COBRA Crimson Guard Force
Toy
name: COBRA Crimson Guard Force
Assortment: N/A
Price: MSRP $19.99
Availability: March, 2005
- Toys "R" Us Exclusive
You really don't get much cooler than the Crimson Guard, when it comes right down to it. Completely undercover secret terrorist agents working throughout the world for a deadly objective just seems neat. Some of them surgically altered to blend into society, they are an "illuminati" of a sort, all reporting to COBRA Commander.
Not only are they incredibly intelligent and crafty, but they're also fierce combatants and deadly martial artists...pretty much the ultimate COBRA spies. Ever since I first came upon a Crimson Guard figure way back when, I really loved them, but also really longed for a figure with a removable helmet. Funny how when Hasbro finally got one released with the removable helmet, I don't end up liking them as much as the originals, and that pretty much holds true for this set.
In concept, these sets seem like a no-brainer. Crimson-based army builders would seem to be right along the same lines as the ever-popular COBRA Infantry set, except for the fact that it's really nothing new and different.
As you most likely know by now from reading my reviews, I'm all about the surprise. I like Hasbro to pull off something I'm not expecting...something new and exciting that I haven't seen 100 times already. Even with the best molds, you release them time and time again, they become less exciting. So, when Hasbro can create something new, different, and exciting, I'm a happy guy.
Well, they pulled that off with these renditions of Tomax and Xamot, but the rest of the set(s) is so much of the same old same old, I don't really know what to say. On the one hand it's nice, because folks can build up a pretty nice Crimson army...but on the other hand, my desire to really see what Hasbro can do isn't the least bit satisfied, because Hasbro didn't do anything NEW.
But, we'll start with the good first. Tomax and Xamot came off pretty nicely in this set, honestly. Since they first appeared in the cartoon in Extensive Enterprises suits and ties, everyone and their brother has slapped together customs to try and represent them as the smarmy background CEO's that they are. Well, no more customs are necessary, because even with somewhat limited resources, Hasbro has made something very cool.
It seems to make perfect sense: Take a Headman body and slap their heads on it. Bang. Done. And, essentially that's what Hasbro has done...and it works great. A nice and easy head-swap, yet it gives us some new figures that we haven't seen before and that make sense. See, it doesn't take much to make me happy. ;) The heads are the same heads we've grown used to with the Twins, and they work fine here (and Xamot's scar looks to be in the right place, although he has become a lot more...sloppily scarred). The bodies look good, too, being nice classic style bodies, with simple, but extremely effective details. But what really makes these work is the amazing deep, dark almost metallic blue of the suits. In a set crammed full of Crimson, this dark, contrasting color looks terrific and really makes the figures stand out. Enough so that I might consider making these Twins MY permenant COBRA CEO's.
Thank goodness, too, that they actually don't come with new versions of their crappy old laser pistols! Instead they have very cool silenced uzi's and a COBRA-themed knife. Terrific!
From
here on, though, the set gets somewhat less exciting. That's not to say the
execution is poorly done, or that the ideas aren't good...they are. It's just
nothing new.
First of all, quite simply the biggest "WTF" in the recent history of TRU Exclusives is the addition of Firefly to not one, but TWO of these sets. Errr...yeah. I mean, I'm sure I can figure out why it happened...obviously Hasbro had something different in store, and for whatever reason, this different thing just plain didn't work out. So, in a last minute shift, they took their Urban Strike Firefly, changed some paint app colors and tossed him in there as a quick replacement. Of course I have no idea if that's what REALLY happened, but it's how I try to rationalize it.
Honestly, I can't think of any conceivable reason why they would have Firefly in here. The mold has been used far too much already, and the inclusion of a non-trooper figure into both of these sets just makes my eyes roll. Originally, I thought the separation of sets was a great idea. Folks will buy two to get one of each twin, and a nice little chunk of COBRA troops. Well, that much is partially true, but using up two figure slots with two Fireflies that are pretty much just rehashes of a figure we got a few months ago is just silly.
