I've been discussing the line in the main Joe forum but thought I'd do proper comments on individual toys here.

General Comments: These are 1:18 3 3/4" figures, compatible with ARAH G.I. Joe and Lanard's The Corps! line. There were 12 individual figure molds made, generally to a theme for each character. These 12 saw release across four separate 3-packs, but also saw a fair number of repaints later on, including head swaps. There is no solid list of what was actually made because many of the later packs are still unaccounted for.

The line started in 1999, and by all accounts, ended in 2002, about when Lanard changed The Corps! from using ARAH bodies to simple bodies. At some point they rebranded the line as WOW Power!. These were marketed towards girls, but were still action figures, though as a result were only ever seen in the "pink" aisle and were probably passed over by many Joe collectors. The line can now be difficult to collect simply due to the fact the toys aren't easy to come by. Even so, prices don't tend to get too high as demand is limited mainly to a few collectors who seek them out.

Each figure seems to be based on the same basic buck and all 12 have roughly the same body type. This buck is loosely similar to the ARAH body, but sacrifices the o-ring waist and simplifies the arms, along with early ARAH style swivel necks, to keep the bodies slim and more feminine in appearance. Each figure has 9 points of articulation. The torsos do use an o-ring to attach the inner t-bar that the legs attach to, but this is actually unnecessary as the torso is solid and the t-bar does not move. A broken o-ring may not be a problem for these toys, not that you can replace them as the torsos and thighs are glued together. This can make repairs and disassembly difficult to impossible, as opening parts may break them.

A large problem with the line is the hands. The simple hand sculpts make it difficult for many of these figures to hold any accessories at all.

The figures do have holes in the feet, and some accessories were made to plug in. However, finding figure stands can be hard as nothing seems to really match the size. Sanding down the pegs on ARAH stands may be the best option. 25th/ROC/modern stands have pegs that are too small, but if you can thicken their peg they may work. Some figures in the line also had backpacks, which are "compatible" with ARAH figures. However, cross-compatibility is tricky. WOW backpacks have a solid + shaped peg and the figures often have shallow screw holes. This means that WOW packs will often fit into Joe figures easily, but Joe packs often will not fit into WOW figures. Joe packs have a + shaped peg but the end is rounded, and often will not plug in tight.

Vehicles were made- a bicycle, moped, jet ski watercraft, and a licensed Volkswagen Beetle. The VW can sit 3 figures, and was made in at least 4 different colors. The jet ski saw at least 2 different releases. The moped saw several sues, though figures could not properly sit on it as they could not grip the handlebars. the bicycle is effectively a mess as no one can sit on it right. It saw at least 3 uses.

Many of the figures had "soft goods" clothing. Most loose samples seem to be missing these, and they did not always look good due to bulky fabrics used for small figures.



Film Director: Danielle Stone





This figure is plainly civilian with a t-shirt, cap and track pants with sneakers. Labeled as either a director or music video producer, her accessories include a film camera, clip board and yellow briefcase. None of these can be held in the hands. The clip board is often missing the small sticker on loose copies. Packs seem to assign her a moped, often the gold one. While branded as a director, her clothing is plain enough to be much anything, making it perfect for crowd dioramas.

The green version seems to have been from a 2-pack with a soft goods gold vest and green bike.


Rock Singer: Sheila






This is probably the most "doll" like of the line and aims for the celebrity approach. Sheila appears to be a "lawyer-friendly" clone of Madonna in the face sculpt, though the suit she wears seems to be a remnant of the 1970s with bell bottoms and platform shoes, which also makes her slightly taller than most of them. The midriff is sculpted to be "bare" and was intended to be painted flesh tone, though most versions don't paint it. The accessories she got were a guitar, amp and microphone stand. I can all but guarantee that getting the toy to hold the guitar is all but impossible.

The soft goods the black version wore was a pink shawl made of a thin semi-see-through material with silver glitter flecks(see it in the MOC photo, the loose photo is wearing the skater's silver vest). The pink version is unaccounted for as to what set it was sold in. I know of a blue version with gold trim, which did have the midriff painted, but no details as to what it came with. There was also a silver suit version that used the diver's head.

The purple version is from a later 2-pack and has a soft goods "dress" made of a thin transparent shiny vinyl, with bead strings hanging off the belt.

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Figure Skater: Mia Glass (later renamed as Julia Choi)




It's a figure skater. Generally it's well done with the proper leotard and tiara. Admittedly, it's also the one figure in the line that interests me the least. Being a line for girls I understand the figure skater figure, though as I'm not really into that this figure doesn't really grab me. Now that I have a MOC copy I may sell my loose one. This is also the one figure in the line that does not have holes in the feet, with the skate blades molded on. It can make balancing the toy a bit hard.

The accessories included generally are a boom box, bundle of flowers and a trophy. Nothing can be properly held but you can sort of wedge the trophy into both hands, or stuff the flowers in by the elbow. The flowers vary between pink or red. The soft goods is typically a skirt made of thin fabric and a ribbon(the shawl in the pic belongs to the rock singer. This is how I bought these toys loose from the seller).

I know of both a green suit and white suit versions from later sets.


