Well, being a huge Cobra Commander fan, I decided to take it upon myself to do a review of his Amazon-exclusive all black Retaliation figure. The short version: he kicks ass. The long version? Read on, bitches.
The unboxing. I bought two sets, which came together in one box. You know, it's funny...whenever I order a Joe figure online, I keep forgetting just how small they are. I mean, if you look at the review pics at a site like GeneralsJoes, the figures look HUGE. I mean, how could you pack that much detail into 3.75" figures? Your mind keeps fooling you into thinking Joe figures are bigger than they really are. So, here I am expecting this massive box and, in reality, the box is actually kinda modest.
Bam! There they are, front and back. The Retaliation sets come in a black, white, and grey outer box.
Ah, there it is! The set itself. I still can't get over how cheesy the ultra-Photoshopped pic of The Rock is, with the tattoo and sword added in. I think he's wearing mascara and lipstick, too. I mean, he just looks weird.
The box is open! Four slots, four figures. They each come in a baggie that is taped closed, and the 25th-style file cards come bundled together on top.
Okay, here's Cobra Commander's weapons...he gets two machine guns and a pistol. They're okay. I have him holding them now, but I may or may not swap them out for something cooler and less rubbery-looking. However, in-person, they do look better than I thought they would.
Cobra Commander's stand. Hey, the single-carded figures don't get stands at all, so I guess it's better than nothing. It's similar to the RoC stands in that it's supposed to look like a dog tag, but it's flatter than the usual stands, so it makes the figure look shorter then your other Joes on the shelf.
It's Cobra Commander! In my bathroom! Sorry for the location of the review, but it's the room in my house with the best lighting.
Overall, I love the design of the figure, even though it isn't movie-accurate (though the helmet comes close, aside from the raised cobra crest). It’s a great update to the old-school style, and he looks pretty bad-ass and threatening. The sculpt is great, especially the helmet- I love the way it swoops down in the back, covering the neck.
He’s got a working holster. Look, there’s his gun in it! WOW! Seriously, though, it looks pretty cool.
See? He’s pretty posable! Oh, and his web gear is a separate piece (in early pics I was worried that it was sculpted onto him, but they’re not cutting THAT many corners). The gold braids around his shoulder are attached to the web gear.
And, if you were wondering, his foot holes fit perfectly onto the pegs of 25th-style stands, so if you can’t hang with his dog tag and you have a pile of 25th stands filling up your closet (guilty!), you can just give him an upgrade (like I did).
Here’s a few pics of him next to other Cobras, to give you an idea of the figure’s size. See, it’s pretty much the same. Note the difference in height with the two stands.
Cobra Commander possesses all the usual Joe articulation we expect (well, most of it, anyway)...neck, shoulders, wrists (they just rotate), elbows, chest, hips, and knees. No double-jointed knees and no ankle articulation sucks, but honestly, it hasn’t prevented me from posing him exactly as I wanted to on my shelf. Besides, he’s not a ninja, so I doubt you’re going to try giving him all these dynamic poses. He’s Cobra Fucking Commander. He stands there and looks cool and gives the orders.
Overall, the Black Amazon Cobra Commander is a great figure. The plastic is sturdy and doesn’t feel cheap, the joints are firm, he’s still very posable despite the minor cuts in articulation, and while some of the helmet’s paint apps are a bit wonky (mine is pretty good, but a buddy of mine got a CC where the black from the fangs had bled onto the silver of the faceplate). He’s got a cool design and he looks great on the shelf next to all my other Cobra Commanders. A very awesome update. Now all I want to see is a movie accurate version and I’ll be happy.
Not my video but I thought I'd share.
You know Hasbro, unlike some other fans I was able to forgive the reduced articulation. I could I could ignore the over sized missile launcher. But you had to find a way to piss even me off, didn't you? The molded on hand gun is a REAL deal breaker on an otherwise fine toy for me. But I imagine the hands can be replaced. Right? ]]>
With the official toy line release coming in less than a month, it makes sense that some of these items are becoming available...
I was able to get my hands on the large scale, totally newly tooled Ghost Hawk II vehicle, and I've posted my usual lengthy review at GeneralsJoes.com!
Now I'm much more of a figure collector than a vehicle one, but when I had the chance to get this piece, I couldn't turn it down. I thought it was getting pretty quickly dismissed by a lot of folks, and I really thought it looked pretty cool.
