Tag Archives: G.I. Joe

Flashback Friday Figure Addendum #0048: Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Flashback Friday Figure Addendum and tagged with , , , , ,

SNAKE EYES & STORM SHADOW

G.I. JOE VS COBRA (HASBRO)

Today’s Friday, but it’s not just *any* Friday!  No no!  Today’s October 17th, meaning it’s officially been 12 years of me running this humble little site.  And, to showcase that humbleness, I’m not even running this in front of a review, but instead an addendum, because that’s just how I roll these days.  I’m making it an ever so slightly more special addendum, though, with a revisit to one of my older year-ending reviews.  So, let’s look back at Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow!

Heyo! As all my faithful FiQ-fans are undoubtedly aware, today marks four years of reviews here at the site. In honor of this momentous day, I wanted to take a look at a pair of figures that are somewhat important in the grand scheme of my collection. I’ll be setting my sites on G.I. Joe, a franchise that I feel I don’t look at quite as often as I should around these parts. I mean, it is the *original* action figure, after all. The line definitely deserves some respect. Today, I’ll be looking at two of my favorite characters from the franchise (as well as two of the most popular characters in general), Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow were released in Series 1 of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Vs Cobra line. This series served to bring brand-new 3 3/4-inch Joes back to mass retail after a one year absence and a few years of repaints.

SNAKE EYES

“SNAKE EYES learned his top combat skills in missions around the globe. A tragic helicopter mission took away his voice and scarred his face. That’s why he communicates with sign language and never removes his mask around others. He studied mystical martial arts with the Arashikage clan, which is also the family of master ninja STORM SHADOW, SNAKE EYES is an expert in all disciplines of martial arts and silent weapons. He can move silenty and without being seen. At one time, he and STORM SHADOW were sword brothers, linked by spirit and tradition. Now that STORM SHADOW is part of the evil COBRA organization, there is no escape from a final battle between two of the world’s greatest martial arts fighters.”

As perhaps the most popular Joe ever, it was no surprise that Snake Eyes turned up here in the first series. The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall (he’d be taller without the wide stance) and he has 14 points of articulation. The first series of Vs were distinct in their construction. Hasbro abandoned the more typical O-ring construction, and went for a more solid construction. This results in figures that are a little sturdier than their predecessors, but slightly more limited in their posability at the hips. It wasn’t a perfect solution, and that’s why Hasbro ended up going back to the O-ring build in the next series. This Snake Eyes had a unique design, which made use of elements from all of his prior figures. I may be a little biased, but this has always been a favorite look of mine. His sculpt definitely shows its age….or an age. Given the sheer size of this guy’s muscles, he looks like he should be straight out of the ’90s, not the early ’00s. Guess Hasbro was still shaking off a little of the Extreme days from the ’90s. That being said, whoever worked on this sculpt was certainly having a good time of it. The details in the wrappings, the straps, and the pouches are all really well rendered, and indicate real attention being paid to this figure. The head’s my favorite part of the figure, as it’s probably the least affected by the stylization. I like that you can clearly see the face under the mask, but it’s not quite as ridiculous as the sculpted lips from Rise of Cobra. The paintwork on this figure is a bit more involved than most Snake Eyes figures tended to be. He’s actually molded in a very, very dark green, allowing his visor to be made straight black and still have contrast. The rest of the work is all in the accents, which all go pretty well. He’s got some color without it getting too garish. Snake Eyes was packed with a pair of swords, a backpack to hold them, a knife, and a sub-machine gun. After 15 years, all my figure has left are the swords.

STORM SHADOW

“STORM SHADOW grew up in the Arashikage clan of ninjas. During his training, his sword-brother was SNAKE EYES, the commando and martial arts master of the GI JOE team. The evil COBRA organization recruited Arashikage members. This corruption split the clan in two. After a COBRA agent killed STORM SHADOW’s uncle, he went undercover within COBRA to find the assassin. When the killer was revealed, STORM SHADOW joined the GI JOE team to get revenge. But now, STORM SHADOW is back with COBRA. Are all Arshikage ninjas evil? Or does COBRA COMMANDER hold some special power over STORM SHADOW? Whatever the reason, the anger is clear when he meets SNAKE EYES. The battle between the ninja masters will be legendary.”

