Downtown
Well, in all honesty, I must say that I did not always love this figure. Quite the opposite, actually. The first time I owned this guy was near to when it first came out, in 1989. He had belonged to a friend of mine, who no longer wanted him and gave him to me. I was very ecstatic, until I received him. He had no accessories or anything and was quite boring and plain. The mortar soldier had always been a specialty somewhat lost to me as a kid...I didn't understand the necessity and skill required to bloop bombs down on troops, when a bazooka or bomb strike would have the same effect. I don't think it actually hit me until years later, when I first played the infamous computer game: Scorched Earth. But I digress...
When I first got Downtown, like I said, he bored me and I wasn't really sure how he would fit into my army. He was a mortar trooper without a mortar, and pretty much useless. My imagination was pretty active back then, but I tried to stick with my Joe's military specialty, and I really didn't have a place for this guy. Besides, Short Fuze was the mortar trooper. Why did we need another one? Of course, the comic storyline around that time was taking into account that the original members of GI Joe had been regulated to desk duty, so this guy was evidently Short Fuze's replacement, but in my mind back then, he was not a suitable one.
His looks are not terrible without his accessories. His face has a pretty cool, distinct impression and his body does have some great detailing and some nice pieces for custom fodder. His colors are fair...the brown pants are cool, the blue shirt isn't too bad. Even the red straps are subdued enough not to be too noticable. I really like the shin pads and all of the different pouches and additions to the uniform. But he still seemed somewhat plain. Until now.
This past weekend I made one of my pilgrimages to a nearby state to go toy shopping. The shop is not too far away, but lack of funds and time usually restricts these trips to every few months. Well, this past Sunday was a good day, and I was heading south. I eagerly flew through the front door and immediately went to the glass cabinet housing all of the shop's complete, good condition Joe figures. Immediately I spotted him. I actually wasn't even sure who it was at first, since I had never owned his accessories, and since he didn't interest me much, I had never researched what items he came with. But he stuck out like a sore thumb and was the first figure I picked up. Let me tell you, for Downtown, accessories DEFINITELY make the man. Now that I have a fully equipped Downtown, he is going to be in my permenant collection, and will most likely be appearing in my dio story, Power Struggle.
All right, the complete Downtown is a wonderful figure compared to an incomplete one. He still has all of the perks mentioned above, but add to that a very cool red helmet, a nice, elaborate mortar set up, a very nice backpack with removable mortar shells...and the best part of all...his gun! What a weapon! Ever since Dirty Harry I have been a huge fan of .357 Magnum revolvers and the like, and this weapon is a beauty to behold. Just holding this gun gives Downtown some personallity he didn't have before. Now, not only is he a mortar trooper, but he can get down and dirty up close and personal as well. Yes, in just one week, Downtown has gone from a nobody in my collection to a vital part of my Joe team. Of course, part of that is due to his newness...I'm always partial to a certain figure shortly after I purchase him, but I have this feeling that he will be a favorite of mine for a while. Plus, now I can use the parts from my old one for some cool customs!
Back to profiles
Wanna go home?
