G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Shipwreck

When Devil's Due got the G.I. Joe license last year, Shipwreck definitely got the biggest update to his uniform, which, if you ask me, is definitely a good thing!

Like many Joe fans out there, I never considered the Navy SEAL Shipwreck figures to be the "true" Shipwreck, and to me, the Sailor outfit just did not work in the midst of combat. So, as a result, Shipwreck simply never got used. I mean never.

It didn't help that his cartoon version was horrendous, at least in my opinion. His role as the "class clown" and irresponsible jerk just didn't mesh with a team that was supposed to be highly trained and highly specialized. Combine that with a less than desirable figure, and you get a character who never saw the light of day in my Joe universe.

Well, things will be changing with this figure. Similarly to Wild Bill, Shipwreck will finally be getting some credit in my world thanks to this Wave 4 Update.

Hasbro went out of their way to make this figure faithful to the DD counterpart, although the trimmed the full beard up to a goatee. I know this bothers some people, but honestly, I don't see a whole lot of problems with the whole goatee thing, but that's not a debate I care to go into here. :)

At any rate, the figure looks fantastic, with a nicely molded navy sweater and knit cap. His single shoulder strap comes down into a holster that is strapped against his back and looks pretty cool. The sweater and cap are nicely applied with paint wipes, which add some nice detail and color to the sweater. This great blue shade is complimented nicely by the dull gray pants and black boots and holster. It all works pretty well. It is a shame that Hasbro couldn't make this holster to hold Shipwreck's silenced pistol, it would have been an awesome effect if they could!

Shipwreck's bare arms seem proportioned pretty well, and even though his fingers are molded into trigger-firing position, his hands work otherwise and Hasbro seems like it's doing it's best to trim down the bulkiness and bring these figures back to their classic proportions.

Now Shipwreck is a good deal taller than most of the other figures I can find to compare him to, but it really isn't obvious unless you line them up together. Otherwise, he fits right in. And I LOVE his weapons as well. The silenced pistol is fair at best, but his automatic machine gun with flashlight and all looks really cool. Personally, I equip him with two of those rather than the silenced pistol at all. I think it suits him better.

All in all, this is a terrific update to the venerable sailor who had been without a decent update for the past seventeen years. Now he may finally get some use in my universe.