When the news broke that the G.I. Joe: Retaliation toy line would be getting pushed back to 2013 to be in line with the film release, I held on to desperate hope that Wave 2 at least would still hit retail on time.
That soon proved to be a fruitless hope as online retailers confirmed rumors that beginning immediately all distribution of G.I. Joe: Retaliation figures was being put on hold. That essentially meant that everything from Wave 2 on was being delayed. Knowing how cool some the Wave 2 figures looked, I was very disappointed.
Now the only issue with a line getting cut so close to retail release is that production level samples end up out in the wild, and that was definitely the case with these figures as well. I got my hands on them and I was not disappointed in the end results. Check out my G.I. Joe: Retaliation review page, or just hit up the links below.
EDIT – I had an old review file uploaded with incorrect “Star Ratings”. I’ve adjusted them properly and re-uploaded. Sorry about that!
all that praise you typed up and both figures only garner 3 stars each? I don’t get it.
I’m also incredibly confused by this…
Yeah, sorry…old file was uploaded. Adjusted the scores and re-uploaded. My basic template always has 3 stars on it, I just forgot to re-upload the newest update with the reflected scores. My bad!
Roadblock looks outstanding, but I think I’m officially full up on Snake Eyes at this point. As it is, I’m going to be getting another version via the 3-packs.
Even with an “ultimate” Roadblock on the way, though, this one’s just too cool to pass up on. I’m amazed that they got that level of detail and complexity into the weapons.
Good toys! I dunno why Roadblock has to be a ninja, but I don’t have to use him as Roadblock, either. It’s still cool, ’cause we don’t really have any BIG ninjas, ya know? I’ll have to make up some other story for this guy. Important part is that it’s a toy of The Rock, and it’s much better than the other ones so far! Face sculpt it perfect. Also hey – cool stuff! I’m surprised the weapons worked out as well as they did.
As for Snake Eyes….well yeah I’m buying him. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m just gona keep buying him and Storm Shadow so long as they are good toys. And hell, this is an armored Snake Eyes, so it’ll fill a nitch. As usual, whenever I get tired of one Snake Eyes or another, I can always use ’em for parts!
That white sheath/holster on Roadblock is distracting as hell, and those giant 25th Anniversary holsters are very unfortunate, but otherwise Roadblock looks great. A forearm swap would be an easy solution to the tattoo problem.
Wow! I had no idea what was going on with RB, but now I see his accessories in action and the proper articulation, this makes the figure a must-have. Like for Alexx, he won’t be Roadblock for me, and I wish he wasn’t RB in the movie (Is it so wrong to change his name?) but the figure is amaze-balls, and the weapon system is off the chart.
The only thing that marks him as a ninja is the tattoo, and my guess is that a bit of work would remove that.
I mean, the dude still packs a GIANT gun. That’s the key element, not an easily overlooked tat.
(Justin – what the hell is up with the white thing? Is it a paint error or something else?)
Also, great to see that the new-style ankle articulation is in use on Roadblock. I’ve really fallen in love with that on the Joe Trooper.
Hey Justin, would you do me a favor? Please consider a photo of every single 3 3/4 Snake-Eyes figure you have posed together in one shot. In chronological order. After you’ve unpacked them all, of course.
I have this Roadblock, and he really erases all the bad impressions about wave 1.
Justin´s review is great, but he forgot 2 important details, IMHO:
1) The new ankles articulation does not allow feet to move to sides; only up and down;
2) Thanks to the (not so) new wrist articulation, this figure can hold the M2 on a very realistic pose at waist line.
Hey g.i. joe community, I just posted my 3rd g.i. joe related web comic . . . enjoy!
http://www.topsyandhavoc.com/2012/07/best-friends.html
You can use 91% Isoprophyl Alcohol to remove the tattoo from Rockblock’s forearm pretty easily. I use this technique all the time to remove tampos from Hasbro figures when customizing 🙂
Excellent reviews, Justin! These figures easily outshine their wave 1 counterparts.
Try Roadblock’s fist dagger in the front part of the handle grip. There’s a hole there that it should fit in perfectly.
Found a photo of the movie prop.