2003 Major Bludd (Python Patrol)

Posted on August 24, 2020 by mwnekoman

2003 Major Bludd (Python Patrol)

So in total, there’s been at least three very distinct color schemes that have represented the Python Patrol. The original vintage palette, a palette closer to the vintage vehicles from a 2003 6-pack, and a similar scheme to that, but with large amounts of gray used for New Sculpt figures. Truth be told, all three variants of the Python Patrol team colors are pretty good. Of the 2003 Pythons, I think this Major Bludd might be my favorite.

There’s a few curious things going on with this Major Bludd, namely that he’s newly made from ‘91 Zap’s body, and not an existing release like most of the Python Patrol. It’s a perfect body to use for a Major Bludd, given that details such as the shells on his chest or armor on his legs fits pretty well with the character’s original aesthetic. It’s also a rare example of Hasbro using a mold in a genuinely creative and new way, something they rarely did in the 2000‘s.

I like the colors used on this set, which includes this Major Bludd. My favorite Python Patrol colors would have to be the originals, but these are a pretty good alternative, plus they look visually interesting. The figure is mainly black with a red diamond pattern across the black areas, and some more bright red and gold for details. Despite being 2000‘s figures, these Pythons look in place with the vintage Python Patrol vehicles, because the colors are so similar. Heck, I’d go as far as to say that these Python Patrol colors are better than the originals, but those figures I prefer just for being eye-catching and fun looking.

The parts here aren’t very good, but not for the usual reasons, surprisingly enough. This figure opted to retain a few of the original parts from ‘91 Zap, his bazooka and hand-cannon, but they don’t work very well here. That’s mainly because you don’t get the muzzle for the bazooka, and the cannon is meant for Zap’s backpack, which you don’t get. Normally Hasbro would screw vintage sculpts during the 2000‘s by not including the original parts, although with this release, they gave you that: only half of them!

Despite my love for Python Patrol, it’s honestly almost a shame that this figure came out in this sub-team. I say that because the truth is, I think this might be one of the best Major Bludd toys besides Chinese Major Bludd. If we could’ve gotten him in normal colors in some way, I think this would be a go-to Bludd for many collectors. As it stands, the figure is very nice, but easy to ignore since his identity is lost among a sea of Python Patrol releases.

These figures aren’t too common, but surprisingly, aren’t too expensive either. Python Patrol Major Bludd’s seem to trend around $10, complete or incomplete. It’s likely because a lot of people bought this set for army-building, creating a surplus of unneeded Bludds. On that end, it was pretty lousy of Hasbro to put Major Bludd in an otherwise perfect set for army-building. On the other hand, it’s probably the nicest figure from the set, so in ways I’m glad they took a risk on it.

2003 Major Bludd (Python Patrol) Links:

1989 Night Viper

Posted on August 18, 2020 by mwnekoman

1989 Night Viper

I was surprised when I realized how it had slipped my mind, but incidentally, I’ve never wrote about the ‘89 Night Viper. It’s one of my favorite figures too, but I suppose after writing about the TBM Python Night Viper, I forgot to get around to this one. It’s also been one of the most consistently popular post-’86 Cobras in the franchise too; so perhaps I also ignored him for the feeling of the figure being over exposed at this point.

The original Night Viper I had as a kid was another figure from my brother’s collection, and it was a figure we both liked. When my collecting focus shifted to vintage figures around ‘09, it was a figure in the old Joe tubs that really stood out to me and I enjoyed rediscovering as I gradually found all of his parts again. Of course, being a favorite meant this figure was in somewhat rough shape, but it was a start that pointed me in the direction of acquiring more over time.

The colors and deco on the figure is very nice overall. There’s not a lot of different colors here: mostly just dark green plastic and black paint. However, that itself is an attractive and realistic combo that’s likely helped earn this figure it’s popularity over so many years. One of the nicest details on him is the shoulder-patch tampographed onto his left shoulder. It’s a Night-Viper specific emblem that’s rather detailed and good looking. It’s also remarkable as the Night-Viper is one of the only figures with a unit specific marker like this, which is a shame, as something equivalent to this would’ve been fantastic on the SAW Viper or a few others.

