Hello There! Of all the childhood toys I have, that my generous parents gave to me, one line stands out from the rest. The G.I.JOE Action Figure line from Hasbro. In fact, its the only toy line that I still actively collect up until now, of course, this time, with my own hard earned cash.
In this page you'll see showcases of my entire G.I.Joe line. You'll notice that they're in great shape. That's due to the fact that our parents taught us early on to take care of our things, putting back toys on the shelves, cleaning them up regularly, and be gentle as possible with them. That's a very good trait that me and my brothers and sisters will be passing on to our next generations. And you should too! (",)
As of the moment, I'm trying to finish putting up my webpage, so for now, the pictures you'll get to see are of G.I.Joes in group, and unfortunately, many may be a little off focus. I'll fix those bugs up later on when I'm done with the entire webpage, and hope to go into more detail later on.. Hope you won't mind. If you do, please do leave me a message. <grin>
1982: TO STRAIGHT ARM OR NOT TO STRAIGHT ARM
The initial batch of G.I.Joes had straight arms, but were later changed into the now classic swivel arm. I only have 1 straight arm figure, the Cobra Soldier, but did not include it with the picture as its broken.
L to R: Cobra Commander; Stalker, Scarlett, and Steeler.
1983: G.I.JOES SHOW A LITTLE MORE VARIETY
Trying to expand its line, Hasbro made more molds for the figures, although some molds were still used for two or more figures.
L to R: Major Bludd, Destro, Gung-Ho, Torpedo, Duke (US version), Duke (Asian version), Ace (w/Skystriker), and Cover Girl.
1984: G.I.JOE GETS GOING
More figures were released, with a cartoon premiering on tv.
L to R: Stormshadow, Buzzer, Zartan, Firefly, Wild Weasel, Copperhead (Moccasin not shown), Baroness,
Rip Cord, Blowtorch, and Toll-Booth.
1985: MORE! MORE! MORE G.I.JOES!!
The G.I.Joe line gets even hotter as the public becomes more aware of them. Goody!
L to R: Eel, Snow Serpent, Crimson Guard, Tele-Viper, Barbecue, Air-tight, Frostbite, Flint, Footloose, Crankcase,
Dusty, Bazooka, Quickick, Snake-Eyes (w/ Timber), and Shipwreck (w/ Polly). plus Battle Bunker and Bomb Disposal.
1986: THE BEST OF THE BEST
I think it was during this year that fans really went ga-ga with the G.I.Joe line. Several collectors, myself included, started to buy (collect) the figures in this year. And its also the year wherein the designs were considered the best of the entire line. Many collector favorites are found in this year's line. My very first figure, Mainframe, has always been my favorite, along with Dial-Tone, also from the same set.
L to R: Sgt. Slaughter (w/ Triple T), Dial-Tone, Cross Country, Sci-Fi, Leatherneck, Beach-Head, Hawk, Low-Light, Slipstream,
Lift-Ticket (w/ Tomahawk), Mainframe, Motor-Viper, Serpentor, Zandar, Dr. Mindbender, Zarana, and Monkeywrench.
1987: TO THE MOVIES... AND BEYOND?
Cashing up on their success, G.I.Joe finally had a movie planned, but unfortunately, due to the flop of the Transformers movie, the G.I.Joe didn't get to air in movie theaters, and went straight to video. This year showcases the biggest vehicles the toy line ever had. From the Space Shuttle Defiant to the Mobile Command Center
.
L to R: Sneak Peek, Outback, Steam Roller (w/ Mobile Battle Bunker), Fast Draw, Falcon, Psyche-Out,
Law (w/ Order), Chuckles, Gung-Ho, Tunnel Rat, and Crazylegs.
L to R: Raptor, Gyro-Viper (Mamba not shown), Zanzibar (w/ Air Skiff), W.O.R.M., Croc Master,
Armored Cobra Commander, Crystal Ball, Techno-Viper, and Big Boa.
BATTLEFORCE 2000
This year showed the release of the joes' first spin-off group, The Battle Force 2000. Unfortunately, fans somehow, someway, really hated these figures, they come in great abundance, and as the hate continued, were finally killed off in the comics series. OUCH.
L to R: Avalanche, Blaster, Blocker (Dominator not shown), Dodger, Knockdown, and Maverick.
