To be honest, out of all the concept case figures this Shipwreck repaint was one that I couldn’t quite get my head around. I really loved the two variations of the discount store Shipwreck, and while the “Navy” shirted version was interesting, it didn’t bring a whole lot new to the table compared to some of the other concept case figures. Considering the figure is pretty much a 30th Anniversary/Renegades Law from the neck down with the Shock Trooper vest and Rise of Cobra Shipwreck head, I had trouble figuring out the appeal. Don’t get me wrong, there certainly seemed to be a strong segment of the fandom who were clamoring for it, I just wasn’t one of them. Give me that awesome looking Pursuit of Cobra Clutch or HISS Driver any day.
Regardless, getting this figure in hand, he’s not bad. Not bad at all. I’m a fan of the version of Law that was the template for this figure, he’s greatly detailed and extremely well articulated, so it’s tough to go wrong there. The Navy on his chest is a neat touch, though with the vest on, you can’t see it much. A white t-shirt and khaki pants is a good combination, even if it feels a bit segregated from Shipwreck’s classic look. Perhaps my favorite thing about this version is that it seems to walk a good line for Shipwreck. Previous versions were either a straight-up sailor, a wet-suited Navy SEAL, or a commando soldier hardcore military guy. Shipwreck has always been a casual lay about who also happened to be a highly trained special ops soldier. This combination of parts strays more towards the “lay about” side with his t-shirt and pants, but it’s fairly easy to slap the vest on him and put him more in a military commando role.
If I have any complaints about the deco work it’s that the differences in the green shades throughout his legs are pretty evident, as well as the white on the torso and white on the sleeves. Not sure if that’s a plastic type/quality issue or more of a paint vs. production color issue. It’s a little bit distracting, though, I have to admit.
It’s a figure that didn’t especially appeal to me in the concept case, and doesn’t use any new parts, but the final execution ends up being a bit more fun than I anticipated.
Accessories
The G.I. Joe sailor is equipped with pretty basic accessories. A machine gun and submachine gun, as well as the tactical vest, two knives, pistol, and silencer. Of course he also has his trusty parrot Polly. None of the accessories are exceptionally different, but they compliment the figure nicely, which is all I can really ask for. He can hold the weapons really nicely with those great Law arms, and is just a fun figure to sit and mess with. The Shock Trooper vest has that handle on the back that can double as a mount for Polly as well, which is a neat touch. I don’t know if that was planned (he fits, though the rubbery material of the vest doesn’t keep him there very sturdily).
I should also say that I assume both knives are his. There isn’t an especially clear indication, but that seems to be the case, at least in my mind.
This is one of those few Concept Case figures that I just looked past and was never really captured by. I didn’t see much of a reason to push him through to retail release, but getting him in hand, the figure has a lot of promise, and walks that great line between Shipwreck’s familiar slacker personality and more military edge. I like it more than I thought I would.
50th Anniversary Shipwreck
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.4
Summary
A figure I wasn’t expecting to really love, but one that took me by pleasant surprise. A great balance between Shipwreck’s slacker sailor look and his more true-to-life military roots. Nice figure build and a fun compliment of great accessories adds to the positive feel of this figure.
Pros
1 – The 30th Anniversary Law build is a great template
2 – I really like the NAVY deco t-shirt
3 – Lots of great accessories
Cons
1 – Some strange color differentiation with the legs, depending on the material used it seems. Could be a difference between production plastic and painted plastic as well.
2 – Paint on Polly looks like it’s supposed to be detail paint wipes, but looks somewhat messy
At what point does a great figure and fun army builder become a bit tired and redundant? I’m not sure, but if the Steel Brigade figure isn’t there yet, he’s getting close. Don’t get me wrong, this figure is fantastic and has been from day one. While I’ve never been a huge fan of G.I. Joe using “troops” I’ve always loved the G.I. Joe Collectors Club take on the Steel Brigade and have been able to rationalize the existence of these Troopers as a support squad for the International Peace Keeping Force that the Club devised for the team.
That being said, I bought a few of these figures when they were first released in the Pursuit of Cobra. I bought a few more in the 30th Anniversary. I even have some zombie versions from the 2014 Convention set. Now the figure sees release again as part of the 50th Anniversary line. The figure was never exceptionally hard to find, so I’d think most fans have well built Steel Brigade squads at this point, but we’ve got him again here.
