Iron Grenadiers pt.3

I totally dug the Iron Grenadier when it came out, and if you remember I dug it so much I bought a 2nd one. As a young kid, that's something that didn't happen for me much. It didn't stop with 1988 for the Iron Grenadiers, they had releases in 1989 and 1990.

Continued from part 2, since my original 1988 Iron Grenadier force of two Iron Grenadier troopers, I've slowly but surely been adding I.G. troops to my ranks as you've seen so far.

On the "new" front back in the day, it started with the T.A.R.G.A.T., and this figure became the rocket man of the bad forces. Heck, his backpack alone was fun enough to become its own little space ship. Over the years I've added 2 more "used" TARGATs to my ranks. I'll be straight, since getting more straight-line troops I haven't really used TARGATs much. They get Destro into space, actually becoming a part of the Star Brigade line up for Cobra. I did buy those but never opened them. In the end, Destro has troops in space....that don't even need a shuttle! That's efficiency. Where in 1988, the black, gold, and red played a part in visually connecting the Iron Grenadiers a little, 1989 really broke away with TARGATs black, BLUE, and red. Had the blue on these guys been all gold, I wonder how that would have affected their popularity?


Sometime in my younger days, I found a rather beat-up, missing everything but wheels, Awe striker ('85). That darn cartoon made me want that thing quite a bit, but in played-out form as I had it, it wasn't very fun. I think I traded it to another kid in town for an Evader (but this is where my memory starts to fuzz out, as I think I got a fairly stripped HAVOC around this time, too...). Either way, not the Evader pictured, though. I've actually had 3 Evaders total, and was on the path to "army building" them. The Evader is a neat little cycle, bizarre as it is.
I think Darklon might have came along in trade with the Evader, once again, memory isn't what it used to be. And Either way, that is the actual Darklon, whomever I got it from. I got trade help online to get the gun, and well....here's Darklon! He's Destro's Cousin. I've played this part, as Darklon is really a figure that seems to have gotten thrown in a fodder bin, and heck, even blown up in the Marvel comics. I like the guy well enough. Yet another move away from traditional 1988 Iron grenadier colors, but something about the figure says this guy is a little younger than Destro and not as well to do. Essentially a merc with his own small forces at one point.
The Annihilator also had one figure join my ranks early on back in the day. The helicopter backpack was already broke by the time it got traded over to me. After we moved back around 1991, I found myself in civilization! I think the first figure in the new place was an Annihilator...$2.89! With tax it was $3....man I miss Childrens Palace. This guy kind of puzzled me, where he is Destro's elite trooper, but, the Iron Grenadier is Destro's elite trooper, too. What I get from the file card that these are simply Iron Grenadiers with airborne assault training. What do you think? I've placed Annihilators in a few roles, even so far as comparing them to the Crimson Guard...., but then again, isn't a normal Iron Grenadier just as elite as a Crimson Guard?
On the Annihilators, I've often wondered why with twin holsters, there are no guns included? The TARGAT figures have this, too. Either way, I totally dig the I.G. gold buckle they have, further helping me place Destro as his own force.
And into 1990! 1990 is becoming a favorite year for me lately, there was just such a large amount of gear for figures, and really, there isn't that much in loud neon colors :) .
So, here's Metal Head, here's a guy I bought in 1991, and I'm glad I had a second figure of him that I picked up from who knows where to fix all the broken pegs! So, parts of this figure are my original Metal Head. I really liked this guy and he got a lot of use. A walking missile-slinger.
Then there's that Undertow, (not sure if I want to build water troops, so much right now...) which I've only had for a couple years really, so a new-to-me figure, but one that really adds dimension for the Iron Grenadiers. Destro goes from the sea, land, air, and space!


In the vehicle department, I've only got the 1989 Evader. I've seen the Razorback in person once, and actually know about where that one is in a guys attic right now...but he's hanging on to it. (drat) I had the GvC Dominator with that Destro who didn't look comfortable. It wasn't a bad vehicle, but, my (so-called) grown up imagination wasn't feeling a flying tank. It didn't seem light enough to fly with the heavy tracks, and then didn't have much "tank" feel on the ground. Neat as it was, it was a vehicle I axed out on my first motor pool reduction.



