There isn’t a single figure in this first wave of G.I. Joe: Classified figures that I haven’t enjoyed. Scarlett especially has been a real blast to pose and photograph.
As one of the founding members of G.I. Joe and a lynchpin for both the comic and the cartoon (a lofty claim that not many Joe characters can make) Hasbro did a fantastic job with this larger scale update.
Check out the full review for G.I. Joe: Classified Scarlett, or click the link below to check out the G.I. Joe: Classified Review Page.
Ever since the beginning, one of the awesome things about G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was a focus on strong characters, regardless of gender and certainly Scarlett was no exception. It was clear from the first issue of the G.I. Joe comic and the first episode of the G.I. Joe animated series that she was one of the heart and soul’s of the G.I. Joe team.
From flying a Skystriker to low for Duke’s comfort or burying a throwing star in COBRA Commander’s gun arm, she’s been in the thick of it and I was thrilled to see her as a part of the first wave of G.I. Joe: Classified.
Hasbro did a pretty bang up job on this figure, too. They managed to keep the basic design aesthetics of the vintage figure, all while giving her some nice new armored elements that thrust her into the future.
A combination of layered body armor sculpting, impressive articulation cool accessories and really sharp paint applications gives this new Scarlett some great life, and I really love their choices here. While some of the figures suffer a bit from the abundance of gold (especially Roadblock) I think it works really well on Scarlett.
An absolutely critical member of the G.I. Joe roster, Scarlett deserves her place in the inaugural wave of these new six inch figures and she gets a pretty terrific update.
While there are some minor limitations to her articulation, the color breaks and textures of the suit are great and overall she brings some great color and vibrance to the Joe roster, especially at this larger scale.
DESIGN
From a design angle, Scarlett is almost a perfect update to the original, taking the overall shape and color of her 80’s unitard and translating it into something that bridges the future/military and super-hero divide very nicely.
I absolutely love the armor she’s sporting, looking thick and protective, yet sleek as well, allowing for great range of motion. Her armored gauntlets and boots are terrific as well, and I find myself loving the little touches like the three throwing stars on her left forearm and what appear to be small “rocket” boots at her calves. At least that’s what they are in my little world!
The color combinations are really nice, too, a mixture of blue, green and tan, a nice amalgamation of several different hues from Scarlett’s history. All of the different shades work well with the sculpt breaks on the body suit and armor, the overall appearance very eye-catching and appealing.
G.I. Joe has always existed in this strange place between real world military and comic book sci-fi, and this version of Scarlett really seems to lunge full speed into comic book sci-fi, and to be honest, I’m glad for it. She’s never had a full-blown military look or feel and this updated armored bodysuit is an excellent evolution from some previous appearances.
The shoulder pad and star on her left shoulder feels like a nice call-out to her Devil’s Due appearance as well, which featured a very similar design aesthetic. Her hair is nicely painted, though I would have loved a bit more of a red wash just to darken it up some. I find myself really loving the paint work on her face, including the light application of freckles underneath her eyes. Very well done.
I really love the strap, sheath and quiver over her torso, too, giving her room for all three of her throwing knives, which is a really awesome touch.
ARTICULATION
For the most part, Scarlett’s articulation is fantastic. Multiple torso joints, ball-joint neck and shoulders, double-jointed knees and rocker ankles. She’s capable of falling into a wealth of effective poses. Like the other figures she has “drop-down” hips which give her more sideways motion as well.
There’s only one hitch with her articulation. Because she’s got such skinny arms, she doesn’t get double-jointed elbows like her male counterparts. It’s not a huge take away, but I feel like it needs to be mentioned.
In spite of her layered body armor and aside from the aforementioned elbows, she maintains a great range of motion and fantastic articulation, a hallmark of G.I. Joe action figure design that is here in spades.
ACCESSORIES
Well, this is certainly the hottest topic in any of the discussions around G.I. Joe: Classified. Scarlett I think manages to walk the line perfectly. Unlike many other members of the G.I. Joe team, Scarlett has never been known for her heavy duty military weapons compliment. The crossbow has been her stalwart, and it remains so here.
It’s a pseudo-futuristic crossbow with a pretty cool design aesthetic, with a removable top and bottom. I’m not sure what the benefit to taking the crossbow apart is, but it does come apart if you’re so inclined.
