Value Zone: Tiger Storm w/ figures
When I first saw mention of this vehicle set on eBay a few months ago, my feelings were very mixed. I was never a big fan of the Fang III, I was even a less of a fan of the Missile Storm, and this new Tiger Storm didn’t exactly thrill me either.
It’s an odd, funky looking little helicopter, but in the same cool way as the original Locust was an odd, funky-looking little helicopter. It’s gaudy, bubbly, very poorly defended, and not in the least bit intimidating. It has a wide open cockpit, short & stubby propellers and an overall bizarre shape. Some of the funkier non-realistic vehicles work in the Joe universe, but this one simply doesn’t.
Now you combine that with the fact that this particular version of this copter is painted in differing shades of gray and brown, and you’ve got one dull little ‘copter. I can think of pretty much no redeeming factors to owning this thing at all, especially if you already have the Missile Storm, which is just a strange as this one, but at least has a somewhat interesting paint scheme.
But who are we kidding? I doubt anyone who purchased this set did so for the “Tiger Storm”…they most likely did so for the figures…and not all the figures, just one figure in particular.
Still, for the sake of a full review, I’ll touch on all three figures included in this set, which true to its title is indeed a great “value zone”.
First of all, the poor unfortunate pilot of the hunk o’ crud Tiger Storm- Wild Bill. This mold was my favorite Joe mold of Wave 4 way back in the day. Duke came in a close second, but this beefed up version of everyone’s favorite helicopter pilot really shot away from the rest of the pack, and while some have bemoaned the new Stone Cold Steve Austin look, I don’t mind it at all and think it really fits his Texan personality.
Even so, though, this mold of Bill has seen a LOT of action recently, with already five different versions. Wave 4, Mission Disk, Wave 7.75, Missile Storm, and now the Tiger Storm pilot. While the mold is nice, I’m not certain it’s nice enough to warrant an onslaught of helicopter pilots of these proportions.
Still, though, this version of the figure is not too bad. It’s somewhat dull, being a pretty solid green/gray and very monochromatic, but it’s almost a nice homage to his original ’84 paint scheme. Like the Missile Storm pilot, this one doesn’t come with a cowboy hat, but has a flight helmet instead, which is realistic at least, although poor Bill doesn’t look normal without his hat. The figure isn’t amazing, it isn’t really even necessary (the Missile Storm pilot’s darker hue is much cooler, I think) it’s just kind of there.
But the mediocre figures don’t stop there…we also get ourselves an official Night Force Recondo figure.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I really like this figure mold. It’s nicely
in proportion, it’s got some cool detailing and interesting aspects to
it (the torso/vest is very cool) and I even like the hat, but not as Recondo.
To me Recondo simply must have his boonie hat, and this is just another strange
baseball capped figure to go along with the five I’ve got from Wave 5
already. I thoroughly enjoyed this mold being used for Clutch and the Desert
Coyote, and to see it used again as Recondo is kind of irritating, especially
since it’s fairly similar to Clutch’s color scheme. In all honesty,
I probably wouldn’t mind this figure so much if he was a different character
entirely and had a somewhat different color scheme. As is, though, this version
of Recondo doesn’t do much of anything for me.
But again, who am I kidding? Did anyone out there buy this pack for the copter or the two Joe figures? Anyone?
Didn’t think so. I would say without a doubt, that the main drag to this set is for this figure down below, a new repaint of the always popular Sand Viper.
And he really deserves to be a major draw to this set. Now if there’s anything I don’t like within G.I. Joe these days, it’s repaints and an overabundance of crimsonization. Well, this figure has both, yet I find myself really, REALLY liking the end result.
I’m a big fan of the Sand Viper mold, but not a huge fan of desert figures or paint schemes particularly, which is probably why I find myself liking this figure so much. It’s got all of the great detailing, armor, and the cool facemask of the original Sand Viper, yet the colors being black and red make it much more versatile to me. Instead of now being regulated to the desert, this upper class Sand Viper can be positioned in numerous facilities within COBRA’s organization. Sure, he starts out and trains as a Sand Viper and learns his combat techniques from desert warfare training, but then he’s drawn into the Alley-Viper corps where he’s tought close combat assault and defense, as well as strength training and discipline.
Finally he’s sent to the Motor Vipers where he hones his skills at quick reflex vehicle combat and basic mechanics. Finally, he receives his new uniform and is placed in the APC corps. These new Sand Vipers are going to be my elite APC combat crew, trained to pilot the new COBRA Personel carriers (only personel in my world, no BATS involved). They act as drivers, gunners, and if the carrier is overrun by enemies, they can step out and fight with the best of them. I’m not sure why but this guy just really seems to mesh well with the new APC, and I love the vehicle so much that I wanted a driver that I enjoy just as much at the helm.
His paint apps are very simplistic, yet effective. He looks intimidating, powerful and downright dangerous, just as a COBRA operative should. And you know what? I honestly think this figure is nearly worth the price of the set alone, and everything else is just bonus material.
But however mixed I am about the figures and vehicle in this set, rest assured the value of this is incredible. This is truly a “battle in a box”. Two Joes and a ‘copter fighting against a COBRA trooper of Sand Viper’s magnitude all for around $10.00. It’s pretty incredible that Hasbro can over deals like this and the APC for discount prices, which is terrific, as it almost ensures that new customers will be drawn in by the cheaper prices, then hopefully stick around and become full on Joefans. Not only this, but you get a decent Joe comic as well, which takes the story from Valor Vs. Venom #1 and builds on it further, making sure to include the various characters sold in this pack. A great merchandising concept.
All in all, even though most of the items in this pack are fairly forgettable, the one COBRA troop in here and the overall value of the deal make it a decent item, although I’d say it’s probably more for the uninitiated than the long term fans. Those of you wanting to get your sons, daughters, nieces or nephews into G.I. Joe might want to pick up this set, it’s got about everything you could want.
While you’re at it, grab them the Spy Troops VHS w/ Duke, CC, and Snake Eyes, too. That’s another way to get the kids drawn in. :)
