#retroblasting #gijoe #hasbro Support us on PATREON: / retroblasting Michael takes at look at the Original Joes in their 25th Anniversary versions from the 2007 relaunch of the line. Wait... why are there 14 Joes now?
Great video Michael! I didn’t know they made a “Shooter” figure. Funny thing about that one panel in G.I. Joe #1. The “Shooter” file was an homage to the editor of Marvel Comics at the time, Jim Shooter. I remember talking to him about it at a local Comic Con when he signed my copy of G.I. Joe #1. He joked the “Shooter” was the missing member of G.I. Joe who slipped on a banana peel, threw his back out, and had to quit G.I. Joe, lol 😂
Yes a cheeky nod to Jim Shooter, you beat me to it :) For a little more trivia, there was also an unofficial O-ring Shooter figure produced by a fan (I have one), and her story was retconned into Operation Lady Doomsday in the Declassified #1 comic.
@Transfixed Yes, on both of these things, lol... I think DDP (Devil's Due) did that Declassified series/issue. I picked up the TPB version back then. Knowing about the Jim Shooter nod, from his time as the Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics, and DDP making Shooter a female character and Hispanic, I believe (?), I attributed her codename as an extension of that homage into the then newly retconned and more fleshed out character and then later on, figure. Anyway, I too have Shooter in with my original 14 Joes line-up, along with an additional Arctic Snake Eyes, as seen in GI Joe #2 with Kwinn. (Although I also did a custom Kwinn based on that issue too, since Hasbro only ever gave us the khaki shorts version of Kwinn...)
Another possible inspiration for Shooter, in the 1980s "G.I. Joe Special Missions" comic line, one issue was about a Joe green shirt sniper, who happened to be a black woman, that was sent on a special mission to take out some bad guy in Latin America. She accomplished her mission but died saving some people. Her parents had a hard time wondering how their daughter, officially a Chaplain's assistant, could 'die in the line of duty'. Duke lamented that due to the secret nature of G.I. Joe's various missions, her parents wouldn't know what a heroic person their daughter was. Yes, the name in the OG comic was to honor Jim Shooter, but I think the character backstory was from the "Special Missions" comic.
As one of those parents you mentioned, I'm thankful for this line as it accomplished the mission for our sons. Your assessment is spot on, and couldn't be more accurate about them overall. Great looking, mostly true to the OG13(14) but lots of problematic articulation and accessories. Excellent video, and I loved your original effects making their return.
It was your video on the original 13 G.I. Joes that prompted me to collect the original 14 from the Anniversary line. I have the same posing pains, but I love this line of G.I. Joe so much that I don't collect Classified. Highly detailed, easily customizable, and mostly compatible with vintage Joe vehicles. Just icing on the Anniversary cake!
I've heard from a bunch of Joe fans that Stalker (1982) was their first figure. I can see why. That camo pattern stands out and makes him look really cool.
I love evrything about the original 13 Joes, had most of them, my first being Clutch and the Vamp, so everytime you talk about them it's a pleasant trip back in my mind...I was also a big reader of the original Marvel comic, but I dropped off of that when Serpentor came around and the Movie from the 80's. awesome vid..Yo Joe!! to you my good sir.
Yeah, my interest in the comic started to wane with the introduction of Serpentor too. I just felt GI Joe was straying away from the military vs terrorist plots that made it so appealing to me in the first place.
I recently acquired a complete Shooter figure with her profile card. She is awesome and I have her set up on my office desk with Stalker and Roadblock. I love the fact that she's a sniper as well. Thank you for sharing her origin story in the comics and her reintroduction to the original GIJOE team. Would be nice to see her in the Classified Series at some point as well.
I love your Gi Joe videos. I find myself coming back and rewatching them. When you mentioned the articulation no being useful, the first thing I thought was “Dude, how can you not sit”!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I played with my cousin's G.I. Joes (the original 13) but I was way too young to remember any names other than Stalker, Breaker, Scarlett and Chuckles.
I seriously thought about completing the same figure set. I remember the original 13 being released. I had most of the figures and vehicles from first line. I only lacked the MMS and the Command Center. Flash was my first too. ( I built my own out of cardboard.) And yes, the 80's were a great time to be a kid.
Gazing back with 2022 eyes, the 25th Anniversary-style figures look rather gawky, but I certainly appreciated collecting them and that the line was so deep.
The figures got better as the line went on but not without their problems. Shooter was one of the last ones released and like he says, fiddly accessories that didn't hold together were a major recurring theme.
Fantastic video! You brought back some great memories and I did exactly what you did (mix and match) - thanks for always saying it how it is, we take the good with the bad (great display figures; not so much for play)
I barely remember these figures being available. But now I regret not getting them. And, as usual, comedy gold. I would never be able to look at that Rock N Roll figure again without seeing the Jeremiah Johnson gif.
