Boris the devious chauffeur
Context
Big Jim toys were a line of 10-inch action figures sold during the 1970s and 1980s.
Beyond vague nostalgia, we have profiles for some of those since they’re often vintage action/adventure archetypes. The toy lines was clinging to whatever was popular with little boys.
Powers & Abilities
Boris seems to be a tough guy. He carries a silenced, compact European 9mm pistol. One assumes that he’s trained both as a driver and as a hand-to-hand combatant, and is a decent handgun operator. The game stats are completely made up, to be honest.
His most distinctive asset is his rigid prosthetic right arm. The hand is solid steel and permanently clenched in a fist. There’s also a powerful spring that launches the fist forward.
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The fist is held by a steel spindle of about the same length as the arm housing it. Thus, this spring-loaded attack can be used to punch two arm lengths away. How the fist is cocked back in position is unrevealed.
Under his devious chauffeur cap, Boris wears a metallic skullcap that allows him to headbutt or ram solid objects. Perhaps there is a layer of vibranium insulating his brain from these impacts.
History
I don’t think anything is known about Boris the devious chauffeur, beyond the doll itself and the illustration on the packaging. Unlike, say, the P.A.C.K. I don’t think there was a mini-comic or anything along these lines.
However, this toy has always struck as the ultimate generic 1970s villainous henchman. He lies (because he’s devious) halfway between a James Bond villain’s henchman and an obscure baddie in Master of Kung Fu.
The character would have been at home in nearly any 1970s street-level comic or adventure movie. You could just insert him anywhere. He could have fought Wonder Woman during the “karate mod” era. Or Black Belt Jones. Or even Mack Bolan for all I know.
Oh, and Big Jim.
Description
See illustrations.
Personality
I don’t mean to repeat baseless rumours, but I’ve heard that he’s devious. Y’all be careful around him, right ?
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Boris
| Dex: 04 | Str: 03 | Bod: 04 | Motivation: Mercenary |
| Int: 04 | Wil: 03 | Min: 04 | Occupation: Devious chauffeur |
| Inf: 03 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 03 | Resources {or Wealth}: 004 |
| Init: 013 | HP: 015 |
Skills:
Charisma (Intimidation): 04, Martial Artist: 05, Vehicles (Land): 05, Weaponry (Firearms): 04
Advantages
None comes to mind.
Connections:
Mercenary scene (Low), Underworld (Low).
Drawbacks:
SPR (Boris is missing his left arm, and his prosthetic hand doesn’t appear to be prehensile).
Equipment:
- SPRING-LOADED FIST [BODY 05, EV 06, Ammo: 01, Very Long Reload Time].
- STEEL SKULLCAP [BODY 05, EV 02 (04 w/STR, 06 w/Martial Artist), Skin armour: 02, Limitation: Skin Armour only protects the top of the head, including the self-inflicted damage from Charging attacks)].
- Silenced compact 9mm pistol [BODY 03, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 08, R#03, Thief (Stealth): 03 (Only to muffle the shot)].
Source of Character: A forgotten 1970s Big Jim toy.
Writeup completed on the 29th of December, 2013.