Not a huge deal, and for folks who missed him the first couple of times, this is a good opportunity to stock up, but as I said, when I’ve got almost 10 of the same figure already, it can be a bit tough to build up excitement. He uses the COBRA Shock Trooper as the base figure, with a Beachhead head sculpt. The paint apps work well, being a nice mirror of the vintage version, but with some new elements as well. The helmet appears to be a slightly different color and the legs don’t match precisely, mostly due to the different material turning out slightly different shades of tan.
As a figure, it’s a great mix of vintage and modern, and is an excellent update, the only real issue I have is that this is the third such almost identical version released since 2011.
Accessories
Like the figure itself, the accessories are familiar as well. He has the Shock Trooper vest in Steel Brigade green as well as the Duke bandolier. The bayonet machine gun, rocket launcher, backpack with spare rockets, as well as the Duke backpack gives a good mix of accessories inspired by the vintage version as well as typical trooper weapons. He’s got a heavy machine gun, and the SCAR assault rifle comes with him too, though press release images show the Iron Grenadier with that gun. Lastly, he has the removable Steel Brigade themed helmet.
As I said, from a pure execution standpoint this is a great figure, and I know the 50th Anniversary formula necessitates certain “carry forward” figures. As G.I. Joe troop builders go, the Steel Brigade is about the only option. It can just be a little tough to get excited about a figure I’ve bought on store shelves a few times already.
50th Anniversary Steel Brigade
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.1
Summary
This figure has always been a good one, even if we’ve seen it several times before. I can think of some “carry forward” figures that might have been better choices here, but in an army builder pack where you want to pit a Joe against a COBRA/Grenadier character, Steel Brigade is the only real choice.
Pros
1 – Shock Trooper base body is a great one
2 – Paint apps are good as well
3 – Tons of great accessories
Cons
1 – The figure has been released a few times already
2 – Nothing really new brought to the table with this version
Like the Steel Brigade trooper, this particular iteration of the Iron Grenadier has been released a few times to compliment the Pursuit of Cobra City Strike Destro, one of the coolest PoC figures ever done (and one in desperate need of one of these “carry forward” releases). I’ve always loved the Iron Grenadiers, and that love doesn’t falter with these versions, even though they are essentially re-releases of the past versions.
In actuality, this 50th Anniversary Iron Grenadier does have some cosmetic changes with the color pallet of the camouflage, and I actually like those color changes quite a bit. The figure foundation itself is the same as we’ve seen, built off the same formula as the City Strike Destro with a terrific padded uniform, yet thanks to the revolutionary sculpting and design of the latter year G.I. Joe figures, even with the thick padded uniform, they still manage to retain great elbow articulation and range of motion. It’s pretty impressive, actually.
Where the previous two versions of this figure had elaborate gray and white camouflage, this particular version mixes it up a bit and changes out the darker gray with what looks to be a light blue/gray. The overall appearance is similar to the previous heavy weapons soldier, but adds just enough variety to keep things interesting. I’m not sure if it was a specific, purposeful change, or just happenstance, but the results are nice. It at least adds some variety to the three separate times the figure has already been released to retail.
Accessories
Iron Grenadier comes with much the same gear as previous iterations did. The old school heavy machine gun (that originally came with Para-Viper) as well as the backpack and stedi-cam assault weapon. The machine gun belt is there, too, as well as the awesome, oversized tactical vest that is such a great one. Yes, the gear is all the same, but the gear isn’t too bad.
The re-release of the Iron Grenadier, similar to the Steel Brigade, presents another opportunity for would be army builders to acquire somewhat difficult to obtain troops for their squads. I think the Iron Grenadier was a bit more difficult to find, and these colors are a nice variation of the common theme. Ultimately I think I can better find a place in my collection for the Iron Grenadier than the Steel Brigade.
50th Anniversary Iron Grenadier
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.7
Summary
A third iteration of this bulky, padded, heavy weapons trooper for Destro, Hasbro has managed to differentiate the color schemes just enough to keep things interesting. Some swatches of lighter colored camouflage add a bit of variety to what is a pretty great base figure to support the terrific City Strike Destro.
Pros
1 – Any compliment to City Strike Destro is a good one
2 – Stedi-Cam machine gun is really great and collectors are always looking for a good way to get one
3 – New camouflage paint colors looks nice
Cons
1 – It’s essentially the same figure that’s been released twice before
2 – I’m still not sure where that ancient Para-Viper machine gun fits in
There can be a lot of similarities found between my feelings for Croc Master and for Blowtorch as expressed above. Croc Master was a somewhat mediocre 25th Anniversary figure (at least in my opinion) who suffered a bit from the aesthetic of the times. I can only picture what a Pursuit of Cobra or 30th Anniversary Croc Master would look like and tear up a little. He’s one of my favorite more obscure characters, and I’m just not sure that 25th Anniversary version does him justice.
