the Polar Battle Bear
The Polar Battle Bear is a 1.4-ton snow vehicle deployed by the Joe team for use during cold weather conflicts. Propelled by two powerful treads driven by a 160 HP, rear-mounted v6 engine, with steering controlled by two front-mounted skis, the Battle Bear is a one soldier power house - though it can carry two passengers in a pinch. The Battle Bear has these vehicular characteristics:
Bullet-Proof Windshield (s): the front of the Polar Battle Bear (and thus its driver) benefits from the presence of an acrylic composite, bullet-proof windshield. While this windshield doesn't provide the entire vehicle additional protection against attack, it does offer intensity 8 (+2) defense versus attacks from the front to both the Polar Battle Bear and its Joe driver.
Heat-Seeking Missiles (a): mounted on the two steering skis, these surface-to-surface miniature missiles are quite effective in striking their targets in the icy northern (or southern) wastes. Each of these missiles can strike a target to inflict intensity 10 damage, though if the Polar Battle Bear's driver strikes a single opponent with both rockets at once, they inflict +1 damage.
Propulsion (a): this function details the mobility of the Polar Battle Bear. Propelled by two powerful treads driven by a 160 HP, rear-mounted v6 engine, with steering controlled by two front-mounted skis, the Battle Bear can achieve speeds of approximately 42 miles per hour, though this may vary slightly depending on the number of passengers and terrain involved (intensity 2).
Quartz Halogen Headlamp (i): the front of the Polar Battle Bear is equipped with a powerful quartz halogen lamp, allowing its driver to see the terrain before him or her even in the darkest of nights. The lamp illuminates the area in front of the Battle Bear with intensity 8 light, and if used cunningly, it can be utilized to inflict a blinding attack upon an opponent.
Passengers: strictly speaking, the Polar Battle Bear is a one-man vehicle - it can be considered an oversized, heavily armed snowmobile when you get down to it. However, the back of the Battle Bear has been fitted with a 'rear battle deck', which allows up to two riders to latch on to the Battle Bear wherever its driver takes it. It's not a comfy ride, but it's faster than walking.
Roll Bar (s): this special steel bar, wrapped over the driver's seat of the Polar Battle Bear, offers protection to its driver regarding rolls and crashes. It wouldn't shield them from, say, a bomb blast, but if the Battle Bear gets struck or toppled somehow, at least its driver will benefit from intensity 8 (+2) protection against the resultant damage applied to the vehicle.
Synchronized 50mm Cannons (a): fitted with a 650-round drum of ammunition, these twinned 50mm cannons can inflict devastating damage upon enemy personnel, vehicles, and fortifications. They can be fired to inflict damage as would a +7 weapon per deadly burst, and can dish out punishment for quite a while considering the exceptionally large amount of ammunition available to them.
2002 Variations
the Rock Slide
About twenty years after they first fielded the Polar Battle Bear, GI Joe refurbished and reissued several of these vehicles as the Rock Slide. The primary change in this ride is that, aside from the addition of grayscale monochrome camouflage, the Joes exchanged its additional passenger room for an addiitonal weapon. This additional hardware functions as described below:
Rotary Multi-Missile Launcher (i): the chief difference between the Polar Battle Bear and the Rock Slide is, of course, this exceptionally large rocket launcher. This thing is armed with four powerful rockets, each of which track a target by his heat source (easy to find in the Arctic), and inflict intensity 10 damage to whatever they hit - and anyting else within near missile distance.
2017 Variations
the Marauder Snowmobile
Fifteen years after the latest iteration of the Polar Battle Bear hit the streets, GI Joe's newly reformed Battle Force 2000 overhauled the concept from top to bottom. Rereleasing them as Marauders, to honor the previous Battle Force 2000 ride, these highly efficient snow combat vehicles are functionally the same, but are much more reliable and cheaper to produce, and now come in Battle Force 2000 colors.
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of the Polar Battle Bear:
| 1983 | 2002 | 2017 |
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