What started as an examination of just another Snake Eyes figure lead me into the wealth of untapped potential that is the Action Force line. As a character, Stalker might have some use in the modern collection...even if this figure no longer retains the relevance it once had.

http://www.forgotten-figures.com/joe/84afstalker.htm

Enjoy!

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http://www.yojoe.com/archive/preprod/97 ... yes2.shtml

I also think that the AF Stalker figure was the inspiration for Snake Eyes from the Stars & Stripes set. That figure has a slight chance of being repainted from a Snake Eyes to look like AF Stalker, but I think it is probably just an actual AF Stalker.

I can remember being really disappointed in 1997 that I wasn't getting a figure that looked more like AF Stalker. In retrospect, painting the mask in some other way could have been a good way to differentiate it from the 3-pack release, but it is nice that AF Stalker retained his unique appearance. Still, they probably should have done something more creative.

Nice review, I was on a real AF kick this summer and picked up about half of the Joe repaints (just missing Gaucho Jammer Moondancer, Dolphin and Red Jackal) and while you talk about other SE repaints killing this figure's desirability, I agree but I have too say Stalker is a far better figure than almost all of them, that correct waist mold makes a world of difference.

As for a con set, it would probably work ok, I dunno how Master Collector could pull off "Red Shadows" if Hasbro no longer owns the rights to the name (I think they lost them, check one of those Blood for the Baron Q&A's) but the AF side would be hard too do, as Space and Q force would get shafted immediatley, and SAS and Z force aren't one and the same. That probably wouldn't phase anyone but people like me who actually care about Action Force.

Good review. I was able recently to get one of these figures with the Vamp repaint. It really is an interesting and fun figure.

As always, thanks for the great review.

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Oh and Mike, in your "Stalker aim's for the crotch" your Short Fuze is actually an 83 Hawk with a Short Fuse torso (brown boots on Short Fuse, Hawk had black, and he had solid pockets unlike Breaker) Just letting you know