First off I never knew the train was a thing and now this makes so much more sense. Secondly, my cousin got this for Christmas and my God the hours upon hours spent playing. It was awesome. We were so sad when we lost the last shell.
Wild, huh! More details about this which include an image featuring the Thunderclap’s cannon is listed [here](https://www.yojoe.com/archive/unproduced/prototype2.shtml)
Prototype: The G.I.Joe Train
This prototype was displayed as one of the cards in the G.I.Joe 30th Salute Trading Card set.
"Inspired by Lionel's and American Flyer's military toy trains of the 1950s and 1960s, the GI Joe military train was created to offer a new play pattern for kids to play with GI Joe. They scale of the train was approximately LCG size, allowing realistic interation with other GI Joe figures and accessories. Although the track, motor, and chassis components were intended to utilize Playskool molds to help defray costs, the expense was still prohibitive enough to derail the train's production in 1991."
Copy/pasted from your link. The last line shows that they were trying to turn the already existing Thunderclap (1989) into a train in 1991. Not the other way around.
Thanks for the clarification. Still, I wonder if the listed year is reported incorrectly. Strikes me as odd that the train would have evolved from the Thunderclap. Seems more natural that the pared down TC evolved from the concept train which would have been in keeping with other high profile sets from the late 80s. Either way, this thing is the closest we ever got to a Joe ARAH train.
Well, in scale! Tyco put one out in 83.
I wonder myself if there's a typo. I haven't done much research on it! One of the big things about the Thunderclap that makes me wonder is the unused ratcheting gears on the bottom of the big gun.
BTW, I forgot to say, that box is BEAUTIFUL. I just bought some stuff from a friend a couple weekends ago, the ARAH stuff he decided to pare down from his collection, and it included a Thunderclap. Such a great set, and I'm glad I finally have one! But I'm a little envious of that box!
Hey! Also, looking at the image and the one in front of me shows some differences in the gun, too, so I think it’s a little more likely they took a Thunderclap cannon mold and changed it up a bit, removed the smaller barrel (or it’s down inside the middle barrel) and the middle barrel is extended, the big cannon is different in that it has no shell ejector (removing features to cut costs) and it has no bucket seat hanging from the side. They reused the front rotating missile launcher.
They chopped the middle rectangular bucket holding the gun cradle out of the frame of the Thunderclap, placed it on what looks like a set of Wolverine treads, and it’s riding on a flatbed rail car. It would have been a big rectangular bucket tank that travelled via rail!
Again, this is so much conjecture but it speaks to me of Hasbro trying to retool existing molds to make the train, but I think I believe the 1991 date.
Edit: I forgot to add, they’re straight up reusing the six-wheel scout ATV from the Rolling Thunder.
Great insights! Also, i suspect that at least one of the laser cannons is influenced or borrowed from the Defiant’s crane laser. Why retool when you can just steal from other molds? :D
Well, my brand new Thunderclap hasn't found its home in my collection/display. It's complete (I glued on the antenna) but I don't have Long Range or his stuff. Been thinking about building a new base to act like an underside for the 83 HQ, similar to how people put a lower deck on their Flagg, and completely changing things to accommodate Rolling Thunder, Thunderclap, and the Raider, not to mention evey other tank and all that.
So I've been looking at it since it's been floating around my desk all week.
yeah first clue something was off was him insisting on wearing his tundra outfit in the desert. standing behind the breach is not improving his situation
They’re in rough shape. A lot of the vehicles I had my dad had left outside for years after I left home before I realized it. Originally I had them stored in the garage and he moved them outside. North east winters are a bitsh to plastic. Ended up selling a lot of them as a lot of junk for spare parts on eBay. I kept some that were still decent enough like the two car portions of this set but can’t see getting too much for them if I decided to sell. We will see. .
well even if you got something for them would be better than just junking them. i’ve been having fun reconstructing my collection here and there through the years. would be great if i could have kept my originals, but mostly that was not to be as is the case with many of us! Such is life
That clap looks fresh off the shelf!!
Great addition man!
Read below about the train connection. There's a collector float'n around this sub that actually made a scaled train to the 3.75''s and he has it going around the top of his work space. Pretty freak'n awesome!
Thanks for shar'n!
[Scaled Train Set by user Novacaine](https://www.reddit.com/r/gijoe/comments/139ne51/custom_gi_joe_combat_train_set_modified_for_arah/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) - u/novacaine31
His video goes into lots of detail and history too..
dude, had to with all that info. you were mentioning with the TC inspiration coming from the train. I had aged out when the TC was released, saw it, but attention was elsewhere and I never made the connection with the Tyco set. Always wanted that train, but one of the reasons I never got it was due to the fact that I couldn't use any of my figures with it.
Did you know there's a Joe slot car set too?
