I’m surprised a couple people can nitpick something like artifacting on the green screen. He did a half hour detailed review! A new opening intro! While sick. I’m blown away by how good this free video is, personally.
Whatever he may be lacking production-wise, he more than makes it up for with the amount of research he does for these reviews, not mention how he always manages to make genuinely thorough demonstrations of these toys and all of its features.
It's like John Lydgate said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time."
You have THE best G.I. Joe reviews on RUclips, and the vastness of the vintage G.I. Joe line means you could probably do this forever. I have a soft spot for some of the more brightly-colored figures of the '90s, so I wouldn't mind seeing you sprinkle some more of those in on your channel, although it might give you great pain to do so. lol
Now look here. We can't have a surface of the vehicle without a missile! There are for or five extra missiles in the glove box! Thanks! I'm gald you liked it.
Great review. The Rolling Thunder was the last G.I. Joe vehicle I got before I quit playing G.I.Joe. I always used it like a mobile forward command base and I used the ICBMS more like our shuttle craft booster rockets then nukes an the cluster bombs were just high explosives. Plus it is the only G.I. Joe toy I still have from my original G.I. Joe toys.
Christmas of '88: my brother got Rolling Thunder and I got Cobra BUGG. That was one of the best Christmases we ever had. Thanks for the great review and the trip down memory lane!
Great review! My friend and I used to take the missiles out and pretend the inside was a swimming pool. The tower the missiles attach to has a little diving board on it.
After the full review this is next on my shopping list to get and I remember from other reviews that there are a bunch of weak plastic parts prone to wear and warp over the years like the wheels and the fold up compartments for the scout vehicle. The cheaper one I am looking at has several problems along those lines so am still on the lookout. Thanks for inspiring more collecting madness!
The Rolling Thunder is a beautiful vehicle as long as you keep it inside a fictional military world. There is no way you can use that thing inside a real combat field. It has so many security flaws that probably would end destroying itself or killing some occupants. Great review, congrats for the new intro.
I was lucky to have this back in the day and it was by far my most impressive vehicle that I owned. Lot of fond memories with this one especially as my Mad Max Road Warrior tanker when playing.
RT became my mobile Joe HQ. It's truly a man's man vehicle, when you absolutely feel you don't have enough firepower, bring more firepower. I love logic! Also size matters of course.
It is large enough it could work as a mobile headquarters, or I would keep it near the MCC for additional support. Can't let those nukes fall into the wrong hands.
this vehicle was my big purchase of 2015 and i was so happy to add it to my collection im glad you got one and the review was spot on i had trouble finding one of the missiles but i found it and your package is on its way tuesday the intro is awesome the new format is awesome cant wait to see whats in store next review!
I just scored one of these in close to mint condition. It hasn't shipped yet, but this review has me waiting like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. I'm so stoked.
I'm guessing it was named after the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign during the Vietnam War? I've never really liked the look of this one, but it's a lot more appealing after watching your review. You made a good point about it needing all those armaments to protect the nukes.
Great review, as always, Commander. There's so much to examine on this vehicle, another reviewer might've skipped over a bit, but you got it all. Fine work, sir. Also, I'm liking the new music. It suits you and the material well.
It's basically a land battleship. I really loved that vehicle but I had to sell it for space. Hopefully I'll buy one again someday when I can display it properly.
I LOVED this vehicle when I was a kid. All the neighborhood kids would have GI Joe Wars. As such, this was my “instant win” or my way of forcing treaties or alliances. A GI Joe vehicle with nukes was the ultimate dream come true for a young Cobra fan.
This is probably the best vehicle in the whole line. Hardly anything has more play features, hidden compartments, fit as many figures comfortably, has more guns and missiles, etc. Good thing you put it in the top tier. Had you put it anywhere else, you would've had to get your head examined. Phenomenal toy!!
Great review to start off the year with. I know this one has a bit of a mixed reputation among some fans for being "too much", but it's been one of my favorite Joe toys since childhood. FWIW I wouldn't have known you were feeling poorly just from watching the review, and it always makes me smile when you can hear the cat in the background.
I remember being surprised with this for my birthday in 1988. Lots of battlefield play value, but like other toys of the late '80s, I was stuck in an apartment without a yard. That was probably a good thing since I still have all the pieces and it is nice and clean.
