1986 Claymore - Around the Web

Claymore was the only original character in the 1986 Toys R Us exclusive Mission to Brazil set.  He has potential as a character.  But, the figure is bright yellow.  Were he a 1994 release instead of 1986, collectors would have a very different opinion of him.

1986 Claymore Profile

1986 Claymore at Joe a Day

Claymore at 3dJoes

Claymore at Wikipedia

Claymore at JoeDios.com

1987 Zanzibar

1987 was a good year for me.  It was a wet spring and summer that filled my pockets with lawn mowing money and there was lots of great stuff available on which I could spend my hard earned cash.  Throughout the spring and summer, it was rare that a trip to Target didn't net me some sort of new toy.  It might have been an '86 figure upgrade, a small battlefield playset or one of the many new figures that were released in '87.  My parents grew uneasy with the amount of money I was spending on toys.  But, I had earned it and it was mine to spend.  But, I got more and more pressure to reduce my buying as spring turned to summer in 1987.  

Zanzibar looked intriguing as a toy when I first saw him in the 1987 catalog.  I found him at a local Kohl's store in the spring of 1987 and quickly snatched him up.  Zanzibar immediately became a favorite figure.  His cool pistol was fun.  But, the best part was the air skiff.  In the Joe world I had at the time, flying machines were very rare.  Outside of jet packs and a few jets, they pretty much didn't exist.  The reasons were mostly practical in that in made no sense for Cobra to constantly ground assault G.I. Joe headquarters if they had aircraft.  Take the aircraft away and the strategy made more sense.  Because of the lack of flight, little vehicles like the Air Skiff became incredibly powerful.  While Zanzibar could not outfit an entire legion of Cobra Troopers, the flying contraption made him a very deadly foe to the Joes.

Zanzibar would often swoop in just as the Joes were leaving the confines of their base to chase of the Cobras.  This left them susceptible to attack and Zanzibar was able to inflict heavy casualties.  (In 1986, Serpentor's Air Chariot had played the same role.  But, the Joes managed to shoot it down and, ultimately, kill Serpentor.  The '87 Cobra Commander made this possible.)  He became the most dangerous Cobra out there.  The Joes made him public enemy number one.  As the summer wound down, Zanzibar maintained his status.

In the early fall, I took a small batch of Joes with me when my parents rented out a cabin in Southern Indiana for a week.  I saw this time as one of the final Joe stories I would play out.  I'd be starting 8th grade in the fall and was too old to be playing with toys.  (On another note, it was during that trip that I first visited the college I would end up attending.  That 1987 visit was enough to pique my interest and a 1991 official visit cemented my attendance there.)  I found a stream in the woods and built up a dam.  Here, the small group of Joes and Cobras played out their final endgame.  In the skirmish, Zanzibar was finally killed.

Upon my return home, my interests turned to a more teen aged pursuits. One day, some friends and I found a few Joes and decided to hand them from a string out of the 2nd story window of my parents garage.  This left the figure dangling in front of a cinder block wall.  We all went as far away as we could we in the yeard and began to throw freshly fallen walnuts at the figures.  Zanzibar and Monkeywrench were the two figures who were chosen.  Monkeywrench was pretty much destroyed.  But, Zanzibar survived with just some minor scuffs and paint chips.  Around 1991, though, my little brother had dug my Zanzibar out of my closet and left it on the floor. My parents' new puppy found the figure and chewed off his arm and pulled out most of his hair.  Thus died the vintage Zanzibar.

Zanzibar's first comic appearance was in G.I. Joe #60.  It has a great cover and the story inside introduces a wide array of 1987 characters.  When I first bought the issue, though, it didn't sit right with me.  The artwork used was very out of whack with prior Joe comics.  It was too different from the artwork to which I had grown accustomed.  If you collected comic books in the early 1990's, though, there's a good chance you are aware of G.I. Joe #60 for other reasons.  At that time, comics drawn by Todd MacFarlane were widely collected and would sell for decent prices.  (At least, decent for recently published works.)  As such, you'd often see G.I. Joe #60 tossed in with MacFarlane Spider Man titles at various comic shops in an attempt to capitalize on the artist's popularity.  (When the Joe comic was cancelled in 1995, a special re-issue of G.I. Joe #61 with artwork from Todd MacFarlane that was not, originally, used in the issue was released as the final issue of the Joe comic.  It is worth a good amount today, but more due to the rarity and obscurity of the fan favorite title than Todd MacFarlane.)  It explained the bizarre muscularity of Chuckles in #60 and the rest of different artwork.