So, in summary, my Iron Grenadier forces have been growing slowly but surely.
Starting with the 2 1988 Iron Grenadiers,
Adding a TARGAT, an Annihilator, Darklon, and Destro...
Joined by another Annihilator, and Metal head...and then others...
The Iron Grenadiers have grown strong....

2005 gave a pretty big boost with the GIJOE convention for my Iron Grenadiers, but I'll take a look at that next!

Iron Grenadiers pt. 2

From part one, I've been taking a stroll down memory lane while taking a look at one of my favorite parts of GIJOE, the Iron Grenadiers.

The DEMON (Dual Elevating Multi-Ordinance Neutralizer) is up next. There are strange vehicles, and really this is a strange tank. Or, would you call it a tank?
This particular DEMON is one I found at a flea market along with an X-19 back in about 1995/1996. When I found the DEMON it only had the missiles. Every red part, and the docking port gun was missing, and for ten years was still incomplete. With the help of many online traders and a last minute find at the 2005 GIJOE convention, the DEMON is now back in fighting form!

The Ferret is the driver, and really matches well in uniform with both Destro and the Iron Grenadier, but he brings in the khaki pants. It works well enough for me, I'm happy they weren't gold pants! The Ferret really packs in most of the interest in his helmet design and whatever technology gizmo thing that is on his upper chest. The helmet really lookes heavily armored to me, unlike a standard Cobra Viper with faceplate, the Ferret almost looks Iron man-ish in this area.
And a Ferret can use that armor especially if he gets stuck on the rear gunner position of the DEMON. In this picture the Ferret has his hands on the nearest controls pegs for that rear gun, and yes, he sticks out. I forgot about this aspect of the DEMON until I starting playing with it for my little write up. A figure could easily stand up, turn forward and man that big gun on the top of the tank, too. Is that the way it is supposed to work? I would think a gunner or all the crew would be wanting to be protected under armor, but, maybe not in this case? What do you think about this?
The "backwards" gunner spot really reminds me of the Cobra STUN, mostly since it also has a rear gunner station, and extra seat.
The rest of the crew area doesn't take up much more room. In my imagination, I would have the side ways facing seat, one that also has an "open" window facing the weapons bank, be the spot that that very "weapons bank" be operated from.

That's six big missiles from where the DEMON can assault land and air targets it seems (TRI-C.A.A.A.A.P missiles....is that the longest acronym in Joe land?). And then the triple-barreled cannon that has a full range of motion on its own independent cradle. That's why I call this a "weapons bank."

And what's kind of cool about the DEMONs missiles, and this carries over to many classic "ARAH" vehicles, is the ability of the missiles to be used on other vehicles. A feature I forgot about until just taking a look at the DEMON for this write up is that the DEMON missiles have that slot that isn't needed for use with the DEMON itself.
Yes, it fits right on the A.G.P. and matches color nicely!
Even Darklon can get some use out of the DEMON missiles.


Having a crew of three is nothing unheard of for a tank. I think the DEMON driver has the best spot, though. The spot with the most armor! Now, the driver not only has a big "infrared" light bar in front, there is also that big red light box which on the blueprints make it a high-intensity spotlight and solar collector (this is my most unused feature on the DEMON, though). Destro, ahead of his time on battlefield energy conservation, huh? So, the driver has some technology all around him, and nose-to-nose, I think an edge on the HISS tank.

Very much so. While the HISS has the narrow shape making it less of an easy target head-on, the DEMON is not much longer or that much taller. Well, in normal configuration.

As you probably already know, the treads can be brought inward together. I like the extra details that were placed under the DEMONs hull. Even pointless details like this make it much more interesting to look at, especially when the DEMON has the ability to raise up so much higher in the air.
Why does a DEMON do this? Maybe so it can ride in low behind protective obstacles, spring up and strike? Perhaps it is a feature that enables water crossings? Perhaps this is simply to mow down anything in the way, letting the wide treads chew through anything under the tank? No matter what, it's a feature that adds just another dimension of play. Perhaps Destro knew that Cobra Commander would make a Strike HISS and even the HISS V (2010)!?