Ah, the revolving door that is Storm Shadow’s affiliation. Yes, one of the notable things done by the relaunch was placing Storm Shadow back on the side of Cobra, which was explained in the Devil’s Due comics of the time as the result of brainwashing. The figure has the same height and articulation as Snake Eyes. Thanks to a slightly straighter stance, that actually makes him a little shorter. The sculpt for Storm Shadow as another all-new one, and while Snake Eyes would get another sculpt very quickly, Storm Shadow’s stuck around for several years. It’s not anywhere near as exaggerated as the Snake Eyes sculpt, so I guess it had a slightly longer shelf life. That being said, I can’t help but feel this sculpt is a little less inspired than that of Snake Eyes. The details seem a lot flatter, less organic, and just generally a little less developed. And then there’s that hood; what’s going on with the hood? It’s all stuck to the head, and generally un-hood-like. The Storm Shadow figure just prior to this one clearly showed that sculpting a hood was totally within Hasbro’s grasp, so this just looks…strange. It’s as if they didn’t decide until the last minute whether they wanted the hood or not, so he just has this amorphous could-be-a-hood-could-be-a-mask thing. Storm Shadow’s paint is alright. It’s pretty basic stuff, really. Red, white, gray, and black. It’s relatively clean, and makes for a good contrast with Snake Eyes. The white is all molded plastic, though, so he’s done some serious yellowing over the years. The figure was packed with two swords, a backpack, a knife, and a sub-machine gun. Apart from the backpack and knife, the pieces were actually unique to Storm Shadow, not shared with Snake Eyes. That’s actually pretty cool!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

These two are my very first small-scale G.I. Joes. I had several of the 12-inch ones, but the smaller line was on the back burner for my earlier collecting years. When the first series was first shown in ToyFare magazine, I was pretty excited, and I knew from the very beginning that Snake Eyes was the first one I wanted. Storm Shadow sort of came along for the ride. My dad bought these for me, as a reward for patiently waiting for flooring with him at Home Depot. They aren’t amazing figures. None of this era of Joes really were. But they were my first, and they were fun. I loved having them, and they got me into the whole franchise. Now I have over a hundred of these little guys. Lots of them are better technically than these two, but these two are still my favorites.

So, as noted within the review, this was the review that capped off my fourth year on the site, way back in 2017.  This was the very first review to be published on “thefigureinquestion.com” rather than “thefigureinquestion.wordpress.com” which was a really big deal for me at the time.  It’s crazy to think how long its been since the true free blog days of the site, but that’s the notable shift.  After a year of bouncing around, I had finally found myself settled back in at home, and was working a regular office job that would last me until the pandemic.  It marks probably one of the few periods of stability for me since starting the site, so I guess that was pretty nice.  

But what of the actual toys?  Well, I still pretty much stand by my assessments of the figures from the time.  I think they’re a bit dated and their own sort of thing, but still very much fun, and the kind of figures I really do dig.  When I reviewed them, I mentioned that I’d lost a lot of their parts.  As I mentioned in my B.A.T. review earlier this week, I had call to do some digging through all of my Joe parts from this era, and in the process, I actually wound up finding all of the pieces that went to these two, which is super cool.  Snake Eyes now has both swords, his sheaths, his uzi, and his dagger, while Storm Shadow gets…well, pretty much the same, but slightly different.  Yay!  Enjoy the new pictures of them in all their proper and complete glory!

#3939: Cobra B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

COBRA B.A.T.

G.I. JOE: SPY TROOPS (HASBRO)

When you want to promote a toyline based on warfare to children, but you don’t want to think too hard about the moral quandaries of having your heroes gun down actual people, you gotta bring in the robots!  G.I. Joe’s 3 3/4-inch incarnation would first do that in 1986, with the Battle Android Trooper, a concept they’ve revisited a number of times since.  They were notably revisited in the relaunch of the scale in the early ‘00s, becoming a major plot fixture in both the “Sound Attack” and “Spy Troops” themes, and even getting a major role in the Spy Troops animated movie.  As a toyline first and foremost, there were also plenty of toys to be had, and I’m looking at one of those today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

