1988 Recondo

There’s plenty of different areas within G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, where one can devote their time and interest. Usually the Venn Diagram of what people enjoy, tends to be  one that features lots of overlap, as somebody who enjoys taking pictures of figures, is likely going to also be more inclined to army building or customizing figures. It’s a vast toyline, so getting numerous areas of enjoyment out of it, helps people stay connected to a line, that has been little more than a can kicked down the road of nostalgia for the last 15 years, and probably more before that.

One area that has a somewhat universal appeal, but only at a surface level, is some of the history and behind the scenes aspects of the figures. People are often interested in seeing things like pre-production art or figures, but don’t really feel the need to delve too deep into them, as it’s something that often attracts a fairly stuffy group, more interested in ensuring they get credit for any images or don’t want them shared because they’ve got either a book or an article in the works.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the information and reference aspect of G.I. Joe was a little more open, one of the initial things that really gave people a look behind the curtain on what could have been, was the pre-production Tiger Force figures that had made themselves into European catalogs and one of the Hasbro commercial catalogs, showing off figures never produced, like Sabretooth, and Rip Cord, or ones that were wildly different from what was actually released, like the 1988 Recondo.

Initially Recondo was supposed to be a single carded release, with a completely different colour scheme. At some point this idea was transformed, likely due to where molds were located. So instead Flint went on to become a 1988 Tiger Force release, with the colouring that was initially going to be on Recondo.

What we got instead was a figure with what was to be the Wild Bill colourscheme, featuring charcoal and a deep green, with yellow, blue and brown used on the mold’s detailing. Frankly of the two possible colouring choices, I’d go with the actually released colours, as they’re far more impactful (as it should be, to stand out from the cockpit of a yellow helicopter), and an even more dramatic shift from the 1984 original. Frankly, the biggest issue with this version of Recondo, other than plastic brittleness, is the fact he’s much harder to come across than other Tiger Force figures, since he was a vehicle driver.

This figure also has the notoriety for being one of the first figures produced for domestic release, that wasn’t manufactured in China or Hong Kong. Recondo’s mold was in Brazil, as was the Dragonfly’s mold, both of which were scheduled for use in the Tiger Force line, so rather than ship the tooling back to Asia, Hasbro just had Estrela produce the two. This is interesting, because it changed the Brazilian Comandos Em Açao line from that point on. Prior to this figure, the majority of Brazilian figures had a much deeper tan than any figure you’d see released in North America. Since Recondo was intended for a domestic release, the skin tone had to be more in-line with what was made in Asian factories. After this, the Estrela skin tone used on figures would be more towards this Recondo than the skin tone you’d see on the earlier releases.

This change in country of origin, is noticeable, for starters, his thumbs are ridiculously brittle, in comparison to the figures released at the same time as him. This is noticeable, as the Recondo rifle (made out of harder plastic than typical accessories), has a relatively thick handle that doesn’t really sit in a figure’s hands all that well to begin with. So a lot of 1988 Recondo’s have thumb difficulties. Mine has a stretched out and stressed left thumb, it makes putting his rifle in his left hand easier, but it’s still something that must have care and attention paid to.

The card art for Recondo’s 1984 figure, really provides the appearance of a total mad man. This combined with seeing Apocalypse Now at probably too young an age, I developed the idea that Recondo is a little more along the lines of Col. Kurtz, than anything else. If Recondo didn’t agree to operate for the G.I. Joe team, he’d probably be targeted by them, so while he hides himself away in the Jungle, he knows that he can be called upon at any moment, for what he believes will be some form of busy work and probably just the Joe team keeping tabs on him. The level of distrust between the two parties, gives everyone a little more caution when Recondo is on a mission, as no one is quite sure if Recondo is going to hold up his end of the bargain.

I find this gives the Recondo character a little edge, as well as makes some of my silly little daydreams about G.I. Joe have a little more interesting ideas for conflict. With Recondo being a jungle warfare specialist on a team that isn’t always in the jungle, there’s gotta be a hook to the character. Plus, sometimes the “everyone gets along and is dedicated to each other” portrayal of the G.I. Joe team is a little much. In real life, a lot of people don’t get along with their co-workers, teammates, et al. This is going to be even more amped up when in a group that’s likely considered the “best of the best”.

Recondo is a strong figure, that definitely could use three or four more paint jobs, since he’s both a really cool figure, and the two uses by Hasbro still leave a lot of room for something new. Had the 2022 Retro O-Ring line been more successful, I think Recondo probably would’ve been a good choice for being re-created, since he’s a fan favourite figure and character, who finds himself appearing in pretty much every incarnation of G.I. Joe featuring ARAH characters.

If, the Retro line had been better handled, and we were to see a Recondo figure, I think it would’ve been cool to see a new figure done up in the original Tiger Force pattern intended for this figure, as it was something seen in one of the modern error convention sets, and would’ve been both something new and something familiar if it were to happen. However, much like most of G.I. Joe’s post 1998 history, we’re left with a world full of missed opportunities and wasted potential. So in a way, that Retro line was successful, as it continued on that trend.