Battle for the Train of Gold

"Battle for the Train of Gold"
Attribution
Writer(s)	David Carren
Production company	Sunbow Productions
Production code	#600-08
Season	1
Original airdate	October 16, 1985
General information
Continuity	A Real American Hero animated continuity
Series	G.I. Joe
Preceded by	Operation Mind Menace
Followed by	Cobra Sound Waves
Battle for the Train of Gold

Cobra robs Fort Knox!

Plot

The episode begins with Duke leading a mostly undercover op at the US Bureau of Engraving, having learned that Cobra is planning something there.

Appearances

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe	Cobra	Civilians	Others
Ace (22) Cover Girl (5) Duke (2) Greenshirts (8) Gung-Ho (7) Mutt & Junkyard (9) Scarlett (3) Short-Fuze (24) Snake-Eyes (4) Stalker (21) Thunder (6) Wild Bill (1) Zap (25)	Buzzer (19) Cobra Commander (13) Cobra Trooper (11) Cobra Officer (10) Destro (14) Major Bludd (12) Ripper (20) Torch (18) Wild Weasel (23) Zartan (17)	Spencer Murphy (26)	Army soldier (15) General Stack (16)

Featured Vehicles and Equipment

G.I. Joe	Cobra
A.P.C. A.W.E. Striker Generic tank Dragonfly XH-1 F.L.A.K. Mauler M.B.T. M.O.B.A.T. Silver Mirage Skystriker XP-14F Slugger V.A.M.P. Wolverine	Cobra bullet F.A.N.G. Rattler Tripod gun

Notes

Animation and Technical Errors

• Thunder's helmet is miscolored for a moment toward the end of the episode.
• Stalker is animated as a Caucasian for a few frames on the train.

Continuity Errors

• Zartan's comment about bankrupting the United States would not come true since the gold standard, formalized as the Bretton Woods system, was abandoned during the Nixon shock.
• Wild Bill is piloting an armed helicopter, but never uses the missiles to destroy the tracks.
• Duke sees Major Bludd planting a bomb on a safe, then promptly walks straight into the bomb's blast path.

Miscellaneous Trivia

• General Stack refers to Duke as "Sergeant Hauser" throughout the episode.
• As the tour guide informs the tour group that a wide variety of denominations are printed every day, a nun rips off her clothes and reveals himself as a Cobra trooper/viper, thus creating a visual play on word for "denomination".
• Insults used in this episode:
  • "Snake" Duke about Cobra
  • "Reptile" Cover Girl about Cobra
  • "Snakes" Mutt about Cobra
  • "Fools" Cobra Commander about the Joes
  • "Fool head" Mutt about himself
  • "Dingoes" Ripper about the Joes
  • "Varmints" Wild Bill about Cobra
  • "Crate" Buzzer about Cobra's train
  • "Ornery thievin' polecats" Wild Bill about Zartan and the Dreadnoks.

Real World References

• The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington D.C. is the site of Cobra's initial assault this episode.
• Gung-Ho makes a passing mention of Grant's Tomb, which is located in New York City.
• The US Bullion Depository near Fort Knox, Kentucky, is Cobra's main objective; it is not located in the desert.
• Gung-Ho says "Was this trip really necessary?" which was a World War II slogan encouraging Americans to save oil, gas, and wear on their tires to help the war effort.

Footnotes

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