1987 Battle Force 2000 Eliminator (4WD)

 

I have to give credit to the small community of GI Joe bloggers that have been able to consistently produce articles and content consistently over years and decades (Mike T's Forgotten Figures, The Attice Gazette, The Viper Pit etc.). I am struggling with finding any routine or momentum to constantly churn out posts. I hope that over the next month or so that changes as I have been doing some work in my basement where my GI Joe collection resides to make it an environment more conducive to being productive with the hobby. During my recent basement cleanup and reorganization I came across a sealed cardboard box. The box contained the subject of this post - the 1987 Battle Force 2000 Eliminator (4WD). Last spring I attempted to sell it several times on Ebay and was unsuccessful so I have decided to just hold onto it as it is one of the BF 2000 vehicles I feel is worth a spot in my collection after much reconsideration.

Battle Force 2000 doesn't seem to have ever enjoyed a renaissance of over the past 25 years as collectors get older and seem to go through phases of a collective appreciation for a once overlooked part of the ARAH era. The BF2000 Figures did get the Collector's Club treatment back in 2017 as convention exclusives but the original vehicles were never re-released. The BF2000 vehicles and main figure line were released when I was 5 years old and I do not have any real recollection of the toys in real time besides vague memories of the Future Fortress which is the main gimmick of the Battle Force 2000 vehicles. I have never put together the Future Fortress myself but I have seen enough images and video reviews of it to state confidently that while it was a cool idea it lacked in execution. When I got back into ARAH O-ring collecting I decided to acquire the BF2000 figures as I saw them as a useful group to become drivers for other vehicles in my collection. Eventually I decided to acquire the BF2000 vehicles that appealed to me - the Eliminator, Dominator, Sky Sweeper and Vector. I never cared for the Vindicator, the lack of a canopy bothered me and when looking to acquire the Marauder I noticed the connector piece for seemed prone to stress marks and in many cases was broken.

The ARAH line was well represented in lightweight utility jeep/ type vehicles (I use this term loosely) - the Vamp, Vamp MK II, Awe Striker, Desert Fox 6WD, Hammer, Badger and Mudbuster all fit within this classification for me. I'd add the Eliminator as Hasbro's futuristic interpretation on what military jeeps/vehicles could be on the 21st century battlefield. The design does deviate somewhat from a standard military vehicle and offer a few quirks due to it being an imagined fighting machine of the future. If the more fantastical elements are taken away from the Eliminator it's chassis is a decent vehicle design. When looking over the vehicle the worst elements are the large right side laser gun and the two laser guns where headlights should be. While I am not the biggest fan of them, I can understand why they are there and were designed the way they were since we are talking about Battle Force 2000 after all. The rollbar that covers the driver's seat is too short and the most figures have their eyes at rollbar level with the head sticking out. It's not a deal breaker but much like the Vector jet with it's compressed cockpit design, is a design flaw but forgivable (for me anyways).

After getting past all of that the rest of the Eliminator is a decent enough vehicle. It can fit three in it's main mode with the removable "tactical ground station" in place. One in the driver's seat, one sitting in the platform and two pegs behind the gun to allow for a figure to man the weapon. The rear gunner seat offers some nice technical details and a console with a monitor. When the ground station is removed the Eliminator becomes a flatbed truck with 6 missiles and a stand alone gun platform. The steps up to the rear gun platform are also a nice little detail as is the removable engine cover which is exposed when remote the gun platform. There are also three additional foot pegs exposed in this mode. The blue and silver as the base colors for the Eliminator also works well together, the colors compliment each other as does the olive green used. The blue and green are present in all the BF2000 vehicles. Also, the tow hook is always a nice feature to have.  I actually was surprised with how large the Eliminator is, it is about the same size as the Snow Cat while being slightly higher off the ground and is substantially bigger than the VAMP. In doing this review I was surprised to learn that the axles use a very similar type of design to the Desert Fox 6wd which do not hold up over time. 

