One & Done - AIRTIGHT

    

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT - AIRTIGHT

    The figure for Airtight was one of those figures that stood out on toy shelves due to his bright colors.  He was released in the 4th Series of figures (1985) which is one of the most popular and beloved series in the entire toy-line!  Airtight serves as the G.I. Joe Team's Hostile Environment Trooper.  This means he is the guy that they send out when Cobra starts playing nasty with various toxic chemical agents.  Airtight puts his gear on and wades into the mess to get it cleaned up for his Joe brothers!  

    Airtight's file card describes him as kind of a goofball, prankster.  The other Joes know that no lame joke or gag is beneath his standards.  Yet, on the other side, when things get ugly on the battlefield, Airtight pushes the fun aside and gets serious and focused.  The Team can count on Airtight to get the job done and done well!

    As I mentioned, Airtight was an eye-catcher at the stores.  His bright yellow hazmat suit stood out among other Joes with more subtle coloring.  At the time, I don't think I even understood what role he played on the Joe roster, but he certainly looked interesting enough.  With the yellow suit, control panel gear on his chest and cool green and black helmet... I thought he had a similar look to a Rebel Pilot from Star Wars.

Airtight was a part of my diorama for the Special Missions comic "The Lower Depths".

    His accessories sparked some curiosity as well...  He came with a hose that attached to the back of his helmet and connected to the backpack as well.  Then he had the combo of his backpack, a hose running from the bottom of it to his "sniffer".  The whole set-up, to me, was basically a vacuum cleaner!  But obviously, that had a more important role in clearing the toxic gases being used by Cobra.

    With a position on the Team that is a little harder to understand for a young kid, the comics did a good job of introducing the character.  In G.I. Joe #44, several new Joes were ambushed and captured by Cobra using creeper vines that released a sleeping gas.  Airtight was the one to figure out how to protect themselves against the gas and kill the mutant vines.

   

    I like Airtight a lot!!  His job is a little different from the average Joe... but he has a specific role and he fills it perfectly.  On top of that, he has some sentimental value... being released among one of the best series' of figure!!  So with that, I'm giving my man, Airtight, here a nice rating of 4 out of 5 Whoopie Cushions!!!

    

    Unfortunately, Airtight only got the one figure.  He was never repainted for a group like Tiger Force and he never got a updated figure later with Battle Corps.  Even more surprising is that he was not included in the 1991 sub-group - the Eco-Warriors.  This would have been PERFECT for him!  Apparently he had other things going on that week....

    My Airtight had an interesting adventure when I was young...  It was the end of summer, and my neighbor friend and I were having a blast with our parachuting Joes in his yard.  He had Ripcord (I think) in the Parachute pack and I had Airtight in my seat from the Skystriker with the attached parachute.  We were in his backyard tossing our figures as high in the air as we could and watching them come floating down.

    Evening was fast approaching and we were losing sunlight.  It was getting harder to see our figures.  So I had a brilliant idea... let's run to the front yard where the street light is!  

    Away we ran, full-throttle to the front.  As we rounded the house, we both launched our Joes into the stratosphere.  Airtight sailed through the sky... and right into the tall tree in the front yard.  Of course, the chute had just started to deploy and he snagged a branch and conveniently wrapped around it.

    And there he was... helplessly dangling from the branch... way out of reach...  We tried throwing rocks and sticks at him but nothing worked.  He was too hard to hit and if we did hit him, he wouldn't budge.  I couldn't get the parachute to unwrap around the branch or the figure to fall from the seat.  Soon, night had arrived and I was called in the house.

    Airtight hung in that tree through the rest of the summer, all through the fall and even into winter.  Through the wind, the rain and the cold snow - he stayed put in that tree.  Eventually the parachute blew away, but the strings were too tightly wound around the branch.  Though I tried to craft many a plan for his rescue - nothing worked.

What???  Maybe I like it up here...

    Then came Christmas morning.  As I sat in the spot I always took to unwrap gifts, by the back, sliding glass door, I was looking over the gifts I had opened that morning.  Then my gaze fell upon one gift in particular... my brand new BB Gun...  Then a light went on...

    So I got geared up with my jacket and boots, loaded my BB Gun and trudged out into the snow... straight to the neighbor's front yard.  Airtight still helplessly swinging in the cold wind.  I took aim and fired!  If memory serves, the first shot hit but nothing happened.  The second one missed.  The third one though, blasted the figure free, sending him falling into the soft snow.  Rescued at last (although my Skystriker was still missing a seat)!  

    So what are your thoughts on Airtight?  Did you pick this figure up or was his colors too much for you?  Did your Airtight ever have any crazy adventures like mine did??  Hit me up with your thoughts on the figure for Airtight!