Considering Starduster was released in a still prime Joe year of 1987 most GI Joe collectors and casual fans of the line in the 1980’s had never even heard of or seen Starduster and even today he is relatively unknown. Starduster, we hardly knew you!

Starduster : Jet Pack Trooper

By 1987 I was in 7th grade and I had already stopped buying toys and such and had moved on to other things such as vintage record collecting and learning how to play guitar. I believe I only bought two GI Joe figure that year, Jinx and, by accident, another lesser-known figure named Jet Pack Trooper Code named Starduster.

Considering Starduster was released in a still prime Joe year of 1987 most GI Joe collectors and casual fans of the line in the 1980’s had never even heard of or seen Starduster and even today he is relatively unknown. Starduster, we hardly knew you!

It was where I bought Starduster at is an odd story for an odd figure. I picked up Starduster at the Mission Drive-In Theatre Sunday afternoon swap meet in Montclair, CA. For some strange reason some dealer had six unopened Starduster’s in the small Hasbro mailer boxes in their vendor area. Although I was not collecting anymore I was still up on what figures were available and I had never seen this figure before or even known where it came from. I thought it was all kind of odd and for curiosity sake, I purchased one for about $4.00 brought it home and very much forgot about the figure until 2006.

It was not until I read the entry in Mark Bellomos GI Joe The Ultimate Collectors Guide 1982-1994 that I found out the true origins of Starduster.

Starduster includes: 1x Starduster Figure, 1x J.U.M.P. jet pack, 1x black visor, 1x Helmet with Black Star Stencil, 1x Silver Grenade Launcher (Gung Go 1983 style), 1x File Card (Red Backed). There are no options.

One of the many toy themed breakfast cereals that you could bug your parents about at the supermarket in the 1980’s was GI Joe themed Action Stars Cereal. What I remember it tasted great, kind of like a sweeter Captain Crunch and the back of the box included nifty cardboard cutouts of GI Joe and Cobra accessories that are actually somewhat rare themselves these days. I do not remember but somewhere along the line Action Stars also included a mail away voucher for a free GI Joe figure code named Starduster. It could not have been available that long as none of my friends that were around at the time remember its first release.

Starduster is a simply a recolored parts figure. There are actually three versions of the Starduster generally made up of three recolored bodies: Duke, Recondo with an extra variation made up of Iceberg’s waist. The head is the Flash/Short Fuse/Hawk/Steeler but with black hair features. The version of the Starduster pictured here in this article is considered “Version A” according to YoJoe.com.

Although Starduster is a recolored parts figure something about how it was done makes it a standout figure. His unusual military specialty as a Jet Pack Trooper and great characterization on the file card and accessories really made him a unique figure. I like the details of the stenciled star helmet, JUMP pack and black visor but unfortunetly I am missing the silver colored Gung Ho grenade launcher that goes with the figure.

Action Star’s also came with three now rare mini comics that told of his exploits and origins (He was a circus acrobat discovered and enlisted by Duke) but unfortunately he was never featured in either the Sunbow cartoon or Marvel comics. That point most likely adds to Starduster's unknown status in the GI Joe universe.

Today he is one of the most expensive GI Joe figure on the market regularly selling on Ebay for $175.00 loose, with MISB easily passing the $200.00 mark. I wish I had grabbed all six! Today Starduster has become somewhat of a cult figure with many customs and articles written about him. A great addition to the GI Collection that I am glad I stumbled across back in the 1980s.

© 2008 Article and Pictures Leonardo Flores and Collection DX.

It interesting to note that I begin my first review about the Hasbro’s 1982-1994 GI Joe: A Real American Hero series of figures in the month after Mervyn’s Department Store announced they are going out of business. For it was Mervyn’s Toy department that I saw my first GI Joe Figures for sale and where my parents purchased a bulk of my GI Joe collection from.

Snake Eyes: Commando (1982)

It interesting to note that I begin my first review about the Hasbro’s 1982-1994 GI Joe: A Real American Hero series of figures in the month after Mervyn’s Department Store announced they are going out of business. For it was Mervyn’s Toy department that I saw my first GI Joe Figures for sale and where my parents bought a bulk of my GI Joe collection from.

Some collectors might not be aware that at one time Mervyn’s used to have a small toy department through the early 1980’s. It was not a huge department in local Upland store, eight rows of shelving surrounded by shelving on the walls with one check out register in the middle. It was a small selection but whoever was the toy buyer for Mervyns had great taste. It was here I saw many great toys for the first time that not only included GI Joe but Tron, Robotech and Empire Strikes Back. My mom had worked at Mervyns so her store discount helped out in receiving a few dollars off items.