Along with the crossbow, she comes with three small knives, one of which fits neatly in a sheath on her chest strap, while the other two slide in place in sheaths within her quiver on her back. I love that she’s got places for all three knives, it’s that sort of detail that I really enjoy about the G.I. Joe: Classified line. So far none of them have come with accessories they didn’t have a place to store. A small point, but a valid one.
Scarlett’s accessories don’t blow my socks off, but they make sense for the character and are a nice inclusion. The trio of knives are the definite highlights for me, it adds a cool element to the character and I really dig the sheaths, too.
Good stuff.
PRESENTATION
Like the other figures in the first wave of G.I. Joe: Classified, Scarlett has unique artwork on her box, in this case done by Phil Noto an acclaimed artist of comic books and other things. The art looks terrific (though somehow I neglected to take a picture of the other side of the box), though I do agree with some complaints that a lack of unification across all packaging can be a bit jarring for MIB collectors.
CONCLUSION
Scarlett is one of my favorite characters in G.I. Joe lore and I’m thrilled that such an important piece of A Real American Hero history ended up in wave 1 of the G.I. Joe: Classified line. Her modern updates are terrific, adding a fantastic sci-fi flair while still keeping some solid homages to her old school appearances.
The shining point for sure is the face paint with the freckles and the eyes, though she’s got amazing paint throughout the entire figure with a great mixture of gold that works far better for her than for some of her compatriots.
All things considered, this figure is terrific and the G.I. Joe: Classified line is off to an amazing start.
General Gallery
Group Shots
The Capture of Destro
G.I. Joe Classified Scarlett
Sculpting
Paint Applications
Articulation
Accessories
4
Summary
As one of the founding members of G.I. Joe, I was thrilled to see Scarlett included in wave one of G.I. Joe: Classified, and she’s got some great updates to boot. A terrific sculpt, great modernized design aligned with her vintage look and her familiar trademark accessories. The narrow sculpting of her female form unfortunately sacrifices some key articulation, but the figure is great otherwise.
Pros
– Nice modern update with some vintage flair
– The combination of head sculpt and paint on the face is on point
– The gold trim really shines on Scarlett
Cons
– No double joints in the elbows
– Decent accessories, but could have used a bit more
We are nearing June 1st, which is the supposed “street date” for G.I. Joe: Classified, and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some just a little bit early.
As we ramp up to release day, the reviews are kicking off today and will be going throughout the rest of the week.
When you hear the name Roadblock, this guy is pretty much what you expect. He is a huge, imposing figure at the 6″ scale and while he’s not aesthetically perfect, he does bring some interesting things to the table.
The first thing you notice as you purchased and rip open your G.I. Joe: Classified figures is that they are extremely varied in size and shape, which is awesome. For a long time, G.I. Joe figures were built off of a common “buck” meaning every figure was constructed to be relatively the same height and size, with only slight variations here and there.
While the modern era did work to change that somewhat, the formula of re-using parts for different characters often meant that heights and figure sizes weren’t always represented 100% accurately (Leatherneck I’m looking at you).
Now, at least for the moment, with each figure in this first assortment being uniquely sculpted and tooled, you end up with some really great variation, and at the top of that scale is Roadblock.
Standing a full head taller and with huge arms and legs, Roadblock immediately separates himself from the crowd as the guy carrying the heavy weapon (more talk about that particular weapon later).
There’s something about the size and weight of this figure that’s a ton of fun, and feels different somehow than previous iterations of the character. This is a Roadblock who feels like a Roadblock and in a group shot he’s clearly the focal point.
DESIGN
Looking at design first, Roadblock looks pretty good, though not perfect. As mentioned, the sculpting is fantastic, the overall size is spot-on, and he has a ton of redeeming qualities. The vest is an excellent throwback to the 1986 version of the character and I love the fingerless gloves, the removable knife and the plain military style pants are great as well.
He’s got a great tattoo on his left arm as well, which is very nicely designed and a great touch for the figure.
But things aren’t all sunshine and roses. Lots of folks out there have had complaints about the paint scheme of the figures, and I don’t really have a huge problem with it necessarily. I think some elements of vibrant colors, as long as they make sense, are good for the figure and bring some pleasing aesthetics to what might normally be a bunch of greens and browns.
Speaking of greens, that’s the color that makes up most of Roadblock’s uniform and it works well, but then they introduce some gold in the boot armor and the kneepad which feels a little jarring. It’s not terrible, I don’t hate it, it just seems a little out of place.
I do like the sculpted boot armor, however, unlike many of the more vocal fans out there. I see G.I. Joe as having very strong influences from science-fiction and future tech, and I don’t want to see salvish military recreations. The armored boots work well for that, I just think the vibrant gold maybe wasn’t the best choice.