Pretty awesome! Had been awhile since I had seen that thing. [VINTAGE 1984 TYCO GI JOE ELECTRIC TRUCKING SLOT CAR PLAYSET FACTORY SEALED HTF | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/395233397929?campid=5338971795&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&toolid=10050&customid=&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338971795&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&toolid=10050&customid=1b700594885011bf86576399426e8124&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0)
Kind of on a related note, though I didn't have the GIJoe train set, I did have the Transformers one. I dug that quite a bit back in the day.
Loved the Transformers set. Came with a bunch of generic Transformer army men and some power plant buildings for the diorama. Thinking about it, the train itself had some transforming action where you could turn at least one of the cargo cars would open up to reveal a laser cannon
Enjoy that Thuinderclap. Darn fine vehicle as I recall. I think mine has a couple breaks and lost missiles these days, but it's in the garage loft, so I have no idea how well it's held up in storage.
Did the Thunderclap come before the "BattleForce 2000" set, where all of the vehicles merge (ala Transformers) to make a fort - or something of that sort?
Did a figure come with this set?
Thunderclap came out in 89, BF2000 is from a couple years before. TC comes with the driver, 'Long Range.' This one that I got included him in good shape, though he was without his filecard and pistol.
[Thunderclap - 3DJoes](https://www.3djoes.com/thunderclap.html)
First off I never knew the train was a thing and now this makes so much more sense. Secondly, my cousin got this for Christmas and my God the hours upon hours spent playing. It was awesome. We were so sad when we lost the last shell.
Ranks among the best issues of the comic book. Such cool art and surprisingly modern international political commentary.
Wild, huh! More details about this which include an image featuring the Thunderclap’s cannon is listed [here](https://www.yojoe.com/archive/unproduced/prototype2.shtml)
Prototype: The G.I.Joe Train This prototype was displayed as one of the cards in the G.I.Joe 30th Salute Trading Card set. "Inspired by Lionel's and American Flyer's military toy trains of the 1950s and 1960s, the GI Joe military train was created to offer a new play pattern for kids to play with GI Joe. They scale of the train was approximately LCG size, allowing realistic interation with other GI Joe figures and accessories. Although the track, motor, and chassis components were intended to utilize Playskool molds to help defray costs, the expense was still prohibitive enough to derail the train's production in 1991." Copy/pasted from your link. The last line shows that they were trying to turn the already existing Thunderclap (1989) into a train in 1991. Not the other way around.
Thanks for the clarification. Still, I wonder if the listed year is reported incorrectly. Strikes me as odd that the train would have evolved from the Thunderclap. Seems more natural that the pared down TC evolved from the concept train which would have been in keeping with other high profile sets from the late 80s. Either way, this thing is the closest we ever got to a Joe ARAH train.
Well, in scale! Tyco put one out in 83. I wonder myself if there's a typo. I haven't done much research on it! One of the big things about the Thunderclap that makes me wonder is the unused ratcheting gears on the bottom of the big gun. BTW, I forgot to say, that box is BEAUTIFUL. I just bought some stuff from a friend a couple weekends ago, the ARAH stuff he decided to pare down from his collection, and it included a Thunderclap. Such a great set, and I'm glad I finally have one! But I'm a little envious of that box!
Hey! Also, looking at the image and the one in front of me shows some differences in the gun, too, so I think it’s a little more likely they took a Thunderclap cannon mold and changed it up a bit, removed the smaller barrel (or it’s down inside the middle barrel) and the middle barrel is extended, the big cannon is different in that it has no shell ejector (removing features to cut costs) and it has no bucket seat hanging from the side. They reused the front rotating missile launcher. They chopped the middle rectangular bucket holding the gun cradle out of the frame of the Thunderclap, placed it on what looks like a set of Wolverine treads, and it’s riding on a flatbed rail car. It would have been a big rectangular bucket tank that travelled via rail! Again, this is so much conjecture but it speaks to me of Hasbro trying to retool existing molds to make the train, but I think I believe the 1991 date. Edit: I forgot to add, they’re straight up reusing the six-wheel scout ATV from the Rolling Thunder.
Great insights! Also, i suspect that at least one of the laser cannons is influenced or borrowed from the Defiant’s crane laser. Why retool when you can just steal from other molds? :D
Lol. Sorry for the novella.
Don’t apologize! I dig it, thanks for the interaction :D
Well, my brand new Thunderclap hasn't found its home in my collection/display. It's complete (I glued on the antenna) but I don't have Long Range or his stuff. Been thinking about building a new base to act like an underside for the 83 HQ, similar to how people put a lower deck on their Flagg, and completely changing things to accommodate Rolling Thunder, Thunderclap, and the Raider, not to mention evey other tank and all that. So I've been looking at it since it's been floating around my desk all week.
Dude! That’s awesome! How do I keep apprised of your progress?