As mentioned earlier the only reason I still have this vehicle is because it was not selling when I put it up for sale last year. Not exactly a ringing endorsement but that lines up with Battle Force 2000 being a forgotten and the most unpopular sub team from the line. A quick once over on auctions for the Eliminator don't yield a ton of results and complete vehicles don't seem to be that common. A lot of incomplete vehicles and parts available. It works well enough as a complimentary type vehicle in the motorpool or a convoy but otherwise doesn't evoke the same enthusiasm from me as many of the main line vehicles. If you have it, I'd say hold onto it but if not I don't think it's a must have by any means.

2000 Firefly

 

When it comes to GI Joe, this time of year brings me back to 2000 and the release of the Real American Hero Collection. It was one of those transitory times in life, I just graduated from high school in May and prior to going away to college in January I had a semester at home taking courses at community college while working part time. My friends had all either moved on to college or were still in high school so needless to say I had time on my hands. When I look back on this small segment of time in my life, I really do only have good memories about it. I liked the "independence" or so what I thought independence was at the time. If I am being honest with myself what I really got was to enjoy an extra half a year of suspended adolescence.  Much of my free time was spent discovering the GI Joe web 1.0 ecosystem. I found myself getting pulled into Joe customization and dio-story oriented websites - The Bivouac, Evil Face's 4th circle of hell, Joebattlelines, General's Joes etc. I want to say that I was first alerted to the Real American Hero collection through the figure reviews from General's Joes or after doing a bit of hasty research via the Wayback Machine it might have been from YoJoe.com in the summer of 2000.

The quick trip down memory lane gets us to the topic of this write-up, the 2000 Real American Hero Collection Firefly. Upon first learning about and seeing Firefly I was completely enamored with the figure, had to have it as soon as possible and thus kicked off my joe hunting era which ran off and on until Hasbro ended the line with the 50th Anniversary in the mid 2010s. So I ended up going on a weekday morning toy hunt in early October to the local Toys R Us and was successful in tracking down the Firefly/Undertow two pack.

I would argue that their is a general consensus among GI Joe fans and their appreciation for Firefly as one of the top Cobras from the ARAH run. For me as someone who was aware of the figure but never had the original 1984 version up to that point, seeing Firefly in woodland camo was insanely cool. I did have the 1998 Artic version but my mental timeline isn't tracking whether I had gotten it before or after the 2000 ARAHC Firefly.  In doing some research, mainly reading the Generalsjoesreborn.com archived review it was brought up that Evilface made an excellent woodland custom of Firefly and it looks like someone at Hasbro used that as the inspiration for the 2000 RAHC Firefly. All purely speculative on my part of course (I am sure people said the same thing 26 years ago too).

After getting Firefly in hand, the figure did not disappoint. The same classic mold from 1984 still seemed very much in play 16 years later and the camo/paint wipe apps gave Firefly a more gritty appearance. Rather than being just a saboteur working stealthily the woodland camo design added a new element of Firefly being involved in different theaters of operation and operating a tactical infantry capacity rather than in the shadows. At the same time Firefly could also just as easily be engaging in guerilla warfare. Of course that is just my interpretation of the figure (the original could be used in the same manner). Hasbro also did a fine job with the paint apps giving a few more "pops" of color and depth when compared to the original 1984 version. Namely the grenades, red explosives, sidearm painted black, the balaclava mask painted in between the eyes and the Cobra sigil on his forehead (I would have preferred that to remain on the figure's arm). A small critique would have been to have the figure have painted hands to give the appearance of gloves rather than barehands. I wouldn't go as far to say the 2000 version was better because it's not, but it's a very good update to the original iconic Firefly that builds off the 1984 version and fits in with the design choices made for the RAHC line. Even now all these years later my original figure is still in good condition. the only real issues are his hand grip is a bit wide so it's hard to find weapons that will fit securely and his right arm is a little loose. I am also not a MOC collector but I do have one unopened Firefly/Undertow set which is a complete rarity for me as someone who opens everything.

