Haslab announces GI Joe O-Ring figures and a New Sky Striker!!!!!

 When I first read the news, I didn't think much of it for the first 30 seconds or so.  But then it hit me! My moment had come and a dream I had never dared dream had come true!

Hasbro Pulse has just announced a special release of the Sky Striker complete with tons and tons of stuff, a worked up model based on the classic (complete with two pilots) and an extensive assortment of accessories.

https://hasbropulse.com/collections/gi-joe/products/g-i-joe-skystriker

I had been toying with the idea of picking up a vintage Sky Striker for awhile now.  The only condition I'd accept would be something very good to near perfect, which in today's market rarely comes up and typically goes for well over $200.

This one is about $230 USD and includes all you see above, and if stretch goals are met a few other tiers will be unlocked.  These goals have to be met of course, along with the initial goal to reach production at 10,000 orders.  However, a few hours in and we're already at 1700 commitments and rising fast.  It may hit all goals by Monday!

After letting the news sink in, my head feels light and my legs sort of tingly! 

GI Joe Retro Line: Awe Striker.

I suppose at this point I can call myself a veteran GI Joe collector.  I remember at one time that some Joe Fans expressed distraught at another re-release of a modern rendition of the AWE Striker Vehicle.  How boring...... Give us a new Mauler!!  Now after a half-decade dry spell in which the only products were non-retail exclusives, GI Joe is back as of last year with the new "Retro" line with an update to the venerable AWE Striker; once again, people are on the hunt for it, and as a Walmart exclusive, often hunt for it in vain. 

Paired with the AWE Striker on certain Walmart Shelves was another release of the classic HISS Tank, which will be reviewed later.  I suppose we can call them Wave One of the Retro collection with both having arrived, IIRC, Summer of 2020 with a price point of $24.99.

 

 

 

 

Retro Box art.  Very striking.  I was gifted one at Christmas as an opener, bought a second.

Rear of Box.  Shows features well.

I'm not much to comment on box art.  Some people really get into it, but I don't really think my insights on box art are all that remarkable, so I won't focus on it to much probably ever.  This is the Retro line and the Box looks very, very "retro".  Clearly it is a direct homage to the original on the front, and the same appears to be the case with the sides.

The most notable difference from the original back of the box is the file card, .  The file card for the driver, Crankcase, which lacks the details of the original.  Hasbro has long since abandoned the style of file card vintage collectors are familiar with, and instead has gone with a shorter, less detailed personal narrative expressed in several languages.  It's kind of disappointing.  Actually, its very disappointing.  A good file card added narrative and mystique to a figure and the toy. 

  

Surely you can do better than this. 

After opening the box, the next omission you find is a blueprint the vehicle.  Its not there!  There's an instruction manual, but no separate sheet that suggests what the quirks and features, highlights and capabilities of the contents.  I think this is even a bigger bummer than the uninspiring file card.  It really can't be that expensive to have some intern do a bit of research, make some stuff up, and use some basic visual tools to print out a piece of paper and slap it into the box.  Mission accomplished and value added!  But no, they chose not to and missed a real opportunity to make a very, very strong product just about perfect.

About that. 

Even before breaking it down and going over the fundamentals towards a final grade, I can see this thing is going to score highly.  It's a really nice looking and intricate assemblage of plastic Hasbro made.  But first, you have some assembly to perform as shown here.

Sorry I don't feel like opening a second AWE Striker to show you the disassembled kit, just know that once the cage is put on the toy will no longer fit in the box.  That is how I do things, though.  I don't always do the same formula every time and I don't always try for the perfect, consistent review.  Upcoming reviews may not even involve things that are complete, but you gotta use what you got, so like always, bear with me.

Okay, we have instructions and sticker reference sheet.  where is the damned blueprint?

There are a lot of stickers to place, which I most of the time enjoy doing.  There are quite a few, but I won't mark it down for having "too many stickers" because you can always come back to decal placement later and the details are always welcome. The original sticker sheet is empty, so I won't bother showing it.  I will mention that the stickers are not the papery types we saw a bit of on the Rise of Cobra lines and 25th Anniversary.  These ones, can, if you are careful, be removed and re-applied if you don't get it right the first time.

Stuck looking out of the back of the box like a beleaguered one gallon fish in a one gallon bowl, Crank case was easy to liberate from his poly-vinyl cage. I think the figure is impressive.  Consisting of the figure, web-gear strapping, and helmet.  I think the only small letdown is the helmet's chinstrap inability to snap together like 25th Anniversary Bazooka's helm can. 

