Forgotten Figures Presents Rarities – Unproduced Infilitrate Cobra Island Crimson Guard 3 Pack

For this installment of #FlashbackFriday, we’re joining Forgotten Figures as he takes a look at the Unproduced “Infilitrate Cobra Island” Crimson Guard 3 Pack from 2003.

Fans at the 2003 G.I.Joe Convention were left speechless as Hasbro unveiled all sorts of Troop Builder goodness, from Crimson Guards to Cobra Troopers. Alongside all of this new awesome was a 3 pack of G.I.Joe Team Members – Gung Ho, Snake Eyes & Duke, dressed in Cobra Crimson Guardsmen uniforms with removable helmets! The set was to include a raft and gear to help the Joes infiltrate Cobra Island. Pretty cool, eh? From Forgotten Figures –

The premise was that three Joes dressed as Crimson Guards were going to infiltrate Cobra Island.  The set included the infiltration raft and three figures: Gung Ho, Duke and Snake Eyes.  The selling point, of course, was that each figure included a removable helmet that would allow collectors to simply buy the sets en masse and use the figures as helmeted Crimson Guard army builders.  (The early set showed a Thunder head, but the test shots of the actual figures later included the Duke head.)  The catch, though, was that the figures would not be sold at mass retail.  They would, instead, go to a designation of retails known as “Market 6”.  This meant that Wal Mart, Target and Toys R Us would not stock the set.  In their stead, non traditional retailers such as Walgreens and smaller, regional retailers would have access to the product.  This also meant that online G.I. Joe sellers would also be able to offer the product and sell it.  Joe dealers having access to the set quickly ignited the dealer world and most quickly put up pre-orders for the set and began to collect money in anticipation of coming sales.

What’s your take on this unproduced 3 pack? I for one would have loved to add it to my collection.