For the most part Hasbro did a good job during the RAHC era of issuing most of the same accessories that originally came with the figures, Firefly came with the same accessories besides the radio but that could be found with Chameleon or Dial-Tone from the same year. The sub-machine gun is one of the best firearms from the line and the paint job on the backpack matches up with the woodland camo covering Firefly is also something I appreciate. In my early 2000s Joe-verse Firefly was a commando, a one man wrecking crew or leader of small squads of Cobra troopers. He was a top tier operator, this is how I envisioned him as a kid when I was aware of the lore surrounding the original figure and applied it to my little brother's 1992 Firefly that I used heavily in my Joe battles. Firefly the character regardless of the version of the character was always able to put up a fight against GI Joe and either emerge victorious or fight competently. That has always been my characterization of Firefly, essentially a Cobra non-ninja elite commando. It's safe to say it's one of the figures/characters I hold in the highest regard in the whole line.

This mold of Firefly got a ton of use in the early 2000s, by my count 6 were released with the comic book pack only having a new head sculpt (plus 2003 Tiger Force Wreckage). It could be recency bias or nostalgia kicking in but I'd say this is my second favorite version of the figure. I mentioned the paint wipes before and they were an innovation introduced with the RAHC. They offered a little more depth to the figures the paint app was applied to but looking back at the line the paint swipe "innovation" was probably not necessary. It doesn't really deter from most of the figures. The RAHC line was very much a step in a different direction in terms of design and theme compared to the Battle Corps era that ended the original ARAH run with louder and brighter colors. I am sure this was intentional, my pulse within the community was non-existent outside of being an observer but most GI Joe collectors at that time were in their mid teens to mid twenties and the clamor for a return to military realism seemed to be a recurring theme in the early 2000s and for the most part the A Real American Hero Collection was able to deliver on more realistic looking figures.

When I really think about it, this is one of my all time favorite figures. Nostalgia plays a big role in that for sure as it was one of my first Joe hunt acquisitions so I have some vivid memories available to tap into but it's also the classic mold with the visually stark woodlands camo that is something I still do not tire of 26 years on. I am more willing to use this version of the figure as a suitable stand in for the original Firefly which I don't bring out too often. I also prefer him to all the other Firefly figured from the early 2000s, although they all have their uses. 

1988 Skystorm X-Wing Chopper

This hobby allows the mind to wander and ponder unserious things offering a form of escapism. While working on the Phantom X-19 write-up a few months back I also came across my Skystorm X-Wing chopper and I have been ruminating on the best way to do a post discussing it. I have scoured my memory bank as best as possible and have no vivid or even hazy memories of the Skystorm as a kid. My best guess is that my age at the time it was released along with no GI Joe cartoon to support the 1988 line probably played a big role in as to why I don't have a childhood recollection of the it. I wouldn't want to say I discounted it as a kid and my opinion of the toy as a collector probably lines up with whatever opinions I had of the vehicle in my youth that are now lost to time.

The Sunbow cartoon played a large role in determining the popularity of figures and vehicles. Despite it being cancelled the cartoon was still on-air well into the mid-90s. It played a role in establishing the Skystriker and Dragonfly as the most identifiable and iconic GI Joe aircraft and helped pave the way for the Conquest X-30 and Tomahawk as their successors. Of course the cartoon was a marketing tool used by Hasbro to sell GI Joe toys to kids. Fast forward to 1988 and the next GI Joe specific aircraft released were the Phantom X-19 and Skystorm X-Wing Chopper and they received no exposure due to the Sunbow cartoon being cancelled. It is interesting to think of the cartoon continuing into 1988 and air battles between Skystorm helicopters and Cobra Mambas much like the battles in the early days of the cartoon between Dragonflys and FANGs. With all that said I still do not think it's far fetched to say the Skystorm would not be remembered as fondly as the earlier GI Joe aircraft. It is a noble design attempt to make one vehicle do two things but falls short on both accounts. 

I really do like that Hasbro released two experimental aircraft designs right out of Popular Mechanics in 1988. Just like the Phantom X-19, the Skystorm can be traced back to similar experimental aircraft ideas. The inspiration for the Skystorm was a design concept by Sikorksy, which never got past the the prototype stage S-72 model. That aesthetic tie-in for both aircraft from the same release year gives me an added level of appreciation for what Hasbro was doing at that time. It also probably helps that both of the toys were designed by the same person - Guy Cassady. I am probably overemphasizing the obvious and it was probably intentional but it's still something I appreciate. The look and design of the aircraft does a great job straddling between science fiction and realism with a futuristic, sleek and aerodynamic design and pairs up nicely with the Phantom X-19.

