G.I.Joe ‘2008 Vehicles’ Discussion by Mitchell Smith!
Welcome to the Outpost. 2007 was the launch of the 25th Anniversary modern style G.I.Joe action figures. This was a great year and the new style figure looked awesome. With the success of the 2007 figures came a new wave of 25th style Vehicles in 2008. This year was packed with classic vehicles and pretty much every one was awesome. To kick it off there were a number of Target exclusives including the Ultimate Battle Pack. This came with a Mobat, Red Hiss, and flight Pod. This also came with a number of figures including the only modern Short Fuze. I had to pass on this one when it came out, I had it in hand but I just didn’t have the cash flow at the time. This is one I always wish I had been able to afford.
I did not pass on all of the other Target exclusives though. The Rattler and Conquest are the first 2 I picked up and these are awesome. True to the original version with upgraded pilots. These are both 2 of my all-time favorites and it was a no brainer to grab these 2. The AWE Striker was released in its original green color. The Night Specter is a dark grey Shark. I love the looks of this version. There was a blue Trouble Bubble as well as a blue Hiss released. Regular retail also released the original black Hiss.
A Shark in original color and an AWE Striker in tan desert color. I love this one and it goes nice with the 2005 tan Humvee and the 1988 Desert Fox. The red Firebat true to the original was release and a slightly upgraded Vamp. The Vamp was much like the original with enhanced features. I was able to get all the single vehicles and every single one was pure gold. There were 2 convention releases. The Hotwire’s Mech and S.W.A.T. R.T.V. Both were upgrades of original vehicles and look pretty cool. There are 3 double packs that are all awesome. The Flight Pod and Ram were packed together. The Ram was slightly upgraded and was very cool. The Fang and the Cobra Claw came packed together and both of these were nice remakes of the originals.
The Armadillo and the Serpentor’s Air Chariot were the last of these sets and this came with 2 great figures Steeler and Serpentor. To round out the year there were a number of DVD packs released. These are packed with figures, the DVDs and 3 vehicles. The Weather Dominator which is awesome, a Cobra Claw, and the M.A.S.S. Device that you had to get all the DVD packs to build it. There were also 3 separate figures released that had canisters with the elements in them. The DVD pack canisters were empty. I was able to collect all of these sets and these are awesome if you were able to get them all. I loved every vehicle from this year and have most of them. The Rattler is my favorite from this year with the Vamp in a close second, but it is hard to choose. Which one is your favorite? Sound off AFTER THE JUMP and let us know which offering from 2008 was your favorite! Make sure to check back for our next discussion.
