Bullhorn

As you must have noticed by now, I am a fan of Joe figures from the late 80’s and early 90’s. When some people felt Joe was dwindling, I was still excitedly snatching up every Joe figure I could find, loving every minute of it. The year of 1990 was a perfect example of this kind of duality of opinions. Some people thought the characters in 1990 were sub par. That Hasbro had put much more of a focus on accessories than the figures themselves. I could not disagree more.


To me, the accessories were the perfect compliment to the figures of that year. Sure, there were exceptions (Captain Grid Iron, for example) but on the whole, the 1990 series was ripe with militaristic figures and terrific assortments of weaponry. Bullhorn is by far no exception.


Bullhorn was a jack-of-all-trades in my youth. He served as a communications officer, SWAT Trooper, Sniper and all around nasty soldier. I LOVED this figure and this character. Even better to me was the fact that he was never featured in the comic and I could do with him as I pleased. This turned Bullhorn into the hero he deserved to be, but was never given the chance to be. When a terrorist situation arises, he is the first person on the scene, directing traffic while staking out the area and negotiating where need be. If things don’t go according to plan, he may call in a rapid deployment team, or simply assemble his 3-piece Sniper Rifle and do some justice himself. On the scene, he is the team leader, no matter which troopers are in his squad. He can kick doors, pick people off from a distance, or simply talk his way out of most situations before the action even begins. He is a one man Hostage Rescue Squad.


Bullhorn’s mold is simply great. It’s low-key, but effective, using muted browns and grays, perfect for an urban environment. His face camouflage betrays the easy nature of his appearance, immediately showing his willingness to get down and dirty. The small string of grenades across his chest and the pistol strapped to his thigh only add to the overall figure, and are the perfect little touches.


As for the main draw for most people in this series, Bullhorn is not lacking. His accessories are terrific. He’s got the bullhorn, a nicely detailed version of his namesake, along with his gasmask for the trickier close quarter combat situations. Then there’s his main assault rifle, which is a great version of the German Auger, although somewhat oversized, it is still a great weapon. Then there is the sniper rifle. Quite possibly one of the coolest weapons in the line, this little 3-part weapon assembles quick and easily and comes in a nicely detailed case/backpack. Unfortunately, it is difficult for him to hold this gun, but that does not hold it back from its greatness.


All in all, 1990 was a fantastic year for G.I. Joe and seemed to show the potential for many years of greatness to come. Unfortunately some questionable marketing strategies and changing of the guard in Hasbro in years following may have altered that philosophy somewhat. I long to think about what could have been had Hasbro stuck to the tried and true formula that made it great in the first place.

Back to Profiles

Wanna Go Home?