Toy
name: Barrel Roll w/ Glider Assortment: N/A Price: MSRP $6.99 Availability: Target Department
Stores, September/October 2004
Hasbro
just continues to let out all the stops on product this time of year, and is
quickly making certain that new items are consistently on the shelves of all
the different retailers in time for the holidays. While the fanboy in my likes
it, the finance-conscious consumer part of me is a little taken aback. I care
not to reveal how much money I've spent on Joe items within the past month alone,
and before the end of the year, we can still expect two TRU exclusives, a K-B
Exclusive, the Ninja Battles set, not to mention possibly even two more waves
of regular figures and Alpha vehicle assortments. An expensive hobby, indeed.
So is the quantity of product that Hasbro is quite suddenly releasing influencing
the quality in a negative way? Not that I can tell.
These Target Exclusives were
one of the many quite pleasent surprises at the convention in Orlando this year.
Hasbro was swinging for the fences, and for some new sculpt repaints, these
exclusives seem to be produced fairly well, for the most part.
One just needs to glance
at my banner on my homepage to realize that I'm a big fan of Barrel Roll, and
his relationship to Blackout. Not only did the Barrel Roll character really
strike a cool chord with me, but his figure was an excellent one, too. Proportioned
well, with cool accessories, and added articulation, Hasbro seemed to have hit
home runs with him and with most of the other figures in the now-classic fifth
series of new sculpt figures. It was our introduction to Spy Troops back in
the days before we even knew Hasbro was going with different "themes"
for every year of release...they just seemed like the latest in a line of figures,
but really stepped up the quality and added a plethora of cool accessories.
Spy Troops would rule the Joe roost for the next year, and unfortunately the
remaining series of figures for the theme were sufficiently less inspired than
the first.
However, with Valor Vs. Venom
I'm seeing the opposite as being true, and for the most part, figures released
in Wave 4 have seemed to be far and away better than the first stuff we got.
Where does that fit in here? Well...nowhere, I guess. :/
Figure Mold
Barrel Roll
has been one of my favorites since his release, both figure-wise and character-wise,
so I'm never going to complain about getting a Barrel Roll figure, and this
one seems to be a pretty decent update. Now, my opinion might be a little skewed,
because the version of Barrel Roll that I got had some loose joints and a pretty
funky right hip out of the package, so he's always been somewhat challenging
to use in any kind of display or diorama setting. However, this figure is nice
and tight and feels brand new as he should, so it already has made a nice first
impression on me compared to the last version. The mold is very consistent with
the last figure, for obvious reasons...they've used the original Wave 5 version
as the base as opposed to the slightly modified version they used for the Built
To Rule Barrel Roll not too long ago. The figure is pretty tall and lanky, but
does not look out of proportion in any way. The vest and rolled up sleeves still
work nicely, and I really love the swivel wrists, since it allows him a proper
sniper position that every other Joe sniper is restricted from. His legs are
also very cool, definitely stepping away from the traditional military look
into something more "comic-ish". It really works well for his overall
look.
The combination of comic
styling and military hits a great stride here, as opposed to some figures which
lend themselves a little TOO much towards a super-hero type appearence. It works
for Barrel Roll now, as it did in Wave 5.
Paint Applications/Color Choices
This is of course
the major difference between the two figures. While the original stuck to a
blue/gray scheme that made sense for a high-altitude sniper, this version goes
more into a brown motif. Originally, I did not like the idea at all, thinking
that this would relegate Barrel Roll to a hapless desert theme...everyone knows
how much I hate desert-specific troops. Well, I am quite pleased to see that
Barrel Roll's shades of brown this time around are nice and rich...dark, colorful
browns that definitely are not desert theme-specific, and could indeed be used
in many standard themes. The colors are nicely hued and mixed well, with the
dark brown being complimented well by a lighter tan/green that again, aren't
environment-specific and look very nice.
Accessories
This is another
focal point of the Target exclusives...the accessories. Like the Spy Troops
figures at one time included one figure with a mini-vehicle, these exclusives
seem determined to follow that cue as well and give us mini vehicles with each
figure. In this case, it's merely a repaint of Barrel Roll's existing glider.
This is good and bad...for the sake of consistancy, it's a cool thing...but
time has dampened my enthusiasm for this little flying vehicle. The detail on
it is great and I love the weapon compliment, but what really ruins it is a
pretty simple thing: the handlebars. They are positioned in such a way to practically
prevent the person riding the thing from gripping them realistically, and instead
seem to trap the pilot against the glider, pressing tightly against their chest
in an almost painful fashion...they just do not work.
Cool, angled handlebars would
have been a minor change that could have made this glider 100% more successful.
As it stands, it's okay, but not terrific. I still like the gatling gun perched
on top and the twin missiles...those are still very cool. The angled wings are
long and realistic and seem very effective for quick attack runs. But with no
mentionable way to pilot or control the glider, the whole thing just kind of
falls flat. The new colors are nice, and I dig the camouflage pattern (even
though I'm not sure where in the sky that type of pattern would appear) but
it just doesn't come together real well.
Unfortunately, too, the same
thing can be said of the included helmet, which is pretty much a re-release
of the one that came with Backblast...and it shows. This helmet was designed
to fit on one head only it would seem, and Barrel Roll is not that head. The
helmet sits high and tight, looking almost goofy on top of BR's curly hair.
It ALMOST works, but not enough to be a helmet I will equip Barrel Roll with
on a regular basis. For a flight helmet, I would have much rather seen the Wave
4 Duke helmet rehashed...this one just doesn't work all that well.
Thankfully, though, Hasbro
found it in their infinite wisdom to include Barrel Roll's wicked sniper rifle...a
definite good move. The rifle is a more metallic color this time around, and
is just as cool as it's always been. He can hold it realistically, and it is
probably one of my favorite sniper rifles in the line...although it wouldn't
be nearly as cool without someone with Barrel Roll's articulation being able
to grip it properly.
Final Comments
Great original
figure mold and a surprisingly appealing repaint. The dark browns really work
for me, and will allow me to use this figure even outside a desert environment.
The accessories are somewhat mixed, but are plentiful for those fans of them.
These facts, combined with the fact that the original Barrel Roll sometimes
suffers from joint looseness and leg "floppiness" make this pack an
almost certain buy to me. Granted, the colors are a little more generic and
not quite as nice as the original Wave 5 Barrel Roll, but they work well enough
and the rest of the package is tight enough that I can support this re-release.
Hasbro
just continues to let out all the stops on product this time of year, and is
quickly making certain that new items are consistently on the shelves of all
the different retailers in time for the holidays. While the fanboy in my likes
it, the finance-conscious consumer part of me is a little taken aback. I care
not to reveal how much money I've spent on Joe items within the past month alone,
and before the end of the year, we can still expect two TRU exclusives, a K-B
Exclusive, the Ninja Battles set, not to mention possibly even two more waves
of regular figures and Alpha vehicle assortments. An expensive hobby, indeed.
So is the quantity of product that Hasbro is quite suddenly releasing influencing
the quality in a negative way? Not that I can tell.
