Olhos de Fenix - Brazilian Exlusive Spirit Iron Knife - Around The Web

The 1984 Spirit is a classic figure.  He has a major issue, though, in that the light blue shirt and sleeves tend to discolor very badly.  Even properly stored figures are starting to go.  And, as the color fades and yellows, it ruins the aesthetic of a great toy.  For some reason, though, the blue plastic used on the Brazilian release of Spirit (Olhos de Fenix) does not fade.  And, it is a brighter, more brilliant blue than even the Hasbro figure had in 1984.  

This creates a great version of Spirit.  And, there's actually a good amount of content featuring the figure.  The upside is that you can still get quality Olhos de Fenix figures with relative ease.  The downside is that you'll now pay triple digits for the privilege.  But, if you love the Spirit character and are tired of faded blues, this might be the way to go.

Olhos de Fenix Profile

Olhos de Fenix by atticagazette

Olhos de Fenix by vintagebraziltoys

Olhos de Fenix by Relinquished1979

Olhos de Fenix by specialmissionforce

Olhos de Fenix by gladiousbrazil

Olhos de Fenix by andrey_collector

Olhos de Fenix by vintagebraziltoys

Olhos de Fenix by Reliquished1979

Olhos de Fenix by RTG

Comandos Em Acoa Review

Olhos de Fenix by comandos_em_acao_gijoe

Olhos de Fenix by Relinquished1979

Olhos de Fenix by indio_iwa

Olhos de Fenix by Relinqueshed 1979

2018 Asa Negra - Red Laser Army

Back in 2001, there was still not a central documentation platform for all the figures released in Brazil.  What archives that did exist were incomplete, especially for figures that were similar to the Hasbro releases.  As such, from time to time, "new" figures would pop up.  Usually, these were vehicle pack ins or from a series that was not featured on one of the cardbacks in various archives.  So, when a Brazilian collector told me he had an Asa Negra figure available, there was no documentation as to who the character was or what figure mold he used.  My Brazilian friend was able to scan in a cardback and I was able to see that Asa Negra was a repainted Headhunter Stormtrooper figure that was fairly similar to the Hasbro release.  It was kind of a letdown.  Especially since he wanted so much money for the figure at a time before Brazilian swivel arms had really begun to take off.

Asa Negra loosely translates as "Black Wings".  The original release from Brazil was a barely repainted 1993 Headhunter Stormtrooper figure that was carded with a glider.  This Red Laser figure borrows loosely from the Brazilian figure that would have been made in either late 1994 or 1995.  He feature the grey color base.  But, it's offset with gold highlights.  The most noticeable tribute to the original figure is the red goggles.  Little details like this allowed Red Laser figures to be tied back to the Brazilian or Argentine counterparts.  In the case of Asa Negro, it created a figure that is different enough to stand on his own and rise above the rest of the grey figures that were also released in 2018.

Red Laser and Black Major took very different approaches to producing factory custom figures.  While Black Major focused on army builders and maximizing the number of repaints from each, full figure configuration, Red Laser focused on characters and concepts that would mix and match the parts library.  This was nice as it offered a fuller, more developed range of offerings for collectors.  Though, in some cases, I do think Red Laser went almost too obscure.  Asa Negra is a case in point.  Prior to the Red Laser release, only the most die hard collectors knew who Asa Negra was.  And, only a small subset of them had any interest in really owning the figure.  So, the name, Asa Negra, wasn't nearly the selling point of, say, a Ghost Mortal.

The upside is that this Asa Negra turned into a really nice figure release.  In fact, it's a better way to use the character than if you owned the original Brazilian figure.  I see most Red Laser characters as early Cobras.  They were freelancers who worked for the Commander when he was still building Cobra.  Most were outcasts from other organizations or known mercenaries who were looking for a payday in the safer location of the US.  Here, Cobra Commander would use the valued skills of his new hires to carry out his early objectives.  He didn't much care if they were killed, so long as they got the job done.  And, he could keep them at arm's length should they be captured.  Asa Negra was among those early contractors.  His robotic appearance was frightening and he served to train Cobra's paratrooper corps.  I don't know how he will meet his demise, yet.  But, you can be sure he didn't survive into the mid 1980's as the Commander cleaned up those loose ends as Cobra became larger and more financially successful.

