2000 Major Bludd

Posted on January 11, 2022 by mwnekoman

2000 Major Bludd

I really like Major Bludd, he’s a fun character, and most of his toys are good (with the exception of 25th Major Bludd. That one’s really bad!). But writing about Major Bludd toys as too much of a regular occurrence could make my blog a bit tedious. Though, nothing else really strikes my fancy at the moment, so I figure I might as well profile another one.

I got this figure in a lot sometime in either ‘09 or ‘10, for peanuts. At the time, I already had an ‘83 Bludd, so I didn’t have a lot of need for this one. Though, there was some novelty in having a brown version that can bend both of his arms, he was always overshadowed by the cadre of other ARAHC figures I found more interesting at the time. I really regretted missing out on the ARAHC line when I was a kid, so I when I started buying figures loose, I found it exciting to track these down for relatively low amounts of money. Despite that, I’ve tended to find my ambivalence to this figure has become a pattern relative to the entire series, where most of the toys are nice, but usually get out-shinned by something similar from another year.

2000 Major Bludd is an odd duck, because the truth is he’s a pretty alright looking figure. The problem he runs into though, is just that there’s so many other Major Bludds that do the same thing, better. When I say that, I’m mainly talking about Chinese Major Bludd, which has the same head and similar colors, but with a more interesting selection of body parts. Were it not for that figure, this would probably be the best toy of Major Bludd.

Normally it’s a nice thing when you get a subdued repaint of a neon-90‘s toy like Super Sonic Fighters Major Bludd, but, that figure already came in great colors, featuring primarily dark blue with some yellow details. It’s hard to call this one superior because of that. That doesn’t make him bad either, it’s just the other toys seem to invalidate him a bit. I also think the deco suffers from being rather flat, as he doesn’t have any of the green details you saw on the ‘83 figure.

The only part besides a figure stand included here, was his original double-barreled laser rifle, now in black. A little creativity from Hasbro could’ve gone a long way to make his parts more interesting, but that’s a funny thing to complain about, since this section is where I normally complain about the superficial inclusion of Rock Viper rifles and SAW Viper backpacks with 2000‘s figures. This little gun’s not that bad, and it’s nice to have it in black too, as I could imagine it looking good with a few of Cobra’s sillier characters like Overkill or Mindbender. It’s just not great with Major Bludd.

It’s not every day you find one of these being left to open pricing, but it’s regular enough you can get a BiN for $8 or less. Carded sets with the Rock Viper (Range Viper), go for as little as $10, which is probably a better value. There’s so many Major Bludd’s to choose from, it’s really hard to say anyone needs this one. Despite that, it’s a relatively solid figure, and represents ol’ Sebastian well enough. I also realized Chinese Bludd’s have become a lot harder to get, so in lieu of that one, this one’s probably become a good option again.

2000 Major Bludd Links:

Forgottten Figures

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:

1994 Major Bludd

Posted on April 1, 2019 by mwnekoman

1994 Major Bludd

1994 is full of great and often overlooked GI Joe figures, like Star Brigade Roadbloack, or Battle Corps Shipwreck. To be frank, I think ’94 might be the best year of the 90’s besides 1990. With that said, of the onslaught of figures released that year, a few came out rather questionable, like Major Bludd.

When it comes to Major Bludd figures, Chinese Major Bludd is best by far. Historically, almost every domestic Bludd has had some kind of problem in my eyes. V1 has the stupid arm, V2 has too many grenades, and every Bludd after this was made out of some combination of the tooling used for these first three. So with that said, this figure isn’t alone for having problems.

The design of this figure is just downright strange. Part of that comes from his reusage of the ’92 Toxo-Viper waist and legs, but even the new tooling has a weird aesthetic. The look of his folded robe simply does too much to invite Flash Gordon jokes, and has a very pulp sci-fi look to it. Given, there’s some very nice details here with the painted red trim and medals on his chest, and a bandolier too.

His head’s been given a pretty strong redesign. The helmet is similar to the V2, but he’s been given the addition of some silver painted horns along the top and a single-eye visor. A little over the top, but it’s still a different look that compliments the character. Details like this make me sad we didn’t see these continued into a ’95 line.

I almost forgot about this figure’s gimmick too: a hidden arm blade! Or elbow spike as the file card calls it. I’ve had mixed feelings on it since I was kid, with it perpetually sticking out of the back of his arm when you don’t want it, but it’s still a nice touch that harkens back to the cybernetic arm of the original. It’s one of those sorts of details that makes the figure feel like just a little special effort went into the design.

All things considered though, this figure won’t ever be my go-to Major Bludd. There’s a lot here I could like, and the purple robe isn’t a bad look either. At the same time though, the outfit looks a lot more formal than I’d expect for the seasoned mercenary that Bludd is. With a few other version at hand, it’s hard to justify using this one too much.

Major bludd 90's 1994 GI Joe battle corps hasbro arah vintage action figure crimson guard imp metal head

I want to say his parts included here are typical for the era, but honestly, they might be below average. Everything is cast in bright red plastic, and you get the dreaded Rock-Viper riffle, Destro pistol and combat knife. Over time I’ve almost grown fond of the neon weapons included during this period for their unique appearance, but it’s just too tiresome when every figure comes with the same, gigantic sniper riffle.

