. The most interesting Eco subset, though, comes from Brazil. There, Estrela released 5 unique Eco Warrior figures under the Forca Eco banner. There were three exclusive Joes and 1 exclusive Cobra. The fifth figure, and subject of this profile, was just a repaint of the American leader of the Cobra Eco Warriors: Cesspool.

Poluicao is just a straight up repainted Cesspool figure. While he appears similar to the American figure at first, he is, in all actuality, just as significant a repaint as is the more popular Corrosao with the exception of Corrosao's race change. But, no cares about Poluicao as most see him as Cesspool and will simply buy an American Cesspool should they want the character in their collection. Poluicao is cast in a lighter, baby blue and features maroon details. He is neither better nor worse than the American Cesspool, in my opinion. But, he is different. Depending upon the situation, I'll switch out the figures. Sometimes the darker uniform is nice, other times the lighter uniform just looks better. I somewhat like the baby blue version of the figure better as I think it fits the Cesspool character.

Due to the chemical damage done to his body, I've always figured Cesspool would be a little...odd. As such, wearing a powder blue uniform would fit his personality. It would lead to subordinates questioning his sanity and maybe even giggling behind his back. This would give Cesspool the chance to physically attack these men and prove his toughness. It would also sate his intense desire for violence. It is this personality that allows a man like Cesspool to so utterly destroy the earth. He simply cares about no one and nothing. As such, he enjoys his polluting binges as they may do irreparable harm to the planet. In his own twisted mind, this is what makes Cesspool immortal.

The reality of the Brazilian figures is that they are rare. In comparison to American figures produced at the same time, Estrela produced much smaller production runs. On top of that, most of those figures are still in Brazil. As such, there are really very few of these figures available to modern, American Joe collectors. However, I recently acquired this figure MOC for $1.00. Even after shipping, the figure was less than $6.00. Why? The answer is multi-faceted and gives much insight into the buying power and size of the Joe collecting world.

First off, Joe collectors are not like those of other lines where everyone is pretty much a completist. In fact, Joe is somewhat rare in that very few of even the hard core collectors would fit the definition of completist. As such, popular figures that are readily available continually sell for higher prices than rarer figures that don't have any following. These Brazilian figures are a prime example. While everyone wants a Flying Scorpion, Abutre Negro, Ar Puro, Marujo, Relampago or Gatilho, most collectors will pass over other, contemporary figures from these and ignore them all together. The result is that many hard to find Brazilian figures are actually cheaper to acquire than most of the more popular army builders that clutter online auction sites every day.

Secondly, the Joe market is so small that one single entity is capable of influencing the price of an entire group of figures. The Brazilian Eco Warriors are a case in point. In the late '90's and early '00's a dealer was able to acquire a huge quantity of the Forca Eco figures on the cheap from Argentina. These were imported to the US and then sold off very slowly for a few years. Complete sets of the Forca Eco figures were an Ebay staple for a long time. Slowly, though, the Corrosao figures disappeared. Then, the Biomassa figures followed. These were the more popular figures and they sold out first. But, the single dealer was able to bring so many of these figures over to the US that the demand for them was not just sated, it was quashed. The reality of that happening shows that the Joe world is rather small since a single collector can dictate the supply and price of specific figures. It's an interesting thing to consider: especially in light of how many collectors clamour for small runs of retailer exclusive products. With the numbers we seem to have, even a small run would likely end up a retail disaster.

You must be careful with Brazilian Forca Eco figures. When I opened my Poluicao, his water launcher was sweating in the bubble. This was not due to humidity. It was due to the degradation of the soft plastic used to construct the water launcher hose. Poluicao's helmet also exhibited some deterioration as well as it was tacky to the touch. Years ago, I experienced this problem with the helmets of Flying Scorpion and Biomassa figures. In the half a decade that's passed since then, the problem has only gotten worse. To paraphrase Adam Pawlus, "these things are toys that are not meant to last forever". Estrela produced these toys with cheap materials and we are now seeing the results. Estrela probably never foresaw that their Joes would still be written about in a worldwide forum 15 years after their release. As such, the money saved by the cheap plastic was probably a smart decision at the time. Now, though, this leaves collectors in a quandary.