While the design is experimental it's color scheme is much more muted. The white used for the base color of the body is a close match to that of the Skystriker and works well with the blueish gray tail fins, rotors and front guns. The color choice for the missiles is a bit strange, rather than opting for a classic black or grey all 6 missiles and the landing skid are a dark navy blue color. On the topic of landing skids this is an area where the Skystorm is lacking, it only has the one read landing skid while front landing area are just two small raised narrow "skids". The elongated narrow clear canopy fits the overall shape of the Skystorm very well and shows off the pilot nicely (Windmill is a topic for another write-up and his t-bar snapped while posing him for a picture). From what I have observed it seems that the front pegs for the guns can be prone to breaking and the thin plastic rotors also tend to succumb to time and gravity. 

The main feature of the Skystorm is that it can change between helicopter and jet mode by either pushing up or down on the rotor "radar dome" to extend or retract the propellers. In short the gimmick isn't great which is a shame because the base design of the aircraft is pretty good and with some modifications could have been made into either a helicopter or jet. When it comes to GI Joe vehicles that have gimmicks I tend to ignore the gimmick and use it in the most conventional way possible (for example: the Condor doesn't split in two, it's a long range bomber and the Cobra Mamba flight pods do not detach and just behave as gunner stations on the aircraft). For the Skystorm I use it as a helicopter, the extended propellers give it enough believability that it could be a rotary wing aircraft and the radar dome serves a similar purpose as the Mast Mounted Sight on the Bell Kiowa OH-58D. Much like the it's release year partner the Phantom X-19, it's a neat vehicle to have in your collection but doesn't really hold the weight of the iconic aircraft from the ARAH heyday. 

As I have been brainstorming and putting down my random thoughts for the Skystorm, having it out of storage, inspecting and studying it gives me a greater appreciation than I initially had when starting the process of this write-up. If I compare it to all of the other GI Joe helicopters from the run of the line it easily ranks below the Dragonfly, Tomahawk, Retaliator and Locust but I'd take it over any other helicopter from the entire Joe run including new sculpt and modern era. It does not appear to be a high demand or very popular item which makes sense due to reasons mentioned already. The resources out there - mainly the 3DJoes interviews with Guy Casady along with images showing the inspiration and design process he engaged in for the Skystorm were fascinating and it just adds a deeper level of appreciation for the GI Joe toy line.

2026 Super 7 Reaction+ Flash

When it was announced that Super 7 was going to release a Reaction+ version of Flash it did not really move the needle with me. My connection to the original thirteen figures was not particularly strong during my childhood and that carried into my adulthood collecting. I very much appreciate the role of the "OG13" because they established the foundation of what is one of the most successful toy lines to exist. The template provided for "green army men" was executed very well with the initial 1982 release and improved upon with the 1983 swivel arm release. The first wave of GI Joe also introduced many of the iconic figures to the line. I have tried on at least two different occasions to collect the "OG13" but have stopped at some point and resold the ones I managed to acquire. They are not the cheapest figures to collect and they always seemed to be a little more fragile due to the 40+ year old plastic.  For the mental gymnastics around collecting them became more than I cared to invest time into so I view the Super 7 Flash figure as a way to fill a hole in my collection.

Flash was a figure and character I had no connection to or memories of growing up. My adult collecting experience with Flash was first acquiring the figure during the 25th anniversary era and then the Rise of Cobra version in 2009. The O-ring offerings of the figure honestly peaked with the original Flash. The 2005 Comic Book Flash was just the reuse of the 1994 30th anniversary astronaut which was a far cry from the original design for the figure. In 2007 the "Tanks for the Memories" convention exclusives also included a Flash figure. This figure did capture the essence of the original Flash but suffered from it's own shortcomings - namely the shrunken head syndrome and the awful selection of accessories given. The figure goes for around $100 on the aftermarket so it's not cheap either.

My knowledge of Flash really only applies to the figure itself. I can't really recall him in the Sunbow Cartoon and am not well versed in the Marvel comic run either. A quick google search makes me say that Super 7 was using the comic book version of Flash as the inspiration for the figure. This tracks with Super 7's design methodology for this line as the figures are based on cartoon animation (Sunbow /1987 GI Joe movie) or the comic book . Needless to say when I finally got this version of Flash in hand I liked the figure much more than expected. It has become one of the my favorite figures from the Reaction+ line. A quick search yielded the below illustration of Flash which to me looks like it could be the inspiration for the figure design. 