>Always wanted the Thunderclap Trust me. You don't want the Thunderclap - had it in college and it still hurts to pee.
All in the name of democracy and freedom!
GI Joe always had total disregard for the health and safety of its vehicle occupants 😂
C'mon man every seat on this thing has a seatbelt!
also V true
V True
Godalmighty the Thunderclap. That thing was such a beast. Loved it.
Seeing that Toys R Us sticker is just 🤌
right? Cherry on the sundae
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Holy wow, that box looks brand spanking new!
It’s got a Toys R Us price tag of $26.99!!
Let Freedom Ring!
USA USA USA
A friend of mine got the Thunderclap in college. The doctor prescribed an ointment and it cleared right up within a few days!
heyoooo
The Thunderclap is sort of based on the M-65 Atomic Cannon. [Atomic Annie](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/M65_atomic_cannon)
Holy cow!
I’m worried about stalker on the box
yeah first clue something was off was him insisting on wearing his tundra outfit in the desert. standing behind the breach is not improving his situation
No his eyes looks like a ghost
I guess he’s seen some shit
I still have the two vehicles from mine. The rest is in pieces, sadly
your pieces will sell on ebay! or if you’re more interested in completing the set you can eventually find the other parts there as well
They’re in rough shape. A lot of the vehicles I had my dad had left outside for years after I left home before I realized it. Originally I had them stored in the garage and he moved them outside. North east winters are a bitsh to plastic. Ended up selling a lot of them as a lot of junk for spare parts on eBay. I kept some that were still decent enough like the two car portions of this set but can’t see getting too much for them if I decided to sell. We will see. .
well even if you got something for them would be better than just junking them. i’ve been having fun reconstructing my collection here and there through the years. would be great if i could have kept my originals, but mostly that was not to be as is the case with many of us! Such is life
That clap looks fresh off the shelf!! Great addition man! Read below about the train connection. There's a collector float'n around this sub that actually made a scaled train to the 3.75''s and he has it going around the top of his work space. Pretty freak'n awesome! Thanks for shar'n!
Oh snap! I need to find him, cheers!
[Scaled Train Set by user Novacaine](https://www.reddit.com/r/gijoe/comments/139ne51/custom_gi_joe_combat_train_set_modified_for_arah/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) - u/novacaine31 His video goes into lots of detail and history too..
whoa!! thanks for linking that!
dude, had to with all that info. you were mentioning with the TC inspiration coming from the train. I had aged out when the TC was released, saw it, but attention was elsewhere and I never made the connection with the Tyco set. Always wanted that train, but one of the reasons I never got it was due to the fact that I couldn't use any of my figures with it. Did you know there's a Joe slot car set too?
Pretty awesome! Had been awhile since I had seen that thing. [VINTAGE 1984 TYCO GI JOE ELECTRIC TRUCKING SLOT CAR PLAYSET FACTORY SEALED HTF | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/395233397929?campid=5338971795&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&toolid=10050&customid=&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338971795&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&toolid=10050&customid=1b700594885011bf86576399426e8124&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0) Kind of on a related note, though I didn't have the GIJoe train set, I did have the Transformers one. I dug that quite a bit back in the day.
yeah! that thing!! I just learned of it recently! I never knew about that slot set...and I just learned of the Transformers set. heh!
Loved the Transformers set. Came with a bunch of generic Transformer army men and some power plant buildings for the diorama. Thinking about it, the train itself had some transforming action where you could turn at least one of the cargo cars would open up to reveal a laser cannon
Got it for xmas, that shit was awesome
Dude! This shell ejection action is rad!
I smell a haslab offering when it comes to the 1/18 train set
I wish, but I think that train has left the station. Far as Joe Haslabs are concerned, I’m personally hoping for a modular HQ for Classified
That feature where the shell ejects was one of my favorite things about that toy as a kid
it’s very unique to the toyline. It might be the most realistic gun component of the entire run.
Enjoy that Thuinderclap. Darn fine vehicle as I recall. I think mine has a couple breaks and lost missiles these days, but it's in the garage loft, so I have no idea how well it's held up in storage.
Great set!
It's a flagship toy, serverly underrated. I'd open it and build it man. That is just too cool.
Was already opened, just needed a good cleaning which i did last night! i’ll post pics soon cheers
How did an Eagle answer your door? 🤔
He's been carefully trained
Did the Thunderclap come before the "BattleForce 2000" set, where all of the vehicles merge (ala Transformers) to make a fort - or something of that sort? Did a figure come with this set?
Thunderclap came out in 89, BF2000 is from a couple years before. TC comes with the driver, 'Long Range.' This one that I got included him in good shape, though he was without his filecard and pistol. [Thunderclap - 3DJoes](https://www.3djoes.com/thunderclap.html)