HCC788 - 1990 HAMMER - Vintage G.I. Joe toy review!

[@franzyland]

I was overseas during Gulf War 1. I asked my sister to send me some Joes, and I got the Hammer in the mail. It was HUGE. But it fit every Joe I had and I drug that thing half way around the world.

[@TheLilith1978]

You know what cool? Rewatching some of your videos while stuck in bed. Such a great up grade from the vamp. This is one my favourite vehicles from 90s such a great toy

[@Sammydx1]

I had two Hammers. It was the last year I played with my Joe's. We went on alot of patrols through the kitchen into the living room. Quite a few times we got ambushed by Cobra. But 1991 was the end of the line for me. I turned 11 and GiJoe seemed to go in a different direction.

[@matthewsirois3705]

If, I had a Hammer, I'd play with it in the morning, I'd played with it in the evening.... sorry couldn't resist. Anyway, I never had this, but I would have loved it!!! I was always looking for a vehicle to carry a squad of Joes into combat. Unfortunately I was long out of G.I. Joe by the time this was released. Also, The Marvel Comic had a much better "translation" for W.H.A.L.E. (Waterborne. Hovercraft. Assault. Landing. Experimental.)

[@fitnessfrank83]

Lol.

[@christianhafer9819]

This vehicle is awesome. I'm getting it complete, and unbroken, supposedly for 200 dollars. Box, decal sheet, and blueprints. I'm excited to get it.

[@bobastu]

Fantastic Review!!! Fisher Price, in the mid 1970s, took Hasbro's Adventure Team and scaled it down; Adventure People was born! Adventure People vehicles were made with all metal axles, and the vehicles are older than GI Joe ARAH, and have less breakage. This is another vehicle that can be identified as a mark of Hasbro's lack of love for the line. I truly believe after 1987, everything was downhill. Reissues, cheaper plastics, hard plastic pieces that could have been rubber (antenna), one color vehicle/engine molds. No real undermolds which can snap in place for seats, engines, and other greeblies. Larry Hama even expressed he did not want to include some of the more lame aspects in the comic which came to mean so much to kids, whom were becoming adults; in 1990 I graduated High School. Well, keep it up! Yo Joe! Sit back, crack a grape soda, enjoy some chocolate donuts, and maybe have some Candy!

[@user-si9fx4xb6v]

My hat is off to Larry Hama for putting up with the crazier ideas that Hasbro's executives kept giving him like Serpentor, The Eco Warriors, Head Man and Star Brigade. Even though I am only up issue #80 in the Marvel G.I. Joe series, I know have lots of crazy stuff coming up in future issues.

[@bobastu]

@@user-si9fx4xb6v it is wild. I loved how the Serpentor story plays out in the comics. I just wish Larry would have touched on the ancient mysticism regarding Storm Shadow's contribution to Serpentor, and then Storm Shadow's eventual recovery. I know Billy is a part of it, but the skull in Tommy's eyes as he emerged from the cloning vat is never seen, or talked about again!

[@duncanpill]

I’m loving that Cobra rage too!

[@maxbrandt6]

Neat vehicle for kids in the 90s, the no smoking symbol is a nice touch.

[@kaylemathewcomendador7614]

The Hammer is basically the Whale of the 90s. They are both large, has tons of features, can hold a good chunk of figures and has small areas on them that can break. On the bright side it doesn't look too complex to restore, so I guess Toy Polloi wouldn't mind fixing up one. I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention the reuse/retools of that vehicle a bit though. Nice review HCC788.

[@poolee77]

The 2002 version wasn’t made out of disintegrating plastic. A good alternative

[@JoeMotionVideos82]

Glad that you finally completed you Hammer, you nailed this review!

[@hofquarters]

The fragility of the grey plastic is typical for the US release. The European release used a sturdier material.

[@manofaction1807]

My "Hammer" didn't have that back covered, nor were the guns that big. My ride in the desert was a modified SAS Land Rover, with some bite to it with a 134 chaingun, and some Carl Gustov's. The brits had a mount for their equivalent of a squad weapon, but we changed it out for an M60 mount, and a lot of room for storage. I lived out of that hunk of crump for 2 years or so, then came back 5 or 6 times to get it back each time. Outside the gate, those little goblins kept trying to take my stuff, until I gave the kids a few MRE's and baked chickens. I ended up putting them on the payroll, and they kept me informed on "Good" days, and "Bad".

[@WWJD85]

Double thumbs up for the Jim Beam Shirt HCC.

[@BenKurth]

I like how there are two windshield whippers at the base of the windshield, but no windshield.

[@drozwalker9]

This review was definitely worth the wait. This vehicle has a ton of great detail and features.