Flash is a pretty well done figure. The head sculpt and paint applications are executed very well, it's one of the more well done in the Reaction+ line so far. I like the more brilliant green used for him as opposed to the drab shade used on the original v1/1.5 Flash. Initially, I thought the green was the same shade used for the 98/2000 Thunderwing figure but to my surprise Flash is a lighter shade. The lighter green and brighter red do make the figure look less like a muted, gritty green army man action figure. It still works for me though, he's a laser trooper from the 80s after all. Similar shades of lighter, brighter green existed throughout the ARAH line so the precedent exists.

One of the criticisms of the Super 7 figures is that they are very smooth and do not include much intricate detail. The figure does a pretty good job of capturing the details that have gotten lost in other Super 7 figures. Super 7 has come a long way with the face designs and Flash is an example of that improvement. For the figure design, I think it helps at the original Flash was a simple design as were all the OG13, lacking a lot of the molded in details and paint applications that became prominent as the ARAH line evolved. It's not perfect and the "smoothness" is still present but the paint applications make up for it. Details like the belt and boots are more prominent due to them being painted when compared with the original Flash figure. The texture of the red pads on his thighs, arms and chest are all present which is actually an improvement from the original Flash that did not include textured arm pads. His red hair is a bit of a mystery to me as most images I search for the figure show him with brown hair (including the original Flash figure) but the image above shows red hair.

Flash's accessories are also a big improvement from the original ARAH figure and line up with what is seen in the comic book. The helmet fits nicely on the figures head, the grey  flexible hose which connects his laser rifle to the backpack is a marked improvement on the original weapon and the long plastic hose which connected to the undersized backpack. Getting a helmet with a removable clear plastic visor was a nice touch as well. I really like that Super 7 keeps it simple with the accessories, a callback to the original ARAH run.

At this point my collecting trends toward looking forward rather than scouring the back catalog of the line which has been what I have done for the past decade.  Opinions on Super 7 and the Reaction+ line vary, which I understand. Collectors certainly make their opinions known. I try not to get into the serious debates about toys, toy prices, collecting etc. It's a hobby, it can relatively expensive and I do agree the figures are overpriced but all O-ring offerings whether Super 7, Kickstarter or the independent lines hover around the same price point for the most part. My approach is to not be a completist and pick out the figures that interest me and fill a need in my collection. I would love to see Super 7 eventually release all of the OG13 figures as I feel they did a good job with their first attempt in Flash. With full transparency I will say I have always had a positive bias with all things GI Joe and this applies to the Super 7 Reaction+ figures as well. On top of that this line gives me no urge or desire to be a completist so I acquire the figures I want and skip figures that do not appeal to me. Needless to say if Super 7 did decide to release the OG13 I would be all in based on what they were able to achieve with Flash.

1988 Phantom X-19

Did anyone else that grew up in the late 80s/early 90s ever participate in an annual school Christmas fund raising event selling wrapping paper? If so, do you recall the catalog of potential prizes you could claim depending on the amount of wrapping paper sold? Odd questions to be asked but this is where I got my first exposure for the topic of this writeup - the Phantom X-19. I came across it as one of the potential prizes and was very much enamored with it, not enough to go out and sell wrapping paper but it certainly caught my eye, imagination and left a lasting memory for me to seek out as an adult collector. The Phantom X-19 was one of those vehicles that floated around in my subconscious toy collector mind for decades despite never seeing it outside of a wrapping paper catalog and the internet.

