Monday, April 4, 2011

#4 G.I. JOE - BEACHHEAD v2 & NIGHT CREEPER LEADER (1993)


G.I. Joe is my favourite collection of all times, because it’s the one with which I spent more hours of my childhood playing. In Spain the figures came out with a delay of around two years, and the line was cancelled in 1994, so figures like these two were never seen before the internet widely spread.

These figures belong to the 12th (American) wave. The ARAH series were cancelled in 1994 in America as well, after several years of sales drop. One of the main reasons that collectors put forward for the sale drop and the cancellation of the line, is that the figures became too much sci-fi oriented, and the colours used to paint their uniforms were not suitable for soldiers.

I do not agree with them, because I think G.I.Joe can only be understood with a great percentage of sci-fi in it.

Two examples of late (1993) G.I.Joe ARAH figures:

BEACHHEAD v2: The ranger of the G.I.Joe team had a first version which was very popular because it had a good design and it was released in 1986, the year in which this Hasbro collection was almost at the peak of its popularity. The second version is a complete new sculpt, and for a 1993 figure, it lacks of gaudy colors…

Something very curious: this figure is one of the very few to have been made in Indonesia.
 

NIGHT CREEPER LEADER: This was a very controversial character: the Night Creeper was a very elegant ninja, in gray and purple outfit; a few years later they release their leader, that comes with tiger pants, mask (all in orange) and bare chest. Most people cannot believe that this guy could manage a group of skilled ninjas! It seems more like a member of the Ninja Force, which is probably one of the most hated subgroups in the whole collection.

 
Like all the figures from 1992 to 1994 (or most of them), both figures are equipped with a complete set of weapons attached to a plastic tree, plus a missile launcher. With very few exceptions, the weapons are “recycled” from other characters: (Spearhead & Max, Recoil,…).

As a curiosity, Road Pig accessories (crossbow and armshield) have been modified to fit the wrists of Night Creeper Leader.

FACTS and FIGURES:
  • Name: BEACHHEAD v2 & NIGHT CREEPER LEADER
  • Toy Line: G.I.Joe (Wave 12)
  • Year: 1993
  • Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
  • Size of the figures: 3¾’’ or 9,5 cm

2 comments:

  1. Buena entrada, si tienes un poco de constancia , puedes crear un blog muy interesante. Por cierto, ya es hora de que tengamos un arctculo sobre Gi Joe en la revista :)

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  2. Gracias Javier, a ver si consigo escribir un mínimo de 2 artículos por semana.

    Acabo de editar el artículo porque se me había olvidado el recuadro-resumen final.

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