NF Spearhead and other new toys

 I got some new toys.  I got a helicopter that I'll talk about completely separate another time.  I also got 3 more Rock "Range" Vipers, a Wild Bill (2000), and Night Force Spearhead.

Spearhead is a figure that is on my small GIJoe team, already.  You can read some of my original thoughts on Spearhead here.  Of course, keeping my small team small is a goal of mine, as tempting, and easy as it would be, to add more of anything at this point.  Night Force Spearhead will be replacing Spearhead (1988), an easy choice.

Spearhead is still a mostly blank slate character, but still hasn't gotten a lot of use.  That's why I wanted to hunt down this Night Force version.   The figure you see above may very well be the MOST expensive figure I've ever bought.  Easily in the top five, and I can only think of two other figures that are even within $10 from what I paid for this (Skymate and Ambush) right now.  Of course, it was with the funds that come from selling off a huge portion of ones collection, so not as painful, but still it feels like trading 20 figures for 1.

Only thing I can really complain about is that there is some loose wobble on the figures head (is this possibly a normal thing on this figure?).   Otherwise, I'm really happy to add the more subdued colors of Night Force Spearhead to my small team.  With his new uniform, Spearhead will really fit in next to my teams other members like Low Light and Beachhead.

The accessory compliment is the same as his original 1988 version, except all in black mostly.  The helmet surprised me in hand for the Night Force version as it has the camo paint still present instead of all one gray solid color, something that I was not expecting.   The Night Force machete also feels a little more thin, more flexible than the 1988 machete.

There is just a slight difference in the hair color from each figure, too.  The Night Force helmet doesn't feel like it has as tight of a snap-on fit as the 1988 helmet, and I also really dig the darker brown vest, and the black detail on the ammo belt.  This detail really stands out.

I never disliked the 1988 figures orange, but I am glad that there is some green-ish color on the Night Force Spearhead.  The belt detail really stands out, where it rather blended into the overall figure on the 1988 version.

Coming soon.

 

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.

GIJoe and service branches, Rampart, Dogfight, and Slaughter

Through the file card information on classic GIJoe figures, one can reason out which service branch a 'Joe came from. It seems like it's mostly the Army that most GIJoe characters come from.

This is the reasoning behind me choosing these three figures for my small team of 28 GIJoes. I've got a lot of 'Joes from the Army, and these guys pictured above bring in the Navy, Marines, and Air Force service branches. I wanted a mix of characters from different backgrounds to serve as a "snapshot" of my once larger roster of figures, but also to add to the potential variety of future imaginary adventures.
An "other agency" representation I chose is Shockwave--(S.W.A.T.) As much as I like Cutter, too, I just didn't feel like he was going to be strong in the sense of versatile use; mostly since he's in his personal floatation vest. Maybe someday, I may very well add him back in with a part-swap custom.


Rampart is a a figure I bought at the old Mariner Mall Kay Bee store in 1991. One of the first figures I bought when I started to call myself more a collector. I think Kay Bee had a buy-one-get-one-free deal upon my first visit to this store. I miss those deals...

A "shoreline defender" and "A.D.A. missile specialist," Rampart didn't stand out to me very strongly until I started focusing in my collections vehicle drivers and crews. Through his file card, I connected his naval record to the rest of my old sea squad.

A rather nice figure in great gray and tan, with a touch of camo and with reasonable accessories.

My WHALE is gone now, but I think Rampart will work out just as great as a ground defense specialist on foot as well as a vehicle-mounted gunner. Particularly on the Tomahawk.


Sgt. Slaughter is representing the Marines on my team. I was heavily considering the 2005 convention Gung-Ho, but that figure (as great as it is) felt a little too armored. Sgt. Slaughter (1988) really had a bare-bones no-frill trooper feel that I like.


The figure is huge compared to the rest of the figures on the team, but it's that same over-the-top personality that makes this character so much more fun and interesting-- without getting too corny with humor.




Dogfight takes the slot for the Air Force. This pilot figure was the least "jet-jockey" looking figure with any Air Force connection that I had. I traded for this guy online on the old Sgt. Savage boards years ago.
As I thought about it, his aircraft the Mudfighter, really fit the feel of what I wanted with my small team of 28 figures. My team was going to be small, no "support" unit, no "greenshirt" anything. 28 GIJoe figures getting things done, usually on the low-tech end. And the Mudfighter really says low-tech to me. It is something that can operate on some dirt road the world over.

