Cobra H.I.S.S (High Speed Sentry) GI Joe

During my childhood, due to limited budget I could only collect He-Man & Star Wars. Hence I had to forgo great toy lines like Transformer, GI Joe, MASK etc.
Fast forward to today, thanks to smart marketeers in toy companies, they realised that these "deprived" children have all grown up and now have something they never had as a child. Yes! Purchasing Power!!. So they started to repackage old toys lines and selling them knowing that there will be a market for them.

I love GI Joe mainly because there are many different characters and each comes with a specialize skill. I love the "old school" card art and have dedicated a wall in my toy room to show off the lovely card art (GI Joe wall).

The Cobra H.I.S.S tank was one of my favourite vehicles growing up. I did not get the one which was released as part of the Target-exclusive "Attack on Cobra Island" wave of vehicles in 2008. This was because I wanted the black version which was the first H.I.S.S tank released in 1983.
The vehicle comes with a H.I.S.S commander (blue). Actually I would rather have the H.I.S.S driver (red) instead.

Action features of the tank:
1) The cannons on top of the tank can swivel and elevate
2) The canopy opens to fit the H.I.S.S commander
3) The Turret can hold 1 figure
4) At the back of the tank, there is a platform which can hold more figures (excuse to buy more cobra troopers!)
5) Simulated treads with free-rolling wheels underneath

I bought it mainly because it brings back memories. Damn those marketeers are good! :P

File Card




Front View










H.I.S.S commander


Carrying troops into battle!

Always dependable!

Liverpool 2 Man Utd 1

Saturday started horribly as I had my wisdom tooth extracted. The dentist said it was really deep and she took 1 hr and 30 mins to extract that one stubborn wisdom tooth!
It was painful and I could not even open my mouth. The worst thing was I was hungry but I just could not eat!! What could possibly make the day better?? Hmmmm.......

Yes!! Liverpool 2 Man Utd 1

Finally we gained our first league victory over Manchester United under Rafa after trying 9 times (or 4 years). I am so happy and the weekend seems so much better. Its amazing how a day can turn out! I am really enjoying it!

Come on Reds!!

The Equaliser!

NECA Cult Classic 7 Beetlejuice

"Beetlejuice...Beetlejuice...Beetlejuice"
Call his name 3 times and you will get yourself a "bio-exorcist" to help scare away the living!
Beetlejuice is a 1988 comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton. The movie is about a recently deceased couple, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, who seek the help of a obnoxious "bio-exorcist" Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton, to remove the new owners from their house. The movie became a financial and critical success.

It's great that companies like NECA (Cult Classics), Mezco (Cinema of Fear) & McFarland (Movie Maniacs) are doing movie related figures which most probably can't command a toy line by itself. I love the movie and always wanted a Beetljuice figure. If I am not mistaken there was a mass market Beetlejuice toy line by Kenner and one done by NECA sometime back. However, this is by far the best figure done for Beetlejuice.

Looking at the head sculpt in the packaging and from afar, it looks really like Michael Keaton. However on closer scrutiny, the resemblance is not that perfect. I am just being picky here and overall the sculpt is good. I kinda like the soft translucent plastic they use for the hair rather than painting it green. The green mold adds a nice touch to the overall sculpt.

There is not much ways you can post this figure. But you should not expect much articulation from these kind of figures. My only gripe is that there is no articulation in the knees as I wanted to create the scene where he sits on a tombstone.

The figure comes with 2 snakes (which you can recognize from the movie) and the Handbook for the Recently Deceased (a nice accessory). Hopefully NECA will also create the diorama of Hell's waiting room with all the other characters like the"Smoking guy", "Shrunken Head guy" and the football team who keeps thinking that the clerk is their coach.
Overall it is a nice figure and if you are a fan of the movie, you should get it!

It does look better in its packaging


















The Accessories