Defiant (G.I. Joe)

The Defiant is a fictional space shuttle complex vehicle and station from the G.I. Joe series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, line of toys, comics and cartoons.

Released in 1987, it is also one of the largest playsets in the toyline series. The Defiant is composed of three vehicles.

One is the Crawler unit, which transports the shuttle to a designated location. The Crawler unit is operated by the G.I. Joe member Hardtop, and features dual surface-clearing laser cannons and 7.62mm machine guns. The Crawler also contains a crank to place the booster/shuttle into launch position.

Second is the booster unit, which opens to reveal four computer consoles, a transporter airlock with sliding door, and crew quarters with sleeping compartments. The booster shuttle carries the Defiant space shuttle on launch.

The final part of the Defiant is the space shuttle itself, which has a three-station cockpit/operations center, retractable landing gear, and hatch covers that open to reveal a claw with laser gun and an umbilical cord for outer space missions. The Defiant shuttle is commanded by astronaut Payload.

It is a common misconception that the Defiant shuttle's design is based on the X-33 proposed shuttle design for NASA. In fact, the Defiant was introduced in the comics nearly a decade before the X-33 Venture Star started development; the Defiant's appearance is based on several lifting body designs from the late 1960s.

Retailing at US $129.99, the cost of the playset - the most expensive toy in Hasbro's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero lineup - led to Hasbro re-releasing the shuttle two years later as a stand-alone vehicle called the Crusader, which used the same mold as the Defiant shuttle. The toy also came with a re-painted version of the "Payload" action figure. Using a metal tab that came with the Defiant shuttle, the Crusader could be modified to fit on top of the booster that was included in the original shuttle complex playset.

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