1987 Maverick - Around The Web

Maverick is one of the better Battle Force 2000 figures.  His colors work with aircraft and he can be used with the JUMP or other, smaller flying vehicles.  The code name is a rip off of Top Gun.  But, G.I. Joe ripped off more that most collectors realize.  I still think his helmet is one of the cooler ones of the 1980's.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

1987 Maverick Profile

Maverick Video Review by HCC788

Battle Force 2000 By Toys & Bacon

Maverick at 3DJoes.com

Maverick at JoeADay.com

Maverick by Slipstream80

Maverick Variants by Hit and Run

2004 Comic Pack Double Clutch

2004 was very much a Joe tranistion year for me.  The year started off with a bang as both the Venom Vs. Valor series of figures showed up almost immediately while both the Night Force and Cobra Infantry sets saturated Toys R Us stores around the country starting in January.  As the year wore on, though, Hasbro kept announcing more and more products.  And, many of those simply didn't resonate with me.  Those that didn't, featured some commonalities: they were all JvC sculpt figures.  The ARAH style figures that were released that year continued to hold my attention...even if I wasn't enamored with the entire slate of them.  In the spring, the first images of the new Joe comic packs were shown.  On one hand, these were exciting and amazing as they offered something collectors had longed for.  On the other hand, the packs had some problems that were apparent from the get go.  In the first wave, there were some figures that intrigued me.  But, the new version of Clutch from Comic Pack 3 was the most interesting.  The figure was big and bulky and brought us a Clutch that was more compatible with figures from the late 1980's and early 1990's.  The figure was a valiant attempt at something different.  And, like all of Hasbro's attempts to break out of a narrow definition of what a vintage style Joe should be, collectors largely punished Hasbro's efforts.

I refer to this figure as Clutch throughout the profile.  The reality, though, is that this character is named Double Clutch due to the copyright issues.  It's meant to be the same character as Clutch, though.  So, I stick with the standard name that I grew up with rather than attempt to justify the mouthful that is the Double Clutch name.  Hasbro losing copyrights was annoying.  But, I can understand it...especially when you consider how much the Kenner acquisition tried to purge G.I. Joe from the Hasbro annals.  In 1995, it was unlikely that Joe would ever return to retail.  But, the success of the Star Wars line proved that adult collectors could be enough of a force to drive retail fortunes and help bolster a toy line while it found its way into kids' consciences, too.

This leads to the figure itself.  The first wave of Comic Packs introduced the comic book green and yellow scheme to G.I. Joe figures.  In and of itself, the scheme isn't awful.  The green is deep and rich and different than most anything else found in the line.  But, like most things Joe in the 2000's, Hasbro overdid it.  The color became too common and casual consumers couldn't differentiate figures on the shelves and the sameness ultimately squashed the line's chances of retail success.  But, when Clutch debuted, there were just two figures (he and his packmate Hawk) that featured the new base color.  So, for Clutch, it works.

The Clutch figure is made from surprising parts.  Aside from the new head (which was available in a smaller size, too, from Asian sellers), the figure then used the rest of the parts from 1993 figures.  Collectors were told that the 1993 figures that appeared in Brazil were lost, never to be made again.  Then, this Clutch showed up using the 1993 Mace body.  Mace was among the "lost" Brazilian figures.  Turns out, the molds weren't lost.  Hasbro just didn't want to look for them.  So, collectors were left with some cool uses like this Clutch, but missed on tons of other excellent repaints of 1993 figures as Hasbro couldn't be bothered to look at their mold inventory.  In addition to the Mace parts, he also featured the arms from the 1993 Duke.  A 1993 Duke repaint was planned for 1995.  Yet, Hasbro never released the full 1993 Duke during the 2000's.  Another opportunity lost for collectors. 

Clutch's gear is awful.  But, it's awful in that it's not unique.  Clutch didn't include a helmet.  This is a double feature of Hasbro not having to sculpt one for the head.  (Saved expense.) And, it's also a way for Hasbro to show off their vintage style sculpting.  (It's known that Hasbro designers of the time HATED working on vintage Joes since the old designs didn't pad their resumes.)  The newly designed heads in 2001 were just terrible.  But, these 2004 offerings were much improved and far more detailed than the balding, pasty white guys that define the 2001 fiasco.  Clutch also includes 3 weapons.  Since the vintage figure lacked a weapon, these are just bonus.  He did include a black version of Snow Job's classic XMLR rifle.  For cartoon fans, getting this weapon with a character like Clutch was a nice Easter Egg.  He also includes a terrible JvC era weapon that has a scope and grenade launcher, but no stock.  The lack of stock means that the soft hands of the 2004 figures don't hold the weapon well and that renders it useless, even if the appearance has some merit.  The final weapon is a 1990 Big Ben rifle.  By 2004, collectors had all of this weapon they would ever want.  So, it was just overkill in the pack.  But, more guns are better than less.  Though, it would have been nice if Clutch had included the newly sculpted M-16 that debuted with General Hawk in this pack.