The sculpt has a lot of nice details going on too. Nothing too absurd, but a nice smattering of knives, straps and gear throughout the figure. The strap of bullets on his right arm is a little detail I especially like. The helmet also has a sleek, high-tech look to it, which does pretty well to represent the gear his file card mentions him having. I’ve always thought the ribbed legging on half of his thighs looks a little weird, but it’s also distinctly Cobra, and looks similar to what you saw on the ‘83 HISS Driver.

The accessories really help make this figure, though at the same time he’s perfectly fine without everything except the visor. Included is a gun, backpack, a clip-on visor and a scope that attaches to the visor. The gun’s one of those awkward weapons with no pistol-grip, making it hard for him to get an aiming pose with it. It’s still not a bad part though, as it interacts with the figure in a few different ways thanks to both it’s sling and the pegs for mounting it on his thigh.

As I mentioned, the Night Viper is an extremely popular figure, and almost any given version has commended a premium throughout the history of the brand. Prices are very unstable for them right now, but generally it’s a figure you shouldn’t pay more than $20 for, complete. That’s in line with what they’ve trended at for a few years until now, and it’s reasonable to assume that’s still about what the figure’s really worth. They are common and army-builders hoarded them and the Funskool variant through the 2000‘s, so there’s plenty of mint examples in circulation.

Night Viper hasbro 1989 gi joe vintage cobra ARAH

1989 Night Viper Links:

Forgotten Figures

3D Joes

Photo by Scarrviper

Photo by Dreadnok Dread

Photo by PeterDB.net

1991 Flint (Eco Warriors)

Posted on August 10, 2020 by mwnekoman

1991 Flint (Eco Warriors)

When I was a kid I didn’t like this figure very much. He was brightly colored, he didn’t look much like a normal Flint, and his helmet was butt-ugly too. Technically, it wasn’t my figure, but whenever the Joes came out I’d gun for any other Flint besides this one (which usually meant the Battle Corps figure). Most of this derived from the simple fact that this wasn’t the Flint I wanted, and go figure, I started liking this figure better as I got older and after I acquired a Funskool Flint. It’s still not a Flint figure I use very often, but with time I’ve grown to appreciate elements of this figure.

On his own, there’s really nothing too bad about this figure. The sculpt is mostly reasonable looking while maintaining a decent level of detail. Personally I really like his head; it looks more ragged and characteristic than the aforementioned Battle Corps figure from a few years later. The ribbed boots are sort of weird and don’t add much to the character, but they can be easily overlooked. Oddly, I’ve sort of grown fond of his colors; the neon green is bright, but the look is cohesive enough that it appeals to me.

I think the main problem presented by this Flint, is that he’s arguably the weakest Eco Warriors figure. Most of the other toys come with at least a few parts that are somewhat more interesting, or cool clear visors like with Barbecue and Deep-six. Then you have to get over the fact that it’s a pretty big departure from a standard Flint design, too. Of course, in my view the Eco Warriors were a pretty good lot of figures, so that’s not to put this Flint down too much.

For parts, you get an oversized blue gun, an Eco Warriors squirt-gun, and a helmet. If there’s something I don’t like about this Flint, its’ that his parts are pretty weak. His main gun is a strange sci-fi design that I can’t really identify: is it a bazooka, or a laser weapon, or something else? It looks terrible, and unfortunately we saw this weapon reappear a few more times in the 90‘s. The helmet also strikes me as lackluster, given that it lacks the paint featured on Ozone and Clean Sweep’s helmets. Interestingly, commercials depict this helmet with a painted visor like on the card, which implies to me this paint application was cut late in his production.

Looking down the road, they made two very distinct and interesting repaints of this mold, though at the moment I like this one the best. In ‘01, they repainted the figure in desert colors and packaged him with the Desert Striker, which was an okay looking figure, albeit a little bland. Then in ‘10 the body was reused for the convention Red Torches, which looked fantastic, though are very limited in usage. All in all, I think the original release here may have been the mold’s best usage.

Complete Eco Warrior Flint’s go for around $8 or less. These days, I feel really amazed whenever I can find a vintage Joe that doesn’t commend a massive premium. Likely, I assume ‘84 and Tiger Force Flint dominate the interest of anyone who wants a Flint figure, so there’s just no need for this one. I would relate to that, but on it’s own, this is a fun figure to have around.