I’m also a little conflicted about the vest. After so many years of modern era figures, a guy like this with a cool vest that is not removable seems like an odd decision. I mean, you can cut it off of him, sure, but once you do that, it’s gone and you’re not going to get it back together. On the flip side, though, nothing drove me crazier during the modern era than people with the vest clasps that just would not close, so in that way I almost prefer it like this for aesthetic reasons.
Like I said, conflicted. The perfect solution would be to use a clasp system that kept it closed effectively, but still allowed it to be removable. I would think on a larger figure like this, that wouldn’t be so difficult.
All of this being said, however, I do think the overall design aesthetic is solid. A nice combination of military and sci-fi, and the character is immediately recognizable as Roadblock.
Great sculpting from head to toe, I love the boots, the vest is great, I’m just not sold on the bright gold and wish they’d done a little something else to make the vest removable.
ARTICULATION
All in all, tough to argue with the articulation. Roadblock’s got pretty close to the same range of motion as Snake Eyes, which is pretty impressive for a larger figure.
If I have any complaints, the rubber vest prevents some significant range of motion in the torso, which isn’t a deal breaker by any means, but it does have an impact.
From the butterfly shoulders to the ball-jointed neck and waist, the drop-down hips, double jointed knees, swivel calves and rocker ankles, Roadblock has everything covered.
Now, with the figure’s somewhat larger stature, his range of motion isn’t quite as impressive as Snake Eyes, but, you know… he’s not a ninja, so. He can achieve any pose I attempt and can hold his balance remarkably well, even while holding his massive rail gun.
ACCESSORIES
Speaking of his massive rail gun…
First and foremost, my GeneralsJoes hot take – The M2 Browning is a World War I era weapon and it’s completely insane and ridiculous to think that Roadblock would be carrying that weapon in the G.I. Joe universe where there are jet packs, laser guns, and android troopers.
Yes, I know it’s still in service, but G.I. Joe is about future-tech. The Ma-Deuce is about as far from future tech as you can get. Let go of your nostalgia.
Whew. Okay. I feel better.
Now, just because I’m not all broken hearted about a lack of a six inch scale M2, doesn’t mean I think this gun is good. This gun is clunky, weirdly designed and overall– just not much fun. I think Hasbro could have certainly done something that wasn’t a realistic heavy machine gun, but was also better than whatever this thing is.
The huge weapon Roadblock comes with also comes with a removable magazine and there’s a removable knife that fits into the sheath on Roadblock’s vest.
The handle of the knife is way too small to actually be held by Roadblock, however.
All things considered, a character who is at least somewhat defined by his accessories (he’s a heavy weapons specialist, after all) does not come with very good accessories. That’s a pretty big miss in my book, though thankfully it’s just about the only big miss in the first wave of G.I. Joe: Classified figures.
PRESENTATION
Anyone who was a fan of G.I. Joe during the Rise of COBRA era knows Mike Thompson’s work well, and I’m thrilled that Hasbro tapped him to work on this series, too. Roadblock’s artwork is top notch. Mike did a spectacular job on it, as we should all come to expect. Once again there isn’t a whole lot of consistency across different packages, but at least as a one-off this works well.
CONCLUSION
It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for the G.I. Joe: Classified line to hit, and by and large, I’ve been impressed. Roadblock is probably my least favorite of Wave 1, mostly because of his accessories, but he’s still a wicked fun action figure and what feels like a good representation of the familiar character.
General Gallery
Group Shots
G.I. Joe Classified Roadblock
Sculpting
Paint Applications
Articulation
Accessories
3.5
Summary
This figure isn’t perfect, but still a very enjoyable addition to the G.I. Joe: Classified roster. Roadblock’s imposing size, vintage callbacks and intricate tattoo on his left arm are all great tweaks to a character that has remained a focal point of G.I. Joe history. While I’m seeing many complaints about his accessories, I will acknowledge their flaws, but I’m still glad to see them looking forward instead of backwards.
Pros
– Terrific articulation
– Great sculpting and an imposing size
– Excellent callbacks to vintage asthetics, and great deco
Cons
– Color scheme is hit or miss, gold feels out of place
– Odd accessory design
– Non-removable vest which also restricts articulation
From whispered rumors and fandom hopes, the time has finally arrived. The new G.I. Joe: Classified six inch action figure series from Hasbro has officially been released.
