G.I. Joe Tanks - Mobat and Mauler M.B.T. Hasbro 1982-1985

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Michael heads back to The Pit to look at the original tanks of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero team! The Mobat and the Mauler!
#RetroBlasting
#GIJoe
#Mobat

[@coeurdelion3113]

I received Mauler for Christmas in 1985, when I was 5. It was my first Joe tank, and playing with it was pure magic. To this day it's my favorite ground vehicle.

[@henrytoledo4103]

yeah I got one for Christmas 85 too, along with Striker and the cobra plane

[@standepain]

RetroBlasting making quarantine so much easier. Thank you, guys!!

[@ChewieEst]

I work away from my wife/home four days a week, so I spend a lot time watching the RB archives to get me through my down time!

[@Transfixed]

I was very surprised to find out the Mauler was so beloved by adult collectors. I had it as a kid and rarely used it. It would just drive away from you! I wanted to control my vehicles as i played out my battles. In fact i usually left the batteries out of all my toys.

[@wallaroo1295]

@8:00 Dude, Speaking as a US Army Veteran, can you *please* cut this into a clip I can share to my various Veterans' groups? That conversation sounded *precisely* like conversations I've heard (or had) with other Veterans down at the Legion or VFW! Spot... f'n... on! Thank you for the laughs tonight! 💖🤘🤣🤘

[@wallaroo1295]

This is how silly it really was, being in the late 90s Army, especially Bragg. "Ooh look at me, I'm a tanker, so I get special boots'" Airborne: "That's nice, we get Cocoran boots, and they are super shiny!" Airborne Tank Units at Bragg; "Fine, we take your Airborne boots, and just for fun, we're going to turn them into Tanker Boots too! Airborne and Tanker - same boot! Now whatcha gonna do? Airborne: "Um.... Keep jumping around and stuff... Maybe get flown in, but don't actually... You know what?! F'k you Tankers!:I got the next shot, who's in?!"

[@outlawjar01]

True story! had a couple buddies in the 82nd go tanker... we disowned them!!!

[@hispro]

I love the MOBAT and still do. It's one of the few G.I.Joe toys from my childhood that has survived intact to this day. But you're right about it. As a kid I usually just left the tank parked in the G.I.Joe Headquarters and only brought it out when COBRA had a fort to break into or an army to barrel over.

[@jartladder15]

I had the Mobat. The novelty of anything "electronic" was really cool in those days.

[@Mizzelphug]

I had 2 of them. Local hole in the wall store in my small town had them overpriced on the shelf for about 10years and no one ever bought them. As soon as I got a little cash I bought one. It broke within a few months so I went and bought the other one. Someone also stole my bike as I walked out of the store with the second one so the memory stuck.

[@veritech1020]

I got the original '82 Steeler with MOBAT for Christmas that year, so it will always have a special place in memory for me. Because it was motorized it was the coolest thing ever at the time. It really didn't matter if Steeler could physically get down inside the tank. We just used our imaginations, as with a great many things back then.

[@robertschell1235]

I had the mobat. Took mine apart so I could make it free wheeling, alot more fun that way.

[@toweypat]

Clever!

[@michaelwills1926]

Same here

[@Ynffy]

The Mauler is such a lovely toy. It actually looks like a functioning armored vehicle.

[@joemaulerworks]

Quarantine made me do some R/C conversions of these. Such a great toy. Thanks

[@TheMattwolf]

I had a friend who had the mobat. The main problem we had with it was that it couldn't keep up with the speed that we were playing. By the time it managed to get into position, we had finished the battle!

[@jahmd8377]

Random American not safe enough. According to the cartoon, he ended up in another dimension with the Baroness as his lover....on second thought it looks like he played his cards right!!

[@lordvonlord]

My father bought me a Mobat. He is gone now, thanks for the memory.

[@TheMultiGunMan]

Excellent video. My main toys when I was a kid back in the 80's was GI Joe.

[@justinthomas7222]

The Bridgelayer? Thanks for the memory - I think that was THE GIJoe vehicle I wanted as a kid. I am such a nerd... 😂

[@shogunfox7141]

Kids from the 80s were normal kids. Kids today with their cellphones and Fortnite/dances are nerds.

