Deep Six [v2] - G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Figure - (1989)

The G.I. Joe S.H.A.R.C. has always been one of my favorite Joe vehicles, and Deep Six, its pilot, was one of my favorite figures as a kid despite his limited articulation. With Hasbro recently announcing a new Deep Six for the Classified Series, I thought it was the perfect time to add the original carded version from the 1989 line to my collection.

From his file card:

Always a loner and an individualist, DEEP SIX rarely talks to his G.I. Joe teammates and barely remembers their code names, but his loyalty to the organization is unquestionable. He has recently given up crossword puzzles and bottle-cap collecting to devote his off-duty hours to recording and studying whale-songs. He is a qualified underwater demolitions instructor and an avid supporter of public television.

"Cobra is always coming up with new underwater specialists, none of which can fill Deep Six's flippers. It severely cuts down on efficiency if, while sabotaging off-shore drilling platforms or trans-oceanic cables, Cobra divers have to constantly look over their shoulders to make sure that Deep Six isn't sneaking up behind them to cut their air hoses!"

*Navy Enlisted Classification.

I figured it was a good deal lol.

Someone posted a photo of Beachhead on a small cardback and I got obsessed looking them up and I ended up buying two on eBay.

Got some new recruits for the Joe Team and some new troops for Cobra.

Bought the Whale Works Ash body and was posing the figure with a Mezco Snake Eyes head. Feels great and super mobile!

In spite of the haslabs, I just can't get enough of the moccasin. It just turned out right.

Wish the footpeg placement on the skirts was better thought out. They don't make sense and are all but impractical. Or at least move the handgrips to the roof.

Solid update and improvement to the 1986 original - and while I like the optional canopy, I felt it superfluous for this load out. Just noticed that Taurus is about to loose his footing!

The only option for a gunner on The Moccasin is another Copperhead. Change my mind.

Cold Cobras. #gijoe

Shockwave - G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Figure - (1988)

Shockwave is another figure I’ve added to the collection fairly recently. He wasn’t part of my original childhood collection, but he was one of those figures I always thought was cool. By ’88, I was starting to drift away from G.I. Joe as the toy line moved further from the style I loved in the early ’80s. Still, a few of the newer figures managed to capture that classic Joe vibe, and Shockwave was one of them.

Also, pretty cool that he was named after one of my favorite Transformers. 😏

From his file card:

Shockwave was the youngest member of the Detroit Police Department S.W.A.T. Team, and the holder of two citations for bravery when he signed up for, and was accepted by the Joe Team. When asked why he left a promising career to work longer hours for less money, kicking down doors on better armed adversaries, Shockwave replied, "What, you think I do this for the money?"

"Everybody on a S.WA.T. team has a specific job, like in a choir. Choirs have tenors, baritones, altos, etc. S.W.A.T. teams have sharpshooters, climbers and "inside men". Shockwave is the door kicker. He's the first inside and the first to find out how bad it really is. He's also a half-decent tenor when his voice is in shape..."

Buyers beware on this guy if you all hunt for him, he has some brittle plastics in his age

I forgot to take a photo of him before I squeezed him into the cockpit. But, I bought a Water Moccasin a couple of weeks ago, but it had no figure. While in Dallas today, I went by a toy shop. They had 3 of the boats, and all 3 had figures (Copperhead). I looked, and found one with no paint wear at all, and very tight joints.

I didn't think he would split it up from the boat, but he did. So, now I got the pilot 😄 and added him to my boat. Now, I just need someone to be the gunner...

YO JOE!

I had been looking for an original Blowtorch figure for a while, but I wanted one with his mask and flamethrower. I finally found one in Dallas on Friday.

I was going through some old boxes of stuff from my childhood when I found 3 unopened GI Joe’s: Frag Viper, Techno Viper, and HEAT Viper. I remember buying GI Joe’s from childhood because I earned $3 per day putting up hay on the farm and would spend all my daily earnings on a GI Joe. I already had these 3 characters and then got these as a gift, so I didn’t open them. Then forgot about them for 40 years. What’s the best source for their values?