Armadillo was one of my top 5 favorite Joe's as a kid, and still is to this day. His lack of detail, features and persona allowed for my imagination to run wild and create my own character bio. Although a necessary and honest job, a driver isn't exactly "Awe" inspiring so I added a bit more to his storyline. Being a Driver while moonlighting as a Spy/Double-Agent, Assassin, Mercenary, International Freelance Terrorist, Smuggler or a Salesman for a smaller regional Department store chain make Armadillo SOOO much more interesting and made for some truly awesome childhood playtime.
Great review! I sold this two years ago and just recently bought it again. What an amazing vehicle! Keep up the great work. I love your channel. Sam from machiwoomiapoo channel. :)
Had this one as a kid. Got it for Christmas in maybe '94 or '95? I was 7 or 8 at the time and my local hobby shop had it in a display case with all their loose Joe figurines depicting various battle scenes. It was my personal USS Flagg or Defiant. Easily the biggest and most feature-laden Joe vehicle I owned. I recall at the time I thought it was much older than it was, but that speaks volumes about the direction GI Joe had taken by the mid '90s. Such a futuristic-yet-plausible vehicle seemed quaint compared to a silly Nintendo R.O.B-looking robot and in-articulate spacemen Joes.
The scout vehicle is my favorite play feature of this vehicle/playset. I would have played with that more than the Rolling Thunder. I am shocked and appalled that they didn't add a few small missiles to the scout.
GIJoe was so over the top at its peak it’s insane. The fact that they could legitimately pitch a nuclear missile play vehicle (along with a 7 foot aircraft carrier and a giant space shuttle) is awesome.
Great review as always. I wanted this so badly as kid. Unfortunately, it came out just as I was getting out of Gi Joe but I still wanted it. Just look at how awesome it is! It’s a BEAST!! Top tier for sure.
Wow!!!! That was the perfect was the perfect way to start out the new year. Thank you so much. Just wow, almost too much to say about this. I am glad you still have The Defiant in reserve for later. Can't think of a better trump card to play in future than Defiant. I agree with nukes being too much for Joes. Our play wasn't that dark. If they could have held out a couple of years they could have called them scud missiles. I wish the scout vehicle had been available by itself. We would have had a lot of fun with a couple of those in the backyard. This might be the ultimate sleeper vehicle in the Joe line. Especially for the first wave of Joe fans. 88 was probably the last great year for the line as a whole. Without the Sunbow cartoon, I totally missed this toy. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I hope you watch "The Toys That Made Us" soon. I am really interested in your thoughts and memories on series. Man being an 80s kid was great. Thank you again for doing this and thank you to patreon guys for helping.
Great review! I agree that the driver for this vehicle really lacks in a good sculpt considering the amount of thought they put into the vehicle. Glad to know it's not just my example that has the mounting issue for the missle turntable. I think it would have made a great vehicle for cobra all done up in black.
Just a little correction. MIRV isn't the missile, but rather the warheads inside the missile. That was pointed out in the movie "The Abyss", when one was smuggled into the undersea rig by the Navy SEALs in order to use against the aliens.
I had this and Had the Character Armadillo killed in action.. The Driving duties were then passed onto the character STEAMROLLER.. Because that dude was a Beast.. Also.. I Not only packed more troops in the under Belly of the Thunder but Also packed in the Joe's Motorcycle, and Stalker's Machine Gun Kaiyak.. And in the Very last bit of open space on top above the A.T.V. Scout, I had The Locust Mini Copter.. The Rolling Thunder to me was A Mobile Base.. And HANDS DOWN my favorite vehicle in the line.. YO JOE !!!
def one of the better gi joe land vehicles in my book. its so awesome..all of armadillo's failings as a figure are made moot. great review! i hope u get better!
The Rolling Thunder is the biggest GI Joe vehicle/playset I ever owned and I still have it today! My only complaints are the glass canopies and the chin gun which was too low to the ground. I used the main gun as a sort of artillery. Armadillo? Forget about it!
Wow what a marvelous vehicle! I didn't even know about this one. Even with it's technical problems it's too cool to pass up on. Armadillo isn't that bad of a figure either, they just left too many unpainted details on him.
All the red AA missiles are meant for the turret. As seen in the commercial. Makes no sense to hang them facing on the back wings. That spot was meant for 2x2 of the yellow missiles. My Rolling thunder cannon wasn't right. The two halves didn't click together. Ended up forcing it and was never happy with that detail. I've seen a fantastic mod of this as an APC reminiscent of the one from 'Aliens'
Clearly the turntable missile launcher was designed in a time before cyber warfare, because a Cobra hacker could break into the RT central computer, and take out the entire vehicle with a mouse click :-D
I picture a Techno-Viper (Russian ofc) in some slum in Moscow, laughing like hell as he plants a backdoor in the software and after this goes into mass production he sells the info to Destro and as Destro wants to capture one so he can reverse engineer it, copy it and then sell it to anyone willing to pay.
