As head of Security for GI Joe, Law has acquired a reputation as a relentless narc in the barracks and a loudmouth nerd on the battlefield. He’s a slow-talking, uneducated, and lazy military cop, but he usually shows up to work on time. That makes him an ideal candidate for the Battle Corps team. When Battle Corps needed a new member to protect the innocent from Cobra, they tried to call Shockwave, but he was busy driving a Lamborghini around Miami and loading up on gas station hot dogs (the kind with the cheese in the middle). Law wasn’t the team’s second or third choice, but he’d know that if he ever bothered to read the paperwork– or if he bothered to read anything other than Bazooka Joe comics and the Jungle Strike instruction manual!

Law is the kind of soldier who walked a beat for days, and then complained about it until HQ gave him a patrol golf cart. Law’s main goal is to rid the world of criminals, but since he thinks everyone but him is a criminal, he’s going to lead a very lonely existence if he ever succeeds.

From the Files of General Hawk: “I never cared much for cops, and Law is no exception. I liked him much better when his dog, Order, was still around. No one knows for sure, but the rumor is Law lost Order in a custody battle with his ex-wife. Order’s probably better off, but the Joe team mourns the loss of one of its favorite members. Order would go fetch you an ice cold Yo Joe Cola right out of the fridge, and even shut the refrigerator door when he was done. What a good boy! Law, on the other hand? Eh. He’s Duke’s responsibility, as far as I’m concerned.”

From the Files of Duke: “God dammit, Hawk.”

1993 GI Joe Battle Corps Law and Me

I never had the 1993 GI Joe Battle Corps Law figure as a kid. In fact, I was barely aware of him. I remember seeing him on various Gi Joe card backs in 1993, but I never saw him on shelves. But, to be honest, I wasn’t looking too hard for GI Joe toys in 1993.

My friend who lived across the street basically had everything released that year, and I was over at his house all the time. 1993 was a huge year, in terms of sheer volume, for GI Joe– but I only got a few figures that year: Bazooka, Mace, Crimson Guard Commander, Zartan, Scarlett, Iceberg, and the Shark 9000 with Cutter.

1992 was a huge GI Joe year for me, and it’s still one of my favorite GI Joe years. You had badasses like Barricade, Duke, Big Bear, Storm Shadow, Shockwave, Nunchuk, and Roadblock on the Joe side. Then, you had great Cobra troops like the v2 Eel, the Flak Viper, Headhunters, and the Toxo Zombie. Not to mention awesome Cobra operatives like Destro, Firefly, Slice, and Dice.

People may argue about color choices, action features, and sub teams (like DEF, Ninja Force, and Eco Warriors) in 1992, but it was really the last year where almost every figure had unique accessories that made sense for them.

In 1993, that all changed. Even as a kid, I didn’t like spring loaded missile launchers and generic weapons trees very much. Sure, you’d sometimes get some good guns in black, dark blue, or green– but usually you’d just get brightly colored guns that made no sense for the character (Ninja Force’s weapons trees fared a little better).

The sense of wonder and “wow” when you opened a figure and equipped all of its cool accessories was gone in 1993. Some of the figures were quite good, but I was turning mostly to the Joes I already had. Not too many of the 1993 figures appealed to me then. Especially Law.

Until I was browsing through Yojoe.com a few years ago, I forgot Law even existed.

For some reason, though, I’d come to really want the figure. He just started looking cool to me, and he actually made my imagination run wild. Sure, he’s a futuristic looking militarized cop with neon yellow highlights (which sounds pretty bad), but for some reason I just couldn’t stop thinking about him.

A week ago, I bought him from EmeraldCityToySale on Instagram.

Let’s take a look at a figure I never had in 1993, and see if he’s really as bad as the guys who think GI Joe ended in 1986 say he is.

1993 GI Joe Battle Corps Law Review

My impressions of Law, as a character, are strongly tied to 1987’s GI Joe: The Movie. Many fans hate the movie and take any opportunity to complain about it, even when they’re getting their senior citizen’s discount at the Sizzler buffet. But I saw the movie in 1989 or 1990, and it made total sense to me. It was the biggest, most fun iteration of GI Joe I’d ever seen. I still love it.

In the film, Law has sort of an affable Southern California stoner personality. His voice even resembles Cheech Marin’s. Though he’s a bit character in the movie, Law and his dog Order made a strong impression. That’s what I think of when I think of Law.