[@thewingedporpoise]

combat engineering, mmm, though if it actually laid a bridge I can imagine how fun that would be to play with

[@scottm4969]

1:49 love the Alpha Probe! Still have mine. My Joes and my Star Wars toys all flew it.

[@ArmondoOrtiz76Lincol]

Keep up the videos, I need this entertainment, its helping me get through the lockdown. Lockdown would make a good G.I Joe figure name.

[@toweypat]

You're right. He could be an MP who runs the prison where they keep captured Cobra guys.

[@ChewieEst]

After all these years (and I even owned a Mauler) I just noticed on the final close up that Rampage has a dirty face and lines from his goggles! I owe you again RetroBlasting!! 😉

[@greywizard9914]

"Just plow ahead and the consequences be damned!" lol

[@hayeshurley2789]

Ww1 described in one sentence

[@scottm4969]

My MOBAT was bricked for most of my childhood. Just recently disassembled it and got it working again.

[@drfaireborn1582]

Hey that is great. How did you do it? New gear box?

[@scottm4969]

Drfaireborn no, once I disassembled it, turns out there was a foreign object blocking the works. Really simple fix, but as I kid I didn’t have the knowhow to do it. Its been in a box in the attic since the 80’s and I finally got inspired by Retroblasting to give it a go.

[@erikkunkle9574]

I had a tear watching this because my tank and Stealer were lost in a fire. Then I had tears of laughter with the ending dialog. Thanks for the emotional roller coaster this AM :)

[@jcombes1]

LOVE THIS!!!! Especially the smack talk between Rock-N-Roll and Steeler. Funny!

[@JIPS1993]

Thanks for the content during these trying times!

[@martinvasquez818]

Loved the skit at the end! And really in character for Rock-n-Roll! 👌🤣

[@resolute123]

I wanna say from my childhood that Hasbro experimented with smaller die cast vehicles. I think there was a tank and vamp. Anybody remember such a thing?

[@marcusp5828]

Loved this Michael! You basically verbalized my frustrations with these favorites of mine

[@vintagetoykid9682]

RetroBlasting is my favourite KZbin channel and Michael and Melinda are two very awesome people. Keep doing what you’re doing. You guys rock!

[@Grindhead_Jim]

The MOBAT is probably the definitive image in my head of GI Joe. I loved that toy.

[@johnperry9287]

Excellent review RB. I would love more Gi joe content its my jam and i cants get enough!

[@actionfigureplus]

Awesome video good job! Loved those pieces!

[@vagtav310]

That 80s toys or portable game systems battery issue was sooo annoying! Great video guys..

[@nyquist75]

VERY interesting, great quality production too, you keep getting better. yo joe!

[@AnalogToys]

Love your GI Joe videos!

[@tomservo5347]

I had a bunch of GI Joe vehicles during the 80's. (Had the Mobat-broke it within a week. Hey, it was my first and I was 4 years old.) They all survived hours on the schoolyard during recess because they were simple, detailed plastic pieces. It didn't bother me one bit the treads weren't real. I liked the assembly required because it felt rather like putting a model together that you could actually play with. The Warthog (that could actually float) amphibious vehicle, Conquest X-30, and Desert Fox (with free figure 'Skidmark' lol) were my favorites. One thing I really appreciated with GI Joe were the little plastic stands that would snap into the foot of any figure so you could pose them-which let my imagination run wild with epic battlefield creations and having them all standing at attention during off-duty hours.

[@antofire500]

This tank has the five stars. I had the mobat around 15 years in two colors. Wonderful toy.

[@paristhalheimer]

The Mobat was my 1st GI Joe vehicle. Steeler was my favorite figure and the method of turning was pretty cool. It was a lot of fun, except when the batteries died. Then it was an imoble lump of green plastic.

[@nategreen8093]

Perfect! Loved it!!

[@TenayaVB]

A couple years ago I bought a Heavy Metal complete with Mic (Expensive!!) and as I was moving it to a display case in my collection room, the mic fell onto my carpet. I frantically looked for an hour and could not find it. Finally, I decided to roll the dice and used my Dyson vacuum cleaner and was able to retrieve it that way. Whew!!!

