Tag: 1994

1994 Skybox DC Master Series Trading Cards

1994 SkyBox DC Master Series Trading Cards

On By thedragonfortressIn DC Comics1 Comment

This post was written by my dear friend Pat (@ptotime). Thanks, Pat!

1994 Skybox DC Master Series Trading Cards
Green Arrow, by Ray Lago; and Huntress, by Hector Gomez.

During the pandemic, there was a hot moment where all of the stuff that Wizard Magazine lied about being worth something someday actually WAS worth something. This was purely a function of the market: while working from home, bored Xennials spent more time on eBay, looking up things that they used to enjoy. Suddenly, there was demand to meet the Internet’s inexhaustible supply of 1980s and 1990s pop culture ephemera. Old toys, old video games, old comic books — everyone who, at age 8, was certain that their Web of Spider-Man #100 (First Appearance of the Spider-Armor; green holo-foil cover) was going to be worth money lived out the monkey’s paw fulfillment of that wish when online sellers convinced them that the dose of nostalgia was worth $35 or whatever. (After all, it’s a Key Issue.)

Continue reading “1994 SkyBox DC Master Series Trading Cards” →

1994 GI Joe Beach-Head

1994 GI Joe Beach-Head Review

On By thedragonfortressIn GI Joe6 Comments

Well, whaddya know? It’s another GI Joe review! For those of you who don’t like adolescent karate reptiles (you absolute monsters), this should help satisfy your army doll cravings.

Today I’m looking at a figure that came from the large carded lot I bought at an estate sale a while back. I’ve only dipped into it a little bit so far, but this yellow-vested weirdo has been calling to me like a plastic Siren of ancient myth.

So let’s crash into the rocks and look at GI Joe’s Beach-Head from 1994!

Continue reading “1994 GI Joe Beach-Head Review” →

1994 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles April O'Neil

1994 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles April O’Neil Review

On By thedragonfortressIn TMNT5 Comments

Who would have guessed that it would take me until 2023 to review a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles toy on this website?

Considering my questionable consistency and work ethic, I’m sure most of you are not surprised it took me this long. But TMNT was one of the biggest toy lines of the 1990s and I was not immune to Turtle Fever as a child, so here’s hoping this little post is just the beginning of me diving into the oozy waters of the TMNT franchise.

Here’s a look at a fun variant of everyone’s favorite reporter from later in the line– 1994 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles April O’Neil!

Continue reading “1994 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles April O’Neil Review” →

1994 GI Joe Major Bludd (Battle Corps)

1994 GI Joe Major Bludd (Battle Corps) Review

On By thedragonfortressIn GI Joe8 Comments

Today we’re actually looking at a GI Joe action figure from the 1990s, which is becoming something of a rarity around here. I know it’s what you all want and expect from me, though, so let’s get back on track. Shall we?

Today we’re looking at 1994 GI Joe Major Bludd (Battle Corps), a figure I’ve had since it was released in the mid 90s. We’re looking at my childhood figure, in fact!

He’s holding up pretty well after all these years, and I have a few guesses as to why that is.

Grab your mustache combs and rhyming dictionaries, because it’s time to look at Cobra’s best (and worst) mercenary poet.

Continue reading “1994 GI Joe Major Bludd (Battle Corps) Review” →

1994 GI Joe Ozone (Star Brigade)

1994 GI Joe Ozone (Star Brigade) Review

On By thedragonfortressIn GI Joe5 Comments

(Editor’s Note: It’s the final installment of Ozone October, and I am once again joined by my main dude Cody. Cody is also known as CorpsCommanderCody on the toy-related social medias. This is an extra special review of an elusive figure, all tied together with a heartfelt personal story. So please follow Cody on Instagram and Twitter and then bask in the glory of The Final Ozone.)

Article and Photos by CorpsCommanderCody

GI Joe Ozone

Continue reading “1994 GI Joe Ozone (Star Brigade) Review” →

1994-1995 Hasbro Mortal Kombat Ninjas

1994-1995 Hasbro Mortal Kombat Ninjas Review

On By thedragonfortressIn GI Joe, mortal kombat17 Comments

Today we’re looking at Hasbro’s Mortal Kombat Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile, and Smoke from 1994. We’re also looking at the Mortal Kombat Movie Editions of Scorpion and Sub-Zero from 1995. They all use the exact same mold (with some cloth embellishments), so I figured I’d do them all in one go. Even if I spread them out over the course of a couple years, I feel like the reviews would get redundant. 

