The GIJoes of 1989. I guess in a lot of ways, this years worth of figures really continues much of what 1988 had to offer me, but it even carries in elements of 1987's style while sort of sliding into the solid year (in my opinion) of 1990.
There's even elements of 1982! Consider Snake eyes, Rock-n-roll, and Stalker make their way back into the prime time of figures in 1989, that's kind of nice. And I think all three are very nice "updates" of those figures. And it doesn't stop there, as Deep Six from 1984 is here, but this time as a fully articulated action figure instead of a suit with swiveling arms.
With my history with Joe, this year was pretty much how I was able to get these characters new. So, where many collectors/ fans might have had the original versions of these, the 1989 "version 2" figures were really my first.
The '89 Snake eyes, Rock-n-roll, and Stalker were my first versions of these characters. As far as Rock-n-roll goes, I haven't really wanted any other version..., I really like this one.
Deep Six, though, I did have the '84 (with the bellows) first, but I found the 1989 version so much more usable and fun! I used the "version 2" on the WHALE and even had him assisting Wet-Suit, Shipwreck, and Torpedo underwater.
As I look at this year as a whole, there's the obviously strong design sense that even newly named figures really could have been previously seen figure characters, too. Downtown could have been Short Fuze, and Dogfight is very suspiciously looking like Wild Bill. And it's a stretch, but Countdown a possible, Ace?? Recoil even could have been, Grunt or Footloose??
Either way, I like the year. I like it even more after having all the accessories out as a group of stuff. There's a lot of gear, and it is really fairly detailed. A lot of removable helmets are present, as well, furthering the coolness of accessories.
Long Range has one of my favorite pistols. And Dogfight's pistol is fairly aggressive looking as well. Recoil has some poorly colored guns, but that rifle is one of the best in my opinion in form, not to mention his awesome backpack. Downtown and Rock-n-roll really bring the heat with their big weapons. A pair of twin guns and fun mortar (with mortars!) launcher are here.
Between Scoop and Dee Jay, the audio and visual department is looking well-equipped. I have to wonder even now, why was Dee Jay, a Battleforce 2000 member, available 2 years after the rest of that theme?
And Hot Seat is there as the tank driver, essentially. I've never seen his vehicle, the Raider, in person, though. It seems like it would be a fairly decent tank. Anyone have any opinions on it?
If you made it this far down in my ramblings, (thank you for reading!) you may know that I'm considering trimming down my figures quite a bit. In pictures for the 1989 figures I have, well, above is what I'm considering keeping.
I've already discharged tundra ranger Stalker and Windchill with the rest of my Arctic force.
Below is what I'm considering sending out the door:
Payload and Countdown are astronauts. There's not much else I can do with astronauts in their suits as I can see it. I was putting them in the jets I had, but with no jets nowadays, and no Crusader or Defiant missions planned for anytime in even the far future....well, it would just make sense for them to go. They are really nice figures, too.Deep Six is on the potential for being sent off for the same reason. Deep Six is a deep-sea diver in a dive suit. A dive suit with weighted boots. And it is a heck of a nice figure, as well. But, with no SHARC, no Barracuda, and even no WHALE...., it really does make sense for him to go. As much as he'll be missed (he is an original collection figure, this one bought by me!)
And Snake eyes is up there. What's wrong with Snake eyes? Well, I haven't been buying any modern GIJOE Snake eyes, but I still have a hefty handful of this character in many incarnations. I like this version, and it was my first one, but I have been much happier and have almost exclusively used my "default" Snake eyes over the past 5 years now. It simply doesn't make sense for me to hold onto any other form of this figure. Besides, most of the accessories that are unique to the 1989 Snake eyes were reused quite a bit from 2000-2006. I never use that 3-piece stick weapon, either...