The reality of the situation is that these are plastic toys and they are going to deteriorate in time. And, frankly, there is nothing that anyone can do about it. You might be able to slow it down, but you can't stop it forever. Some Star Wars figures produced in the late 70's and early 80's have this problem. It seems to be the softer plastics that go first. As such, we don't see it as much in the American Joe world...yet. These Brazilian figures are the harbringers of things to come. That nice AFA 85 Flying Scorpion you have stashed in a dry, cool, dark closet is not going to stay that way forever. At some point, you are going to pull it out and find a mass of black goo. It won't be through any fault of your own, it is simply what these materials were designed to do. It's likely that most of us won't live long enough to see this happen to most of our figures, but it is something to be aware of and on the lookout for as time passes.

If you want a Poluicao, they can be had...cheap. I've seen many sell for under $5 MOC in the past two years. But, they don't appear every day. In fact, it could take months before one appears for sale. But, when it does, no one cares and you can cheaply add this figure to your collection. That is not true of most other Brazilian figures. I've found that situations like this where you can greatly diversify your collection through cheap international figures are an opportunity that you can not pass by. The add depth to a collection, even when they are simply different takes on existing characters.

1998 Heavy Duty

In 1998, the inclusion of Heavy Duty in the repaint line was something of a shocker. He was a minor character at best who really didn't have any fan following to warrant inclusion in such a small Joe renaissance. In 2006, it's hard to remember that 8 years ago, this was only the third time we'd seen Heavy Duty at retail. Since then, the character has become something of a joke to collectors as he was so heavily featured over more prominent characters in the modern Joe releases. The likely reason for this, though, has a lot more to do with the designers having fun than it does any Hasbro conspiracy.

While the Heavy Duty is a solid figure when taken on his own, he is somewhat bland and is probably a step back for the original paint job on the mold. Sadly, this 1998 figure was a harbinger of things to come as Hasbro spent 2000 and 2001 largely repainting figures in color schemes that were inferior to their original paint jobs on the molds. In fact, when taken with most of the 2000 and 2001 figures, Heavy Duty really blends into the see of olive and brown that was the hallmark of that period in Joe history. But, if you look at the mold a bit more closely you can see that Hasbro put more effort into this figure than they did most of the post-ARAHC figures. The figure features a full 7 different paint colors. The only problem is that they are sparsely applied and it is easy to miss this amount of detail against the backdrop of the figure which is predominantly brown. The figure's belt buckle, grenades and chest knife are all painted to make them stand out. It is the paint on the little details that often differentiate a great figure from a mediocre one. Simply compare the post '02 convention figures against their retail counterparts. The differences are slight, but the manner in which they are applied is what separates the quality of the figure types.

The Heavy Duty mold was only released by Hasbro. After the 1991 figure disappeared from shelves, he was not seen again until 1998 and then again in 2000. (The mold was, along with most of the other '91 figures, released in China.) While the character of Heavy Duty was to become a mainstay of the modern Joe line, this mold was not. Instead, it has only seen moderate use since 2000 as parts amalgamations of a few high priced Master Collector figures. This isn't a terrible thing as both of these Heavy Duty versions are decent figures. But, I could stand to see a newly frankensteined ARAH style Heavy Duty that used the original head but gave him a newly put together body that would give the character more depth in ARAH form.

In my collection, Heavy Duty is mostly just a minor player. He appears as a gunner from time to time but spends most of his time as a standard infantryman. He looks good with Leatherneck's M-203 and Big Bear's backpack. His militaristic color scheme allows him to blend into the background and provide firepower when his team needs it. I also often use him as the gunner on my various vehicles that feature mounted weapons. As such, he really doesn't have much of a role. Really, I look at the character as largely a Roadblock rip off. There really is no use for Heavy Duty when I have Roadblock figures readily available. As a background player, though, he is nice picture filler.