I remember that Christmas like it was yesterday. Me and my brother got doubles of everything. So we wouldn't fight over the toys. What a great time to be a kid. The sandbox and your joes. Only a few things in life are better.
Awesome video Michael, your joe videos are second to no one! I thought Hasbro did a fantastic job on the card backs for this line, so good I've kept all of mine on card.
Phenomenal video Michael!! I’m an OG ‘82 myself. I was 8 years old and my first figure was Rock N’ Roll. U hit it right on the money with the 25th Anniversary. I still gotta get that Zap tho cuz he’s 🔥 and i had no idea about Shooter, but i sure do remember her name in the comic on that page. Kudos bro🤙🏻
As a 9-year old kid in 1982, I wanted G.I. Joe action figures so badly; I was horribly disappointed that the only ones I could find in stores were Breaker and Short Fuze, neither of whom had a rifle-type weapon (WTF was a mortar?). None of the stores had the cooler models like Snake Eyes, Stalker, or Rock N Roll. 😭
Long Live the Image/Devils Due GIJoe comics run! I regularly read that fist appearance of Shooter, GIJOE Declassified. Basically a companion mini series for the original GIJoe #1.
Excellent video! Your observations about the 25th Anniversary figures are on point and framed in a historical context that makes a lot of sense. Well done!👍
Shooter is an in house comic book reference to Marvel's editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. It did open the door to create something new but it was originally just a nod to the boss.
Thanks for posting! I have a few of these 25th anniversary figures, and you're spot-on when diagnosing the problems with their articulation. It's kind of a shame, really: They could have just remolded the parts using the old "Microman" articulation and these figures would have been a slam-dunk, but as it stands they're basically just display pieces and nothing more.
Great run down of the 25th Anniversary set and enjoyed learning about the 14th figure. Of the bunch I really think Stalker's is the stand out sculpt but as a grouping they look fantastic lined up together.
Great video Michael, brings back lots of fond memories of the original video (my first RB video). Despite my feelings about Gi Joe with the 25th anniversary and beyond these 14 really do display well together.
I got into GI Joe just after the OG 13, But I managed to get a Rock N Roll, he was my guy! Even love his insane mini-gun second version too. I appreciate the attempt at the added figure articulation, but I just keep going back to the original O-ring style of figure. Its just easier to set up. I 100% appreciate the reissue of the vehicles too. I was finally able to get a many of the jets and tanks that I never had as a kid. Adult me flipped out at finally getting a Sky Striker! I do appreciate RetroBlasting's attention to its own continuity. I see what you did there with Chuckle Eyes.
Shooter's Weapon Case.... 21 year Army Veteran here, we had all kinds of boxes like that over the years for radios, computers etc.... and sometimes the hinges got warped so it took 3 soldiers to close.... lol
With Stalker's involvement in Vietnam, it is likely he picked up the MP40 from a dead Viet Cong guerilla, as there are multiple recorded instances of VC using those kinds of sub machine guns against US and AUS forces.
1st, Stalker was in the MAC V SOG. The 1st figure has a MP5 9mm SMG called The Pulverizer. The comic book version of Stalker; SE Asia used a CAR15 5.56mm with a long surpressor, ART/IR scope. LRRPs & MAC V SOG teams rarely used SMGs.
They really made it tough to get all 13 easily. Some single carded, then like stated Short Fuze is in a pricey "battle in a box" set. I personally was a HUGE fan of the Joe comics so Breaker's bubblegum, Short Fuze's glasses, and Zap's comic and cartoon accurate stache all make me happy. Shooter doesn't bug me at all. Her inclusion is logical and has historical evidence for existing. Good video!
Pretty on the money. Good head swap from Hawk to Shortfuse! I did a lot of playing around with these figures swapping, chopping, painting until I was happy with the look.
The extremely short lived Walmart exclusive Retro line from last year had really great new versions of Stalker, Scarlett and Grunt that fit seamlessly into these toys. A shame that line didn't last, and seems to have been replaced with O-Ring reissues (an era I have absolutely no desire to return to or collect). There was also a version of Clutch and maybe Breaker released with the "fixed" arms that don't have the articulation cut on the skin but instead at the cuff. I was able to find 2 of these and swap them around to create the best possible versions of those guys.
Hi michael, Thank you for doing a great review of the 25th anniversary line. I grew up collecting GIJoe and it’s just recently discovered community gotten bigger here in Australia. I do too own this line and I agree with what you said about line one negative I’m bit surprised you dint mention was Breaker without his beard for me it was big let down. See this 25th anniversary line I’m more excited for then newer classified line as I feel line all over place. Anyway great video mate keep on doing great job.