While the first cases of the comic packs that reached retail were only packs #1 and #2 and were missing pack #3.  This caused some initial panic that the three figures might end up short packed or hard to find.  And, collectors paid $20 for a set for a short time.  But, rather quickly, pack #3 saturated retail and was a common sight.  Though, the set did sell through before the remaining 2004 overstock hit clearance in early 2005 and lead to the short run of the Oktober Guard 3 packs.  However, in 2005, large amounts of overstock of packs 1 through 3 started showing up at discount stores.  You could easily get spare comic packs for $5 all over the country.  Naturally, this lead to massive disinterest in the figure.  And, as many collectors bought up extras to use Stalker and General Hawk as fodder, it left a surplus of Clutchs on the market.

This manifests today.  While many comic pack figures have drastically appreciated in value, Clutch has not.  You can easily get a mint and complete version for $10 from dealers.  And, about 1/2 that on the open market.  You don't see the carded sets with the frequency of a few years ago.  And, those will sell for $40 from dealers.  Again, though, you can find them at half that price if you are patient and wait out the market.  At $5, this figure is a must have.  While the 2007 Convention Clutch is better, it's also a lot more expensive.  This Comic Pack figure is a cheap stop gap that gives you a Clutch that better fits with 1990's era vehicles and figures without breaking the bank.

2008 Cobra Hostile Environment Trooper By Past Nastification

Included as part of the Extreme Conditions:  Desert Assault Squad set, the Cobra Hostile Environment Trooper took the Flash/Grand Slam body and topped it with the Cobra Officer Gas Mask helmet.  The helmet appears to be a reworking of the ARAH head of the Comic Pack set, which was turned into a removable helmet.  It was also released in Cobra Blue for use as the Cobra Air Trooper.   

At a first glance, this is a great figure.  The helmet alone pretty much would make any figure look great.

The color set used for this figure are perfect for a Cobra trooper.  A creamy tan for the uniform, with black boots and gloves, plus brown padding (in some indoor light the padding looks more burgundy- or maybe I just really really want it to). 

But at second glance reveals problems.  In 2008, when almost everyone was going crazy for the new 25A body style, its flaws were overlooked.  Those hands.  Those teeny tiny hands manage to screw up the proportions for the rest of the figure.  And then there’s the upper torso articulation point.  I’ve never liked these, but I can live with them when they’re hidden.  This body is frustrating because had the chest padding been removable, like many of the other webgear sets of the time, the upper torso articulation point would be largely hidden.   As it is, a streak of tan slices through the chest padding.  It’s visually disruptive.

But the bigger problem is that this is a Grand Slam/Flash body.  Color it however you like and top it with that amazing helmet… it’s still a Grand Slam/Flash body, which means it looks like Grand Slam or Flash.  Much too iconic to identify as a Cobra trooper, especially when kept complete.  Maybe mixing in different arms or legs would have offset the source body.  There were several 25A bodies that would have been passable without looking like Grand Slam/Flash clones at this point in the line. 

A silver Cobra biohazard logo is printed on the upper portion of the chest pad, but as good as it is, it can’t compete with the very intricate grid pattern already sculpted onto the padding.  The logo gets lost.  Despite its precision, it looks like a glop of silver.

As far as being biohazard-ready, this outfit doesn’t look like the highest level personal protective gear outfit.  It’s the “get you by until the Toxo-Vipers arrive” level.  For Cobra, this feels about right, so it’s okay.   

The head (under the helmet) is the 25A Cobra Trooper head, with tan hair painted on what was originally a bald scalp.  I don’t really have an issue with this because some people keep their heads nearly shaved, but other collectors find it a sticking point.  It probably should bother me, it just doesn’t.     

In addition to the helmet, the Cobra Hostile Environment Trooper comes with a Demro Wasp rifle (Beachhead’s rifle), a standard Cobra helmet, and Barbecue’s backpack w/hose and nozzle (this was before a modern era Airtight had been created, so his gear didn’t exist to utilize).

The fantastic helmet isn’t quite enough to make this a fantastic figure.     

