October of 2022 is a very special month here at The Dragon Fortress, because it’s all dedicated to The Most Important Member of GI Joe (some say The Only Important Member of GI Joe)– Specialist David F. Kunitz aka OZONE.

All month long, we’ll be looking at each ARAH version of GI Joe’s environmental safety trooper. Today, we’re starting with both versions of Ozone released in 1993 for the Star Brigade sub-line.

So how does an ozone replenishment specialist work as a combat astronaut? That’s what we’re here to find out.

Welcome to OZONE OCTOBER!

1993 GI Joe Ozone (Star Brigade)– My First Repaint

In 1993, Hasbro offered a huge variety of figures with their GI Joe toy line. You had the normal, primary figures (Battle Corps), martial artists (Ninja Force), Aliens-inspired sci-fi troopers and monsters (Mega Marines), more martial artists with an international flair (Street Fighter 2), and combat astronauts (Star Brigade).

Within the Star Brigade subset, kids could choose from normal GI Joe figures, or bulked-up figures with reduced articulation and a higher price point (Armor Tech). So, there was a lot to choose from in 1993, and you weren’t getting all of it unless your parents were well-to-do.

I was very interested in Star Brigade in 1993. After all, it combined two of my favorite things– GI Joe and outer space. I only ever got a few figures from the sub-line as a kid, though, mostly because I found the execution disappointing. While I was expecting cool new astronauts with awesome laser weapons and backpacks, I saw mostly repaints of figures I already knew, which was a first for me.

When my Mom gave me 1993 GI Joe Star Brigade Ozone, it was the first time I ever received and recognized a repaint. I already had the 1991 Eco Warriors Ozone, after all. But I absolutely loved that figure, and by 1993 he was missing his helmet and the rest of his gear. So I was honestly pretty happy to get a new version of Ozone, complete with his cool helmet.

Shortly thereafter, I got Star Brigade Countdown. I’d already owned the original Countdown, but he was also missing his helmet and backpack. While I did mourn the loss of the awesome backpack the original came with, I was more than happy to get another chance at a beloved character who actually had his space helmet.

Then after that, my friend got the 1993 Payload figure, who I immediately recognized as a repaint of my 1992 Barbecue. And I’d also owned the Crusader (which my Mom got on deep discount in either 90 or 91), so I knew that figure was not actually Payload.

Oddly, I never recognized that Roadblock (who my friend had) was mostly a repaint of the 1991 Hawk figure, another toy I adored as a kid. I guess it was because the color changes were so drastic and I didn’t have the 91 Hawk around to look at by 1993.

Even though he was a repaint, I got a ton of use out of 1993 Ozone. I had the tan version and don’t think I ever saw the grey version on shelves. Ozone was usually teamed up with Countdown for space adventures, where they fought monsters and robots from other toy lines.

Sometimes Ozone would also fight alongside the regular GI Joe team on Earth, and he usually found a way to outsmart Cobra with his scientific skills rather than beating them in a firefight.

There aren’t too many scientist heroes on the GI Joe team, so my child brain imagined Ozone as a mix between Dr. Benton Quest and Race Bannon– brains and brawn all in one package.

I also really liked Ozone’s head sculpt, which made him seem like a surly Yellowstone National Park ranger who would tell you not to play too close to the geysers, but could also fight off a bear who was digging through the dumpster by the lodge.

So while Ozone was a major player for me as a kid, he never quite joined the ranks of Flint, Storm Shadow, Heavy Duty, or Tunnel Rat. It was only as a young adult that I began appreciating the character more and more. I went from liking Ozone to absolutely loving Ozone. Hence this themed month.

So now we’ll take a look at the figure itself and examine how Ozone works (or does not work) as an astro-infantry trooper for Star Brigade.

1993 GI Joe Ozone (Star Brigade) Review

Both versions of Star Brigade Ozone were released in 1993, and I believe the grey version was a running change for the tan version. The tan version seems to be more common, but neither one is hard to find. Regardless, both figures come with the exact same accessories and were packed on the same card. The only difference is that the later figures changed tan to light grey.

The tan figure on the left is my childhood figure, which survived a house fire. The grey one on the right is a figure I opened from the card about three years ago.

The figure’s mold is exactly the same as the one used for the 1991 Eco Warriors Ozone. The color-change battle damage was removed and the plastic colors were changed, but it’s the same exact figure mold.

I’m not sure why Hasbro changed Ozone from tan to grey in 1993, but it’s something they did a fair amount of in the last two years of the toy line. It’s doubtful that any kid (or even adult collector) felt the need to own both versions in 1993, so they probably just grabbed whichever figure they found on the pegs at the time.

I’m going to go over the figure’s sculpt and details more thoroughly when we get to the Eco Warriors figure review, but I did want to touch on a couple of things here.

The armored chest plate looks very cool in silver, and the red grenades and blue straps make for a nice color palette on both figures. The colors aren’t exactly “realistic,” but they are both subtle and aesthetically pleasing. I also like the armored boots and the “air tight” look of the jumpsuit– it looks like it could be a thinner spacesuit that allows for greater mobility.

I mentioned before that I love Ozone’s head sculpt, but the figure really comes alive when you add the helmet.

Ozone’s helmet is one of the coolest accessories in all of GI Joe. It has a unique and menacing look that gives the figure just as much personality when his entire face is covered as he has with it removed, and that’s pretty rare. The helmet is stylized and futuristic, and almost has a bit of a Darth Vader look to it. The blue and silver paint on the helmet are also very nice, and a step above what Hasbro usually did for removeable helmets in the GI Joe line.