[@Peter_Morris]

Hey that’s how I find LEGO I or my children have dropped on our rugs and carpet!

[@lordjs9726]

The Mauler is amazing. It is army brown ( which I prefer much over army green ) and it has a bigger cannon.

[@giltucker2007]

That was really good! Please do more GI Joe reviews!

[@Caleb.Collects98]

My boy Dusty made an appearance! Nice!

[@ForgeMaciejewski]

I have the Mobat from the 25th anniversary line. I think it's a great tank and yes, the battery function does work. For years, I wanted a Mauler, but could never afford it (that and I never saw one as a kid in stores). I would love one for my vintage collection, but I'm kinda glad that i don't have one now. While visually beautiful, it's a hassle on the secondary market to get complete (with parts alone being insanely expensive). I think I'll stick to vamps and jets, those I can afford. Thanks for the video. I love when i get to see Michael being honest.

[@retroblasting]

I'm always honest. :)

[@ForgeMaciejewski]

@@retroblasting and trust me; its appreciated.

[@ArtistAnnex]

Another great video Michael. Both of these armored vehicles escaped me as a child and after watching this retrospective I know why! My father absolutely hated any battery operated toy especially when it came to the "whine" of a motor or the "beep" of a weapon. I remember famously when he would assemble my bikes or playthings and they never made the sounds in the commercials. My dad "the lifelong engineer" found a way to remove ir "forget" to install the sirens and alarms! Thanks again for another trip down memory lane. I hope you and Melinda are staying safe. -Richard Fekete

[@ryferguson9733]

I love your channel.

[@tylercarlson5093]

Still have my MOBAT...100% complete. Gee wiz how I yearned for the Mauler. It made many X mas lists but never sealed the deal. Great video...I will admit I never noticed how useless the MOBAT was w/o batteries. Good times.

[@Scopay73]

👊🏻🤘🏻Great video! I loved my Mobat. The original Joe team is my favorite.

[@nps1016]

I had the Mobat as a kid, got plenty of play out of it. Unfortunately the batteries wouldn’t last very long and felt the driver was very exposed, but I was the only kid in my neighborhood to have one. One kid got the Mauler but when my tank was working it was faster and can go backwards. Thanks for the review.

[@jasondwilliams972]

Fantastic video! I stumbled upon Michael Mercy a little over a year ago when my son & I were checking out some Transformers’ videos. I discovered Tony by way of Michael, and now you by way of Tony. You guys are all phenomenal, personable, & informative...

[@enriqueae7532]

It’s funny you published this video, I was just looking at my two Mobats and I need batteries too! Hahaha

[@quaffdowngin]

Love your toy reviews! I still own most of those Joe vehicles from my childhood.

[@Peter_Morris]

My mom kept my Alpha Probe and gave it back to me when I had kids. The electronics long ago stopped working, and there are some broken bits here and there, but it still works as an imaginative toy. We also had a Mobat and Stompers. Who knows what happened to those things.

[@KidApoc]

Lmao, the banter between Grunts and tankers is spot on. Loved our tankers,but damn they liked to smack talk.

[@impossiblepie]

They do look great looking on a shelf!

[@PoGoTips]

Tanks for the memories!

[@bentonrp]

Great video on these TANKS! That's not what the Joes act like; That's what Michael acts like...

[@retroblasting]

I dont know what this means, but I'm sensing a cheap shot.

[@bentonrp]

Just that ol' fashioned, only-too-familiar internet jiving. I can't do it so good, but I truly adore your comedic spin on things!; Rock N Roll always exposes the lies about doing his duties! :D

[@bairdswestciv9542]

When I was a preteen, I took both my Mauler and Mobat apart. Taking the internal gearing out allowed the tanks to roll on their treads easily. That's what Hasbro should'a done.

[@martinvasquez818]

Hey! I did the same!

[@Shockwave-ob2tx]

I had this and usually just picked it up moved it as needed. And also Rock N Roll, "I wear ammo belts as clothing!"

[@gijoespanol]

I will never see my MOBAT the same way again.

[@reaverofsouls]

Had the Mauler, got it for Christmas 85. And you are correct. It was definitely a brick after the batteries died.

[@michaelroche4559]

Hope you’re staying healthy. Great channel.