I have a great memory with my parents shopping at Mervyns while I am holding my brand new Kenner Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker in Hoth Outfit in my hands. I sure most of you who were collecting at that time have some sort of variation of these types of memories.

It was the Mervyn’s toy department where I saw my first GI Joe figures for sale. From that moment the first figure that caught my eye was Commando: Code Name Snake Eyes. Remember, this is pre- Marvel Comics/ Sunbow animation Snake Eyes. The back-story of Storm Shadow, Timber, the romance with Scarlet, the Soft Master/Hard Master legend had not been woven by Larry Hama yet. At this point he was just the mysterious all black commando of an anti terrorist group known as GI Joe. $2.95 less, I had my first GI Joe figure.

Snake Eyes comes with: Snake Eyes action figure, UZI and Bomb pack.

I was amazed at the mobility and the durability of the figure especially compared to the benchmark at the time of 3 ¾ figures, Kenner’s Star Wars line. Although the 1982 line today is criticized for it simple recoloring and usage of the same parts on nearly all of the first 15 figures. Besides the repeated heads, I thought it was great the figures had uniforms looked the same like a real military platoon. It has been said that Snake Eyes was molded in one color so Hasbro could save some money with not having to apply any paint to the figure.

The art design of Snake Eyes nearly 25 years later is still top notch. The 1982 version of Snake Eyes will always be my favorite version. I like the goggles and the molded band in the back of the head, the motorcycle boots and dynamite explosives attached to his leg that was particular to Snake Eyes only. And after watching films like Mad Max and the Road Warrior and purchasing the R.A.M. motorcycle I sort of liken Snake Eyes to a renegade motorcycle anti-Hero like Mad Max.

I also loved the detailed weapons of the Israel designed UZI machine gun and bomb pack. With my then growing interest in Militaria (my father fought in USMC in the Viet Nam war through 1966) and my love for 20th century history I see now that Snake Eyes was all too accurately armed to fight a terrorist organization.

Note the anti-terrorist unit that rescues the hostages on the following video as they could all be “Snake Eyes”:

I would like to think that Snake Eyes character development was designed around the many terrorist situations that were happening in the 1970’s and 1980’s and perhaps a reflection of those times. Most special ops commando soldiers names are indeed classified to protect their private lives and it is to note that Snake Eyes was the only character from the 1982 line who’s real name, to this day, remains unknown.

Unfortunately my original figure was sold or traded off in the late 80’s, but I was extremely lucky to locate a clean original straight arm Snake Eyes a few years ago from a vendor at the Pomona antique mall for $5.00. Today expect to pay about around $25-$60 for a complete figure and over $700.00 if the figure is still in the package. Be aware that originally Snake Eyes was released with dark grey and black weapons and are often replaced with the battle pack #1 which were molded in a lighter grey color.

Mervyn’s shut down their Toy Department in the late 80’s, which was really the end of an era for those early years. Snake Eyes continues to capture the imaginations of kids today and although he is dressed in black, Snake Eyes was a good, pure and selfless character that the other Joes could depend on under any circumstance.

©2008 article and photos by Leonardo Flores & Collection DX.

FIREFLY, once a member of the SIGMA 6 team, has revealed himself to be an agent for the COBRA organization.

Normally Atom does all the Sigma 6 reviews, but now that the line has died down he is moved on to bigger and better things. I wasn’t even going to get into the line at all either. Sure, my son has a bunch of these, and I like them a lot, but Atom covered most of them.

One day, while over a friend’s house, I spied this guy. He had a very awesome look to him, with the ghost white face and the dual machine guns. He was a Sigma 6 figure that Adam hadn’t covered. His name is Firefly

There are actually two different versions of Firefly on the market. This version is the COBRA version. The other version has him in a completely different outfit. This is the one that sold me, and of course it was harder to find.

Firefly is described as follows:

“FIREFLY, once a member of the SIGMA 6 team, has revealed himself to be an agent for the COBRA organization. He disappeared from the SIGMA 6 base with classified data on the team’s technology, weapons, and vehicles. He is considered a dangerous enemy because of his expertise in sabotage and explosive devices. When he escaped, he also stole a weapon prototype being tested for infiltration using liquid fire, as well as flame-emitting gauntlets. His motive for stealing these weapons is unknown but will surely be revealed in the near future.

Awesome articulated action figure comes with an awesome flame launcher included with its weapon portfolio! Action figure comes with twin blasters, flaming chainsaw and flame missiles.”

Firefly comes in the cheaper packaging without the plastic top and bottom (in other releases, these parts combined to make a foot locker). He is amazingly articulated, with joints in all the right places to make some seriously cool poses.

