I think there must have been some unwritten law back in the late 80's/early 90's that every toyline had to have its obligatory "ninja". Well, in all fairness, the evil "N" word is never mentioned in reference to Nightstick, although he's got all of the equipment to fool any hapless kids who might have thought otherwise. Still, it makes sense for a special forces unit like the C.O.P.S. to have someone of the martial arts persuasion to train their troops and go on ops. His ID Card, as was the norm with cards written by Larry Hama, is full of character and specific martial arts references that bring a nice sense of realism to the figure.

Nightstick has the dubious distinction of being one of the scrawniest and lankiest C.O.P.S. members on the force, and again, it's this variation of body type that makes so many of these characters really come alive. Seeing Nightstick amongst other bulkier teammembers like Powderkeg, Sundown, or Sgt. Mace really makes him stand out and makes you see how unintimidating he is, unless you realize just what he knows.

His face sculpt is interesting and full of character as many of the C.O.P.S. figures are, most likely a benefit from Hasbro sculpters working with a larger canvas. His torso is very slim, and really full of detail, from the sash over his shoulder (filled with throwing stars, remarkably like G.I. Joe member Quick Kick) to the knives tucked inside, to the small sheath-like appendage to hold his sword, his torso is small, but it serves a great purpose. The rest of his mold makes up for some skinniness by giving him very large pads on his left hand and right leg, which I assume are meant for training purposes. Still, those pads give him some extra bulk, break up the sculpt nicely, and add some nice detailing to what could potentially be a somewhat bland figure. Small touches like the grooved gauntlet on his unpadded arm, the metal fingertips on his left hand and the assorted sheaths which manage to hold pretty much all of his weapons, provide other sources of interest in the mold, and help the usefullness of the figure, too.

His colors are nicely simple and make some decent sense, with black being the overwhelming uniform color here. Perfect for nighttime operations, and it just seems to fit the character, too. Rather than have him be too dark, the pads throughout the figure are a nice light brown that add some brightness and some design. The sash on his chest is that same color, and it stands out nicely with the silver throwing stars and knives on the mold as well.

Nightstick has a plethora of martial arts-based silent weapons, most of which are subtly changed from the designs we all know. His sword and helmet are pretty standard, but he has a pretty funky baton and an even funkier handcuff/nunchuk device that seems quite bizarre. The most prevelant accessory here is his oversized, spiked Pugil stick, which looks like it could put a viscious hurting on some poor hapless Crook. It's a very nice, if somewhat large, weapon with two knuckled grips and HUGE spiked heads. Very threatening indeed.

I do sort of wish Nightstick came with at least some kind of firearm, but all of his weapons serve their purpose and look like they belong to him, so I cannot complain too much. Nightstick is definitely a cool figure, and should be found pretty inexpensively, so don't have any fears about picking him up when you see him. I don't think you will be disappointed.