It seems almost ridiculous almost fifteen years later, but the truth was, in 2000, Big Brawler was kind of a big deal. In the early years of the online G.I. Joe community, we had only known a Real American Hero, and it had been mostly dead and gone since 1994. Sure, the 97/98 Toys “R” Us exclusives brought a minor resurgence to retail, but a true G.I. Joe line was a memory. Big Brawler (as well as Sure Fire and Crossfire) were important because they represented a new cast of characters being introduced to the Real American Hero universe, something we really take for granted these days. Don’t forget back then we didn’t even have Convention figures to look forward to every year.
Because of this, because of his filecard, and because of a passing resemblance to Christopher Lowell, certain segments of the G.I. Joe community latched onto Big Brawler as a mascot of sorts, and the character grew far beyond his origin as an Outback repaint with a new head. His legend grew as he was introduced in Tiger Force, was given a new sculpt figure, and even arrived as a Funskool figure, complete with yellow shirt and Brawlin’ sword. Within the span of a few short years, Big Brawler transformed from “cheap new character” to legend status. In retrospect, it’s almost surprising that it took this long to get a modern format version of him.
Like with Dial Tone, the Club looked to the Toys “R” Us set as an inspiration, but also introduced elements from his 12″ version as well, bringing it all together into one figure.
Wanting to maintain his large stature, the Club looks as if they used Retaliation Roadblock’s 25th Anniversary Bazooka’s torso and Ultimate Roadblock’s upper arms, with the lower arms and legs from Resolute Roadblock, giving the figure a very tall and broad appearance. It’s a great parts combination for a character who stands larger than life, and also gives them plenty of real estate to etch “Brawler” across his chest. Using the head sculpt from Red Dog actually isn’t as bad in execution as it looked to be in images beforehand, especially with the lighter flesh tone colors that the actual figure ended up with.
Like with Dial Tone, the Club took inspiration from the pattern of the tiger stripes from the Toys “R” Us pack, but injected some vintage color pallet to them, bringing him in line with the other Tiger Force team members. Where Dial Tone sort of failed in this endeavor, I think Big Brawler largely succeeds. In 2003, the Tiger Force Big Brawler was a pretty bland tan, gray, and light green color that was not especially interesting or appealing. By enhancing the color contrast, the Club goes a long way towards making that basic design snap, all while bringing Brawler nicely into the existing Tiger Force demographic. He looks like he fits, even though he comes from a pretty different era.
Accessories
Big Brawler comes with a headband as a tribute to the 12″ version of the character, while also coming with a mini gun, regular machine gun, and not to mention a true “Brawlin’ Sword”! I love the call back to the Funskool version of the character with the included sword, it shows the right sense of humor in regards to the character. As another small victory, the green color of the gun and sword handle is beautiful as well. I’m not sure why but that particular green hue really speaks to me.
Big Brawler played a very important role in the fandom during those formative early 2000’s, and I’m glad to see him get a modern update. The Club made some good improvements and executed a solid build for the figure. Not a spectacular Convention entry, but a decent one, to be sure.
Big Brawler
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.2
Summary
Great character from the new sculpt era that suffers just a bit from the limitations of the reused parts. Great accessories and an interesting paint scheme are a big help, landing Big Brawler square in the middle of the pack.
I set out to write this article, and was immediately surprised by the fact that there was actually some stuff happening with the G.I. Joe brand in 2014. I know the fandom is eager to jump and say that G.I. Joe was high and dry in this momentous year, and from a practical perspective, it was, but even so, there were lots of things happening this year worth exploring. Not on any grand scale, however.
I suppose that’s a commentary on the state of G.I. Joe these days, where it remains somewhat relevant, but just barely. And one is forced to ask what’s worse? Being totally irrelevant, or being just relevant enough to cling around, but not relevant enough to try and push harder. It’s like the brand is stuck in this murky middle ground where it’s got the slightest hint of popularity enough for Hasbro to keep it hanging on, but not enough to get a real push. Yet, until it fades away completely, it likely won’t get a full rejuvination either.
All that being said, there were still some discussion points throughout 2014, and here are my top 10. I’m going to try very hard to maintain a sense of positivity and optimism, because dammit I still love G.I. Joe, even if the rest of the world currently couldn’t give a crap. 🙂
A short while ago, the G.I. Joe Collectors Club let slip that the Diamond release of their G.I. Joe vs. Cobra #7 comic would feature a subtle hint for next year’s Convention set. Over on the G.I. Joe Discussion Group on Facebook, John Stottman posted a quick picture from this comic, and it would appear the subtle hint may refer to… Tiger Force.
Granted, it’s not obvious, but taking a peek behind the Baroness, and you can clearly see a tiger pattern, which would certainly indicate one of G.I. Joe’s most popular sub teams.
The Club has been known to throw curve balls in the past, so this could be one, but they mentioned a hint, and there’s not much else different within the contents of the issue. With the Convention coming up in April, we have to think we’re going to start seeing reveals in the coming months.
If it is Tiger Force, any guesses so far? Obviously there are some key members of the classic team missing like Bazooka, Tripwire, and Roadblock (which were all planned for the 25th Anniversary line, but never made it to retail). Then there’s some obvious subjects like Lifeline or Recondo.