SGT. SLAUGHTER'S RENEGADES
Due to the popularity brought in by the wrestler Sgt. Slaughter joining the joe team, these trio were released, but unfortunately were only seen in the movie, and nowhere else.
L to R: Taurus, Mercer, and Red Dog.
COBRA-LA TEAM
The G.I.Joe "movie" featured a new Cobra Menace, and these three figures are based on them.
L to R: Royal Guard, Golobulus, and Nemesis Enforcer.
1988: GIMME MORE! GIMME MORE!
The public continues to buy all joe stuff, as the heat continues, with the introduction of Destro's Iron Grendiers.
L to R: Muskrat, Spearhead (w/ Max), Charbroil, Lightfoot, Budo, Blizzard, Stormshadow, Hit & Run, Windmill (w/ Skystorm), Hardball, Repeater,
Ferret, Nullifier (w/ AGP), Shockwave, Iron Grenadier, Star-Viper (w/ Stiletto), Toxo-Viper, Voltar, Road Pig, and Hydro-Viper.
TIGER FORCE
Hasbro made use of old molds, repainted, and repackaged them into another spin-off group, the Tiger Force. I only have one. I'm not a big fan of reused molds.
Lifeline. plus Tiger Paw.
1989: IT JUST KEEPS GOING!
A bunch of figures were released this year, including to my opinion, the best vipers of the entire series. The joes were great too, most notably Scoop, and Recoil, two of my favorites, but the joes' designs were always great. hehehe.
L to R: Deep Six, Scoop, Dogfight (w/ Mudbuster), Backblast, Stalker, Windchill (w/ Arctic Blast), Recoil, Night-Viper, Alley-Viper,
T.A.R.G.A.T., H.E.A.T.-Viper, Annihilator, Frag-Viper, Gnawgahyde, Darklon (w/ Evader), and Wild Boar (w/ Razorback).
PHYTON PATROL
Due to the success of reusing old molds for the Tiger Force, it was Cobra's turn for a reused mold spin-off group, the Python Patrol. These figures are probably the ones with the worst names.
Python Crimson Guard. plus Python Patrol ASP.
1990: FINANCIAL CRISIS LOOMING
Inflation hits toy lines, as the joes' vehicles start to become smaller and smaller. The Battle Copters were a nice idea. But I don't think anyone ever "flew" these. I haven't seen one "fly" yet. I'm afraid I'll loose the toy. hehehehe.
L to R: Grid-Iron, Ambush, Salvo, Major Altitude, Bullhorn, Pathfinder, Interrogator (w/ Battle Copter), Metal Head,
Night Creeper, Overlord (w/ Dictator), Laser-Viper, S.A.W.-Viper, Range-Viper, Rock-Viper, and Undertow.
1991: WEAPONS FINALLY SHOOT
This year featured the first joe weapons that really fire. I for one am against it. They're bulky, and I sure don't want the kids playing with them. This year also released several spin-off groups.
L to R: Spirit, Snake-Eyes, Tracker, Dusty (w/ Sandstorm), Red Star, Sci-Fi, Ace (w/ Battle Copter), Grunt, Mercer, Heavy Duty,
Big Ben, Incinerator, Cobra Commander, Snow Serpent, B.A.T., and Desert Scorpion.
ECO-WARRIORS
Innovative minds tried to inject new blood into the joe line, since its popularity was waning down, and the Eco-Warriors, with the water squirting, color changing suits were released. These figures actually do change color when squirted with water. Personally I didn't wet my figures, to prevent destroying the figures.
L to R: Ozone, Clean Sweep, Cesspool, Sludge-Viper, and Toxo-Viper.
SONIC FIGHTERS
Also released were again, reused old molds from figures, to create the Sonic Fighters, figures with backpacks that simulate the sounds of 4 different weapons the figure had. Unfortunately for me, these figures were far and few between. I never got to buy them myself. This one I got from a seller disposing of his old figures.
Law.
1992: SPRING LOADED WEAPONS. UGH.
Well, spring loaded mechanisms seems to stay, as almost every figure had a bulky action weapon. Yuck.
L to R: Barricade, Big Bear, Duke, General Flagg, Wet-Suit, Gung-Ho, Firefly, Destro, and Flak-Viper.
ECO-WARRIORS
The Eco Warrior line continues with only three figures. If they paid more attention to this series (Toxo-Zombie. ugh.), it might have just lasted a while longer.
