2001 Rock and Roll - TRU HQ Exclusive

What do you get when Hasbro takes an obscure mold from 1994, repaints it in a relatively non-descriptive way, removes the accessories and releases it in a retailer exclusive, high price point, undesirable mold HQ remake?  The answer is the 2001 Rock and Roll figure.  But, the answer is also the 2002 Flint figure.  Confused?  You should be.  In one of the more bizarre moves in the history of the Joe line, Hasbro released the exact same figure in subsequent years in the same exclusive but with different names for the figure.  In 2001, the figure was Rock and Roll.  In 2002, he was renamed to Flint on the box of the HQ, but the figure's filecard still referred to him as Rock and Roll.  The fact that the mold is a repainted 1994 Flint just makes this one of the biggest messes in the history of the line.  But, the story of how it came to be actually is somewhat interesting.  And, the figure isn't terrible.  So, that's at least something to offset the confusing releases.

In the late 90's, Funskool released a version of the Sonic Fighters Rock and Roll figure.  It is nearly identical to the American figure, but is actually incredibly hard to find.  The reason is that Hasbro recalled the mold from Funskool early in the figure's production run as they intended to use it in their TRU or ARAHC re-releases.  Funskool complied and returned the mold.  Hasbro intended for this TRU HQ to have a repaint of that 1989 Rock and Roll figure.  But, when the time came, they could not find the mold.  So, the dug out the 1994 Flint, repainted him and released him as part of the HQ, keeping the Rock and Roll name.  Shortly thereafter, Hasbro actually found the Rock and Roll mold.  But, since they no longer had any plans for it since the ARAHC had been replaced with the new sculpt Joe Vs. Cobra line, they actually sent the mold back to Funskool.  Funskool then planned to release a new version of Rock and Roll at some point in either 2003 or 2004.  But, the Funskool line was cancelled before they got around to it.  So, the great 1989 Rock and Roll mold should have had 2 modern releases, but ended up with none.  But, that is how a Flint mold came to be named Rock and Roll.  In 2002, Hasbro tried to rectify the situation by calling the figure Flint on the package.  But, the reality is that since the 2002 HQ's were just overstock 2001 versions with new packaging, they didn't bother to print up any new filecards for the figure.  So, the box called him Flint, but the filecard says Rock and Roll.

I'm actually a fan of the 1994 Flint figure.  The mold, while it has some limitations, is rather strong.  The desert theme and odd helmet may limit him for some collectors.  But, I find that the look works and the helmet brings something unique to the design.  So, seeing it repainted was actually enjoyable for me.  The figure is fairly well done with brown, accent grey and the decent green pants.  The figure's torso is detailed well enough, but the legs are left basically unpainted.  So, the figure looks unfinished.  (This is likely a cost cutting move left over 1994 when some of the leg paint applications were left off Flint figures.)  The figure also includes no accessories.  While the head is nicely sculpted, the reality is that it needs a helmet.  With no head gear, the figure is too plain.  Even a weapon would have raised up in my eyes.  In the end, the figure is better than much of the ARAH style repaints Hasbro sold in 2002 and 2003.  But, he isn't nearly as well done as the 1997 and 1998 figures.

In my collection, the figure can only be Flint.  The mold makes no sense as Rock and Roll.  So, this is a version of Flint.  But, in the decade and more that I have owned this figure, I have never used him.  For whatever reason, I just can't find a place for the figure.  Without accessories, he is somewhat lost.  But, the solid coloring should at least get him an appearance in a photo or two.  It just hasn't happened.  I suppose this the very definition of "forgotten" when you can't use a decently colored mold of one of your favorite characters.

The timing of this figure's release was not great.  The ARAHC re-releases from 2000 had been hugely successful, though in a limited run.  2001 started strong, but Wave II was oversold and backed up in markets around the country.  This lead to huge quantities of pegwarmers.  Wave III was underproduced and only sold for a short time.  Wave IV was mostly sold to clearance outlets and the retail line was cancelled and Wave V went Internet only in early 2002.  In the midst of this was the 2001 HQ with this figure.  On Black Friday in 2001, I waited outside a TRU store to get one of these.  But, the line was long, the air was cold and I decided he simply wasn't worth the wait.  As the HQ's lingered into 2002, it proved to be a good thing as I ultimately traded for the figure at a much lower rate than had I bought the HQ.  In 2002, the Joe Vs. Cobra line was launched and Joe experienced a resurgence that lasted through 2004.  But, by the time the 2002 version of this HQ was released, it was old news and most collectors were awaiting the Spy Troops line that had started to filter out early.

