One & Done - MIRAGE

"Bazookas are OK, but I'll take a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher any day!" - Mirage, 1993.

BIO-ARTILLERY EXPERT - MIRAGE

    In the year 1993, Hasbro brought us a brand new sub-group called the Mega-Marines.  This new team consisted of four Joes: Gung-Ho (the team commander) as well as Clutch, Blast-Off and Mirage.  This group of Joe soldiers were assembled to counter Cobra's latest threat of the Mega-Monsters - ordinary Cobra Troops that had been mutated into hideous beasts by Dr. Mindbender.

    Mirage was the team's Bio-Artillery Expert.  This makes it sound as if he uses biological weapons, but I don't believe this is the case.  His file card really just makes him out as more of an expert with various kinds of heavy weapons.  With the size and likely numbers of the Mega-Monsters, the Mega-Marines need someone that brings some big firepower into battle like Mirage.  His file card also makes mention of being trained by Roadblock, which I though was an interesting fact.

    The file card for Mirage is bizarre in that it mentions his preference for shoulder-mounted rocket launchers and even lists one in the diagram of his gear.  Yet he doesn't come with one???  His rocket launcher is the SAME one that came with Mega-Marine teammate - Blast-Off...  and this style specifically has a "flamethrower" mounted underneath and the handle on top...?  The character, Ice Cream Soldier - the Flamethrower Commando, released the same year in the Battle Corps line, also had the same rocket launcher/flamethrower.  This rocket launcher cannot be mounted on his shoulder in any shape or form.

    The head for Mirage is unique in how he had goggles glued on instead of sculpted.  I thought this concept worked rather well, though I don't know if this is the first time Hasbro has done this or not.  The rest of the figure is decked out in a wild contrast of colors - mainly a normal-looking olive drab shirt and black pants with highlights of bright orange and blue.  

    There is a lot of detail in the sculpting, like the mic on his head (always better than the removable ones).  There are several cords, straps, armor and gadgets sculpted on as well.  Most of these are in that bright blue.

    Mirage came with the standard 90's "weapons tree" of accessories.  The colors were at least more normal, being molded in a similar olive drab the figure shares.  He came with two rifles (Cloudburst/Flint v3), a knife, figure stand and his rocket launcher with two missiles.

    He also came with "moldable bio-armor" and a mold for it which was the gimmick for this sub-group.  This was basically Playdoh that you would put in the mold and create battle armor on your Mega-Marine.  You could put blast marks or slashes in it to simulate battle damage.  You could also mold bigger warheads on the missiles.

   Mirage was a pretty good figure!  Out of all the Mega-Marine assortment, I would say he was my favorite.  On the up-side, Hasbro went all out with the sculpting - there is a lot of detail!  The goggles are also cool and the weapons are a normal color!

    On the down-side, the cords sculpted down his legs get in the way and make it hard to position him like a normal figure.  His colors were an odd mix... maybe they should have kept the neon blue and ditched the neon orange.  I could do without the moldable bio-armor, although I could see where some would enjoy it.  I never liked the generic weapons-trees.  The file card is a little awkward with all the "shoulder-mounted rocket launcher" talk. 

    So all things considered, I'm going to give Mirage a rating of 3 out of 5 Cans of Playdoh!!  There are a lot of good elements, and some not-so-great.  In the end, he is still a good figure.

    This was the only figure we got of Mirage, which makes sense.  He was a new character brought in to increase the firepower of the Mega-Marines in 1993.  The line was cancelled the next year, so there was really nowhere to go with him.  

    Obviously, this is a figure I got as a collector.  So unfortunately I don't have any childhood memories of him.  It's easy to see that Mirage had potential.  Released a little earlier in the line, a heavy weapons expert with a unique assortment of accessories and slightly toned down neon, I could've seen him being a popular and great figure!

    

       "I can't put my arms down!!!"