All in all I think this is kind of a fun tank. Even with my traditional thinking with a grown-up brain, where the Equalizer is much more my minds definition of a tank, I still enjoy the DEMON. While the DEMON has some visual weight to it, it really is a pretty "light weight" vehicle. Two sets of treads, the "weapons bank" and the crew compartment make up the bulk of the vehicle.

Heck, my imagination almost sees a space ship in the thing, much like that Star Trek Borg ship (not the Cubes or Sphere, but that rogue one...). If the treads weren't keeping it down I'd give it thrusters and start taking on Star Wars pod racers. I also see a little F-117A stealth fighter in it.

Not a very traditional tank, what do you think about it?


Other than the vehicles, the first year of Iron Grenadiers really only had two single release figures. Here they are with their accessories.

More to come in Iron Grenadiers part 3....


Other peoples stuff on the Iron Grenadiers (these are not mine is what I'm saying!):
JMMs information on the DEMON in comics!
a custom DEMON
JBLs views
Joecustoms Spin Doctor's modern I.G.s
Violent fix
GIJOE Club Nullifier
OAFE Sigma six I.G.
Spytroops Iron Grenadier

Iron Grenadiers, part 1

I can say these are some of my favorite things, the Iron Grenadiers.

Us kids know Destro, he is a fairly well known household name in regards to Joe. I know I grew up with the cartoon where Destro was a fairly classy villain with the metal mask and wrist rockets (cool!). As such, this advertising worked on me. I wanted to get Destro, and spent a good amount of time staring at vehicle catalog inserts checking out all the stuff, wanting it all a more, of course.

My best bud at that time got the first Destro figure I had ever seen at that point, the 1988 Iron Grenadier Destro. Where I had Serpentor, he had the 2nd in command of Cobra. This is the figure I have today leading my Iron Grenadier forces. This aspect makes it even more of a nice thing for me to have: this figure once led a guys adventures back in the day and I know him!

I started my interest in the Iron Grenadiers when I bought the 1988 Iron Grenadier figure. Now, I always dug the Cobra Viper that I saw on the cartoon, and wanted legions of "blueshirt" Cobra troops, but the Iron Grenadier was really just sleek. The helmet is somewhat knight-like, but a little "star wars," the figure is not bulked out, but seems like a slick commando with the awesome pseudo-uzi. One of my favorite rifles ever. The red pistol never excited me, though, however, the ceremonial sword was a nice touch that really tied in to the '88 Destro figure.

I liked the guy so much, that even back in the day of limited kid funds, I easily bought a second, making the 1988 my first "army builder" officially. (I also bought Repeater at the same time.)

Since then I have added just about every Iron Grenadier force member or trooper on the classic style figures side of things, although I haven't had or kept every vehicle... There is quite a variety of figures for a sub team, or as I consider the Iron Grenadiers, an entirely separate and antagonist force of its own!



The Iron Grenadier set started out pretty tight in some respects, but kind of not in others. Destro comes clad in black and gold with his Iron Grenadier elite trooper matching quite nicely, gear and all. There's just enough red between the two, and it all carries over to the DEMON vehicle driver, Ferret. Ferret adds the khaki pants to the mix, which is still nice even as I would have preferred all black as well here. But the khaki really ties it over to the AGP pilot Nullifier. Now, this is a very different looking figure, and was long absent from my first Iron Grenadier vehicle, the mail-in AGP that did not have a figure included. I got Nullifier now, but after reading a tidbit of info that this figure was originally going to be a Cobra La figure, and he does indeed share some design similarities to the Cobra La team figures of 1987, I'm not as pumped up about these guys. Voltar breaks tradition before it even started coming in with a shade of red that I don't hate, but I don't know what to call it. He's got the gold, but as is doesn't seem like part of the team, ya know? He also has a condor that still needs explanation, as well as his radio.

