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Author Topic: VINTAGE Review - 1989 Raider  (Read 2503 times)

olyeller01

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VINTAGE Review - 1989 Raider
« on: January 15, 2010, 11:21:59 PM »

Hello again, everyone, been a while since I posted on here.  Sorry bout that, but you know all the usual excuses.  In an earlier post, a few of you expressed interest in some vintage reviews.  Well, here's #1.

The later years of the vintage 3 3/4" line are not looked upon anywhere NEAR as fondly as the 82-87 stuff.  There were a lot of repaints (Tiger Force, Slaughter's Marauders, Python & Sky Patrols, etc) and several vehicles that, while cool, just kind of failed in execution for whatever reason.  For example, the Battle Wagon was pretty neat...but the bright red launcher and bright blue wheels and body accents kinda took away some of the military flair.  Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that with the exclusion of the Hammer and probably one or two other vehicles, the later years of the line don't get a whole lot of attention.  Well, I'm here to show you how that can work to your advantage.

I recently acquired the 1989 Raider.  I don't know what people have against the Raider, but I got it pretty dang cheap (around $35 US complete with driver).  I liked the way it looked dating back to my original Joe collecting days, but there's not a lot of info out there on it.  Even YoJoe's massive collection archive only has shots of the box, parts, and blueprints.  So I was kind of buying it blindly, but I ended up being very pleasantly surprised.

This bad boy is actually pretty big.  Its several inches longer and taller than the Mauler.  The cockpit's pretty large, and can hold two figures.  And this is one Joe vehicle that is freaking armed to the teeth!  

There is a very large double cannon on the "chin" of the tank that can swivel from side to side.  There is also a cannon down low, in a fixed position attached to the chassis.  On either side of the cockpit are two more very large, double-barreled cannons that can elevate individually.  Two searchlights mounted on the top rear seek out targets.  The entire body of the vehicle can traverse individually of the chassis, meaning that a perceived weak spot (all the guns pointing forward) really isn't a weak spot at all.  

The Raider has some secrets, too.  Unsnap the rear of the upper body, flip it back, slide the supports out, and flip the whole assembly up & two very, very large missiles are revealed.  I certainly wouldn't want them launched at ME, anyway.  And then the coolest feature of all.  There are two small legs underneath the lower chassis that can be flipped down...and the two front treads, axle, and lower cannon can now separate and take off as one mean little scout tank!  There's even a tiny bubble cockpit that can hold one figure on the scouting run, and the whole cockpit/gun assembly can elevate.  Neat-o!  And while the scout craft runs around, thanks to the massive amounts of weaponry the Raider can still easily defend itself even though it is temporarily stationary.

There's also some nice detail on this vehicle.  While the cockpit is only decently detailed, the real neat stuff is shown when the Raider is in full attack mode.  When the rear of the body is elevated to reveal the missiles, part of the engine is revealed in the lower chassis.  And the scout tank has some very nice detailing of its own.

As for downsides?  Well, besides the two guys in the cockpit and maybe one hidden underneath in the scout tank, there's not a whole lot of room for other troops.  Steps with two pegs are attached to the sides behind the front cannons, but they seem almost like an afterthought.  The only other downside I can see is that this isn't a traditionally designed tank...but it's definitely something GI Joe would use.  

Why this vehicle seems to get no love is beyond me.  It's large.  It's well armed.  It's got GREAT features and is really two vehicles in one.  But yet the info on it on YoJoe is minmal, there appear to be no repro stickers available for it (which both explains the crappiness of the labels in my pictures and drives me nuts) and I've never heard or seen anyone bring up much discussion.

If you want a really cool, large vintage Joe vehicle that won't break the bank, I highly suggest looking into the Raider.

Pics: http://s635.photobucket.com/albums/uu71/olyeller01/Vintage%20Reviews/





« Last Edit: February 20, 2010, 12:44:56 PM by Pete The Greek »
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OlYeller01
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Re: VINTAGE Review - 1989 Raider
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2010, 12:52:05 AM »

One of my favorite vehicules from the vintage line.. the design is so nice on that thing! Btw I love your reviews olyeller..
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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turner

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Re: VINTAGE Review - 1989 Raider
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2010, 10:37:34 AM »

That sucker is pretty cool.  I like your reviews and the photos, keep 'em coming!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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bandonov

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Re: VINTAGE Review - 1989 Raider
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2010, 11:44:28 PM »

Keep up the good work, I love your reviews!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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