Mission Debriefing
By Vince Zannelli
Released in the summer of 2009, the Assault on Cobra Island and Defense of Cobra Island 7-packs were e-tailer (online) exclusive action figure sets that Hasbro released in response to demand from collectors to release several popular characters that had not been produced since the inception of the modern era G.I. Joe line in 2007. With the cancelation of wave 13 single carded vintage-style figures, Hasbro signaled a focus shift to the Rise of Cobra live action movie toys. This prompted the production of both Cobra Island sets, one dedicated to Cobra forces and the other to G.I. Joe team members. Many classic characters saw their modern era debut in these boxed sets, as the character selection was largely collector-driven. As a result, the demand for these sets are very high on the secondary market--most notably with the Cobra set since it contains many troop builder figures which ranked high among the wish lists of G.I. Joe collectors.
Code Name: CHUCKLES
UNDERCOVER AGENT
FILE NAME: Provost, Philip M.
PRIMARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Criminal Investigation Division
SECONDARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Intelligence
BIRTHPLACE: Little Rock, Arkansas
SN: 299-55-PM14
Grade: E-5
Chuckles started in "hole-in-the-wall" operations at an insurance group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he still works from time to time when he's not doing undercover missions for the G.I. Joe team. His affable demeanor puts everyone at ease, allowing him to gain access to whatever group he's been tasked to infiltrate and investigate. His easy-going, good-humored and joking nature could be a facade to disarm targets, or it could be the agent's genuine personality. No one knows, since he always seems to be in the middle of an operation and never breaks his cover.
"An undercover operative gets used to the fact that his cover could be blown while he's neck-deep in enemy territory. But I also know I can either talk or fight my way out of any situation."
Originally part of the 6th series (1987) of the classic G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line, the vintage Chuckles was loosely based on the Miami Vice TV show character made famous by the actor Don Johnson. While his modern file card is an obscure paraphrase of his vintage dossier, Hasbro did an excellent job maintaining the authenticity of this character who has developed quite a following over the years. While most of the figures in the Assault on Cobra Island & Defense of Cobra Island 7-packs use preexisting and repainted parts from modern era figure sculpts, Chuckles does have a new head which has not been used previously by Hasbro. Borrowing Shipwreck's body and Duke's legs, this rather basic figure has all of the attention to detail that you would expect from the Joe team's most famous undercover agent. His accessories pay homage to the classic figure as well, painstakingly recreating the vintage gear perfectly while upping the ante with the inclusion of a briefcase which was absent from the '87 version. Chuckles' accessories include: a functioning holster, shoulder bag, knife, briefcase, and gun.
Code Name: ZAP
BAZOOKA SOLDIER
FILE NAME: Melendez, Rafael J.
PRIMARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Engineer
SECONDARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Infantry Artillery
BIRTHPLACE: New York City, New York
SN: 633-98-RJ44
Grade: E-4
Rafael "Zap" Melendez is one of the original 13 members of the G.I. Joe team. He's a specialist in armor-piercing and anti-tank weapons, but he also assists the team as a demolitions expert. From his training in Engineering School, Ordnance School, and Advanced Infantry, he's acquired field skills that he supplies with his characteristic coolness under fire and a professional attitude in any situation. He's participated in many battles against Cobra and uses knowledge gleaned from those missions to pinpoint and attack the evil organization's weak points. And just to be absolutely sure of the outcome, he backs up every plan with plenty of weapons and explosives.
"The stuff I work on could blow up at any time, so I have to make sure that anytime something explodes, it causes Cobra Commander to have a very bad day."
As Zap's file card suggests, he is one of the original G.I. Joe team members from the 1st series (1982) of the classic G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line. Originally planned as one of the figures in wave 13 of Hasbro's modern era figure collection, Zap was placed in the Assault on Cobra Island 7-pack since wave 13 was sidelined in lieu of the Rise of Cobra movie figure assortment in early 2009. Many fans were relieved as they could now have a modern representation of each of the original 13 action figures from 1982 once Zap was released. Using Snake Eyes' body, Zap has a brand new head sculpt which is ethnically correct, a feature that the original release was missing. He now more closely resembles his comic book and cartoon series persona. Building upon Zap's vintage compliment of accessories, the modern incarnation of Zap includes: a modular 2-part bazooka, 2 handguns, helmet, and a green munitions backpack with 4 removable rockets.