Zanzibar has great accessories...depending upon your definition of what his accessory complement consists of.  Not in dispute is the figure's pistol.  It is a larger weapon that was unique to Zanzibar.  The two components in question are the spear and hammer.  Many collectors consider these to parts to the Air Skiff rather than accessories for Zanzibar.  Others consider them part and parcel to the Zanzibar figure.  (It should be noted they were included in the bubble with the figure, implying they are part of him.)  When buying a "complete" figure, it's important to know if you are getting all the pieces you intend as the definition of completeness varies.  The spear and the hammer, though, are solid additions to the figure.  For years, the spear was used by a Budo figure on my cactus shelf: guarding an incense burner sculpted like a Mayan temple.  But, it remains a fun accessory for Zanzibar and is a slightly different notion of Dreadnok weapons.

The Zanzibar mold was used twice. Once for this original figure and then again in 2004 for the Convention Exclusive Zanzibar figure.  With the pirate motif in full bloom, it's doubtful that any of the parts could have been seamlessly integrated into any other figures.  And, there really is no need for more than 2 Zanzibar figures.  So, you can't say the mold was wasted.  This 1987 version is about perfect in terms of design.  (There is a variant on the V1 figure in terms of how Zanzibar's facial hair is painted.  One release is fuller than the other.  But, I'm not sure which variant corresponds to the mail away figure versus the retail release.)  The Convention figure is different, but not better.  So, there's at least something more than one release for the Zanzibar fan to track down.

Zanzibar figures are not expensive.  You can still buy mint in bubble figures for around $10.  (It seems there was a lot of overstock Zanzibars that made their way into the collecting world.)  Mint, complete with filecard figures can be purchased for around $5.  (You can still get sealed in box Zanzibar and Air Skiffs for around $20.)  For whatever reason, there is a large volume of high quality Zanzibar figures still out there.  The result is that the modern collector can get a solid figure for almost nothing.  That's a good thing.  Sadly, the cheap price will color this figure in the eyes of many collectors.  But, as I had the vintage connection, Zanzibar remains a valued member of my collection.

1987 Croc Master - Around the Web

Croc Master was one of the few 1987 villains that became a viable part of my collection.  He's a solid figure, even if he maintains the bizareness that was the 1987 main carded figure line.  He's some of the top content on the character around the web.

Croc Master Profile

Croc Master at JoeDios.com

Croc Master Video Review

Croc Master by _toyler_

Croc Master at JoeWiki

Croc Master at OAFE

Croc Master at Generals Joes

87 Cobras at Joe A Day

Croc Master at Joe A Day

1983 Breaker - Around the Web

Breaker was my first Joe figure.  His gear features an elegant simplicity that keeps him relevant more than 30 years after his release.  Here's some of the surprisingly sparse content around the web on him.

1983 Breaker Profile

1983 Breaker at JoeADay.com

1983 Breaker at Memories of Toymorrow

Breaker at JoeDios.com

1989 Deep Six

In the summer of 1984, I bought my first G.I. Joe comics.  One of the central characters of these early stories was Deep Six.  He was surly, but had a decent look that made me want to get the Sharc and his figure.  When my younger brother got one, though, I was shocked to find the hunk of useless plastic that was the Deep Six figure.  Encased in the bulky deep sea suit, Deep Six was not compatible with any of my other figures.  With that, Deep Six and his Sharc were dismissed from my collection and were the bane of my toy room for many years.  When I returned to Joe in the '90's, though, I discovered that Hasbro had taken another pass at the Deep Six character.  While he was still in a deep sea diving uniform, the 1989 Deep Six brought standard Joe construction to the character and finally made a worthwhile design.

In 1998, I went to a local comic chain in Mesa, AZ.  I stopped in from time to time to look for vintage Star Wars figures.  This time, though, they had a display case full of G.I. Joe figures from the late '80's.  Most were severely overpriced, even for 1998.  But, for $3, there was a Deep Six figure that I simply could not pass by.  I snatched him up and was very pleased to have this new figure in my collection.  Within a year, I was buying lots of Joe figures on a routine basis.  In due course, more Deep Six figures entered my collection.  It was then that I realized that the cool black faceplate on the figure's helmet was an aftermarket addition by the figure's owner.  That somewhat colored the figure for me.  I acquired a bunch of the mail away figures in 2000 and those figures took the Deep Six role.  In all the pictures I took in my pool from that timeframe of my life, you only see the 1993 Deep Six and not the '89.