I don't have a Mudfighter. But the attitude of the craft I transposed onto its pilot.

In some ways, the figure gives me a sense of a CIA-type secret mission pilot, too. He's not too professional pilot-looking, nor is he obvious special forces-looking. But I can see this guy just wandering his craft into a back-country locale and fitting in. A lot like that James Bond GoldenEye CIA operative. A guy that just doesn't seem like the type, but gets it all done in the end.
Dogfight really has a similar look to Wild Bill in my mind, too. Mostly with the shades and the mustache. That's another reason why I chose Updraft over Wild Bill. I wanted to get a little bit of new character fun in on the action, as well.

Dogfight also has a nice pistol. This little gun further makes me think Dogfight has that little more CIA-esque angle to him.

With "mudfighter pilot" and "electronics technician," I've got Dogfight serving as the co-pilot/ weapons operator on the Tomahawk with Updraft.

GIJOE Backblast

Backblast E-5

Anti-aircraft soldier
MOS: Air defense artillery SMOS: Signal Corps


Backblast is a character that I first got on 12-30-94 from Walmart in Superior, WI for $2.50.
That Backblast was the Battle Corps V.2. I know this because of my former pack-rat nature and previously more organized record-keeping (I still have the receipt). Gotta say, that $2.50 price was pretty good!

I used Backblast quite a bit. If you know your Joe, the Battle Corps figures often had accessory parts trees instead of the separate, somewhat unique to a figure accessories. Backblast came with black accessories. I really only removed one missile and the best gun that came with him from that tree.



Backblast fought alongside Duke for many years:



To try and have more fun, I started to divide up my figures into various departments and squads in an attempt to essentially have a kind of designated group of figures that go together for certain kinds of missions.


Backblast was in my own made up "heavy assault team." I figured with all the hardware these guys were carrying, they most likely wouldn't be out with the figures like Recoil on LRRP-style missions. These heavy weapons specialists would likely be coming in on some transportation and then disembarking to take on Cobra.




When I decided to trim my collection of figures way back this past 2011, there were a couple of characters that I wanted to keep, but I really wanted to get a different version of them. Versions I had never had previously. My 1993 Backblast was sent away after many years of excellent service....

One of my newest figures to join my collection as of February 2012 is the 1989 Backblast. I just bought him from an online store and I am very happy with his overall condition.


Really, this figure is essentially the same figure as the 1993 version of Backblast, except he has his originally designed arms, and his original accessories. While I lost the more general "Topside" arms of the '93 Backblast, the original figure has a nice knife that is strapped right on his shoulder. Also, the original figure has the scribbling of information on his left leg pad, where on the '93 figure it is all white. I like the detail.

Also, I never really noticed the face sculpt on the '93 version as much as I do on the '89. Perhaps it is the original brown mustache that makes his intense facial expression more apparent?

Now, the original accessories are pretty cool, most notably that 3-rocket system! The monocle is a piece of equipment that I probably won't get much use out of, but it is a really unique accessory when one thinks about the gear like this. I mean, last monocular seen was included with 1984 Thunder?

Either way, the knife is a nice detail, too. Removable gear is definitely not a new concept on GIJOE figures. However, one piece of Backblasts gear that puzzles me is the large bandolier of ammo.
He has nothing to "shoot" the ammo.

However, Rampart needs some ammo for his gun. I'm totally guessing, but my imagination is accepting that Rampart has a 20mm auto-cannon. But no ammo.

Toss in that the Rampart and Backblast teamed up in the Marvel comic for (more or less) one panel in a supporting role for a GIJOE aircraft mission, well, these two characters have kind of stuck together in my mind. See YOJOE for more info on issue 115. A shoreline defender and an ant-aircraft trooper can make a great team.



Backblast is a big guy, too. Backblast beat out my '91 Zap and '90 Salvo for taking a spot on my small team of 28 figures.



Here you can see some height comparisons of figures, Backblast stands pretty tall!



Backblast in comics at JMM's!

Recoil

Recoil

MOS: Infantry
SMOS: RTO (Radio Telephone Operator)
E-5

Here's a character that joined my collection back in late '04/ early '05. I don't remember using him all that much until recently, though. Recoil really started to stand out to me when I was making up my "departments" in my collection. Part of the goal of that project was to make a group of figures easy to grab for whatever imaginative battle I had in mind, the ultimate goal being to reduce the time it took to get figures out of their storage.
The infantry department, I guess I would call it, had a general infantry squad, and a general heavy weapons infantry squad, and then several special patrols for certain environmental climates; Desert, Jungle, Cold weather, Mountain, etc.

