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

"When I'm working in combat zones with bullets ripping past my ears, I know I'll either save a wounded soldier or become one!" - Lifeline, 1994.

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RESCUE TROOPER - LIFELINE  (Version 1)

    The year 1986 brought us Series 5 of the G.I. Joe toy-line.  With 5 years of figures/characters building up in the Joe Universe, the original Joe Medic - Doc, is going to need some help patching up the troops after the action heats up.  So the Joes brought in the Rescue Trooper - Lifeline.

    Lifeline's file card tells that he worked with the Seattle Fire Department for 5 years as a paramedic.  He switched and joined the army when he found out that Emergency Medical Service personnel who were disabled administering aid while off-duty, weren't eligible for pensions.  To Lifeline, anyone in rescue personnel were always on-duty.  Eventually, he made his way to the G.I. Joe Team.

    Lifeline's uniform was bright red with multiple white pouches and pockets on it.  He wore a matching red and white helmet and had green glasses (Doc also had green glasses???).  Some noteworthy details on his uniform include the white large letters spelling "RESCUE" down his left leg, the empty holster on his chest, and the silver flashlight on his right leg.  Lifeline is also smiling.  He likes you and he's going to get you fixed up the best he can!

    Lifeline came with 4 accessories.  He had a silver backpack that had a lot of technical detail on it including an antennae.  I imagine it has communication capabilities so he can keep in touch with Headquarters or maybe call for an extraction.  He also has a white medical pack he can carry with an attachable black rubber oxygen mask.  The side of the pack can even open up and you can see the oxygen tanks and other details inside.  His final accessory is his pistol.  This syncs up to the empty holster on his chest, but not his persona in the media.  Both the cartoons and comics portrayed Lifeline as a pacifist.

    In MY G.I. Joe Universe, I didn't use Lifeline as a pacifist.  He came with a pistol, so whereas he might not have been manning the forward cannons on the G.I. Joe Headquarters... he could and would blast at Cobra when needed.  Plus, he was a great addition to my Tomahawk helicopter!!  Lift Ticket and Lifeline would work together to rescue their Joe friends out of trouble spots!  

    He was valuable and needed, but he wasn't a stand-out character.  You needed guys like Lifeline to patch up your other figures when they got hurt, so his importance among your team is obvious.  Personally, I really liked the figure!  He looks great and had great accessories.  With all that considered, I'll give my guy, Lifeline, here a rating of 4 out of 5 Boxes of Band-aids!!

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MEDIC - LIFELINE (Version 2)

        The figure for Lifeline got an update in 1988 as a Medic for Tiger Force.  This was a sub-group of G.I. Joe that used existing figures and vehicles and repainted them with a "Tiger stripe" theme.  The paint scheme was the same for all the vehicles, but for the figure's the colors varied.  

    While his new figure was the same mold as the original, Lifeline's Tiger Force uniform consisted of a dark yellow shirt with black "tiger" stripes.  He had olive drab pants with brown boots.  The gear on his legs - the flashlight, knife and flare pistol, were all grey now.  The white and red helmet he had previously, was now brown with gray goggles.  His green glasses were also gray now.  Lifeline retained his black hair... apparently some Tiger Force troops dyed their hair???

    Obviously, Lifeline's accessories were the same, but the colors had changed on a few.  The silver pistol and backpack were now black and the medical case was now an olive drab.  The rubber oxygen mask retained it's black color.

    I was hesitant on picking up the Tiger Force figures at first.  I had most of the originals and wasn't really interested in the repaints.  When I got a few of the figures for Christmas, I realized the sub-group was pretty cool.  So I ended up getting all the single carded figures.  

    Lifeline isn't my favorite in the group but I like him.  Between the Tiger Force version and the original, I would have to say I prefer the original.  He stands out a little more and it's what I think of when I think of Lifeline.  That said, the figure (v2) is fine and looks great when paired alongside his 9 Tiger Force teammates.  Therefore, Lifeline (v2) is going to catch a rating of 3 out of 5 Boxes of Band-Aids!

