A youtube HQ '83 review

There's this YOUTUBE review of the '83 HQ.

It covers the lift section, and, wow...I'm blown away. I've had an '83 HQ since so far back in the day it seems like forever, but, WOW... I never knew that the old tow-able weapons fit in the bay like this!!!!

Of course, I only more recently acquired the tow-able weapons themselves in the last couple years, so in some ways I never had the obvious sitting right in front of me. With all I've read on the 'HQ, too, I cannot recall seeing this information listed.


Kind of figures, I did sell off the H.A.L. not too long ago. In my quest for reduction, as nice as the H.A.L. was in styling, I very much disliked it when it was being towed by a vehicle and the turret turned too stiff-like/ snappy for my tastes. My thoughts were that the F.L.A.K. could do just as well of a job at my HQ which wasn't requiring wheels on it. Oh well on the H.A.L., though... I always thought of those leg supports (as it turns out) as not-so-detailed gas pumps!

NOW I KNOW!

New VAMP and The Corps!

I was heavily thinking I should add the new VAMP to my motor pool, but not so much now. Had my truly local Walmart or Kmart been stocked with these (or any Joes other than RoC movie figures*), I probably would have bought the VAMP. As it is not, I did not succumb to my "just seen it in action shots on the internet and want something new" impulse buy.

As I see more shots of the new VAMP, much like the 2010 HISS, I'm underwhelmed. I also think it looks very much too similar to The Corps vehicle that I have seen on the shelves locally for many years it seems. I like the ATK weapons better by far, too.

I really like the internet for Joe collecting, this is a great resource for lots of input. General Hawk has a review posted, and there is a awesome information with a lot of really good critical discussion on the VAMP on various boards. The pictures, poses, and comparisons, all of it, were really helpful in my decision making on getting this.


*RoC movie figures are currently "on clearance" for near $10 a piece here!! All wave 1....

Or, NOT getting this, actually.

I think it seems like a ton of fun toy, but I don't think it's a good fit for my motor pool. The VAMPs lack of doors, blobby weapons, unrefined (yet still awesome looking) winch claw, and unfavorable undercarriage mold color choices shut my excitement down.

It seems a nice truck that won't add anything unique or special to my collection, essentially. And it's kind of surprising to me that my initial excitement (which was VERY< VERY HIGH), like that of the 2010 HISS, dropped off SO fast once more people were able to give input. I feel let down, and maybe it's the wanna-be designer in me, but even without in-person viewing, both the VAMP and HISS seem like GREAT STARTS, but ho-hum sales-shelf finished products.

Looking briefly at the JOEDIOS site, I think I would have liked to see something more along the lines of any number of these customs. I like this one quite a bit, or the one right next to it. A 4 seater VAMP is nice, but this new one lacks, what I guess I would call, refinement.

FANG series

The FANG series of choppers is as big a staple to me as the HISS is when it comes to Cobra. Much like the real world, air power for any force is simply a modern idea, and gives greater strike capability.

The 1983 F.A.N.G. is actually my very first GIJOE anything, that's what is pictured above, and that's why it looks so rough. This first F.A.N.G. got it done, simply put. Four good sized rockets, an very simply ball-mounted nose gun, and one rather good sized bomb. It could even carry two extra troops with all that under a VERY small frame with small engine. This toy is a work horse! Even in my imagination, though, more as an adult, too, is that I don't see this F.A.N.G. being super-agile in the sky. I does one thing in my mind, get the ordnance up with very little effort on a short distance in support of ground forces. The small size helps a lot of these swarm together for effect, and also for easy transportation and hiding; not to mention inexpensive.

The next hop into the sky was either in the Rattler, the Flight Pod, the CLAW, and even the MAMBA. Or even the Jet Pack. So, small things or big things.