Police Officer: Gloria Lopez




This is one of the figures that could not only pass as a civilian but could also reasonably interact with the G.I. Joe team. It's a decent police uniform, albeit more bicycle patrol than a typical uniform. The belt has a few tools and a walkie talkie sculpted on. Then again, her accessories include what looks like a cell phone and a backpack with a communications system which seems to be almost redundant in a way. A gun may have been authentic but no doubt if they'd sculpted on even an empty holster a few parents may have whined that a line for girls had guns, and Volkswagen would never have granted them the license for the Beetle(they are quite adamant on their "no war toys"). I guess you could pretend the gun is in her backpack or something. Even at that I consider this one of the best of the line.

I don't have the nightstick accessory with mine but it looks like it may actually fit into the hand. I did get the cell phone to fit in the left hand, at any rate. The figure should have a blue soft goods vest, which mine is missing, but doesn't detract for it to be gone. I can not say for certain if the backpack will fit with the vest on, depends on if a hole was cut for it. Mind you, the pics I've seen suggest the vest is hideously plain and probably doesn't really belong anyway. The blue helmet is a write off. While I don't have it, I have the helmet from the skater figure which is the same mold and... it doesn't stay on and looks awkward when placed on the head. It'll fall off easily. The only way to get the helmet on right would be to dremel the head and glue it on.

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Skier: Sara Aspen




This is a pretty decent one, I think. The outfit suits the winter ski look well and even though it's purple, isn't garish. There's a small walkie talkie molded onto the belt and this is the only figure in the line without visible eyes, wearing goggles. The sculpt has a padded look to it which is a nice touch of detail. The sash is just painted on, and only on the front. Of course, being a skier, she'd have to have skis and much like Snow Job, gets two skis and poles. Being one of the few figures that can hold accessories is a bonus because if those poles didn't fit they'd be worthless. Not that the fit isn't a bit finicky, they'll fall out easy but it can be done. I'd say this one has the most customizing potential, with only a color change and the right accessories I think it'd make a passable female Snow Serpent.

The soft goods are a bit disappointing. They're far too big and end up looking odd. With the hat and jacket on, the goggles are about all that's visible of the face. Granted, I have two of these, so one gets the soft goods and skis, the other gets the backpack. The jacket does not have a hole for the backpack.

One thing I need to point out is the color of the PVC bits- I've had 3 copies of this toy in hand, and 2 of them have had dark purple arms and calves which don't match the plastic. The 3rd I own has matching parts. I can not blame this on yellowing, I would have to say it's due to a plastic color variation of the PVC. The coloration is too even and uniform for discoloration, and of the 2 I had, both matched.

I know of 2 repaints- one in light blue with pink boots, and one blue with white boots.


Wildlife Veterinarian: Alana Kurtis




Offhand I'd say someone took Recondo and made a female version. My only complaint is that the pink bits don't mesh well with the rest, I think brown would have looked better, but hey, line for girls. But past that it's a decent forest/wilderness look. I can't speak for the accessories past the backpack, but I would guess the first aid kit doesn't fit the hand and the stethoscope might be odd on the head what with the hair being solid. This is also the only figure of the bunch to get an animal partner, with a bear cub(of which I don't have).



A comment about the above two: Officially, the skier gets the radio backpack and the vet gets the bulky pack. I suspect the factory goofed and mixed them up. The large pack makes more sense for someone who might be camping out in a snowy area and the radio pack makes more sense for a wilderness rescue person.

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Alright, moving on... I'm reviewing the "Achievers Set".






Fashion Designer: Mercedes St. John/Sandra Thomas
"Sandra" is the name used on the front of the original package, while Mercedes is the bio name. Later packages went back to Sandra.

The design is decent enough, not too gaudy for a professional female. I can't speak for holding nay of the accessories(my only copies are MOC) but given the line's design flaws... but the purse could probably be looped on the arm. You can possibly wedge the art pad into her hands though.The big issue? The soft goods. The jacket might have passed for a fur coat if it'd been long, but it's barely even a jacket and looks too big. The fur hat is also redundant with the sculpted hat, and is also way too large.

There was at least one repaint, replacing the black pants and blue hat with light blue, and packed in the "Pop Star Duo" pack.



Equestrian: Abby Easton/Abbey Lipton

I'd say they hit the mark with this one. It's what you'd expect a professional horse rider to wear. She gets the same trophy as the figure skater, plus a small framed picture of a horse. There is also a riding crop included, and while my only copy is MOC... it might actually be able to hold it properly. The only real complaint is an obvious lack of a horse. Lanard did eventually release some deluxe WOW Girls sets with horses, and their Triple Crown Beauties line has some 1:18 scale horses, and failing those there's possibly PTE. Fat Kids Joes has a review showing this figure on one of those horses.



Astronaut: Simone Johnson

This is perhaps one of the most sought after figures in the line, probably on par with the lifeguard, if not moreso. There are perhaps many choices for women they could have gone with for the line, but we got an astronaut over most of the obvious ones. Though you may think er flight suit looks a bit odd, it certainly is not a NASA uniform. If I have to take a guess, she's suited to go with Lanard's STAR Force line. Her suit has the same aesthetics, and both her data pad and backpack are from SF.

The only bad part is that the card pics show her with a giant rocket pack, which isn't included. If it had been this would have been an excellent toy... but not to worry. That rocket pack was also part of STAR Force, so you can still get a loose one if you wish.

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