G.I JOE VEHICLE SHOWDOWN - Part 2 / 1983

THE G.I.JOE VEHICLE SHOWDOWN

PART 2:  Series 2 / 1983

The Battle Continues...

    The G.I. Joe Vehicle Showdown continues on, now rolling into Series 2.  It is in this Series that the G.I. Joe line starts to spread it's wings a bit - literally.  In addition to all their existing and new ground forces, the Joes begin taking to the skies this year with a hang glider, a helicopter, and an awesome jet!  They also get a place to call home by way of the massive G.I. Joe Headquarters.

    Also... we finally get to see what Cobra is bringing to the fight!  The villains of this toyline didn't get any vehicles in the debut series, but now we see the evil Cobra Command army grow into a more formidable foe!    

    As usual, the ranking is from 10 to a wimpy 1, as listed below.  All the new vehicles from this year are included... but something like the JUMP that was a 1982 item reissued with a repainted figure - Grand Slam, is not.  Here's the rating system in case you forgot. 

10 - Awesome, Fantastic

9 - 7 - Various levels of Greatness

6 - 4 - Various levels of "Okay"

3 - Mediocre

2 -1 - Levels of Crapiness 

    Got it?  Let's dive in...

1 - PAC-RATS - Machine Gun, Missile Launcher, & Flamethrower

    I'm lumping all 3 Pac-Rats together.  They were an interesting idea, but it just kind of missed the mark for me.  They are all 4s.  They didn't see much media time and the toys weren't built very sturdy.  The Flamethrower was the best.  

2 - COBRA S.N.A.K.E. ARMOR

    Cobra is finally getting some equipment!  Cool idea.  I like that it could be used as armor, a robot, or a mind-control weapon for captured Joes.  It was a little clunky and cumbersome though...  It's a 6.

3 - WHIRLWIND, TWIN BATTLE GUN

    I always thought this looked like an awesome gun system, but sadly I never had it.  Not a lot going on though.  Another 6. 

4 - POLAR BATTLE BEAR SNOWMOBILE

    This one was awesome!  Our first Arctic vehicle!  No complaints it didn't come with Snow Job because I preferred he was sold separately.  I do like he has the option to drive it though.  This is such a cool vehicle!  This one gets a 10 easy!  

5 - COBRA F.A.N.G.

    More Cobra equipment!  The beginnings of Cobra's air-arm.  A great little universal vehicle for a variety of missions and for any Cobra figure!  People complain the missiles fell off easy, I don't recall much problems with that.  FANG gets a 10!

6 - GLIDERS - G.I. JOE FALCON & COBRA VIPER, with Grunt and Viper Pilot

    Again, lumping these two together!  I was on vacation and wanted to buy one and my Dad told me it would fall apart.  I think I bought Torpedo or Destro instead, which was probably a better choice.  The hang glider wouldn't have lasted long with me.  One of my friends confirmed these were not built to last.  Neat idea, but the execution was way off.  A 3 for each!

7 - WOLVERINE MISSILE TANK, with Cover Girl

    A cool-looking tank, but unfortunately limited to carrying only one figure.  Another problem was... if you lost a missile in one of those missile racks, it was glaringly obvious.  Clever idea to make the Tank Commander a female who happened to be a former fashion model.  It's a 7.

8 - COBRA H.I.S.S., with Hiss Driver

    The main weapon for Cobra - finally, right here!  Not a lot of features, but this vehicle was versatile for my Cobra troops and went everywhere.  It looked awesome, was durable (except the gun elevation), and had a great figure!  How can this not get a 10???

9 - DRAGONFLY HELICOPER, with Wild Bill

    I got this as we were heading out on a family vacation (same one mentioned before).  I loved this thing!  From the spinning rotors, the hook/winch, and Wild Bill figure!  Extremely cool!  It's a no-brainer to give this a 10!  

10 - A.P.C. (Amphibious Personnel Carrier)

    I got this for my birthday and wasn't overly thrilled.  It had no figure and not a lot of features.  Once it became a part of my Joe battles, I realized it's awesomeness!  The amphibious part was fun!  I had an APC and a neighbor kid did too.  So we tested the floating ability a lot.  Plus, it hauled my figures around for a long time till they didn't fit anymore.  No figure, yet it is still getting a 10.

11 - SKYSTRIKER JET, with Ace

    Got this for Christmas the same year I got the WHALE.  It looks amazing and has a great figure.  My problem?  It took up a lot of real estate in my room for only holding 2 figures.  With the landing gears down, the wings were out and it took up so much space.  I think the wing mechanism should not have been linked to the landing gears.  Not my favorite jet in the Joe toyline, but it's nicely done.  I will probably get flack for this, but I give it a 9.

12 - G.I. JOE HEADQUARTERS

    Oh my!  I struck a deal with my Dad that I would mow the lawn the majority of the summer if he would buy me the G.I. Joe HQ.  Next thing I know I'm mowing the lawn for the majority of the summer!!  Totally worth it!  Any time I got mopey about mowing the lawn, I thought of the greatness of the Joe HQ.  I was so excited before buying it, I got all my Cobra forces ready to attack it (note: I got the HQ in 1984, because I remember Scrap Iron, Zartan, and Firefly joining the assault). The Joe HQ is still one of the most awesome things this toyline ever manufactured!!  Besides all the cool features... what certainly puts this thing over-the-top is it's compatibility with multiple items from both Series 1 and 2!  This is a 10 all the way!

    Wow!  This year was certainly impressive for both Joe and Cobra!  Several high rankings amongst the whole group.  There were a couple weak spots, but overall - a fantastic showing!

    This was a giant leap forward for the toyline, but there was even MORE amazing stuff yet to come!  What else would Hasbro come up with?  Tune in next time to see what happens with 1984's Series 3!

    What are your thoughts?  Agree or disagree?  This is just my opinion.  Let me know where you would rank these vehicles on your list of 1983 G.I. Joe vehicles and playsets below!