Here's the actual Destro from the back in the day play days, the Despoiler is a second one that I'm not sure where it came from. My bud shaved off the little twin prong things that sit to either side toward the top front of the, well, not sure what to call them. I thought it very fitting for Destro to show up in his own personal ride after Serpentor had his Air Chariot, and it's cool that the Despoiler docks on the DEMON. My DEMON is one I found at a flea market mostly stripped with an X-19 as well. I was able to trade and get most of the parts I was missing for the DEMON over the years, but not until the 2005 GIJOE convention did I find the final missing gun, which happened to be the Despoiler docking pad. So, for almost 10 years, Destro simply couldn't dock.
This is my mail-in A.G.P., which was the first Iron Grenadier vehicle I owned, although I only recently got the Nullifier with a face mask. I was getting a little bored with lately, I had the missiles in the cockpit since taking it out of storage, but, after getting those missiles on it adds some nice attitude and lines to it. And it is Iron Grenadier black, red, and gold!


Next post: DEMON

Rescue heroes

With a young 'feller in the house, I'm finding the "rescue" type of GIJOEs a ton more appealing.

For the most part, I keep my GIJOE stuff to my self. Some of it is just too much to try and explain, especially when someone has very little real world experience to draw on in relation to a fictional/ playing role.

This is why I'm becoming a fan of Barbecue as of late. My first Barbecue ('85) is still all incomplete that I got from some guy in a lot of his old toys around 1995. As far as I remember, this figure hasn't seen much action in my little set ups.

I thought since the little guy in the house has shown interest in firetrucks and firefighters (as most kids most likely do), I thought the 25th Barbecue would work great with his firetrucks that are 1/18 scale (roughly). The Tonka brand Firetrucks came with some really clunky figures, but that's just my personal take on it.

Anyway, Barbecue has been seen actively climbing ladders and racing around in firetrucks. Seeing Barbecue in action on the old PSA's on youtube really got the little guy more excited about the figure, too.

Having both the 1991 and 1986 Lifelines, I later brought out the '91 "rice krispies" version. This EMT or paramedic hasn't gotten as much use as the 25 Barbecue, but he is the mix on the trucks.
Firefighters stand out, they get spotlighted in a lot of kids videos and shows, and we have had many opportunities to see our local firetrucks up close and inside...even being able to visit the fire station on occasions. The EMT/ Paramedic role doesn't stand out among all the gear dedicated to firefighting. Essential as they are, a 100-foot ladder truck is simply more exciting than the ambulance. So, with Lifeline, I was hoping to expand the man's mind in that a firefighter has a larger role than just fighting fires.

I'm hoping to add the "yellow" 25th Barbecue, and even though the flamethrower Joes are geared toward lighting stuff up, I wouldn't mind adding them in the mix to create some kind of extreme firefighting team. Blowtorch did show up in a fire safety PSA of old, so, I don't think it is too much a stretch of imagination. Finding some more scale gear and maybe making a small firehouse would be nice, but the man hasn't showed a knack for "small-item organization." (Hotwheels are great until they are spread out everywhere....)

So, where before, I've found the "rescue" hero Joes a little boring, I'm now finding them fun in their own non-direct-combat-with-Cobra kind of way. "Kelly's heroes," perhaps?

But even longer term, I suppose, Law & order, Mutt, Shockwave, could join the "junior Joes" ranks.

There are quite a number of ways a GIJOE team could be made out of everything available, where myself and maybe you would have a combat squad, someone else could piece together something of a total different flavor.

Zartan

Zartan(s).
This is my first full "pursuit of Cobra" figure, Zartan. I'm being very selective (or so I thought, more on that another time) when it comes to buying most anything modern these days. The PoC Zartan really seemed like he had a lot going for him that I could use.
Considering the modern movie Zartan was probably the more interesting character to me in that movie, but the figure wasn't that overly appealing. Even with the scary blades, I didn't see that figure mixing with my Dreadnoks. This latest version really said something different to me, though.