[@darkwoods1954]

The V.A.M.P mark 2 from 2011 is my favorite version. It gets overlooked because it wasn't a vintage vehicle but it combines the semi realistic look of the original VAMP with the HAMMER and it's larger size and seating capacity.

[@supersho93]

Great review, I love the hammer, one of the great unsung vehicles of the 90s, too bad I can't make the live chat on Tuesday due to working, I wouldn't mind a chance at one of the in-completes. I also like the comment at the end about the chimney!

[@Roche_Furman]

I had two of these. When I was 9 for Christmas I got one from my grandma and one from my cousin.

[@TheJrod254]

Thanks for Goin into Real Good detail and thnx for taking me Down Memory Lane.....

[@mattleuty5285]

Great review HCC but I am a little disappointed that your not wearing MC Hammer pants!!!

[@davesaints8023]

I have been watching you channel for a few years. It surprise me that some of the material Hasbro used was cheep. I guess they were only expecting there toys to last a few years. I know they were made over seas, they could have used better material. Love your videos. Reminds me of my childhood 😁

[@MrHabs]

The hammer was a POS. Im 39 and I remember getting one at Christmas. Generally I suppose as a kid you're rough on your toys. But I remember pushing it across the carpet and a wheel just breaking off. The R.C. I also had and that thing was AWESOME.

[@crowningchristopher8273]

Funny enough, I bought a new vehicle called Brawler in 2003 and had no idea it was a repaint of this until you made this review. I had been out of GIJoe since about 1987 so I had no knowledge of the Hammer in 2003. Even funnier is the fact that the turret was now a missile launcher and had no need for an ammo box but it was still included. I was confused and thought maybe it was a cooler for lunches or something that just fit nicely in the back center console. That's where it's still displayed today.

[@mattdawg83686]

Uh oh uh oh uh oh uh oh uh oh uh oh here comes the Hammer!

[@garyvallone5393]

I had this as a kid. Even had until 2 yrs ago until my wife put the dogs in the garage. They chewed everything up. All my old stuff

[@andersonsady]

Man I this toy in my childhood and play soooo much

[@igorsmoczyk2336]

Great review of a great vehicle! I had it as a kid (and I still have it but without antenna and tripod). I don't mind it's a bit too large compared to Vamp after all humvee is supposed to be huge but I would exchange those side guns with opening doors.

[@ipokluda]

Still have my childhood hammer and restored it last year. Still missing antenna of course. It was a tough vehicle, the shell survived along with a few seat clips and the spare gas tank for some reason.

[@THEWATCHERISLOOKING]

Oh wow. Im glad now mine is still complete.

[@codyneuburg1825]

A really robust vehicle and an amazing analysis by you I just love watching your videos and yeah that antenna ,its like a bow tie 🎀 on a nice suit

[@danielhoover2394]

I have the re-use mold called the Brawler complete from when I was a kid. When you pointed out the Hammer was alot like the Humvee the military uses, I went huh and decided to get a better look at it without the big gawdy missile launcher. I gently wiggled the base out of the socket and one of the three tabs snapped off like a twig!! 😭 I should have listened, I'm so stupid for trying!

[@poolee77]

Even so the 2002 Brawler is less fragile than the Hammer.

[@michaelterrell9645]

Reminder is on!! Count down begins!!

[@THEWATCHERISLOOKING]

One of the vehicles I got in toys r us. Bullhorn. One of the 90s low light. Shockwave. Tunnel rat and air tight and tripwire. Any of them can drive it. I use it more like a swat vehicle. The only thing I feel that it's a little big. It's a bad ass in my opinion. Oh wow. I never felt like mine would break. I'll be more careful. Great review.

[@MiKeMiDNiTe-77]

Awesome vehicle and review, pity there's so many fragile parts...did anyone notice how the Hammer came out in 1990 when MC Hammer was big, wonder if that was a coincidence?

[@timf7413]

I never used the seat clips on most of my vehicles as a kid. (probably contributing to the woes of some modern collectors trying to complete vehicles today).

[@wojciechkucza5977]

I still have mine since I got it in the '90s for birthday - in Europe it was called Tracker and it was the standard name here for it. As a bonus it had some weir spring loaded missile launcher that you can attach on the top of either of the side guns. I can't really say a bad word on the grey plastic though - had mine for all those years and as it was a really great toy it received a lot of play and apart from the antenna that went off almost instantly either the launchers or hatches and other parts show no signs of breaking or stressing. Maybe it was a little different plastic? It had some "play accidents" of course, so I had to replace the hood and track down another ammo belt, but other than missing antenna I had it complete. As this were the '90s so the gunner of choice was Lt. Falcon from the SSonic Fighters and usually Stalker (the tundra one) was at the wheel with Grid Iron to his right on the passenger's seat. And usually I removed the side guns to make it look better, especially that they are quite tricky to pose a figure on. It was one of the greatest Joe vehicles back then and still is one of my favourite in the collection, thanks for the great review!

