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.