And this is why you still need manual safeties. Also, I hope they have twin key turns and are required to get codes from the President before launching a ICBM.
Great show and the He Man was good but both during the creation of the figures they were done with not much time and managed to make these amazing toys
Has anyone ever seen a customized version of this beast? Perhaps converted into a troop transport/mobile artillery vehicle? The beast Joe custom I ever saw was the King Hiss custom I saw online.
Rolling Thunder is beautiful. The biggest problem is the nukes. Again, for me, a sub sailor, reality kicks in. In the Army, the firing of any weapon in combat requires an officer's permission. In the military, the release of nuclear weapons requires two officers (senior/hand selected for duty) to concur (Crimson Tide, War Games). It seems GI Joe does not have enough officers in the Field. Colonel Hawk was the field commander, but promoted to Brigadier General when Austin was in the hospital. This vehicle would have been a great playset to release a driver and a new missile commander. At least a new missile commander. This missile commander could have been an O-5, where Hawk was released as an O-6. Just rambling on I guess. Could haves and should haves is all we have left now of ARAH. Great review of a truly great toy. Oh, the nukes. ICBMs don't need to he near the target (and definitely don't want to be, lol) to be effective. Even short range nukes, with MIRVs don't need to be "in the battle." Truly great toy and a great concept though!
Very GOod Review, I'm curious have you ever thought of reviewing a vehicle as well as changes made from prototype to the retail version? ( using drawings when you can)
This was probably by far my favorite toy that I owned . The least favorite of mine was probably the mobile command center. The one but the one I probably didn't like was probably the GI Joe raider
When I was a kid, I loved this vehicle because of so many features. However, now I just have it in storage because it's too silly. For a vehicle this size I wonder where the engine is locate? One of the best thing about GI Joe was always have motors present to make it more realistic.
HOLY the amount of missiles in this vehicle is enough to take out a small country. I know people say the military usually has a large budget enough to eat most of the government spending especially during the 80s during the Reagan years but is this really a workable military vehicle the Pentagon would approved is this vehicle really workable in the battlefield.
Awesome 👏 Yo Joe! It is actually a deflector shield. It shields the gunners from any bullets or shrapnel while operating… And yes, it would be logical to have the missile carousel elevate to guard the skies 🌌 from Cobra!
There was only when I saw this ICMB in store but even on floor was huge so never buy this because nobody will help us with transport also my room was to small for this ...
First of all I would like to say happy new year to you and your family and this review is a great way to kick off the year. I agree that the driver Armadillo is a rather plain, ugly figure. I think if they had sacrificed a couple of the missiles then maybe more could have been spent on poor old Armadillo. By the way I was gutted to miss out on contributing to your Q&A as I was having technical issues over Christmas and New year, it turns out that my laptop did not appreciate copious amounts of mulled wine being poured into it via it's keyboard. I hope you are feeling better soon as well my friend.
Thanks, Matt! I had computer trouble a couple months ago. My old laptop had problems because I dumped soda on the keyboard. I was able to keep it running for a while, but it finally died. Fortunately, I was able to retrieve the hard drive so I didn't lose anything! There will be more Q&As in the future, and I hope I hear from you!
funny, although I never got the RT, I never figured the missiles to be nukes... like you, I thought that it was too dangerous for the joes to have, and rather be a target. I saw them as powerful Cobra base destroyers. as for the fig, the sculpt did nt need to be much, but the color scheme was of very poor taste. the 4 cannons seemed to me to be a flaw, it would have been wiser that they had no seats, and be controlled from the inside, the men are easy pickings sitting there. doing missions with this rig must be a blast however, it rocks! good work Commander!
Just a completely off the wall guess here, but Armadillo's first and middle initials being PR, could that be a reference to Parabellum? Along with the name Makepeace it reads a bit like "Si vis pacem, para bellum". If you want peace (or Makepeace, as it were), prepare for war. Either the Hasbro writers snuck in a crafty joke, or I'm waaaay overthinking this. Probably the latter.
I think Makepeace is a reference to the Nuclear program. There was the Peacekeeper nuclear missile. There was the anti-nuclear group Green Peace. Just my 2 cents.