[@tycondrius23]

I love the Hammer , I got one a few years back , nearly complete but over time those grey plastic parts have broken. so the missile racks and the side guns are MIA and the legs on the turret gun support snapped too. I removed all the seat pegs cause I use Modern era figures with it and they fit just nice without them.

[@Pegwarmers]

Great review! My friend had on in 1990. We had a lot of fun with it.

[@rtd1409]

Wow never had the Hammer and its really nice to see your in depth review of this masterpiece! The clips are bad and I never used them when I got a vehicle with them as it would put wear on the body of the figure besides looking plain ugly! One detail I love is the No Smoking sign on it very rare on GI Joe toys!

[@delvis7842]

Too cool bud! Great review, and thanks for sharing!

[@mattleuty5285]

Let's me and you get our hands on a Hammer each on the livestream!!

[@delvis7842]

I'm game! Don't care if it isn't complete, as long as there's wheels! We can race!lol

[@mattleuty5285]

@@delvis7842 ha ha yes definitely Brum Brum!!

[@gazz_N7]

I believe this was the last vehicle I bought as a kid. I remember thinking that it was a bit over sized especially when I parked it next to my favorite vehicle the AWE Striker...Great review Hoodie! See you in the live stream!!

[@verndelap]

I had one of these when u was a kid, one of my favs, Roadblock was my go to driver

[@kaylemathewcomendador6964]

Still can't wait for Hammer time to come.

[@Sturmdude]

When I was a kid the GI Joe Hammer was reissued as the Brawler for Joe vs. Cobra, which is confusing because there was already a tank called the Brawler from the 90's. I really wanted the JvC Brawler when I was a kid. I got The Corps! Humvee instead . . .

[@poolee77]

I had the Brawler it was nice, much better plastic than the original Hammer and camo paint. The giant cannon on top sucked compared to the Hammers machine gun though.

[@Michael_Johnson_5446]

Incredible vehicle for the 90s. Congratulations on completing it; this was an epic review.

[@jordel2010]

The Hammer and the Cobra Hurricane were the last couple of vehicles I got from this toy line just prior to moving away from it. The Hammer was certainly a pretty cool vehicle despite a few annoying things about it you mentioned like the back storage covers that require a lot of effort to open because the fit for those covers was pretty snug. Most certainly, the fact that it looks so very similar to a Humvee was part of its appeal; me being from Panama, there are some (now rather bittersweet) memories related to Humvees. Humvees were quite a common sight in the streets of Panama City during "Operation Just Cause" and its aftermath (well into the 1st half of 1990); people called them (something of a misnomer) "tanquetas". It's kind of sad hearing you say that it is so difficult to get one in great condtion these days because, back in the day, I managed to have mine in top condition while I had it.

[@indrashisbiswas2702]

Can't wait anymore....

[@tonyjackson1636]

Great review Hoodie! Lots of features on this beast. One hiccup, the gun stand has three legs, so it's a tripod, not bipod. Sorry, just had to point that out.

[@AroundTheSouth327]

*topside on the box* "Hey, kid! What did you do, jump ship? "

[@glennrobbins2372]

Great review. They could've done a second version of Covergirl as the driver or issued a new character "Nailz". Now I know where the ammo box that was in the box of Joes I bought for my son at a yardsale came from.

[@user-si9fx4xb6v]

I agree, Cover Girl could have been the driver of the Hammer easily. I am glad that Larry Hama kept many of the 1980's G.I. Joe characters around in the later issues of the Marvel comic book series, even when said character did not have a action figure in stores.

[@christingey5281]

Don't give up on doing premieres and live chats for your videos. I like chatting live.

[@michaeljfoley1]

Yes I agree. I enjoyed it though I missed most of the actual live video chat. But yeah, do that again.

[@frankl9583]

Had one of these, I removed the side guns off when I played with it back in the day.

[@WWJD85]

You got me excited Hcc788.

[@neobluemax]

My driver was Repeater. I was sad when I gave up this to a neighbor when we moved. But I had to keep some things and we didnt have room for all of the vehicles.

[@hgattwelve]

Great review as always! Congrats on finishing this grail. This was the first review yours to turn me off to a toy. My casual searches for a solid starter frame ended the moment you said, "practically crumble in my hand." Man, that's a scary phrase to hear. But that's why you have my utmost respect. You don't let the euphoria of finally owning a toy cloud your evaluative judgment of the toy. Thanks for being the best you can be. Side note: is Ambush's awesome mustache camouflaged on the box art?

[@kaylemathewcomendador7614]

Your probably best having a incomplete one at that point.

