The Dreadnoks are a biker gang under the leadership of Zartan and informally and occasionally on the payroll of Cobra. It’s one of the wonderfully bizarre team dynamics in the G.I. Joe universe.
Category Archives: Toys and Toy Art
Remembering Hector Garrido
Filed under G.I. Joe Behind the Scenes, General Musings, Toys and Toy Art
Charbroil by Woodbridge and Sears
Charbroil was never a favorite of mine. Continue reading
Filed under G.I. Joe Behind the Scenes, Toys and Toy Art
Mestophoni by Groen
Around 1994, Kurt Groen was sketching a bunch of super-heroes for possible inclusion in the G.I. Joe line.
Filed under G.I. Joe Behind the Scenes, Toys and Toy Art
Cesspool by Groen
Cesspool started out pitched as a similarly eco-themed “Oil Baron.” I’m not sure if that was a codename (probably not) or a title, but the figure and his ilk evolved and we got Cesspool. Along the way, Cesspool dropped his earlier name, “The CEO,” and Eco-Warriors dropped its earlier monicker, “Eco-Force.” We met the Oil Baron here several years ago at A Real American Book!, in fact, another Kurt Groen drawing.
Filed under G.I. Joe Behind the Scenes, Toys and Toy Art
Wetsuit original sculpt by Merklein
The “Cobra Assassin” post from earlier today had some factual errors, so I’ve taken that down and am putting up this one it its place!
Bill Merklein sculpted around 65 G.I. Joe action figures in the 1980s.
Filed under G.I. Joe Behind the Scenes, Toys and Toy Art
B.A.T. Concepts (#3) by Ron Rudat
From 1981 to about 1987, Ron Rudat was Hasbro’s G.I. Joe figure designer. This drawing likely dates to 1984 or 1985. As with the last two we’ve examined here at A Real American Book!, it’s Rudat figuring out the look of Cobra’s Battle Android Trooper. Here’s a production B.A.T. that I purchased in 1986:
Filed under G.I. Joe Behind the Scenes, Toys and Toy Art
A Real American Book! 