The 1993 GI Joe Battle Corps Law leaves me with the exact opposite impression.

Here’s the figure:

This is a really cool looking figure, but he doesn’t look like Law at all. The legend goes that this Law, along with Gristle, Mace (and possibly Long Arm) were supposed to be 1993’s DEF team. But that didn’t pan out, so they got folded into the Battle Corps line, which was the “main” toy line of the year.

This figure does look like he’d make a good urban operative, and Law would be a good fit for the DEF team. But this figure looks much more like an armored commando or futuristic frontline soldier than he does a Military Policeman. Law is supposed to be napping on guard duty at Checkpoint Alpha or searching Footloose’s locker for pain pills. He’s not supposed to be a one man war on “crime.”

Still, the figure has some amazing texture on his leg armor, and his helmet looks super cool– even if it’s a bit on the weird side. The grey and blue color scheme is great, but the highlighter yellow accents don’t do it any favors. Even with the yellow, though, this is a pretty sensible looking figure. He can work in any number of environments.

It’s just not Law.

They didn’t even include his dog, Order. Even the 1993 Battle Corps Mutt came with his dog Junkyard! GI Joes with animal companions are the coolest, so it’s an extra big bummer when they don’t include their pets.

Here’s what they did include (screenshot from YoJoe.com):

Ugh.

Grunt’s big assault rifle is a cool weapon when it’s done in black or grey, but the bright yellow makes it useless. Sci-Fi’s laser rifle doesn’t work for anyone but Sci-Fi, especially cast in this color. There’s also a knife. Okay.

If you haven’t caught on by now, I don’t have this Law’s accessories. I’m mostly okay with that, as he’s a Battle Corps figure, and I don’t need more useless, bright yellow guns floating around my house.

The one accessory I do kind of like, however, is his missile launcher. Wait! Hear me out.

It’s a cool little number that fits over his arm. It has an added shield that slides over the barrel, which makes sense for a futuristic cop. It’s still an impractical weapon, but it’s cooler than 90% of Battle Corps missile launchers.

So, they didn’t include his dog, and this figure just doesn’t look like Law. It doesn’t work as Law at all.

But it is a super cool figure. That’s because it’s a blank slate. Once you get over the figure being Law, it can serve any number of purposes. The figure wears a full face mask, so it could be an army builder. He could be a SWAT trooper, an urban soldier, a diver, or even a pilot. His color scheme and overall look is good enough that you can really get away with using him however you please.

Personally, I see this figure as a special operations commando. I get strong Metal Gear Solid vibes from him, especially when he’s equipped with the Retaliation GI Joe Trooper’s little shoulder cape (as seen in several of these photos).

Some folks on Instagram said Law reminded them of Centurions, so I took this photo, too:

I can totally see that! And that’s the beauty of the 1993 GI Joe Battle Corps Law figure. He doesn’t have to be Law. He can be anyone you want him to be if you conjure up just a little bit of that childhood imagination.

GI Joe doesn’t stop with Skystrikers, 1986 Vipers, and swivel arm Grunts. There’s a giant toy line out there to explore and enjoy. Even a throw-away figure from 1993 might bring you some joy if you’re willing to open your mind a little!

Verdict: 1993 Law is not a good Law figure, but he is a good figure. With a little creativity and imagination, this can be one of the most fun figures from the 1993 Battle Corps line, even with the yellow highlights. Grab this figure, grab some accessories from your overflowing accessory drawer, and dive in. Recommended.

Additional Resources:

• Here’s Law at YoJoe.com.
• Here’s Law at 3DJoes. Be sure to check out how cool he looks with his missile launcher equipped!

Final Thoughts on 1993 GI Joe Battle Corps Law

I don’t have much more to say about Law, other than he really made my imagination run wild. I imagined the character this figure represents doing an underwater insertion, ala Metal Gear Solid, to infiltrate a Cobra base. I imagined him as a gunner on a Battle Wagon. I imagined him charging at Alley Vipers with a riot shield in one hand and a sub machinegun in the other hand. He just really speaks to me.

Strangely, I couldn’t find any other content on the 1993 GI Joe Battle Corps Law. I wonder why that is.

How do you use this Law figure? If you don’t have him, how would you use him? I’ve already heard some good suggestions– from a security trooper army builder for the “real” Law to boss around, to a paratrooper update to Airborne, Ripcord, and Freefall.

Let me know in the comments!