Once I no longer had a pool, the need for Deep Six diminished.  While I had once army built the figure, I found that I didn't really have any use for him.  So, Deep Six went into the drawer and didn't come out.  Like many specialized figures, if I didn't have need of his purpose, it was likely that he could get buried for a  very long time.  But, when the time arises, the figure is still there and available for whatever purpose I have conjured up.  For Deep Six, it was his appearance in this profile.  Long term, though, he'll go back into the drawer.  It's not that he's a bad figure.  In fact, he's actually quite good.  But, deep sea divers are tough to use and Deep Six looks best when fully accessorized within the context of his specialty.

Of course, this figure is flawed.  Few collectors would consider a figure with bright orange highlights to be among the classics of the line.  It is, though, far and away the best release of the Deep Six character.  But, were you to rank Joe characters in terms of their overall importance and popularity, Deep Six would likely be the lowest rated character through at least 1987.  But, if you look at this figure, you see the quality still shine through.  The designers approached Deep Six with the same level of care brought to Rock and Roll, Backblast or Recoil.  In the depths of the ocean, bright orange and blue make more sense.  The mold is full of small details that enhance Deep Six's specialty and make him more realistic.  He has a classic, old timey diver feel that is an obvious homage to the Jules Verne imagery.  In short, this is a figure that is likely worthy of more appreciation, but will always remain one of the unheralded gems from the line's middle years.

Deep Six's accessories are extremely well done.  While his orange helmet is an opaque mass, it fits onto his body quite well and doesn't make the figure appear too bulky.  His pack is huge, but in line for what someone who was hundreds of feet below the surface of the water would need in order to get down to depth, carry out his mission and safely resurface without getting decompression sickness.  The diving bell/buoy is interesting.  It really doesn't add anything to the figure.  But, it is rather long and would be useful were you to take the figure out into the pool.  The figure's gun is nothing short of odd.  But, then again, taking a weapon down to such depths is an inherent danger in and of itself.  It's likely anything that could withstand the depths to which Deep Six dives would have to be substantial and specially designed just like his dive suit.  As such, I can forgive the bizareness of the weapon.  Within Deep Six's context, it works well enough.  It's distinctive, decent colored and easy to find.  So, I can accept a weird design.

This Deep Six mold saw three releases.  After this high quality release in 1989 and 1990, the figure was picked up by Hasbro Direct in 1993.  A bright yellow Deep Six was offered only via mail away offer.  The brightness of the figure is a deterrent for many collectors.  But, it works in a deep sea environment.  The figure was not popular, though, and would be rather rare except for the fact that most of the Hasbro Direct overstock made it's way to the collecting community in the '90's.  Bagged mail away Deep Six figures were available for around $3 for many years.  It is the unique filecard that is the true rarity of this figure.  At some point in the late 1990's or early 2000's, the Deep Six mold was sent to India.  There, Funskool released for many years.  The Funskool Deep Six is colored after this 1989 figure, though in slightly different shades of blue.  The original accessories are present and the figure is a great complement to this 1989 version.  The mold has not reappeared since then.  Funskool did produce more Deep Six figures around 2009, so it's likely that the mold is still there.

While this version of Deep Six is an excellent figure, he is generally forgotten by collectors.  As such, he remains very cheap.  Carded versions can be easily acquired for $20 - $25.  Loose, mint and complete with filecard figures sell in the $5 to $6 range.  That's a paltry sum for a figure made in the '80's who is a recognizable character and is so well done.  But, it's also a lot to pay for a figure that has very limited uses and doesn't really work on many of the aquatic vehicles.  At the price point, though, there is no reason why any collector should go without a Deep Six figure.  He's worth getting for something different and the intricate design does display nicely.  Specialties like Deep Six's were what made the vintage Joe line so much fun.  You had a figure for every locale and environment of which you could imagine.  Sadly, though, the more obscure that environment was, the less popular the figure is.  But, the diversity of the Joe line has always been it's hallmark.  And, the designers didn't skimp on specialty figures like Deep Six.  Hopefully, collectors can appreciate that.