This figure should be impossible to find.  He was only released with an HQ that was very expensive and undesirable for collectors to acquire.  It was released in 2001 and 2002 when Joe collecting was at it's highest, so few made their way into clearance bins.  Yet, this figure is ridiculously cheap.  Part of that is driven by the fact that a large quantity of overstock Rock and Roll figures was sold directly from Asia.  Many of these were sold straight to collectors for less than $5 each.  This sated most demand for the figure.  But, beyond that, the figure isn't that popular.  The mold is good, the colors solid and it's a major character.  But, no one really cares.  So, the result is a figure that's somewhat hard to find, but disproportionately cheap.  Today, you can get the figure without his filecard for $4 rather easily.  The filecard, though, is the tough find.  But, still, no one cares about it.  For me, this is a interesting figure that, had he a helmet, would have been a great update to an under-appreciated mold.  Instead, it is an oddity from a slow time in the Joe collecting world.

1984 Hooded Cobra Commander

Simply put, Cobra Commander is the single most important Cobra character in the entire Joe line.  Sure, Storm Shadow or Destro might be the favorites for some collectors.  But, no one can deny that, without the Commander, Cobra would have been a pale villain for Joe that would like have flamed out in a short timeframe.  With the Commander at the helm, though, Cobra had the dynamic, villianous leader that any good evil organization needs if they wish to stand the test of time.  Like most of the early figures, Cobra Commander's initial release was very worthy of his character.  His battle helmet denoted a dangerous enemy.  But, the baby blue coloring was less intimidating.  In 1984, though, Hasbro remedied this with the mail away Hooded Cobra Commander figure.  Featuring a bold Cobra blue offset with gold trim, the figure featured one mold difference from the first version: a new hooded head.  The result is a more laid back and strategic commander who better fits with his troops of the time.

In the mid 1990's, many dealers and comic shops thought this figure was rare.  He was a mail away only, so he had to be rare.  As such, many places sold loose versions of the figure for $35-$50.  Considering that, at the time, you could get carded '82 Joes for under that price, it was a ludicrous amount.  The reality is that this figure was produced from 1984 through, at least, 1993 and was likely available well into 1994 as overstock.  So, while he was never available at a store, he likely saw a larger production run that any figure who was released at retail.  In time, the collecting market figured this out and those early prices have dropped dramatically.  Early collecting had many of the ideas of rarity correct, but often got the details wrong.  This mail away figure is relatively common while others are among the rarest figures of the line.  It just took a while to figure who was who.

As a kid, I never used this figure as Cobra Commander.  My brothers and I got 3 of them at the same time.  So, this figure immediately became an army builder in lieu of the Commander himself.  The Cobra blue coloring made him a perfect fit as the gunner for a HISS Tank or ASP.  So, these figures became my Cobra Gunners.  They retained that title for many years, so much so that when I found my childhood toys in my parents' attic, a version was still strapped into the ASP.  It allowed me to expand my Cobra Blue army without having to buy more Cobra Troopers.  It also made sense to me that the Commander would have troopers molded in his image.  Their uniforms homages to his greatness.  It worked for a time.  But, there are better figures for these purposes now.  So, today, this is just the ceremonial Cobra Commander.  He appears in displays of other Cobra troops and that's about it.  He looks perfect next to original Cobra Troopers and Officers.  But, it doesn't make much sense to have him appear anywhere else.