FANG II came out in 1989. I found this one at a Ben Franklin in about 1993, though. I think it is a great little chopper, er, airplane,...er... tilt-rotor. An advanced idea in helicopter, the tilt-rotor. I think it is great. 6 rockets, much more stylized than the rather straight tubes off the F.A.N.G. and a much longer cannon on a rather interesting chin mount.
The tilt-rotor is where it's at for me, combining vertical helicopter capability with the speed and agility of a twin-rotor fighter plane! But, they kept it simple, too. Skids replaced with a landing wing, which adds to performance. Also, no need for a tail-rotor. The overall length compares similar to the F.A.N.G., too, as does the open weight and cost saving feature of NO CANOPY. In actual construction, I think the absence or the "control stick" really worked against the toy, as did no "figure clip," or at least a back peg, to keep the figure steady. The actual front fuselage is great in that any figure will fit, but I think it could have been more narrow than is really is.
The FANG II is my favorite small air vehicle, too. It really works for my covert Cobra forces with small size, but unlike the F.A.N.G., I would put this one up against a Dragonfly.

With the FANG III, I don't think "year" matters when the themed years started. It was full of a lot of stuff, and repaints followed closely behind. It's GvC if I remember that the III came out. Unlike the Strike HISS, I don't think this one got much forum chat. I think both staple incarnations equally weren't popular, though. Although, one should admit, this one came WITH A PILOT. T-Crotch or not, that was nice, even though the pilot isn't super-memorable to me, I did hang on to two of them, un-used though.
I think the FANG III was a step back in the FANG series. Sure, it was heavily snake-looking, but really it was just a blobby-bodied mini-copter with sort of less than the 18-year-old original. I totally appreciate the handles for control, and the rather nice snake head on the front, but from there it is kind of down hill for me. The one missile on the belly was nice, but the small skids that balanced back on the tail felt cheap. The twin mini-guns, while possible more useful than the previous models cannons, didn't blend into the body design-wise, and the switchable sound attack weapons also lacked design refinement that made them look cheap. The rotor head was thick, too. As a toy, pretty decent little helicopter. I don't like the sound attack ported weapons, and really felt let-down by this FANG incarnation.


I missed the 25th Anniversary F.A.N.G. I saw one box with it at a time when I was not as well-employed, so I passed, and didn't get one.... now I would kind of like a couple, rather than eventually finding some old '83 models. Anyone have one or more to spare? No pilot required!

On pilots, I dig the Gyro-Vipers for my FANG II's. I had one MAMBA that I found used, but it had a cracked wing at the back. The MAMBA is kind of neat, too. Inter-meshing rotor blades is another neat advanced helicopter design on top of tilt-rotor. Cobra was really on top of things when it came to vertical deployment back in the day (don't forget the Rattler and Hurricane VTOL!!). With the large size, my MAMBA left years ago. The Gyro vipers are suited up well for open cockpit flight, though, and the helmets and purple-ish should pads help them visually fit into the FANG II for me. I think the name fits, too, unlike a simple helicopter, the Gyro Viper would have to be a very skilled pilot to fly any non-standard craft. Especially one that will have blades spinning just a short ways from their pilots body, not to mention four close rocket launches!

I was hoping to see some kind of new FANG coming out at some point, but what would be the "next thing?"

I was thinking an inter-meshing single-seater, myself.

That one isn't too bad, this one is more mechanical looking.

to buy or not, Fury, Vamp, and others...

I like the Rage, and now the Fury is coming available, as is the new VAMP.

After reading thoughts on the new HISS, which really only came out a few weeks ago, I'm glad I didn't try harder to find it. I think it still looks cool, but if that smooth playability isn't there, I'm not sure I want to spend that much money on it... plus, if the black one is coming out at another time, I would rather have that...so no hurry on my part with the HISS.

With the Fury, though, I was kind of hoping it would match the HISS in color. In various early pictures on the internet it looked almost like both vehicles were the same color as the Snake TRAX, which I would have bought both these vehicles for that reason. As is, the Fury looks mostly purple in what has been posted in pictures. And that is just fine, I would like something to match my FANG II's.