That is one big toy. When I first saw that scout vehicle Roller popped to my mind and that with that feature Hasbro was copying itself and Takara. I must admit that if I had Rolling Thunder back then I would had imaged those missiles to be nukes that G.I. Joes would had used against Cobra island. Not very heroic I know but I am sure they would had done it in heart beat if they had been allowed.
Great video! This vehicle rocks! I could come up with plenty of scenarios to "threaten" Cobra with nukes without firing them and destroying half the country. Armadillo is probably one of the worst figures in the driver lineup. I believe they just used whatever leftover paint they had. Why is it they couldn't come up with more iconic names for figures and backstorys. It seems they put so much effort into creating thier jewel , they forgot about putting a capable Joe Team driver in for development. Still, the Rolling Thunder would be in my top ten for GI Joe Team vehicles. Lots of play value for sure. Too many missiles though for my taste.
Why did they make controls, levers, accessories and joy sticks that would not fit in the hands of G I Joe figures? They must have known the dimensions of all these things and how to make them fit comfortably in the hands of the figures. It seems to me that G I Joe toys were very well designed in many ways but always had some issues that were frustrating for no discernible reason. I can't be the only person who struggles to understand why they made such obvious blunders.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m surprised a couple people can nitpick something like artifacting on the green screen. He did a half hour detailed review! A new opening intro! While sick. I’m blown away by how good this free video is, personally.
Amen
Whatever he may be lacking production-wise, he more than makes it up for with the amount of research he does for these reviews, not mention how he always manages to make genuinely thorough demonstrations of these toys and all of its features.
When you seem to like what you do people feel it. So HCC788 does make us feel his passion and feeling about those plastic relic :D
It's like John Lydgate said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time."
plus there’s no one that really reviews Gi Joe
You have THE best G.I. Joe reviews on RUclips, and the vastness of the vintage G.I. Joe line means you could probably do this forever. I have a soft spot for some of the more brightly-colored figures of the '90s, so I wouldn't mind seeing you sprinkle some more of those in on your channel, although it might give you great pain to do so. lol
Thank you! We've got some 90s stuff coming up soon!
Cool! Love all your videos!
It’s 2024 and he’s still going.
Hahaha
"If the Rolling Thunder had a toilet it would probably have a missile mounted on the lid!" 😂
Well, it would!
That rocket on the main cannon drives me nuts.great review HCC
Now look here. We can't have a surface of the vehicle without a missile! There are for or five extra missiles in the glove box!
Thanks! I'm gald you liked it.
There's a rl Russian APC w a similar getup.
OMG I thought is was ONLY me! I love the vehicle but I HATE it!
Great review. The Rolling Thunder was the last G.I. Joe vehicle I got before I quit playing G.I.Joe. I always used it like a mobile forward command base and I used the ICBMS more like our shuttle craft booster rockets then nukes an the cluster bombs were just high explosives. Plus it is the only G.I. Joe toy I still have from my original G.I. Joe toys.
Hey, good job hanging on to the Rolling Thunder! If you can only save one, that's a good one to save!
Christmas of '88: my brother got Rolling Thunder and I got Cobra BUGG. That was one of the best Christmases we ever had. Thanks for the great review and the trip down memory lane!
Thank you! That's a heck of a Christmas!
I got both of them!!!!!!
Great review! My friend and I used to take the missiles out and pretend the inside was a swimming pool. The tower the missiles attach to has a little diving board on it.
A swimming pool! That's creative!
This was one of those vehicles that I always wanted as a child. Great to see the review
Thank you!
Me too. Though I would have let Cobra use it lol.
After the full review this is next on my shopping list to get and I remember from other reviews that there are a bunch of weak plastic parts prone to wear and warp over the years like the wheels and the fold up compartments for the scout vehicle. The cheaper one I am looking at has several problems along those lines so am still on the lookout. Thanks for inspiring more collecting madness!
Good luck!
The Rolling Thunder is a beautiful vehicle as long as you keep it inside a fictional military world. There is no way you can use that thing inside a real combat field. It has so many security flaws that probably would end destroying itself or killing some occupants. Great review, congrats for the new intro.
Thank you! The Rolling Thunder would also have trouble maneuvering in some terrain. It would need a lot of open space.
That's right.
I was lucky to have this back in the day and it was by far my most impressive vehicle that I owned. Lot of fond memories with this one especially as my Mad Max Road Warrior tanker when playing.