As a mold, this version really fits Cobra Commander.  While the Commander's personality was large with an oversized ego, I always envisioned the man as rather small.  Not Napoleon short.  But, a slight build whose personality rather than his physical build carried the power of his military force.  In that regard, this mold is very successful.  Cobra Commander is neither overly slight, but he is not large, either.  He appears to be just an ordinary man whose personality drove him to power.  If you look at the mold, it is resplendent in detail.  The tunic buttons, golden bracings and the subtle undershirt give the Commander a regal appearance.  But, the armor plate on his back that holds his pistol lets you know that this guy still means business, too.  There are intricate details on the belt and the golden knife on his leg is a final, deadly display of excess.  But, it all fits with the character we've come to know as the Commander.

This mold was used for the helmeted Cobra Commander in 1983 and then the body was reused for this Hooded version in 1984.  In 1997, this body mold was planned for released in the Cobra Command three pack.  But, Hasbro could not find the tooling.  Which leads to the question, where is this mold?  Aside from the US releases, the figure was released in Europe and Japan.  But, this Cobra Commander mold never went to South America or India.  The fact that the Hooded Cobra Commander was in production until at least 1993 indicates that Hasbro had it right up until the end.  But, there is even more evidence that the mold should have been available.  In 1994, Hasbro produced a large quantity of figures for release in China.  These include in the infamous exclusive Major Bludd and Flint figures.  But, the helmeted Cobra Commander was also part of that line.  If you look at the Chinese releases, most of the figures saw release in the repaint line or in India.  (Roadblock, Duke, Dial Tone, Destro, Storm Shadow, Lifeline etc.)  So, Hasbro really did have the mold only three years before the repaints began and it should have been available.

Despite that, though, the mold never appeared again.  Hasbro resurrected the 1987 and 1991 Super Sonic Fighters Cobra Commander molds, but never found a way to bring this vintage version back to production.  It's an odd choice for Hasbro to not have resculpted this mold.  They did it for figures like Mutt, Lady Jaye and the Cobra Trooper.  But, never this version of Cobra Commander.  When you consider that they could have repainted this mold at least 3 times (Cobra Blue, Crimson, Black) and released each color as both a hooded and helmeted figure, it would seem that Hasbro could easily have recouped the costs of recasting the parts.  But, for whatever reason, things like that didn't happen in the repaint line.  Collectors are the ones who missed out as they were robbed of the chance of some great figures in lieu of a large number of mediocre releases.

(I have a theory on this, though.  I believe that Joe collectors are their own worst enemies due to their completist tendencies.  Hasbro could put out crap and collectors would buy it up for fear that they would never see anything else.  As such, Hasbro had no incentive to invest in the repaint line since collectors would buy just as many repainted 1991 Cobra Commanders as they would repainted '83's.  I think the 25th Anniversary line proved, though, that there was a large untapped market that Hasbro could have plugged into sooner had they released more classic repaints in better packaging.  But, they didn't know that until it was too late and the window for collectors to see high quality remakes of vintage molds has passed.)

This version of Cobra Commander is very easy to find.  Even bagged, the figures can be had for very reasonable prices.  But, I have found that, in recent years, perfect figures with no wear on the gold paint are getting much more difficult to find.  If you are willing to sacrifice a little perfection on the gold trim, you can have this figure for under $12.  Perfect specimens will climb upwards of $20, but you can get them MIB for just under $30.  So, it's not like the Viper Pilot symbol where a slight uptick in condition leads to a $50 or $60 price gain.  For a figure of this quality and importance to the line as a whole, it is a small price to pay.  The 1993 Cobra Commander follows the same idea for the uniform, but is more bulky.  I see him as the more battle inclined Commander from the later comics.  This version is the man who built Cobra on his back.  As such, I find him an essential figure to any collection.

2003 Black Dragon Firefly - Convention Exclusive

What happens when you take a mold that is completely played out and repackage it into a release with just 2 paint masks?  In the case of Firefly, the result can be something that is quite cool, but also quite overlooked.  (Though, a limited production run plays into that, too.)  In 2003, there were no vintage molds collectors were more sick of than Mirage, Big Ben and Firefly.  Mirage and Big Ben made sense as they weren't characters who were highly regarded to begin with.  But, Firefly was sacrilege.  In 1998, no would have believed that within 5 years collectors would never want to see another Firefly again.  Yet, by 2005, they would get 3 more of the figure.  This version of Firefly was created to tie into the new faction introduced in the 2003 Convention Set: Black Dragon.  It was a remote tie at best, but did produce a decent figure.