Personally? I’m hoping for some outside the box choices. An Ultimate Firefly repaint as Sabretooth would be awesome, as would some of the UK exclusive Action Force figures. Not to mention other figures from the 2002 – 2004 era. I’ll be watching GIJoeCon.com for sure.
It seems like forever ago that the FSS 3.0 line up was being revealed, and I think most of us were expecting to receive the first batch of figures this year. No such luck, but the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has sent out an update via email about FSS 3.0 as well as some tantalizing news about the 2015 Convention Set.
According to GIJoeClub.com, there will be a hint to the 2015 Convention Set contained within the Diamond release of the 2014 Convention Comic, which is available now at GIJoeShop.com.
They also report that registration will be happening after the first of the year. Check out the full text of the email below.
Hello Everyone,
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!
For all you comic collectors, the Diamond edition of the 2014 G.I. Joe vs Cobra Issue #7: “Zombie Initiative” is now in the store.
Our end of year and archive sale continues with quantities dwindling down to just a handful on many of the items. In order for your items to arrive by Christmas, please place your orders by Friday.
The FSS 3.0 is on the water headed this way. Because of the dock workers on the west coast issues and the seasonal delays, we don’t think we will get them until the first week in January. Because of the delay, our current plan is to ship the first figures during the week of January 5 and follow up with the second shipment at the end of January to get us sort of back on track. This puts the second billing for the installment plan buyers around the end of January/first of February and the final billing around the middle of March. As soon as they arrive, we will set the official billing dates. I’m also sending this info from the FSS email system so you may get 2 updates.
And finally, we anticipate the registration being available for GIJoeCon after the first of the year. Please note that the hotel is about 70% full and is attached to the convention center. You can make your reservation now by following the link at GIJoeCon.com.
Merry Christmas!
Brian
After a quiet few months on the G.I. Joe front, it’s looking like things could be picking up in 2015. Looking forward to it!
The G.I. Joe Collectors Club sent out an email yesterday announcing that many of their G.I. Joe items, including several back issues of the newsletter and entries from the FSS 2.0, would be going on a special “pre-Holiday” sale. There appears to be a solid $10 off each FSS 2.0 figure, and the newsletters are chopped down considerably as well. It might be a good opportunity for folks to go back and get those back issues of the Adventure Team or GIJCC Comic (both of which I enjoy).
Mixed in with this email, though, appears to be an update on the shipping of FSS 3.0, which the email indicates won’t be arriving until after Christmas.
I NEED MY HIT & RUN DANGIT.
More information as it becomes available, you can read the email below and check out their clearance sale right here.
Hello Club –
I hope all of you have a joyous Holiday Season and Merry Christmas. To make it merrier, we have started our holiday sale early!
We have marked prices down to some of their lowest levels as we are still trying to make room for the large FSS 3.0 shipment coming just after Christmas.
Please note that the Holiday Sale items are in the Clearance Section while we still have a few items left from our Club Archive Sale as well that are in the Featured Section. We have also removed all of the limits on the Archive Sale for what is left.
Less than 24 hours after the logo was revealed, the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has officially announced the location and dates for the 2015 G.I. Joe Convention!
Revealing on Facebook and GIJoeClub.com that the convention next year will be held in Springfield, IL from April 9th – 12th. Not only that, but we should be getting our first hints about the convention set in G.I. Joe vs. Cobra #7, on sale in comic shops this December! Check out the full information below:
For G.I.JoeCon, there is no place like Springfield! The 2015 G.I.Joe convention to be held April 9th – April 12th in Springfield, Illinois.
Fort Worth, TX – October 23rd, 2014 – Fun Publications, Inc., licensee for Hasbro’s official G.I. Joe Collectors’ Convention G.I.JoeCon, announced today that next year’s amazing convention will take place at the Prairie Capital Convention Center April 9th thru April 12th in the wonderful city of Springfield, Illinois. In 2015, fans from the Midwest and across the world will be able to celebrate another year of G.I. Joe at this exciting event! You can make your hotel reservations now at The Official G.I. Joe Collectors’ Convention – GIJoeCon 2015!
In the coming weeks, pop culture enthusiasts from around the world will be able to register for G.I.JoeCon 2015 through the http://www.gijoecon.com/il2015/ online registration system. Fans and collectors who register for G.I.JoeCon as an American Hero or General package holder will receive an exclusive G.I. Joe convention figure set, admission to the Friday private sales room experience, priority seating at all panels and seminars throughout the weekend and admittance to the Saturday night Casino Night and Awards party. Finally, American Hero and General package attendees will also receive a special bonus G.I. Joe item to go along with their convention box set. General Admission for non-registered guests will be available on Saturday and Sunday only.
For all the information regarding the G.I.JoeCon show activities, hotel updates and the exclusive figure offerings, remember to stay tuned to The Official G.I. Joe Collectors’ Convention – GIJoeCon 2015! And for a sneak peek at this year’s convention set theme be sure to check out G.I. Joe VS Cobra Issue 7, on comic book shelves this December!