The end result? Overall I am happy with it, though there is room for improvement. You can read all of my thoughts at the link above! ]]>
Roadblock: Good overall likeness of the rock and a decent fig except for the thing molded into his hand (going buy buy). Decent fig not Great
Snake eyes: Decent sculpt but NO move likeness. He just doesnt have the cool armor that he does in the movie. Normal Joints for a Joe fig other than the ankle joints. The load bearing vest is like the one he wore at the beginning of the first movie. again decent fig not great
Storm Shadow: Heres where they start improving. Great new sculpt. He also has the newer ankle joints introduced in the POC/30th lines. Sad part is his joints are super loose. Other than that, I love thie figure.
Cobra Commander: This is the whole reason I ordered the pack. Great sculpt even though there is little to no movie likeness. details great from his helmet down to his knee pads. Best fig in the Pack.
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]]>Law has an expertly sculpted face and is slightly more adult looking than his cartoon counterpart. He has great facial features, excellent bone structure, and wavy hair that is nicely sculpted and painted. His torso, arms and legs all appear to be fresh sculpts and capture some nice details such as; folds and wrinkles in his pants and shirt, and a scar on his right forearm. His gloves have some nice padding sculpted into the tops or some extra realism. His vest is well equipped with pockets and pouches galore, the badge is a little over sized but it is a nice touch. Finally…I repeat finally we have holsters for side arms, two to be exact both on his right side mind you, but there are two holsters and two side arms! The paint is a nice combo of olive drab, blue, and gray. And as stated before his face is well sculpted and features nicely painted hair, eyes, and eyebrows. Order is painted light brown and has a wash over his fur to give him some nice realism, just wish the sculpt was a little better, his back legs and tail are molded together and given what Hasbro did with the past 10 versions of Timber, I think they could have done a better job with Order.
Accessories
Law has some nice “real world” accessories, a night stick, handcuffs, helmet, visor, colt python style revolver, tactical style SMG and shotgun. His automatic handgun features a removable silencer which can also be placed on the SMG. There is also a walkie-talkie on the front of his vest that is removable. I like the fact that this particular figure from the renegades line comes with more realistic weapons than some of the other figures in the line. Law of course has a dog named Order; whose leash is molded directly into his harness, how hard would it be to include a metal chain here? Like the one that comes with Storm Shadow V39! Order’s vest is nice though, good pouch detail, Hasbro could have went a step further and added a working pouch to one side, it would have just made the dog a little more special.
Pros
Nice accessories that would work great in a diorama or display.
Great head sculpt
Good poseability
Sidearm holsters!
I like the realistically toned paint job; blue, gray, and green.
Cons
Molded in leash for Order is just cheesy and lazy
Tail and back legs of Order are molded together
Visor is a little hard to see through, I think Hasbro needs to switch to a thin, rigid style clear plastic for these things; it will just add so much more realism and not look like Law’s head is in a fish bowl.
Badge is a little oversized… hmm big dog, big badge… what is he compensating for…?
Obviously an MP, but his new file card states that he works as a prison guard… I miss Larry Hama writing file cards as strange as some of them were…
Check out some pics at Review: Hasbro 3-3/4″ Gi Joe Renegades Law and Order | The Comic Book Nerd ]]>
Oh no, it's the MAN OF EVIL! This looks like a job for the Adventure Team!
The GI Joe Collector's Club 2012 membership figure has arrived! The Club offers a 3 3/4 figure or a 12 inch figure for joining. I choose the 12 inch figure and it's the debut of the arch-nemesis of the GI Joe Adventure Team, the Man of Evil! This nefarious cretin has evil in his black heart and bad intentions in his twisted mind! To make matters worse, he has mastered Joe's kung-fu grip!
Will the Adventure Team be able to defeat the Man of Evil? YOU decide!
The Man of Evil isn't the first bad guy for the Adventure Team, as we covered yesterday but he is one of the first villains in a traditional sense. Back in 2010, the GI Joe Club did a run of 200 "MARS Henchmen" which served as the first real 12 inch foil for the Adventure Team. Those figures proved to be incredibly popular and finally the Joe Club has taken my suggestion (and the suggestion of countless others) and expanded upon this idea to create some real arch-rivals for the Adventure Team.