The fit and finish is really nice on this figure with good paint applications.  I think the color pallet chosen manages to remind me of something resembling a military outfit while having vivid display qualities.  He has all the advanced articulation points except the wrists.  He is a fantastic modern take on the old version one, and a huge improvement of the version two of the 25th line of fifteen years back.  He comes with no weapons or other accessories, but I do not hold that against most vehicle drivers, even though prior versions came with a rifle or a knife. He does, however, come with a figure stand with his name on it.

Wassup?

New for 1985 and refreshed several times in various versions since, the last time being as the decked out Foe Striker in 2015, the Retro AWE Striker is a return to its original form.  I don't own either the original or the 25th Anniversary versions, but eyeballing it, I can say the Retro is a little truer modern re-release than the 25th, the difference being the original and the Retro have graphite colored interiors and blower motor parts.  The big difference is that the Retro AWE Striker has a green missile launcher to match its body color, just as the 25th did, whereas the original's was black.  I don't have either the original or the 25th, so I won't go too in depth with comparisons so I'll just deal with it as it is for its own sake. 



The body molding is excellent.  The green color straddles the line between something a civilian plebeian would expect to see on a military vehicle and a vibrant art piece to be displayed on a shelf.  However, I have some questions about how it will age.  Certainly, the plastic, which I take is an ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene - the same stuff your larger storage bins and trash can is likely made of) This means there is going to be some surface roughness and it will scratch easily.  However, it is flexible and tough, which is important given the thinness of the roll cage and antennae

Pretty vehicle. The Retro version shares a lot in common to the original, including a graphite colored interior.  

There is tons of details, including that roll cage, front bumper with top mounted head lights, perforated side runners, anti-slip surface on the fenders, gas cap, and most interesting of all, four wheel semi-independent suspension, and semi-working steering thanks to both front wheels being linked by a tie-rod......on a toy that will spend most of its best days sitting on a shelf.   

 

Antennae are a great touch.  It makes it go faster, I'm sure. 

Buddy board for side passengers, pegged for modern.  Normal crew complement of two (driver and observer..... +2 for dismount)

Cheesy grin.  notice the bumper bar and lights, plenty of detail here.  Needs vanity plates.

Note the functioning tie rod and ends.   

I think I've ridden in cars with worse suspension than this. 

I'm curious about this feature.  I think this has been on all models going back to the first, but why? Why not just put a straight metal axle through the body and call it a day?  Well, Hasbro has always tried to stand head and shoulders above other toys in both detail and play value.  Hasbro has always been innovators.  Putting a suspension on an object that will spend most of its life stationary is, however, one of those above and beyond things, and as far as I can remember, I don't ever recall seeing one of these listed as having been broken, which is pretty impressive. 

For other features, all wheels roll, the launcher on top swivels and elevates and the steering wheel turns.  There is a dedicated sighting system to use the weapon above, located in front of the passenger.  This is one of those features that is uncommon in GI Joe toys.  Quite often on smaller vehicles, guidance systems seem to be invisible, understated, or non-existent.  Not so here, which is an element of the Striker I find myself being impressed with.

Ironically, the cartoon doesn't use the targeting device.  They always have some noob stand on the back and aim the 'gun' manually.  

The 'Striker comes with one weapon, which the original Blueprints from the '85 version identified it as a "10 Round 70mm Automatic Launcher", though to me, and as far as I can tell, it looks like some sort of TOW system, optically guided from the reticle in front of the passenger.  Other versions of this vehicle will carry a grapple hook, machine gun, or some other rocket, but as far as I know, they all have just one singular weapon mounted atop the roll cage.   Any way, it doesn't suffer from being "over gunned" like some GI Joe vehicles tend to be. 
  

View of the crew "compartment" from behind, over the cooling fan and radiator assembly.

70mm "launcher" with a 10 round clip or a TOW missile system?  Your call!

Lest we overlook it, one last feature of the AWE Striker is the removable engine hood that clips on at the rear.  The best GI Joe vehicles always have at least one part that is removable...  This one is on the rear and comes off with two flexible latches...

No reductionist slogans, sayings, or political statements on these bumper stickers, *unless you really read deep!*

This actually looks like an engine.

It looks like a transmission on the side, battery mounted just to the rear of it,  Gas tank is underneath? Or is that the Oil reservoir? and radiator/fan is located on top. 