This version of Firefly was sold as the first attendee exclusive figure pack at the 2003 G.I. Joe convention.  It included 2 Firefly figures: this version and an oddly painted version called the Cobra Island Infiltrate Firefly.  The Infiltrate Firefly uses the same black base as this figure, but features a brightly colored cammo pattern that uses green, yellow and orange.  I'm not sure this look would help him infiltrate Cobra Island, but it is a different color scheme for the character.  Collectors were shocked at the appearance of this set at the convention since they had no prior knowledge of it.  Reaction was largely mixed.  Collectors liked the idea of attendee figure sets, didn't like the price and weren't thrilled to see 2 Firefly repaints at a time when the mold had really been overdone.  As such, the set faded into relative obscurity.  Not too many people actually owned the sets and anyone wanting to use Firefly in a dio or photo was more likely to use the vintage or other, more available modern repaint than these convention figures.  The result is you don't see these figures used very often and many collectors don't really pay attention to their existence.

Oddly, the combination of black and silver was not a look that was utilized during the vintage Joe line outside of Snake Eyes.  It is likely the fact that Snake Eyes was so popular and Hasbro didn't want to infringe upon him that no vintage Cobras saw this color scheme.  It is unfortunate as it is a solid look.  But, it is also good because it left figures in this design to be done at some point in the future.  Unfortunately, Hasbro did not take advantage beyond the Urban Assault Alley Viper.  Master Collector produced this Firefly and the modern bootleggers have produced Cobra Troopers in the colors.  But, that's about it.  The one bright companion for this figure, though, is the Funskool Street Hawk figure.  The version using TARGAT's head is a dead match for this Firefly and is a nice companion character.  (Especially if you have the version with Spearhead's chest.)

For me, this is the value of Black Dragon Firefly.  He is Firefly at his freelance best.  Sure, there is still some affiliation with Cobra.  But, this is Firefly as he goes out and finds jobs from other sources that keep his bank accounts flush with ill-gotten cash.  It's a small use, but this is a different enough look for the character that he warrants some inclusion in a collection.  The black and silver works as Firefly's night operations uniform and you can see this being his chosen style when he's out blowing up a bank in the middle of the night.  But, really, the figure is more of a display piece than anything.  Firefly's grey, urban cammo is his signature look.  So, an alternate uniform like this one is fun to have around, but rarely sees any use as the character.

While the black and silver color scheme is visually appealing, the reality is that this figure has a fairly basic paint scheme: especially for a convention figure.  Typically, the higher price of convention figures is justified with generous paint masks.  Not so with this figure.  Firefly has just 4 colors: the black body, flesh tone, the silver highlights and the red Cobra sigil.  Later Firefly figures really used paint applications to showcase the detail of the mold.  And, for this figure, the minimal silver still accomplishes this.  The grenades, belt buckle, knife, pistol and boots are enough to bring out the highlights of the mold.  The figure is accessorized with all of Firefly's original gear: sub machine gun, walkie talkie, backpack and cover.  He also includes the requisite convention clear stand.  Firefly is a figure whose gear is iconic, so he needed to have his original accessories.  But, since all the Firefly figures except for the Gift Pack version from 2002 have included repaints of the vintage accouterments, it makes their inclusion here less special.


The Firefly mold saw few uses...in the vintage line.  Hasbro produced the figure for the US, Europe and Japan.  At some point in the mid '90's, the mold was sent to India.  There, Funskool removed the US copywrite information and released the figure in color schemes nearly identical to the American figure for a few years.  In 1998, Hasbro reacquired the mold and released the Polar Assault Firefly.  After that, Hasbro got Firefly crazy with repaints of the mold released in 2000, 2002, 2003 (for the convention and as Wreckage in the Tiger Force set), 2004 and twice in 2005.  There really isn't a Cobra standard color scheme in which the figure does not exist.  All these repaints in such a short time really dampened collector interest in the mold and likely have sated all demand that exists for any other repaints.

