 On tonight's show, I will read news headlines in a funny voice, hilarious. I'm shaking my head because that makes me funnier. That's comedy. Remember that time when I basically stole the tonight's show from David Letterman? And then I gave it to Conan O'Brien and then took it back. But that's not important. That's not important. The important thing is that I make enough money to buy expensive cars. I'm sorry, I don't look anything like Jay Leno. What I need to do is put on this chin prosthetic, then my impression will be complete. There we go, there we go. Now I'm ready for my monologue! Hello everybody, hooded Cobra Commander 788 here. This is the show where we review every vintage G.I. Joe toy from 1982 to 1994. I would like to thank the sponsor of this week's review, your mom. I'll be seeing her tonight. She says you need to clean up your room. We are wrapping up our re-review of the original three Dreadnocks. Yes, I have reviewed these figures before, but I'm taking another crack at them. This time we are looking at Torch. Torch may be the most famous Dreadnock because he made an appearance on a late night talk show. One night in the 80s Jay Leno was on David Letterman, not in a sexual way that I know of. And Leno decided to make fun of some G.I. Joe file cards and he picked on Torch. I don't think that's fair, reading Torch's file card and picking on him for it. Torch never read his file card because he couldn't, because he can't read. I never learned to read! What's so gosh darn funny about Torch? Let's find out. HCC 788 presents the last of the original three Dreadnocks, Torch. This is Torch the Dreadnock from 1985. This figure was released in 1985 and was also available in 1986. It was discontinued for 1987. This is the only version of Torch in the vintage era. Torch was one of the first three Dreadnocks released in 1985 along with Buzzer and Ripper. The Dreadnocks was a motorcycle gang led by Zartan the master of disguise. Their leader Zartan was released in 1984, but the Dreadnocks were released a year later in 1985. The Dreadnocks are not Cobra agents, but they often work with Cobra. Since the Dreadnocks were led by Zartan, some of Zartan's traits were carried over to the rest of the gang. For instance, Zartan included a small vehicle, the chameleon swamp skier. For this reason, the Dreadnocks were swamp dwellers too. In other Dreadnock reviews, I talked about the history of the Dreadnocks, where they came from, and the many members of the gang. I'll just sum it up here. At some point around 1983, executives at Hasbro had the idea of producing a group of Ewok-like creatures following the success of Star Wars Return of the Jedi. Larry Hama, the writer of the G.I. Joe comic book, said that was a terrible idea. He pitched a biker gang instead. Ron Rudat, the figure designer for G.I. Joe, modeled the Dreadnocks after the post-apocalyptic Mad Max movies, which is why the gang originated in Australia. Zartan was introduced first in 1984, and his first three Dreadnocks were introduced in 1985, even though they were a motorcycle gang that did not include motorcycles. In 1986, more Dreadnocks were introduced, Monkey Wrench, and Thrasher, the driver of the Thunder Machine. Zartan's brother and sister, Xander and Serena, were also introduced. In 1987, Zanzibar was introduced, he was a Dreadnock pirate, and the pilot of the air skiff. 1988 saw only one new Dreadnock, Road Pig. In 1989, Nagahai, the Dreadnock poacher was introduced. After that, the Dreadnocks were on the decline. In 1992, there was a second version of Road Pig. In 1993, there was a second version of Zartan in the Ninja Force subset, and that was it for the vintage era. G.I. Joe moved away from the traditional military elements and more toward brightly colored sub-factions, so I guess they just didn't have room for the Dreadnocks, a brightly colored sub-faction. There were a few post-vintage versions of the Dreadnocks, including a few torch figures. In 2008, Torch Version 3 was released in a comic book two-pack with Ripper, and this is it right here. This torch figure is a fully modern figure with updated sculpting and articulation. It was part of the 25th anniversary series. Another modern torch figure was released as a single carded figure in 2009. Let's take a look at Torch's accessories. He came with a couple. Let's start with his tool. It's not really a weapon. It's actually a tool. He comes with this acetylene torch. This torch is where Torch gets his name. It is in silver plastic. It has a grip. It has a downturned nozzle. It has a wire that runs from the back and loops around the shoulder stock. That wire can be plugged into the backpack. There's a hole in the backpack where you can plug in that wire, but that wire is rather thick and it's awkward to place in the figure's hand with it plugged into the backpack, so I usually just don't bother. This is an acetylene torch, or more accurately an oxy acetylene torch. It is not a flamethrower, as it is usually depicted in media. This is a welding and cutting torch. It mixes oxygen with a fuel to produce a very hot, focused flame. For his purposes, Torch would use it for cutting through metal vehicles and structures. It is his instrument of destruction. Maybe this isn't the most exciting weapon since it produces a small, hot flame for cutting metal. It's not a long-distance weapon. That's why it's more often depicted as a flamethrower. It's just more fun that way. For the original three Dreadnock accessories, Torch's Torch is probably the least noteworthy. Buzzer's chainsaw