MARS invades!!!
That's what happened at the 2005 GIJOE collectors convention. This was my first convention attended, and my first convention set purchase.
The set really pumped up my Iron Grenadier forces in number and firepower. In one fell swoop, Destro doubled the size of his force here.
The new "heavy" Iron Grenadier quickly outnumbered the two regular 1988 Iron Grenadiers I had at this time. I've only added 4 more 1988 Iron Grenadiers more recently from 2008-2009. Now, if you know the GIJOE club and how these sets go, it's all a mash-up of old parts for the most part. The "heavy" Iron Grenadier is mostly Cobra's old NIGHT VIPER. Nowadays, I'm a little less thrilled with original designs being re-used for the most part. On this Iron Grenadier, though, it hasn't bothered me as much. Mostly since I don't have a single Night Viper and never have. Night Vipers were expensive, and even at the convention in 2005, were probably some of the highest priced troop builders I've seen.
The heads are the same from the 2005 Iron Grenadier as they are from the 1988 Grenadier, and together the 2005 really looks like there is really a bit more combat gear layered on, the figures standing a little taller than the 1988 counter part.The Iron Anvil is a neat take on the old 1994 Viper. The Iron Anvil kinked my plans to army build the 1994 Viper. Yes, it's a little more purple than blue, and a little more orange than red, but for me the 1994 Viper represented a more modern Cobra design for many years. With 6 new Iron Anvil troops around, I have decided to not use the 1994 Viper at all. In my Joe-verse, or my imagination, I chalk up the Iron Anvil uniform design as that of a design that Destro/ MARS was going to use to sell to Cobra....but (in my Joeverse) Cobra was decimated soon after the first uniforms were sent over (around 1994). The Iron Anvil design was shelved until General Mayhem came in and the troops that were not official Iron Grenadiers were assigned to the Anvils.
Since General Mayhem is three figures in one, and I have all those figures, the obvious use of body parts bugs me a little big here. Mayhem makes for a nice General, and the file card is kind of neat. Mayhem is staying around for now, but, maybe I'll let the Oktober Guard catch him in some imaginary battle some day. Needless to say, I think the box art is way better than the figure...had some other head been used with another helmet.... I think that would have been better.
Destro was in the set, but I decided to trade this version away. I don't have a Crimson Guard Immortal, but I was sort of planning on building up the Crimson Guard Immortal for quite some time. Getting all the '91's original accessories for that version 2 is going to be quite an endeavor, and will probably not happen. I think the Crimson Guard Immortal v2 is a very nice figure in that it not only has just enough "crimson" to be an elite trooper, but unlike the very ceremonial version 1 Crimson Guard figures, these v2 'blue' Immortals make for more visually realistic combat troopers. And with all that armor on them, this works great. But for 2005 Destro, it was a bit too much I think.I didn't put Metal Head in any pictures. He's the 1994 figure straight repainted. It looks nice in the matching uniform department, but so does his 1990 version. I actually kind of like the 1990 version better, since as a tank destroyer and anti-armor specialist, he actually has the weapons to do it. The convention Metal Head really doesn't add much more to this character for me to like him better simply painted to match.
The 2005 GIJOE convention also is where we heard of Marauder, Inc. for the first time. For a few months just before the convention, I was buying single pack "new-sculpt" figures and others at retail mostly for the accessories. I think I mentioned that to "marauder" at the convention. I bought the "pulse rifle" first. Just one, but after messing around with the new Iron Grenadiers the first night after getting the convention set, that pulse rifle just fit well. I really liked it, and the next day, went back and got the 12-pack of "pulse rifles" and some singles of the first wave.
Since then, in later Marauder, Inc. waves, I've added the "NCM" rifle and the "modified" Sterling for use by Iron Grenadier forces. They've got just enough "sci-fi" feel to them for me, and really fit the cutting edge of arms that I think represent Destro to a "t."
For the most part, the MARS invades set really matches in with the 1988 crew quite well. As of this writing, the bulk of my Iron Grenadiers are now in the black, red, and gold, color scheme. Figures like the TARGAT and the Annihilator stand out among the crowd a bit more. I haven't used the gray convention set weapons much, though, except for the Iron Grenadiers leg rifle.
BONUS figures!!!I had the 2006 GIJOE club Nullifer, two of them actually. I traded them off in my "no new-sculpts" phase, but they weren't too bad of figures. It was a nice way for the club to get more Iron Grenadier figures out there.
I think the better one is the clubs Undertow release. This is my last club figure that I got with the subscription membership. It is very nice and having it all complete is outstanding. However, now I have two very nice Undertow, each with a different coloring. I'm not likely to army build the divers any time soon, but which one would make THE Undertow to build?
Also, in my head, Destro has been a gold headed guy since 1988 in my head, is there any place in the stand alone army for a silver Destro? (and no, I don't "Alexander" in my Joe-verse.)