He’s not a terrible figure by any means, I’d just love for him to be larger and more imposing.
All that being said, he was a figure that was never particularly difficult to find, and I believe was even on clearance, yet he was re-released in the exact same color scheme in the Pursuit of Cobra line (the same series as Blowtorch) for an unknown reason. Then, infamously, like Blowtorch was slated for the Pursuit of Cobra line in a Python Patrol themed repaint, but never made it to retail.
Hasbro fixes that error by releasing both he and Blowtorch in this two pack and while fans are likely excited (these two were in hot demand for a while) I don’t feel particularly inspired. The Croc Master figure uses all of the same parts as the 25th Anniversary version, which does have some unique touches like the bite marks on the arms and the great head sculpt with removable mouthpiece. This new version in the red and gray Python Patrol paint scheme does look pretty cool (although it stands out a bit since all modern era Python Patrol repaints have been in the vintage yellow/gray/green style and not the red style). Purely from a color standpoint, I do like this new paint scheme, I just wish it was applied over some newer, more detailed parts and pieces.
Don’t get me wrong, I really like the color scheme for this Croc Master figure. The red is a great, dark shade, and actually does link up nicely to some of the red trim throughout other Python Patrol figures. The deco on the legs is nearly a perfect match for some other figures as well, and in a group shot situation, Croc Master blends far better with the overall team than I thought he might initially.
Accessories
Croc Master comes with some familiar gear including the croc, cobra, whip, capture net, and shotgun, as well as the case that contained a couple more snakes in the Rise of Cobra line. They are some good accessories, but like Blowtorch, nothing we haven’t seen before and nothing that blows my socks off.
From a collectiblity standpoint, I know what the draw was for this two pack, and I definitely understand why Hasbro did what it did. However, as someone who has no real love for the original versions of these figures, I have no special desire to see them repainted either. I never truly understood the fascination for the Pursuit of Cobra repaints, and suspect if they had hit retail as intended, they likely would have been the last to sell out. Their unreleased status was their biggest draw. It will be interesting to see the retail response to these now that they join the common “released” cast of characters.
50th Anniversary Croc Master
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.1
Summary
Another bone thrown to collectors with the previously unreleased Python Patrol Croc Master finally getting his place on retail shelves. Like Blowtorch, the 25th Anniversary stand out dramatically compared to more modern figures, but I’m pleasantly surprised by a paint scheme that looks good and manages to fit into the Python Patrol aesthetic better than expected.
Pros
1 – Great Python Patrol color scheme, and I really like the shade of red
2 – Tons of pretty cool accessories, including snakes and Shadow Tracker’s capture net
Cons
1 – Older figure parts don’t look as impressive as newer figures
2 – Some articulation restrictions due to parts choices
3 – Whaddup with a red crocodile??
When I reviewed Spirit from the Classic Clash 2-Pack I made reference to the fact that while I wasn’t in love with the 25th Anniversary version of the figure, the accessories almost made up for it. I kind of feel the same way about Blowtorch, though his accessories aren’t quite as cool.
Blowtorch is one of those frustrating figures to me. He has a great sculpt with some good colors and very nice accessories, but has a few limiting factors to me, most of which are his elbow joints. When this figure was first made a number of years ago they hadn’t quite perfected the bulky cloth sculpt while maintaining great articulation. As a result, Blowtorch’s thick padded uniform ends up restricting his elbow movement far too much for my liking. I have some room for forgiveness for a lot of aesthetic choices like that, however when a guy whose specialty is essentially his flamethrower weapon can’t even hold said weapon, that’s a bit of a turn off. Because of the elbows he cannot even hold the flamethrower two-handed, so I have a hard time finding some love for the figure.
However, there are some things to love about this version of Blowtorch.
I know most folks reading this are aware of the homage to Gary Head with the Sightline figure, and that’s a terrific aspect of this series of 50th Anniversary releases. What some folks may not know, though, is that Gary’s relationship with legendary sculptor Bill Merklein revealed some early concept art for Blowtorch, including a piece showing him in this green and gray color scheme. There was a lot of fandom clamor for a version of Blowtorch in that color scheme, so in a way, I consider this figure also an homage to Gary, and I’m glad it’s out there for that reason. Not only that, but as much as the color scheme for Blowtorch does make sense from a flamethrower perspective, seeing the figure in a darker color shade is enjoyable as well. Add that in with the whole throwback to the canceled Pursuit of Cobra figures, and there are some things to appreciate here.