RT became my mobile Joe HQ. It's truly a man's man vehicle, when you absolutely feel you don't have enough firepower, bring more firepower. I love logic! Also size matters of course.
It is large enough it could work as a mobile headquarters, or I would keep it near the MCC for additional support. Can't let those nukes fall into the wrong hands.
I love your new intro!
Thank you! I thought I should do something shorter this time.
this vehicle was my big purchase of 2015 and i was so happy to add it to my collection im glad you got one and the review was spot on i had trouble finding one of the missiles but i found it and your package is on its way tuesday the intro is awesome the new format is awesome cant wait to see whats in store next review!
Thank you! This is going to be a fun month. I'm glad you liked the intro!
This vehicle always reminds me of the movie "Spies Like Us".
Great review to kick off the year. Thanks for putting in the effort when you were sick!
Thank you for watching! I'm feeling a lot better now.
I just scored one of these in close to mint condition. It hasn't shipped yet, but this review has me waiting like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. I'm so stoked.
Great way to start a new year!!! Excellent vehicle, and a very comprehensive and informative reveiw... love the new intro too!!!
Thank you!
This is one awesome review, we got to see all the guns, missiles and the list goes on and on. Thumbs up.
Great review! Thank you for sharing, and glad you are feeling a little better!
Thank you! I am feeling a lot better.
Very good review on a super awesome vehicle, now that's how you ring in the new year!!!
Thank you!
I'm guessing it was named after the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign during the Vietnam War? I've never really liked the look of this one, but it's a lot more appealing after watching your review. You made a good point about it needing all those armaments to protect the nukes.
Great review, as always, Commander. There's so much to examine on this vehicle, another reviewer might've skipped over a bit, but you got it all. Fine work, sir. Also, I'm liking the new music. It suits you and the material well.
Thank you! I tried to cover everything. If anyone wants to buy this vehicle, I want them to know what they're getting!
Glade to see You Back !!!
Great review - I always appreciate the work and thought you put into these things.
Thank you!
It's basically a land battleship. I really loved that vehicle but I had to sell it for space. Hopefully I'll buy one again someday when I can display it properly.
I hope the Rolling Thunder finds its way into your hands again someday.
I LOVED this vehicle when I was a kid. All the neighborhood kids would have GI Joe Wars. As such, this was my “instant win” or my way of forcing treaties or alliances. A GI Joe vehicle with nukes was the ultimate dream come true for a young Cobra fan.
This is probably the best vehicle in the whole line. Hardly anything has more play features, hidden compartments, fit as many figures comfortably, has more guns and missiles, etc. Good thing you put it in the top tier. Had you put it anywhere else, you would've had to get your head examined. Phenomenal toy!!
Great review to start off the year with. I know this one has a bit of a mixed reputation among some fans for being "too much", but it's been one of my favorite Joe toys since childhood.
FWIW I wouldn't have known you were feeling poorly just from watching the review, and it always makes me smile when you can hear the cat in the background.
Thank you! I'm feeling a lot better. The day after I finished the core review I went to the hospital and got some real meds.
That darn cat!
It wasn't enough! It was one of the funnest toys!
Awesome review as always HCC788
I'm surprised they didn't put missiles on top of missiles.
They put missiles IN missiles, with the nuke ICBMs. Does that count?
Cobra needs sharks with laser beams. 🔫🦈😂🤣
Good thing the internet wasn’t much of a thing for hasbro to see this comment back then. They would have been stacking missiles on missiles for sure.
I remember being surprised with this for my birthday in 1988. Lots of battlefield play value, but like other toys of the late '80s, I was stuck in an apartment without a yard. That was probably a good thing since I still have all the pieces and it is nice and clean.
Armadillo was one of my top 5 favorite Joe's as a kid, and still is to this day. His lack of detail, features and persona allowed for my imagination to run wild and create my own character bio.
Although a necessary and honest job, a driver isn't exactly "Awe" inspiring so I added a bit more to his storyline. Being a Driver while moonlighting as a Spy/Double-Agent, Assassin, Mercenary, International Freelance Terrorist, Smuggler or a Salesman for a smaller regional Department store chain make Armadillo SOOO much more interesting and made for some truly awesome childhood playtime.
Great review! I sold this two years ago and just recently bought it again. What an amazing vehicle! Keep up the great work. I love your channel. Sam from machiwoomiapoo channel. :)
Had this one as a kid. Got it for Christmas in maybe '94 or '95? I was 7 or 8 at the time and my local hobby shop had it in a display case with all their loose Joe figurines depicting various battle scenes. It was my personal USS Flagg or Defiant. Easily the biggest and most feature-laden Joe vehicle I owned.