This Cobra B.A.T. was released alongside a re-decoed Cobra Commander figure in 2003 as part of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe: Spy Troops line.  This was the fifth version of the B.A.T. at this scale, and the third under the re-launch.  The figure stands just shy of 4 inches tall and has 12 points of articulation.  The figures had returned to the o-ring construction at this point in the line, though the actual builds of the characters remained consistent with how the earlier solid construction figures were built.  They were all notably broader across the shoulders, had smaller heads, and were thinner at the waists, so they didn’t quite slot in with the vintage stuff.  The B.A.T. sculpt seen here was first introduced at the tail end of the G.I. Joe vs Cobra line’s “Sound Attack” imprint, and was presented here with some slight modifications.  It’s presented as a slight update on the original B.A.T. design, and it does that pretty well.  It feels consistent with the original, while also feeling rather modern to the time of the release.  This second version of the mold replaces the standard right hand of the prior version with one designed for swappable attachments, much like the original figure had.  It also features a removable chest plate, so that it can be more armored, or show off some of its inner workings, which are now more of an Iron Man-style arc reactor type set-up.  This figure returns the B.A.T. to a color scheme very similar to its original incarnation, which works very well with this sculpt.  The B.A.T. is packed with three different attachments, a sword, a rifle, and a flamethrower, as well as a backpack to put them on when not in use, and a cloth ghillie suit, which is missing from my figure.  Notably omitted is any sort of standard hand for the right side, so it’s just always going to be battle mode for this guy.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In 2003, I was pretty into this line, and it was also really cheap and affordable, which made it pretty perfect for being that sort of “hey, can I grab this two-pack while we’re out buying something else?” kind of purchase.  I was going to a Halloween party at my cousin’s, and my dad and I had to stop and get something, and they had this pack, so I got it.  Never cared much about the Cobra Commander, so he’s long gone at this point, but I’ve had most of this guy for a while.  A couple of months ago, Max was chatting with me about some figures he’d gotten from this era of the line, which got me to sort through what remained of my originals, at which point I found I had a lot more of this guy than I’d realized, which made me quite happy.  He’s a very fun figure, and certainly amongst the best of this era of the line.

#3916: Cobra Viper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

COBRA VIPER

G.I. JOE: CLASSIFIED SERIES (HASBRO)

Do you ever have one of those days that just feels like it goes on forever?  Or, like, more specifically, about seven years?  Is that more specifically a me thing?  See, cuz I got this day, I call it the Day of the Vipers, and every time I *think* it’s over….it’s not.  So…for my 11th entry in the seventh year of the ill-named “Day of the Vipers” we’re going back to the beginning.  I mean, like, not really, but sort of homaging, maybe?  Yeah, that’s the ticket.  So, what’s the in depth deal on this guy?  Well, when Hasbro launched Classified Series, it was meant to be a more thorough modernization of the Joe line, rather than just a recreation of what came before, but at a larger size.  As such, a number of the designs from the early run were similar to the vintage ones, but tweaked to better fit the new aesthetic Hasbro was aiming for.  As the line has progressed it has, like pretty much every Real American Hero throwback before it, shifted into just the straight updates territory, and to offset that, Hasbro’s going back and redoing older figures to retrofit them.  The Viper’s taken a bit longer than others, but it’s here, so let’s see how it is!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Cobra Viper is part of the Retro line-up for G.I. Joe: Classified Series.  He hit mid-summer this year, alongside Mindbender and Rock n’ Roll.  This is the seventh version of the Viper under the Classified imprint, but the first not to be build from the exact same bank of parts.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  At this point, if you know the Classified articulation scheme, you won’t really be surprised by any of the figures as the come out.  It’s effectively the same every time.  It works, and also Joes have a tendency to stick to the formula, so it all makes sense.  This one does notably add pinless joints to the mix, which is a first for the Viper, and a nice change-up.  The Viper shares his head sculpt and goggles with the prior versions of the character at this scale.  It’s a firm case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so it makes a lot of sense.  The rest of the sculpt is all-new.  Apart from the very different configuration of the roll of the sleeves, it’s not drastically different than the prior sculpt, at least in a broad strokes sense.  Everything is sort of moved around and tweaked to be a more direct translation of the original ’86 mold.  It’s a very sharp mold, and there’s no denying it’s a good match for the original…just, you know, bigger.  His color work is clean and bold.  The last few “standard” Vipers were a bit on the muted side, so I like the slightly brighter palette being in play for this one.  The exact layout is again mimicking the vintage figure, which is generally fine, but I do also kind of miss some of the more varied adjustments of more recent updates.  But, it certainly gets the job done.  The Viper is packed with three pairs of hands (fists, gripping, and a point/open gesture combo), two different styles of rifle, a pistol, a backpack, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve generally run my course on Classified Series, and I’d also kind of run my course on the original Viper mold for the line.  I didn’t mind the departure, but I was hoping to see some more adjustments to the mold as things progressed.  When those didn’t happen, got a bit bored, I guess.  This figure goes for a total rework, which in some ways works, but also, just feels like we’re retreading just to retread.  It’s kind of the doomed fate of any post-ARAH line, I guess.  They just all become retreads.  Where does that leave this guy?  He’s a good figure from a technical standpoint, for sure, and a good recreation of the classic figure.  And, for me, I think he’s a good send-off to Classified Series, closing off on the figure I thought I really wanted, but maybe I didn’t?  Could be worse.