This Firefly is hard to find.  Master Collector claimed to have only made 500 of these sets.  (However, some collectors reported finding cases with a count of 375 pieces.  I'm no actuary, but I don't know of any way that 375 evenly goes into 500.)  They sold out at the convention, though not until the final day.  For years, though, this set saw little movement on the secondary market.  Even as the attendee items from 2007, 2008 and 2009 reached ludicrous pricing heights, this set stayed calm.  Now, though, the price has come up.  You only see a few sets of these sold each year.  The price for a set runs from $100 to $140 depending upon how long it's been since the last one sold.  Individually, the Black Dragon Firefly seems to be more popular than the Infiltrate figure.  But, so few are sold separately that it's difficult to accurately gauge prices.  Regardless, if you don't have this figure and want one, it's going to take some time to find one and some money to acquire it when you do. For the price, it's an OK figure.  But, honestly, the 2004 Urban Assault and 2005 Comic Pack figures are far superior to this version and can be had at about 1/10th the price.

1989 Python Patrol Officer

In the first half of the vintage line, repaints were relatively rare.  For the most part, Hasbro released new figures every year.  There were a few sparse examples here and there.  But, the line remained relatively unique for a long time.  As the '80's wound down, though, Hasbro discovered that repainting some older molds was a good way to expand the line without creating new molds.  It also was a way to keep some higher profile characters in the rotation at retail.  Rather than simply repaint a figure and insert it into the line, though, Hasbro came up with the notion of sub teams and themes as a means to pump repaints into the marketplace.  The results were surprisingly strong.  Night Force, Tiger Force, Mission to Brazil and the subject of this profile, Python Patrol are all figure subsets that are highly regarded by collectors today.  The Python Patrol Officer is no exception...even if he was the victim a misunderstanding.

First off, while this figure is named the Python Patrol Officer, the mold is the classic Cobra Trooper.  The Cobra Officer mold was also released in Python Patrol as the Python Trooper.  It is a classic mix-up that causes confusion to this day.  As a kid, I always felt the Cobra Trooper would be the more elite of the Cobras since he had the more detailed uniform and the more specialized weapon.  But, since I like the Trooper mold much more than I do the Officer, this is something I got over as I wanted to have many more Troopers in my collection than I did the Officers.

The Cobra Trooper mold is one of my favorites in the entire line.  If my entire collection was reduced to 5 figures, a vintage Cobra Trooper would be one of those select keepers.  The figure follows the design of the original Joes with the web gear on the chest.  But, in lieu of a molded knife, the figure has a machine pistol.  The mold is covered in minor details, down to the piano wire on the arm.  Unfortunately, the Python Officer does not take full advantage of these details as many are unpainted.  These repaints were meant to be cheap to produce and the cammo likely ate up much of the budget.  But, since the figure's base is black, you can somewhat forgive the missing paint applications.

Python Patrol has retained some popularity among the collecting world.  The reality is that of the original figures, the Crimson Guard and Tele-Viper are not good.  The Officer, Trooper and Viper, though, are extremely well done.  The green, grey and black combination actually looks like something that Cobra could use.  They could be night fighters, forest patrols or jungle recon units.  Mixing them with the Python vehicles is a bit more difficult.  But, Python Troopers and Officers are a perfect match for the SEARS exclusive Dreadnok Stinger and RAM.  The green meshes well with the figures' coloring and is a nice companion piece to any Python Patrol display.

I never really liked the story behind Python Patrol.  But, it did give us some nice figures.  I have found these Python Officers to be a great addition to a Cobra army since they are something a little different, but hearken back to the original blues.  In that regard, I have found a use for them.  Having the Brazilian exclusive Gatilho and Relampago figures helps, though.  These figures mesh well with the Python Officers and give the foreign characters a similarly clad army at their disposal.  They are a more specialized unit, but I see them as more of a forest/jungle patrol on Cobra Island than any other, specific, combat duty.  It is a somewhat limited role, but does work with the figures since they stand out when displayed with non Python Patrol Cobras.

