This year was, hmmmmmm, exclusive?! A lot of great vehicles, play-sets, and accessories were released, but probably the most coveted items are this years exclusives.
The Dreadnoks got a SLEW of vehicles, including two widely released vehicles (The Thunder Machine and the Swampfire) and four very rare vehicles released in two Sears Exclusive sets (the Dreadnok Air Assault and Dreadnok Ground Assault). The Thunder Machine is hands down one of my all time favorites. It is a sick Mad Max style junk heap with a jet engine welded onto the back! How can you not love that? The Swampfire was a pretty cool helicopter. The Ground Assault and Air Assault contain a repainted VAMP, RAM, Skyhawk, and FANG. These were already classic vehicles, but add color-changing Dreadnok colors to them and sell them in limited quantities at just one store and NOW you have the recipe for collectibility! These two sets are a holy grail for many G.I. Joe ARAH collectors.
The Joes added to their air force with the Conquest X-30 jet and the Tomahawk helicopter. The Cobras released the EPIC Night Raven S³P jet. This plane is amazing. It is a close second only to the Skystriker in my book.
Cobra found a real home in the Terror Drome, their first real base of operations since the 1982 Missile Command Headquarters (which was made of cardboard and had long since fallen apart or been thrown out of most kids collections). To top that off, the Terror Drome housed the Firebat, a nimble little jet flown by A.V.A.C..
Cobra troops were treated to vehicles for land, sea, and air with the STUN, Hydro-Sled, and the Air Chariot. The Chariot belonged to the new Cobra Emperor, Serpentor, so good luck getting your Cobra mitts on that one. The Cobras deployed Surveilance Ports all over to keep tabs on the Joes.
The Joes deployed Outpost Defenders and the L.A.W. to fight Cobra. Their ground forces swelled to include the H.A.V.O.C., the L.C.V. (low crawl vehicle), and Sgt. Slaughter's Triple T. Finally, they added to their navy with the Devilfish, a nimble little speed boat.
Check out all the details and relive the 1986 nostalgia at 3DJoes today!
http://www.3djoes.com/1986-overview.html