Code Name: HIT AND RUN
LIGHT INFANTRYMAN
FILE NAME: Scott, Brent
PRIMARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Infantry
SECONDARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Mountaineering
BIRTHPLACE: Sioux City, Iowa
SN: 345-75-SB26
Grade: E-4
Orphaned at the age of three, Hit and Run grew up fearless and tough. His first and best love was running. Whether racing through the streets and vines of the countryside or bounding by the lampposts and buildings of the city, Hit and Run saw the world as an obstacle course - one to be confronted at top speed. At 18, he joined the Army and fought for a place on the G.I. Joe team, knowing nothing but the best, most rigorous training would take him to his limits. Today, there isn't a better G.I. Joe team member than Hit and Run to get into a hot zone, do his job, and get out again without a scratch.
"Let the sky jockeys have their airplanes. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground. I'm already flying."
Hit and Run was initially released with the 7th series (1988) of the classic G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line, and included some of the most innovative accessories included with a figure up to that point--his duffel bag with retractable rope and grappling hook. Not looking to disappoint, Hasbro has delivered a fresh approach to this figure by giving the modern era release a removable helmet and web gear in the place of his duffel bag accessory. While his file card was edited to remove the drunk driving reference that orphaned him early in life, the figure itself was updated and made superior to the original Hasbro offering. Borrowing the head of Airborne, the extremities of General Hawk, and the body of the Cobra Trooper, this eclectic kit-bash is repainted to closely match the full-body camouflage paint scheme reminiscent of the '88 version. Hit and Run's accessories include: removable helmet, backpack, rifle w/ bayonet, a removable black leg harness, and removable chest gear.
Code Name: WET-SUIT
NAVY SEAL
FILE NAME: Forrest, Brian C.
PRIMARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: S.E.A.L.
SECONDARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: UDT (Underwater Demolitions)
BIRTHPLACE: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
SN: 832-5647-LS11
Grade: E-6
Wet-Suit has been called the "nastiest combination of shark and eel that you can think of." He was trained as a SEAL, the toughest training in the Navy, and is an expert in marine operations and demolitions. Called in for the most dangerous and dirtiest jobs, he and his team perform their missions with detailed plans that are executed with precision and speed. He is not known for his social graces - you wouldn't catch him chatting with guys in three-piece suits about the latest Broadway play, but when you need someone who can take out a Cobra underwater base with just some fishing line and a knife, then he's your guy.
"Just give me the target and get me under the waves so I can stop those slimy buckets of fishbait!"
The 5th series (1986) of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vintage action figure line saw the release of the G.I. Joe team's second Navy SEAL, Wet-Suit; he was a vast improvement to his predecessor, the Navy SEAL code named Torpedo from series two (1983). It should come as no surprise that this modern era Wet-Suit would borrow largely from the modern era Torpedo action figure in style and sculpt. Sporting an all-new head sculpt, this version of Wet-Suit used the arms of Snake Eyes and the body and legs of Torpedo. Displaying his vintage paint scheme of gray, green, and orange ocean camouflage, Wet-Suit's infamous flying fish sigil can also be found once again proudly displayed on his chest. This time however, the new head sculpt has paved the way for a removable mask, a feature absent from the 1986 version. Wet-Suit's accessories include: mask, flippers, vintage style orange backpack and lighted hand skiff, air hoses, long-barreled pistol, underwater spear gun, a knife, and removable web gear.
Code Name: STUART "OUTBACK" SELKIRK
SURVIVALIST
FILE NAME: Selkirk, Stuart R.
PRIMARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Infantry
SECONDARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Survival Training Instructor
BIRTHPLACE: Big Pitney, Wyoming
SN: 688-27-NR13
Grade: E-5
Stuart "Outback" Selkirk was an instructor at the Survival School and the Jungle Warfare Training Center. Most people are intimidated by wilderness. They don't feel comfortable in an area with no sign of human life for miles. Not Selkirk! He believes in being part of his environment, not its adversary. As a survival expert, he is essential on missions that require the G.I. Joe team to operate at night and lay low during the day. The team may find a spot that looks like a perfect place to pitch a shelter, but Selkirk can point out the dangers no one else sees.
"That shady spot in the trees looks nice and cozy, right? It is - to the poisonous snakes that nest there. That place downstream is great for a camp, right? It is - until a sudden storm causes a flash flood that sweeps you away. You want to know how to survive in the wild? I'll teach you."