The Cobra Trooper mold was used all over the world.  The straight arm figure was released in the US, Brazil and Argentina.  Hasbro produced the swivel arm version for the US, Europe and Japan.  The swivel arm figure then showed up in Brazil where it was released by Estrela as Vibora in colors very similar to the Python Officer.  In 2004, Hasbro resculpted the Troopers chest and legs for release in the Cobra Infantry set.  But, later that year, they found the original mold and used the chest and head for the comic pack Trooper and again in 2005 as the body for the Night Watch Troopers.  Unfortunately, Hasbro did not properly capitalize on the mold's popularity and left several obvious repaints unproduced.  Enterprising bootleggers have filled this gap and produced Troopers in all colors of the rainbow.  It would have been great for Hasbro to better utilize these molds.  But, they didn't.  At least we can enjoy the figures that were released.

In the mid to late '90's, subsets like Python Patrol and Tiger Force were considered scarcer than the figures from whom the members were repainted.  In those days, you were likely to pay more for a Tiger Force or Python Patrol figure than you were for the original.  As the collecting world moved online, though, inequities like these were ironed out.  Slowly, the original figures became more desirable and expensive while the repaints fell in price.  But, as the '00's wound down, those early perceptions were proved at least somewhat correct.  Python Patrol and Tiger Force were only released in one production year in lieu of the standard two.  So, they are scarcer than the original figures.  Today, it is much harder to find a mint, complete Python Officer than it is a mint, complete Cobra Trooper.  But, the reality is that the popularity of the originals still trumps the repaints.  So, despite being harder to find, Python Officers can be purchased for $11-$14.  Getting an army of them may take some time, but they aren't as expensive as they once were.  For what this figure offers, it's a pretty good price.

1997 Stalker

Starting in 1997, Hasbro attempted to cater to the collector market with exclusive repaints of classic figures.  Between 1997 and 2006, hundreds of repainted ARAH style figures were put into the market.  Looking back at these figures, the majority of them are not well done.  Most were inferior repaints to classic figures.  And, in some cases, were outright insults to the prior figures with whom they shared a mold.  But, now and then, Hasbro did come through.  And, when they did, the results were easily on par or better than items that were produced in the vintage era.  At the time, many of these gems were obscured by the quantity of low quality figures that simply overpowered them.  But, time allows greater perspective and gives the modern collector the opportunity to really appreciate the modern repaints that Hasbro got right.  One such figure that was an instant classic appeared right out of the gate in 1997 Stars and Stripes set: Stalker.

As characters go, they don't get much bigger than Stalker.  He was easily one of the top characters from the comic and enjoyed a large presence from the first issue through the last.  He had figures released in 1982, 1989 and 1994.  But, the character transcended those releases. Stalker's connection to Snake Eyes and Stormshadow along with his green beret background brought the figure to life.  The fact that his original incarnation was the only original Joe released in a cammo pattern immediately gave street cred to the figure.  All of that pressure meant that any repaint of Stalker really had to be special.

In this case, Hasbro delivered on that legacy: big time.  The figure is nearly perfect.  The base green is deep and inviting.  It is very close to Action Force green, but different in a way that makes the figure more usable.  But, the complete cammo is the real star of the figure.  Black, brown and white stripes are overlaid on the figure's body to give the mold a rich texture without overpowering the base green.  On top of this, nearly all the figure's accents are painted.  He has a silver knife inserted in brown web gear, black pouches on his arms, deeper green pouches on his shoulders, grey buckles on his boots and a brown belt with black buckle.  It is a remarkably detailed figure and shows complex paint applications that were pretty much gone from the repaint line after 1998 unless the figure was a convention release.  The one criticism of the figure is the black beret.  In 1997, this alone was enough for most collectors to give up on the figure entirely.  Today, though, it is just a different look for the character.  Personally, I think a green beret would have been too much of that color.  But, the black caps the figure off nicely and keeps the overall color contained within the mold.  He is not a sea of green, but a perfect contrast of subtle darks and lights that create one of the most visually appealing figures created after the vintage Joe line.

