[Clockwise]

Every Joe #330: Thunder

1984 or 1985, which is the best year? I give the win to 1984 by sliver, thanks to great toys like the Slugger and its driver, Thunder.

Despite having a wonderful design that built upon the '82 and '83 waves, not to mention a fantastic headsculpt, Thunder didn't really stick. There was no second ARAH version of the character until the head-to-toe repaint as Thunderwing, a different character.

Sadly, Thunder got tossed into the Hama wood chipper without any character development.

[flashtronaut8]

Looks good!

Sunbow treated him well. I think he received better treatment (voice, design, usefulness) than Steeler in the cartoon. As you said, he had a great design and I tend to lump him in w/Ripcord in terms of coolness even though I never owned his action figure.

I still to this day remember his (Neil Ross') line in Money to Burn, when the lady at EE won't get out of the way, so he says, "My turn." then picks her up and moves her. We also met his family in the cartoon, didn't we? Seem to remember his sister in a bikini during the Captives of Cobra two-parter.

[Clockwise]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashtronaut8

Looks good!

Sunbow treated him well. I think he received better treatment (voice, design, usefulness) than Steeler in the cartoon. As you said, he had a great design and I tend to lump him in w/Ripcord in terms of coolness even though I never owned his action figure.

I still to this day remember his (Neil Ross') line in Money to Burn, when the lady at EE won't get out of the way, so he says, "My turn." then picks her up and moves her. We also met his family in the cartoon, didn't we? Seem to remember his sister in a bikini during the Captives of Cobra two-parter.

Thanks!

The head sculpt designs for Thunder and Ripcord had to have been done by the same sculptor, as they look like siblings. Not identical, but very close.

I haven't given the Sunbow cartoon a good view in a decade now, probably time to revisit!

[flashtronaut8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clockwise

Thanks!

The head sculpt designs for Thunder and Ripcord had to have been done by the same sculptor, as they look like siblings. Not identical, but very close.

I haven't given the Sunbow cartoon a good view in a decade now, probably time to revisit!

I think I read somewhere (probably this site) that Ripcord was based on Red Buttons. I hope that wasn't true, but I can see some resemblance.

[Clockwise]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashtronaut8

I think I read somewhere (probably this site) that Ripcord was based on Red Buttons. I hope that wasn't true, but I can see some resemblance.

That was my speculation, given that Red Buttons played a paratrooper in The Longest Day, a movie that whoever sculpted Thunder would probably have been in the right age range to have seen back then. Totally unsubstantiated, or course! But he WAS a WWII vet, so if a figure was modeled after him, I'd be very good with it.

He looks even more like the Ripcord portrait* here.

https://www.tcm.com/video/483917/say...ot-responsible

*I'll start using "portrait" instead of "head sculpt" because that's what the cool kids are doing nowadays!