I put Recoil in my "mountain patrol." These would have been a group of figures that would have been pulled out in one bunch if Cobra was getting into something in a more mountainous terrain. (Rock-Vipers, beware!) They've all got some training, some gear, and as a team, I think this Mountain Patrol would have been very effective.

Of these five, only two remain. But one will soon be coming back but in a different version.

Recoil really looks straight forward, but his hat felt like a sort of hard-hat at that time. Compare and contrast it with Alpines helmet, and this is where I started to make a visual connection with a light-weight helmet. Possibly with a little headlamp on it. Recoil would have been the communications guy as the Mountain Patrol would have been way out there in the wilds.




As I started to trim back on the size and dynamics of my collection, I wanted to retain a little sense of my overall "big" collection within my small 28-man team. Recoil was my top pick from my "mountain patrol" group more often than not.

And since then, Recoil has really been growing on me. He's one of those figures that isn't overly heavy on special gear. One key criteria in my small team figure selections was finding figures I liked, but also had a "maximum" versatility potential for imaginary GIJOE adventures.



The gear on his back is really a nice touch, and it doesn't get in the way of vehicle inter-play. (He can sit down!) It doesn't stick out too much, and really emphasizes his "LRRP" role by packing on the gear.

On the front, his rifle is well-supplied by several clips.


As well as a couple other clips on the backpack. And his pack is looking full of the essentials, as well as a radio.


If not for the blue, Recoil's rifle would be darn-near perfect. I really like the rifle.
His secondary weapon, though, well..., I've stretched my imagination and still find that to be a fairly "out there" item. Do you have a good use of that gun?



Essentially for my small team, Recoil is one of the more straight-forward "army guys" when it comes right down to it.

Rifle. Pack. GO!




Here's what my 2009 "class of 1989" looked like:




Could Recoil have been a "Grunt V.2" at some point in the design process?

Rock & Roll

Rock & Roll E6
MOS: Infantry SMOS: PT Instructor
(Specialized education: Covert Ops)

I bought this very Rock & Roll figure back in the day at the old Children's Palace in Duluth. I didn't get up to that store as often as I would have liked to, but this figure only cost me $2.79. That's right, with tax a figure like Rock & Roll, a standard single figure pack came to exactly $3.00.

It was probably late 1991 at the earliest that I bought this 1989 figure, but it could have even been halfway into 1992, as well. I tell ya, though, that Children's Palace store had a great selection of GIJOE figures from all years at that time. No matter exactly when I bought it, this is a figure that has been with me for awhile now. (I recall liking how his camo pattern on his pants was sort of similar to my 1986 Hawk's pattern, in a slight way.)

I've really enjoyed having this figure over the years. Often Rock & Roll was in the mix of figures, not exactly as a "gatling gunner," either. As a figure, it is pretty straight forward in design. And it is those fairly basic features that really make this figure stand out as one figure I could almost call a favorite simply because, for no real exact reason.

Some figures, like Fast Draw ('87), are dressed to operate their gear. Like Zap ('91), for instance, has the leg armor and chest shells as part of the figure mold. However, Rock & Roll comes with some fairly large gear, but it is all removable, leaving, well..., Rock & Roll. The big ammo and other elements that adorn some figures doesn't "stick out" on this figure.

That puts Rock & Roll into the "versatile" figure category for me, and this works well for my small team.

Rock & Roll is not only a 1989 figure here, but also an "original 13" character, so the figure represents in my collection that "origin" angle of the first characters, but also fills in the range of years present in my small collection. 1988 and 1991 had surprisingly high top picks for my small team, and in between '89 and '90 fill the gap of those years to sort of represent personal "best of" through the years presence. (if that at all makes sense?)



In taking a look at this figure now, and reading through his file cards, I see Rock & Roll became an E9 rank with his sonic fighter figure. I'm going to keep him at his E6 rank, but with that sonic fighter version, I'm wondering now if I should consider the weapon qualification of "sharpshooter" for my figure?

Consider taking a look at JMM's comic home page on Rock & Roll!



My former class of 1989, all that is left is four now...

1989 GIJoe

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...

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.