1993 Mail Away General Hawk - Around The Web

The 1993 General Hawk is one of those fun repaints that shouldn't make sense.  But, he works due to the fact that you can make him Star Brigade and he fits right in.  The figure is a straight repaint of the 1991 figure and the body mold was used in 1993 and 1994 for the Star Brigade Roadblock.  So, it was kind of a common mold to see at the time.  This lead it to be a dud and overstock was offered as a Convention exclusive.  The unsold figures were then liquidated in the Northern Ohio warehouse dump in the mid 1990's.  As such, what should be a hard to find figure is still quite common and can be bought even bagged for a pittance.  It's a really fun version of Hawk, though.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

1993 General Hawk Profile

Mail Away Hawk By toysandtomfoolery

Convention Hawk by thedragonfortress

Convention Hawk by yihad77_

Mail Away Hawk by SpecialMissionForce

Action Force Enemy Battle Gear

A while back, DragonFortress wrote a great blog post about weapon trees.  While some consider them the scourge of 1993 and 1994, they had a certain charm to them and did allow for figures of the time to include a much larger array of accessories.  In the comments from the article, it was brought up that the first appearance of weapon trees was actually in the European Action Force line.  Palitoy took the idea of Battle Gear and applied it to their toy offerings.  Rather than pack a bubble full of loose accessories, though, Palitoy dropped a few of their weapons onto trees, too.  The presentation of the toy was similar to the way Hasbro approached their weapons supplements.  But, Palitoy offered a far more diverse range of offerings by branding smaller sets of battle gear with the sub set of figures with which the gear was meant to be paired.  While there were several sets of Battle Gear released around 1983/1984, I wanted to look at the Red Shadows set and its connections to both Joe and Star Wars.

At its core, this Enemy Battle Gear set includes just 7 pieces.  I'm not sure of the retail pricing in relation to single carded figures from the same series.  But, each set included far less gear than an American Battle Gear pack.  The pieces, though, are all excellent.  They include a small, clear figure stand, two weapons that were exclusive to Palitoy releases, a Palitoy backpack and two repainted accessories from the 1982 Joe line.  The set is Action Force in a microcosm and perfectly showcases the various inspirations for the Action Force line, its evolution into the European G.I. Joe line and the unique European-ess of the original pieces.

The Red Shadows were the main antagonist in the Action Force mythos.  They have been heavily co-opted into the G.I. Joe story at this point and some of their early European roots have been lost.  While most consider them a pre-cursor or European branch of Cobra, the Red Shadows were designed as a stand alone villain in the same veins as both the aforementioned Cobra as well as the Galactic Empire from Star Wars.  In short, they were a cross over of Nazi era extremism, uniformity and discipline while being just enough super villain to not run afoul of the still festering wounds left on the European continent by World War II.

We'll begin with the two G.I. Joe repaint weapons included in the set.  The first is a black Zap bazooka.  This thick handled version is a thumb breaker for G.I. Joe figures.  But, for the softer plastic hands of Palitoy Action Force figures, this was less of an issue.  The black color is unique to Palitoy releases and was included with the standard Red Shadow army building figure.  Red Shadows were ubiquitous for years.  But, the retconning of Red Shadows into G.I. Joe has driven interest and the Red Shadow figures are now more expensive and harder to find.  Most collectors can identify the black bazooka as a Palitoy release and will charge for it accordingly.  It's not a rare accessory by any means.  But, you'll pay a premium for it relative to its availability.

Rounding out the Hasbro molds is a red version of Short Fuse's mortar and stand.  You will note the mortar is the half-handle version with the thick handle.  This helps identify the timeline of the weapon's release.  I'm not aware of this red mortar being released with any Action Force figure at retail and believe it exclusive to this set.  This makes it much harder to find than the black bazooka.  But, as the red is a vibrant and bright color, there is less desirability here.  The black bazooka looks good with a host of Cobra and Joe figures.  The red mortar is less useful.  But, it still helps to make the weapon more Cobra and take away some of the association with Short Fuse and his signature weapon.

