This is probably going to throw a few people for a loop, but rest assured, I am not joining the "other side" of G.I. Joe collecting!! :)
When the Hall of Fame figures first came out almost ten years ago, I absolutely fell for them! I LOVED seeing my favorite Joes in a 12" scale, and it suddenly appears that time has not changed that opinion at all.
I have never been a huge fan of the 12" figures, and really have not bought much since the last HOF figures came out in the mid-nineties. As tempting as some of the excellent offerings from BBI, Dragon and 21st Century were, I just couldn’t take the plunge into the 12" world. Now that A Real American Hero is large and in charge again, though, this has all changed!
The first 12" G.I. Joe VS. Cobra picture I saw was Cobra Commander. I was immediately blown away. It was such a great representation of this classic character, that I immediately grew enamored of the 12” figure line again. He took the coolest parts of the character, added some great larger-sized twists and really came together well. While my wallet was feeling the pinch, I grew excited in spirit…until I saw Duke.
The Joe leader was a shock to the system and proof positive that I wasn’t ready to make the plunge fully into the 12" world yet. He was way too sci-fi and his right arm appeared completely immobile. Nope, this Joe fan was gonna stick with 3 ¾ inch and that was that!
But then I made my monthly trip to the Toys R Us…it was ALL over.
Immediately above the rows of Night Rhinos was one of the coolest 12" figures I have ever seen. Clad in black and silver, with a crazy looking submachine gun and some way cool gear, Firefly looked just too cool to pass up. I happily plucked him off the shelf and drew in a breath as I saw Nunchuk behind him, also cool. Nunchuk drew some inspiration from the Night Creeper Leader apparently, but his long hair, cool accessories and funky look just forced me to buy him as well. Now, for the first time in 6 years, I was buying 12" figures.
But I had gotten a close up view of the new Duke, and still remained quite unimpressed. I figured there wouldn’t be much more to the 12" fad, and I could stop happily.
Until today. A little more than a week later, while visiting my local Wal-Mart I found Dusty! I had seen early pictures of him on the ‘net, running around bare-chested with some tan shorts and was duly unimpressed. But then, dangit, Hasbro had to make him cool, too! He was clad in pure black with a nice pistol and some killer accessories again…and again, I was buying a 12" figure.
What is it about these guys? I’m really not sure. For realism and accessories, the other 12” players have these boys beat hands down. But these guys are just…fun. Sure, they don’t have the web belts finely crafted down to the last silver buckle, but they have great little gadgets and some crazy fun accessories!! These 12" figures are geared towards the kids, definitely, and it shows.
Firefly is the coolest of the bunch. In black shorts/shirt combo with a metallic silver vest, he looks the look of a sophisticated cat burglar. Throw in those killer night vision goggles and the suction cup bombs, and he becomes a well-equipped and dangerous saboteur, exactly as it should be. That cool cloth mask pulls down over his head, his grappling hook and absolutely ROCKING machine gun all come together to form a great Cobra agent!! Granted, he looks a little funky, and his gear is pretty out there, but he is downright fun to play with, which is where G.I. Joe has always had its edge.
Dusty, however, comes a very close second. The material of his black uniform is just too cool. He can move freely and assume pretty much any position. Stuff his thick, over-the-top pistol in his hand and he’s ready for action. Not only that, but his huge knife and absolutely way cool sunglasses/communicator combo make him stand out even further from the crowd. He is a night-fighter and even borders on secret agent! Him and Firefly make two GREAT enemies for each other and I see them fighting many fights in the time to come.
But, you can relax. I wouldn’t expect to see too many 12"’ers featured in this little profile section, I just really had to let it be known what my feelings were about these two. I am loving the kind of slick sci-fi oriented team this 12" Joe team is forming together as. They seem like a highly equipped special forces team of the future and I think they’ll have some cool adventures separate from the little guys. They will never replace the little guys, but along with my HOF, they will represent the larger sized figures in all their glory.
Still don’t believe me? Check out some pics of these guys in action:
