GI Joe Figures Are So Cool These Days

[dandaman]

Why do GI Joe figures have to be so cool nowadays? I collected GI Joes back when they first came out, and I had squads of Cobra troopers. But now they're so much better.

I mean, have you seen the Cobra Night Watch set? The guy with the huge MG on the tripod? And the other four guys are just as cool. They are totally ready for battle. Ready to be slaughtered by GI Joe, but ready nonetheless.

Then they have all these different variations of Cobra officers and troopers. Not to mention all the Crimson Guard guys.

Man, to be a kid again!

[tmanthegreat]

Yes, they are! Hasbro revisited the sculpting and articulation for the figures recently. They are the classic characters, but with a new (and in most cases) more realistic look and different articulation. Lots of removable helmets and accessories are packed in as well. I've found myself picking up a figure here and there, sort of doubling up my old figures with the new counterparts. Never too late to not be a kid

[Liquid Identity]

I miss the simple customization of the old figs that used the back screw and O-ring setup inside. Other than that, the new 25th anniversary figs are extremely well articulated and accessorized. But the price is more significant and there seems to be a heavy focus on army building collectors. Hence all the variations in fodder troops.

To see Joe back in action though is more than welcome. Hasbro has done some fantastic revivals, and a few real blunders as well... but they sure are fun to look for and mess around with.

Now all they need to do is put out some quality vehicles! That's what this new 25th movement is sorely lacking, and was a staple of the original 3 3/4 Joes.

[dandaman]

Now all they need to do is put out some quality vehicles! That's what this new 25th movement is sorely lacking, and was a staple of the original 3 3/4 Joes.

The vehicles! I had so many of the vehicles! Most of them were fantasy pieces of course, but they were cool to play with. I even had that big Terrordome thing. That was fun to defend with the Cobra troops...to the last man.

One of my favorite vehicles was the Rattler because of the gatling gun at the nose and all the missiles it carried. It would strafe the Joes below until it was out of ammunition and then it was a sitting duck.

Another cool one was that Joe Rapid Fire Motorcycle...which was basically a bike with a gatling gun. Some Joe would come careening around the corner driving this thing, and would take down a dozen or so Cobra troops before a Hiss tank blast took it out.

I had the Whale hovercraft. The thing was huge and would just run over Cobras. It wouldn't even have to waste a missile, canon blast, or bullet from its multiple machine gun mounts.

The Cobra Stinger jeep was the closest thing the bad guys had at success. It had some pretty good armor and mobility, as well as 4 destructive missiles. If the Cobras could peel away fast enough after launching their last remaining missile, they had a chance at saving their life from Joe revenge (which was usually brutal hand-to-hand combat dragging the Cobra driver out of the driver's seat).

Some "dead-in-the-water" vehicles were the Fang helicopter, which for the most part was well-armed. But it was slow and clunky and made for a great target. The typical scenario went: shoot it in the back rotor before it got a shot off and it would start spinning to its doom. Down goes another Cobra.

And as well-armored as the Hiss tank was, the turret did not provide enough coverage. It was super easy for Joes to sneak up behind it and grenade it from the back, disabling the gunner. The driver at that point was dead meat.

There were some funny things too, like this battle armor thing the Cobras used to wear (the SNAKE). They would put this cumbersome thing on thinking it would protect them in the heat of battle. The Joes would surround it, fire at it, whittle it away piece by piece, until the Cobra trooper was fully exposed and then executed.

On the Joe side of things, the Bridgelayer vehicle could get you killed in 10 seconds flat. There was just no protection. That vehicle provided comic relief on more than one occasion.

Another of my favorites was the Wolverine (which came with a female driver). This was easily the most destructive of the Joe vehicles. It carried 12 missiles and each one was effectively used to wipe out Cobra troops. Those poor Cobras.

Wow...the memories. Looking back I see why I sympathize with the Cobra troops so much. They got their butts kicked so hard, yet still had the courage to run face first into battle believing they had a chance at victory.

[Stug45]

I really miss my uss flagg aircraft carrier

[topnotch97]

yeah. a lot of folks wished they had one as a kid. or at least hasbro release it again, which they probably refused.

i guess a 1:18 scale custom aircraft carrier the size of a flat bed would be out of the question?