HCC788 - 1989 T.A.R.G.A.T. - Patrons' Choice! Vintage G.I. Joe toy review!

[@Canoby]

These guys were like Destro's ODSTs, before ODSTs were a thing. I really wish they had gone all in on Destro's Iron Grenadiers (and Battleforce 2000) being from the future

[@Mecha82]

Gotta love Destro and his Iron Grenadiers. While not having that awesome black and red color scheme with gold highlights that Iron Grenadiers are best known from I find that T.A.R.G.A.T. does still look rather good.

[@larryh502]

The upside down grenades could mean he is left handed. I was in the army for 2 years. When throwing M67 fragmentation grenades left handed, procedure was to hold it upside down so that the safety clip and pin would be facing to the right, which is the direction a lefty would be pulling the pin and clip off to arm it.

[@daveyardbird7430]

As a kid that backpack wasn’t a glider or a heat shield, it was a straight up jet pack. My Cobra Air Force was limited so he filled in for the Rattler and Night Raven.

[@woofan25]

Love the fact your family always plays along with your skits!

[@HCC788]

Thank you! We have fun.

[@ergofoxxxy]

i want them to release the TARGAT for gi joe classified SO BADLY .

[@white-dragon4424]

I read that early prototypes for the German A9/A10 "Amerika Rakete" ICBM were going to be manned, with the pilot on a one way suicide mission. Once over the city he'd detonate the nuclear warhead. Maybe, with some more thought, they could've developed some kind of manned ICBM similar to that, with the "T.A.R.G.A.T" as pilot. As is, the backpack's way too small and he'd easily burn up on reentry.

[@bobastu]

I love the beginning! Maybe 1990 was going to be a banner year for GI Joe and Cobra was going to get a shuttle type toy. I guess we will never know. The Crusader in black or Cobra blue would have been awesome for multiple reasons. When Hasbro moved GI Joe production to Brazil, a lot of their molds were not cared for properly. They were either broken, lost in the mail, or never shipped back to Hasbro when the plant was finished with them. This figure, while it looks good, was lacking, as you pointed out, a vehicle system from which to launch. I still find it interesting the first three to four years of figures ('82-'86) seem to have a lot harsher wear than later figs. The line changed, so play patterns changed. Great vid!

[@mlmaronilla]

Owned one and loved it. The backpack doubled as the Super-X vs my large Godzilla toy.

[@Thor13332]

I used the glider as a jet pack. I've always loved the Targat design.

[@white-dragon4424]

Realism wise, it would've been better to exchange the backpack for a mini vehicle, a reentry pod that the troop could slot into and pilot into the atmosphere and down to the ground; basically a large version of the backpack, only with the engines facing backward.

[@lonesquiff6551]

Great review. I hadn't heard of these before. So glad I found this channel. Your humor and enthusiasm are great!

[@traptistraptis894]

I bought this figure in downtown Athens Greece in 87-88--89 man wow

[@kraginbush1876]

Sweet you did the goofy yell

[@toddhumphrey7961]

Great review! I did a little research on Google about upside down grenades - most grenades are designed for right handed people (hold the safety with the right hand, pull the pin with the left and trow). The U.S. Army teaches left-handers to hold the grenades upside down so they are holding the safety in their left hand. So maybe these TARGAT's are lefties. Or, maybe when the TARGAT's are falling backpack first and they are looking up at their feet the grenades are oriented the correct way. Only Destro knows for sure...

[@HCC788]

Thanks, Todd! A few have suggested the grenades are upside down because they would be correctly oriented as TARGAT falls. But he doesn't fall upside down, he falls back-first. I would be more willing to buy they idea of a left-handed configuration. Of course, it doesn't make sense for army builders to all be left-handed, but I have decided such things are just for aesthetic reasons. We get a lot of left-handed pistol holsters on army builders.

[@AnthonySforza]

"Psychological impact on enemy troops? What about the psychological impact of the guys falling from space?" I think that's what the quote on the file card was addressing, hence the psychological impact on enemy troops... As they're taking into consideration the psychological impact of the guy doing it, yet he still does it despite that.

[@fakename2212]

This guy was one of the first GI Joe figures I ever had. I really liked the helmet and visor.

[@travismoore7938]

Great review! I had this figure as a kid and loved it! I do remember not knowing how to play with him dropping from space. Still though, I loved him as a figure. Not too long ago, they did have a guy drop from the edge of space and parachute land on a target. Watching your review reminded me of this and showed that GI Joe was ahead of it's time in some of the technology depicted. You also pointed this out when you reviewed the Cobra Claw. Great job!

[@HCC788]

Thanks, Travis!

[@antiquariancrafts2454]

Better green-screen than Thor: Ragnarok. Awesome review, HCC.

[@Lots43]

I love these guys a unique look for my army.

[@mattzach2275]

I think of TARGAT as those soldiers (Mobile Infantry) in Robert Heinlein's book Starship Troopers. They drop from orbit also, but they were encased in shells that would burn off when they enter the atmosphere. The jump troops from Exo Squad were similar.

[@HCC788]

Heinlein. That's a good reference.