I guess that's not much to say about a figure. But, one of the hallmarks of the Joe line was the strength of the supporting cast. While everyone had to have the major versions of major characters, it was the line's depth that kept it relevant for more than a decade. Every kid could have a different favorite and if someone else picked your favorite character first, it was likely that that were was another, lesser character that was similar enough to your favorite for you to salvage the play session. While collectors have become largely burned out on the major characters, the reality is that Hasbro has been very good at ensuring there was a steady supply of second and third tier characters available in their modern offerings. While I have enough Duke and Snake Eyes figures to last the rest of my life, I appreciate the fact that I was also able to acquire versions of Steeler, Barricade, Flak Viper, Mirage, Big Ben, and any number of other, more obscure characters that have helped diversify my collection. There is a Joe figure for any situation and that is one of the reasons why the line has been so enduring.

Like many Joe figures, this version of Heavy Duty was modeled after a real Hasbro employee: Lamont Morris. (As an interesting note, Hasbro also modeled the 2006 Endor Rebel Trooper after Lamont, making him, as far as I know, the only real person to appear in both the Star Wars and G.I. Joe 3 3/4 inch lines.) As such, it is likely that Heavy Duty's more prominent role in the modern Joe line is due to the designers at Hasbro having some fun and honoring one of their own. Heavy Duty is just one of many Easter Eggs hidden throughout the Joe line that are homages to the toy creators who made the line possible.

This Heavy Duty figure was released twice, though both times were with the high priced (for the time) and oft despised MOBAT. As such, you don't see this figure available like you would expect. Most collectors acquired their one version and moved on. So, if you're in the market for one, it may take a bit longer than you would otherwise think to find a nice version of the figure out there. When you do, though, he will not be high priced. Dealers will probably sell him in the $7 range while an online auction site might let you get one for half that. At that price, this is a good figure. He is a little dark, but offers something different enough from the first version that he's worth having. Given my preference, though, I'd spend about the same amount and just buy the original figure. He's got better colors and includes some interesting accessories. That way, you get the character in his best colors right away and can move past the other versions.

2004 Urban Assault Night Creeper

It is known that Hasbro has a wealth of ARAH molds at their disposal. Unfortunately, they have chosen to ignore a large part of their library and focus on the same molds over and over again. Every now and then, though, they dust off one of the lesser used molds and accidentally create a figure for the ages. It has been a rare occurrence since 1997 but has happened enough to keep collectors around. When they do produce a gem, though, there are usually circumstances in the collecting world that cause the figure to be overlooked or quickly forgotten. Such is the case with the subject of this profile: the 2004 Urban Strike Night Creeper.

Night Creepers are an odd duck in the Joe world. They, technically, are not Cobras. Instead, they are independent contractors retained by Cobra Commander. As such, many collectors have fewer uses for Night Creepers than they do other, officially Cobra ninjas. From their first appearance in the comic, though, I was enthralled by the Night Creepers. I didn't, necessarily, like their origins and characterization. But, I did enjoy how they were used: ninjas who were also soldiers. They were not the ritualistic ninjas to which I had become numb from their overuse in the comics. They were more like ninja Major Bludds. That aspect I did like. The fact that the figure was really nice just helped them become more important in my collection.

The original Night Creeper figure is well done but very purple. The Snow Creeper is perfect for the arctic but the white color isn't that useful in other climates. This urban version is the best paint job released for the Night Creeper. The black, blue and white combined with the urban cammo paint job make this figure useful in many more environments than the previous releases. The dark colors are reminiscent of the traditional Cobra appearance but different enough that the figures don't blend into the multitude of Cobra blue figures who have been released. The judicious use of brown really brings out the small straps and details that hold the figure's chest armour in place. (The leather-brown is really well used on the Urban Firefly, too. The detail on that figure is near convention quality.) The overall look of the figure is dark and menacing and is more in line with the characterization of the Night Creepers that we saw in the comics.