See the review of PoC Zartan at GeneralsJoes.com

Consider that the PoC Zartan here is now the "fourth" Zartan in my collection (all "newsculpt" are gone...). The very first Zartan I had was the 1993 Ninja Force version. This somewhat punk-biker version was the guy that was flanked by Zarana and Zandar back in my day, and not until 2001 did a more traditional looking Zartan jump into my collection. However this 2001 Zartan is more SAW Viper than Zartan and this figure has come close to becoming parts. Essentially this means that, yes, the '93 punk Zartan has been more my "default" Zartan for quite awhile. Not even one of those new sculpts versions swayed me away.
Even with the "ninja-action" waist, there is still plenty I like about the '93 Zartan. A little more road-warrior looking to me, had the colors been toned more matte, it would have been better. I think the head is still awesome, however much I would have preferred the mohawk and face-paint to be black, it's still a very tight design and really speaks more "dreadnok" to me than a hood. Plus, I always dug how the two knifes attached to the leg. Once again, I would have preferred these accessories in a black or silver, but that was always a nice feature I liked on this figure. Having a bow included may have been by chance, but it was about this time I was reading back-issue comics and learned of Zartan's mastery of the bow.

The 2001 version is a SAW Viper, even down to the huge machine gun. And while this figure hasn't gotten much attention to me, I have kept it over a couple of new sculpt versions. Did Zartan decide to become a machine gunner for a disguise? Who knows, but it is a somewhat original head and did have the old face mask disguise. I liked that, but, is he a SAW Viper with the disguise on? Was this to have been THAT particular SAW viper from the Marvel comics story that actually killed Joes? Once again, who knows.....
The next version of Zartan, which has become my more modern "default" is the comic pack Zartan. Now this guy has more of the original Zartan looking parts, and that may be why I like it. I like the shoulder and chest armor, that adds to the Dreadnok aspect of how I perceive Zartan, and he comes with a big bow, arrow, and quiver for accessories. And really, unlike the yellow boots on some some of these ARAH comic pack figures, Zartan has a really decent coloring. Not too comic-y or cartoon-y, but not to psychotic dark, either.
So, these three figures are what preceded my PoC Zartan purchase. And the GeneralsJoes.com review of the figure helped, too. Looking at the figure, PoC Zartan really brings in some old Zartan style into the figure.
Look at the arm/ elbow wraps, it reminds me of the 2001 version. And then think of how the two knifes fit on the '93 version and note how there are two (kinda) swords that attach to PoC Zartans belt. The face paint is more '93-style similar than '84-style on the PoC Zartan, but the plastic hood is even more flowing and elaborate than the comic-pack Zartan's style.
On accessories, the PoC Zartan has a more full on disguise, but on that assault rifle, it may be a stretch, but does it not seem to have that SAW vipers gun sight shape incorporated into the side attachment?
Some of it may be a stretch in what I'm seeing. Style-wise, there's a lot for me to totally like about PoC Zartan.
The bird and staff inclusion is a bit much for me, especially for a figure that wants to be disguised in the desert. Wouldn't you think? Although I do like some explanations on the Joe-boards where now in modern times we "find-out" that the old 1987 Raptor figure was really Zartan all along....

I'm not sure if I want to try to create "Sandstorm" right now. The goggles are very cool, though, and Tracker has been needing a pair. Tracker may take ownership of these, as a SEAL, he needs some gear, ya know. In the picture below, Zartan is using his really nice pistol, but also is showing why I don't really like the modern neck joint.
So far, I really like the style of the PoC Zartan. I'll probably keep the ARAH comic pack version figure as my "default," though. The PoC Zartan still doesn't feel as solid as an action figure could, joints are still "bumpy" in motion and I really think the ball-joint neck would work nicer on modern figures. Or, even better, combination of both! And I do not think an O-ring is the single factor separating classic figures from modern figures by any means. Good design always stands apart no matter what is underneath.
The assault rifle that was included with PoC Zartan came with a curve to it, too, and isn't this similar to the issue of accessories being banded to hands, deforming the plastic a bit from a few years back already?

Either way, I won't let small things get to me. PoC Zartan is still a pretty neat figure, and with so many disguises that Zartan has gone through, perhaps his original '84 file card hit it right on the head where the original personality is buried and forgotten....