First released as part of the 6th series (1987) of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero action figure assortment, this second modern era version of Outback is a closer match to his Toys R Us exclusive Night Force (1988) paint scheme, a favorite among vintage collectors. This most recent version of Outback includes the same body parts of the early 2009 release (which was released in accurate 1987 colors) and the same accessories, with the addition of a backpack that was absent from the early '09 version of Outback that was included with the F.L.A.K. Cannon. Outback's figure is comprised of the body of Snake Eyes, a new head sculpt (used for both '09 Outback figures), the legs of a Cobra Trooper and the arms of Flint. Outback's accessories include: removable green web gear (vest), an HK machine gun w/ strap, a backpack, and a leg-attached removable flashlight.
Code Name: SPC. ALTITUDE
PARATROOPER
FILE NAME: Arndt, Philip W.
PRIMARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Paratrooper
SECONDARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Infantry
BIRTHPLACE: Downers Grove, Illinois
SN: 664-2781-BS10
Grade: E-5
Before a qualified paratrooper can take the grueling Airborne Ranger training course, he must attend a three-week Ranger Indoctrination Program that is guaranteed to weed out 40% of the candidates. Next, there's a three week Pre-Ranger Program to prepare the candidates for the full eight weeks of unprecedented stress, pain, discomfort, forced marching, sleeplessness and jumping out of an aircraft with a knife between your teeth, just like actual combat but without live ammo. Spc. Altitude enjoyed every minute of it.
"Here's a trooper who exemplifies the very best we can produce: highly motivated, with an unparalleled degree of technical skill and boundless energy and determination. He can run faster, jump higher and do more push-ups than any soldier who has ever survived Ranger School. He has a Master's degree in Eastern Philosophy and is honest to a fault. His only problem is that his ego is about as big as the Grand Canyon."
SPC Altitude is a bit of an anomaly. While many consider this figure to be a modern era version of the 3rd series (1984) HALO jumper known as Rip Cord, he is actually intended to be the 9th series (1990) paratrooper called Freefall. Freefall and SPC Altitude have nearly identical file cards, right down to their name, birthplace, and college major. However, savvy collectors know better--since Hasbro has chosen to have the persona of Rip Cord more closely resemble the character from the Rise of Cobra live action movie, they did not want to give this figure his appropriate name and instead opted to have the vintage Rip Cord color scheme, accessories, and package artwork but with Freefall's bio included. Most are indifferent to this change and are happy to add SPC Altitude as their stand-in for a modern era representation of the classic character we all know as Rip Cord. Using the recolored head of Red Star, one with a keen eye can see the striking resemblance to his vintage 1984 HALO counterpart. SPC Altitude borrows largely from the body of the Cobra Viper, as well as the arms Airborne. His accessories include: a helmet, removable facemask with attached air hose, rifle, and green parachute pack in the form of removable web gear.
Code Name: RECONDO
JUNGLE TROOPER
FILE NAME: LeClaire, Daniel M.
PRIMARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Infantry
SECONDARY MILITARY SPECIALTY: Intelligence
BIRTHPLACE: Wheaton, Wisconsin
SN: 158-24-DM87
Grade: E-4
Recondo hates the cold. He'd rather battle Cobra forces in the hottest regions on the planet than spend one minute in a cold climate. He's become one of the top experts in jungle combat and has taught recruits at the Jungle Warfare Training Center, where he portrayed the remote, unforgiving tropical forests as places of extreme danger and extreme magnificence. He uses the skills honed on countless jungle missions to fight Cobra forces on any terrain: he works with the environment to outmaneuver, overwhelm, or confuse the enemy, so that he has the advantage.
"If you go into the jungle prepared to fight it, you'll lose. If you make your peace with the bugs, snakes and heat, then you've got half a chance."
Originally released as part of the 3rd series (1984) of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero action figures, the modern era version of Recondo was mysteriously absent from the 25th Anniversary line in 2007. He is a long-time fan favorite that Hasbro has demonstrated was well worth the wait, as this logical and welcome edition to the Assault on Cobra Island 7-pack is the perfect place for Recondo to make his modern era debut. As one of the highlights of the Cobra Island boxed sets, Recondo now includes a removable hat which many vintage collectors (this author included) tried to remove rather unsuccessfully at a younger age. Using the body of Dusty and the arms of Duke, Recondo's new head sculpt is a near-perfect translation of the classic 1984 figure. The appropriate color scheme used for his outfit is complimented by his accessories, which rival Zap and Rip Cord as being the most accurate representation of vintage weapons and gear in the modern line. Recondo's accessories include: removable green swamp hat, green backpack and matching green camouflage-wrapped rifle, and a removable chest holster. |
