Though it had begun three years earlier, 1985 was when GI Joe really got big. The cartoon began in earnest, and a lot of memorable, popular characters were introduced.
With the release of Footloose, we now have one of the last "'85 Joes" that still needed a G3 update. Don't believe us? Here's a list of all the 1985 figures:
- Airtight
- Alpine
- Barbecue
- Bazooka
- Crankcase*
- Crimson Guard
- Dusty
- Eel
- Flint
- Frostbite
- Footloose
- Heavy Metal*
- Keel-Haul
- Lady Jaye
- Lamprey
- Quick Kick
- Shipwreck
- Snake-Eyes
- Snow Serpent
- Tele-Viper
- Tollbooth
- Tomax and Xamot
That's all but three of the characters, reinvented for the modern era, and that's a pretty impressive amount! If you want to add another, 1985 was the year Sgt. Slaughter was first offered as a mailaway (though the figure didn't actually start shipping until '86). Plus, while they were available from Sears in time for Christmas '84, this was the year the Dreadnoks Buzzer, Ripper and Torch became plentiful.
And finally, Heavy Metal has been updated as Speed Metal, but that was for the movie continuity and he doesn't look anything at all like his RAH version, so he doesn't count (the same reason movie Footloose didn't count for that character). You can tell it's meant to be the same guy, because he has the same file name (Sherman Guderian), while the one linked in the list up above has the name of Walter McDaniel. However, his codename, Rampage, comes from the second release of Guderian, and the design is clearly taken directly from that toy. Confused yet?
Not to be a wet blanket, but Heavy Metal DID get a RAH accurate update: the Target exclusive redeco of the RHINO came with "Rampage", which is the alternate name for Heavy Metal. But you don't have to take my word for it.
Fixed! Thanks for the info.