SCC Figure Spotlight - SCI-FI (Version 1, 2 and 3)

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"Sci-Fi, this is stupid.  Your uniform makes us stick out like a sore thumb!"  Sgt. Slaughter, 1986  ("My Brother's Keeper").

    LASER RIFLE TROOPER - SCI-FI  (Version 1)

    From the very beginning, the Joe line was grounded in realism.  There were, however, a handful of science fiction elements sprinkled in to keep things interesting.  One of those elements was the inclusion of the Team's Laser Rifle Trooper - Flash.

    Flash unfortunately, didn't see a lot of action in G.I. Joe media.  It made sense from the cartoon's standpoint - everyone carried a laser rifle.  Why would there be a need for a specialist in this field?  So it was a bit of a shock when in 1986 we got a NEW Laser Rifle Trooper - Sci-Fi.  Rather than fade into obscurity though, THIS character's path would lead him on quite the adventure over the course of the G.I. Joe toyline.

    The rifle wielded by Sci-Fi was much different then the standard laser guns depicted in the cartoons.  This laser needed to be maintained with extreme precision to be of any use.  The trooper must have patience to be able to hold that beam steady as a rock until it can burn through it's target.  This is Sci-Fi.  His file card tells that he is so still, birds will perch on his helmet.  

    Sci-Fi's uniform had a futuristic look to it.  He had a protective body suit that was colored in a lime green and an silver armor piece on his chest.  He had silver and black highlights on the technical detail of his uniform.  He had a green and silver    (non-removable) helmet with a black visor.  I have heard the helmet was a little reminiscent of RoboCop.

      Sci-Fi came with three accessories.  He came with a lime green backpack, a hose and a black laser rifle.  The rifle was more hefty looking then the one that came with Flash.  It had a more normal look to it... not the intricate detail Flash's laser rifle had.  But this to me, said it was not an experimental weapon and was likely more powerful!  As a bonus, it could also be carried on his backpack as well.

     I still remember that day in early 1986, going up to the Mall near my house and heading towards "Circus World", our toy store.  I passed my friend, Greg, a fellow Joe collector as he was leaving and he was excitedly telling me they had the new Joes!  I headed right in the store and two of the new Wave were left - Sci-Fi and the Viper.  Sci-Fi's bright green was like a beacon calling out to me!  I bought them both and they have been favorites ever since!

    Some don't care for this figure.  They are put off by the non-military bright green and silver or the fact that there wasn't a big need for a new Laser Rifle Trooper.  But I liked this guy!  He even made my Snoova's Top 10 Joes!  I thought he had a cool, high-tech look and he was easy to put in cool battle poses.  It should come as no surprise that Sci-Fi catches himself a nice rating of 5 out of 5 Key Lime Pies!!!

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DIRECTED ENERGY EXPERT - SCI-FI  (Ver. 2)

    Sci-Fi returned in 1991 and was now the Joe Team's Directed Energy Expert.  This title, I assume, is just a fancy way of saying "Laser Rifle Trooper".  The concept of the figure was basically the same... He used high-tech laser weapons and wore a protective uniform.  The look was way different though... he had a completely new sculpt and accessories, which included a removable helmet!

    The file card was all brand new as well.  It even expanded upon the character by explaining that Sci-Fi took a leave of absence from the Joe Team to get his Master's Degree in Electronic Engineering.  His knowledge with electronics is a benefit in the field as he can repair nearly anything.  He can use lasers to attack his enemies or he can use them to illuminate targets from a distance for air strikes.

    With the figure, it seems Hasbro might have corrected some gripes against the original figure's bright uniform (not MY gripe).  For Version 2 the green and silver were replaced with grey and black.  He wore a grey body suit with a black armor chest piece.  He had other black highlights and some minor yellow ones as well.  This time the figure would have a removable helmet, so he has a new head sculpt in which they gave him black hair.  This does not break continuity as I don't think previously he was ever seen with his mask off!

    Sci-Fi (v2) came with a lot of gear.  Even though we were in the 90's, we were not at the "accessory tree" phase yet.  So all his gear was original.  In addition to the black helmet, he came with a silver laser rifle, a backpack, 2 hoses, a rocket launcher and the rocket.  The hoses connected the weapons to the backpack and helmet.  All the accessories had great detail and were more high-tech looking than before.  The laser rifle, itself, was more sleek-looking and easier to wield than the larger one he had with the original figure.

