Dreadnok Torch — G.I. Joe Classified Series #123

Overview

Dreadnok Torch is figure #123 in the G.I. Joe Classified Series, Wave 13, 2024 at $24.99. The third member of the founding 1985 Dreadnok trio, completing the set that Ripper (#102) and Buzzer (#106) began in Wave 12. Torch is the fire specialist — his blowtorch is simultaneously his tool, his weapon, and his passion. Where Ripper tears things apart with a saw and Buzzer cuts them apart with a chainsaw, Torch burns things.

File Card

Code Name: Torch Real Name: Winken, Tom Primary Specialty: Arson / Destruction Secondary Specialty: Dreadnok Operations Birthplace: Gold Coast, Australia

Tom Winken’s Gold Coast background makes him another Australian Dreadnok alongside Ripper, consistent with Zartan’s Pacific criminal network. His arson specialisation is described without pretension in the franchise: he enjoys fire, he’s good with fire, and Cobra occasionally has uses for someone who is enthusiastic about burning things.

The Blowtorch

Torch’s blowtorch is the most elemental of the three founding Dreadnok weapons — Ripper has industrial cutting, Buzzer has industrial demolition, Torch has fire. The three weapons together represent the complete destruction of any structure or vehicle they’re deployed against: Torch burns it, Ripper cuts it, Buzzer demolishes it. The gang is essentially a mobile wrecking crew with a Cobra employment contract.

Founding Trio Complete

With Torch arriving in Wave 13 following Ripper and Buzzer in Wave 12, the founding 1985 Dreadnok trio is complete in the Classified line across two consecutive waves. The two-wave delivery mirrors the programme’s approach to complementary character groups: Tomax and Xamot in the same wave, Ripper and Buzzer first with Torch following immediately.

Verdict

Dreadnok Torch #123 completes the founding Dreadnok trinity. Essential alongside Ripper #102 and Buzzer #106. The blowtorch is the correct signature weapon, well executed.

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Part of G.I. Joe Classified Series | Wave 13 | 2024. Related: Dreadnok Ripper #102 | Dreadnok Buzzer #106 | Zartan #23.

Fire as Destruction Tool

Torch’s fire specialisation creates a specific accessory-and-purpose combination that the founding Dreadnok trio’s weapons all share: they’re all tools adapted for destruction rather than weapons designed for combat. A ripper saw, a chainsaw, and a blowtorch are industrial equipment put to criminal use — which captures the Dreadnoks’ essential character: they’re not soldiers, they’re criminals who occasionally do Cobra’s dirty work.

The blowtorch in Torch’s hands creates display possibilities that neither Ripper’s saw nor Buzzer’s chainsaw allows: the implied fire effect, the directed heat, the destruction of whatever is in front of it. A Torch figure aimed at a Cobra enemy vehicle creates a specific narrative that sword or gun figures can’t replicate.

Dreadnok Torch

Torch completes the three founding Dreadnoks alongside Ripper (#102) and Buzzer (#106). His flamethrower weapon is the most operationally dangerous of the three original Dreadnok tools — fire is the most indiscriminate of their weapons, which suits a character whose approach to problem-solving is often scorched-earth in both the literal and figurative sense.

The Flamethrower Character Type

Torch’s flamethrower defines his operational identity completely — it’s both his primary weapon and his character’s entire aesthetic. A flamethrower-carrying Dreadnok who wears fire-adjacent styling creates a character whose visual design and weapon choice reinforce each other in the most direct way possible.

Three Founding Dreadnoks Together

With Ripper (#102), Buzzer (#106), and Torch (#123) all in the line, collectors can display the three founding members in their definitive configuration: chainsaw, buzz saw, and flamethrower arranged in the triumvirate that established the Dreadnok visual language in 1985. The three weapons together create an aesthetic of deliberate, confrontational destruction that defines the Dreadnok identity.

The Gnawgahyde Connection

Torch’s 2024 release alongside Gnawgahyde (#125, with Porkbelly the pig) continued the Dreadnok expansion that made 2024 the most productive Dreadnok year in the Classified programme. By year-end, the Dreadnok display had the founding three alongside Zartan, Zarana, Gnawgahyde, and Mole Rat.

Secondary Market

Dreadnok Torch #123 has maintained secondary market prices near retail. Secondary prices typically run $27-38.

Display Recommendations

The three founding Dreadnoks — Ripper, Buzzer, Torch — together in a display with Zartan commanding is the definitive 1985 Dreadnok scene the franchise established. At Classified premium scale, the figure rewards the collector investment with detail quality that rewards close inspection as much as shelf presence. Secondary market prices reflect consistent collector demand.

The 2024 Programme in Context

The 2024 Classified programme was the most expansive in the line’s history by figure count, delivering across Wave 11, Target Tiger Force and Python Patrol, Walmart Night Force, Fan Channel, Pulse exclusives, Amazon, and SDCC. Each release, including this one, contributed to a programme year that meaningfully advanced the franchise’s representation at the 6” premium scale. The figures released in 2024 collectively moved the Classified line closer to comprehensive coverage of both the classic ARAH era and the franchise’s subsequent decades. Torch’s flamethrower is the most operationally powerful weapon in the founding Dreadnok trio — destructive, indiscriminate, and entirely appropriate for a character whose approach to problems trends toward scorched-earth solutions.

With Ripper, Buzzer, and Torch all in the line, 2024 delivered the complete founding Dreadnok trio for the first time at any premium collector scale. Torch’s 2024 retail release completes the founding Dreadnok trio that has been one of the line’s most anticipated sub-group completions since launch. Torch, Ripper, and Buzzer together with Zartan and Zarana is the definitive Dreadnok display that the franchise has warranted since the gang’s 1985 debut. The founding Dreadnok trio is complete. Secondary market $27-38. Complete Classified catalogue entry. Part of the G.I. Joe Classified Series — the definitive premium GI Joe collection.