In my collection, these Night Creepers are Cobra's initial strike force. They are the commando units who are sent into an area first to undertake "softening" missions like destroying power plants or damaging infrastructure. They may also be used for on the spot intelligence. They are not full blown combat troops. In fact, if they are caught in an all out fire fight, they call for backup or retreat. Their edged weapons are a function of their purpose. These Night Creepers are not supposed to be seen. Any unfortunate soul who does come across them is quickly...and quietly eliminated. The Night Creepers will perform their work and coordinate their explosions with the arrival of the Cobra combat forces. Their targets never knew the Night Creepers were there until something explodes and a target goes dark. By that time, the full Cobra combat force is arriving and the Night Creepers are never noticed as they slip away. This makes them the type of figure that does not get used for long stretches of time. (Which is how they dropped from my collecting radar.) but then start to appear as major parts of intricate story lines. I find myself using my Night Creeper team as a pre-cursor to Cobra's targets in South America and Africa. In this setting, a successful mission means a more deadly strike is coming while an unsuccessful mission means that a target is spared...for now. It is a nice niche for the Night Creeper as it allows me to use the figure enough to keep it interesting but not so much that I never want to see another version again.

This Night Creeper's accessories are passable. Unfortunately, the two most distinctive Night Creeper weapons (the crossbow and the pronged stick) are missing from this version. The signature curved sword is also MIA. However, the 2 included swords with the figure do work and are acceptable. Not distinctive, but ok when taken in light of most of the other, contemporary accessory choices Hasbro dropped into the Toys R Us 6 figure sets. The nice thing is that you can take the uzi from the urban Storm Shadow and give it to the Night Creeper to make him more of a commando than a swordsman. The Night Creeper mold has only been used for Hasbro based releases. After the original figure appeared in 1990, the mold did not show up again until the rather interesting Snow Creeper in 1998. Hasbro didn't use them mold again for 6 years, though, and this Urban Night Creeper remains only the 3rd time this mold has seen production. The unexplained gaps in release dates for this figure are an oddity for Hasbro who seems to like to repaint molds ad naseum. But, in this case, it works well as it leaves the Night Creeper mold as one that is nice to see from time to time but not...at least not yet...overused.

One thing of note in regards to the Urban set: there is a complete variant color scheme for the figures. They were not, officially, released. But, Asian Joe sellers offered a set of urban Cobras who featured different paint masks and red highlights. You can see the alternate Night Creeper in the photos below. The origin and purpose of these figures is unknown. It is likely, as some figures featured unused paint masks, that the figures were the original plan for the Urban Strike set. For whatever reason, the colors were not approved and the entire set was redesigned with the white highlights. The alternate urban figures are relatively cheap on the second hand market and are one of the more unique ways to expand your urban Cobra armies.

The Urban Strike set probably had a production run of ~20,000 units. Even with a run that low, it hung around at retail for a while. In most markets, it was mostly sold through by the late 4th Quarter with the Christmas season finally taking them off the pegs. Collectors really didn't warm to the set even though it featured two army builders (this Night Creeper and the Flak Viper mold) in their best ever color schemes, a high quality Alley Viper repaint (though the Alley Viper is a bit overdone), the first Scrap Iron figure in 20 years and offered what is still the most detailed paint job for a V1 Firefly that we have seen. (Until the '05 Comic Pack Firefly, the Urban version was probably the best overall Firefly Hasbro had ever released.) The Storm Shadow figure is a bad mold in acceptable colors with decent accessories. As such, it really made little sense why this set got such a bad rap among collectors when it was so well done. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that collectors were still on the high from the '04 Infantry Team and saw anything with less than 6 classic army builders as a complete let down. It was really an unfair comparison but one that has left these Urban figure affordable even while other, lesser figures have appreciated.

Urban Night Creepers are cheap. Mint and complete, you can get one for about 7 bucks. You can buy an entire Urban Strike set for about $30 if you want one right now and can get them cheaper if you have a little patience. The reality of the Joe world is that collectors do not reward ingenuity by Hasbo in terms of figure releases. We fawn over repaint after repaint of the Viper yet let high quality repaints of great, later molds go unsung. Since the Night Creeper is not the Cobra Trooper/Officer, Crimson Guard, Viper or BAT mold, collectors largely don't care about it. This is nice as this urban version remains incredibly cheap and available and is easy to aquire in multiples. For a figure of this quality, that is a rare combination. As the collecting world matures, we might see more figures like this become appreciated. Until then, I'll take advantage of hidden gems like this Night Creeper and quietly build my collection.