When the art mockups of these figures were produced, the skull tampo on a Snake Eyes head seemed risky.  It was the type of thing that was probably going to go wrong.  But, it didn't.  In fact, the skull print lived up to the hype and worked on every figure on which it appeared.  And, the upside is that all three uses of it are different enough that you can use the figures together without them seeming too repetitive.  Skullbuster's is the classic skull.  Shadowtracker's is the day-glow, horror skull.  And, Asa Negra's is the metallic, brass skull.  It's a nice mix of approaches that keeps the figures from seeming too similar while also getting the full value out of an expensive paint mask.

Asa Negra's quality is top notch.  The intricate paint masks on his head and chest are crisp.  And, the golden color is a departure from most other Red Laser releases.  He features Snake Eyes's head, done up with the gold skull mask and red goggles.  The countenance is the highlight of the figure.  He then features Clutch's chest.  This was a part I was most looking forward to.  And, Red Laser got good use out of it.  It gives the figure more depth when posed with pre-1985 Cobras.  His arms, legs and waist are non-descript.  But, his gloves (that also encompass the cuffs on his shirt) help make him stand out a bit.  He's not overly done in paint applications.  But, he has enough to not look cheap.  And, the tight joints and quality plastic give the feel of a real figure we could have played with back in 1984.

Asa Negra's accessories are sparse.  He included a grey version of the 1984 Firefly's rifle and a grey grenade.  The grenade is small and the type of thing that's easy to misplace since it neither fits into his hand or includes any type of holder.  Firefly's rifle is a solid sculpt.  But, I've found it doesn't mesh with every figure.  Having it in grey is nice.  But, after tons of releases in black in the early 2000's, the need for more Firefly rifles has definitely diminished.  Personally, I re-outfit him with other grey weapons from other figures.  Both the Snake Eyes Uzi and the Mutt Mac-11 work with the figure.  While Asa Negro doesn't need a helmet, it would have been cool for him to have some sort of pack.  A recolored JUMP would have matched his specialty, too.

2018 Red Laser Army figures have dried up.  You'll pay a substantial after market premium for most of them.  Asa Negra is seen less often than many of the Joe figures.  But, you should still be able to find one for $30 or under.  That's a lot for this guy.  But, much of the repetitiveness of the grey and black figures is lost to passed time.  So, a single figure like Asa Negra can really work in a collection.  And, as we aren't likely to ever see Red Laser's molds return to production, this is probably the final attempt at Asa Negra that we'll ever see.  I find Red Laser's figures to be great ways to expand the early Joe mythos, before Cobra got too big.  And, as there's also lots of heroes against whom they can battle, the figures really allow a collection to flourish.

Funskool Chuckles - Around The Web

Chuckles is a figure of which I would have loved a repaint.  His mold opened itself up to a myriad of fun colors that would have made sense.  But, instead, we only got the Funskool Chuckles as an option for a variant of the character.  The upside, though, is that the Funskool Chuckles is excellent.  The bright, vibrant colors stand out.  But, the figure wasn't that common until more recent years.  So, there isn't a ton of content on him out there.  But, enjoy what I could find.

