Downtown

I'm pretty sure it was sometime in the fall of 2005 when I traded a bunch of stuff and got a bunch of stuff at a meetup (sort of) locally.   Part of that whole deal was Downtown.   I also got a straight arm Short Fuze out of this whole deal.   I found Downtown a lot more appealing as a figure and in gear compliment.

I suppose I had "Short fuse" when I had bought the TRU Night Force multi-pack before that, but without the gear, the figure didn't stand out to me strongly.  Plus, that was Downtown in form, I have simply not been able to be happy calling a figure by a different name simply with a different paint application.   But, really, Downtown could have just as well have been Short Fuse back in the day, especially considering the amount of 1989 GIJoe team members that were reworked for that years releases.   (Rock-n-roll or Stalker, for some examples...)

The above photo is a "squad concept" I was playing with in 2004.  One can kind of see I was thinking about a small team back then, and only recently did I actually commit to it with my small team.   I had "Short Fuse" (Downtown to me) as the mortar man.    Why did I need a mortar man, though?  Well, in some ways I was trying to emulate the "original 13" flavor in my selections.

But, you ask, why did I pick the 1989 Downtown if I had the Night Force painted one?  Well, for originality and personality.  But also for overall small collection flavor, as 1988 and 1991 had a large representation in figures, I wanted to have a little more 1989/1990 in the mix to kind of represent "my years" of figures.

The Night Force version I had had a loose neck ball joint from the get-go, too.  Plus, the overall sculpt of the head kind of got lost under the Night Force face paint.   Downtown ('89) has a nice amount of bulk and gear on the figure, too, without being too overbearing.

I like the pouches on the pants and up on the backpack strap.  The backpack strap has a nice broad, weight distributing shoulder webbing that makes carrying all those mortars and gear easier on Downtown.  

The figure has a nice arm-to-torso joint, too.  Sometimes on this joint, the torso doesn't broaden out at the top causing the figure to have elbows that can't come all the way into the body.  (Duke 1992, for example)   And while Downtown isn't all muscular with a ripped shirt like Heavy Duty ('91) or the armless vest look, like Sgt. Slaughter ('88), the figure still feels like a solid muscular character with a broad upper body.

The gear compliment is nice, too.   I had the 1990 Sonic Viper for well over a decade prior to getting Downtown, and I always liked that mortar rig.    The backpack is bulky and having all those mortars on it adds some fun detail and play value.

The orange helmet (as well as strapping, and shin guards) aren't my first choice in go-to colors.   I guess if there is one thing I don't care for with Downtown, it is his pistol.

Not that it's bad, but it is big, and just in general I don't have a huge like on most pistols since they tend to kind of seem like they are just flopping out there in a pose (not "straight"), if you know what I mean?

On the figure, there is some really nicely sculpted detail, though.  I mean, straps from the shin guards are painted like they belong.  That material looks solid next to the fabric-looking pants.  Or the belt loops, or web gear intertwined on the upper torso.   Some nice stuff.



For my small team, I wanted to have some characters that have a lot of "blank slate" to them.  I think Downtown fits pretty well with essentially just the one release for this aspect.   As a mortar man, Downtown will likely be my whole artillery division since my team is so small, and my motor pool extremely light.   (Where a few years ago I had a Slugger and Thunderclap and Mobile Battle Bunker and etc, etc.   !!!)

I think the file card supports the role that I have destined for this character.   I suppose in some ways, Downtown might see most use as a "support" character figure.   I wanted a large possibility for figures to be versatile within my small team.  Downtown will be more of a challenge for this versatility, I mean, this is not a figure/ character that is the first choice for hand-to-hand combat with  Dreadnoks, or behind the lines sabotage missions with Mercer.



Now, with the basketball reference in his file card, I wonder if the blue jacket is indicative of a sports team?

Consider Hardball from 1988, with his baseball reference and shirt, or the "B" on Cutter's cap.   I guess I don't know basketball that well to guess if there is a sports team color that "could be" Downtown's team.