Zartan may be the most fitting-est character to any incarnation of GIJOE in this respect. I can't wait to see the GIJOE: Renegades does with him!

new toys

New toys have arrived! No pictures, but it's all stuff everyone has seen before for the most part.
These "new" toys that are the "new-to-me" are:
1988 Toxo Viper
1988 Ferret (Iron Grenadier)
and 1985 Shipwreck.
And the PoC Zartan

This is my 2nd Ferret which is for my Iron Grenadier "army building" that is slowly on-going. I have one DEMON, so 2 of the 3 seats are now crewed by a Ferret. I most likely will not have a Razorback at any time in the near future, so my Wild Boar (needs an upgrade...) figure might just be the rear gunner, or perhaps he should become an individual character and command my DEMON? Things to figure out at some point.

This is my 2nd '88 Toxo Viper now. The first one I got is still incomplete and has the signs of play wear. I won't army build these guys, they are like the heavy suited guys compared to the lighter Viper '91 Toxo Vipers, but I think they will make a nice little mixed squad of toxic troopers. I may ultimately nix the Sludge Viper from my collection, there isn't much about that Viper that makes him much more different or more useful compared to either Toxo Viper. Another thing to figure out at some point, too.

Now Shipwreck? One would think almost everyone has Shipwreck? Actually the 1994 Shipwreck is the only "Shipwreck" that I have had. This particular figure is in really nice shape, but was missing everything, even Polly (sigh). I did have Shipwrecks pistol (that I can't remember where it came from) in my little extra accessories bag. I'm not too worried about not having the rest right now. I did have an '85 Shipwreck pass through my hands at one point previous, but that was for a good buddy that snagged a bunch of good GIJOE stuff at a Goodwill for me at one point a few years back. That was awesome, I just had to get him a few select figures in return, one was Shipwreck.
Now my WHALE has more of a deck-looking-crew. Another issue that comes up with this is that now I have "two" Shipwrecks. I won't "re-name" a figure into a new make-believe character, but perhaps in this case, keeping both makes sense. Shipwreck took his extra SEAL training and now is more versatile whether on deck or swimming with Torpedo and Wetsuit. The '94 Shipwreck has decent weapons and gear, too.

I got the PoC Zartan, too, the one with the bird where he looks all nomadic-like. I was thinking about getting the RoC Zartan, that was one character that I rather found interesting in that movie, but the toy didn't seem to offer much. This PoC Zartan has all sorts of gear, though. And he has a new (fresh?) take on the master of disguise. I'll get out all my Zartans some day and throw out some thoughts on those at once.
At this time, I find Zartan to be a very varied figure which really fits for the master of diguise, especially with this newer rendition, and also consider the vastly different "Renegades" cartoon version. Many personalities...

production stats

When it comes to what's more valuable or rare with GIJOE A Real American Hero, I really would like to know what the production numbers were.

Think about it, the Devilfish has been stated to have been the vehicle sold or produced as the highest number. I heard that from the round table in the 2005 Convention, and think I read that information elsewhere. (Unless Hasbro employees were messing with us.) But would that not mean that by average a person would be able to find a Devilfish or Devilfish parts more easily? Would this not be a very cheap and easy find even to this day?

Well, I can't answer my questions. But I would like to get it out in the open that I would really like to see production statistics on the A Real American Hero line. I think that would change "value" perceptions a little more if as collectors we knew how many of each was made.

1990 is a year of less produced as I've come to understand the ARAH line, so would not most everything in this year be just a small percentage more valuable? How often do you see a GIJOE Avalanche tank or Salvo making internet chat?

No matter what, I'm sure Hasbro will never make these numbers known. And I get that, it's a property managing company, it makes sense to me.

I do propose a 5-star rating on "rarity," though. Now, loose figures being complete are another animal all together on what I'm proposing here. I'm focusing just on the new-as-produced-back-in-day numbers. Those numbers will not change and the only numbers that will be revealed will be in comparison to what is made.
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The example:

5 star is the most made items. The Devilfish would be a very "very common" vehicle to find.