Funskool Chuckles Profile

Funskool Chuckles by atticagazette

Funskool Chuckles at the Dragon Fortress

Funskool Chuckles by sintechness

Funskool Chuckles by Relinqished1979

Funskool Chuckles by cobra_florence

Funskool Chuckles by strikeforce_codename

Funskool Chuckles by sintechness

Funskool Chuckles by Brusleep

Funskool Chuckles by relena_warcraft

Funskool Chuckles by FunskoolRony

Super Cop - Funskool Exclusive Packaging

In late 2001, a large cache of unknown figures were uncovered in an Indian warehouse.  This included a set of vehicles in a box and a carded figure as well.  This single carded oddball which used parts from the 1986 Hawk, Iceberg and Sgt. Slaughter was named Super Cop.  Almost immediately, collectors enjoyed the figure and were willing to shell out 3 or 4 times the cost of a current Funskool figure to acquire Super Cop.  He was ubiquitous for a time.  But, slowly, he somewhat faded out of memory as collectors moved on.  Once he had been absent for a while, he came back as new collectors discovered both the figure's overall quality and relative scarcity.

When the Super Cop discovery was made, the figure became instantly available in the US.  In short order, you could get them for about $12 or $13 from most US dealers of the day.  But, the stock was limited.  And, while collectors in late 2001 and early 2002 were easily able to get a Super Cop, the figure sold out and became a bit tougher to track down in fairly short order.  Within a decade, you didn't see too many Super Cops for sale.  And, now, they are a rare sight, indeed.  Even with a large number of them in the hands of collectors, they haven't permeated the collecting aftermarket.  This is likely due to the collectors who have them, deciding to keep them.  The figure is odd while also being a near perfect rendition of what it set out to be.

This particular Super Cop was produced on February 14th, 1996.  The card has a 1994 copyright.  So, it's likely that Super Cop was manufactured for at least that duration.  We know that most of the parts that were used for Super Cop were recalled by Hasbro for use in the 1997 G.I. Joe series.  So, Super Cops were not made after those molds were returned to Hasbro.  This release window is long enough that Super Cops should exist in decent numbers.  But, we've also learned that Funskool figures produced in the 1990's have not become commonplace and remain substantially more difficult to track down that their production numbers would suggest.

The main point of interest on Super Cop's card is the unique artwork.  Super Cop looks like he's kind of dancing.  It's a weird pose, but not too far removed from many vintage Joes.  The main difference is the quality.  Funskool's later unique card artwork was less polished than Super Cop.  So, this card better fits with the aesthetic of the time.  You'll note the gun barrel peeking out behind the Cop on the title of the card.  It's an unnecessary, but fun little detail.  Super Cop is also drawn to match the figure parts that were used.  You can see Iceberg's arms and Hawk's legs.  The chest is a little different and isn't a perfect match for the figure parts.  And, Super Cop's head is thinner than Sgt. Slaughter's.  But, Slaughter's head is a perfect look for what Super Cop is supposed to represent.

While the figure's card art pretty closely matches the parts that were used, his weapon does not.  Super Cop features a larger rifle on the card while he only included the tiny Chuckles pistol.  The weapon looks like a cross between the rifle included with the Talking Battle Commander Cobra Commander and the rifle included with Crazylegs.  We know Funskool had the Crazylegs rifle at the time.  And, it was pretty unlikely they had the 1992 Cobra Commander figure.  The figure does, prominently, have a pistol in his chest holster.  So, this is likely the source of the smaller pistol actually being included.  

Another point of note is the smaller bubble space on the card.  This is because Super Cop was actually posed in the bubble.  Instead of just standing like all other Joe figures, he was actually posed so that he was kneeling down.  And, his arms were raised up with the pistol glued into his hand.  This glue wasn't strong and seems to fall out of the hand rather easily.  But, this was a completely new orientation and presentation for a Joe figure.  It was a bit awkward, for sure.  But, it's another thing that makes Super Cop stand apart from his Joe brethren.

One key point of Super Cop's card is that it has no mention of G.I. Joe.  This is the likely reason that the figure was not found sooner than 2001.  With other Funskool promos (like Streethawk), the G.I. Joe name was branded on the card.  So, enterprising sellers in India knew where to market the figures.  Super Cop lacked that Joe connection.  So, it wasn't until people were scouring Indian warehouses, looking for older, more valuable Funskool releases to sell the growing ranks of American dealers that the figure was "discovered".

