1992 Eco Striker
1991 was probably the worst year of Joe vehicles ever made, though 1992 wasn’t far off, mainly for continuing a lot of the gimmicks that didn’t really work out from the year before. That includes paper gliders (Air Commandos) and the flimsy Battle Copters, but the new ideas like a Flintstones car and a helicopter that didn’t fit GI Joe figures (Desert Apache) weren’t much better. So after all of that, the year’s Eco Warriors offering of the Eco Striker comes off pretty well by comparison, even if it was the first of many AWE Striker regurgitation to be.
If had to chose an old vehicle to give to the Eco Warrior Joes for their subline, I’m not sure I could’ve named a better one than the AWE Striker. It fits the theme, it rolls well, it can carry four figures, light-up front lights, a nicely detailed engine, it really was a toy from Joe’s best year. Which is probably why the Eco Striker stands out as the best toy from one of Joe’s worst years. Sometimes I forget how nice the AWE Striker was just for my strong preference to the VAMP, and also the fact that they really wore out the toy’s appeal with continual recolors and retools for the next thirty years. In 1992 though, it was still pretty fresh.
The bright blue and yellow colors of the Eco Striker make it look very much like a toy, though at least it’s a very attractive looking toy. Blue and yellow are colors that compliment each other very well, and there’s also a bevy of contemporary Joes that feature a lot of yellow and look good with it. The decals also add some hazard stripes to the sides, which I really love the look of even if the yellow loses some of it’s vibrance just from the poor quality of the stickers. Like all the vehicles from it’s era, it has super cheap, paper stickers as opposed to the vinyl kind used on older vehicles. That’s fairly egregious when you consider that it’s a toy where the main gimmick involves water.
As for the big and exciting new feature that the Eco Striker brings to the table: a squirt gun, like with the Septic Tank a year prior. The squirt cannon is easily the worst feature of the Septic Tank, just for being so cumbersome and not really having enough space for a figure to man it. The design of the AWE Striker lends itself to this gimmick much more. It still looks a little too big for the vehicle, but it doesn’t really hinder it’s function that much. As an added bonus, it’s pretty easy to get a decently matching black gun to replace it, so the Eco Striker can be rendered in it’s classic glory with a normal gun. Personally, I wish there were some more newly tooled bits to change it’s look a little more like with the Septic Tank, but this one functions well as it is, so I can’t be too picky.
If you’d believe it, there’s more than one Eco Striker: A new version was released as a 2014 Joecon exclusive, rendered from the Ninja Commando 4×4. I do like that they put together an Eco Warriors set for Joecon, though many of the choices were questionable, like usual. The Ninja Commando 4×4 is a pretty horrible rendition of the AWE Striker. The design removes a ton of parts and simplifies it to an extent that the Joecon version of the Eco Striker just looks like a vintage one that’s missing half of it’s parts. I really don’t know why that exclusive exists, but it’s there.
The last complete Eco Striker sold for a whopping $61, which is a lot more than I was expecting. You really don’t see complete copies for sale all that often, and incomplete ones don’t go for a lot less. I’m not sure I think it’s really worth that, but it is a very cool vehicle, and probably the most memorable repaint of the AWE Striker. If I’m ever in the market for another one, I’ll probably just buy a cheap junker and augment it with similar parts from other AWE Strikers.
1992 Eco Striker Links:
…Nothing besides Yo Joe!, so if you have some Eco Striker pics or a blog post hidden somewhere, feel free to link to it in the comments.
There’s an Eco Warriors fan on Instagram who does some amazing shots with the Eco Striker. I’m not sure that he, alone, is responsible for the high prices. But, I do think that many collectors have come to realize that the ’90’s vehicles exist in substantially fewer numbers than their ’80’s counterparts.
But, also, there were as many guys hoarding vehicles to resell as there were for figures. So, that allows dealers to price them high and feast of the low stock from liquidating collectors. I’d love one of these. But, I’m not going to pay more than $20 or so for it. So, it’s going to be a while.
Hasbro kind of ruined the AWE Striker. I didn’t even bother trying to track down the 2020 version. But, at the same time, I regret not picking up some of the recolors. The black 2001 version, in particular, stands out to me as something that would be fun to have, now.
I had some Eco Striker photos on Joe Dios.
I think.
Not that they were good.
Mine was missing parts, I think.
I like the AWE, but also haven’t gotten a new one since the 25th Desert release. I did get a couple of used one, including a ninja commando 4×4, which I think would make a better Cobra version.
The 2001 version makes a killer Cobra AWE Striker. Just add a few Cobra tampos instead if the factory labels 🙂
Your Eco-Striker is in great shape. They discolor easily. I was actively buying, as a kid but also with a collector’s mindset, in 1992–and I don’t recall EVER seeing one of these at retail. Even if I had, though, the lack of a driver would’ve discouraged me. I finally got one early this year, luckily in a lot so I could resell the other stuff and cut the cost. It’s a solid vehicle and great for Eco-Warriors scenes. Plus you can match it up with old figures for a fun juxtaposition, since the mold fits but the colors don’t.