Now, I had one old '90 Rage and two of the '98 Rages. All three really complete, and at the time, I think the "most" numerous of any one type of vehicle. While I really liked the '90, it was the first to go. I can't remember to whom or how I traded it. I wanted a more cohesive looking Cobra force, and since I had two Rages that were the same, I picked those. Eventually I think I sold them as I thought I found the Rage rather limited, and I wanted more HISS tanks. I think I was going for a more versatile traditional tank like selection for what I wanted to have; in some ways just a HISS-Stinger-ASP-FANG-like collection; simple. Unlike in the cartoon, I did could not imagine the Rage barreling over sand dunes.

The Rage was rather limited to its flat urban street environment. The wide stance of the vehicle is really a great design decision to spread its "weight," and allow for an even lower profile. I like the rather large array of weapons the Rage has, too. One pair of huge cannon, a pair of gatling cannon, several mines, an aircraft-grade-like rocket pod, four rockets, a nose "chin-gun," a battering ram/ brush guard, and two features I like: engine hatch and troop handle-bar. That's a lot of fun features. And it carried, what, nine figures with ease? A very fun fighting vehicle, and as I write this, I want to go buy the new FURY. The thing might just sit on the shelf, though, and it's probably got all modern sized foot pegs. And that's how it should be. It still looks pretty cool, though.

My Cobra-verse has been on the more covert side of vehicles, too. Where, with the exception of a few "named" Cobras getting ownership of a "big" vehicle each, I don't think I can think of a "named" Cobra that would need a Fury. My big vehicles are really vehicles that can go a big distance and carry a big load...like the Moray, or Hurricane. Each can cover a variety of areas in the sea or air and bring some destruction or other uses. The Fury would, in my imagination, be limited to flat urban areas, despite the new tires; it would "imagination-wise" get hung up a lot. Very cool vehicle, but, in my mind a very environment specific vehicle. And who would "own" it? My Vipers don't "own" anything and are mostly foot infantry.


Red undercarriage and yellow missiles or not, I think the VAMP looks pretty decent and fun to play with, it seems that it might handle some adventures under use by my 4 year old better than my 25th VAMP. And it would be more fun. I don't know if I want to incorporate the new VAMP into my Joe-verse, though. I'm not big on the tan vehicles. Even though I would like to have it all and more some day, I wanted to have more a green/ woodland camo force. It isn't really working, though; I may have more black and tans in the vehicle department overall (mean dog, night rhino, '01 AWE, tomahawk, etc.).



In my Joe-verse, mobility is my key motor pool issue. I have a dedicated small armored strike vehicle team, but would this new VAMP fit in? My Mean Dog is my LAV, the Night Rhino is my armored transport and battlefield tractor, and the Equalizer is the fast armored tank that counters everything from MBTs to aircraft. Each one of these can tow field support things like the Whirlwind and mountain howitzer to an operating forward location. Had my mobile battle bunker had a tow hook, it most likely would have stayed in this group. The 25th VAMP is the multi-purpose towing vehicle in this setting... it has four-wheel drive, and just enough armament to support the armored vehicles. If anything, the 25th VAMP is something that would mostly likely do perimeter scouting and provide transport for the mobile field pieces. Would the new VAMP add much to my current arrangement? This is a possibility... if it had doors I think it would very much fit with a bit of a light armor look.

Could the new VAMP replace the Mean Dog?

My AWE strikers are more the cavalry scout type vehicles. These guys are their own separate strike team in many ways, but could the new VAMP fit? I'm thinking not. While the new VAMP can carry more and bring a few more guys out in some 4wd action, it's more truck. The AWE strikers are lighter, faster. I can see my Tomahawk or even the Dragonfly lifting an AWE striker, not so much a VAMP. So, for my AWE Striker team, the new VAMP might not be the best fit, but I'll no doubt ponder this more. A classic VAMP fits better with an AWE anyway.

I'm not stressed out over buying toys, but, I'm not sure if I want to get these new vehicles. For now, I'll wait and see how different opinions are posted. I don't want to get something that might just sit on a shelf for no other reason than being somewhat cool.

I was hoping to get everything out for some pictures, too, this weekend, but doesn't look like that will happen. I wanted to set up everything, figures and vehicles in faction shots and all the divisions I've made. Oh well, later than sooner, I suppose.