SCC Figure Spotlight - CRAZY LEGS (Version 1 & 2)
ASSAULT TROOPER - CRAZY LEGS (Version 1)
In 1987, while Cobra was getting wild with hiring Reptile Trainers and Hypnotists in addition to discovering their Cobra-La lineage, the G.I. Joe Team was attempting to keep it more realistic on their end. Characters like Tunnel Rat and Falcon helped the Joes to remain grounded in a more realistic setting. Despite this, there were still some Joes that year that deserved a few question marks...
Crazy Legs was the Joes' new Assault Trooper in 1987. His file card explains that he "could have been the greatest organist in the world", but unfortunately his fingers were too short. Crazy Legs, eventually joined the army and became an Airborne Ranger with additional training as a Forward Artillery Observer.
The figure for Crazy Legs' wears a grey jumpsuit with a red protective padding. He has various black colored details such as the knife and grenades on his chest and his black belt and boots. On his head he wears a red helmet with black goggles on top. For accessories, he comes with a parachute backpack that is made of soft plastic with belts that wrap around his torso and legs instead of connecting by the standard backpeg. He has a EM-4 assault rifle with removable stock. This way the stock can be folded down for storage when he's jumping.
When I first saw the 1987 line-up, Crazy Legs was at the top of my list. I saw him as a trooper similar to Airborne or Ripcord, who were great figures! When I bought him, however, something seemed a bit off. I like several of the bright colored figures, but I felt Crazy Legs' red color and that quilted, padded look to his uniform, appeared more like a stuntman than an assault trooper.
Compared to Ripcord... Ripcord wears an all-camo uniform. He then jumps from a high-altitude plane and free falls like a stone before opening his chute at the last possible moment. All this to avoid detection. On the other hand, Crazy Legs just jumps out in bright red. Nothing is said about when he opens his chute. It comes off to me as very - "ahhh I don't care".
Next, the file card is really vague. It fails to tell us much at all about Crazy Legs. One thing that really bothers me is the opening line "he could have been the greatest organist in the world if his fingers weren't too short." Why? How do we know this? How do you know he could have been the GREATEST IN THE WORLD if he clearly is not? What about him said he had this potential? And how does that factor into his being a great soldier? It follows up with "Airborne Rangers don't care how perfectly you can play Bach..." But he CAN'T play Bach perfectly remember? And they don't care? Okay, well then why does all this matter? Ugh... this file card was just not good. I did like the mention on his file card that he is a qualified Forward Artillery Observer. That might have been a more interesting role on the team.
His file card told us little to nothing about his personality, he did not appear with several other 1987 Joes in G.I. Joe: The Movie and he wasn't featured in the comics much. Despite all that, I DO like this figure! My imagination can fill in the blanks. Go back to my previous statement that he looks like a stuntman. The way I see it, in HIS mind, he's careful and knows what he's doing. To others, however, his actions comes off as unpredictable and reckless. Therefore, the red uniform does say "I don't care" to a certain degree. He's not afraid of any challenge, even if maybe he should be. He'll blast into the enemy like a cannonball, taking down as many of them as he can and not thinking twice about it!
So with several positives AND negatives... I would have to give Crazy Legs (v1) a rating straight down the middle of 3 out of 5 Jars of Canned Tomatoes! I mean, it certainly could have been worse.
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| This pic of Crazy Legs in Night Force gear comes from Wayne Bartley, check out more of his awesome pics on Instagram at Relinquished1979!!! |
ASSAULT TROOPER - CRAZY LEGS (Version 2)
A second version of Crazy Legs was released right on the heels of the original. In 1988, he was redecoed and included in the Night Force sub-group. Night Force was a TRU exclusive line featuring repainted Joes and vehicles specifically for night missions. All figures were sold in 2-packs, Crazy Legs was paired with Outback (v2).
Crazy Legs v2 was a straight repaint from the original. The figure's new colors, however, were way more "normal" for a guy jumping out of helicopters to attack. His uniform was primarily black now and he had touches of olive drab on his helmet, boots, and some other small details. The only remaining red was two pouches on his wrists. The accessories were the same with the parachute pack now being molded in black.
The file card text was the same in exception for the last paragraph. The new text now described Crazy Legs' role on the team as well as some insight on how Night Force operates. The art was the same as the original, just updated with his new look.
Obviously, I have never had this figure. In fact, when it was originally available, my friends and I knew nothing of it! I don't think I learned anything about Night Force till around 1993. I discovered the existance of the sub-group in a toy magazine.
For those turned off by Crazy Legs' original red color, this figure was a welcome change. In the years since, Night Force has become highly sought out by collectors and can run some pretty high prices. Partially because of the scarcity, yet also because some of the figures' colors are considered a vast improvement over the originals. Crazy Legs tends to be one of those figures.
I'm going to have to agree that the Night Force Crazy Legs is better! In rating this figure, I'm going to have to give him a 4 out of 5 Cans of Pitted Black Olives!!
So what are your thoughts on Crazy Legs? Did you have either of the 2 figures? In your universe was he a better piano player than he was originally given credit for? Let me know in the comments below!
Continued rambling on Crazy Legs...
--- For me, Crazy Legs often manned the gunner pod in Maverick's Vector Jet!
--- Crazy Legs is one of the few Joes that actually died in the comics.
--- Those cards above are pretty cool, huh? The Honor Roll card is from the 1991 G.I. Joe Impel card series. The other one is from GIJOE365 project by Chris Hemsworth. If you haven't checked out the awesome art from there - check it now! It's awesome!! www.gijoe365.com.
--- I'm still confused on the line "he could have been the greatest organist in the world if his fingers weren't too short" bit... It really bothers me... What part of this story are we missing? It sounds like his music teacher said "wow, you could be great organist! The only problem is - you suck!"
--- Night Force Crazy Legs in Classified form was part of the bonuses included with the Haslab Dragonfly!!
--- Remember to check out Relinquished1979 on Instagram if your want to see more cool pics of Wayne's collection!
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