And just like that, GeneralsJoes has caught up on the backlog of reviews! Some free time during the holidays allowed me to go back through the last three Figure Subscription Service shipments and get all caught up on hold over reviews for the first half of FSS 2.0.
Wow…it’s half over already?
Crazy. The amazing thing is, we’ve gotten some nice figures in the first three shipments, but I haven’t even gotten my hands on a few of the figures I’ve been most looking forward to, like Dragonsky, Keel Haul, Big Bear, and of course Cesspool! That means the next three shipments are going to be full of winners. I’m really looking forward to it.
Until then, check out my G.I. Joe Collectors Club Review Page, or hit the links directly below.
The fact that they used those Flint arms and Desert Duke legs for Tollbooth…just terrible. I’m glad people are getting a figure they wanted (Based on the sold-out pre-orders) but this is, to my mind, the worst way to deliver. That headsculpt deserves better.
You and Fred Meyer certainly don’t see eye to eye on Tollbooth:
http://joebattlelines.com/reviews/toys/collectorsclub/fss2tollbooth.htm
Although to be fair, the paint apps on the eyes on yours appear to be perhaps a bit better than Fred’s.
On the other hand, in your photo of Tollbooth’s sleeve (highlighting the insignia), there appears to be a strange mold flaw.
Whatever the case, I’m with GigaMach; the 25th Anniversary tooling needs to be retired. It’s an anachronistic embarrassment; look at that Tunnel Rat! There is no flow to his body. The original vintage Tunnel Rat looks better!
Part of me still wants this Tollbooth figure, even though I have no memory of the vintage figure; I think he’d be a cool addition to my Adventure Team crew.
I wonder if there are any lower arms that match his flesh tone?
I have seen Fred’s review and I know he and Chris have a differing opinion than I do. But I also suspect the Club purposefully gave Tollbooth shorter legs so he can fit in the Bridge Layer, which is something that fans have been complaining about with these 25th Anniversary re-releases.
There are a lot of problems with that review and I think they both are letting their emotions cloud their judgement as there are things they list a negatives that are factually incorrect, particularly those said by Chris. He claims the figure has a “squat torso” when said torso is no different in size than any other standard torso. He also states incorrectly that the arms belong to Shipwreck, when they clearly do not. The fact that they both complain about the figures height immediately following a photo compared to two larger than normal figures says quite a bit to me. Yet when you scroll down and look at the figure when pictured with Shipwreck, it doesn’t look anywhere close to as out of place as they try to make you believe. Of course he’s going to look odd when placed next to the hulking behemoth that is Retaliation Roadblock. I’m sure anyone of average height (around 5’10”) would look just as odd standing next to someone of larger stature (The Rock being around 6’5″ for example).
I think my disappointment with the figure comes because, as I said in the review, he’s sooo close to being truly great! It’s the height and the last of swivel wrists that really set him back in my eyes.
The height because he’s shorter than most of the rest of the my Gen 3 collection. You mention that my photos were misleading– that wasn’t the intention. I used the Rock to show an extreme. I had other photos comparing him to other FSS figures including Cover Girl and Shipwreck as well as the Tomahawk Lift Ticket. He’s shorter than all of them. I’m sorry that you felt “misled” but what would I have to gain by doing so? However, to alleviate any appearance of impropriety and bias, I’ll add in an additional shot– a “police line-up” of all of the figures used in that review with TollBooth. This way you can form your own impression. Sound fair?
The wrists bug me only because I’ve come to expect them on my more recent Joes. For the price tag of close to $30.00 he should have had them. Instead, he’s MUCH closer to the 25th Anniversary figures of 5-6 years ago. The recent Nocturnal Fire figures have the swivel wrists and technically they have a lower price point per figure. So did Footloose and Iceberg so it’s not like there isn’t a precedent for it.
Look, as I frequently say in my reviews– “It’s just one Joe fan’s opinion.” and not meant as an absolute proclamation. It’s just my take on things– which is all any review really is.
Thanks for the new photo. That makes a more fair illustration of the issue. Personally, I don’t feel him being shorter than most figures is a problem, especially if it helps him fit in his vehicle. If anything, I think this shows that too many figures are TALLER than they should be. Covergirl’s a former model so her height is reasonable. But does Shipwreck really need to be almost as tall as Slaughter? Why is Lift Ticket the same size as Destro? The line NEEDS more height diversity. I wish MORE figures were shorter like Toll Booth.
As for the wrists, I don’t think that’s a big problem either. What really is bothersome is the HANDS. More-so the fact that they’re molded in the position they are. Stick some different hands on there and you’ll probably find yourself not having as much of a problem.
I also want to point out here that your viewpoints weren’t so much a problem to me. It was more Chris’ statements. Many of the things he said made him look downright ignorant and mean.
And to temper my initial negative comment – The Desert Scorpion looks pretty darn cool. I like the head choice, and the gear choice, especially the robo-scorp drone. He seems like more of a specialist in this case, and might look really cool leading a troop of RoC Dessert Troops.
Anyone else think the Techno Vipers look a little like the Cylons from the original Battlestar Galactica?
I’m more with Justin on Tollbooth. I don’t like the Flint arms most of the time, but I have not had any trouble posing him with his hammer so I think they work okay here more than they did on Flint. I am also okay with him being short. Real people are not all the same height. Scaled up he would be 5’9″, just don’t stand him by The Rock who is 6’5″.
If we get Frostbite in wave 3 (or as #13) then all Joe and Cobra characters are done from 82-86!
Nooo! I knew the Techno-Vipers would be lazy enough to be taken down by a sledge hammer. Figures. I’m assuming they laid down and feigned injury so people would ignore them.
Anywho: Man that Desert Scorpion looks nice! Love that the arms still come off like the original and pop on the figure. That was my favorite feature!
Listen, if there’s anyone who’s done more to hurt the rep of the Techno-Vipers in the whole f’n world, it’s the guy who turned one of them into a half-man, half-baby-tank.
NOT NAMING NAMES, you understand.
HEY NOW, that is still a sensitive subject for him! They’re really good with machines (sort of?) but not so much with body parts. I’m sure he’ll get some legs eventually! Until that time, however, he will remain…The Tankno-Viper.
“I love the fact that they’re slightly “bronze” in color to simulate the tanned look that a desert operative is likely to have.”
Actually, the file card says that all of these desert-themed terrorists are from the Middle East. I’m not aware of any other troop type that is said to be all one racial or ethnic group, and I’m not really comfortable with the Club playing into stereotypes like that.