And as usual, I’m starting off with a somewhat boring one so I can save the best for last.
Boring isn’t fair, though. At its core, the Snake Eyes figure is a great figure, it just so happens that a far better one was already released a short time ago.
This Snake Eyes is a standard retail version of the figure we got as a Pulse Exclusive a short while ago, and the base figure itself retains all the cool sculpting and articulation that the first figure did. The main differences between them are the color scheme (this Snake Eyes leans more towards the pure black of old rather than the healthy variation of browns and grays) and the accessory compliment.
Depending on your perspective, this could be a negative or a positive. Personally, I much prefer the Pulse Exclusive, not just for the weapons rack, amazing ninja weapons and Snake Eyes’ trademark Uzi, but because unlike many other opinions I’ve seen floating around, I actually like the variation in colors instead of black from head to toe.
That being said, this figure has merits, and lots of them, especially for folks who didn’t take advantage of the Pulse pre-order and are now looking at hefty secondary market prices. Breaking down the base figure, this version of Snake Eyes is still really cool.
DESIGN
From a design perspective, you need to look at the sculpting first– it absolutely shines. No this isn’t a regurgitated 1985 Snake Eyes at a 6″ scale, it’s so much more. This is, by and large, a new conceptualization of the familiar Joe Commando, it just happens to have the right amount of vintage flair.
As I’ve already mentioned here, and in my review of the Pulse Exclusive, the sculpting and concept work on this figure is spectacular. There seems to be just the right mix of standard military and ninja super hero. His face mask is a great combination of the knight’s visor look and the Commando version, coming together in a head sculpt that looks remarkably like the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Battle Kata Snake Eyes.
(That’s a good thing).
The battle armor sculpted throughout the figure is sleek and non-intrusive, but again adds some terrific modern elements to the figure that I really appreciate and enjoy.
As mentioned above as well, the colors here are far more straight forward, going with a mostly black color scheme with just some minor hints of silver, mostly on the buckles and clasps. He has his red Arashikage symbol as well, of course. The result is a figure that feels much more like the Snake Eyes most people remember, which is fine, I just happen to prefer a little extra variation in my color schemes. In my opinion the Pulse version managed an attractice aesthetic without going overboard, where this figure feels a bit more bland, color-wise.
This version of the figure has the same removable parts as the previous version, though none of them really get in the way, so I don’t find myself desperate to take them off. Customizability is great, though, offering some opportunity for artistic Joe fans to take the base figure and spice things up a bit with other mix and match parts.
Impressive concept, amazing sculpting, littered with spectacular and fine details. The overall design of this figure is great, just not as colorful as the previous version (which to some people might be a good thing).
ARTICULATION
I’m in love.
Ever since first hitting the scene in the 1960’s, G.I. Joe has been a landmark in articulation and playability. For many, many years, G.I. Joe was a cornerstone. A hallmark of ingenuity and play that other toy lines desperately tried to emulate.
Well, Marvel Legends (among others) beat us to this one, but Snake Eyes still wears it well.
The articulation on this figure is simply incredible. Ball joints abound and if you can think of a pose to put Snake Eyes in, you can more or less do it. Ball joint waist, torso crunch, butterfly shoulders, ball joint neck (at the shoulders and at the chin) as well as double-jointed knees and elbows. Wrists and ankles have added articulation as well.
Because the figure is sculpted relatively sleek, he is able to maintain a number of different action or stabilized positions and I couldn’t be happier with the way the sculpting and articulation integrate.
If I had any complaints, it might be with the rocker ankles. I love rockers, but because the ankles can’t swivel, it’s a bit of a balancing act (figuratively and literally) to get him to stand in certain positions. Of course you generally have a choice – rocker or swivel, simple construction prevents the ability to have both, and ultimately I think rocker is the right choice.
ACCESSORIES
So… here’s the biggest point of consternation among the fans right now, and its certainly not directed at only Snake Eyes. In fact, Roadblock is probably an even bigger target where this hot topic is concerned.
Unlike the Pulse exclusive Snake Eyes, this version doesn’t come with the extra ninja weapons (which was more or less expected) but an even bigger detraction is the fact that Snake Eyes’ trademark Uzi is replaced with a laser pistol sort of thing, and his standard sidearm is also replaced with a more laser-looking weapon (though it still fits the silencer, thank goodness!).
The Uzi replacement looks somewhat similar to a weapon that Retaliation Snake Eyes came with, while the pistol has some elements that remind me of the Rise of COBRA laser pistol.