Shoutout to my friends at All Time Toys, from whom I purchased this figure for review!  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3872: Sgt. Stone

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SGT. STONE

G.I. JOE: RISE OF COBRA (HASBRO)

“Sgt. Stone is a special operations instructor who trains the G.I. Joe team in combat tactics, marksmanship, survival techniques and other commando skills. He battles Neo-Viper forces who drill their way into the G.I. Joe Pit headquarters.”

I haven’t personally reviewed a Rise of Cobra figure here on the site since 2017, which is quite a while.  Admittedly, while I had a bunch of the figures when they were new, it’s not a line that I really hung onto, even though I personally like the movie more than a lot of people.  The movie was directed by Stephen Sommers, who also directed The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, and he tried to inject a bit of that flair for the adventure in to Rise of Cobra, meaning it’s, if nothing else, a fun movie.  Sommers brought with him a few of the actors he’d worked with on The Mummy, including Rick O’Connell himself, Brendan Fraser, as the one-scene wonder Sgt. Stone.  One scene was all it took for him to make it to action figure form though, so here we go!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sgt. Stone was released as part of the G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra tie-in figures in 2009.  The line used a weird and sort of complicated interplay of “collections” and “waves”, and Stone was part of Collection 2 Wave 2…which really just means he was part of the larger push of product made up of the first two waves of both collections that all hit shortly before the film’s release in 2009.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 22 points of articulation.  He shared his torso and legs with the movie version of Zartan, fitting, since Zartan was in Joe fatigues for his figure.  Stone’s construction is the standard 25th style assembly.  It’s generally not a bad set-up, although that mid-torso joint always has a tendency to be a bit finicky.  Stone’s uniquely sculpted pieces include his head, arms, and the armored vest for his torso.  The head doesn’t have a Fraser likeness to speak of; the eyes are too small and too high up, and the mouth sits too low.  He’s very generic.  So, in that regard, I guess he’s not incredibly *unlike* Fraser either.  Just sort of there.  His color work matches the film’s general aesthetic, which was a lot more black, blue, and grey.  There’s a bit of bleedover from the hair on my figure’s left ear, but it’s otherwise decent application.  Stone is packed with a pistol, machine gun, knife, large missile launcher and corresponding missile, and a display stand.  My figure is missing the knife, but honestly I can’t say I miss it.  Beyond that, he gets some decent basic level stuff, and then there’s always that missile launcher, since Hasbro sure did love those.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Despite having quite a few figures from this line when it dropped, and also really liking Brendan Fraser’s brief cameo, for whatever reason, I just never got around to picking one of these up when they were new.  I ultimately regretted that.  While he’s not *rare*, he also doesn’t show up with any crazy frequency.  Thankfully, I was able to snag a loose one from a collection that came through All Time.  He doesn’t really look like Fraser, but he’s still a very nice figure, and I do like having him.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3746: Cobra B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