The visor is held on by 2 elastic belts and holds securely to the figure. Under the mask, Firefly wears another face mask with holes only for his eyes. I like the mask on better.

The two blasters are probably supposed to be machine guns, but of course Hasbro won’t say they are machine guns. Each gun features a removable clip, and a peg so the guns can be stored on various connection points on the body.

The flaming weapon is just a missile launcher with various projectiles. You get 2 missiles and one “Flaming Chainsaw”. The missile launcher is spring loaded, and you can even place a second missile in the back to make what looks like a giant staff.

Additional weapons include two wrist mounted flaming claws. He is a very well accessorized figure.

For this review I take a look at the Sigma 6 Iron Hammer. The G.I. Joe's answer to Cobra's mechanized armies. VIDEO footage included.

Hasbro knocks another one out of the park with this homerun. At 9.99 it is a no brainer, adult collectors will more than likely enjoy the mech look of the vehicle and kids will love the playability of the toy. Grab one today.

Zartan has seen many design interpretations over the years, but this time around Hasbro went back to the classic look I grew up with as a kid.

Zartan is a mercenary in the employ of Cobra using a personal stealth technology for missions of espionage and sometimes out and out thievery. In his original incarnation he was a “Master of Disguise” but is now more of hired thug.

The look of the character hails back to his first incarnation in the 3.5 scale line back when I was a kid and it looks fantastic. The hood and mysterious eye tattoos have been kept and the look of his outfit mimics the original brown with black armor; yet he has that newer anime inspired look to him at the same time. Hasbro struck a nice balance in the design of this figure.

He stands 8 inches tall with the usual fifteen points of articulation I have come to expect from this series. The size of the gauntlets on his forearms does limit his mobility at the elbows however.

All details are painted on with the usual precision expected of this line. The fit and finish of the figure continues to impress me and the joints are all nice and tight; overall the figure feels very solid.

The accessories disappointed me a little bit this time around as they all look like they came out of a Mad Max film. Included is a working crossbow, quiver, two projectiles, wrist mounted machine gun and a grappling hook. The crossbow fires and ammo clips for the machine gun pop in and out. I would have liked to have seen a more traditional rifle or pistol with the character as that is what he uses mainly in the series. I realize however that is an adult nitpick and I am sure any younger collector would enjoy the accessories just fine.

As with all the deluxe Commando series figures the top and bottom of the package turn into a weapons locker to store accessories. This is a great looking figure and certainly a must buy by both adult collectors and kids.

Cobra Commander Battlefield General is part of the newest wave of Sigma 6 figures to hit the shelves. He is mean, lean, and wicked looking. Read on to get the latest info.

This is technically a repaint of the last release of Cobra Commander but with the classic full face mask we all know and love and some new accessories.

Despite being a repaint, it looks very different from the original release with its black paint and maroon trim. Hasbro has removed the battle damage affect on the chest plate so it now sports the same chest articulation found on standard Sigma 6 figures.

The figure comes with the usual details I have come to expect of a Sigma 6 figure; sixteen points of articulation, nice tight joints that click when you move them, neat painted on details, and of course copious amounts of wicked accessories.

Cobra Commander comes with a HUGE working rocket launcher, a power stone, two missiles, pistol, arm blade, and a battle ax. The show has Cobra using mysterious power stones to fuel their weapons of world domination. The Commander’s suit is powered by it and so are his weapons - thus the fire looking element to his arsenal.

The cloth cape and removable helmet are nice touches, and the pistol still can be hidden on his back hip behind his cape.

The top and bottom of the package form a weapons locker to store your accessories.

Well, mark this on the board as another winner for Hasbro in their magnificent Sigma 6 line. I really liked the last Cobra Commander but I think this one blows that away. Grab one today.

Here is my review of Cobra’s resident ninja, Storm Shadow. Hasbro did not try to reinvent the wheel with his redesign and kept everything that was cool about the original in the revamp of this figure.

Storm Shadow is the only Cobra henchman that has the distinction of never having failed Cobra Commander and is from the same “clan” Sigma 6’s Snake Eyes comes from creating a rivalry between the two “brothers” that comes up in the series from time to time.

Of all the Cobra figures in the Sigma 6 line, Storm Shadow is probably the closest to his original incarnation. Sleek sexy lines and white and red trim make for a sharp looking figure here. He has the usual fifteen points of articulation with cloth pants. All other detail is painted or sculpted on in usual quality style.

Storm Shadow comes with a host of accessories but nothing too outrageous or gimmicky. 1 Katana sword, 1 dagger, 2 sai’s, 1 set of nun chucks (with blades that fold out), climbing gear for hands and feet, a staff (which you can attach the sword and dagger too), and a display stand for the swords. A shoulder strap holds the sheath for the Katana and two sai’s.

