HEAVY METAL (v1)
MAULER M.B.T. TANK DRIVER
Year: 1985
Series: Four
Heavy Metal was released as part of the fourth series (1985), packaged exclusively with the Mauler M.B.T. (Manned Battle Tank). He was also sold in 1986, then was discontinued domestically in 1987.
In 1989, Heavy Metal was available as a mail-in offer from Hasbro Direct.
Figure Views
Accessories
Heavy Metal came with a black submachine gun and a thin brown microphone.
Packaging Information
Filecard Information
Grade: E-4
Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Primary Specialty: Armor
Secondary Specialty: Finance Clerk
Variations
In 1989, Heavy Metal was available mail-order from Hasbro Direct. However, he was no longer referred to as Heavy Metal but as "Rampage."
Rampage is pictured below.
The figure differs from Heavy Metal in several ways. Most noticeably, the face of Rampage lacks the painted face that Heavy Metal has. The "shadow" is painted on Heavy Metal's face, but not on Rampage. Rampage is also made of a very different plastic than Heavy Metal - the colors are much darker. Lastly, while Rampage came with the same submachine gun as Heavy Metal, he did not come with the microphone.
Body Construction
Heavy Metal's body mold is entirely original and not made up from previous molds.
Heavy Metal's arms and chest were later recolored and re-used to create Rumbler (1987).
Starting with this series (Series Four, 1985), the head joint on G.I.Joe figures was changed into a head "ball." This ball allowed the head to look up and down, in addition to left and right.
Versions of Heavy Metal
In 1989, Heavy Metal was renamed "Rampage," and in 2009, he was renamed to "Speed Metal." So while there all multiple names, they are all based on the character "Heavy Metal." Note that there are multiple versions of Rampage, though the other figures have a file name of "Walter A. McDaniel."
Reference Information
The below information contains information about references to various collector's guides, Hasbro references, original retail prices, and other reference material related to Heavy Metal (v1).|
Original Retail: n/a Hasbro Product: n/a RAHC: n/a Lee's Guide: n/a |
Desimone Guide: #88 Tomart's Guide: #GI5411b The Ultimate Guide: n/a Action Figure Archive Guide: n/a |
