Sculpt: Rocky Balboa

In 1987, Hasbro planned to introduce another celebrity as a member of G.I.Joe - Rocky Balboa - made famous by Sylvester Stallone from the United Artist's Rocky films. He even appeared in Marvel Comics' G.I.Joe Order of Battle #2 - with a rendition drawn by Herb Trimpe and a filecard written by Larry Hama.

But negotiations fell through, Stallone lent his image to Coleco's Rambo toyline, a retraction was printed in the Marvel Comics, and Rocky Balboa never became a member of G.I.Joe.

Pictured above is an unpainted sculpture that was used to help design the Rocky Balboa prototype figure.

The images above were published in the now-defunct "Action Figure Collector Magazine". The accompanying article stated that the Hasbro designer who created the sculpture above was "Bill Merklein".