He doesn't use the standard Joe face, but instead uses the "foreign" head sculpt. This is a good choice and the flocking makes him somewhat unique as only in recent years has the Club began flocking foreign headed Joes. However it's the paint job that really makes this guy stand out. With a scar over his right side of his face and a completely white eye. He screams classic 70's villain. My only complaint is that I have a minor paint rub on one eyebrow.
His hair is also unique with a white "salt and pepper" flock going on. A lot more salt than pepper in this and I believe this is the first time we've seen the GICC do a flock in this style. It looks great and helps him stand out on the shelf.
He includes a sticker of the MARS logo from 2010 on his shirt. This concept caused some controversy with some Adventure Team purists, who both didn't want to see any crossover with the Real American Hero Joe and also didn't want to see the AT fighting terrorists. Unfortunately, I disagree on both accounts. The Adventure Team has had a documented history of fighting bad guys, even if they weren't implicitly spelled out in the classic figure line. Some of the stories mentioned villains and the old Viewmaster sets showed some as well.
As for the RAH connection, I certainly get the trepidation there. However this version of MARS is not part of Cobra, but rather MARS before they hooked up with the Commander. This allows you to flesh out that story some, without forcing a connection hamfistedly. I love it. It makes sense for them to use something from Joe's history than to make up an entirely new organization and MARS works because it's just like SPECTRE or CHAOS, etc. Plus it allows me to use my awesome 12 inch Rise of Cobra Destro against the Adventure Team.
More details and the complete score and rundown over at the web site.
Infinite Hollywood: GI Joe Man of Evil Review
Check out the full review for more and thanks for reading! ]]>
Here's the Jurassic Park III Air Heli-Sabre Maring Copter from 2001. This is my first "actual" review, so here goes...
I wanted a light scout/recon chopper....and this is, well, LIGHT.
The paint: what paint? it appears to be solid, molded green plastic except for the missile, the engine and a tab on the underside of the body.
there are some decent details, with textured rivets and angled panels to mimic the RAH-66 Comanche.
The pilot fares a little better. it has True Heroes' articulation, but i like him. i wish i could grab a handful of these figures.
(i do not know how i got the "gangsta lean" to work, honest.)
Now we have to focus on the negatives as a possible Joe toy.
I took the batteries out of this one, so i can't tell you how well the electronics work. Other than the electronics, the missile gimmick is a generic spring loaded launcher that you have to PULL THE LANDING GEAR. WTH?
{EDIT: the instructions are pretty vague. but the red tab on the underside is a knob to spin the rotors. whoo-hoo. it's not implemented well.}
Did i mention the main rotor spins? +1 for it, right? No guns, no other weapons. that's gonna cost this toy in later rounds.
The cockpit is a bland shell. Not one iota of detil. not even an inkling of a seat or controls. Add to it the cockpit flips forward to open and the blades make it tricky to bail in or out of the cockpit. Also, it's kinda hard to open the cockpit without pretty much taking the canopy off the toy entirely.
But, in a minor plus, the pilot and ME Joes have plenty of room to fit inside.
Now for size comparisons.
Posed with a vintage FANG, i was okay with this toy- since i wanted a light, one man chopper in the same vein as the FANG- and it is an decent forward scout for the RoC Dragonhawk (obligatory, "If the D-Hawk was a bit bigger...")
Then, when up against the smaller of the 1:18 Helos, the PTE Little Bird, that's when it's size is painfully obvious.
i'll keep this, even as a novelty. but if you get one on the cheap, i suggest you display it away from your serious Joe-scale toys. ]]>
I was fortunate enough to be given review copies of some of Falcone’s upcoming 1:18th scale weapon releases. You may have seen him posting in the forums Here He’s making some 1:18th scale weapons that we haven’t seen yet, to provide some variety for customizers and those who like to outfit their figures with different gear. My understanding is that currently he plans on making these available at a cost of $1 per weapon.
You can read the full review as well as view the 50+ photos at the link below:
Falcone’s Wave 1 Sneak Peek | The Fighting 1:18th!
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PACKAGING: Not much to say about this; I’m not a MOSC collector, so I don’t care much about the card art or packaging. IMHO, it’s pretty boring; I already miss the character digital paintings and definitely miss the vintage-ish filecards. Reading the card’s copy, it’s clear the ninja theme for the movie is carries over not just to the toys but even packaging itself. Roadblock is an ultimate ninja commando? OK… reminds me of when some freaked out about ROC City Strike Duke having katanas.
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