L to R: Deep Six, Barbecue, and Toxo-Zombie.
SUPER SONIC FIGHTERS
After the Sonic Fighters come the SUPER Sonic Fighters (bad name huh). The difference mainly between the two sets is that this set contains sound weapons which look like weapons, rather than just backpacks. I never saw them when they were first released, and only got to buy them years later, at a very low price <grin>, during the mid-90s.
L to R: Rock 'n Roll, Road Pig, Falcon, Psyche-Out, Major Bludd, and Zap.
TALKING BATTLE COMMANDERS
These set of figures come with a backpack sounding off commands. As with the other Sound-equipped figures, they were really hard to find here. ARGH.
L to R: Overkill, and General Hawk.
D.E.F.
I'm about all for this spin-off group, if not only for the again, bulky accessories. I like the idea, but I just think the big weapons aren't right for the line.
L to R: Mutt (w/ Junkyard), Shockwave, Bulletproof, Cutter, Headman, and Headhunter.
NINJA FORCE
I hate ninjas. They don't have a place in the G.I.Joe line. I mean, (asian) ninjas in an American Army? The line was bad too. Somebody just made those action moves into figures, without taking more thought of character (AND name) design.
L to R: Dojo, T'jbang, Nunchuk, Stormshadow, Slice, and Dice.
1993: ARE THESE JOES?
Somehow Hasbro got "tired" of designing great joes, and just released whatever is on hand. The designs were pitiful, the colors forgettable, and again, spring loaded weapons. Unrealistic. Hasbro also released weapon "skeletons" with the figures, throwing away one of the best reasons why joe fans liked the series, their all-original, all-unique weapons. I was really glad not to have bought these figures when they first came out, as only months have passed, and they were put into the bargain bin. And stayed there unsold for a loooong time too. I bought them at 1/3 market price each, just to complete my collection.
L to R: Roadblock, Colonel Courage, Ace (X-16 not shown), Beach-Head, Cross Country, Bazooka, Leatherneck,
Snow Storm, Outback, Iceberg, H.E.A.T.-Viper, Alley-Viper, Night Creeper Leader, and Dr. Mindbender.
L to R: Keel-Haul, Frostbite, Wild Bill, General Flagg, Eel, Cobra Commander, and Crimson Guard Commander.
D.E.F.
Again, these series would have been better without the spring loaded weapons. Its curtains for this line. Really too bad.
L to R: Muskrat, Law, Mutt, Long Arm, Mace, Headhunter Stormtrooepr, and Gristle.
NINJA FORCE
A 2nd batch of ninjas, just as worse as the previous ones, again were released. Ugh.
L to R: T'Gin-Zu (w/ Pile Driver), Banzai, Bushido, Scarlett, and Night Creeper.
MEGA MARINES
I really loved this line. Although its not a G.I.Joe-like idea, even with the bulky weapons. I just like this line a lot. Too bad these were the only figures for the series. Shucks. I don't play with the clay though.
L to R: Mega-Viper, Gung-Ho, Bio-Viper, Clutch, Blast Off, Cyber-Viper, Monstro-Viper, and Mirage.
STAR BRIGADE
This was a line that was going nowhere, in my opinion. Bad figure designs, bad concept. The only thing that could have saved the set was the original Payload mold, which was "lost" during production. Oh well.
L to R: Heavy Duty, Countdown, and B.A.A.T.
1994: JUST A LITTLE TOO LATE
Somehow Hasbro finally caught the idea that the public just hated reused molds on figures, and tried to make a comeback. Unfortunately, it seemed just a little bit too late. The joes got set into limbo after this set. Too bad, I was expecting it to jump back into the top toy lines too.
L to R: Shipwreck, Dial-Tone, Ice Cream Soldier, Flint, Lifeline, Stalker, Viper, Metal-Head, and Major Bludd.
STAR BRIGADE
Now this Star Brigade line way surpasses its predecessor. All original molds, and good ideas. Too bad it was all for naught.
L to R: Sci-Fi, Space Shot, Effects, Countdown, Carcass, Lobotomaxx, and Predacon.
During the 90s, Hasbro got the license to do action figures based on the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat lines.
STREET FIGHTERS
In my opinion, this would be a great line to incorporate the ninja moves from the joe toys. Unfortunately, not all SF2 figures were equipped with an action move, and worse, they were given spring loaded weapons, and joe weapons. Gee, that's sticking to the concept.
