Hello, everyone. It’s been a while. There are a multitude of reasons for that, but I probably won’t go into that until my next post (which is about 50% done, and will interest approximately 9% of my audience). I was actually planning on publishing that post first, but I thought about it some more and decided a more traditional GI Joe review might be the best way to ease myself back into blogging about old plastic dolls.

Today we’re looking at 1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi, which has been one of my favorite ARAH figures since I got it as a kid. 1991 is my favorite year for the vintage GI Joe toy line, which is something I refuse to shut up about. You could probably put an XH86 LLOM beam laser rifle to my head and I’d still keep yapping about it. And yap I shall!

Thanks so much for joining me again after all this time. Let’s take a deep dive into 1991’s Directed Energy Expert, Seymour P. Fine.

1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi, Essential to My Childhood Strike Force

I was born in the mid 1980s, but I don’t really remember much of that decade. Most of my early, detailed memories probably begin in 1990 and 1991. As a kid, I had some toys from the late 80s, including GI Joe, but I didn’t really understand the distinction between the two decades. I don’t think that’s particularly unusual, because childhood isn’t really defined by decades. I owned both 1988 Hardball from GI Joe and Transformers Beast Machines Jetstorm from 2000 as a kid, and I’m equally nostalgic for both of them. It helps that they’re both excellent toys.

That’s just a way of saying that I didn’t really differentiate between years when I was a kid. I could see the changes in the GI Joe toy line when 1993 came around (more spring-loaded weapons, weapons trees, brighter colors), but I had no idea which years my older Joes came from.

Once I got internet access in middle school and started visiting websites like YoJoe.com, I realized many of my favorite figures came from 1990 and 1991. I’d lived through the golden years without knowing it at the time. I think every year of the vintage ARAH GI Joe line is good in its own way but, to me, 1991 really stands out. And the figure I’m reviewing today perfectly illustrates why.

In 1991, spring-loaded missile launchers were just creeping into the GI Joe toy line, but every single figure still had unique accessories purpose-built for them. Colors were getting brighter, but in a way that provided fun visual interest for the average kid. I’ll defend the more neon figures from 92-94 until my dying breath, but things were still comparatively subdued in 1991.

Whereas 1990 was mostly focused on a cast of completely new characters with incredible accessories, 1991 brought back many iconic Joes and Cobras from the line’s history.

I didn’t know about the 1986 version of the character when I was a kid, but 1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi was still one of my most-used figures. He had a removable helmet, which was always a huge plus. He looked cool and had a distinctive color scheme. He specialized in laser weapons, and I was obsessed with lasers as a kid. And, finally, he was also named after my favorite genre of entertainment– science fiction.

In my childhood GI Joe adventures, Sci-Fi was seldom the main character. But he went on every mission where I could think of a use for him and it honestly wasn’t hard to think of how a high powered laser weapon might come in handy.

I saw Sci-Fi as a bit of a shy nerd, but one who was respected by his teammates due to what he brought to the table. He played the role of a geeky underdog who usually came out on top. Sure, he played second fiddle to Flint and Heavy Duty, but he always got the job done in the end.

At some point, I lost Sci-Fi’s helmet and stopped using him as much. The character got a new lease on life when I received the 1993 Starfighter for Christmas. Though that version’s coloration was different and the packaging depicted him as a pilot, he once again resumed his frontline duties as the Joe team’s dedicated laser guy.

I still have my childhood Sci-Fi v2, but the one you’re seeing in this review is a copy I bought about eight years ago. He’s in great shape and has all of his gear, so he’s the figure I use when I want to take a photo. I’ll never give my childhood figure away, though, as he’s been with me since the early 1990s and survived a house fire.

The review starts now. I’ll have plenty of comparison shots, musings on the figure’s accessories, and what being a laser trooper actually means. Let’s get started.

1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi Review

Sci-Fi version 2 was released in 1991 in Hasbro’s GI Joe: A Real American Hero toy line. The figure featured all new parts, tooling, and accessories. Though he was an original at the time, most of its body parts and some of its gear would go on to be reused many, many times. Sci-Fi’s body, rifle, and backpack saw use in the Real American Hero Collection and his rifle on its own saw many uses in the final years of the original ARAH toy line.

