wowtirrus
08-23-2011, 02:44 PM
I found this and the VAMP mk-II at Walmart yesterday, and picked them both up. I haven't opened up the VAMP yet, but I've noticed some interesting things about the BD.
1. There is no vehicle or character ID card to clip and save on the package. The item comes with a cardboard ID card for the figure packaged IN the package (in the same baggie as the assembly instructions) but no card on the package itself. This may be good for folks who like to save the box and don't want to have to cut it apart.
2. There are no (no!!) stickers with this item. None. And there are four places where "no step" has been painted onto the body of the piece. HASBROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (j/k).
3. The Black Dragon VTOL is about as long as the ROC Dragonhawk XH1 (see picture below)
4. The included figure fits into the cockpit no problem, which is nice and not always the case with some of the vehicles we've seen over the last few years. (I'm looking at you, Mr. Ice Dagger).
5. The pilot, or "Cobra Air Trooper" has a really nice sculpt, paint job and detail work, much better than the level of detail we've seen for most included figures. The helmet is non removable, and he does come with a Han Solo-like blaster pistol, er, "Standard Issue E.M.L. electromagnetic laser pistol", but does *not* have a holster for it. I think the lack of holster on the fig is one of the two negatives going on with this toy.
6. The other negative I see is the fact that the pop out chain gun that sits inside the belly of the plane and then swings out like a switchblade when one of the action buttons on top is pushed is linked to the bomb dropping bays on the sides of the plane. There is no way (short of taping the bomb bays closed, or something like that) to release the chain gun without also opening the bomb bays.
7. I think the chain gun swing out feature is hella fun and cool, and I am a reasonably mature 32 year old American male. Its probably my favorite feature of the toy.
8. the engine blocks on the ends of the wings rotate 360 degrees, which is cool. The wings themselves also swing back, allowing Cobra (and collectors) to easily store the Black Dragon in compact spaces when not in use. This is actually a really nice feature for reducing the amount of space the toy takes when it is on the shelf.
9. There are two pop down landing gear legs- a tiny one under the main body of the plane and a much larger one the extends down from the area that connects the main body to the tail of the aircraft.
10. I wish it came with a GI Joe Renegades Baroness, because we saw her hopping in and out of this thing all the time on the show. I can see why they didn't do it. If I they ever make a Baroness based on the Renegades design, (unlikely, I guess) I'm totally putting her next to this thing on the shelf.
10.5. I know that last comment was extremely nerdy. Oh well.
Summary: This is not a bad buy for $19.98, which is what I picked it up for at Walmart. It is much cooler than the alpha vehicles, which sell for 75% of that, and its cooler than a lot of the bigger toys that were selling for $25+ back in the ROC days. (still looking at you, Ice Dagger). I wasn't sure what I was going to think of it when I bought it, and now that I have purchased it and put it together, I think its great.
On with the pics...
1. There is no vehicle or character ID card to clip and save on the package. The item comes with a cardboard ID card for the figure packaged IN the package (in the same baggie as the assembly instructions) but no card on the package itself. This may be good for folks who like to save the box and don't want to have to cut it apart.
2. There are no (no!!) stickers with this item. None. And there are four places where "no step" has been painted onto the body of the piece. HASBROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (j/k).
3. The Black Dragon VTOL is about as long as the ROC Dragonhawk XH1 (see picture below)
4. The included figure fits into the cockpit no problem, which is nice and not always the case with some of the vehicles we've seen over the last few years. (I'm looking at you, Mr. Ice Dagger).
5. The pilot, or "Cobra Air Trooper" has a really nice sculpt, paint job and detail work, much better than the level of detail we've seen for most included figures. The helmet is non removable, and he does come with a Han Solo-like blaster pistol, er, "Standard Issue E.M.L. electromagnetic laser pistol", but does *not* have a holster for it. I think the lack of holster on the fig is one of the two negatives going on with this toy.
6. The other negative I see is the fact that the pop out chain gun that sits inside the belly of the plane and then swings out like a switchblade when one of the action buttons on top is pushed is linked to the bomb dropping bays on the sides of the plane. There is no way (short of taping the bomb bays closed, or something like that) to release the chain gun without also opening the bomb bays.
7. I think the chain gun swing out feature is hella fun and cool, and I am a reasonably mature 32 year old American male. Its probably my favorite feature of the toy.
8. the engine blocks on the ends of the wings rotate 360 degrees, which is cool. The wings themselves also swing back, allowing Cobra (and collectors) to easily store the Black Dragon in compact spaces when not in use. This is actually a really nice feature for reducing the amount of space the toy takes when it is on the shelf.
9. There are two pop down landing gear legs- a tiny one under the main body of the plane and a much larger one the extends down from the area that connects the main body to the tail of the aircraft.
10. I wish it came with a GI Joe Renegades Baroness, because we saw her hopping in and out of this thing all the time on the show. I can see why they didn't do it. If I they ever make a Baroness based on the Renegades design, (unlikely, I guess) I'm totally putting her next to this thing on the shelf.
10.5. I know that last comment was extremely nerdy. Oh well.
Summary: This is not a bad buy for $19.98, which is what I picked it up for at Walmart. It is much cooler than the alpha vehicles, which sell for 75% of that, and its cooler than a lot of the bigger toys that were selling for $25+ back in the ROC days. (still looking at you, Ice Dagger). I wasn't sure what I was going to think of it when I bought it, and now that I have purchased it and put it together, I think its great.
On with the pics...