When it comes to collecting over the past 10 years I cannot always recollect the exact time I acquired something for my collection. Acquisitions during collecting do not unlock those same core memories or nostalgia like those from childhood or even my late teens/early 20s era but I can confidently say that the Phantom X-19 has come into my collection at some point over the last 10 years. I would say it lived up to the expectations I had for it as a child.  The design even today nearly 40 years later still feels very modern. When watching Top Gun: Maverick a few years ago and the Darkstar experimental jet was shown my mind went immediately to the Phantom X-19. The jet is based on the F-19 (credit to Formbx257), the fighter everyone anticipated would be the Stealth Fighter during the 1980s prior to the F-117 Nighthawk being unleashed onto the world in Operation Desert Storm. ERTL Force One (a very cool not often discussed toy line in it's own right) released a version of the F-19 in the 1980s. My older brother received for his birthday at some point in the late 80s and I remember using it heavily in our plastic army men battles at my grandmother's house over the years through the mid 90s. It's very obvious Hasbro used the F-19 as the basis for the Phantom X-19 and did a great job combining military realism, experimental aircraft design into a great toy. It honestly looks like it could have been a Skunk Works prototype.

The size, features, colors and design of the aircraft really work well together. The sleek aerodynamic profile of the Phantom X-19 along with it's size, being 28" long which is the longest aircraft in the ARAH run (credit Formbx257) gives off a very different look than it's predecessors the Skystriker and Conquest X-30. Where those look much more like standard fighter jets of the era, the Phantom X-19 has always been more of a stealth spy plane used for reconnaissance or a high altitude bomber with it's two guided missiles (or bombs). To me it is the GI Joe equivalent to the Night Raven (not the Condor). The black and grey base being broken up by the bright neon yellow actually works pretty well, it's not a garish use of neon. The wing mounted guns are probably the weakest point just because the pop out feature does not work reliably and the guns would have been better served in a grey or silver color. The sliding rail canopy is a unique feature much like the Night Raven's lowering and raising cockpit. It gives a nice view of both the pilot/co-pilot with the nice tinted blue glass. My favorite features are the airbrake and the landing gear. It's an odd thing to appreciate but I think those small features are fantastic, the attention to detail just makes me appreciate what Hasbro was doing when GI Joe was king of the toy aisle and their creative department was running on all cylinders.

As mentioned above the Phantom X-19 is almost more of a world building piece to me. It plays a role when called upon, it serves as a nice backdrop to the Skystriker and Conquest logjam on an airfield but it's not a jet that I would deem necessary to have more than one of. Need recon photos of a Cobra island or a guided bomb dropped then it is perfect. It's hard to envision it ever being in a dogfight and even as a kid when I first came across it I felt similarly when I would daydream about it and how it would have fit into my adventures. The Phantom X-19 also comes with a pilot, Ghostrider. His design is a good match in terms of colors used although a jet capable of Mach 3 would probably make more sense to have a pilot in a suit like Ace's v1 design. I'll delve into Ghostrider more in a different write-up if I get to it.

Not sure what the popularity of the Phantom X-19 was in it's heyday. I cannot recall ever coming across one "in the wild" as a kid. My only experience was seeing it in the wrapping paper catalog as a prize/reward as mentioned earlier.  Even in the present day collecting climate it does not seem to move the needle like the Skystriker, Conquest, Rattler or Night Raven. In the Joe aircraft hierarchy those are all the top echelon/most iconic jets of the line and the Phantom X-19 and anything release after 1986 doesn't have the same level of popularity. It's release year of 1988 saw it as the largest aircraft available that year. It's design actually fits in really well with that of the Skystorm chopper also released in 1988- two futuristic designs one would come across in an issue of Popular Mechanics from the 1980s that mesh well together. Makes me wonder if Hasbro did that intentionally.

When I check the aftermarket the prices range all over the place depending on condition and completeness (with shipping costs also playing a role). The price range all seems to be pretty static over the past 5 years too. The most common missing item is the front nose cone which I have seen missing from several otherwise complete X-19s on the aftermarket. It's also a fairly expensive piece to procure on it's own. The 3D print community filled the void with several different Ebay vendors offering a nose cone that does fairly well as a replacement. I did purchase a 3D printed nose cone and had it for awhile but eventually bit the bullet to get the original nose cone which cost me $30 or so dollars at the time I purchased it probably 5-6 years ago.

Operating off assumption but I would think most O-ring collectors with the available space to have this jet probably already have one. I do think it's a worthwhile vehicle for a collection and could be a fun restoration project. Even 40 years later it really does not look like it's a dated design especially when compared to the Skystriker and Night Raven which were based off two Cold War era aircraft. 

