In 1964 America and the world were introduced to one of the greatest toy lines ever created, G.I. Joe; a 12 inch action figure that had multiple moveable joints and cloth uniforms. G.I. Joe was America’s fighting man. His vehicles were mostly military as were his uniforms. Due to the unpopular conflict in Southeast Asia, Hasbro needed to change G.I. Joe’s purpose. G.I. Joe went from fighter to adventurer and the Adventure Team was born. The Adventure Team figures maintained the 12 inch scale but were given “life like” hair and eventually “Kung-Fu Grip.” The vehicles and uniforms ranged from search and rescue to tomb raiding.
During the mid-1970’s G.I. Joe shrunk in size a bit and was renamed again, this time being called Super Joe. This was a dark time for the toy line and it fizzled out. In the early 1980’s G.I. Joe was re-introduced to the world, this time the figures had been resized into a smaller 3 ¾ inch size. G.I. Joe was rebranded as, “A Real American Hero” and his goal was to take down the terrorist organization, Cobra. The smaller size allowed Hasbro to make a myriad of vehicles and bases. The line was amazing and is what most people think of when they hear the name G.I. Joe; well that and the bad cartoon that was filled with poor marksmen.
Since then G.I. Joe has been returned to his full scale glory in limited capacity. The 3 ¾ scale Joes are still the more popular choice but Hasbro has recently released some new 12 inch figures. All fully poseable with cloth uniforms like their predecessors; these figures prove that size does matter.
The current release of the 12 inch scale is celebrating real heroes and includes a Police K-9 unit, a First Responder Firefighter, a Rapid Strike Commando, an Army Heavy Gunner and an Army Paratrooper. In this post 9/11 world these figures represent the individuals who defend our freedoms both home and abroad. This release is a welcomed sight on the shelves of your local toy emporium.
The Police K-9 Unit figure for example is an excellent candidate for review. This figure comes dressed in a blue 2-piece uniform with non-specific police markings and the name G.I. Joe emblazoned over the right pocket. Also included with the figure are:
Helmet and Ballistic Safety Glasses (goggles)
9mm Semi-automatic pistol with utility belt
MP-5 with 2 clips
Gas grenade
German Sheppard police dog with leash. The dog is non-poseable except for spring loaded jaw.
The figure is fully poseable with joints at:
Neck
Shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers
Waist, hips, knees and ankles
The articulation of the figure, though plentiful is a bit of a disappointment. Back in the early part of the decade Hasbro released G.I. Joes with what has been referred to as super articulation. Those figures had double knee and elbow joints and a joint in the chest area. These figures could be placed in amazing poses and I had hoped that Hasbro was issuing the super bodies to its new releases, but unfortunately they did not. I can only speculate that Hasbro has done this as a cost cutting measure for them to maximize profits. This is probably why the K-9 Unit figure and the other figures come with limited accessories.
I am happy to see the larger scale Joes on the shelf and I would suggest that if you are a fan these are a great addition to your collection. These figures retail for 19.99 except for the Paratrooper which retails for 29.99. The working parachute isn’t worth the extra 10 dollars so wait until it goes on sale. Currently there are no new vehicles available for these figures and at this time Hasbro has not said if there would be in the future. So pick up one or more of these for either yourself or someone else with good taste. YO JOE!!!