[@cryptomnesiac]

I wish they would have stuck with a coherent color palette, the first few figures looked great, especially with some army building. Targat, Annihilator and Nullifier would have looked much better with the black/gold/red.

[@JoeMotionVideos82]

YESSS T.A.R.G.A.T.! My favorite Iron Grenadier. His grenades were a mystery to me as a kid. But if he is diving in the air, they will be right side up. Or he's just a bad-ass nonconformant who wears his frags upside down, to be different. But wouldn't they detonate while falling through the atmosphere, due to heating up?

[@HCC788]

He would have to worry about carrying explosives during re-entry. Then again, he would have to worry about HIMSELF during re-entry.

[@JoeMotionVideos82]

HoodedCobraCommander788 True dat

[@gxbouncer1]

Love that goofy scream on the way down!!! Lol

[@TerryTurner]

The visor on the helmet should have been gold and darken the blue to like a navy blue. That would have made the figure even better.

[@HCC788]

Those would have been good changes.

[@psychoticbuzzsaw]

I love this figure. I remember when I first got a T.A.R.G.A.T. I ended up with two by Christmas 89, I used my Night Raven for them to jump from lol I pretended they jumped from the belly where the missile rack was and were supported by the little craft and missile pods. I ended up getting the gold and purple Star Brigade version he looks great with the originals gear.

[@HCC788]

Not bad. The Raven at least has some extra space for a figure. It may not be a space shuttle, but it does fly at high altitudes.

[@psychoticbuzzsaw]

Exactly and I see the realistic side of this being lower atmosphere entry instead of orbit lol

[@jayj4560]

I always imagined it was a ramjet or 90 degree jet kinda thing, with the top being intakes that are for by the turbines.

[@mgvillanmp478]

I bet Hasbro had plans to make a ship for the iron grenadiers but they more than likely changed it to something else ...nice work my friend I liked this one but I never had him and I totally agree with your points

[@HCC788]

Thank you! I think Hasbro thought Iron Grenadiers and Battle Force 2000 would last a lot longer than they did.

[@josiahalcorne7568]

That is the greatest hoody ever. These guys were a nightmare on my childhood battlefield. They didn't have anything to do with space when I used them. Thank you for another great review.

[@HCC788]

Thank you for watching!

[@nerdcraftercoley7305]

I agree that those may be stabilizers on his backpack. Also think that the grenades may be able to be launched somehow while he's in flight that might be why they're pointing up.

[@time9293]

Forgot I owned this until I saw this video! I had him hold the joystick upside down with the long end pointed towards his elbows.

[@killercustomfigs6079]

his grenades are upside down to allow better movement at the waist. Right side up the waist would hit the rounded portion and the paint wear would be excessive. Great review as always HCC788.

[@HCC788]

Thank you!

[@STRYDENT]

Good stuff. Maybe this detail will help. Orbital drops are a real but highly specialized approach to tactical insertions. There isn't very much info on it that's readily available but there's a civilian version of the type of jump a TARGAT would be used for. Check out the Red Bull Stratos Jump. There are tons of written info on the subject. I learned about it from a Tom Clancy book and immediately went researching. It's essentially, a more extreme, faster form of Halo jumping.

[@HCC788]

Hey, Strydent! Great to hear from you.

[@Cavillier1970]

the hell with bending the knees & breathing, prayer would have been a better option! LOL

[@shermaneagles5903]

I finally picked this figure up and you are right it's a great figure.

[@mikesmith2718]

i never get tired of these reviews cant wait to see whats in store for 2018 and i hope to see you at joecon 2018

[@HCC788]

Thank you! I hope to see you there!

[@pilgrimMj]

Sergeant Slaughter wouldn't be scared to jump.

[@HCC788]

Sgt. Slaughter wouldn't be scared of anything.

[@racerxgundam]

upside down back grenades or not...this guy was top tier all the way for me as a kid. my only complaint is some of the color choices....but to be fair..there was a time i thought cross colors clothing was cool so like i can give the figure a pass ;-)

[@HCC788]

I don't think the colors are too bad at all, just a darker blue would have made it better.

[@Michael_Johnson_5446]

This one was new to me, thanks for the insight. I like the slightly Art Deco style of the Iron Grenadiers.

[@HCC788]

There are definitely some Art Deco design elements in Iron Grenadiers. They have that in common as well as the colors (well.... not all of them had the common colors).

[@dimensionbomb3001]

I just subscribed a while ago as I just barely got back into Gi Joe. I had some as a kid at the tail end of the 80's, but I wasn't into the 90's stuff I guess. After that I got into the 6-inch scale, but recently (and I don't know why) I've just been thinking about Gi Joe for some reason. The way GI Joe handles accessories even for such small figures is awesome to me, and then there's all the vehicles and well I just wanna watch GI Joe videos. So thanks for making some.

[@HCC788]

Thank you for watching! Welcome aboard!

[@ElCheffrey33]

I painted two cobra Stellar to the iron Grenadiers colors.