    Let's face it, the sad reality is, Sci-Fi was never an overly popular character.  In the cartoons he was a "laser trooper" among a bunch of guys carrying laser rifles.  His original color turned people off.  His media appearances were minimal at best.  Sci-Fi could never catch a break in the public's eye, but...

    In my eyes, Sci-Fi (v1) was a winner, and I have to say, on top of that I think Version 2 is equally as great!  I really like the new uniform and the helmet (to me) is slightly reminiscent of the Viper Pilot helmets from Battlestar Galactica.  I think the removable helmet is a nice touch and he has a good head sculpt.  The accessories are cool... I even like the spring-loaded missile launcher as the concept was still relatively new at this point and not overdone.  The ONLY gripe I have is that his laser rifle cannot be stored on the backpack, though the cardback shows it that way.

    As far as I'm concerned, Sci-Fi (v2) is going to catch ANOTHER rating of 5 out of 5 Oreo Cream Pies!!!  ...Yeah, I'm changing the pie flavor because Oreo Cream fits this figure's color better...

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"When you are pulling an inverted G-Force dive during an stellar dogfight, there is NO room for error!" - Sci-Fi, 1993.

STARFIGHTER PILOT - SCI-FI  (Version 3)

    In 1993, G.I. Joe's new Star Brigade sub-group headed into space and Sci-Fi went with them as their Starfighter Pilot.  The Starfighter was a G.I. Joe "rocket jet" based on the mold for the Cobra Stellar Stiletto, now colored white with green missiles and a spring-loaded missile launcher.

    The file card for Sci-Fi (v3) reiterates some of the information from Version 2, about taking a leave of absence to get his Master's Degree.  It implies that his skill with "radically designed instrumentation" is what got him chosen as the pilot for the G.I. Joe Starfighter.  Strange that in the previous file cards it's never stated he has any experience flying.  Yet the Version 3 one says he handles the controls with confidence and has left many destroyed Cobra Invaders in his wake!

    Sci-Fi (v3) was created with the mold of Version 2.  Trading the black and gray color scheme for white and blue.  He retained 2 of his Version 2 accessories - the helmet (now white) and his laser rifle (still silver).  Strangely, both of these pieces have pegs to which you used to connected rubber hoses between these accessories and others.  Now the pegs look a little weird as they basically have no purpose.

    As for the figure itself - it looks cool.  The color choice certainly gives you an astronaut "space" vibe.  Yet I feel it was a terrible misstep to not allow Sci-Fi to keep his position as Laser Rifle Trooper.  There is plenty of options for other characters to pilot the Starfighter.  I really think Sci-Fi was better off "as is", but apparently Hasbro felt otherwise.  I have to say though, the helmet (to me) is reminiscent of the ones worn by the Viper Pilots in Battlestar Galactica.  So, that does help his cause as the Starfighter's pilot.

    I guess I see Sci-Fi (v3) as a good figure in the wrong place.  Give him all his gear, recolored for Star Brigade, as a gunner, and this figure could be a winner.  As a pilot though, I'm just not onboard with that concept.  Sci-Fi (v3) is going to catch a middle-of-the-road rating of 3 out of 5 Coconut Cream Pies!!

    So where are you at on Sci-Fi?  Did you prefer Version 1, 2 or 3?  Or did you dislike them all?  What did you think of his career change to Star Brigade pilot?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Behind The Scenes and Other Ramblings:

---  The picture of Sci-Fi (v1), with the blue background, was taken by one of my boys.  I found it on the camera years ago and thought it was cool.  I'm not exactly sure how they did it... looks as if he is under some kind of tote or something... But I thought it was great, so I had to use it!!!

---  My first introduction to this character was in the Marvel Age comic #34, which featured an article called "Meet the New Joes".  This article focused on a handful of the Joes being released in 1986.  Sci-Fi, however, was labeled as "Hotspot" and his uniform appeared to be blue instead of green. 

---  Version 3's file card states he has a "standard issue Star Brigade helmet"???  Well, then how come no one else is wearing them...?

UP NEXT...  Sci-Fi (Version 4... Star Brigade)