We then move to the red backpack.  Palitoy Action Force figures were based on Kenner's vintage Star Wars line.  They had five points of articulation and softer plastic hands.  Palitoy's designers took more risks with the figure posing and many of the figures had arm and hand positions that were designed for a specific accessory.  In addition to borrowing the Kenner figure design, Action Force also borrowed their design for backpacks.  After the Empire Strikes Back was released, Kenner introduced a mail away offer that included some new, soft plastic backpacks that affixed to figures via flexible plastic bands that closed and attached to the figures by plugging soft knobs into holes on the pack arms.  The same design is seen here with the included bright red backpack.  The pack seems to be an infantry pack with fun detail, but little specific purpose.  (There are other packs in the Action Force line, such as radios and diving gear that are purpose driven.)  The pack will fit on Action Force figures.  But, its use for Hasbro G.I. Joe figure is hit and miss.  This pack will not fit on either a 1983 Cobra Trooper nor any factory customs based on its mold.  It may fit on other figures from the 1982-1984 timeline.  But, the straps are tight and don't have much leeway.  Regardless, it's a fun piece of gear to help round out a diorama.  But, again, it's bright red.  This pack mold certainly appeared with other figures in the Action Force line, but I believe this color is exclusive to the Battle Gear set.

The final two weapons are included in the carded set attached to the weapons tree.  I do not know if this tree was used for all Action Force weapons of these molds.  Or, if this was a new mold created from the originals to quickly and cheaply add some additional gear to this set.  Either way, it includes two black rifles: a STEN gun and an SA-80.  These are noteworthy because they were definitively British weapons of the era.  So, while G.I. Joe focused on the American-ness of its weapons (the M-16, M-60, etc.), Action Force focused on its British roots for the unique gear.  The inclusion of these weapons help to round a Joe armory from the early '80's and provide some nice diversity for the modern collector.

The STEN gun is interesting.  The real weapons are cool and would be a visual treat for Joe figures.  The toy, though, doesn't translate that well.  The side clip is small.  And, the weapon feels like more of a pistol than a famous rifle.  It still looks good with a variety of figures: especially early Joes based on the 1982 sculpts.  But, it's something that I was disappointed with and definitely expected to be more fun than it actually was.  The black version of the weapon was included with at least one Action Force figure that I can find.  It also appeared in other colors in various sub sets of the Palitoy line.

The final weapon in this set is the doozy.  Not because it's any better than the others.  But, because of where else it was used.  The black SA-80 in this set was included with a few Action Force figures, but always in different colors.  I can't find another Action Force figure who has the black version.  (I don't know Action Force off the top of my head like I do Joes, though, so please correct me in the comments if I'm wrong.)  But, there are other colors accompanying carded figures, including a silver version that I think looks better.  But, this black SA-80 was also released with the super rare German YPS Hoth Stormtrooper figure.  Basically, this is a Kenner Snowtrooper (missing some country of origin info and including a specific skirt) that includes the SA-80 instead of the Kenner large blaster rifle.  This little detail makes all the difference.  What was a relatively common Action Force weapon is now highly sought after among Kenner Star Wars collectors.  This gun, alone, can command over $100 to Star Wars fans.

Pricing on this set is troublesome for this reason.  While the SA-80 is super desirable, that is a more recent development.  Many Joe collectors were able to snatch up the huge quantity of overstock carded Action Force figures and gear sets for super cheap prices over the years.  So cheap that many of the sets were opened and incorporated into either Red Shadow or Cobra armies.  Many Joe collectors are not aware of the Star Wars connection and will sell the set to other collectors, ignorant of the single gem inside.  You can still get carded sets in the $70 range.  But, again, finding the right collector might get you one for a fraction of that.  While the SA-80 is cool, it's not cool enough to warrant the price tag.  If you want the rest of the gear, you should be able to get it cheap since it lacks the desirability of the signature piece.  And, you can get better colored SA-80's for the same price as other Action Force gear and that allows you to have the mold in your collection without breaking the bank.

For me, I always love getting Joe gear in different colors.  The black bazooka is one of my favorite international repaints of a Hasbro weapon.  The Palitoy exclusive weapons are also excellent and work surprisingly well with Joe figures.  I have found many of these weapons to be a great accoutremout to the factory custom figures that use so many early 1983 parts as their inspiration.  The unique weapons help to separate these figures from many of their brethren that use similar construction.  (I also like the bazooka and mortar as a call back to the JC Penny three pack of Cobras that included the weapons.  But, the black and red are more Cobra than the weapons that accompanied the Penny's figures.)  There are many other weapons in the Action Force line that cross over to Joes as well.  Without the Star Wars connection, many are available for relatively cheap: especially if you buy a lot of junk Action Force figures.  You might get 15 figures with 5 accessories.  But, that can be worth it when you consider the price you are likely to pay.  I've found parts of this set in American collections, too.  So, keep an eye out when buying up collections that were amassed in the early 2000's as Action Force figures and weapons do appear in these from time to time.