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RESCUE TROOPER - LIFELINE (Ver. 3)

    Lifeline's final update was released in 1994, which was the last series of the G.I. Joe line.  This time he had an all-new mold.  Lifeline's latest update borrowed some concepts from the original, while trying a few new things as well.

    Lifeline's new file card reprinted some info from the first one, while also taking the opportunity to highlight his new equipment - namely his grappling hook launcher.  There was a cardback change in 1994 and Lifeline is one of the figures that originally got a standard-size file card, but then was scaled down to the puny baseball card style card.

    The new look for Lifeline had him wearing a grey shirt with a red vest.  The vest had a quilted padding-type look, multiple pockets and a communication device sculpted on it.  He had white pants and black boots.  On his upper legs he had wide red bands going around his legs.  The quilted pattern matched that of his red vest and they had 2 white ovals on each side.  From the card artwork, it looks like they are supposed to store more medical equipment.

    On his head he has what appears to be a white hard hat.  It even has an attached gray microphone.  It's difficult to say if his face likeness matches the other 2 figures as this time he isn't wearing glasses.  It kind of looks like it could be the same guy...?

    It was the 90's, so of course we are getting another "weapons tree" and spring-loaded launcher, but for Lifeline, something was different.  Though his gear was rehashed, as a medic, this gear was not shared with anyone else in this wave of figures.  He came with a storage case (that originally came with Salvo), a grenade pistol (Stretcher), a flashlight (Wetsuit), a knife (Hit & Run), and a figure stand - all cast in bright yellow.  

    The launcher was different in that instead of missiles, it fired a large yellow grappling hook.  This would help him in his various rescues.  He even came with some string to tie onto the hook.

    I'll give some credit here... Hasbro was trying.  The recycled gear is usually a letdown, but they tried to cater to the figure and what the character does.  They tried, but still missed the mark a bit.  I thought the "grenade pistol" was supposed to be a flare pistol!  This originally came with Stretcher, another medic.  I think someone in this line of work would find a flare pistol useful.  The file card, however, refers to it as a grenade pistol.  Add in that Lifeline is typically depicted as a pacifist in the media.

    The case?  I think the one that came with Salvo was supposed to carry explosives, I don't know.  But we can pretend it carries medical equipment.  That's okay.  Again, they tried.

    The launcher now being a grappling hook launcher?  Now that is a creative way to give Lifeline one of these spring-loaded accessories.  The hook looks massive and is an ugly yellow, but the idea is great though.  It makes me wish they had made a new version of Alpine or Rock-Viper and given them something like this.

    To rate this figure, I think he falls right in the middle.  The launcher was creative, but oversized and the hook color is terrible.  The accessories are more fitting, but it is still old gear, again with the bad color.  The figure is nice looking, but I'm not totally certain it looks like Lifeline.  The helmet mic is cool, but presents an easy break point.  Lastly, the body sculpt has great details, but many of them are unpainted, which could have really improved the figure's look.

    I prefer the original figure, and the Tiger Force version was interesting.  For this final version though, I'm going to have to give Lifeline a rating of 3 out of 5 Boxes of Band-aids!  Again, right in the middle.

    Did you have Lifeline?  What did you think of him?  Did you consider him a pacifist or was he blasting at Cobra with an extra bazooka from one of your Accessory Packs?  Which of the 3 versions did you prefer?

More yappin' about Lifeline...

--- Lifeline (v1) had a flashlight sculpted on his leg.  Reminds me of the flashlights that came with Tunnel Rat and Outback.

--- Lifeline's (v1) pic on the packaging has a mic on his helmet.  The figure does not have it though.  Wonder why this detail disappeared...?

--- While Lifeline 1 and 3 are mine, I don't have version 2.  Special thanks to my friend, Deathwish, for letting me borrow his Tiger Force Lifeline!

--- Another version of Lifeline, based on the original, was released in 1991.  It was a special mail-in promotion from Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal.  The figure is identical to the first figure except the legs were from Frostbite (so the gun was removed?) and it didn't come with the pistol or oxygen mask.  I, myself, don't really consider this Version 3.  I more see it as an alternate of Version 1.