Getting a mint, complete example of this figure around $5 is still relatively easy, and carded figures are plentiful for not a lot more. These days, a price like that could be seen as somewhat of a dismissal by the collecting community, but I have to say this figure could provide a fair amount of value for that much.

1994 Major Bludd Links:

1983 Major Bludd

Posted on May 7, 2018 by mwnekoman

1983 Major Bludd

Major Bludd isn’t the most iconic Cobra from the early line, and when compared with the likes of Destro, Firefly, Storm Shadow and Zartan, it’s fair to say he isn’t the most popular either. Personally however, I’ve always been a big fan of the character and I think he has a lot of strong qualities not seen in later Cobras.

When I got into collecting vintage figures in the late 2000‘s, Major Bludd was one I sought with priority. I did already have a few decent versions of the character by way of the Sonic Fighters and Battle Corps figures, but those designs are quite a lot different than the V1. It also helped that at the time, Major Bludd’s were not very costly compared to other similarly old figures, so he was easy to acquire on a modest budget.

Major Bludd was also the favorite character of my friend and GI Joe photography legend, Cradea2. He died of cancer around this time eight years ago, and it changed the way I look at Major Bludd after that. Suddenly there was a lot of sentimentality surrounding the character, and often times using him brought up feelings that made me melancholic at the very least. So despite that I’ve always liked Major Bludd quite a bit, I’ve ended up not using him as often because of that.

V1 Major Bludd is an early example of Hasbro experimenting with the construction on ARAH figures. His right arm has no articulation beyond the shoulder, and is that way to represent a protective sleeve he wears while using his rocket pistol. It’s interesting for sure, and makes him a tad more memorable too. It isn’t however, a good justification for his lack of articulation. If you dislike this enough, swapping his arm for V1 Thunder’s is a good alternative, as you can see in this photo from Scarrviper.

Major Bludd’s most charming aspect is his detailed sculpt. There’s a lot of the typical and good sci-fi aesthetics like his chest-pad and mechanical/armored arm, but they are just a few of the details that stand out so much on this figure. His necklace of dog tags is one of those darker details you saw a lot early in the line, similar to the Cobra Trooper’s piano wire. His left arm features a unique emblem, and a sculpted patch that adds to his overall interestingness.

For parts, he included a rocket pistol, and a backpack full of sculpted missiles. It’s his trademark to a certain extent, but it’s also where the figure falls a little flat in my opinion. Ultimately, besides his right arm’s lack of articulation, the figure has no interesting gimmicks, and these parts are very simple. They aren’t without their appeal, but for a mercenary who personally writes about using an Uzi, I prefer to arm him with a traditional gun much more.

Surprisingly, Major Bludd’s will sometimes cost a lot of money, but they aren’t actually worth too much. If you shop around, auctions will typically run around $11, though sometimes mint examples will go for less than that. Most of the figures that are this old will go for a little more, so for such a fine and memorable Cobra, I see no reason that a collection should be without one.

1983 Major Bludd Links:

Major Bludd diorama by Cradea2

Chinese Major Bludd

Posted on August 25, 2015 by mwnekoman

Now this one’s a fun figure. Another quirky international variant, but this one’s great in all the right ways! This Major Bludd was a completely new figure made for sale in China. He’s an amalgam of parts from V2 Major Bludd, the Lampreys, and General Flagg. It all comes together pretty well as an entirely new outfit for Bludd.

With the big, bulky coat, this figure comes across to me as more of a cold weather version of Bludd. He’s not really wearing winter colors, but I think Bludd’s the type to not always wear perfect camouflage, so it works. Of course, you could use him in plenty of other settings as well, which is all part of the fun with figures like this. You can use him as practically anything you want.

If this figure had a downside, I guess I should mention his only part is a little lame. It’s that strange laser riffle Dodger came with, an awkward and clunky weapon. I suppose it does look a bit like some kind of RPG, so perhaps that’s why they included it. For me though, this guy’s always going to be equipped with some other gun.

All in all, this is hands down one of my favorite Major Bludd toys, and perhaps the best Major Bludd as well.

One Shot, One Chance

Posted on August 5, 2015 by mwnekoman

Low-Light and Dial-Tone have crawled, hid, and waited for days on a special mission to assassinate Cobra Commander. Will they hit? If they do, there won’t be time to confirm once an onslaught of Cobras go to pursue them.

I’ve never seen a diorama photographed from a first-person perspective, so this was an attempt at that. The secret behind this trickery is that I actually combined three separate images into one, and made the scope overlay in Photoshop. It was fun to do.

The Viper Pit

Tag Archives: Major Bludd

2000 Major Bludd

2000 Major Bludd

2000 Major Bludd Links:

2003 Major Bludd (Python Patrol)

2003 Major Bludd (Python Patrol)

2003 Major Bludd (Python Patrol) Links:

1994 Major Bludd

1994 Major Bludd

1994 Major Bludd Links:

1983 Major Bludd

1983 Major Bludd

1983 Major Bludd Links:

Chinese Major Bludd

One Shot, One Chance