GI Joe: 1987 Personnel and Equipment

Personnel:

Backstop: though he's been run out of every sport he tried, from hockey to wrestling to boxing, Robert finally found a home in GI Joe. The man is brutally competitive, and has a habit of leaving broken opponents in his wake - and that's just his friends! Availability:

Big Lob: an obsessive basketball fan, Big Lob showed he was a true athlete upon breezing his way through basic training. He's since proved himself to both the regular brass and the GI Joe team, and excels in all manner of the team's special missions! Availability:

Chuckles: an intelligent, affable fellow, Chuckles is very hard to dislike. This helps him immensely when he's knee-deep in a Cobra compound, posing as one of their own and gaining their trust. Only too late do they realize that he's not one of them! Availability:

Crazylegs: David was on his way to becoming one of the world's greatest organists, but his short fingers put the kibosh on that goal. Needing new direction, he instead enlisted, and now jumps out of airplanes while his internal sound track is playing Bach! Availability:

Fast Draw: something of a one-man arsenal, Eliot is GI Joe's FAFNIR (Fire And Forget Non-tube-launched Infantry Rocket) expert. So much so, in fact, that he often seems like a high tech, missile-firing gunslinger when facing down Cobra goons! Availability:

Gung-Ho: raised in a swamp, until forced to fend for himself on the streets of New Orleans with naught but a blade, Gung-Ho found his time in Parris Island like unto a vacation. Perhaps that's why the GI Joe team so eagerly recruited him! Availability:

Hardtop: a man of few words, Nicholas speaks with action. Mind you, his usually involves building things for GI Joe, no matter how tricky the situation may be. He also drives and maintains the crawler / gantry designed to launch GI Joe's spacecraft! Availability:

Jinx: a member of the Arashikage family, Kimi naturally became a member of the associated ninja clan. Having also done work for the CIA and the Army in the past, Kimi was a natural fit for the elite GI Joe team - which she is a powerful addition to! Availability:

Law & Order: after years as a Houston beat cop, Christopher enlisted to find a more fulfilling way to be a policeman, taking his trusty dog Order with him. His sheer devotion to the job ultimately got him placed on the Joe team - if under odd circumstances. Availability:

Lieutenant Falcon: a second generation Green Beret, Vincent Falcone is himself a natural leader. The man excels at inspiring those who serve beneath him, and is a multi-lingual expert in all manner of counter-terrorist operations around the globe. Availability:

Payload: growing up in Cape Canaveral, Mark always wanted to go to space, and worked towards this goal his entire life. After becoming a bona fide astronaut, this former fighter pilot was picked to fly GI Joe's firt spacecraft, the mighty Defiant! Availability:

Psyche-Out: wielding a doctorate in psychology and an expertise in predictive behavioral analysis and paranoia-inducing ultra low frequency radio waves, Kenneth is the perfect psy-ops expert for GI Joe using his experience in countless covert ops! Availability:

Outback: Stuart is the consummate survivalist - though as a survival and jungle warfare instructor, that's his job. He's at his happiest when he's living off the land, days away from civilization, and immersing himself in the wilds that surround him! Availability:

Rumbler: a former IRS agent, Earl-Bob was 'encouraged' to enlist instead - this after he'd demolished seven government vehicles and incurred several lawsuits in the course of his 'aggressive' work to apprehend tax evaders, stamp dodgers, and moonshiners! Availability:

Sneak Peek: growing up with a love of nature in eerie Bangor, Maine, Owen King enlisted as soon as he could. Using his wilderness skills to become an Army Ranger, Owen has since gone on to become one of the GI Joe team's greatest reconnaissance operatives! Availability:

Starduster: originally a circus acrobat, Edward was recruited by GI Joe after Duke saw his act, and thought it'd be even better with a jet pack. Somehow convincing Edward of this logic, Duke got him to enlist, where he's been wowing the Joes ever since! Availability:

Steam-roller: Averill has always enjoyed driving big rigs, from Great Lakes cargo cranes to Appalacian strip mine earth movers. He even enlisted to get at the Army's immense rides, a career path that put him behind the wheel of the Mobile Command Center! Availability:

the Steel Brigade: GI Joe excels in all areas, but sometimes it comes in handy to work with someone having more localized knowledge. When they need such a specialist, they call the Steel Brigade, their reservists and regional contacts around the world! Availability:

Tunnel Rat: raised on the surly streets of Brooklyn back in the day, Tunnel Rat grew up to be tough, indomitable, and somewhat jaded. Always looking for a good challenge, he's more than ready to climb into nasty Cobra tunnels to ferret out the bad guys! Availability:

Battle Force 2000

Avalanche: Ian decided to do something better with his life than engage in the family business of bootlegging, poaching, and smuggling, and enlisted in the Army. The military then put his skills to use, and now he's a cold weather survival expert, too! Availability:

Blaster: smitten with ground effect vehicle technology since his youth, Brian enlisted to acquire the funding he needed to develop it further. This worked out better than he imagined, and now Brian is on the bleeding edge of its development! Availability:

