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GI Joe is alive and well in Brazil in the form of Estrala's Falcon

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  • GI Joe is alive and well in Brazil in the form of Estrala's Falcon

    This week I received my Falcon Amazon Explorer figure and was blown away by it.

    I have been through my share of repro 12" Joes and have preferred some over others.
    All of them seemed to have a general feeling of Joe and here was my feelings toward them:

    First there was the 12" mail away Joe Colton with the Hall of Fame body, 30th anniversary sets (which I waited on the TRU line for during the Joe convention on the Intrepid), and the WWII 50th Anniversary (which I picked up at KB Toys).
    These were great figures albeit with oversized bodies and sometimes with painted white lips or unpainted lips but I was grateful to have them.

    Then there were the Masterpiece and Timeless Joes with the return of the original Joe body. I preferred the Masterpiece head sculpt but still managed to pick up all of the Timeless Joes when they would appear in stores.
    Ahhh the days when Joe could be found in stores.... The sculpts still felt like a copy of the original but still grateful to have them. I pretty much felt the same way about the club repros.

    The 40th anniversary sets were next with the sleepy eye sculpt and the Walmart exclusives with the same sculpt and hunted those down as well.

    On the Foreign front:
    I picked up some nice 40th Action man sets. Loved the uniforms and the sculpt were nice.
    Hasbro Japan made a beautiful Father and Son set in the 90s. The son used a Joe Colton head and body in a baseball uniform but the father was on a classic Collection body with a sculpt that looked almost like the original Joe but with slightly oversized hair. A picture is below:


    Estrella in Brazil returned to making their version of Joe in the 90s with Classicos Falcon. It was on a 70s muscle body and the sculpt looked original. The eyes and eyebrows were painted different but I still liked them.
    Here is a picture of one of mine that was redressed:


    Which brings me to my latest acquisition. The Estrela Falcon figure that was released in 2017. I didn't know it was happening last year, and when I found out this year I preordered. These were released for Estrela's 80th Anniversary.
    The 3 figures include a Turbocopter Falcon, a Fantastic Freefall Falcon (called parachute mission) and the Amazon Explorer (which I purchased).
    When I arrived in the mail, it brought a tear to my eye. Joe was back. This looks like the original sculpt used on GI Joe with the muscle body and kung fu grip. The flocked hair is a little shorter but I like it. The grip is a little harder than normal (hopefully that will make it last longer) and I can't say how the body will hold up over time. FYI- The hands are removable.
    But just the feeling of opening this up brought me back to my childhood and ranks as my favorite repro ever. Although I really should just call this a continuation of the line instead of a repro.
    Here is a picture of my latest Joe:

    I understand the line will be continuing with a deep see diver with blond hair and a beard.


    Yes I know, Geyperman is being offered again as well as Action Man but this Falcon from Estrela to me is the real GI Joe.
    Hasbro should have borrowed the molds from Estrela and released them for Joe's 50th Anniversary perhaps through mail order. But that, as well is this whole post is just my opinion.
  • #2

    Wow those are nice!

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    • #3

      How interesting! They're definitely sharp-looking. If you get more, please share more photos!

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      • #4

        I agree that Hasbro should release the MB Joe. Makes much more sense than rehashing the old bod & early sets over and over. We need the AT line. I do like the GM releases, though. That body doesn't have the rubber issues inherent in the MBJoe bod. My 90's Estrella bods have lost their neck rubbers just like every Joe & EE BP VAM

        here's my Estrella re - releases



        trademarking



        real grippers unlike the shite 40th



        equipment detail



        with GeyperMan
        ???????

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        • #5

          Great pictures. Thanks for sharing those and good to hear about the new body. I checked the bodies on my 90s Falcons and it looks like it is only a matter of time before their head falls off.
          I am probably going to have to pick up the turbocopter and Fantasitc Freefall Falcons as well.
          Here is a picture that also includes the new deep see diver they will release:
          ??? Click image for larger version

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          ???

          Apparently Esrela branched out into sci fi elements with Falcon later on (I guess it was their version of a 12" Super Joe) and they are re-releasing Torak. I know it was released in the 90s and he is an enemy but I don't know much about him other than his chest lights up
          Click image for larger version

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          I doubt I'll pick up Torak but the diver is a must or me.

          ? Click image for larger version

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          I just hope they keep the line going after those.??
          Last edited by Alanjg1; 04-01-2018, 03:24 PM.

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          • #6

            They all look to be high quality, the Geypers are very nice too, thanks for sharing this.
            Fall in A, fall in B, fall in all the company!

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            • #7

              I hesitate to post this, because I honestly don't mean to be a downer.

              But, I was disappointed by the Estrela figure and especially the accessories. The flocking and head paint is excellent, but the body seems fragile and I really have my doubts as to whether it will be any more durable than a vintage muscle-body. The Geyper reissues seem sturdier and more durable.

              The soft-goods are of good quality and well-sewn.

              I was particularly disappointed by the turbo-copter in the set. The mechanism works well, but the casting is light and the control-arms were actually glued in place due to sloppy attachment of the mounting pins.

              I'm very excited about Torak and the diver, but I feel Estrela needs to improve their production and quality control.
              Last edited by ATFan; 04-02-2018, 03:00 AM.

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              • #8

                This below looks interesting, there's always room for a bit of adventurous Sci-fi:

                Fall in A, fall in B, fall in all the company!

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                • #9

                  I wanted to make sure and let fans/members know that Cotswold (the best) kindly replaced my copter. I had not requested a replacement, because I had opened and broken the item, but they were concerned nevertheless.

                  I'm excited for Estrela's Torak and diver, and I'm hopeful for other sci-fi offerings.

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