4 star "common"

3 star "uncommon"

2 star "rare"

1 star is the least made items. The Avalanche tank is a comparatively "scarce" find.
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What would that get fans?

An '85 Flint is popular and holds 'value' on secondary markets, but what if we found out '85 Flint is a 5-star "very common" figure that was made in high numbers over the years, so a buyer today might wait for a lower-priced figure to come along at a later date.


Whereas, lets say Quick Kick '85 is a 2 star "rare" figure, but maybe not a very popular or well known one, then a Quick Kick find would become much more valuable.

What say ye?

Should something like this be a 10-star system?

Perhaps combine it with a forever changing "popularity" rating? In that a "scarce" figure is really popular? (making it a "1/10-star" ; the most sought after items?) Maybe something like this is something that could be completely fluid on the internet on the "popularity" side of things, like a constant forever voting option at Hasbro.com?

Sigma Six, Sgt. Savage, Extreme, GvCSpyVvVDtc

These are the "others." The figures and themes that lasted a short time when compared to A Real American Hero line that these toys were launched from. It started almost right in about 1995 with Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles.

I picked up two of the Sgt. Savage with VHS tape figures, one at regular price, and the other I left in the package after finding it on clearance. The Grizzly SS1 was the only vehicle I picked up, on clearance of course, and that was all I got for Sgt. Savage. I didn't "hate" the line, but these were not my scale Joes, they were all just a bit too big to fit in with what I had. So, it was a real easy pass for me not to try and grab more Sgt. Savage.

GIJOE Extreme came next in the pipeline soon after Sgt. Savage. I got some of these comics, and I bought the mini-vehicle pack of the vehicles (on clearance). A buddy who knew I was a GIJOE collector bought be the Iron Klaw figure, but I left that one in the package. The one in the picture above is one I found loose at the Goodwill. Now that I think about it, these Extreme GIJOE figures might have been GREAT to play with the '80s Masters of the Universe toys. I did have some mixed adventures with Joes and He-man back in the day, but Extreme-ly taller figures would have fit almost right in! (Too bad I traded in my He-man guys on a Thunderclap and Rolling Thunder...)

If you know your Joe, it was soon 1997 and the 15th Anniversary figures slid into Toys R Us stores and this went into 1998. So, 1995 and 1996 were just a couple of "off-years" in the long run. Each years line did end up really unique and I think as a whole and on their own, both Savage and Extreme were a pretty decent and fun group toys; just not for me. At least not in any sensible economic view, can't have it all is what I'm saying.

1999 was really the most dead year for Joe, and that worked as I was trying my hand at more higher education (in the name of Joe as a matter of fact) at that time. But 2000/01/ and even 02 brought in more stuff for me to add to my Real American Hero collection. I was digging these years and should have bought more in hindsight, even though I did make more sensible economic decisions "picking and choosing."

Now the (what I call) the themed years starting popping up with new styling and construction changes. I bought a Duke/ Cobra Commander pack and a Wet suit/ Moray pack for the figures, but quickly decided these were not for me at that time. Now there were some excellent things that happened from 2002 through 2005, but also some not interesting things. I did say these were not for me, but, I still ended up buying a lot of these "new-sculpt" years figures and vehicles, mostly the figures for the accessories. I think I ended up with well close to 75 some figures of the various styles from these "themed years" and really I should have been buying more classic ARAH things. Still, there was a lot of products for these made in a short few years!!

Of course, Sigma Six rolled out in 2005 in the fall, announced at the 2005 convention. Another "other."
And I think it was interesting that they added the 2.5" figure/ vehicle line alongside these 8" guys. Now, I didn't "hate." I did catch the cartoon in 2006 as often as I could, and I bought Lt. Stone and Long Range as these were decent original characters. Hi-tech was a gift for me, but even still an original character. These guys were fun and seemed built tough. More expensive, but as a figure a person could do more in terms of gear.
Lt. Stone was fun, and easily my favorite of what little I bought of these. The Styling of these guys made 12" gear somewhat compatible with Sigma Six, too.

