80S ARMY TOY PLAYSETS SERIES

80S ARMY TOY PLAYSETS SERIES

An intricate series of hallways connects several different chambers with a prison cell, Firebat launch mechanisms, and fold down gun turrets. In the Marvel Comics, the Terror Dromes contained concealed electronic equipment developed to transmit electronic waves that induce psychosis in the population.Īs for the playset itself, it’s a rounded structure, which is a stroke of brilliance, as it manages to weave a ton of play value into a base that is pretty well concealed thanks to its rounded shape. While many folks think the Terror Drome was COBRA’s main headquarters, in both the Sunbow series and the Marvel Comic, this is not the case, they are separate installations devised for nefarious purpose. Joe playset design carries on to number two in the list in the form of the COBRA Terror Drome. While it deserves to be a showcase in everyone’s collection, the fact remains that its huge size prevents that in many cases (including my own). So why is it number three? Well, for all of its size and history, I like a little more play features, and in all honesty, in some ways the size is a negative, not a positive. It’s an amazingly crafted and designed toy. Joe brand in 1985 when lagging sales had all but signaled its potential demise. Rumors persist that the tooling for the Flagg was the size of a Volkswagon, and that the mere guts of Hasbro presenting the vehicle immediately captivated retailers and convinced them to commit to the G.I. Opening doors, several computer consoles, a fully functional loudspeaker, and all sorts of amazing bells and whistles, the USS Flagg is a showcase of just how brilliant, innovative, and daring Hasbro designers and marketers were back in the day. It’s far and away the largest playset ever made, can hold a squad of vehicles and hundreds of figures throughout its massive bow and three level superstructure. Joe Aircraft Carrier is the showcase of many people’s collections and it rightfully deserves to be. What can I say? Seven feet long, the infamous G.I.

Joe VAMP while iconic for sure, may not make the list, because they’re essentially angular pieces of plastic with movable gun turrets. I like play features and fun value, so something like the COBRA HISS, or G.I. Keep in mind, my idea of a cool vehicle may be different than many others. So, looking back over the past thirty-four years, can I possibly pick and choose only ten vehicles to fawn over? It’s an amazing and impressive line up the size and scale of which will likely never happen again. Joe got so many beautiful toys, it’s because that’s what Hasbro wanted to do from the beginning.īut a funny thing happened and Larry Hama ended up crafting a universe of actual physical people that drew an audience, then the Sunbow animated series put a richness of character and a gorgeous tapestry of 80s animation around it and the rest was history.Īll that being said, looking back through the years, because of Hasbro’s laser focus on vehicles, there’s a wealth of fantastic tanks, jeeps, mobile command centers, planes, and other good stuff that takes the foundation of great characters and dials it way up. From day one, it was all about the vehicles, and the action figures were only developed to compliment those crazy vehicles. Joe: A Real American Hero was never designed to be an action figure line.

Joe fans, there’s something that might come as a bit of a surprise to many of you, especially those of you who have latched onto timeless characters like Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Duke, and Zartan.

80s army toy playsets