From head to toe this is just a repaint of the 25th Anniversary Blowtorch…that fact alone is a bit off putting when you consider that the original 25th Anniversary Blowtorch was never that much of an in demand figure, and for some reason we got the figure re-released in the Pursuit of Cobra (almost exactly the same) and then re-released again last year in the 50th Anniversary line. Now we have him for a fourth time, although at least this figure has a drastically different paint scheme. As I said, I understand the temptation to do this figure, I just hope we can now consider Blowtorch retired for a long while.
Accessories
The G.I. Joe flamethrower comes with his typical accessories, including the helmet, oxygen mask, flamethrower, backpack, oxygen tank, assault rifle, and two mines. They’re all repurposed accessories from the Pursuit of Cobra/50th Anniversary versions, and while it’s nice to get some of the gear in slightly different colors, there isn’t much really new and exciting here.
It’s difficult for me to rationalize the decision to release yet another version of a somewhat mediocre 25th Anniversary figure, but with the fandom demand for the canceled Pursuit of Cobra repaints, I can see why Hasbro would want to lean that direction. That being said, from a personal perspective I don’t have a lot of love for another Blowtorch repaint, even as an homage to a canceled vintage version.
50th Anniversary Blowtorch
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
2.5
Summary
Paying homage to the unreleased Pursuit of COBRA figure is a great idea in concept and a nice way to appeal to the collector crowd, but I have a hard time finding satisfaction in the third release of this already somewhat sub-par figure in a few year span.
Pros
1 – Great paint scheme as an homage to the original Bill Merklein concept art
2 – Nice love letter to collectors for going to the unreleased well
Cons
1 – 25th Anniversary sculpting restricts elbow motion
2 – Downward pointing hands add to the arm issues and don’t even allow a realistic pose with his signature weapon
3 – Fourth time getting this figure is not the charm
The “battle in a box” concept is alive and well with Hasbro’s new G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary line, and that concept works really nicely with this large boxed set. One of the most anticipated entries in this year’s release, the Silent Strike set has something for everyone, featuring two timeless vehicles, army builders, a new character, and an interesting new twist with Wolf Squad.
I found myself really enjoying the G.I. Joe parts of Silent Strike…but the COBRA parts? Well, I wasn’t quite as fired up about those, for a variety of reasons.
COBRA HISS
When it comes to landmark COBRA vehicles, the HISS Tank leads the way as being one of the most identifiable. That makes it somewhat interesting that for this round of the 50th Anniversary, we were actually exposed to the G.I. Joe CHIMERA before we got our hands on the actual COBRA HISS. Though I think some folks would argue whether or not this version of the venerable COBRA High Speed Sentry really is the familiar, distinct HISS Tank. It does, after all, more resemble the Eco Warriors Septic Tank from a color scheme perspective.
I don’t have a huge issue with Hasbro going this way with the new HISS. After all, we’ve seen black HISS Tanks, blue HISS Tanks, red HISS Tanks, even brown and green HISS Tanks, pretty much all colors and styles over the past 7 or 8 years. We haven’t, however, seen an orange HISS since the 90s (well, unless you count the Collectors’ Club Convention exclusive from a couple of years ago). Considering many fans have latched onto the Hazard Vipers as a part of COBRA’s place in the Zombie apocalypse, perhaps it makes a certain amount of sense to work one of these new technically advanced HISS Tanks into the Hazard Viper corps.
The base vehicle is the same HISS as we’ve been seeing since 1984, which is fine, although not especially new or different. Like the CHIMERA, the turret is a nicely new tooled rail gun system, which manages to retain the classic look and feel, but add some new twists, something that HISS turret upgrades have pretty much failed to do since the 1989 HISS II. For that reason alone, this update to the timeless vehicle has something to appreciate. The rail gun system is extremely easy to detach and re-attach to a vintage or 25th Anniversary HISS as well, so you can equip your classic black tanks with these great gun upgrades whenever you want.
As mentioned the deco leans heavily towards the Eco Warrior orange template, with some nicely applied paint and decals bringing the vehicle to life. I’ve never been one to shrink away from bright colors, so the orange doesn’t bother me a whole lot (though I can’t help but think the vehicle might have looked better in a nice dark COBRA blue, a color I’m not sure the original HISS has ever appeared in).
COBRA HISS Driver & HISS Gunner
I’m not quite sure how to rationalize this pair, but I am reviewing them as a pair just because they’re so similar in design.
