G.I. Joe 1992 Fort America vehicle/playset sonic fighters

Quick overview
Thumbnail: 3djoes.com

[@poolee77]

It's a very strange vehicle and concept. One of those 90s GI Joe oddities. I know they've had stuff like the MCC, but having the brick walls and trash everywhere is weird.

[@GIDOJO]

I love this playset but admittedly the Harbro designers were kind of “grasping at straws” in the wake of the ninja turtles phenomenon. They were trying anything hoping it would catch on. Once Power Rangers hit in 1993 it was a death sentence sadly. In a real fight though G.I Joe would kick all of their butts!

[@joemaulerworks]

This was an inventor item. It feels like one. Whoever designed this did not really play with joe figs and vehicles. You can display them but they don’t really fit well, tumble around, fall off… i gave it a shot. A lot of plastic, not so much play value, and fragile. Well, someone tried. Seriously tho, there is enough plastic here to make a joe size tmnt sewer playset here.

[@GIDOJO]

Oh yeah I understand. It’s totally over engineered/poorly engineered. This vehicle to me though.... are used to see the commercial on TV all the time and freak out thinking it was such an amazing concept. I never acquired one during my childhood. Only as an adult two years ago. I have a soft spot for it just because of the 25 years of hype I built up in my head lol.

[@scarecrow559fresno]

@@joemaulerworks dang!

[@rickdavis32]

This looks like it's partially the Destro devastator and also seems to be very inspired by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[@GIDOJO]

Ah yes... I think ninja turtles took everyone in the toy industry by surprise. Mattel and Hasbro were playing catch-up for years. I really do like the stuff Hasbro did with G.I. Joe in the 90s. Anything from 82 to 88 appealed greatly to Gen Xers but the ninja turtle loving millennials mostly have fond memories of G.I. Joe’s “neon“ era. I was a sucker for the “Hall of Fame“ series though(after I got bored with ninja turtles)

[@SkragorSkumdreg]

I had this as a kid and traded it to my buddy for his Ghost Rider figure, knowing full well that I could trade him back in a few days. Unfortunately, in those few short days he traded it to his kid brother who quickly managed to smash it to bits and lose all the loose parts. I held onto the original box until a few years ago before selling it on ebay.

[@GIDOJO]

Oh man that’s actually pretty tragic 🥲 Destructive little kids are the worst. Luckily Fort America is still pretty cheap. It’s never too late to reclaim it😁 thanks for the comment!

[@waelalabri7219]

This is a nice clip for both General Hawk and the fort.

[@cquinn4555]

Thank you for the vid! I've just came across fort America in a big lot I've picked up! Still need some understanding on my end though 😂

[@jeremiahgriffith8795]

I had this tank and that joe, played with them together! I like to build gijoe lego and have put this tank off for awhile now, as I just finished the Flagg and Mobil com center! I will def use this video and 3djoes for ref, ty for the vid!

[@GIDOJO]

Oh I love the mobile command center(and the Flagg of course)!! Luckily the for America is a lot cheaper than those other two :P Glad the video was useful to you

[@brainysmurf74]

Pure fantasy from the dark years of Joe. The fun ended in ’86, everything after were last gasps before the end of the line. It just became cheaper and worst until they were literally selling globs of plastic.

[@GIDOJO]

The Same could be said by original 1964-76 12” G.I. Joe fans about all ARAH toys 😋 The later stuff; the big departure really happened after TMNT took the world over(1989-1992). The radical changes were a response to ninja turtles. They test all of these toys with real 5-10 year old kids. What appealed to 8 year olds in 1982, didn’t appeal to 8 year olds in 1990. A huge generational shift happened and G.I. Joe had to evolve or die. The real dark years are 1977-1981 & 2014-2019... When G.I. Joe was nowhere to be found at retail!!

[@3Storms]

There are a few gems here and there after 1986, but overall you're right. They try very hard to make the Joes from that point on more sci-fi, more outlandish, and more over-the-top in order to compete with Ninja Turtles and others.

[@brianly2301]

Thank you for sharing. I just received my vehicle as well. I think it is cool. Love it😁😁😁

[@GIDOJO]

Glad you enjoyed the video! I realized I made a mistake when showing the function of the center platform; there is actually supposed to be 2 legs that raise it up and hold it up with the tension of a rubber band. The legs work just like ironing board legs. If you consult the blue prints you’ll see what I mean

[@conservativewarrior777]

When I was a kid I always wondered what kind of vehicle this was? Eventhough my cousin had one!