[@RaptorRed79]

I never owned the Mobat, but i do have the Mauler and it is in still running condition.

[@stephenhorne6645]

I had the Alpha Probe but had no idea that’s what it was called! Thank you.

[@acer3573]

My parents never griped about the decals because I put them on myself! I loved spending hours on Christmas following the directions! (Yes I was a weird kid!)

[@ReallyDoh]

I LOVE IT..! A modern take, on the "old school" commercials. -HOO-rah!!!

[@k.ottophillips4303]

I got so frustrated with the motor in my MOBAT not working, I just pulled it out, and have a free rolling tank now.

[@logruszed]

I had the MOBAT and yeah, especially compared to more modern toys it was really limited but I always resented the solid plastic treads on the majority of the rest of the toy line at the time. I realy wish someone had found a good compromise back then. Oh, one play time advantage those tanks had was the really did feel like tanks with all that motor and battery weight.

[@jpedromarques3672]

Fun fact:im only 12 BUT i love! Watching your videos because i love me some vintage toys

[@brandonclark256]

That’s why the MOBAT stayed at the HQ and never moved while the VAMP did all the fun stuff.

[@dustycrosley486]

Had both and loved both of them. Ill never forget the fact my Mobat did not have a sticker sheet with it, which in hindsight gave it a more genuine military appeal. By the way that Mauler is beautiful and looks like it was just pulled off the shelf in 85!!

[@TheLavadiver]

I had the Cobra version of the MOBAT, the black tank with the red turret. And you are right, once the batteries died and mom 'n' dad got tired of buying batteries, it was pretty much a paper weight. I always used the HISS for everything pretty much.

[@makishepard]

I wanted a mauler as kid. Never got 1 but thanks for the insight.

[@brycevo]

These are super iconic, but are completely different from any other GI Joe action figure

[@brianw94]

Thanks for this perspective on these vehicles. I’ll be heading from Nashville to Memphis to pick up my Mobat from my brother, right after the ‘Rona ain’t an issue! I can’t wait!!!

[@pnrcomps]

By Jaga, give me sight beyond sight on these gods that know! lol great fun Michael

[@art-n-filmsam3844]

I love the updated version of the GI Joe themed logo art! The Sunbow styled Snake Eyes to stand out against the black background, the card art explosion effect, and the M14 styled laser rifles. It's great! All we need now is Broken Vader as Destro

[@MotownWes]

Awesome!

[@GhostGL]

I had the Mobat, but before that I got this model of one that looked just like the Mobat. I liked putting it together and painting it, though I gave it camo painting.

[@andrewgrant2990]

Now that was a classic video sir- I laughed so hard at the end & replayed it several times. Maybe 1 day you could team up w/ GI Joburg.

[@silverthorn9759]

That Adventure People spaceship thingee brought back memories of a toy I must have had but had completely forgotten about.

[@toddsperling2047]

I had some of them. They were good at being regular civilians that got killed in the crossfire.

[@lorenzoholmes2034]

I purchased my Mauler in 2009. The batteries still work. It's been in 2 storages. I live in the desert.

[@dinomonzon7493]

Spring-loaded weapons became part of G. I. Joe in the 1991 lineup with Red Star, Heavy-Duty, the D. E. F. team and others.

[@johnr7279]

Cool! GI Joe Follies!

[@alasiadarthe001actual9]

I got a smashed up mauler from goodwill with missing a tread and now it’s a massive tank for warhammer 40k

[@J-T-A]

Only the gods know... and the gods must be crazy.

[@dasspielmobil6161]

It always strikes me as a big surprise to see people actually downvoting RetroBlasting videos. I don´t get it. They are well made, incredibly in-depth and entertaining. What more do you want or expect? Noods?

[@camcordernonsense5264]

Liking the shirt, Mr. Sir!

[@warhorse03826]

I remember my character having a LAV-75 in Twilight:2000. I kept calling a Mauler, and every other gamer knew what I was talking about.

[@chrisstory563]

I will agree that Batteries were a major pain in the ass to parents during Christmas morning, it not just toys vehicles but the insane trend of Electronic toys that were coming out of the woodworks back in the late 70's and early 80's. every where you go you see a tone of Simon copycats in toys stores as well. the rubber thread are a pain in the ass on some surfaces and I agree they can't get ripped and so on. heck even a few he-man vehicles have those things. btw, cool t-shirt Michael.