Being in the 14.99 price range the package top and bottom do fit together to form a weapons footlocker for storage of extra accessories.

Now there are several repaints of Storm Shadow on the shelves and I hear at least another is in the pipeline in the near future so of all the figure paints and sculpts I have seen this first one looks best. I recommend it wholeheartedly but suggest you look around and get the Storm Shadow that looks best to you.

For this weeks review I take a look at Cobra’s evil weapon designer and sometimes henchman Destro and boy .......... is his head shiny.

I picked this particular figure up at my local Target and both Destro and Longshot had a red blinking light going off in the package. No other figures in the series have this and I have only seen it this once. There appears to be no use for this as far as an accessory to the figure and have not seen any other figures at any other time with this display gimmick.

It strikes me as odd that this figure which runs $14.99 is not only packed with the blinking LED but the batteries to power said LED, while the Dragonhawk which runs 34.99 to 39.99 requires you buy your own batteries. Go figure….

Other than the blinking light the packaging is the same 14.99 price point style with top and bottom of the package coming together to form a weapon footlocker.

The figure stands 9 inches tall, making him a head taller than the average Sigma 6 figure, and has fifteen points of articulation. Just like the other Sigma 6 figures the quality, detail, and finish are excellent.

Accessories are a mixed bag coming with Cloth jacket, metal necklace, suitcase, Uzi, rocket launcher, and two missiles.

The suitcase with hidden Uzi is neat and reminds me of the classic Destro figure which also had a suitcase with pistol in it. Nice touch and excellent detail inside the case.

The firing rocket launcher strikes me as a bit generic and while it does fire two missiles it doesn’t have any “recoil” affect as advertised on the package. It doesn’t suck but it just doesn’t wow me either. I think however a kid would be just fine with this.

The chrome on Destro’s mask appears to be actually molded of the chrome stuff and not painted on. It looks as if it will stand the test of time or rub off.

I must say this was probably my first real disappointment in the Sigma 6 line. It’s not a bad looking figure but the accessories are a little underwhelming so I can’t give a whole hearted recommendation. But if you’re a Sigma 6 fan or your kid is go for it, otherwise it’s probably a pass.

He never seems to come up with a “practical” plan to take over the world, is still thwarted at every turn by Sigma 6, and still sounds like a woosie but darn he looks wicked. It’s the Sigma 6 version of Cobra Commander.

In the show Cobra Commander is using mysterious power stones to fuel his tools in his quest for world domination. We learn at the end of the first season his suit is powered by a power stone to make him stronger and generate an energy shield and weapons.

The figure really does replicate all the things that he does in a showdown with Duke from the end of the first season without being gimmicky.

Being a Commando series figure the top and bottom of the package form the now famous weapon footlockers to store extra accessories.

Included are two removable wrist guns, staff, shield, pistol and dagger.

The staff doubles as an energy sickle and fires missiles out of the top.

The dagger can be hidden in the shield.

The gun goes in a back holster hidden by his cape.

The cape is cloth and has a beautiful Cobra logo on the back.

The helmet is removable though the hood only looks a little bland.

The figure sports a rotating chest to display various stages of battle damage.

He has 14 points of articulation, painted on detail which looks neat and clean, and nice tight joints that click. It is a solid figure all around. Once again Hasbro delivers a fantastic toy that adult collectors and kids will love. Grab one when you can.

After searching high and low I have finally gotten my hands on some of the villains from the G.I. Joe Sigma 6 line. Here is my review of the Cobra Sky B.A.T.

If you haven't had a chance to see the latest incarnation of G.I. Joe called Sigma 6, Cobra has taken to using a more mechanized force to try and conquer the world.

The Sky B.A.T. is mainly for air attacks and I am sure you have figured out by the name and huge wings on the back.

Figure looks great replicating the exact look of the TV show with 14 points of articulation. The gun does fire a projectile and the wing backpack is removable.

Honestly there is not a whole lot to say that I haven't already said about the rest of the line to date. It's a winner no doubt.

It is a very sharp looking design and a sturdy well made solid figure, and like all the Sigma 6 figures to date the joints click when you move them. So I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The wing missles do drop off if you push the back of the pegs.

Machine guns on the backpack do rotate forward and back.

Costing only 9.99 this figure has no footlocker but comes packaged on a blister card.

I can whole heartedly recommend this to both G.I. Joe fans and robot fans in general. Grab one when you see it on the shelf, kick the small children away that may fight you for it, as villains (for me locally anyway) are difficult to get. I've been looking for this one for two months.

Please note: No small children where actually harmed, kicked or damaged in the obtaining of this figure for review.