Latches to afix engine bonnet? Maybe in Universe, they do not actually "latch" here

Bonnet back on, you can remove it by pulling up on the bottom that big, green "wart". It takes some nuance.  It also can hurt your finger.

 

 

I appreciate that there was some thought put into the engine, but if you look too long, it becomes a rabbit hole of trying to figure out something incomprehensible. Tranny off to one side of the block?  good.  There is a battery easy to get to? Good.  However, that fuel fill port goes where exactly?  It will make you crazy trying to figure it all out, because it wasn't meant to....If you wanna get technical, that fuel tank port leads to the.....differential...

Anyway, onto the question of "What is Thing Good For?"

    The military actually uses vehicles like the AWE Striker designated as UTVs, Desert Patrol Vehicles, Light Attack Vehicles, or Fast Attack Vehicles.  It's essentially a dune buggy spec'd out for military use.  It seems to provide a little extra mobility over standard jeep-type vehicles like the VAMP over a number of terrain types and by being lighter and smaller, is easier to transport or airdrop to distant locations, and getting to Distant Locations is practically the Other Half of the Battle for GI Joe...

The "A.W.E" stands for "All Weather and Environment".  Looking at its open compartment and complete lack of protection, I have some real reservations about that.  It certainly wouldn't be my first choice of ride for arctic missions, that's for sure. I find it more believably used in some environment ranging from arid to temperate, being best suited for the dunes of open desert areas or situations where traveling light and fast is more important that traveling well-protected. 

You can use it in the snow if you want, the Cartoon did, on occasion, but the Cartoon was more about linking whatever was in stores into the story, other rationales were probably damned.

 What Can This Baby Do? The Missing Stats:

The most similar equipment out there is probably the Chenowth Racing Light Strike Vehicle.  The company has no working web page and may not be defunct, but this seems to be the vehicle military spec'd vehicles are based off of.  It features a weight of 3500lbs, able to carry 1500 lbs of total cargo, has a 160hp diesel engine, and a max speed of 60mph, and is capable of  "negotiating up to 75% gradients and 50% side slopes".  A company still in existence that seems to fill the same market niche is Sand Rail.

This is a middle to lighter-weight vehicle who's specialization is negotiating inclines and declines at speeds tolerable in pure off-road situations, it is not meant to cruise on a roadway.  Top speed on pavement isn't as big of a priority.

Furthermore.

I'm assuming that is in part due to it likely being powered by a diesel engine.  Diesel Engines are ubiquitous in the military because of the logistics of fuel and high-revving top speed isn't as useful as simplicity, torque, and durability.

Filling in some missing performance stats, I am going to borrow and reference from Pablo Hidalgo's GI Joe vs Cobra, the Essential Guide in which he says the AWE Striker has....

    A rear-mounted 200-horsepower inner-cooled six-cylinder fuel-injected transverse engine grants the light strike vehicle an off-road speed of about 60 miles per hour, dependent on terrain conditions.  (Hildago p. 114)

He also mentions a top road-speed of 105 miles per hour (Hildago p.115) which makes sense.  60mph is the top speed listed on most other military vehicles of this type, but Joe has special needs since their equipment finds itself used to combat domestic terrorism from Cobra often in an urban environment.  Being able to travel at highway speeds is advantageous.  Increasing the speed on road to 105mph probably involves having an overdrive gear for more efficiency as the engine's power is sufficient enough in a vehicle this light.

 Where I differ from Hidalgo is in his tire choice and weaponry.  He uses Pirelli off-road tires, I would use self-sealing and run-flat military tires as it makes more sense from a combat perspective.  I have already mentioned my take on the AWE Striker's armament. 

Driving the AWE Striker is likely a big of a daunting experience.  It's light, well powered, and likely unforgiving in turns with an abundance of over-steer.  After all, probably 70% or more of the weight is on the back drive wheels and it would likely be prone to spin-out in hard turns at speed.  It also sounds like a very hard ride.  It can travel highway speeds in off-road environments, but a good AWE Striker driver must be wary of how much punishment the vehicle and its passengers can take.  It's low to the ground, and stable so tipping over is unlikely, but then that means it has limited travel for its suspension bits, so when it lands, it can land hard!  It *is* a speedy off-road vehicle, but it's speed is best left in reserve.  

I think its ideal basing is in austere arid regions where it would be used for recon, basic transportation, anti-armor, anti-bunker work.  Its strength lays in its ability to navigate difficult terrain, its weakness is its lack of protection, comfort, and that it has no real anti-air defenses.  I think proper tactics is to use it in stand-off with its weapon used at its maximum range, and then using its mobility to escape from detection and counter-strike.  Or, you can just "Yo Joe" it and do a frontal attack letting everyone know you're there.  That one always seems to work out. 