I recall at the time I thought it was much older than it was, but that speaks volumes about the direction GI Joe had taken by the mid '90s. Such a futuristic-yet-plausible vehicle seemed quaint compared to a silly Nintendo R.O.B-looking robot and in-articulate spacemen Joes.
Its one of my favorites! Great video!
Thank you!
Another great review! Take care! Get well soon!
Thank you! I'm feeling a lot better.
Vehicles like this is not possible at retail anymore... Only possible thru haslab.
The scout vehicle is my favorite play feature of this vehicle/playset. I would have played with that more than the Rolling Thunder. I am shocked and appalled that they didn't add a few small missiles to the scout.
Missiles on the scout vehicle was have made it more... EXTREME!!
GIJoe was so over the top at its peak it’s insane. The fact that they could legitimately pitch a nuclear missile play vehicle (along with a 7 foot aircraft carrier and a giant space shuttle) is awesome.
Great review as always. I wanted this so badly as kid. Unfortunately, it came out just as I was getting out of Gi Joe but I still wanted it. Just look at how awesome it is! It’s a BEAST!! Top tier for sure.
My brother had the Rolling Thunder and we loved that thing! We used it as a troop mover and mobile fire base.
Good uses for it!
you killed me with the toilet joke hahaha! good one
Wow!!!! That was the perfect was the perfect way to start out the new year. Thank you so much. Just wow, almost too much to say about this.
I am glad you still have The Defiant in reserve for later. Can't think of a better trump card to play in future than Defiant.
I agree with nukes being too much for Joes. Our play wasn't that dark. If they could have held out a couple of years they could have called them scud missiles.
I wish the scout vehicle had been available by itself. We would have had a lot of fun with a couple of those in the backyard.
This might be the ultimate sleeper vehicle in the Joe line. Especially for the first wave of Joe fans. 88 was probably the last great year for the line as a whole. Without the Sunbow cartoon, I totally missed this toy. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
I hope you watch "The Toys That Made Us" soon. I am really interested in your thoughts and memories on series.
Man being an 80s kid was great.
Thank you again for doing this and thank you to patreon guys for helping.
Thank you very much for watching. I'm glad you liked it. I'm hoping the Patreon support this year will help me nail down a Defiant!
I didn't have this but my friend did. Thing was huge and hard to take anywhere.
Great review! I agree that the driver for this vehicle really lacks in a good sculpt considering the amount of thought they put into the vehicle. Glad to know it's not just my example that has the mounting issue for the missle turntable. I think it would have made a great vehicle for cobra all done up in black.
A black custome would be really interesting, for Cobra or for Night Force! Thank you for watching!
Armadillo looks like he shops for clothes at the same place as Grunt v3 and Cross Country! :D
I don't know where you find red chaps that match your red dungarees.
Old Navy...lol
I had this when i was young, many an hour was spent on missions in the garden. 🌱🌿🌳 much fun.
Is there a version without the hubcaps? Are the hubcaps removable?
An awesome kick off to a new year, and that is one of the most awesome toys I've ever seen!
Thank you!
Great review. I loved the missile on the toilet part
Thank you!
Definitely need this in my display unit
Just a little correction. MIRV isn't the missile, but rather the warheads inside the missile. That was pointed out in the movie "The Abyss", when one was smuggled into the undersea rig by the Navy SEALs in order to use against the aliens.
I had this and Had the Character Armadillo killed in action.. The Driving duties were then passed onto the character STEAMROLLER.. Because that dude was a Beast.. Also.. I Not only packed more troops in the under Belly of the Thunder but Also packed in the Joe's Motorcycle, and Stalker's Machine Gun Kaiyak.. And in the Very last bit of open space on top above the A.T.V. Scout, I had The Locust Mini Copter..
The Rolling Thunder to me was A Mobile Base.. And HANDS DOWN my favorite vehicle in the line.. YO JOE !!!
Awesome, I been waiting for this. #YoJoe👊😎
def one of the better gi joe land vehicles in my book. its so awesome..all of armadillo's failings as a figure are made moot. great review! i hope u get better!
Thank you! I'm feeling a lot better.
Loved the rolling thunder. The good outweighs the bad. I had to sell mine years ago.
I hope the Rolling Thunder someday finds its way back into your hands.