is pretty well remembered, as is Ripper's assault rifle with the big blade, but Torch's Torch is just not quite as impressive. Torch's next accessory is his backpack. The card contents call this B-47 tanks. It's in silver plastic. I haven't been able to find an exact reference for this type of tank, but it contains the oxygen and fuel tanks for the acetylene torch. You can see a larger tank and a smaller tank molded in. There's a hole to peg in the torch. The whole tank assembly is on a rack with a frame around it. That's it for accessories, but that's all Torch really needs. His name is Torch. He has a torch. He torches. Let's take a look at Torch's articulation. He did not have the articulation that was standard for a GI Joe figure by 1985. He had the standard articulation for a 1984 GI Joe action figure. He could turn his head from left to right. He could not look up and down. He did not have a ball-jointed neck, which was standard by 1985. This makes some sense. Since Zartan was released in 1984 and the Dreadnox were his cronies, they were probably designed about the same time. But the three Dreadnox figures must not have been ready for production with the 1984 series, so they were pushed to 1985. Other than the head, the articulation was pretty standard. He could lift his arm up at the shoulder and swivel at the shoulder all the way around. He had a hinge at the elbow that allowed him to bend his arm at the elbow about 90 degrees. He had a swivel at the bicep that allowed him to swivel his arm all the way around. This was an O-ring figure, meaning the figure was held together with a rubber O-ring that looped around the inside so he could move at the torso a bit. He could move his legs apart about so far. He could bend his leg at the hip about 90 degrees and bend at the knee about 90 degrees. Let's take a look at the sculpted design and color of Torch. Starting with his head and on his head he has brown hair parted in the center. It's longish hair. He has a red headband around his forehead and it is tied in the back. He has black sunglasses. He has a brown mustache and mutton chops. He is probably the least ugly of the original three Dreadnox. He has a black studded collar around his neck. He has a black vest probably leather with an open chest with three buckles across the lower torso. He has unpainted chains around his arms. Those chains would have looked really great with silver paint. He has a white skull necklace on a silver beaded chain. The painted chain and skull are really great details. He has bear arms. He has a gray studded band around his left bicep. He has gray gloves and black bands around his wrists. His waist piece is in light blue plastic, obviously supposed to be denim. He has pockets on the back. He has a silver chain belt with a silver belt buckle and he has a black pouch on each hip. On his legs he has light blue denim trousers. On his right leg he has a gray knife with a spiked knuckle guard and a gray strap that goes around the right leg. On his left leg he has a gray pistol holster with a black pistol and a gray strap that goes around the left leg. He has very tall gray boots that go all the way up to his knees. The boots have these ridges on the backside and what looks like some kind of armor over the shins. Torch is the most orderly of the dreadnoughts. You see no rips in his clothing as you see on buzzer and ripper. Let's turn our attention to Torch's file card. I have two file cards here. There really should be three. I am missing one of the variants, but we can still get the text variation with these two. This is the earliest release of Torch's file card in 1985. It has his faction as the enemy. It has a portrait of Torch here. He has the dreadnought codename Torch, file name Tom Winken. As pointed out in earlier dreadnought reviews, if you put the names of the dreadnoughts together, their first names are Tom, Dick, and Harry, and their last names are Winken, Blinken, and Nod. Place of birth, Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Botany Bay was the site of a British penal colony in Australia. The role Botany Bay played in the British Australian penal system was limited since the penal settlement was moved to Sydney Cove. Nonetheless, Botany Bay became the term generally applied to British penal colonies in Australia. We have three paragraphs on this file card rather than the usual two. This top paragraph says, subject was remanded to Borstall. There's an asterisk. The footnote says, reform school at age 14. The Borstall is a reform school for youthful offenders. The tradition of the Borstall began in the UK and was exported to some of its territories. Escaped and went to sea in the Merchant Marine where he learned the use of the cutting torch. Later rode with the Melbourne Mollers MC, double asterisk MC stands for Motorcycle Club. Some of these 1985 file cards eliminate this last sentence about the Melbourne Mollers MC. I don't have the 1985 variant of that card, but I do have the 1986 card. The 1986 card had a grey background and as you can see, it is missing that last sentence on that first paragraph. This paragraph is the one Jay Leno had so much fun with. It says, torch is an illiterate, unrepentant thug whose penchant for sudden and unexpected violence is matched only by the other depths of his stupidity. This is where I've got to play the clip of Jay Leno reading this file card. Check this out. Now you know that I am a motorcyclist, right? This is something for real now. Satan's bus boys? Now there you go, you see? Now it's people like