151: “Steel Brigade.” G.I. Joe “Real American Hero” Series 6, 1987.
This is quite possibly one of the most “important” things that happened throughout the entire G.I. Joe “A Real American Hero” series. This figure was available via mail-in and the idea of it is that it is YOU. Or, your CHARACTER, if you prefer. But basically there was a form you would fill out that allowed you to choose the codename, and several aspects of the character via multiple choice, and this would include specialties etc, just like on file cards.
You have to imagine this from the perspective of a 10yr old boy. It was truly remarkable. I think everyone loves the ability to customize anything, and the fact that after loving and collecting GI Joe figures for the prior 5 years, you could suddenly create your own, in a fashion, was VERY exciting. You would receive the figure, accessories, your custom file card, AND a snazzy PATCH! Very very exciting for a 10yr old lemme tell ya.
Now, as for the design of the figure itself, the head/helmet was the only new piece, and the torso, arms, waist, and legs were all repaints of previous figures parts. It gets a bit complicated because there were several variations, but I have chosen to draw the version that I personally received in the mail, which consists of (017) Airborne’s torso, (028) Grand Slam’s arms, (020) Gung-Ho’s waist, and (040) Scrap Iron’s legs. It’s generally accepted that there are 5 main variations, and one of the main distinctions is (031) Duke’s torso. You can see great comparison and details and photos at http://www.3djoes.com/steel-brigade.html