Blocker: tiring of life as a Boston cab driver, David enlisted to get a ride with which he could shoot back at the opposition. He's proven so good at fighting behind the wheel that he was eventually selected to be a Battle Force 2000 vehicular combatant! Availability:

Dodger: an old hand at the fine art of tank warfare, Richard is also an expert in the newest electronic gewgaws installed within armored vehicles. As such, he was picked to join the Battle Force 2000 unit to put this expertise to good use! Availability:

Knockdown: an aerophobic anti-aircraft specialist, Blaine intimately knows how easily an airborne vehicle can crash down to earth in a flaming ball of doom. Maybe that's why this microwave technician prefers to shoot Cobras down from the surface, then! Availability:

Maverick: having flown since he was a child, Thomas joined the Air Force as soon as he could, and participated in countless experimental flight programs upon graduating from the Air Force Academy. Which is naturally why Battle Force 2000 snatched him up! Availability:

the Renegades

Mercer: an ex-Cobra Viper who has 'seen the light', Felix has turned on his former terrorist allies and is all about bringing them down. Though unable to work for the Joes in an official capacity, he has found a home in Sergeant Slaughter's Renegades! Availability:

Red Dog: a former pro football player, David Taputapu got sacked for unnecessary roughness. After a stint as a Hollywood stunt man, he was recruited by GI Joe, as the powers that be thought he'd be an excellent addition to Sgt. Slaughter's Renegades! Availability:

Taurus: Varujan Ayvazyan was a Turkish circus acrobat who did undercover work for Interpol, when he wasn't smashing two-by-fours with his face under the big top. An expert in over a dozen languages, Taurus was an ideal candidate to join GI Joe's Renegades! Availability:

Equipment:

the Coastal Defender: when not in use, the Coastal Defender looks like a mere trailer. However, it can be quickly transformed into a one-man missile platform that can be operated from the rear of almost any vehicle in the GI Joe team's arsenal! Availability:

the Crossfire: a heavily armed off-road vehicle, the Crossfire is perfect for engaging in hit and run operations against Cobra. It's the perfect ride for Rumbler, since that Joe is more than happy to engage in vehicular violence at the drop of a hat! Availability:

the Defiant Space Vehicle Launch Complex: the crown jewel of the GI Joe arsenal, this incredible equipment consists of a crawler gantry, a booster rocket / space station, and a space vehicle, and allows the team to take the fight against Cobra to space itself! Availability:

GI Joe's Motorized Micro-accessories: bucking the trend of most GI Joe equipment at the time, these small devices can be carried by a single operative if necessary. Assembled in the field, these motorized items provide the Joes various useful capabilities. Availability:

the Mobile Command Center: simply huge, the MCC is a three story tall, tracked vehicle that GI Joe uses as an on-the-go forward base in the never-ending war against Cobra terrorism. It has everything the Joes need to keep tabs on and counter their enemy with! Availability:

the Persuader: a small yet powerful vehicle, the Persuader is essentially a rolling laser cannon. Built for defense while packing a staggering offense, this vehicle is a perfect fit for its driver, Backstop, who tends to play hard and fight even harder! Availability:

the Road Toad: like the Coastal Defender, the Road Toad is towed into battle by another vehicle. It is intended to help the Joes recover other disabled vehicles, however, only being armed because Cobra likes nothing more than to gun down support personnel! Availability:

the SLAM: the Strategic Long-range Artillery Machine (aka the SLAM) is a self-propelled weapon of immense destructive potential. It has the same firepower as an Armadillo mini-tank while being even smaller - and is loaded up with missiles, to boot! Availability:

Battle Force 2000

the Dominator: a cold weather tank, the Dominator can be split into two components, one of which is much more mobile than the other. Both are heavily armed and armored, however, which makes sense since this vehicle serves as the base of the Future Fortress! Availability:

the Eliminator: a heavily armored, all-terrain vehicle, the Eliminator is perfect for former taxi driver Blocker - he's always wanted a ride that can shoot back at his enemies. It even has a bonus component that lets a teammate offer him instant fire support! Availability:

the Future Fortress: unique amongst GI Joe's prefabricated bases, the Future Fortress is not only ready-made, but is assembled from components donated from six different vehicles. This odd construction allows it to be installed and ready to fight in minutes! Availability:

the Marauder: this strange component of the Battle Force 2000 line of theoretical weapons research is a sort of 'motorcycle-tank'. The two components of the Marauder can detach, however, in the event that the driver wants to be in two places at once! Availability:

the Sky Sweeper: Knockdown's ride is an advanced anti-aircraft vehicle, with an optional stand-alone sentry post that can be installed either by itself or within the Future Fortress. It also lets Knockdown deal with his phobic aversion to aircraft! Availability:

the Vector: highly advanced, the Vector can move at speeds unexpected for something its size - all while being relatively radar resistant. It is equipped with a ballistics pod that can provide fire support or merge with other Battle Force 2000 vehicles! Availability:

the Vindicator: the ultimate expression of Blaster's ground effects vehicle development, the Vindicator is a hovercraft that isn't tied to the earth, and is as maneuverable as any helicopter. It's also equipped with a high speed, heavily armed rocket sled! Availability:

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