2003 Slip Stream

The early 2000s GI Joe era did some things better than others and one area Hasbro always did well with during that time in my opinion were re-releases of vehicles and figures from the ARAH era. After the Real American Collection run from 2000-2002 most if not all the vehicles and figures from the 82-94 ARAH run that were released were done so as Toys R Us exclusives (or convention exclusives). That may not be completely accurate but it was the rule rather than the exception. I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on the reasons as to why Hasbro released the more familiar ARAH era figures and vehicles along with the newer Spy Troops, JvC, VvV era - was it to satisfy the collector community, introduce a newer generation to the line, budgetary since the molds/designs already existed etc. I am sure their were plenty of factors at play. 

The 2003 Conquest X-30 and Slip Stream were examples of Hasbro doing an excellent job with reintroducing a great vehicle from the peak years of GI Joe in the Conquest and releasing an updated and improved version of the original Slip Stream figure. I won't go on too much about the Conquest X-30 as I no longer have that toy. For whatever reason I decided to sell it off at some point in the last decade. Another one of those decisions I have some sellers remorse on because it really was a great version of the jet with my favorite paint application for any jet in the entirety of the line. I would also argue that the figure which is the main topic of this write-up Slip Stream was an fine update from the original 1986 version. I can't say anything bad about the 1986 version, I happen to like the figure very much and it has a lot going for it. It was a figure released at the creative peak of the line and honestly the only real nitpicky issue I've ever had is that as a fighter jet pilot he did not have the oxygen mask. The 2003 version of Slip Stream remedies that very minor "issue" I have with the original version. 

As I was thinking of a figure to take a look at after 2+ months of ignoring this blog (so much for my once a week Joe content goal!) Slip Stream v2 kind of seeped into my psyche. I want to say it's mostly because the 98 Conquest I acquired last year has been on a shelf in my field of vision with Slip Stream as the pilot. As I ruminated on Slip Stream I realized I have had this figure for half of my life. I got the Conquest on one of my epic Joe hunts in the summer of 2003 and he has been in my collection ever since. So Slip Stream awoken me out of my couple months of minimal Joe interest and I am feeling more connected again to my collection and wanting to dive in. The psychology between myself and GI Joe will never not fascinate me, I can go weeks or months without giving it a thought, seeing my collection and knowing I have no intention to sell it off while at the same time have no significant amount of time to dedicate to or enjoy it only to become inspired again. GI Joe really is that one constant in my life and I am grateful for that.

Slip Stream just looks like a modern fighter pilot. Much of that can be attributed to the fact the body is from the near perfect 1992 Ace (reused for the 93 and 97 versions of Ace as well). Hasbro took it a step further with that Ace body with additional paint apps that really bring out so many of the details in that mold that got lost in the Ace versions. The depth of the flight suit can really be appreciated due to all the paint apps which highlight the details - the flashlight lens is painted, the holster is painted a deep brown, the straps, pouches and buckle all stick out. Enough can't be said about the paint apps. Slip Stream's head is original and it's design is much more in line with what a fighter pilot would actually be equipped with. The olive green used for the oxygen mask just gives it that dash of military realism along with being able to visualize the visor lowering and lifting. The only issues with the figure are that the hole in the chest for Ace's oxygen mask is present since the same mold was used but Slip Stream is not able to utilize it and if the actual oxygen mask had a bit of detail either in paint apps or slight changes to the mold though instead of being a smooth surface. They are small critiques for a figure that Hasbro created an original head for which was not common during this time with the classic ARAH 3 3/4" o-ring constructed figures. I believe Big Brawler, Sure Fire,  Rapid Fire, Lifeline, Sidetrack, Sideswipe were the only other figures to utilize new head construction with existing body molds from the ARAH era in the early 2000s.

Like all other figures from manufactured during this time plastic discoloration occurs more so than with the original 82-94 figures. Luckily the Slip Stream I own looks pretty good and the discoloring is not terrible. The figure did not come with any accessories and was only available with the Conquest -X-30 TRU exclusive. The figure is versatile and looks at home in any of the GI Joe fighter jets from any year of the line. As far as popularity of this version it seems to be pretty much non-existent, the only review I could find of the figure was from General's Joes and the original write-up from some 20+ years ago. I figure this write-up could be an almost original contribution to the Joe community.