I was tempted to start getting into the smaller vehicle companion line, but my income and other sensibilities held me back. In the end, if I had a decent place to call my own, and plenty of cash, yeah, I would buy it all and then some.

Now, BTR was out there, too. I didn't forget about those, I just completely didn't look at them. I think it was since we have limited toy selections in town here, but I never ventured into the block areas much. As much as I want every toy ever, it just isn't going to happen....gotta keep clutter to a minimum...



Now, you may say, I'm stuck on just what I grew up on. Not so, really. I had a great opportunity to play with these GIJOE guys below. I decided to sell these, as I'm not a Vintage collector. That's a thing that gets me, when what is really "classic" ('82-'94) GIJOE years are called "vintage." My Real American Hero is not "vintage" by a long shot, in my opinion. It's only starting to go into "classic" status as far as I'm concerned. Either way, I had a ton of fun back in day being able to play with these. (There was even million dollar man and other awesome '60's/'70's toys in the mix!!)
As far as I go, though, these are "others" when it comes to my collecting toys. It's an all or nothing thing for the most part with limited exceptions from here on out.





"Tough troopers" and "combat heroes" did not catch my eye at all.

What "other" versions of GIJOE do you totally dig, or not dig? Is the original A Real American Hero line actually the "other" GIJOE line in your view?


Was the "Rise of Cobra" an "other" line?

Street Fighter

Street Fighter II toys filled my toy hunting about the time GIJOE was making room on the store shelves for Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles.

Here's as they were before I decided to trade them in, they really mostly sat covered in original plastic package bags to keep the dust off them when they were on the shelf for awhile and most of them sat in their own Rubbermaid container in a pile of Rubbermaid containers for a good number of years. Having them buried and unused was not very fun, so of they went...



The Devastator was pretty darn cool in coloring. I read in an old Steel Brigade Club newsletter that this was supposed to be all black, but it's pretty close...as far from the white Snow Cat of old as it goes. Of course, the "frosted canopy" was still there with the windshield wiper. There were only the spring fired rockets included so the old "ski-pedo" mounts went unused, until I finally found a use for that old "vehicle accessory pack."

This vehicle was very awesome, it kind of became a Cobra vehicle for a little while, but mostly just sat looking awesome.

I was so tempted to swap the Paralyzers weapons and put them on the green base of the Sonic Boom Tank.
I really liked the Paralyzer, and maybe should have kept that tank, too, but either way, this was a nice little vehicle. For '91, if it weren't for the orange-ish, I think the Paralyzer would be a TON more popular.

The Karate Chopper really killed the Dreadnok Cycle when the spring fired rockets were added to the turret. The red and white color with no other details painted really made the Cycle more bland. Not to mention the name, Karate Chopper. So if there was a least favorite of these Street Fighter II vehicles for me, this was it.






I like the Badger quite a bit, but the neon green convinced me to trade it off. The Crimson Cruiser didn't improve on the Badger at all, it was really left mostly the same even in the spring fired rocket launcher department. As I look at it now, I think I like the Badgers light green and blue more compared to the crimson and bright orange.
I think I used the Crimson Cruiser most often for Cobra, and even for my light use, I still managed to put a stress mark on the front hoods hinge.

If I could have found a TigerFly, I would have been able to say I had every U.S. release of the Dragonfly ever made. I thought about doing that, but ultimately, I chose to stick with just my one original Dragonfly. One gunship would be plenty good for my GIJOE team.
The Heli-Fighter here, was really nice, though. If not for that darn spring launcher, it would have been a straight re-do. It didn't include much in the way of missiles, much like the Devastator, so I dug up some extra Dragonfly and Locust v2 missiles to put on this chopper.



The Street Strikers I had were my VAMPs here. I bought 2 of these, kept one strictly SFII, but used another I picked up on clearance as a GIJOE VAMP, using extra GIJOE vehicle stickers that I had. The "GIJOE" stickered one is the most dusty, it got set up in displays mostly, and easily replaced the 2nd hand "real" VAMP I had as that thing was really beat up.