I can't help but laugh when I watch your videos. I remember a video that u made in response to criticism that you had received about always putting negative content on your channel. I had watched one of those videos that you were listing as positive and initially, I thought you were being negative because of your tone. If I had not watched the video a second time and paid close attention to your descriptions, I wouldn't have known that you were actually praising the product. You and Analog Toys have the best "poker faces" in the toy community. Your monotone delivery and facial expressions throw me off every time. You both are very original and your views are greatly appreciated. Thanks
THIS IS HOW COOL HASBRO IS. I was 9 and I wanted SnowJob and SnakeEyes but the two stores in town never carried them. I wrote HASBRO asking where I could buy them. It turns out both figures were discontinued for its new crop of figures BUT they sent me both at no charge!
I basically despise the 25th anniversary figures, but they were a good way to get a few sought-after characters that never made it to production in the old days. Half of the few ones I actually bought were defective with joints out of place, permanently bent limbs, immovable joints, or other borderline comical factory errors. My most optimistic take is that the 25th line allowed me to pick up some classic vehicles my family couldn't afford during my childhood. In some cases I actually sold the accompanying figures or just plain threw a few away as looking at them simply aggravated the hell out of me. They didn't even fit in the vehicles they came with. I do like and still use my expensive as hell 3 pack of female Cobra troopers. They go well with any play scenario. That Scarlett is so bad I threw mine out. I could never look at it and see Scarlett. It just looked like a female with a half melted uneven face no matter how many times I tried to accept it.
What a refreshing sensation for Michael to appreciate hasbro’s maneuver. I know you just being honest to your opinion and it’s not something new too. I just want to say that this is refreshing. Love your video as always
He's never been totally anti one way or another. He praises them for things he feels are good and criticizes for those that aren't. Just because he feels HasLab is an abomination doesn't mean he's hating everything they do
Nice video. I was curious which versions you would use. If you don’t mind mixing it up a little, I used the retro 3 3/4 Grunt, Scarlett, and Stalker that were released last year. They look much better.
Very cool video. My brother and I had most of the originals back when we were wee lads. Funny thing is I had the VAMP and Clutch and my brother had the Flash figure. For some reason my brother uses Clutch as a sometimes online ID and I use Flash. 🤷♂️
There was a series of comics, dealing with G.I. JOE, titled : Declassified. There was a Scarlet, standalone issue as well as 3 G.I. JOE & 3 Dreadnok issues. The Joe's issues take place before G.I. Joe #1 (Marvel comics). It tells you why each member was recruited & a little bit of personal history. There was an extra character that might have been the very first recruit. It might be Shooter, I just don't remember.
I wish they would rerelease these figures the same as the originals, except with updated sculpting and paint details. Make them affordable and available. I'd also like to see a gijoe version of COD. Maybe that would get the younger crowd interested in gijoe again so they aren't only catering to the nostalgia angle.
I had the same issue with the undercover Flint cobra action figure. After losing the helmet 3 times I gave in, and tacked it with a small dab of superglue.
"Shooter!" It's so obvious, or it would have been obvious at the time. It was a call out to Marvel editor in chief (at the time) JIM SHOOTER, creator of Secret Wars, the New Universe, writer of the Dazzler graphic novel, etc. He had a regular monthly editorial in every Marvel comic (Bullpen Bulletins) till Tom DeFalco replaced him. Little gags like that were not infrequent in different Marvel comics. Remember, no one knew who the Joes were at the time, and Marvel's editorial staff were well known to all regular readers.
I love the OG 13/14! I dig Shooter and wholly accept her backstory and role as the Joe's sniper. Her position as sniper also easily explains her absence since snipers often either work alone or (more commonly) with a spotter as a dedicated pair on special missions.
I'm really glad that I ran across your channel. At first it just seemed like another toy review\showcase channel that I often lose interest in quickly. After watching several of your videos that date back years, you cover some of the toxic collecting environments and toy company's self induced pitfalls of artistically bankrupt higher-ups. I'm 52, and saw Star Wars in the theater in '77. At that age I was ripe for the original Kenner line, and owned a complete set through Empire. Including the proof of purchase Boba Fett. I was also a huge fan of the G.I. Joe and had a large collection. Puberty and a BB gun unfortunately took care of those. Anyway, I dig your videos and look forward to the next. Be well
Because I’m a girl (and my parents were cheap) I never got GI Joe figures. I always wanted GI Joe figures but probably not these. Thanks for the review.
If not for this video I never would've known there even was a "Shooter" sniper character & figure. Bonus points she looks African-American ("black"); appropriate for shadows, night missions, ... TY Michael & crew!!! Back in the day & today the Snow Cat's maybe my favorite vehicle but anyway we always used "Frostbite,"'s rifle with that intense scope on top as the ultimate sniper rifle. "Alpine" would scale the mountain, perch, and then BLAM! zip line away. Mission complete.
