1984 Recondo
In the overall story of GI Joe, Recondo seems pretty unimportant. I can’t remember a major moment in the cartoon or in the comics that had a lot to do with him, but despite that his figure is still one of my favorites.
I think a large part of Recondo’s appeal is that he’s a fun and broadly usable figure. As a Jungle Trooper, his area of expertise is fun and relatable to most who would acquire him as kids or adults, and he isn’t alienated from the rest of the cast in a way like Snowjob. It’s a completely different motif, but the underlying charm is quite similar to Footloose.
Growing up I had almost no attachment to the character. The most obvious reason for this is because he had no more figures past the ‘88 Tiger Force repaint. But another reason could be because he didn’t get much screen time in Sunbow. Overall, he received less screen time than characters like Cross-Country and Wild Bill (thanks to Half the Battle for a convenient chart showing this) and only had a major role in about two episodes. So I didn’t ever have much interest in him until I got into collecting vintage more, and I still forget him a lot.
Recondo has a few small variants out there, which is an interesting obscurity to look out for. There’s at least four color variants on the paint used for his camouflage and watch. The hue of the paint ranges from olive to a vibrant green, and the thickness of the stripes can vary as well. Nothing major, but something to look out for should you ever acquire an extra from a lot.
His parts are few, but pretty cool regardless. He comes with a rucksack and a M14E2X, which is basically an M14E2. The gun has a nice wrap sculpted on to it for some added detail and it’s a pretty unique look, especially for a 1984 figure. Meanwhile the backpack features a nicely sculpted handle that can even be held by the figure, which is a nice touch.
Mint complete Recondos should run around $10, which isn’t very much for a cool figure that’s this old now (35 years!). With that said, his camo can be prone to wear and it’s quite common he’s erroneously paired with his Accessory Pack riffle and listed as complete, so these things can complicate finding a decent example.
1984 Recondo Links:
Recondo by Scarrviper at ARAH Gallery
Recondo was the only 1984 JOE I had new beside Duke (mine was a 1983 mail in) (Much later I got mail in Thunder). I liked him. Years later he got discolored. Annoying, he had not seen any outside missions to speak of, either.
He’s got some bulkiness to him (his torso), which seems to inhibit some posing. That’s my only gripe.
Another great figure from 1984. Hasbro seemed to really step up their game each year at the beginning of the line.
Recondo was that figure who seemed so much cooler than he actually was. His bulk made him harder to pose and use. And, he is a weird figure who only looks good with his gun and whose gun only looks good with him. But, the idea of Recondo was amazing and his comic introduction was legendary.
Recondo is a great looking figure, but not one I actually like to use. It’s a shame, because he’s a guy who should be amongst my top figures, he just doesn’t do it for me!
His gun is super fragile and annoying though, since the handle is so thick and smooth, it’s hard to get it to stay in place without putting pressure on the thumbs, and the tip of the gun is easily bent/broken.