L to R: Dhalsim, Guile, Zangief, Balrog, E. Honda, and Vega.
STREET FIGHTER THE MOVIE
These figures used all new molds, and were quite more on line to the SF2 concept. Action moves, plus fighting weapons. Too bad they weren't circulated much as the first line.
L to R: Ken Masters, M. Bison, and Sagat.
MORTAL KOMBAT
Learning from the Street Fighter line, Hasbro made a great Mortal Kombat toy line. Unfortunately they were hotter than I expected, as i didn't buy them at the first time I saw them, and they were gone the next day. Wow. Either they're hot, or the supplies were just low. I assume its the latter since the series was released during the all-time G.I.Joe low.
Johnny Cage.
30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE COLLECTION
I didn't like the line because they didn't have codenames. But later decided to buy them when they were already in the bargain bin. The Pilot figure holds a record for my collection. It was the figure who got broken in the shortest time. It was barely a day old when its backpack pin got broken (by a friend, no less). Oh well.
L to R: Marine, Pilot, Diver, and Soldier.
The joes line went on a hiatus for some years, and I stopped collecting. There were some figures released in the U.S. over the years, in a limited quantity, that never caught my attention, as they never reached our shores. Shucks.
2001: FIGHTING BACK
The G.I.Joe line is seemingly making a comeback. For now, all releases are again, made from reused molds. I hate the idea, but at this time, when joes are far and few between? I'll take what I can get. That's how special they are to me. I sure missed them.
L to R: Laser-Viper, Armored Cobra Commander, Fast Blast-Viper, Destro, Sub-Viper (w/ Wave Crusher), Low-Light, Dark-Viper,
Zartan, Surefire, Wet-Suit, Wet-Down, Pathfinder (w/ A.W.E. Striker), Tripwire, Gung-Ho, Big Brawler, Leatherneck, Cuttrer (w/ N.L.C.),
Flint (w/ Desert Striker), Crossfire, and Double Blast.
APPENDIX : NEW JOE ACQUISITIONS
I got some more joes to add to my collection, unfortunately most of them incomplete. Hopefully I can find some time to include them in their respective years.
L to R: Ripper, Flash, Thrasher, Spirit, B.A.T., Tiger Force Roadblock, Sea Slug, Grunt, and Slaughter's Marauders' Footloose.
L to R: Countdown, Rampart, Wet-Suit, Static Line, Astro-Viper, Lamprey, and Roadblock.
L to R: Mortal Kombat Sonya Blade, Eco-Warrior Flint, Ninja Force Snake-Eyes, Wet-Suit, Barricade, Sci-Fi, and Street Fighter M. Bison.
L to R: Stormshadow, Slice, Alley-Viper, Headman, Mirage, General Tomahawk, Sure Fire, and Big Ben.
L to R: Stalker, Dusty, Stormshadow, Zartan, and Firefly.
L to R: HISS Driver, Mutt, Snow Job, Wild Bill, Torch, Python Trooper, Tiger Force Dusty, Tiger Force Recondo, and Slaughter's Marauders Spirit.
L to R: Drop Zone, Airwave, Skydive, Altitude, Jinx, Charbroil (black-eyed variation), and Backstop.
L to R: Armadillo, Skidmark, Wildcard, Sgt. Slaughter, Ghostrider, Hot Seat, Snake Eyes, Downtown, and Dee-Jay.
L to R: Stretcher, Freefall, Updraft, Sonic Fighters Tunnel Rat, Talking Commandos Stalker, Crimson Guard Immortal, and Backblast.
The figures below are not joes, but they are built like joes. I don't really collect them, but instead use them for my customs.
At post time, it seems G.I.Joe is back in full force! With all new molds, I'll be glad to watch it climb to the very top again. Figure availability here locally again is close to nil, and I just hope I can get some for my collection. Fortunately, the internet's giving me an option. Ah, the wonders of technology. <grin>
I already have the newer joes on hand! Hopefully I can post the newer ones soon, including my new acquisitions of old joe figures! Happy Times are here again. (",)
YO JOE!!
DISCLAIMER : ALL COMMENTARIES ARE OF MY PERSONAL OPINION. THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO OFFEND ANYONE. IF YOU FIND THEM OFFENSIVE, PLEASE EMAIL ME AS TO WHY. THANK YOU FOR VISITING.