[@GIDOJO]

Glad you found the channel! I used to see the commercial for the G.I. Joe fort America all the time, and I wanted it so badly, but sadly never found it in a retail store. Of course once eBay became a thing, it was one of the first things I thought of to buy 🤑💰💵

[@conservativewarrior777]

@@GIDOJO same here! Thank God for Ebay! I'm working on the Air Craft Carrier!

[@amesbrown4397]

There actually is supposed to be a rubber band on the bottom of the vehicle that connects the yellow hook on the front to the yellow hook in the bottom. Once you pull the lever it makes the center part pop up on its own.

[@DasNordlicht91]

I think this in its fortress configuration would look decent displayed next to the 1992 GI Joe Headquarters (as the commercial seems to indicate).

[@GIDOJO]

Wow that’s such a simple but great idea! Thanks for the comment 😁

[@400heavy]

Nice review! Keep them coming!

[@GIDOJO]

Thank you! I’m a little sporadic with uploads but I’ll keep them coming :)

[@mogreen19]

As a big G.I. Joe fan from way back I think this looks like a knock off Transformer ... ;-)

[@GIDOJO]

Looks kinda like G2 megaton now that you mention it lol!

[@SimpleTricksNonsense]

Very TMNT but since it came out in 1992 its no wonder

[@GIDOJO]

Whoa! Hey 👋 I saw your channel last year during iconicon. Thanks for watching 😁 I totally agree. I think the entire boys toy market was completely caught off guard by the success of TMNT. . It created ripple effect and everyone in the industry was trying to play catch-up/copycat between 1989-1992

[@scarecrow559fresno]

gosh the static mode is hideous! but somehow charming all the same

[@GIDOJO]

Oh yeah I totally understand what you are saying. I hope eventually someone really talented takes a fort america and custom paints the molded details.

[@hthrun]

I had the Sonic Fighter Overkill. I removed his backpack as well...

[@GIDOJO]

Sorry, it took me a few days to get back to you; yes, those sonic fighters are really cool from a kids perspective but the backpack should’ve been more easily removable. It may be sacrilegious, but to me that’s like the de facto version of stalker(sonic fighter that matches up with the Hall of Fame stalker)

[@hthrun]

@@GIDOJO Yeah, it made it difficult to put him in his designated vehicle. I forget its name, but it had some kind of big shovel on the front... (This was when they stopped packaging figures with vehicles and just mentioned one on their file cards...)

[@GIDOJO]

Look up the gijoe “earthquake”

[@hthrun]

@@GIDOJO Yep, that's the one! I actually didn't care for the look of it but I didn't have a Cobra land vehicle yet...

[@GIDOJO]

Yeah, it’s definitely not on my wants list for my current collection but if I would’ve received it as a gift as a kid, I probably would’ve loved it

[@dubuyajay9964]

This should've stayed a fortification and not some strange tank. Hasbro lost the plot for a good chunk of the 90s.

[@GIDOJO]

Yeah now that you mention that this would’ve fared a lot better as a mini play set... I still love it for how weird it is but you’re definitely right

[@xazylsclubhouse]

It is a weird playset but damn is it cool

[@GIDOJO]

Yes! I use to obsess over the Fort America TV commercial 😎

[@xazylsclubhouse]

@@GIDOJO I agree it could have used a bit more paint but it kind of reminds me of the Ninja Turtle stuff from the 90s, great detail, lacks paint apps

[@crownofhorns4738]

Would've worked better for Cobra or the Headhunters.

[@GIDOJO]

Wow, now that you mention it, I never realized the potential for it to be a villain playset. Would’ve been cool as a base for headman, the villain leader that the DEF fought against. Thanks for the comment!

[@ludgerwillgaster2095]

Do new 3.5 Felix line with transforms cross over...transformers I scale to hold go Joe drivers

[@GIDOJO]

Yes I need to get some of those! I’ll look out for them when I attend “Joefest” on June 26th, 2021

[@ludgerwillgaster2095]

@@GIDOJO but the ones I seen did not transform.. Optimus prime as pax would cool with hawk as driver...maybe even armour on hawk allowing him to be power master

[@pawebedowski2556]

j cant watch it because it is so boring without content

[@GIDOJO]

This video should play for you. There is no copyrighted content so it shouldn’t be blocked in any country.