Seldom used characters.....

[Duke]

I was watching G.I.Joe the other day & was thinking, why characters that were among the first ever created seldom used. Characters like, Stalker, Grunt, Flash, Rock & Roll, Short Fuze, Zap, & on the Cobra side, they hardly ever used Firefly or Scrap Iron. I only wished, that the majority of the episodes didn't focus on Bazooka, Alpine, Lady Jaye, Flint, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I like those characters a lot, but they were shown too much in my opinion.

 

[Duke]

No thoughts or opinions?

 

[Mace Dolex]

Basically when the ongoing series started in 1985 the earlier 1982-83 Joe figures were no longer sold in stores which is why you never saw many episodes that featured Grand Slam, Zap, Grunt, Flash.

Since the cartoon was a half hour commercial to sell toys.

 

[Duke]

its a shame because they were intresting characters in my opinion. i'd say much better than Lady Jaye, Bazooka, & others. hasbro dropped the ball & could've just made more of them.

 

[Mace Dolex]

In the 1983 MASS Device Joe mini-series you could see hints of how the character could've been more developed

Stalker - right hand man after Duke
Snake Eyes - the silent mysterious guy
Steeler and Short Fuze - these two played off each other sort of like Alpine and Bazooka did
Breaker - smart computer whiz
Clutch - grease monkey driving expert who's pining after Cover Girl

and Wild Bill and Gung Ho got more exposure as the regular series started, strange too kind of makes you wish that the '83 mini could've led to a regular series that same year.

 

[Duke]

its also a shame the way older characters were being replaced like Gung-Ho with Leatherneck, Torpedo with Wetsuit, Breaker with Dial Ton & Main Frame, etc. I also wished the series continue after G.I.Joe the movie. just imagine the characters, storylines, & possiblities.......

 

[Duke]

In the 1983 MASS Device Joe mini-series you could see hints of how the character could've been more developed

Stalker - right hand man after Duke
Snake Eyes - the silent mysterious guy
Steeler and Short Fuze - these two played off each other sort of like Alpine and Bazooka did
Breaker - smart computer whiz
Clutch - grease monkey driving expert who's pining after Cover Girl

and Wild Bill and Gung Ho got more exposure as the regular series started, strange too kind of makes you wish that the '83 mini could've led to a regular series that same year.

also didn't like that they did away with Grunt, Steeler, & Clutch, in that episode where they stay in that alternate world or dimension.

 

[Mace Dolex]

^ yeah since their action figures were no longer being sold it was a sneaky way to faze out a few Joes, too bad too because Steeler and Grunt were starting to become interesting.

But of course you probably know the countless animation goofs that occur in 80's animation that in G.I.Joe The Move you can spot Steeler in a quick pan of Joe headquarters, I guess he was homesick eh?

 

[Duke]

^ yeah since their action figures were no longer being sold it was a sneaky way to faze out a few Joes, too bad too because Steeler and Grunt were starting to become interesting.

But of course you probably know the countless animation goofs that occur in 80's animation that in G.I.Joe The Move you can spot Steeler in a quick pan of Joe headquarters, I guess he was homesick eh?

prolly he was & since there are countless loopholes in the comic world, i'm sure they'd find a way to bring him back.

 

[Duke]

I was watching the Mass Device mini series last night & I noticed that Cobra still wasn't using the Rattlers at that time, but some aircraft that closely resembled MIGs. Also noticed that you could hear more "realistic" gunfire, than just the regular sound they later used with lasers.

 

[Mace Dolex]

Yeah that first mini-series has some differences that were changed as the regular series began.

As for the different looking Rattlers, you are correct they are different and are probably a precursor to the Rattlers, interestingly enough these ones were shown in the few bits of animation for the Rattler toy commercial.

And yeah I did notice the different sound of of machine gunfire and of course Chris Latta doesn't quite have the Cobra Commander scowling voice.

 

[Duke]

I continued watching The Mass Device mini series & noticed more differences. The Joes at this point in time still didn't have either The Sharc or Deep Six. The Cobra team had red scuba divers, instead of Cobra Eels. The Baroness wasn't dressed in her usual black attire, but a blue costume. Lastly Covergirl was blond, instead of brunette & long hair.