G.I. Joe Vehicle Showdown, part 13 - 1990

    So here we are at G.I. Joe in 1990.  This is the first year I was 100% OUT of toy collecting.  That is not to say I wasn't still curious though and would somehow "wander" down the toy aisle to see what was going on.  I believe the only thing I kept going on was the comics...  I think I even quit that for a few months and then quickly returned.

    But things were starting to change.  An interesting fact about 1990 was that the cast of characters was ALL NEW!  There was no update of any older characters this year!  This is especially odd, because around this time, the cartoon started again.  Several characters from the original series returned in the new show.   

    The vehicle style in 1990 was similar in the way the toyline had been growing.  Yet I felt some of the vehicles in this assortment needed a driver, but they did not get one.  Weird.  Let's see what was in store for us in 1990...

    First... let us remember the rating system:

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 - LOCUST

    A mini-copter, a small vehicle in the same vein as something like the Sky Hawk.  Affordable, easy to add to battles.  I never had it, but it looks pretty cool.  I'll give it a 7!  

2 - DICTATOR, with Overlord

    Ahhh the mysterious Overlord.  I really missed out on this strange twist in the G.I. Joe storyline at the time.  Certainly interesting looking, kind of cool, but I really felt the vehicle color was off.  It should have been blue and black.  If you are going to try to take over Cobra, you need to sell it a little better than this guy did.  I like that it has a detachable flight pod though, but it does look odd.  Figure had potential, but fell a little short.  I found this a few years after it's release at a little store called Pamida in a tiny blink-and-you-miss-it town.  It's a 7.

3 - COBRA PIRANHA

    I got this one as a collector years later.  This thing was cool!  Like a mini-hydrofoil.  It just looks fast and dangerous with it's sleek, heavily-armed look.  The crimson and yellow colors worked for me somehow.  I'm giving this a 10!

4 - COBRA RAGE

    Another one I acquired as a collector.  I got it at a G.I. Joe Convention in Ohio in 1996.  This one is also awesome.  I don't understand the wheels, but I love the low, "squashed" look it has.  Like it's slinking through the desert waiting to strike.  I really like the weapons too, with the hidden Gatling guns under the turret.  I feel this one should have had a specific driver.  I like this thing so much it is STILL going to claim a 10, even without a driver.  

5 - MOBILE BATTLE BUNKER

    This one was kind of odd.  Never had it but it made some big appearances in the comic.  I don't know about it.  Maybe a 5?

6 - HAMMER

    Another one that should have had a proper driver.  I have never had this one, nor have I gotten a good look at it.  I DID watch HCC788's review of it and it looks pretty cool!  Let's give it an 8.

7 - DESTRO'S DOMINATOR

    I REALLY liked the Iron Grenadier direction.  Adding in a 3rd faction into the battles.  Especially being Destro!  So I was quick to buy up most items from Destro's army.  But I didn't dig this...  A tank that transforms into a helicopter?  Wouldn't that be too heavy and slow to lift off the ground?  Also, it needed a driver.  It gets a 4.

8 - COBRA HURRICANE VTOL, with Vapor

    I never had it, but I have always thought this Cobra jet looked great!  It looks fast with it's "dart-like" shape.  Lots of missiles and a cool driver.  Also, a VTOL and doesn't need a runway.  I dig it.  A 9.

9 - RETAILIATOR, with Updraft

    Again, never had it.  Always thought it looked a little weird.  Just couldn't hang with the big boys like the Dragonfly or Tomahawk.  Maybe there was more to it though... I'll give it a 6.

10 - AVALANCHE, with Cold Front

    Once again... never had it.  But I wish I did!!!  I love the look of this thing!  This would be fun to take pictures of in the snow.  Only drawback, I don't think it holds many figures for it's size.  Maybe only two?  Love the heavy armament though and the mini-jet.  It's a 9.  

11 - COBRA HAMMERHEAD, with Decimator

    This is one of those toys that you didn't get, you think it looks weird from the outside, yet you know that there is a lot of hidden potential going on.  I'm going to guess I would like this more than I realize.  I'm going to gracefully give it a 8.

12 - THE GENERAL, with Major Storm

    Looking at pictures of this thing, it looks amazing.  If this was a real vehicle, I'm not sure where they would drive this thing or get it to it's destination.  Yet, I know I wouldn't be caring about that stuff if I was immersed in a G.I. Joe battle in my living room.  Looks great with all it's features and I think it is way cool you get a bonus re-colored Locust copter.  It's like merging the Joe HQ and Rolling Thunder together.  I'm giving it a 9.

    Eight years into the G.I. Joe toyline and we are still getting some great vehicles.  Still got a few 10s and 9s here.  Proof that this tried and true toyline could ack a good-sized punch at this point!

    Change was in the air though, and in 1990 we could not have predicted some of the directions it would take.  In my opinion, this was the last "normal" or standard wave before the Joe line went into a more cartoon-y direction.  Not to say that is bad or we got bad toys after this point.  Just saying that there was a definite shift in style and look.  So tune in next time as we see what comes next in 1991.

    What do you think of the 1990 vehicle assortment?  Where were you at with G.I. Joe at this point?  These are merely my thoughts.  What are yours??  Hit me with your ranking of 1990 G.I. Joe vehicles below!