COBRA B.A.T. — COMIC VERSION

G.I. JOE: REACTION+

Last week, I took a look at the first of Super 7’s latest venture with the G.I. Joe license, ReAction+, a new line of vintage-style O-Ring construction figures. I kicked things off with Snake Eyes, who’s a good mark for the Joes. For my second entry, I’m switching to the opposing team with the B.A.T., a robot dude that’s there for robot dude stuff. So, let’s look at that robot dude and said robot dude stuff.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Cobra B.A.T. is, much like Snake Eyes, part of the four figure line-up that launched Super 7’s G.I. Joe: ReAction+. All of the figures thus far are comics based, which actually means a little bit more for the B.A.T. The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and has 16 points of articulation. He gets the same basic articulation set-up as others of this style, plus additional swivels at the forearms. The hips are notably less restricted here than on Snake Eyes, which is a definite plus.  The B.A.T.’s sculpt is a respectable one, and honestly a bit better than the work we saw on Snake Eyes.  It’s certainly more involved, with the more detailed outfit, and all of the intricacies of the robotic arms.  His torso plate is actually sculpted, rather than a lenticular piece like the original, and the comic styled, generally boxier head is really sharply sculpted, and also rather unique.  I also quite dig that both arms get the swappable forearms, as opposed to just the right on the vintage.  It’s an extra layer of versatility that kicks him up a notch.  His colors again lean into the comic styling, going for blue in place of the usual black sections.  It’s a nice shade, and makes him once more a little different from prior B.A.T.s.  Actual paint application is all quite clean and crisp, with minimal bleed over, and no slop to speak of.  The B.A.T. is packed with the usual three arm attachments (gripper, laser, and torch), a backpack to store them in, and a rifle.  That’s one more accessory than his vintage counterpart got, which gives him a leg up on Snake Eyes, who was down by one.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew going into this line that I wanted Snake Eyes, but wasn’t sold beyond that.  This guy looked pretty cool, but it wasn’t until I saw him in person that I realized how cool.  He really did wow me in-hand, and that was enough to give him a try.  I’m glad I did, because he’s honestly a better figure than the Snake Eyes was, and feels like an all-around more solid product from Super 7.  Still not certain about the direction of this line, but if they can do more figures like this, maybe it might have some legs.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3741: Snake Eyes

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

SNAKE EYES

G.I. JOE: REACTION+ (SUPER 7)

Well, I took a week off, but I guess I’m back with some more Super 7?  I didn’t *mean* for it to be a weekly feature, but that’s certainly where it’s sitting right now.  So, being back with the Super 7, what in particular am I focussing on?  This time around, it’s more G.I. Joe.  Hasbro’s attempt to give the Joe brand a re-launch included amongst its many product lines a revisit to the O-Ring assembly Joes of the ’80s.  Despite attempting to come at it from a few different angles, Hasbro wasn’t able to get the market support they wanted to keep the O-Rings going, so they’ve opted to license the style out.  Super 7, who already had a set of ReAction figures going at the same scale, picked up the additional license, and has launched an upgraded selection of Reaction+ figures, now with O-Ring assembly.  The first round of the figures just hit, and I’ve snagged myself a Snake Eyes to try out the line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Snake Eyes next to Pink Tennis Ball for scaleSnake Eyes is one of the four figures that launched Super 7’s G.I. Joe ReAction+ line.  Thus far, they’re all comics-based, with Snake Eyes specifically being based on his updated V2 look that coincided with his ’85 figure.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  He’s making use of the expected O-Ring articulation set-up, or at least a version of it.  Unlike the original V2, which had the upgraded ball-jointed neck, this one’s more like the earlier vintage figures, when they still just had the swivels.  I also found his hip articulation to be a bit more restricted than your average vintage figure.  You can sort of get some side-to-side, but it’s mostly just forward and back.  Snake Eyes has an all-new sculpt, and it’s got its pluses and its minuses.  It’s generally more geometric in its shaping, and the limbs, especially the arms, are a little more tubular and less organic.  That said, there’s some very sharp detailing for the outfit, which is a little better than we’d see on a vintage release.  In particular, the head’s quite good at capturing the classic Snake Eyes look in a very clean and striking way.  I also find that the sculpt just Accessories for Snake Eyesgenerally looks a bit better and more polished than the early renders we saw initially.  Snake Eyes’ color work is reasonably well done.  The dark grey of the main body is certainly well chosen, and the blue is a more unique accent choice.  Personally, I don’t love the entirety of the boots being blue, but it’s minor.  The actual paint application is pretty clean, and I noticed no real issues on mine.  Snake Eyes is packed with a sword, Uzi, and backpack.  The weapons fit alright in the hands.  I’m not sure how the paint will hold up over time, but it looks okay now.  The back pack looks alright, but its storage for the sword isn’t a great design, and doesn’t really hold it well.  I worry about how it will hold up long term.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After falling out of love with Classified, I’ve been trying to find something good to keep some form of Joe collecting going.  I’ve been trying a little bit of everything.  This line’s announcement intrigued me, and I liked the look of the prototypes for this guy in particular.  Admittedly, I have a hard time saying no to a halfway decent Snake Eyes.  This one does a little better than halfway decent, but I can’t say he does *much* better than that.  He’s generally fun, and friendlier to mess with than a proper V2 release, and for the price point, he’s alright.  That said, I’ve definitely got some concerns, and there’s room for improvement.  I worry about this line’s long-term viability, but at least I got a fun little Snake Eyes out of it.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3731: Roadblock