From a build standpoint, they’re both designed to mimic the Pursuit of Cobra rendition of the COBRA HISS Driver, only the gunner utilizes Night Viper’s legs rather than the Battle Armor COBRA Commander. And yes, I’m labelling him the gunner simply because if we look at the HISS Driver as a straight repaint of the existing HISS Driver, it only makes sense for the one that has a slightly different build to be the new Trooper character. Some confusion has been generated by press photos and such, but in my mind, it only makes sense to look at it this way. Not to mention the actual box itself as the name lined up with the figure build in a pretty clear way.
The figures use the 25th Anniversary HISS Driver head with the Battle Armor COBRA Commander torso and arms. As mentioned, the gunner has the Night Viper legs. The build is okay, I guess. To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of it in the Pursuit of Cobra days (it seemed like one of the few design missteps in those formative years) and it doesn’t really light my fire here either. I mean, it’s okay, but in a set where I was heaping loads of praise on Ace for being able to exist as a vehicle pilot as well as an awesome individual figure, it’s only fair to point out that the HISS Driver and Gunner don’t really measure up the same way.
Both figures are mostly orange, and while I don’t mind the colors necessarily, I’m not a big fan of the way they’re applied. There aren’t many detail breaks here, just a huge swath of orange, with random bits of metallic gray/silver and black. No particular rhyme or reason to the way the colors are applied. That holds true for both figures, even with the different legs of the gunner. As I said previously, I don’t shy away from bright colors, I just want the colors to make sense, and in some places here they really don’t. Some additional paint apps on the armor pieces or in other trim locations would definitely help. I think we all realize much of the production here was on a shoestring budget, so it’s understandable that the paint applications suffer here and there…and frankly, if they’re going to cut paint apps anywhere, I’d prefer it’s on figures where they’re covered by armor, or where they’re going to be stuck in a vehicle anyway.
Accessories
Both the Driver and the Gunner come with mostly the same gear load out. The silver vest (that originally came with Pilot Destro), a pistol, and a laser-type weapon. The Gunner comes with a larger pulse rifle that originally came with Rise of COBRA Baroness while the Driver comes with the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Snake Eyes weapon.
The gear is fine, if somewhat unremarkable. I love the pistols, though the tight trigger guard prevents some really nice holding and trigger firing poses.
Out of the entire Silent Strike set, the two HISS Troopers are definitely the low light. I do like the fact that Hasbro has finally thought to provide us with an actual gunner for the HISS Tank, but the build is pretty blah and I’m not a fan of the color concepts or paint applications.
While I pretty much love the G.I. Joe side of this boxed set, the COBRA side overall leaves me somewhat cold. I enjoyed the G.I. Joe CHIMERA more than I thought I would, but it does make me feel a bit like the HISS here is a “been there, done that”. I think some more effective COBRA themed colors would have helped. The HISS Driver and Gunner also don’t do it any favors. The set overall is worth a purchase simply because of the great G.I. Joe gear (and folks who haven’t gotten the ComicCon set will get their first exposure to the great new rail guns for the HISS) but I could think of some changes on the COBRA side I would have much preferred.
50th Anniversary Silent Strike w/ HISS Driver & Gunner
Vehicle Design
Vehicle Paint Deco
Vehicle Play Features
HISS Driver Character
HISS Driver Sculpt
HISS Driver Articulation
HISS Driver Paint Deco
HISS Driver Accessories
HISS Gunner Character
HISS Gunner Sculpt
HISS Gunner Articulation
HISS Gunner Paint Deco
HISS Gunner Accessories
2.6
Summary
While I loved most of the G.I. Joe items in the Silent Strike boxed set, I wasn’t such a fan of the COBRA side. I really like the new turret for the COBRA HISS, but as much as I love an Eco Warriors homage when I see one, I can’t help but think that this first new “Rail Gun” HISS would have been better served in a more COBRA-type paint deco.
Pros
1 – New Rail Gun for the HISS for folks who couldn’t get the ComicCon set
2 – Included HISS Gunner is a nice touch
Cons
1 – Color pallet for the HISS Driver & Gunner is somewhat boring with an obvious lack of detail. Likely cost cut during production, but still quite evident
2 – Would have enjoyed a more general infantry color scheme for this new HISS. Something in COBRA blue maybe
3 – HISS Driver and Gunner use general helping of 25th Anniversary parts, which feel a bit dated (even if Battle Armor COBRA Commander is one of the better ones)
