What characters do you associate with what vehicles?

I think most collectors would put Snow Job with the Polar Battle Bear, Stalker with the JUMP Jet Pack, Rock N Roll with the RAM, that sort of thing, but what about other vehicles like the FLAK, Skyhawk or FANG?

Who mans the controls of your driverless vehicles?

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FLAK- I always think of Short-Fuze.
FANG- Cobra Soldier
Skyhawk- I always think of Duke (probably due to the comics, 21 in particular)

The Ferret (also due to the comics) always makes me think either the Crimson Guard Commanders, or as I currently have mine displayed, Firefly and Scrap-Iron.

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FANG - Major Bludd
Skyhawk - Duke
MANTA - Stalker
Forward Observer - Repeater (do play sets count?)
Checkpoint Alpha - Law (and Order)
Bomb Disposal - Tripwire
Silver Mirage - Snake Eyes
ASP - Cobra Troopers
Devilfish - Shipwreck

For the most part, if it was depicted on the box art or in the instructions, that's who is my "go-to" for the vehicle. Otherwise, it's just who seemed to look best with it.

Cobra had trained pilots to operate the FANGs, although they had minimal training as FANGs are pretty easy to operate. Basically these 'pilots' got an extra week of training.

I think the SkyHawk and the PBB are vehicles that are easy enough to operate by any JOE, but Snow Job would be the primary operator.

As for the FLAK, Whirlwind, and some of the other JOE weapons systems, I created some additional characters to man the guns.

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After their appearance in #30, I had Hiss Drivers as pilots of the FANG.

Breaker always drove the RAM both due to the box art and the fact that I got the RAM one day and my first Joe figure (Breaker) the next.

Claw is Stormshadow.

Trouble Bubble is Tele Viper.

Sky Hawk is Grand Slam. For some reason, I repurposed him as a pilot in '85 or '86 and he always flew the Skyhawk after that.

I used Hooded Cobra Commander's as ASP gunners since we had three of them when we were kids so he had to be an army builder.

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I too looked at the box art, but I checked the figures' primary and secondary military specialties as well.


Yes, with the help of Mutt & Junkyard.

Cobra:
Pogo B.B. Ball: Armoured Cobra Commander
F.A.N.G. II: Alley Viper V1
Rage: Tomax and Xamot
Earthquake: the Dreadnoks

G.I.Joe:
A.P.C.: Dodger
Swampmasher: Muskrat

While Sgt Slaughter always drives the Warthog, Muskrat is always his gunner.
Psyche Out always end up in the comm station for the Desert Fox.
Beach Head or Wet Suit pilot the Devilfish

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Same here, except I also include Hawk, as he was the one actually driving in the comic with Beach Head and Wet Suit riding ( also the way I have mine displayed).

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I honestly make customs for many vehicles that didn't come with a driver, Like the APC I have a custom named Hammer Down

I assume most Joes can drive light vehicles (VAMP, AWE Striker, Hummer (Hammers etc), RAMs, Silver Mirage/Howlers)

Any Joe that is also a pilot can fly a Skyhawk (I Actually have a Fred K. Bamma Custom, he test piloted the prototype)

Most Joes can also fire FLAK and Whirlwind but I save my artillery and lazer weapon specialists for the LAW, HAL, Mt. Howitzer, MMS (and the spy troops version with the seat)

The Hal and Flak are often manned by Grandslam (He also carries a JUMP jetpack at all times)

Rock and Roll has his own personal RAM

Torpedo has his own Devilfish (But most Joes can pilot the Devil FIsh in general)

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I always associate Grand Slam with the JUMP pack because I have the one that came with the silver-deco Grand Slam. Rock and Roll usually was on the RAM because of the comic book. I feel like I put Flash on the Flak or Breaker because I bought those two together with my birthday money.

Funny thing is I always put Rock N Roll with the ram because he was my first Joe and it was my first vehicle. So for a while it was just him, Gung-Ho, and the RAM and GH didn't look right on it, so it went to RnR. Never read the comics as a kid so didn't realize that was the expected thing.


You put Flash on Breaker?

Most of my associations (and I think much of the community) has to do with the artwork on the package or a scene in the comic. And really, I think Hasbro did a good job of matching the characters to those vehicles.

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I'm trying to figure out how to display my 25th/ME figures and vehicles.
Obviously the VAMP gets Clutch, AWE Striker gets Crankcase, etc, but I was just curious about vehicles like the Skyhawk (it'll get Duke), RAM (RnR), still trying to figure out the Armadillo and FLAK. I thought about Bazooka and Grunt respectively, but Bazooka has a lot of character and a missile launcher that makes him more interesting on his own and since Grunt is an infantryman, he might look odd on the big gun (though Vintage Grunt mans the vintage FLAK).

The other question is the vehicleless drivers like Wild Bill, Heavy Metal and V1 Hawk. Since the display is the modern stuff and H neglected to give us a ME Dragonfly, Mauler or MMS (properly coloured).

Hmmm... Maybe Heavy Metal on the Armadillo...

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I didn't even think about that. They gave us the Cobra Heetseek in the Wal-Mart exclusive sets which I was thankful for. It allowed me to pair it with the HISS from the Ultimate Battle Pack to get a new SMS set. But it would have been really easy to use that tooling again for the MMS in proper colors. I think it would have been well received since many vintage ones are missing parts or have broken fins on the missiles.

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The HISS Drivers have Fang Pilot listed as secondary specialty on the filecard.

It would have been nice set for Hasbro to release a mail-away of figures re-colored for as vehicle drivers:

01. Grunt in tan/green camo as the APC driver
02. HISS Driver in black uniform w/grey armor as Fang pilot
03. Wild Bill V2 in olive drab as Locust pilot
04. Roadblock V2 or V3 in olive drab as Whirlwind operator
05. HISS Driver in Cobra blue with black armor as ASP operator
06. Torpedo in pale green as Manta driver

and another set

07. Wild Weasel (as a generic Cobra pilot) in light grey as Trouble Bubble or CLAW
08. Spirit V1 in olive drab as Forward Observer Unit
09. Grand Slam in apple green with dark grey pads as SLAM operator
10. Cobra Soldier in burgundy as Imp driver
11. Cover Girl in two tone camo as Lynx driver
12. Eel in burgundy w/mustard details as Piranha driver

Some of these drivers would be a few years out of sync with their vehicles, but that's okay. They could have all had new heads atop the old bodies and be released as new characters (think Sky Patrol) as well.