Parts Used - Firefly (‘84) and accessories

When I first saw this figure, it was pictured in, of all places, a Farm & Fleet circular ad!  As was my habit of the time, I clipped the ad, tacked it on my bulletin board, and waited anxiously for the Firefly Tiger Force figure. For whatever reasons, he never came out.  Of course, I later discovered that the figure was not intended to be named Firefly, but rather Sabre Tooth.  Some collectors have speculated that he was originally intended to be included with one of the Tiger Force vehicles, possibly the Tiger Rat.  Why Hasbro dropped
him and Rip Cord from the assortment remains a mystery.  They certainly have not lost the mold to Firefly, as it is known to be in their hands, awaiting use for the Toys R Us exclusive re-releases.  Perhaps the mold was temporarily misplaced back in 1988.  Or, maybe Hasbro thought using the Firefly mold would be a bit too much for kids to swallow since Firefly was so well recognized. 

Sabre Tooth probably would have included all of Firefly's accessories.  He is pictured with his backpack in the ad.  Also, Life Line is in the photo holding the walkie talkie!  Many of the characters are not holding their proper accessories.  All of Sabre Tooth's visible equipment appears to be the same coloring as Firefly's.  The gun is not visible in the ad for some reason. Special thanks to Thomas Wheeler for supplying me with information on what paint colors to match to this figure.