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ROADBLOCK

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

I generally stay about a week ahead on my review writing these days, largely so that nothing falls through the cracks and I don’t have mad dashes to get reviews written before a midnight deadline.  In contrast to that particular set-up, I’m writing this review less than 12 hours before it’s going live.  The buffer I had going last week was, well, it was rather consumed by goings on, I suppose, and while I got through the first two posts of this week without too much fuss, today’s has proved a little more tricky.  I know this is just a silly, little toy site, and I very much doubt people are coming here for more serious matters, so I do generally steer clear of them.  I also know it’s important to sometimes have a place to get away from the politics and the spite of the world, so that further drives me to keep things lighter.  But, I’d be lying if I said I weren’t struggling with some things about the current state of the world.  And perhaps writing about “A Real American Hero” isn’t the most ideal way of facing that down, but it’s what I’ve got, so it’s what I’m doing.  And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

So, more Super 7, right?  Crazy, huh?  There’s just, like, a whole bunch of them these days.  Well, more than two, which feels like a bunch in Super 7 terms.  Today, I’m jumping back into their G.I. Joe: Ultimates line, with a look the bestest rhyming Joe there is, Roadblock!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Roadblock was released in Series 5 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates line.  The spacing on this line’s been all sorts of wonky, and I feel like there was a gap between releases, but also these ones totally snuck up on me.  It may be more a me problem than a Super 7 one.  Roadblock is definitely the heavy hitter of this particular assortment of figures, with the rest of the line-up being the comparatively less immediately known Cover Girl, Major Bludd, and Crimson Guard.  The figure stands a little over 7 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is pretty much the same as the others from the line, so it’s generally not bad.  The range on the elbows does continue to be better than other Super 7 lines, but this time around it’s not quite as good as earlier entries.  He’s got an all-new mold, based on his earlier cartoon design, which was patterned after his V1 figure from Hasbro.  It’s generally a pretty good one, capturing the look of his Sunbow animation model pretty well.  Some of the details are a little softer, but the heads, of which there are three, all have a pretty good likeness of the character.  My personal favorite is the smiling one, which just feels truest of how I view the character, but they’re all solid.  In general, I did find the QC on this figure’s construction better than the prior round of figures.  He’s generally cleaner, and doesn’t feel like any of his joints are going to break.  He’s got total coverage in terms of paint, which, while it does rob the sculpt of some of the depth, does still look pretty nice.  It’s consistently applied, and I didn’t have any notable issues of bleed over or slop on my figure.  The colors are very warm, and feel right for the animation as well.  He’s certainly a well accessorized figure, with four different pairs of hands (in fists, gripping, trigger finger, and open), the standard laser rifle, a helmet, backpack, pistol, bayonet, and Browning with tripod.  They’ve stuck more to just recreating toy extras this time around, which is fair, I suppose, but I do miss some of the more episode specific stuff like we were getting on earlier run figures.  In terms of what’s there, the backpack is a little weird, with the bottom piece feeling like it’s supposed to be removable, but also not quite wanting to budge.  The Browning is also notably warped on the barrel, which is rather unfortunate.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was quite excited by this line when it launched, and wanted to see it go far.  I really hoped it might have the legs for it, but given the general state of everything, I don’t really feel like that’s happening.  After this, we’ve only seen the DiC re-colors, which didn’t land, so I can’t help but feel like this assortment is something of a farewell.  I’d love to be wrong on that.  Roadblock himself is an important part of the core team, so I was glad to get him to fill it in.  He’s not a bad figure.  Perhaps not as stand out as, say, Snake Eyes, but still fun.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3715: Crimson Viper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CRIMSON VIPER