[@mattlerch531]

Let me bring forth a few thing from earlier this year and psa style comment. Hi this Joefan82 (Not really,just pulling from something eariler in the year) reminding you all to remember to tuck your knees and breath. Now you know and knowing is half the battle, Steve.......... G.I. Joe! Okay jokes aside, T.A.R.G.A.T. left a skidmark all the way down his crazy legs. The Iron Grenadiers as a whole new faction was great. It opened up a new front for the Joe's. T.A.R.G.A.T was great. His grenades were up side down because it's would seem easier to handle the grenades while on their back, though the ones on his back were not needed. The math of timing the grenades wouldn't work out practically, but still a nice touch. After the Trooper, T.A.R.G.A.T is my favorite.

[@Michael_Johnson_5446]

Wish Hasbro could have made a GI Joe version of that plane at the beginning.

[@jakubbuszko3089]

I like this figure but I was confused how long grenades can hold up jump from space ? :( You know inner force , gravity , atmosphere temperature .

[@silverthorn9759]

That''s a heck of an acronym you've got there.

[@bryanmayberry5859]

I always thought the ports on the backpack looks more like intakes like most jets

[@Olive77fly]

Bad acting but very creative, that's what it counts and I really enjoy lol. Targat is awesome, I'm crazy looking for his backpack.

[@glennrobbins2372]

Great review! My son had the back pack but not the figure. Love the outtake at the end. You could have had your daughter use a air pump to get you back into shape after falling. Keep up the good work.

[@HCC788]

Thanks, Glenn!

[@glennrobbins2372]

HoodedCobraCommander788 very welcome. I've been a fan of G.I.Joe since I was a boy. I went from the 12" military to the Adventure Team. It was great to be able to pass that on to my son. He now has them packed away for when he has kids. (Hopefully not too soon, lol.)

[@scumtacular3611]

Those aren't rockets on the top of the shell system, they are air intakes for powering a jet thrust system which I assume is supposed to come out of the holes exposed when the wings extend on the bottom.

[@delvis7842]

Great review bud! Sorry it's taken so long to see it! So hilarious! Great to see the whole family involved! Many thanks to all of you!

[@HCC788]

There's never a need to apologize. I'm just happy you're still here.

[@delvis7842]

Thank you

[@Fierroandrew21]

No dislikes 💯

[@ElCheffrey33]

Iron Grenadiers are my favorite team.

[@ivan363]

A simpler time…

[@jakubbuszko3089]

You know commander my last screams when can't doing something ends on 2001 when I start exam my swimming curse & swim 16 meters under watter for first time on my freak life ...

[@impossiblepie]

Great review! Awesome figure awesome army builder.

[@alexanderjbateman7340]

This is yet another reason why you need a Red Shadow's Roboskull....

[@HCC788]

I would love to have a Roboskull!

[@THEWATCHERISLOOKING]

These guys were hard to figure out what to do with them. Other than a jet pack fighter. I'm assuming those propulsion on the back could be for hovering forward while the hole under the backpack is the actual propulsion. This is just a weird trooper. They must of just dropped of from high altitude planes. To come down as some sort of air support. It's just crazy.

[@christianhafer9819]

You think too much. Just fly him around with his winged backpack. Simple. You don't have to literally have a space vehicle and pretend he's falling from space. Just fly him around. That's what kids did. This figure ir excellent. Upper tier.

[@leegray99]

As soon as I saw Beelzebub. I said to myself I bet she clicks her fingers to make you better :)

[@HCC788]

Wait... Beelzebub helped?? I thought I was just lucky!

[@ergofoxxxy]

maybe the grenades are upside down so when they look down while falling from the sky they can just reach straight for them and drop them like little bombs .

[@jmsberetta]

great video

[@HCC788]

Thank you!

[@cyberfrank-bx2nv]

like you said, the concept is nonsense, there were no space vehicles to drop them. it was miss management to release those troops when destro did nt even had bazooka troops yet. I only had one of those, when I had 10 regular grenadiers already. also, the blue was too much as color scheme, it should have been gold or grey. a leaner jet pack would have rocked, and the figure s shape looked fat compared to others. unlike the rest of Destro s army, this one was a let down to me. anyway, who the heck wanted space related combat in the first place? good show Commander!

[@bigtrajik1]

Stay on Target !

[@omarvillalobosalbornoz1119]

You are a Beatifull person, Commander.

[@robonintendo]

Excellent video, well done :)

[@HCC788]

Thank you!

[@nickroche3517]

bad idea to burn in orbit, even worse to burn in orbit with grenades strapped to your body

[@julianbryantjb]

How does he do it? The power of imagination that is how!!!!

[@dennisrounds1996]

Wish they would have Stuck with me he black , gold and red color scheme.

[@nyquist75]

visor flips up to reveal second visor. deal with it.

[@jorgerivas8330]

Yo vendo unos en 1000 dolares

[@georgenoriegajr]

Good God Almighty , as bad as the Sunbow animation was at times, the DiC stuff was just breathtakingly bad.

[@HCC788]

That's why they called DiC "Do It Cheaply."

[@Kyocera-ot6hb]

4:32 Not be rude but who's smoking crack while designing these figures ???? 86 I was done w GI Joe great videos tho ...