Baby's First BM, now available in gloss, semi, or matte from Sherwin Williams
The Rolling Thunder is the biggest GI Joe vehicle/playset I ever owned and I still have it today! My only complaints are the glass canopies and the chin gun which was too low to the ground. I used the main gun as a sort of artillery. Armadillo? Forget about it!
New intro is great.
I'm glad you like it!
The Rolling Thunder is a far more complex vehicle than I thought. Look at all that stuff it contains!
They put a lot of effort into it.
Wow what a marvelous vehicle! I didn't even know about this one. Even with it's technical problems it's too cool to pass up on. Armadillo isn't that bad of a figure either, they just left too many unpainted details on him.
I always felt like this should have been a Cobra Vehicle, the Joes having nukes just doesn’t really feel right.
All the red AA missiles are meant for the turret. As seen in the commercial. Makes no sense to hang them facing on the back wings. That spot was meant for 2x2 of the yellow missiles.
My Rolling thunder cannon wasn't right. The two halves didn't click together. Ended up forcing it and was never happy with that detail.
I've seen a fantastic mod of this as an APC reminiscent of the one from 'Aliens'
Clearly the turntable missile launcher was designed in a time before cyber warfare, because a Cobra hacker could break into the RT central computer, and take out the entire vehicle with a mouse click :-D
See-- another liability!
I picture a Techno-Viper (Russian ofc) in some slum in Moscow, laughing like hell as he plants a backdoor in the software and after this goes into mass production he sells the info to Destro and as Destro wants to capture one so he can reverse engineer it, copy it and then sell it to anyone willing to pay.
And this is why you still need manual safeties. Also, I hope they have twin key turns and are required to get codes from the President before launching a ICBM.
I never noticed the weird muscle sculpt on the arms. I had to go dig out my Armadillo figure and check it out. Lol.
This thing was peak G.I.JOE for sure. Aptly named.
HCC have you seen the show “The Toys That Made Us” on Netflix? If not you should check it out as I’m sure you’d enjoy especially the GI Joe episode
I have! It's a great show and the G.I. Joe episode was a lot of fun.
HoodedCobraCommander788 agreed it is a good show and the GI Joe episode was great. Really liked the interviews with Ron Rudat and Larry Hama
Great show and the He Man was good but both during the creation of the figures they were done with not much time and managed to make these amazing toys
Has anyone ever seen a customized version of this beast? Perhaps converted into a troop transport/mobile artillery vehicle? The beast Joe custom I ever saw was the King Hiss custom I saw online.
Wow, the little 6 wheeled vehicle could have been released on it's own. It's easy to imagine as a Cobra vehicle.
Rolling Thunder is beautiful. The biggest problem is the nukes. Again, for me, a sub sailor, reality kicks in. In the Army, the firing of any weapon in combat requires an officer's permission. In the military, the release of nuclear weapons requires two officers (senior/hand selected for duty) to concur (Crimson Tide, War Games). It seems GI Joe does not have enough officers in the Field. Colonel Hawk was the field commander, but promoted to Brigadier General when Austin was in the hospital.
This vehicle would have been a great playset to release a driver and a new missile commander. At least a new missile commander. This missile commander could have been an O-5, where Hawk was released as an O-6. Just rambling on I guess. Could haves and should haves is all we have left now of ARAH. Great review of a truly great toy. Oh, the nukes. ICBMs don't need to he near the target (and definitely don't want to be, lol) to be effective. Even short range nukes, with MIRVs don't need to be "in the battle." Truly great toy and a great concept though!
I imagine it would be very hard to find a complete rolling thunder on eBay and not to mention very expensive
Very GOod Review, I'm curious have you ever thought of reviewing a vehicle as well as changes made from prototype to the retail version? ( using drawings when you can)
I can do it if I can get enough information on the prototypes.
i remember getting this one Christmas
Does anyone have “The General “ vehicle?
This was probably by far my favorite toy that I owned . The least favorite of mine was probably the mobile command center. The one but the one I probably didn't like was probably the GI Joe raider
When I was a kid, I loved this vehicle because of so many features. However, now I just have it in storage because it's too silly. For a vehicle this size I wonder where the engine is locate? One of the best thing about GI Joe was always have motors present to make it more realistic.
Looks like the mold of Storm Shadow's forearms was used
I had this one as a kid.
HOLY the amount of missiles in this vehicle is enough to take out a small country. I know people say the military usually has a large budget enough to eat most of the government spending especially during the 80s during the Reagan years but is this really a workable military vehicle the Pentagon would approved is this vehicle really workable in the battlefield.