We’ll take a look at some of those reuses a little bit later on.

Here’s the figure:

1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi is basically wearing a grey jumpsuit with black chest armor, black arm guards, black boots, and a black belt. There are some yellow highlights on the figure including gloves, arm pouches, and some curious bands wrapped around the jumpsuit’s legs.

If you take a look from the side, you’ll notice that the pouches are nicely detailed, but also feature some sloppy paint– at least on my copy. The yellow bands continue all the way around each leg.

We’ll talk more about the color scheme as a whole in a bit, but I really like the yellow gloves on this figure. I think the bright highlights are tastefully applied and using that (fairly subdued) shade of yellow for the gloves was a nice choice.

The back of the figure doesn’t hold any surprises, but it’s nicely done and all of the paint and details continue on to the figure’s back side.

I really like this figure’s color scheme. Grey and black is a combo you don’t see too often on good guy figures in the classic ARAH line, and it works very well here. I know yellow is a divisive color for fans of “hardcore military operator” fantasy dolls, but I think it complements the black and grey perfectly. It has a pronounced “pop” to it without being too loud or distracting from the rest of the toy.

Also, I’m not sure if it’s my imagination or not, but the chest armor seems to use a glossier paint than the rest of the toy, which I like quite a bit.

I’ve always thought 1991 Sci-Fi featured a strong head sculpt. It’s distinctive from any other GI Joe figure and he looks like a real person. I think the figure designers were probably going for a Han Solo circa A New Hope kind of look, but Sci-Fi actually just ends up looking kind of like a dork. Which is totally appropriate for a laser weapons expert and, as the file card says, “not the kind of guy you want to go to town with.”

Fortunately, if you don’t like the head sculpt, you get a pretty neat helmet to cover it up with.

1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi comes with a silver laser rifle, silver rocket launcher, silver backpack, yellow missile, 2 standard GI Joe accessory hoses (not pictured), and a black helmet with silver highlights. You didn’t see too many painted helmets in the vintage GI Joe line, so that piece is a real treat.

Here’s the figure All Geared Up:

Before we break down each accessory, I’d just like to say that this figure looks very impressive when it’s all kitted out. He doesn’t have more gear than he can carry (which has never bothered me, but I know some people get Big Mad about it) and it’s all specifically designed just for him. It’s a very purposeful, complete package.

We’ll start with what’s possibly Sci-Fi’s most contentious piece of gear– his rocket launcher. Many GI Joe fans just don’t like or accept spring loaded missile launchers. And while I agree that they did get a bit out of hand in 1993 and 1994, I think most of the rocket launchers in 1991 were pretty damn cool. 1991 was really the first year GI Joe’s designers began including spring-loaded weapons with regular figures, which is something that definitely changed the course of the toy line.

In 1991, though, all of the spring-loaded weapons were unique and intentionally designed. Sci-Fi’s rocket launcher looks great and was designed specifically for him. It has a futuristic look to it, but it also seems like something that could really exist.

I think several other figures in 1991 had very good spring-loaded launchers, including Heavy Duty, Red Star, BAT, and Mercer. Though they still felt a little bit special back then because not every figure included one.

I mentioned before that Sci-Fi v2 includes two standard accessory hoses. One attaches to his rocket launcher. I tend to not use this hose, as it kind of gets in the way of posing and playing with the figure. It is a neat idea, though, and it looks good when you use it.

I always thought the missile launcher was supposed to plug into the back of the helmet and the hose represents some sort of wiring feeding into a targeting sight in Sci-Fi’s helmet. You could also plug the launcher into the backpack, but that makes much less sense to me.

Next, we come to the figure’s laser rifle. This accessory was reused to death in the Battle Corps, Star Brigade, and Street Fighter sub lines from 1993-1994, but I still can’t see it belonging to anyone but Sci-Fi. Maybe that’s because I had this figure at a young, formative age but, to me, this is Sci-Fi’s signature weapon.