Do you need this in your motorpool or collection?

I would say, "yes", this is something you want in your collection for certain.  Its a great toy and comes with a solid figure.  It fits a good niche while still having the ability to perform general duties as a mission vehicle.  I think its a little better toy than the Vamp Mk 1, but I prefer the Vamp as mission vehicle, myself. 

Nowadays I'm going to refrain from giving out grades, at least for now.  Please make your own judgements from my writing and this synopsis.  It is a durable toy with tons of detail and play value.  It had a lot of think parts including the roll cage and brush guard on the front, but I think they chose a good plastic to deal with this.  They could have taken certain shortcuts, but didn't.  As far as I can tell, it is the most similar to the original toy produced

GI Joburg Podcast Epidode 190: Full House (with my commentary)

I love GI Joburg. I am glad to have met Paul, Rob, and Stephen at the last JoeCon. (congrats on your first foray into RL Army-building Stephen!).  I thought I'd make a blog entry piggy backing onto the main course of their latest podcast entry on Youtube, as well as other places, which answers the question of whom each of them would choose as their go-to figure in various environments.

I guess I won't spoil what their choices were.  I listened and considered each category for myself and came up with my own answers to the question of "which character would be your go-to in the following environments: desert, arctic, urban, jungle, and aquatic." 

Okay, small spoilers.  Rob chose Scoop for one environment, Paul relied heavily on his childhood favorites and Stephen applied his choices very judiciously.  Good picks all of them, and many I would not have thought of.  Here are my choices, though I will play a little differently and land one for the good guys and one for the bad.

        Desert (GI Joe) - Dusty

        Desert (Cobra) -  Cobra Trooper

This will be a topic I will expand upon in another post, but I didn't exactly have a bonanza of figures when I was young.  I did play with what I had and daydreamed often about the world of GI Joe, much of it during school hours when I should have been paying attention to something else. My approach to these choices will be a mix between adult reasoning and childhood nostalgia, often for figures I wanted to have.  

I never had Dusty, but I remember his character fondly from the silly cowboy tune he sang in Pyramid of Darkness.  I know he's the most conventional choice here for desert operations, but he's my favorite and I'm sticking to him.

I had considered giving Road Pig my choice after looking through YoJoe.com for a good match.  Road Pig brings a certain, desert Mad Max vibe to him but to be honest, I don't know much about him.  The blue-shirt Trooper is ubiquitous to Cobra's worldwide operations, so why not the desert?

Next is the arctic:

        Arctic (GI Joe) - Frostbite

        Arctic (Cobra) - Snow Serpent

I picked Frostbite because he's a figure I have, someone my brother had as a child, and I guess I see the value of having a mechanically oriented character who is also a weapons expert.  The Snow Serpent is just so definitive as an arctic fighter with those accessories and almost snow-alien appearance.

        Urban (GI Joe) - Snake Eyes

        Urban (Cobra) - Baroness. 

Snake Eyes either in his commando or ninja renditions is my favorite figure in an urban setting.  Among tall buildings and dingy alleys, there is always a nocturnal element to your larger cities and old Snake Eyes jumping rooftops sound like him in his own element. 

Baroness as someone who comes from money and status would be a city-dweller at heart.  Large cities are your seats of power and wealth, it only makes sense that this would be her domain.  Why did I chose her?  Don't really know.  She seems more cosmopolitan than Destro, who's more of a guy who enjoys the evil secret base-in-a-remote-castle scene. 

        Jungle (GI Joe) - Duke

        Jungle (Cobra) -  Cobra Viper 

Maybe either of these aren't the first thing that comes to mind when you think "jungle", but I like Duke and the Viper is one of my favorite of Cobra's many soldiers.  I think this works as both characters are fairly well adapted to most scenarios. 


        Aquatic (GI Joe) - Cutter.

        Aquatic (Cobra) - Copperhead

Both are vehicle drivers new in the 1984 line and both are pilots of what I would regard as their own "counterpart" vehicles.  Maybe both aren't real, true "deep sea" experts, what with Copperhead being a swamp-dweller, but I consider him to be more flexible than that.

Anyway, those are my personal choices.  Unfortunately, like I've said before, I don't have all that much vintage material. Among my choices, I only have a Cobra Viper and Frostbite.  Thanks for reading, and thank you GI JoBurg for having this discussion...