Not usually a fan of the vehicles but that is an impressive one
Awesome 👏 Yo Joe!
It is actually a deflector shield. It shields the gunners from any bullets or shrapnel while operating…
And yes, it would be logical to have the missile carousel elevate to guard the skies 🌌 from Cobra!
There’s something about the idea of GI Joe having tactical nuclear weapons that is unsettling to me.
Price of that in Polish stores was huge in 91 .
I'll bet! I'm glad Poland got this vehicle.
There was only when I saw this ICMB in store but even on floor was huge so never buy this because nobody will help us with transport also my room was to small for this ...
09:57. The safeties on that platform must be a nightmare.
First of all I would like to say happy new year to you and your family and this review is a great way to kick off the year. I agree that the driver Armadillo is a rather plain, ugly figure. I think if they had sacrificed a couple of the missiles then maybe more could have been spent on poor old Armadillo. By the way I was gutted to miss out on contributing to your Q&A as I was having technical issues over Christmas and New year, it turns out that my laptop did not appreciate copious amounts of mulled wine being poured into it via it's keyboard. I hope you are feeling better soon as well my friend.
Thanks, Matt! I had computer trouble a couple months ago. My old laptop had problems because I dumped soda on the keyboard. I was able to keep it running for a while, but it finally died. Fortunately, I was able to retrieve the hard drive so I didn't lose anything! There will be more Q&As in the future, and I hope I hear from you!
funny, although I never got the RT, I never figured the missiles to be nukes...
like you, I thought that it was too dangerous for the joes to have, and rather be a target.
I saw them as powerful Cobra base destroyers.
as for the fig, the sculpt did nt need to be much, but the color scheme was of very poor taste.
the 4 cannons seemed to me to be a flaw, it would have been wiser that they had no seats,
and be controlled from the inside, the men are easy pickings sitting there.
doing missions with this rig must be a blast however, it rocks!
good work Commander!
Like rolling thunder, pouring rain...🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵
Just a completely off the wall guess here, but Armadillo's first and middle initials being PR, could that be a reference to Parabellum? Along with the name Makepeace it reads a bit like "Si vis pacem, para bellum". If you want peace (or Makepeace, as it were), prepare for war. Either the Hasbro writers snuck in a crafty joke, or I'm waaaay overthinking this. Probably the latter.
Logistics must be a nightmare for Cobra and GI Joe if every vehicle is unique with unique weapons and ammunition.
The rolling thunder, when you absolutely positively have to kill everything on the battlefield, EVEN ITS CREW. Except no substitutes.
I think Makepeace is a reference to the Nuclear program. There was the Peacekeeper nuclear missile. There was the anti-nuclear group Green Peace. Just my 2 cents.
interesting insight! nice one.
That is possible! Thanks for your thoughts.
That is one big toy. When I first saw that scout vehicle Roller popped to my mind and that with that feature Hasbro was copying itself and Takara. I must admit that if I had Rolling Thunder back then I would had imaged those missiles to be nukes that G.I. Joes would had used against Cobra island. Not very heroic I know but I am sure they would had done it in heart beat if they had been allowed.
This was a good toy too bad I had already outgrown gijoe by the time this came out looks awesome ...nice work hope you had a awesome new year man ...
Thank you! I hope your New Year was good, too!!
I had this toy as a kid,I tradied for a smaller vehicle and. My mom was pist,it was a great toy
Great video! This vehicle rocks! I could come up with plenty of scenarios to "threaten" Cobra with nukes without firing them and destroying half the country. Armadillo is probably one of the worst figures in the driver lineup. I believe they just used whatever leftover paint they had. Why is it they couldn't come up with more iconic names for figures and backstorys. It seems they put so much effort into creating thier jewel , they forgot about putting a capable Joe Team driver in for development. Still, the Rolling Thunder would be in my top ten for GI Joe Team vehicles. Lots of play value for sure. Too many missiles though for my taste.
Great review. If GI Joe vehicles were real, they would be death traps. Lol
I think I got the thunder clap from The Girl Next Door she played with a lot of boys though
the wheels were reused on the general, maybe the detonator.
Why did they make controls, levers, accessories and joy sticks that would not fit in the hands of G I Joe figures? They must have known the dimensions of all these things and how to make them fit comfortably in the hands of the figures. It seems to me that G I Joe toys were very well designed in many ways but always had some issues that were frustrating for no discernible reason. I can't be the only person who struggles to understand why they made such obvious blunders.