So Justin, do you have anything to add on Roadblock’s cleaner 1986 style?Įh… back in the day I did enjoy the fact that this second version of Roadblock was larger and stockier than the ’84 version has he should be.
This figure will never replace the original Roadblock character design in my mind’s eye, but at least it offers enough of a contrast as to stand out.
#V2 ROADBLOCK GI JOE UPDATE#
Still, I’m surprised by how much I like this update to the character only because it is such a contrast to the original version. It’s a uniform that could only have been created in the late 80’s and, once the nostalgia has worn off, it’s a uniform that is extremely dated. Whereas the original color scheme for Roadblock was dark this updated is decidedly light-possibly presenting children of the 80’s with a much friendly version of Marvin Hinton. Adorned with red claps and a quilted red shoulder, the new accessory also has a beige vertical section with a sculpted knife. The biggest change, however, is found in the replacement of Roadblock’s web harness with a bright green vest. (Or is that Michael Jordon?) The dark green gloves have been reproduced this time in black plastic and a tan and silver belt now encircles the figure’s waist. The figure’s pants are now painted light gray and the upper torso and shoulders have been painted white to simulate a fresh Hanes t-shirt. To produce this particular figure, Hasbro went back to the previous 25A version of Roadblock and gave him a brand-new color scheme as well as new a new vest and web belt. Clad now in mostly lighter hues, the heavy machine gunner is a friendlier hi-tech version of his former self- or at least that might have been the logic back in the day. Roadblock’s 1986 uniform update is a 180 degree departure from his original uniform. Joe of the 90’s, even though the core elements were much the same.
Joe and really identified what the line would be known as for the future, and I just find it interesting that so many fans love what we got in 1986, but are quick to lambaste the G.I. Joe thrives and succeeds off of a pseudo science-fiction flair and doesn’t need to be tied to straight-up military realism. I only need to point to 1986 (which also ends up being one of the fans’ favorite runs of the entire toyline) to show that G.I. I hear so many Joe fans lather complaints about the 90’s saying how the unrealistic nature of the Battle Corps era “killed” the Joe line. I’ve just gotta interject for a second here with a nod of approval. Now, nearly 22 years later, Hasbro revisits that updated character design for Roadblock in the current “no-ring” style of construction and the results are mostly positive.
One such character was Roadblock, the gourmet-chef-turned-heavy-machine-gunner who abandoned his camouflage tank top and brown pants in favor of something a bit more “80’s”. It was a time of transition in which only a few of the characters of the previous years maintained the level of exposure that they had previously enjoyed. Even the mighty Cobra Commander was being phased out in favor of the newly created Serpentor. Characters like Gung-Ho, Breaker, Stalker, and Doc were out and Leatherneck, Dial-Tone, Beachhead, and Lifeline were in.
#V2 ROADBLOCK GI JOE ANDROID#
Gone were the familiar Cobra blue shirts and in their place came legions of Battle Android Troopers and Vipers. It was the year the premiere obsession of my youth become more ‘science fiction’ than ‘fiction’. 1986 was a year of transition for the GIJoe line in my eyes.
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