So I realize as I prepare to write this that I’ve been taking something for granted. Month in and month out, the greatness of Larry Hama and SL Gallant effortlessly weaving their way through the G.I. Joe mythology, incorporating new things, adding some great vintage homages and generally having fun with it all. I’ve been buying it every month, reading it every month, and enjoying it every month. But it became a routine and I just kind of expected to have it there, month in and month out.
When IDW announced that SL Gallant would no longer be the primary artist on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, I have to admit, I was pretty upset. His work with Hama had become evocative of the legendary Hama/Whigham work from back in the day, a team that became so inexorably tied with the brand that it’s difficult to think of that era of G.I. Joe without picturing those particular versions of those characters in your head. The same had become true of Gallant’s time on the title, and now that I don’t have that routine anymore, it feels like a piece of that history is gone.
It’s odd because I’m typically not a fan of brands leaning on vintage nostalgia like a crutch, and I’d much prefer to see different ways that brands can evolve and stay relevant with these days rather than becoming overly reliant on trying to revisit the past…yet Hama/Gallant had just enough taste of the past to feel natural without feeling forced.
That being said, Netho Diaz has certainly made a splash and a very good impression with his work here. Keep reading for a full review.
A year ago, if you told me I’d be reviewing Bucky O’Hare figures on this site, I would have said you were full of it. But here we are!
You can thank the fine folks at Boss Fight Studio for not only acquiring the awesome Hama/Adams/Golden license, but for also absolutely killing it with the toy design and production. These are some fantastic, fun toys made as a labor of love and you can really tell.
Check out my brand spanking new Bucky O’Hare Review Page or click the links below to see what I thought!
While I think many of us wait patiently for news of the upcoming Hasbro Cinematic Universe so we can set expectations for new retail G.I. Joe figures, a few licensees have emerged with potential G.I. Joe related items in various stages of conception and production.
Perhaps most unusual is news from Dynamic Attractions (revealed via Skinny on Twitter) who is apparently planning a new full-blown amusement park attraction and framing it around the G.I. Joe brand. They speak about it in depth in this YouTube video and even show some brief video (including a look at very COBRA-themed set design and a vehicle that looks more than a little like a four-seat VAMP):
Dubbed an “All-Terrain Dark Ride” this was announced at IAAPA 2017 (The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) and even included some promotional opportunities.
Along with this information, Pop Culture Shock Collectibles has also announced they have acquired rights to produce some G.I. Joe product as well. Most well known for their lines of statues, we’ll have to see what they have in store and how it compares (or compliments) the existing work of Prime 1 Studio.
“PCS Collectibles is pleased to announce we have now secured a licensing agreement with Hasbro Inc. We are excited about the opportunity to team with Hasbro in creating collectibles based on characters from properties like TRANSFORMERS, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY to name a few. Stay tuned for further details!
G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS, and MY LITTLE PONY are trademarks of Hasbro. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC.”
As always, time will tell how this all shakes out. Stay tuned!
Honestly, when it comes to characters that require $35 modern updates, I wouldn’t put any of the above three on that list, but the Collectors Club revealed their version of the 1988 Desert Fox driver for FSS 7 regardless.
It’s a fine figure, pretty standard parts (though the sweater sleeves combined with the smooth torso is throwing me just a bit). Check it out at GIJoeClub.com or the mirrored image below.
NOTE: Boss Fight Studio has informed folks that the connecting joints for the replaceable faces and hands are a bit tighter than anticipated. You will want to apply some heat to ensure safe removal. Either a quick burst with a hair dryer or some warm water will do the trick.
Okay – I admit it. Before Boss Fight Studio got the license, I knew next to nothing about Bucky O’Hare. I mean, I worked retail in a toy store in the 90s and I was a huge fan of Larry Hama, so I was aware of the brand’s existence, but I hadn’t watched any of the animated series or read any of the comics, even though Neal Adams and Michael Golden, two legendary comic creators to go along with Mr. Hama, were involved.
That being said, if I know anything about action figures it’s that Boss Fight Studio are some of the best in the business, so I was pretty sure that regardless of my lack of knowledge about Bucky O’Hare, I’d likely be jumping into that series.
Now, as I have the two introductory figures in hand, I’m really glad I did.
First Mate Jenny has the same dubious distinction that many female characters did over the years – a popular media character that never got her due in action figure form. She was planned for a second series of Bucky action figures, but even though that series made it fairly far along in production, she was never actually released. For that reason, this figure is an important one in Bucky mythology, being the first time Jenny is available as a toy.
They certainly start off on the right foot.
As with most of the figures that Boss Fight Studio touches, the sculpt work and articulation is fantastic. They manage to maintain a great animated style, while also having impressive range of motion and articulation throughout. Ball jointed hips and shoulders, knees, elbows, ankles and swivel wrists give us a wide range of different poses that Jenny can achieve, and I continue to be amazed at the variety of Boss Fight’s talents. The fact that they can make a hyper-realistic action figure like the HACKS stuff, then turn around and do something like this, in the same super-articulated style just blows my mind. Jenny does have some very narrow limbs and joints, which should obviously be treated with care, but she also feels pretty resilient in spite of that fact.
Then we get to the paint applications. The color choices are near perfection here, with a great brushed metal silver and black, a vibrant color pallet that balances with excellence. The purple jewels stand out nicely as well and blend perfectly with her various magic effect accessories.
Before Boss Fight’s announcement, I couldn’t have told you much about Bucky O’Hare and certainly had only tangentially heard off Jenny as a character, but I find this figure to be a lot of fun, and even with her exorbitant animation-accurate hair style, she’s able to maintain a bunch of really cool poses.
Boss Fight really went smart with Jenny’s design, purposefully representing her tail and hair so she could look animation accurate, yet still have a counter-balance for offering impressive poseability and stability.
Accessories
NOTE: Boss Fight Studio has informed folks that the connecting joints for the replaceable faces and hands are a bit tighter than anticipated. You will want to apply some heat to ensure safe removal. Either a quick burst with a hair dryer or some warm water will do the trick.
I kind of struggled where to fit some of this stuff in, because while they are technically accessories, they become a very key part of the action figure itself. As a female cat from the planet Aldebaran, Jenny has mysterious magical abilities, so Boss Fight Studio included magic blasts, additional hands firing magic blasts, plus several other replacement hands and face expressions in order to mimic whatever mood Jenny might be in. The replacement face expressions are especially awesome, allowing the collector to give Jenny any manner of faces to mirror what she may have looked like in the animation or comic panel of your choice. They fit and stay really firmly and look excellent. The hands are swappable, yet also stay firm, and the magic effects lock nicely around the wrist. I especially love the way the magic shooting hands and wrist-mounted magic effects combine to give us a really spectacular version of the first mate of the Righteous Indignation.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fantastic package art as well. Brian Hickey assisted in the design of the packaging and did an exceptional job leveraging color, artwork, and a great vintage aesthetic. The package is also collector friendly with a removable bubble just like the HACKS package. Gorgeous stuff.
Coming from someone who really had little attachment to Bucky O’Hare, I find myself being really excited and into this new iteration. The figure design is excellent and the execution is close to perfect. A really awesome new generation of a classic property with all the hallmarks of your favorite toys from Boss Fight Studio.
First Mate Jenny
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.1
Summary
Better late than never, and while Bucky O’Hare fans had to wait until 2017 before they could get their hands on an action figure for Jenny, I’d say the wait was very worthwhile. Great animated style sculpting, excellent articulation and a terrific paint scheme all come together to create a really great looking figure. Add to that the clever use of accessories and the stunning packaging and you have a great new series from Boss Fight Studio!