you that ruin the image. These are the G.I. Joe dolls. Now I saw these are the G.I. Joe enemy dolls. Now these are G.I. Joe biker dolls. Let me read you this guy. Oh, here's torch. Let me read you what they say about torch. Read that. The torch is an illiterate, unrepentant thug whose penchant for sudden and unexpected violence is matched only by his other depths of stupidity ages five and up. Well, when you say it that way, it's kind of funny. Specialty and M.O., triple asterisk, M.O. stands for modus operandi, works with an oxy acetylene torch as a general cutter mostly on remodeling stolen cars and occasionally safe crackings. Scavenges the swamps for fun and profit. Torch seems less destructive than the other dread knocks. He uses his torch for illegal profits, not so much for destruction for its own sake. Looking at how torch was used in G.I. Joe media, he first appeared with the other dread knocks in the first episode of the miniseries The Revenge of Cobra. They helped break Cobra Commander out of jail. The most remembered episode for the dread knocks was Cold Slyther in which the dread knocks posed as a rock band as part of Cobra Commander's crackpot scheme to take over the world. I think the dread knocks should be more remembered for the episode Countdown for Zartan in which they are in charge of training Cobra recruits. Training by the dread knocks, what could possibly go wrong? In that episode, torch carries a flamethrower, which is probably how a lot of kids played with the toy. The original three dread knocks stayed around through the 1987 animated movie. After that, buzzer, ripper, and torch disappeared. A couple of the later dread knocks did make appearances in the Deke animated series. In the G.I. Joe comic book series published by Marvel Comics, torch first appeared in issue number 25. The dread knocks didn't have much to do until issue number 30. Torch appeared on the cover using his torch to cut through the elevator fin of a sky striker. On the first page of that issue, torch is shown with a Cobra tattoo on his right shoulder. Coincidentally, I have a tattoo almost exactly like it. In that issue, the dread knocks destroyed G.I. Joe vehicles at Maguire Air Force Base ahead of a Cobra attack. It showcased the dread knocks' penchant for destruction. The dread knocks made many appearances in the comic book, but torch's final real appearance was in issue number 93. That's surprisingly early in the run. The dread knocks were participating in a plot to brainwash, clutch, and rock and roll. The dread knocks take on Tiger Force, get captured, get free again, and then get blown up by the Baroness. Torch technically appeared in issue number 94 in a flashback. It confirmed he survived the explosion. That was it, though. Even though Larry Hama enjoyed writing the dread knocks, there were just too many other things to squeeze in the series. Looking at torch overall, I really like this figure. It's my second favorite dread knock behind Buzzer. This figure maybe doesn't have as much character as Buzzer does, but it still has some really nice elements and good details. I like the face sculpt. He's actually not quite as ugly as you would expect for a dread knock. I like the sunglasses. I like the skull necklace. I like the boots. The chains around the arms are unpainted. I would have liked to see some paint on those details. However, the unpainted detail is not nearly as egregious as on Ripper. Torch's style is totally different from the other two dread knocks. He doesn't have any shredded clothes or anything like you see on Buzzer and Ripper. Instead, he looks like he goes to one of those leather biker bars, which is fine. No judgments. The accessories is where this figure kind of lets me down. The backpack is okay, but the torch accessory has never been one of my favorites. Yes, he can use the torch to cut through and destroy vehicles, but he is often depicted with a flamethrower, and that would be a much more fun accessory for this figure. The final card is good. It paints Torch as a pretty interesting character. Again, not quite as interesting as Buzzer. As much as I like to make fun of Jay Leno and who doesn't, his mockery of Torch's final card is pretty funny. These three dread knocks, Buzzer, Ripper, and Torch are the core dread knocks, and I wanted to see these characters carried forward in the vintage G.I. Cho toy line. As much as I like Road Pig, as much as I like Zartan, I wanted to see these guys have later versions. Your dread knocks were fine, but if you missed out on these guys while they were on the pegs, then you couldn't get the core of the gang. That was my review of Torch. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please give this video a thumbs up on YouTube, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and share this video with your friends. That's what helps this channel grow. You can find me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and I have a website, hcc788.com. I can only continue doing these videos with the support of my friends on Patreon. If you'd like to support the channel, that's a great way to do it. You can get your name in videos like the names you see scrolling on the screen right now. I don't know if I will be back next week with another Vintage G.I. Cho toy review, but I will try. I'm also trying to get Cobra Conversion 6 up and ready to launch, and that is taking a lot of my time. Either way, I will be back soon with another Vintage G.I. Cho toy review, and until then, remember, only the dread knocks are the dread knocks.