Someday, G.I. Joe will be awarded a Purple Heart. For all the beatings he’s taken in reboots.
In 1995, Kenner was still a relatively new addition to Hasbro. They had a pretty impressive license roster, which, incidentally, made up most of my childhood favorites, and were given an opportunity to revamp one of Hasbo staple lines. And that is when G.I. Joe Extreme happened.
It’s easy to bag on Extreme. Hell, it’s almost a requirement. But it’s also lazy. It was only the second scale change G.I. Joe had ever attempted, and it was done in a lot of the same fashion as A Real American Hero was: new scale, new characters (except Sgt Savage), new villains, and a tie-in cartoon and comic. In 1995, you might have thought this was the next big thing. Turned out, it wasn’t.
There’s plenty to criticize. Like most 5-inch toy lines of Kenner’s era, the figures were weakly articulated, usually with five articulation points or less, and there was the awful preposed nature of their exaggerated sculpts. Still, it was the only time in my life that I had Batman, Predator, Aliens, Terminator, and G.I. Joe figures in the same style and scale. And that’s something that obviously has a continued impact on the way I collect today.
Like most G.I. Joe lines, Extreme had vehicles. Kenner was no stranger to doing so, and while their efforts were not usually as involved or impressive as the old Hasbro ones, they are still interesting and worth a look. The Sky Stalker was the only jet in the group, and belonging to SKAR, it was appropriately intimidating looking.
A slim, wedge-shaped flying wing design, the Sky Stalker reminds me of the infamous Horten 229 of World War II. A fascinating fighter bomber that pioneered ideas in stealth technology that were still being studied 40 years after it’s capture, the Horten needs it’s own article. Just perhaps not this one.
The cockpit sits in the very front of the plane, and it does have functioning landing skids — a nose skid rides just under, and the outer lower wings fold down to make the other two — a pretty clever feature.
The main gimmick of the Sky Stalker, as well as the other figures and vehicles, where the “SLAM Rockets” — air powered Nerf missiles that fired from hand pumps. On the Stalker, this would work with two launchers mounted underside. The entire jet makes up the launcher — the front section slides forward, like a slide action on a shotgun, to pump the air into the launcher. A selector lever activates the left or right missile. Fun idea, but not something I intend to use. I do like the extra exposed detail when the sections are extended — might make sense for maintenance access.
Of particular interest is the size of this cockpit. Because of that 5-inch scale and the ridiculous preposing, the cabin has to be larger than most similar scale vehicles. And that means a respectably sized 6-inch figure will fit without any modification. You knew there had to be a reason I got this thing, didn’t you?
Like most Extreme sets, the Sky Stalker is better than it’s reputation implies. It’s a little lighter and thinner than a Hasbro Joe vehicle, but the size and style obviously make it stand out. I think a Luftwaffe-inspired paint job might make this one pop, but the flat black is plenty serviceable. These are rare in that they aren’t often up for sale, but they don’t often command very high prices. The Sky Stalker was one of the last vehicles to see retail, with others like the Tiger Hawk helicopter only getting released overseas, and the Howlin’ Fury tank supposedly never being offered at regular retail.
So, don’t let the name “Extreme” scare you off — these are still some worthwhile Joe vehicles, if you can find them.
