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.