Sadly, Stalker is the exception in the Stars and Stripes set rather than the norm.  The Scarlett figure from the set is well done, though in very different colors from her original incarnation.  But, Grunt, Zap and Short Fuze are all in colors that don't work nearly as well as Stalker.  Snake Eyes is an OK figure.  But, there is only so much that can be done to that mold and still remain true to the character.  Breaker and Rock and Roll are basically throw away figures from the set as they aren't the classic molds and aren't even good attempts at remaking the characters.  One of the things that helps save this set, though, is that most of the figures include their original accessories.  The original Joes were all defined, to a degree, by the accessories they included.  So, releasing the figures without them really takes away some of the essence of these figures.  The 1997's avoided that trap and even went so far as to enhance each figure by including additional accessories that made sense.  (In Stalker's case, it was a green Grunt's backpack.)  Hasbro abandoned this practice with the comic packs (except for Snake Eyes and Scarlett) and many of those figures are largely ignored by collectors due to their overall banality.  It baffles me how Hasbro got it so right in their first attempt to appease collectors and then completely forgot how to do it in just a few years.

This figure is my default Stalker.  While the original figure is classic and has a place, it is this figure who represents the character in my collection.  He has all the original molding and accessories, but better colors.  He fits right in with figures from later years in the line, but also is still true to his original roots.  He does go very well with Action Force figures as well as the Zap from the 2007 convention set.  As such, this figure got a lot of use in my early dios and profile photos.  It is a spot well deserved when you see how well done this figure is.

The Stalker mold has been used around the world.  He appeared in the US, Argentina, Brazil, Europe, Mexico and India.  The mold has been also released using a Caucasian skin tone in Argentina (as Manleh) and India.  But, Hasbro managed to get the mold back from Funskool prior to the 1997 releases.  From there, Hasbro released it in the full incarnation just once.  But, the figure did get a new head in a comic pack homage in both 2004 and 2005.  While it would have been nice to see a classic Stalker in desert colors, I can live with what we have.  The 1997 repaint is just so good that any other attempt to remake it would likely have been a flop.

In 1997, the Joe repaints were met with much derision from the collecting community.  As such, the Stars and Stripes set didn't sell though all that quickly and was clearanced in many Toys R Us stores around the country.  Collectors griped about the plastic quality, paint applications, lower quality accessories and pretty much any other little detail they could glom onto.  Amazingly, by 2001, collectors were clamoring for a return to the 1997 standards.  These figures, though, do have much more pliable plastic used for their construction than do the vintage releases.  This isn't bad as the thumbs don't tend to break.  But, it's bad in that the hands are much more flexible.  After a short time holding his weapon, Stalker's hand will be stretched out and the gun will fall out on it's own accord.  This can be remedied with positioning.  But, it is something you notice when dealing with these figures.  Quality did improve from 1997 to 1998 and beyond and it's not unheard of for 1997 figures to break right out of the box.  I never had any real issues with this, but many other collectors reported quality concerns right from the start.

The Stars and Stripes set was not a huge hit.  Despite having some collector favorite molds, it also had a large number of duds.  On top of that, the set was sold for $29.99.  For a set of 8 figures with a full complement of accessories and base, that's not too bad.  But, for the time, was a lot to ask since $30 bought a lot of vintage Joes in 1997.  This lead to the sets lingering and, ultimately, being clearanced.  But, they must have sold well enough as Toys R Us brought the Joes back in 1998.  The success there ultimately lead to the 2000 mass retail releases which were the harbingers of Joe's general return to retail.

In the early 2000's, 1997 Joes got ridiculously pricey.  New collectors were flooding the marketplace and were desperate to pick up all the repaint Joes.  At that time, loose versions of this figure would routinely top out around $20.  But, as time moved on, the interest in this figure and 1997 Joes in general waned.  Supply increased as collectors who had bought multiples in 1997 sold off their duplicates and demand dropped as Hasbro kept pumping out other figures that grabbed collector interest.  Today, this figure can be purchased for under $10.  Rumors abounded that the Stars and Stripes set had a production run of around 30,000 units.  Those numbers make this figure very plentiful in the Joe world.  So, a $10 or lower price tag is probably appropriate.  At this price, the figure is a must buy.  The green coloring, intricate cammo and classic accessories all combine into a near perfect repaint of a classic mold.  Had all of the comic pack and other repaints been of this quality, the repaint line may have had a different fate.  But, at least we got a few figures of this quality.  So, it's worth enjoying the successes when you find them.