[@quietdignityandgrace]

Holy shit!! I had a Starbird! The detachable cockpit ruled for 5yr old me. Drove my folks nuts. Ps, your outro skit... subscribed.

[@hthrun]

6:50 I lost one of Zartan's thigh pads outside. I spent so much time looking through the grass trying to find it. I eventually made a new one out of paper.

[@skabcat242]

I always had fun watching cats chase the Mobat.

[@surfitli]

I had a number of battery powered trucks in the when I was a child in the 80s. That was my main thing, there were many battery powered 4x4s. Bigfoot, the Animal, and various Stompers are some. All of these did have a neutral setting for freewheeling. They had 1.2v Rechargeable nicad batteries. This is what I remember. Buying new aklaine batteries was very expensive in the 80s, I would say over $1 a battery back then. No ads were he answer. Problem was how long it took to charge. Rechargeable Nicads were also what I remember in my RC Tyco Turbo Hopper. I had the original version with 8 AAs, lasted maybe 15 minutes on a full charge. This was before the battery packs and quick chargers.

[@gregorymoore2877]

I remember the Mobat. I think it was here and almost gone by the time I was getting G.I. Joe stuff because while I knew it existed, I never saw it on the store shelves. I don't remember the Mauler at all. I had the Hiss. I think a friend of mine had the Wolverine, which I forgot existed until this video.

[@DocWolph]

I have (I packed it permanently) a Mauler and I recall it having a neutral so you could push it. However, I have to imagine that Action Man tank mentioned earlier should have been the model for GIJoe and Cobra tanks. It was pushable and the treads ran free. Problem is losing of tearing treads again.

[@cryogeneric]

lol, my toys rarely had batteries. And those rare time's they did...have fun, cause when they died they weren't getting replaced.

[@markmooredesign]

The Mobat was the first GI Joe vehicle that I got for Christmas and I still have it displayed in my collection. I absolutely loved the realism of the tank treads on this vehicle. The realism, scale, and articulation is what drew me to GI Joe's or the other toy lines of this period. The motorized travel seamed awesome at first but eventually became an over all let down of this vehicle. Like you said it became a plastic brick without batteries and became a stationary toy. The should have had a neutral switch so it could roll freely. On the other hand even though the fake molded plastic tank tracks were very detailed and more player friendly I hated them. They were fake and they had those tiny rollers on the bottom that often fell or broke off. I just always wanted them to be real like the Mobat. I think the GI Joe line would've been fantastic if they could've implemented real rubber Mobat/ Muller treads on the tank treaded vehicles but with out a motor. Just free rolling to push around by hand. How cool would it have been to have the Hiss, Snow Cat, Wolverine, or even the later vehicles like the Warthog and Havoc with real rolling treads. I think that would've been the absolute coolest detail and made these vehicle perfect and even more fun to play with.

[@MrChristopoop]

I picked up a Mobat and Mualer in the early 2000’s on EBay. They both still function, though they don’t get used very often either. A couple of times a year my little one will ask me to take the tanks out. Although she wants to play with Joes or Star Wars more often that. Oddly enough I never even thought about the tanks being a total redirect compared to the other vehicles. Joe vehicles and play sets were that fun that it did not matter there were not any sounds or lights or mechanical action for the most part. Star Was toys might have needed them as they were “out of this world” creations, where as Joe vehicles were based early on real military vehicles which you could easily imagine how the vehicles would sound in action.

[@MisterSiza78]

Hahaha, this reminds all the time i hassled my mother everytime the batteries died on my beloved Zoids Sabertooth. Awesome content👍

[@matthewdonavan7913]

Yes! The return of Owen Wilson starring as Rock N Roll. A RB video on a Friday is fruit from the gods.

[@weirdguy564]

They should have had a feature that the electric Brio train engines that I own today for my son. A switch that both turns off the electric motor, and declutch the drive wheel from the motor.

[@dmathiass]

Here in Brazil the Mauler was released with the plastic fake threads. I still have mine with a few missing and broken parts.