G.I. JOE: CLASSIFIED SERIES (HASBRO)

A Cobra Viper!  Does this mean Ethan’s gonna trot out the “Day of the Vipers” gag again?  Eh, I’ll see how I’m feeling on the day.  Oh, today’s actually the day?  Right.  Well then, welcome to the 10th entry in the “Day of the Vipers,” a day which is apparently six years long.  Seems about right.  When I last left off on the perpetuating Day, I was looking at Hasbro’s revisit to 1989’s “Python Patrol” subtheme.  Today’s entry represents some split interests.  See, it’s a Crimson Viper, a concept first officially introduced into the line in 2002, as part of a Joe Con-exclusive boxed set.  The Crimson Viper stood in for the Crimson Guard, whose mold didn’t seem to be around at the time, and was also an excuse to re-deco the Viper into all red.  So, this is a throw back to the 2002 figure, right?  Not exactly.  But, I’ll get to that!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Crimson Viper if figure 85 in Hasbro’s G.I. Joe: Classified Series.  He was notable for being released during the plastic free packaging era of the line (which I honestly didn’t hate the way a lot of people did), and also for being the first time that the Viper got a proper mass release.  Weird when you think about it, huh?  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  Structurally, this figure is identical to all of the other Classified Vipers, for better or for worse.  I generally do like the mold, but when we first got it, I did really think we might see some modifications to it as we moved forward.  But, look how much mileage Hasbro got of the original Viper mold; it it really that surprising that they’d keep using this one?  I mean, I guess they could have maybe thrown the BAT’s legs on it, for old times’ sake?  The change here is signified by the name.  He’s a “Crimson” Viper, so he’s got a more red leaning.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  While the 2002 and subsequent “Crimson” Vipers were all a bright shade of red, this guy’s more of a maroon.  My initial thought was “wow, that’s not as striking” and no, it’s not.  But he’s also got the bandana, in blue this time, and the blue’s also kind of washed out.  And that looks pretty familiar with the more subdued main color.  So, here’s the thing: I think this figure, though named “Crimson Viper” might actually be a throwback to the 1997 Real American Hero Collection Viper, and his weird K-Mart on a Sunday Morning vibes.  Which, honestly? Kinda love that.  Like other Vipers at this scale, this guy gets his removable goggles (which actually sit pretty snuggly this time), the bandanna, his back pack, a pistol, and the updated rifle and removable clip.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In the greatest act of betrayal I’ve ever participated in, I skipped this figure when it was new.  I know.  How could I?  Well, the reality is I’ve largely quit Classified, and I’m really doing my best to stick to that.  This figure in particular hit right after I got Tunnel Rat, the figure that pretty much killed the line for me, so I wasn’t open to following it further.  I’d already picked up so many Vipers, and I was questioning if I really needed another.  So, I passed.  But, then a loose one landed in front of me at All Time, and I figured I might as well get the Viper I didn’t have.  Yay for completionism.  My initial response was he’s fine but kind of same-y.  However, while writing this all down, and going back into the “Day of the Vipers” stuff, I found myself loving that little twinge of “yes he’s the same, but let me explain the minute differences” which I do truly love.  The referencing of the 1997 ugly duckling Viper also helps a lot, because nothing from that run ever really gets the love it deserves.  So, you know what?  I’m glad I went back for this one.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3698: General Hawk

