What is about the Vitruvian HACKS figures that just brings a smile to my face every time I get a new one in my hands, even if they are ostensibly, just repaints? There is an ingrained sense of quality and craftsmanship that just doesn’t exist with many other lines out there, where each application of paint deco, each accessory choice, and each design based decision is something actually thought about and executed as a part of an overall design aesthetic, not just stuff thrown at the wall, hoping that some stick.
This repaint of Medusa takes the familiar design cues from the first, but goes in some different directions.
The skin tone here is a pale mixture of green and brown (at least it appears that way my eyes, I’m notoriously color blind) which separates it distinctly from the previous version. Offsetting the skin tone is a dark snake hair application which adds some great deco variety.
Along the surface of the tail, the scales and pattern continue to stand out very nicely, adding awesome detail to the rough texture of the sculpt there, and no matter how many of these Gorgons I get in hand, I continue to be utterly blown away by the engineering involved to make one of these figures. They are truly and utterly spectacular. The articulation is smooth and flawless, the joints stay together for play and display, yet are also fairly easily removable for customization.
This version of Medusa has some starkly different armor than the previous version. It’s still a very metallic shade of silver, but where the previous armor was worn down by some spectacular paint applications providing an awesome sense of battle worn metal, this armor is clean and unmarred. The effect is the opposite of the previous armor, but no less impressive. One of the many things that Boss Fight Studio does right is the various shades of these colors. This armor isn’t just “silver” it’s a fantastic, resonant SHADE of silver, and picking that exact right color is an art and a science. Anyone who looks at the various accessory packs or figures can tell that the people designing these things are doing so with meticulous care and attention to detail.
Accessories
Along with the armor paint changes, Medusa version 2 also comes with the same snake knife and snake whip as the original, but also with some minor tweaks. On the cosmetic side, the wraps are black here instead of the green/brown of the original version. On the structural side, the weapons are firmer material, which is especially cool for the snake knife, which was a little soft and floppy the first time around.
At first blush the weapons look nearly identical, but there are some critical changes that help.
This figure is fantastic. I own three of the original Medusa (cannibalized to make one longer tail) and countless Gorgons at this point, yet I am still immersed and captivated by the quality of this update. I think ultimately, just from an aesthetic perspective, I do enjoy the vibrant green of the original Medusa a little more, but there are certainly qualities to this one that are great, too.
And for those of you folks who don’t feel like you need another Medusa, I assume you’ve grabbed some Grab Bags along the way… grab one of those spare Gorgon heads and make this one another soldier. It’s worth considering!
Medusa v2
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.2
Summary
If you’d asked me if I thought we needed a second version of Medusa, I would have certainly said no, but considering the first deco sold through, I’m thrilled that Boss Fight Studio continues to make the character available in a good paint deco. Ultimately I prefer the deco of version 1, but version 2 has some great elements as well, with the clean silver armor, the adjusted green/brown skin color, and the somewhat more rigid material of the snake knife. It all adds up to a figure that might look like just a repaint, but has enough new twists and turns to make it desirable even to folks who already have 1 Medusa (or 3…)
For the past ten months (give or take), collectors and fanboys have been enjoying their Vitruvian HACKS figures, recreating ancient Sparta’s battle against the nefarious Gorgon Horde. Well, Boss Fight Studio is poised to take this timeless battle to the next level with their debut of the Knight of Accord, one of their first official reveals for their upcoming fantasy action figure line!
Yes, we did see some test shot reveals at GraniteCon last year, but this figure looks to be much more polished and in a finished state and WOW. Spectacular.
Expected to launch in the fall of 2017, this Series 02 of the already super popular Vitruvian HACKS line is going to another level. The detail in the sculpting, the expertly crafted paint applications…this is one fantastic looking early sample, and if we’ve learned anything from previous reveals, unlike the mass market toylines, in many cases the final version is a pretty close match to what we see up front.
It looks incredible. Definitely keep watching Boss Fight Studio on Facebook and support their work on the fantasy series by hitting up BossFightShop.com and snagging some Series 01 gear! Heck, pre-orders are rolling for Wave 6 as well. Lots of good stuff happening, and that means GREAT stuff for collectors.
I could have sworn I posted this a couple of days ago, but I’ll be damned if I can find it. My bad.
This week the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has revealed two more 2017 G.I. Joe Convention Exclusive figures. A couple of days ago we got our first look at the B.A.T. Squad Leader, apparently inspired by the ’91 version of the Battle Android Trooper. He’s got a newly tooled head, but is pretty much just B.A.T. v1 from the neck down. The choice is a bit curious, as one would assume that folks might want to army build this version, and as a squad leader, I figure he’s the only one of this type in the boxed set.
