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...

gijoe 1985

Here's how my 1985 class of figures is looking now.

Back in 2009, I did snap some "group shots" of my collection, organized into years. I knew I had left the 1982-83-84 years out, they weren't as plentiful and really would have been lumped into one group for what I have. I have done that with the "swivel head" post not too long ago, though, so you can see how the amount of figures compares with what I have/ had.

But on for 1985, I didn't do a "group shot," either. This kind of makes me think, I mean, why didn't I do it back then? No matter..., here it is in the picture above. Tollbooth did not make the picture, and neither did Frostbite (trimmed along with all the other arctic specialists). But there's still a nice group of figures.

When I look at these figures in their respective years, a lot of things really start to pop out to me. I feel a greater appreciation for the "whole" when all the "parts" are brought together. (forest for the trees? anywho...)

I really quickly noticed a break in the visual connection, the more similar color schemes on uniforms.

On one had, there's Flint, Alpine, Heavy Metal, Footloose, and Crankcase. All of these guys really look the "army" part. I posted about Flint previously, and as I thought of what more to say, I have to ask you, the reader, was Flint intended to replace Duke? Or was Flint meant to be the leader of the 1985 GIJOE team?
Heavy Metal is a newer figure for me, I've only had him for a couple years. He's spent most of the time driving my Equalizer, so Heavy Metal has a spot in my collection going forward for sure. So does Crankcase. I've had a lot of fun with this guy in my recent cavalry scout group, and since he brings a nice rifle and removable helmet to the party, well, he's seen more action lately here. Consider that the A.W.E. Striker is a heavily used vehicle here, too.
However, Alpine and Footloose have not seen as big of use since joining my collection not that long ago, really just a couple years ago. They look nice and fit in the picture below well. I'm going to spend some time with Alpine, as much as I really liked the characterization on the old cartoon, the figure hasn't grabbed me. I'll run the guy on some missions in my head to see if he works.


Footloose is another story, though. I'm not getting anything from him, it's like Grunt in a lot of ways. Infantry troopers in the mix of Rangers and other specialists. The figure looks nice, but he brings a backpack, a rifle, and a rocket. Stalker or Beachhead can do this guys job in my mind, and I have plenty of rocket-launching-capable Joes on the bench. Between Footloose and Grunt, I'm just not feeling a need for them right now. But am I wrong? Do I need Footloose (or Grunt) for that matter?




Now, on the other hand, we have the more non-traditional looking army guys. Well, Dusty looks the part, he is just all desert instead of green. You might be surprised (but maybe not) that I actually prefer the '91 version of Dusty and use that figure more.
And Shipwreck, well he isn't army at all, he's Navy! So the sailor suit makes sense, and actually as of the day I am typing this, he's my "newest" figure. My 1994 "SEAL" Shipwreck has been my Shipwreck for over 15 years now. And it figures that I decided to trim my WHALE out of the motor pool, so now I have to find a new use for Shipwreck.

So Shipwreck and Dusty are pretty traditional, just more suited to a specific area of operation. Quick Kick could go just about anywhere, too, I suppose. The figure I have is actually the later mail-in version that is "inferior." And I agree with that "inferior" description, I got another guy a real 1985 Quick Kick for his help in getting me some stuff and it really was nicer. The Mail-in I have has been in my collection for about 20 years now and I don't think I've used him much. When I was creating departments for my team, Quick Kick and Budo ended up in my head as trainers that would hold classes in the tank bay of the HQ. That's the extent to which Quick Kick has gotten.


Barbecue is kind of nice, and makes sense to me from the paramedic perspective of firefighting. Whether it be a downed helicopter, HQ fire, or VAMP collision, having a firefighter on hand is just as good as having a dog-handling cop for security. He's great as a support character. I'm not sure if I'll ever have him along on a raiding mission with Snake eyes, though. And since I don't have a physical HQ now, do I need a firefighter on hand?

Now Airtight is a very cool figure. I got this guy, the actual one pictured above, from my best bud from back in the day. He's not a traditional looking guy, like Flint or Footloose, but his specialty is pretty important. That hostile environment specialist can really help out if the team runs into any on the chemical, biological, or radiological spectrum of things. I gotta say that I haven't used Airtight that much in comparison to many more traditional figures. Even my old best bud from back in the day might not have used him that much, but I do seem to remember that he thought Airtight was cool.
And really, combine Airtight with Barbecue and host of other flame and Eco specialists and one can have a really interesting looking team in itself.


Overall, 1985 really has some personable characters. A lot of the character figures from this really stand out to me in the old GIJOE cartoon. And really, with the mix of figures they really fit with 1984, and '83, but with the new ball-jointed neck. That's what most of my collection consists of and the articulation change really adds to figures for me.