[@jmsberetta]

Great review of an awsome vehicle

[@torpedo8384]

I thought this was an interesting if over the top vehicle to me. I'd love to see you review the Convention reissue and the Jungle Strike Humvee from the more modern releases. I know, out of your timeframe , but still, it is right in your wheelhouse!

[@knicknac95]

i actually prefered the stipped down version at 12:58 compared to the fully armed one - the oversized guns are off putting to me. If i had one id definitley drop the side guns and missle launchers, and [if possible] take the roof cannon off for somthing smaller and in scale and you'd have in my mind a pretty nifty transport/ light attack vehicle.

[@roguishpaladin]

I wish it had armored doors, like the Vamp Mk 2.

[@Tremain]

The vamp mold is still being used in places like India and some other countries. It's getting quite difficult to find every use.

[@josephc8672]

Love the M.C. Hammer

[@andrethornton3371]

Absolutely can't wait

[@thomasp.4650]

Great review! The Hammer is my favorite vehicle, and I don’t even own one.

[@littlewookiee7780]

Awesome review HCC 👍

[@evanscott9473]

The Killer Whale is way cooler than the Hammer, though it is still very cool. 89 was my last year of being into Joe's as a child.

[@kaylemathewcomendador7614]

I'm exited when Hammer time comes.

[@400heavy]

Great review, as always.

[@chrismayer3919]

Actually HCC, HAMMER stands for Heavy Assault Missile-equipped Multi-purpose Extended Range (FYI ;-)

[@theygone6962]

This was fun thanks HCC

[@michaeljfoley1]

Oh darn I missed the end of the chat. Oh well. On to watch the video.

[@chrismayer3919]

This video is gaining momentum!

[@Mlopez_602]

This came out way after I was out of toys. Too bad. I would have liked it.

[@alfondopreciado7958]

GI JOES action figure since 1962 green berettes are the best toys for USA to the world of toys

[@jedijays]

"You can't touch this" Hammer

[@MarvelandDC379]

Love the intro.

[@MrMayDX08]

GREAT review.

[@KevinMayle1974]

Wow, now that's a review!!

[@tycondrius23]

also on a Side note I wonder if the Convention version of the SWAT RTV had the same issues with the various pegs snapping ?

[@hiway7]

awesome vehicle, awesome review

[@UserNameMandatory]

Tripod. Three legs.

[@krisvalenti4141]

It seems like they re-vamped the vamp until they finally hammered down.

[@alfondopreciado7958]

Nice job God bless América again

[@katenunyabizness9221]

I have mine still but not sure where the running board guns are and the turret gun is probably with them in a box. I hated the slap a gun on a spot technique that Hasbro embraced. So off went the guns I thought were stupid and not realistic imo. Yeah I know, realistic and GI Joe hahaha. I modified the gun mount on the turret ring and put something that looked like a m249 up there. I had Bullhorn in the vehicle, Tunnel Rat, and two others I can't remember who atm for when we played Joes.

[@sirgrunt99]

My driver was my G.I Joe Steel Brigade trooper

[@terradinos1113]

cool coletion bro

[@calanon534]

It feels to me that this ended up being made 25-33% larger than it should have been.

[@rmac8878]

what about the 1988 Dessert Fox?

[@STRAKAZulu]

Congratulations on completing this! You /could/ have used the incomplete one to show the interior...

[@christianhafer9819]

You need to color I'm Bullhorn's hair in. Missing a lot of paint on his head.

[@GRIGGINS1]

You forgot to shoot at Dr Mindbinder lol.

[@stevewillhoite6922]

I remember cutting my ammo belt in half to store it in the ammo box.

[@yojoe2059]

All I heard was the 90s were bad! Lol🤣 just kidding. Great video!👍

[@PatrickLink]

The ammo belts remind me of the ones for the Hotchkiss machine gun.

[@Ynffy]

"You can't touch this"... I see what you did there!

[@kka4life]

This was a good vehicle when I was a kid I passed on it a few times because they weren't completed vehicle if I find one I will buy it next time ser hing for the last tank for sgt slaughter marauders got 2 just need the third one

[@liftbotful]

Broadside..... "Dork thinks he's gonna drown!"

[@MARINJOE87]

Adoro este vehículo, la version de Brasil tiene unas llantas feas, prefiero el de hasbro.

[@bathulk]

Hi, Commander. Why do you think Hasbro went with the C-clips to hold in figures? They don't look like they could've been cheaper to produce. Thanks, great review as usual!

[@ReboottoysEllis]

Hammer time please hammer don’t hurt them don’t hurt them no more

[@jackloera4600]

Great review. Hcc788 is "Too legit to quit!"......I'm sorry, I'll see myself out.

[@Chief81]

I have this & the box but mine is called ‘Tracker’ I live in England and it was bought here. Couldn’t find anything online about it….does anyone know why it is called Tracker?