Looking at figures to do some of my Mega Construx interpretations of Joe characters, it's led to me looking at the vehicles, too. I'm working on the '87 figures right now and came to Steam-Roller. I never had the MCC as a kid and it didn't appeal to me enough to track it down as a collector. However, I do have the ROCC in its various iterations. So now I'm wondering, which do you prefer, the MCC or the ROCC?

I have to go with the ROCC -- it seemed more like a militarized tractor-trailer that could actually be driven down the highway and moved from place to place, whereas the MCC is a Joe version of the Star Wars Sand Crawler that just wouldn't be practical in most places. From the play aspect, the MCC may have a lot more features, but they certainly crammed a lot of play into the ROCC, too, so that's almost a draw for me. What about you? I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks.

We didn't have the MCC as kids, and I only picked one up on clearance after the re-release. I did pick up a couple ROCCs, too. I'd have to go with MCC for sheer 'this would have been awesome back in the day' -- it's the combo of nearly-recognizable design (sand crawler) with complete impracticality (think TTBP) but makes for perfect imagination play. The ROCC is too ... realistic? I mean, it's perfectly designed to go with the ME type joes/ROC, etc., with fits in with the figures' updated 'reality' ... but I feel it loses some of the fun that way.

my .02$

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As much as I like the playset appeal of the MCC, I can't wrap my head around actually using it in the field. It's too bulky and should not be anywhere near the front, plus it would need a dedicated crew of smaller/quicker vehicles to defend it. I've tried mentally thinking that three giant cargo planes would offload the three levels and utility vehicles would put it together, but that just adds on more logistical issues and personnel.

It would have to be a basic, limited mobility rolling HQ, that hides out in the middle of nothing with sensor baffles and active counter measures to keep it from showing up on satellite imagery or on radar.

The ROCC is much more believable as a portable HQ and a little paneling could disguise it as an everyday on the road tractor trailer.

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To me the MCC doesn't 'actually' open up and is really a mobile building block with specialized-purpose floors. The unfolding aspect is solely to facilitate play similar to how the play features of the TerrorDrome make no sense IRL and likely are there for play value. Nobody in their right mind would sit equidistant between a large power center (the computer banks), gunnery emplacement, and rocket launch tube when the square area of that triangle is on the order of a NYC apartment's bathroom *and* you're wholly open to enemy fire from above. Nobody's gonna make a 3story deployable war-accordion IRL, either.

Anyways; I'm greedy and glad I have 2x of each vehicle in my garage. Da mo', da bedda!

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Some good points, guys:

JoeMichaels - you bring up a good point about 'awesome back in the day'. I didn't think I wanted it when I was a kid, but that could've easily been sour grapes since I knew I wouldn't get it. If I had actually gotten it, I very well could have loved it more than anything else.

DJ - That was one of my hangups with it - I just couldn't imagine how it could drive anywhere to get to where it needed to be. At least the TTBP could be flown in by choppers.

AV - I never really thought of it as opening up (or the TD being the size it is, scale-wise) and I think that's part of what bothered me. Knowing how big it would have to be to have all that stuff in it meant it just couldn't go anywhere. That does bring up an interesting thing, though. I remember getting the Joe HQ for Christmas and being so excited. But once I had it all set up, it bothered me there was no roof. "If it rains or anything, they'll all get wet and all their stuff will get ruined!" My ~8 year old mind just couldn't fathom that it was meant to be a cut-away. When I voiced my concern for the obvious design flaw, dad explained to me how they had to do it that way so it could be played with and that it would have a roof that I had to pretend was there.

neither. I don't care for either. The MCC seemed slow and lumbering. Never understood the need for it or the General.

The ROCC is for people who don't have a Rolling Thunder. It has some nifty play features that are almost MASK-like. So I'd probably lean this way if I had to choose between the two but all things being equal, I'd get somethign else. Which is what I did/have done.

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Interesting thoughts on the ROCC vs Rolling Thunder since I didn't even consider that. I never had the RT and don't think I've even seen one personally. But now that you mention it, that is a more apt comparison and in that case, I would have to give the edge to the Rolling Thunder.