G.I. JOE VEHICLE SHOWDOWN, part 11 - 1989

Time To Be Checking Out...?

    At this point in 1989, I was still purchasing some G.I Joe figures, however my days of Joe-buying were about over.  Strange to say that back then I bought NONE of these vehicles.  I still liked strolling down the toy aisle and seeing all the new stuff, but beyond the figures, I was done.  Life as a musician OR a toy collector is EXPENSIVE (even more so now) and I had a foot in each world.  Music was starting to win this battle though.

    That said, I thought this was a good year for vehicles!  More sub-groups had surfaced, all borrowing from previous releases.  Yet 1989 still had it's fair share of unique and original new vehicles.  The 3-way battle of Joe / Cobra / Iron Grenadiers continued on.  No crazy ideas like bug-people from the Himalayas or cloned Emperors popping up this time around.  It was a pretty standard year.  It wasn't that the line had gotten so outlandish that I quit... I was simply growing up and away from Joes.

    Returning BACK to Joe-Land a few years after high school, I DID pick up several of these vehicles.  There was a lot of good stuff here.  Some of it was questionable though.  Let's see what we got this time...   In this Vehicle Showdown we will concentrate on the newer ones and hold off on the sub-groups till another time.

    As per-usual, let's repeat the rating scale... 

10 - Awesome, Fantastic

9 to 7 - Various levels of Greatness

6 to 4 - Various levels of "Okay"

3 - Mediocre

2 to 1 - Levels of Crappiness 

1 - RADAR RAT  (Battlefield Robot)

    Ehhh... it's boring.  The name "Radar Rat" suggests this thing sneaks behind enemy lines or something.  It is not "sneaky" at all.  It's silver, looks like a clunky block with wheels, AND it has a tall and large, out-of-place radar tree.  He isn't sneaking anywhere.  If anything, this is just a target on the battlefield.  It is a 2. 

2 - TRI-BLASTER  (Battlefield Robot)

    Wow...  this thing is strange.  The thing that stands out the most is there isn't really a seat.  The driver looks very uncomfortable... and very exposed.  I don't think any of the Joes volunteer to drive this thing.  It's a 1.  Ouch. 

3 - COBRA HOVERCRAFT  (Battlefield Robot)

    Poor thing didn't even get a name.  I gotta say...  I'm not a fan of this block with weapons on top of it.  Still... it's better than both of the Joes' Battlefield Robots.  It will get a 3.

4 - COBRA DEVASTATOR  (Battlefield Robot)

    The fact that THIS of ALL G.I. Joe vehicles borrows a name from one of the coolest Transformers in that whole line - is just wrong!  On the upside, of all 4 "Robots", this one is the coolest.  It will get a 7.

5 - COBRA FANG II

    Ehhh, this one is difficult.  It looks kind of cool, however, this is one of those vehicles that looks dull without it's missiles.  I don't love the color either.  I would have preferred they made it in black like the original.  The biggest thing is - I think it should LOOK more like a FANG copter.  It doesn't, so it's hard to accept it as a "part 2".  As it is though, it will get a 6.

6 - IRON GRENADIER EVADER, with Darklon

    This would be a cool covert vehicle for an Iron Grenadier.  The problem is, the driver is Darklon - a commander.  It's not bad but let's be realistic - Darklon is going to be get pulverized under the treads of a DEMON tank while leading his troops.  Therefore it will get a 6.

7 - ARCTIC BLAST, with Windchill

    A very strange-looking vehicle, yet there is something I like about it!  I can see this thing barreling over the snow blasting at Cobra like a crazed juggernaut.  I'm giving it a 8.  (I like the pic from the catalog with Countdown, the astronaut, on there)

8 - MUDFIGHTER, with Dogfight

    This little bomber plane is different.  Not bright and flashy, not sleek and fast looking.  No, this one is more downplayed.  This guy is gonna chug in there, drop a wallop of hurting on Cobra and then get-outta-Dodge.  It's unique with an impressive payload of bombs and I dig it.  The big flaw it has is the lazy Gatling guns underneath.  They are molded into the bottom and look pretty bad.  The Mudfighter could have gotten higher, but this will pull it down to a 7.  

9 - COBRA HISS II, with Track-Viper

    Unlike the FANG II, this vehicle actually looks like it's predecessor!  Some of the upgrades are rather interesting.  For example, the troop space in the body of the tank.  I mention this because when we were kids and we had the 1st HISS Tank, we noticed so much unused space in the middle.  With the HISS II, this is now used to hold extra Cobras!  The cockpit now holds 2 figures instead of 1.  AND... it has missiles and extra guns.  A fantastic upgrade!  Only thing is, I wish it had more Cobra-style colors.  Otherwise, it's great... a 10! 

10 - RAIDER, with Hot-Seat

    I never had this, but I think it looks amazing!  It's 1 appearance in the comic was very cool and if I had been still purchasing Joe vehicles at tis time, I would have got this!  I can do without the split-up feature.  Very cool.  Another 10. 

11 - IRON GRENADIER RAZOR-BACK, with Wild-Boar

    In 1995, I bought the Razor-Back as a collector at a G.I. Joe convention in Ohio.  So worth it!  This vehicle is awesome.  I wonder how it would look in more appropriate Iron Grenadier colors, but I suppose it is suited for the desert.  Love this vehicle and it will catch a 10 despite the fact that the driver - Wild Boar, is the most boring of all Iron Grenadier figures!

12 - CRUSADER SPACE SHUTTLE, with Payload

    Hats off to Hasbro for taking the gigantic Defiant Space Shuttle Complex and making the shuttle more accessible to kids!  Most of us could never afford the big guy!  I think the colors are a little cooler and I like the mini-ship inside.  Let's toss another 10 out there at this thing!

13 - COBRA CONDOR JET, with Aero-Viper

    My buddy Bobby (aka Deathwish) had this thing and it was a beast!  Super cool and I dig the pilot figure too.  Like the Raider, just ignore the split-apart feature.  The Condor continues Hasbro's streak of epic aircraft!  Yet ANOTHER 10!  

14 - THUNDERCLAP, with Long-Range

   This vehicle is cool and it had a great appearance in the comic.  That said, it doesn't seem to be the easiest to work into battles.  I like it but it does seem a little on the cumbersome side.  Big and epic, but it will catch a 9.

    I stand corrected... I DID have ONE of the vehicles in the 1989 line - the Battle Force 2000 Pulverizer.  I covered that vehicle when I was looking at the rest of that sub-group.  Though I think I got that for Christmas, so I still didn't "buy" it.  

    Still a strong showing for the G.I. Joe toyline.  As I have mentioned, I may have quit collecting at the time, but I was still interested and would "sneak" down the toy aisle when I had a chance.  So it was nice to see the line still doing it's thing and not deviating too far from the path!     

    So were you IN or OUT on the 1989 Series?  Were you still collecting and which ones did you like best?  Or least?