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

GENERAL HAWK

G.I. JOE REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Well, let’s keep this weekly ReAction review thing going and take a look at the third figure I’ve gotten from a line I wasn’t planning to get any of, G.I. Joe ReAction Figures.  It’s such an odd little line, and even Super 7 themselves don’t seem to see the longevity on it, if the introduction of their O-Ring line this year is anything to go by.  But, the O-ring line’s not here yet, and ReAction still is, so I’m over here falling back into my safe realm of guys in bomber jackets.  There’s no sense in trying to lean away from it.  So, let’s look at General Hawk.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

General Hawk was released in Wave 7 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe ReAction Figures line, and it was only in doing the work to double check his release information that I even found out that this line had actually made it through *seven* assortments.  Like, when did they do that?  I mean, I guess in the last couple of years, but, still.  I mean, I guess I’m glad they got to Hawk, because Hawk’s cool and all, so I won’t complain.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  It’s still rather odd to have a Joe articulated like a Kenner figure, but I’m growing more accustomed to it as I move forward.  Hawk’s sculpt is another all-new one.  He’s seen here in his best look, which is v2 bomber jacket-sporting look, which also served as his look for the Sunbow cartoon.  The sculpt leans more into animated than anything else, since it’s a little removed from how the actual c2 figure looked.  I can respect that; if I want a v2 faithful figure, I’ve got the actual v2 figure.  The sculpt is a little stiff, as is the case with all of these.  Hawk’s generally a stiff guy, though, right?  I mean, he’s at least a little better than Duke, though.  Duke’s the worst.  But not Hawk.  Hawk’s paint work is decent enough.  Pretty basic, and again leaning into the animation angle.  It’s a little sloppy on the hairline, but otherwise not bad.  He’s packed with a pistol and a removable helmet.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This guy got traded into All Time, and that was genuinely the first time that I even knew the figure existed.  Not that I was deterred by the lack of knowing he existed.  He’s Hawk, he’s in a bomber jacket, and that’s that.  Ultimately, he’s got the same general drawbacks as the other Joes I’ve looked at in this style, but I think the extra touches, like the removable helmet, make him a touch more impressive.  Plus, he’s got the bomber jacket, and I’m an easy mark.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3653: Scarlett

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

SCARLETT

G.I. JOE REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

I have a tendency to get locked into patterns in my collecting.  In addition to just having single characters that I like to have in every possible form, I also have assortments of characters that I like to get together as a pair in the same style whenever possible.  One such case is Snake Eyes and Scarlett.  There are significantly less Scarletts than Snake Eyeses, of course, but whenever there *is* a Scarlett, I try to get her to go with an accompanying Snake Eyes.  This is my long-winded way of saying “hey guys, check out this ReAction Scarlett!”

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Scarlett was, like Snake Eyes, released in the first series of Super 7’s G.I. Joe ReAction Figures line.  As the Real American Hero‘s “first lady,” she’s another natural fit for inclusion in the line’s first series.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  As per usual for the line, she’s got the Kenner-style 5POA, which still feels weird for a Joe, but we’re just gonna go with it.  Her sculpt is all-new, and has thus far remained unique.  It’s using her v1 design, which is sensible, since it’s the one everyone knows.  It uses the more cartoon-inspired stylings, which again makes a lot of sense.  That’s what everyone actually remembers, in contrast to her proper toy look.  There’s admittedly a little more going on with this sculpt than there was on Snake Eyes, so there’s more room to actually do something with her.  Generally, I think it works.  It feels more truly divergent from the usual Joe style, and by extension she feels like she serves more of an actual purpose.  The paint work is likewise a bit more involved.  It’s a more washed out palette, which is per usual for Scarlett.  The application is all pretty clean, and she looks the part.  Scarlett includes her crossbow and quiver.  The crossbow is pretty easily held in either hand, and the quiver’s got a look to make it work like a belt, which is pretty nifty.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Right, so I wasn’t getting into G.I. Joe ReAction.  I had Ultimates, I had vintage, I didn’t need these, right?  Right.  You read the Snake Eyes review, yeah?  Cool, so you already know I’m weak.  Don’t need to sum that part up again.  Yeah, so, in addition to the Snake Eyes landing in front of me, so did Scarlett.  They were a package deal, both of them there, allowing me to do my whole buying them as a pair thing.  Yay.  Like Snake Eyes, she’s nifty, but not really much beyond that.  Do I need it?  No.  Do I like it?  Yes.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.