1989 Slaughter's Marauders Footloose

 

As a rule I very much enjoy the subteams offered throughout the Real American Hero run. I consider myself a "90s" kid since most of my accessible memories come from the 90-94 years of the run. Of course I have recollections of memories prior but they are a little harder to mine out. The best thing about subteams from my perspective was that it allowed kids access to figures and vehicles that had been released earlier in the line if they had missed out due to being too young or not yet interested in the ARAH line. With that said Slaughter's Marauders Footloose didn't play any role in my childhood and I actually acquired this figure (well not this exact one) during my senior year of high school. For much of the winter and spring of 2000 leading up to my high school graduation I went on a pretty epic run of ARAH collecting since I had a job and some expendable income.

My previous write-up of the Desert Striker really got the memory bank churning as I began to remember all the figures and vehicles I sold off soon after acquiring the Desert Striker for college shenanigans. Out of all the figures the Slaughter's Marauders Footloose really stood out in my memory. It was a figure I really liked and it was always at the center of my collection and display shelf. I would also use him quite a bit for my smaller scaled battles and adventures and recall loading him up on the Tomahawk for one man recon missions in our basement living room. I can't really explain why he was such a key memory for that time of collecting. I did always like the original 1985 Footloose as a figure. My older brother had a pretty beat up one that survived into the 90s that I would play with quite a bit. I would guess that is the root of my appreciation for the Slaughter's Marauders version.

Revisiting the thoughts I jotted down in the paragraph above I think I just moved towards the more realistic offerings from the line for collecting as my Joe adventures starting veering more towards realistic type scenarios and battles. This seems to have been a stage most of us Joe lifers have gone through at some point once we all hit our teen years - embracing the realism, less fantastical elements of GI Joe. Even when I was heavily collecting the new sculpt VvV, Spy Troops, Joe vs Cobra, DTC stuff I still found myself using the more "realistic" figures and vehicles from the era. If I really think about it I'd say that perspective of collecting and the general make up of my Joe-verse followed me right up to 2016 when I jettisoned the modern era stuff and pivoted back to the ARAH 3.75 scale. Needless to say that lines up pretty well with how I would have viewed Slaughter's Marauders Footloose as a 17 year old kid.

I won't say that SM Footloose is a better figure than the original 1985 Footloose. The version 1 was a near perfect fully poseable green army man. With that said the Slaughter's Marauder's version wasn't too far off. I know a lot of the criticism around the Slaughter's Marauder's figures is the puzzling use of blue which disrupts the otherwise very cool woodlands camo paint scheme of the figures but for Footloose it does not bother me too much. The small pops of color add some depth to the figure and the blue used on him when compared with the other figures from the team seems to be the least objectionable. The figure design is essentially just a very good representation of an US infantry solider in the mid 1980s. His equipment was very basic and realistic - helmet, backpack, M-16 with strap and a Law missile launcher. Very simple accessories but they are the perfect pairing with Footloose. At it's core Footloose is just a better updated version of Grunt. 

The only real criticism of the Slaughter's Marauder's subteam is that the thumbs seem to break off with great frequency. When I was looking to re-acquire this figure I couldn't help but notice how many of the SM figures (it affects all of them) had broken thumbs. From what I understand and have read this is more or less due to the figures being made in Brazil and the plastic quality not being as good. One of my two SM Footloose figure's has stress marks on both thumbs. Slaughter's Marauders Footloose is also highly priced even if not complete. I just did a quick search on Ebay and even the incomplete, broken examples are all listed above $20. I only re-acquired Slaughter's Marauders Footloose in the last couple of years and neither figure I acquired was complete. I thought I had his helmet and machine gun but could not locate them for this write-up. For the the photos I took I used one of the excellent M-16s that was used during the 2000s comic book era and an accessory pack Footloose helmet. Overall, I really think this version is pretty strong but if I had to choose just one I'd go with the original Footloose because in my opinion he's a top 10 figure. I also hesitate to use the SM version of Footloose much because I am wary about snapping off the thumbs.