First of all, I understand why they did this. The Pulse exclusive Snake Eyes is a figure geared towards collectors. Adults (I use that term loosely) who collect action figures as nostalgia driven entertainment. As such, Hasbro has more leeway about what sorts of weapons they can include. I have to imagine for figures being marketed at mass retail, for Walmart, Target, etc.. there is apparently a desire (quite possibly on the retail side) to include more fanciful weapons with the figure, rather than authentic looking machine guns.
I won’t get into the politics of this here, but considering the climate in America, I can totally see why this decision might be made to avoid any conflicts with potential customers. You can agree with it or disagree with it, but I would bet a lot of money that this is the reason why the figures come with these outside-the-box weapons.
Ultimately, while it would certainly be nice to see more “real world” sort of guns, I don’t get all that twisted up over it. Easy for me to say because I’ve got the Pulse exclusive so I still have the Uzi, but ultimately, the figure is what drives my enjoyment and the figure maintains its quality even with strangely chosen weapons.
All that aside, just looking at the weapons themselves I think they’re pretty neat, even if they are more future-focused. Snake Eyes’ weapon designs are fun and he holds them both well, and as I mentioned above, the silencer still works on the pistol, which is pretty cool. I also like the added peg and hole on the larger laser, which allows it to be held on the backpack, but then for the sheath to attach as well.
He also still comes with his knife, sword, backpack and sheath, so he’s got a decent amount of the same gear.
Are the accessory choices perfect for an adult G.I. Joe fan looking to recapture their youth? No. But they work well for a newer audience who isn’t so attached to the gritty realism of a Cold War anti-terrorist force and I’m not going to belabor that decision here.
PRESENTATION
While the presentation with this figure isn’t quite as ornate and elaborate as the Pulse exclusive, I definitely still appreciate the design aesthetics of the packaging. The artwork is really nicely done, though I have seen some legitimate complaints about the differing styles from box to box. I can understand some of those complaints, though individually I really love what I see with each box.
CONCLUSION
It feels like forever since we got a truly new and original approach to the G.I. Joe mythology, and man, G.I. Joe: Classified delivers in spades. I’ve had a ton of fun with this figure (and the others) even though I just spent hours on the Pulse exclusive review not that long ago.
Of course, in my humble opinion, if you have a choice, I would lean towards the Pulse exclusive as a purchase rather than the standard retail version, mostly because of the accessories and the more interesting color scheme. But at this point, the Pulse exclusive is sold out and is quite a bit pricier on the secondary market, so that being said, I think the standard retail release makes a fine substitute.
I know there’s been some disagreement within the fandom about the shift to six inches, and I can appreciate the opinions of both sides. I grew up with the 1:18 scale and still have a strong appreciation for that, but I’ve seen a TON of exposure to these figures mostly based on the fact that they’re now six inch collector-grade toys, and I think that’s only a good thing for the brand.
It certainly helps that the toys themselves are a hell of a lot of fun, too.
General Gallery
Group Shots
G.I. Joe Classified Snake Eyes
Sculpting
Paint Applications
Articulation
Accessories
4
Summary
Same base figure as the Pulse exclusive, now with less paint apps! In all seriousness, the all black ninja commando is one that fans were asking for even after seeing the Pulse version, so to their credit, Hasbro delivers. The figure itself maintains the high standard of quality, though the accessories are a bit lacking in comparison, and my own personal opinion is the varied colors of the Pulse version are preferable.
Pros
– Tons of fantastic articulation
– Spectacular sculpting and design aesthetics
– Great interaction with accessories, holsters and sheaths
Cons
– I still love my 4″ Joes and hope for a return to that scale
– Much prefer the varied colors of the Pulse exclusive
– The laser gun accessories aren’t terrible, but I prefer the Uzi and pistol
I can’t quite enter the words for how this Destro makes me feel. I know there have been many stalwart 1:18 scale faithfuls who have turned their noses up at the six inch figures, which they have every right to do. But I think this Destro may just be great enough to convert at least some of them!
Various online retailers reveal Destro today with the surprise launch of a pre-order for this figure, long rumored to be a part of the first wave of G.I. Joe: Classified six inch figures. He appeares to be available at several of them right now, most notably Big Bad Toy Store and In Demand Toys (which is based in the UK).
EDIT – He is also now available for pre-order on Hasbro Pulse!
Drool over the mighty images below, but be sure to hit that pre-order link, these things are a hot ticket!