With this helmet, which looks perfect on the figure, it’s believable that Ozone is wearing either an air tight hazmat suit or full-on spacesuit. I have to give it to the Hasbro designers– this is a versatile figure!

Just for good measure, here are both 93 versions alongside their Eco Warriors ancestor. The only paint app I really miss from the original Ozone is the gizmo on his right thigh– the Star Brigade Ozones would have looked even better if that detail was picked out in silver.

Now, we come to accessories. 1993 Star Brigade Ozone comes with one of the most common weapons trees in the entire GI Joe toy line but, luckily, it’s a pretty good one.

Both versions of 1993 Ozone come with an orange missile launcher, two black missiles, a black submachine gun, a black futuristic assault rifle, a black shotgun, a black machete, a black figure stand, and a red helmet.

The package describes these items as “pressure resistant helmet with face shield, special issue Star Brigade short rifle, Rapid-fire laser rifle with atmospheric sight, shotgun, Star Brigade battle knife, missile launching solar shooter gun, missile (2), figure stand.”

I don’t find these weapons particularly compelling for a combat astronaut, but they’re not bad. They’re all pretty useful weapons cast in a pretty useful color. I find that the shotgun and SMG are always good to have around for arming later-era Joes, and the machete works with just about any figure in the line. They’re nothing special, but they get the job done.

I would have preferred some laser weapons, but that’s just me. I’m sure some other kids in 1993 agreed with me, though.

I do like using this slightly-reworked version of 91 Grunt’s huge assault rifle with Star Brigade and Mega Marines figures– it’s just a natural weapon for GI Joe’s extreme 90s vision of science fiction military action.

Now that we’re done with the basics, let’s figure out how well a former Eco Warrior translates into an “Astro-Infantry Trooper.”

First off, he just doesn’t. Ozone is not an infantry guy, whether it’s in space or on the Earth. That specialty just does not make sense for him. If you look at this 93 Star Brigade version’s file card, you’ll note that his military specialties are the same as the Eco Warrior’s versions. He’s an environmental health specialist and a chemist. The Star Brigade file card pretty much sums him up like his Eco Warriors file card did, but focuses a little bit more on how he likes brutalizing assorted Cobranauts. Fair enough.

It makes sense for Countdown to be in Star Brigade. It makes sense for Payload to be in Star Brigade, and the Eco Warriors Barbecue mold makes a pretty convincing spacesuit. The 91 Hawk mold works as an astronaut too, so slapping a Roadblock head on that body is just fine– Roadblock is a dude you want on your team no matter what environment you’re fighting in. If you’re going to throw a random guy into Star Brigade, you could do worse than Sci-Fi, as well. Though I’ll still say that using Sci-Fi as a pilot makes no god damn sense whatsoever.

With Ozone, the connection to space is a bit less clear. But I actually think he works well as an astronaut, and not just in the sense that the figure looks like he’s wearing a spacesuit.

Ozone is a scientist. Many real world astronauts are scientists. Ozone understands atmospheric and chemical science, which would make him an asset to any team operating in space. Contrast that with Duke, who knows how to fire a rifle and call people “lazy maggots” in 12 different languages, and you can see which guy is more qualified for Star Brigade.

And, honestly, I’m glad Star Brigade got at least one scientist hero. Countdown and Payload are both space pilots and experienced astronauts, so they need to be there. Roadblock and Heavy Duty supply the heavy firepower. Robo-JOE is a cyborg so sure he can be in space, why not. Sci-Fi has a name that sounds like he should be in space, and he was probably chosen for his codename alone. He can also shoot a laser gun, which is probably an asset.

But, if you’re operating in space, you need someone who understands the science behind how your spacesuit works and how you’re getting oxygen. You need someone who understands gravity perfectly. You need a guy who can tell you why your plan won’t work because Earth and space are not the same thing.

So, in that regard, I think Ozone works very nicely as a member of Star Brigade.

As an added bonus, Ozone’s color scheme looks quite good alongside 1993 Countdown, 1993 Roadblock, Armor Tech Duke, Armor Tech Rock n Roll, and a variety of other more science fiction-themed GI Joe toys.

And, of course, you can still use this Ozone figure as an Eco Warrior. He brings a more muted, military color scheme to the figure which works in a variety of earthbound environments. The tan version in particular makes for a pretty good desert operative.

Even if you don’t see Ozone as an astronaut, these are still very useful GI Joe toys.

Also, this figure is hella cool and I’m glad Hasbro released it in these colors. The end.

Overall: 1993 GI Joe Ozone (Star Brigade) is a very nice figure. The colors on both versions are good, the head sculpt is fantastic, and the helmet is world-class. The accessories are nothing to write home about, but they’re pretty good and work with a wide variety of other Joes. This is also a common and affordable figure. Both versions of 1993 Ozone are Recommended.

Additional Resources:

• 1993 Ozone at 3DJoes
• 1993 Ozone at YoJoe
• 1993 Ozone at Joe A Day

Closing Thoughts on 1993 GI Joe Ozone (Star Brigade)

Thanks for joining me! Next week a special guest will be taking a look at a very special Ozone. I can’t wait.

And yes, I know Ozone’s name and head sculpt were based on a Hasbro employee that shares the character’s file name. Fun stuff.

Anyway, what do you think of Star Brigade Ozone? Does he work as an astronaut? Do you even like the character in the first place? Let me know in the comments!