This post is meant as a resource as much as it’s meant as a review. There’s not a ton of good info out there on these, other than some grainy archival photos and eBay listings.

Plus, once you look at the mold, you probably know which figures you do or do not want. The colors are the main difference between the figures, and the accessories are pretty much generic. 

After you finish reading this, hopefully you’ll be able to choose your favorite flavor (it’s lime, right?) and frown really hard at eBay prices. 

Get over here!

Continue reading “1994-1995 Hasbro Mortal Kombat Ninjas Review” →

1994 Exosquad Livanus with Troop Transport E-Frame

1994 Exosquad Livanus with Troop Transport E-Frame Review

On By thedragonfortressIn Exosquad6 Comments

1994 Exosquad Livanus with Troop Transport E-Frame

This review has been at least three years in the making. Maybe more. I’ve been working on it on and off since my Rita Torres review, but made only a little progress here and there until a couple weeks ago. Mostly, this toy is big and slightly hard to photograph. Or so I thought. I kind of psyched myself out– it’s actually not hard to photograph at all. I think I was just making excuses for myself.

Some of the photos in this review are old and probably not up to the “quality” of images I produce now, but I’m going to leave them in here to show how long I’ve been working on this thing. 

I also want to dedicate this review to my friend Barry B., who’s been politely asking for it ever since that Rita Torres review. Thanks for your near-infinite patience, Barry!

Without further chatter, let’s take a look at the 1994 Exosquad Livanus with Troop Transport E-Frame. 

Continue reading “1994 Exosquad Livanus with Troop Transport E-Frame Review” →

1994 Transformers Generation 2 Bruticus

1994 Transformers Generation 2 Combaticons and Bruticus Review

On By thedragonfortressIn Transformers7 Comments

1994 Transformers Generation 2 Combaticons

This is another huge review, with 6000+ words and around 60 photos. But it has to be big because we’re looking at the biggest, baddest dudicus to ever be a metamorphing Bruticus. 

Today I’m joined by my friend Dial H, who runs Dial H for Houston. If you enjoy pulpy science fiction, fantasy, and alternate history novels, check out his website immediately. He writes fun, funny, and snappy reviews of all sorts of books you’ve never heard of. His site has personally encouraged me to order a few books for The Pile. 

Dial H was nice enough to supply both photos and commentary for G2 Bruticus, as I am both missing some of the toy’s accessories and missing all of Dial H’s life experiences and insights. This is a toy that’s notoriously hard to complete, as parts and pieces almost never pop up on the secondary market. 

So we’ve united into our own ragtag combiner force to bring you this review. Dial H is going to bring you a definitive ranking for each member of the team, but I cannot bring myself to choose favorites among my brightly colored 90s children. I do mostly agree with his rankings, though. 

I’ll let Dial H kick things off. 

Continue reading “1994 Transformers Generation 2 Combaticons and Bruticus Review” →

1994 GI Joe Star Brigade Payload

1994 GI Joe Star Brigade Payload Review

On By thedragonfortressIn GI Joe11 Comments

1994 GI Joe Star Brigade Payload

For a nobody, Payload sure got a lot of action figures released in the original GI Joe: A Real American Hero toy line. There were five total Payload figures released in the vintage Joe collection, which means there were more Payloads than Flints, Scarletts, Destros, Gung Hos, or Storm Shadows. That’s wild!

In fact, the only characters in the original ARAH line who had more versions than Payload were Snake Eyes, Roadblock, Cobra Commander, Duke, Hawk, and Stalker. Compared to all of those big, household names. Payload doesn’t seem like all that much. But, someone at Hasbro must have loved Payload– or, more likely, someone at Hasbro just loved reusing a certain environmentally-minded firefighter toy over and over again. 

Today, we’ll look at the last version of Payload released in the vintage GI Joe toy line. This is Star Brigade Payload from 1994. 

Continue reading “1994 GI Joe Star Brigade Payload Review” →