We know with the 25th/RoC/PoC/etc. figures and vehicles, there have been things released that were a sort of homage to something from the original line or other aspects of GI Joe. We also know of things like 'real names' and faces for RAH being based on designers, writers, etc. But what other callbacks or tributes (either within the line, or to other lines, or real people) are there?

I got thinking about this yesterday when I was boxing up stuff at my house. I pulled the MANTA off a shelf to put it away, then something fairly obvious hit me that I probably should have realized back in '89. I'd always wondered how they decided to give Stalker a kayak. Well, yesterday while looking at the MANTA, it finally hit me. I actually said, "Duh" as I realized that he had always been the one on the mail-away forms for it, so the MANTA was 'his' vehicle. So when they made a new Stalker, he got a one-man boat to go along with it. It was a callback to those older mail-aways. Yeah, I should have caught onto that sooner, but just didn't.

So, what callbacks/tributes have you noticed, especially ones that should have been obvious, but you just didn't get for some time?

I really love the idea of this thread...but have nothing really to contribute.

Although I guess you can reason some of the new sculpt designs were homages to the originals without being straight re-dos. Some I didn't notice until later.
Like new sculpt Scarlet was just a more geared out 'modern' look of her classic outfit.

_________________

You guys know that Larry Hama used to use the names of folks he knew until Hasbro told him to cut it out. I would love to know which characters have real-world counterparts.