Granted, it’s not without its faults. It’s a little bit awkward for the figure to hold (though it’s not terrible), and lacks a stock to brace against the shoulder. You’d think a stock would be a necessity for a guy who has a delicate, high-precision weapon that he needs to keep steady for long periods of time.

The original 1986 Sci-Fi’s weapon is cooler and makes more sense for the character, but I still think this laser gun has an iconic design and looks great with the figure.

The laser rifle also plugs into an accessory hose which, in turn, plugs into the figure’s backpack (or helmet or launcher, if you’re a nasty little sicko). The backpack is brilliantly detailed with what looks to be a power supply, cooling system, and all sorts of gauges and dials. This is the kind of spectacular sculpting the ARAH era of GI Joe is known for.

That being said, the original Sci-Fi’s backpack could store that figure’s rifle and this one cannot.

Finally, we come to what is probably the figure’s most essential piece of gear– the helmet. Sci-Fi v2 looks just fine without his helmet, and it’s not a terrible toy without it, but the toy really comes to life once you add its headgear.

Painted helmets were an extra special treat in the ARAH line and this one does not disappoint. The helmet fits the figure’s head nicely and just has a cool, futuristic look to it. The chin strap and silver lenses really drive home that this dude is named after a whole-ass fiction genre about spaceships, robots, laser beams, aliens, and the unknowable depths of the human psyche.

The helmet looks like it offers up some good protection, and also features a camera and/or sensor on one side. Hasbro did a good job of designing a piece that realistically integrates with all of the figure’s other gear. To me, this is one of the best removable helmets in the entire toy line.

I thought you’d like to see him All Geared Up one more time before we move onto the comparison part of the review. Doesn’t he look great?

There were four versions of Sci-Fi released in the vintage GI Joe: A Real American Hero toy line. That’s some pretty good representation for a guy that’s basically a nobody with one a handful of comic book and cartoon appearances. I think Hasbro was onto something, though, because laser weapons are inherently fun and cool.

Left to Right: 1986 Sci-Fi, 1991 Sci-Fi, 1993 Sci-Fi (Star Brigade Starfighter Pilot), 1994 Sci-Fi (Star Brigade)

Granted, most of those figures came at the tail end of the line and featured heavy parts reuse, so there was some amount of corporate cheapskatery involved in the decision to release so many versions of Sci-Fi.

The original Sci-Fi was the first real “neon” figure in the entire toy line, and I salute him for that. He also has a cool Robocop-style helmet and excellent accessories. The 1991 version is who we’re discussing today, so you know where I stand on that one.

1993 Sci-Fi was a complete repaint of the 1991 version. I love the white and teal color scheme and the fact that a pack-in driver came with any accessories at all in 93 is nothing to scoff at. The figure was the pilot of the Star Brigade Starfighter, though, and I don’t think Sci-Fi really works as a space pilot. Sure, he’s a big ol’ nerd that’s great at using, fixing, and designing laser weapons, but I don’t think that translates into flying a high-tech space jet– no matter how many hours he’s logged into Wing Commander and Microsoft Flight Simulator.

1994 Sci-Fi only uses the 1991 version’s head, which is just fine for consistency’s sake. The rest of the figure was all new. This version really leaned into the “neon nightmare” aesthetic that embodies the line’s final years, and that’s a point in his favor. He has strong sculpting (including a gatling gun hand) and cool accessories. To me, Sci-Fi does make sense as a combat astronaut, not as a pilot. This was the right call for a Star Brigade Sci-Fi.

Here’s a closer look at 1991 and 1993 Sci-Fi side by side:

Sci-Fi’s entire body was also repainted and reused for Laser Viper v2 in 2001, a full ten years after the original figure was released. Laser Viper included black versions of 1991 Sci-Fi’s rifle and backpack. Rumor has it the Laser Viper’s mask and helmet were simply sculpted over Sci-Fi’s head, but I’m not sure how true that is.

For a while, Laser Viper v2 was the Belle of the GI Joe Fan Ball just because he was a Cobra trooper in blue that you could somewhat readily army build. The American Hero Collection was, for the most part, widely available at retail, and people were clamoring for “standard” Cobra Troopers enough that Laser Viper fit the bill. Personally, I never liked the idea of an entire unit of Cobra’s army using Sci-Fi’s custom gear, but I like this Laser Viper well enough. The original Laser Viper will always be superior in every way, though.