Which of course begs the question… what will the standard troopers look like? The 2003 repaint? Hopefully we’ll find out soon.
Along with the B.A.T. Squad Leader, today we also got a look at Knockdown, who appears to come with General Mayhem’s helmet and a newly retooled version of his crazy anti-aircraft pistol. Not sure I’d consider that a worthy investment in tooling dollars, but there you go.
More to come, keep checking GIJoeCon.com for the latest intel!
Happy Friday! Earlier this week the G.I. Joe Collectors Club promised the first reveals from the 2017 G.I. Joe Convention, and today they delivered!
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2017 G.I. Joe Convention theme includes BattleForce: 2000 and B.A.T.S.!
Interesting choices. I’m all in for BF:2000, but do we really need more B.A.T.S.? Ehhh… yeah. Not sure about that, especially at convention set prices. But we’ll wait for some figure previews to make final judgments.
Until then, the Collectors Club has revealed Battleforce: 2000 Maverick!
Keep watching GIJoeCon.com for the latest updates!
FORCE OF BATTLE 2000!
We’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of the G.I. JOE BF 2000 team with this untold
tale of the original team members from a recently declassified special mission.
The G.I. JOE BF 2000 team is the walking, breathing proving grounds for tomorrow’s battlefield technology today!
These highly trained specialists are entrusted with one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art prototype weapons. Their mission
is to field-test experimental equipment under battlefield conditions.
COBRA has developed a new laser weapon system so dangerous that it threatens the safety of the entire planet!
The G.I. JOE: BF 2000 team is called into action and must travel through the Pacific Northwest into British Columbia to dismantle the operation.
What they don’t know is that COBRA is ready for them with a battalion of their upgraded B.A.T. (Battle Android Troopers) guarding their base.
This G.I. JOE team will be fighting against insurmountable odds, and must pull their individual specialties together to battle these deadly threats.
Will the cold and calculated programming of the COBRA B.A.T. SQUAD LEADER be the end of this G.I. JOE team?
Meanwhile, on the 12″ side we have what looks like a combination Adventure Team/G.I. Joe Jungle Fighter collection! Check out the first image below.
Back in in the war G.I. Joe was a specialist serving as a Marine Jungle Fighter. During an undocumented mission in and undocumented area,
something went terribly wrong and they were being over run. As he was evacuating due to an impending air strike, he fell into some sort of ancient
buried temple that appeared to have something to do with the worship of snakes. Using his flamethrower for illumination, he realized that…
the snakes were still there! As he was fighting his way out through the snakes something caught his eye, a golden cobra shaped staff.
There was no time to get to it out. The airstrike was inbound and he had to evac!
For years this memory haunted Joe and led him to his current career in the Adventure Team as their Jungle Explorer.
Where was the old temple? Was that golden staff still there? Did it really happen, or was it just a hallucination?
He spent years researching and searching for this lost temple. Now he thinks he has finally found the answers!
This year’s 12” Convention Set is based on the vintage Marine Jungle Fighter and the Adventure Team, Jungle Survival accessory set.
It comes with: Painted Head Figure; Marine Jungle Uniform; Belt; Canteen and Cover; .45 and Holster; Boonie Hat; Vinyl Shoulder Radio;
Flame Thrower; Tall Brown Boots; M-16 Rifle; Machete and Scabbard and Dog tag; Flocked Head Figure; Jungle Survival Uniform;
Tall Black Boots; Belt with Canteen; two Snake Anti-Venom Pouches; Pith Helmet; Yellow Short Radio; First Aid Kit; Compass;
Machete and Scabbard; Tranquillizer Rifle; Equipment Storage Crate; Dog Tag and Golden Cobra Staff.
It also comes with a Mini-Comic with a surprise ending!
Ever since getting my first few figures as part of the Kickstarter shipment a couple of weeks back, I’ve been feeding for more and starving to get a review posted. Well, this past week I got both accomplished!
As soon as I got my grubby mitts on the first few Valkyries figures, I immediately needed more and made a purchase from MarauderInc.com within a few days. Once I received that shipment, any love I had for this new generation of Task Force figures and accessories only sky-rocketed.
I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface with how cool these figures are, and I’ve spent hours swapping parts, gluing gear down and just mixing and matching. It’s pretty astounding just how incredible these toys are. Designed to near perfection by Boss Fight Studio, with the folks at Marauder developing a spectacular concept, these truly are the best of all worlds.
Check out my review at the Marauder Task Force Review page, or the direct link below. Spoiler Warning – I’m pretty much in love.