The cardback features the great little write up that Super Cop is a weapons expert who always gets his man.  It's not much of a characterization.  But, most people are going to use the figure either as a different Sgt. Slaughter or something completely new.  The main tidbit on the cardback is the cross sell for the police jeep and Super Cop bike.  Both of these were available in the 4 vehicle back that also included a Super Cop figure.  The Police Jeep was available into at least 2020 and is one of the few Funskool vehicles that remains affordable today.  Super Cop's bike may have a few variants and has gotten harder to find since it was mostly available in the boxed set.  

This figure cost Rs48 in 1996.  That's about the equivalent of Rs240 today.  Or, a little over $3.00.  During the Funskool import era, figures cost between Rs65 and Rs72 in India.  So, the $4.00 we paid in the US was a substantial markup.  (Especially since US dealers bought the figures for less than retail.)  But, it was still a good deal when you consider shipping and loss during transit.  It also shows how cheaply Joe figures could be made.  It's tough to swallow a $20 price point for new figures when you know that most of that is just a collector tax that falls directly to Hasbro's bottom line.

In the two decades since this figure was discovered, made available and aged out of the collecting community's general conscience, he's gotten super expensive.  Mint and complete figures will run in the hundreds of dollars these days.  (Though, I think $450 is excessive.) and even the cardback will cost you more than $20.  But, Super Cop's short supply from 2001 has caught up with him.  And, it is hard to find a sample.  I'm grateful to have been around and kept my figure from 2001 as I'd otherwise not own him.  It's a great figure, though.  And, it's unfortunate that he's priced out of the reach of many modern collectors.

Red Jackal (Action Force Exclusive) - Around the Web

Destro is an iconic character in the Joe line who is defined by his steel mask.  In Europe, though, the figure mold didn't debut as Destro.  Instead, it was released as Red Jackal.  At it's core, Red Jackal is very similar to Destro.  But, I'd argue that Red Jackal is better just because he doesn't have the open shirt.  Though, he could stand a bit of pain on his necklace.

Red Shadows are probably oversaturated, now.  I liked them as a smaller, more localized organization that eventually morphed into Cobra.  A guy like Destro helped facilitate that from his various identities that he used on each continent.  Red Jackal was his European persona and one that he abandoned after he completed Cobra's assimilation of the European organization.  I never saw Red Shadows as a threat on the level of Cobra as they had less time to organize and, tended to be more fanatical.  (This is why the early Cobra Troopers, heavily pulled from old Red Shadows ranks, were quick to die rather than disappoint their new Commander.)  As the Red Shadows died off within Cobra, the Commander replaced them with a different breed of recruits who were less driven by fanatical ideology and more focused on the ways in which Cobra could improve their life.  The Commander offered them financial hope, like minded compatriots who felt their country abandoned them and a sense of camaraderie in that their cause was just.  This fueled loyalty but also subjects who were willing to die for the cause, but not just because a battle didn't go their way.  This made them more dangerous in the long run.

There's a bit of Red Jackal content out there.  In the early days of collecting, it was pretty easy to track them down.  And, they were, maybe, $20 figures at the turn of the century.  Even into the late 2000's, Red Jackals were obtainable and affordable.  Now, that's not the case.  The figure is expensive.  And, the premium probably isn't worth the slight uptick in quality over the cheaper and more available 1983 Destro figure.  But, the one time commonality allows for some content volume you can check out below.

Red Jackal Profile

Red Jackal Diorama

Red Jackal Bubbled Vehicle Driver

Red Jackal by dreadnokdread

Red Jackal by the kraken wakes

Red Jackal by Slipstream80

Red Jackal by 00zxcvb

Red Jackal by jdoublebigape

Red Jackal by rnrhero

Red Jackal by G.I. *Jock

Red Jackal by kushviper

Red Jackal by Slipstream80

Red Jackal by 00zxcvb

Red Jackal by Cherry Bomb Toys

Red Jackal by Action Jackman

Red Jackal by action_figure_collecting

Red Jackal by slipstream80