I like Sci-Fi both as a figure and as a character. To me, Sci-Fi is a respected and reliable member of the GI Joe team despite his dorkiness. He’s not the life of any party, but he gets the job done and, as it turns out, his job is a very important one. He’s comfortable on the ground or in space, and he’s packing a red hot laser with him everywhere he goes.

GI Joe needs bit players like Sci-Fi. The toy line is mostly background characters and a few “face” characters, so it really helps when the numerous second-chair guys have strong visual identities and at least have a few defining personality characteristics to make a story more interesting. The guy might be a poindexter, but he’ll carry experimental laser weapons onto a crazy battlefield and smile while doing it.

He can also make field repairs on any electronic equipment the Joes have. Someone with a Master’s Degree in electronic engineering who chooses to take a paycheck from the military and willingly hang out with a colorful band of eccentric psychos is someone worthy of respect.

Now that I’m a 40 year old man who still plays with army dolls, the most interesting question I can ask about Sci-Fi is this– what exactly is a laser rifle trooper or directed energy expert?

Flash was GI Joe’s laser trooper before Sci-Fi. Flash’s file card mentions him working on an electronic engineering Master’s Degree, and clearly Sci-Fi followed in his footsteps. In some of the early GI Joe media where Flash appeared, laser weapons were depicted more realistically. They were used as a tool you’d “paint” a target with– something that would guide a missile towards a tank, for instance.

Sci-Fi v2’s file card makes mention of this, too. If I remember correctly, even the 1990 Laser Viper’s file card describes its weapons working in that way.

But as a kid, I thought that was boring. I still kind of do now. Let a laser rifle be a laser rifle. Let it fire a bright red beam with a “pew pew” noise. That’s the kind of shit I want. And, in fairness, 1991 Sci-Fi’s file card makes references to both guiding rockets and firing pew pew beams. I kind of think of his rifle as being able to paint a target for his own rocket launcher (and other ordnance) or shoot laser beams. The choice is his.

As I mentioned earlier, I grew up on the old Sunbow GI Joe cartoon, where everyone had a laser weapon. If everyone in GI Joe and Cobra has a laser gun, Sci-Fi is less special. I recognized that even as a child. But even back then, I knew there was a big disconnect between GI Joe the toy and GI Joe the cartoon. Most figures came with more realistic, traditional weapons, even in the Battle Corps days. So even if cartoon Duke and Flint had laser guns, the Duke and Flint in my toy box did not. That still made Sci-Fi something special.

I have very few complaints about this action figure. In fact, I think 1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi is just about perfect. Sure, his chest armor kind of looks like a sports bra (which is useful and practical aka more than most of us can say about ourselves) and the yellow bands around his legs are mysterious, but those things just help give the figure its unique identity.

For me, Sci-Fi v2 represents the very best of the vintage GI Joe toy line. I love this figure.

Overall: This version of Sci-Fi is the epitome of the 1991 Gi Joe line’s greatness. He has a fantastic sculpt, unique accessories specifically designed for the figure, a cool color scheme, and a ton of personality. He leans into the “science fiction” aspects of the GI Joe line, but still fits in nicely with the overall mission statement of the toy line. Also, it’s just a really fun toy. Highly Recommended.

Additional Resources:

• 1991 Sci-Fi at Forgotten Figures
• 1991 Sci-Fi at 3DJoes
• 1991 Sci-Fi at YoJoe.com

Closing Thoughts on 1991 GI Joe Sci-Fi

Thanks for joining me, everyone. I don’t have much else to say in the sign off section this time, as I mostly got it all out of my system throughout the review. I’ll see you next time, which will hopefully be pretty soon.

In the meantime, what are your thoughts on lasers in GI Joe? Do you think Sci-Fi would make a capable space pilot? Did 1986 Sci-Fi foretell the “death of the line” with his outlandish neon green color scheme?

Let me know in the comments!