This Firefly IS a cool figure, which makes this somewhat more criminal. Sure, he has the most overused mold of the past 3 years, but ti's still effective. His skin tight skimask (which looks a whole lot better in Comic Pack #49!), ribbed turtleneck and basic jumpsuit all works in the function it should: a sabateour. He's got explosives here and there and everywhere...the cool little knife on his forearm. Grenades, pouches, you name it, he's equipped for it.
And, come on. In this color scheme, he looks BAD. Straight out of night ops. A black base, dull gray camou and a nice dark red running through, this figure really should kick all sorts of rear end. It really should. I do dig it.
But I resent the fact that this figure has been released so many times and in so many ways...and I especially resent the fact that he got stuck in here when he has nothing to do with the Crimson Guard, and when he's so overused already.
Even with this terrific new paint scheme, there is absolutely no redeeming factor in even producing this figure. We have him already (in slightly more realistic colors) and have almost a dozen of him in other less realistic colors. WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE.
There. I think I'm done.
Now, as for the "meat" of this set...the Crimson Guards themselves. Well, the figure base itself you really can't go wrong with. I love, love, LOVE the Crimson Guard mold. It treads the line between imperial realism and real world usage and just looks fantastic. The detail of the mold carries over to this new line perfectly, and I actually really like the combination of red and black almost more than the silver trim of the original.
My
only real issue, which I've stated many times, is that I'm just not wild about
the removable helmet. That classic head is so...well...classic, that I just
find myself loving it and wishing these new CG's had it. Don't get me wrong...their
new head sculpts are just plain terrific. But the removable helmets still come
off blocky, unstreamlined, and a little clumsy. But you know what? I still find
myself slowly warming up to them. As much as I hate to admit it, my old CG's
almost look small-headed compared to these...still, though, that is where my
preference lies, I'm just starting to see the merits of these new sculpt ones
as well.
One nice little touch with these new versions of the Guard is the COBRA logo. They've gone with a more metallic finish, making the logo more gold than yellow, which is very cool. I do still wish it were a little bit larger, but this is definitely a nice change. These CG's also come very well-equipped. The M4 is a classic, can't-go-wrong machine gun and the straight up military backpack fits nicely. It really makes me wonder who made the decision to give the COBRA Infantry Force those insane weapon allotments, when it's obvious they can get it right when they want to.
When Agent Faces first came on the seen, he stuck out like a sore thumb. There really wasn't any Crimson Guard he was going to fit into. However, now, with those figures, the OCS set, and now these sets, he's going to end up with a small army of CG's to blend in with. That part of it is cool...you mix all those figures in and you really can't tell which one is Faces and which ones aren't. I do like that.
But again...what haven't we seen here? We do have some nicer looking COBRA logos...still the same small size, but a more goldish color. But essentially, these figures are the same as the two previous releases, with not much new and exciting. From a basic figure standpoint, these action figures are nice ones. The CG mold still holds up exceedingly well and the figures are still excellent looking toys. But I was hoping for something new and cool...maybe an Immortal or two...perhaps, dare I hope, a Crimson Guard Commander? Instead we got the same stuff, just more of it. Unfortunately, that taints my opinions somewhat. I like to tear open a box and see what kind of NEW stuff is in there. I don't want to tear open a box and say "ooh. Neat. Just like the box I tore open 3 months ago. :/ " Sure, everyone can use some more Crimson Guards...I'm just kind of longing for a nice little surprise, especially as the Joe well is somewhat drying up for the summer.
From a real technical standpoint, I can't necessarily give this set bad marks. The figures are all executed nicely, well accessorized, and nicely painted. But they're just nothing really new and different. I'm sure you don't need me to convince you one way or another...these things will sell like hotcakes. But that's the way I feel about the sets at this point, and it makes me very eager to see the new Imperial Procession set in hand, when we get a collection of 4 troopers we haven't seen three times before. In spite of all of this, though, I do really like the set...if this had been the first Crimson Guard set we'd gotten, I'd be gushing like crazy. Cool new renditions of Tomax and Xamot...four very nicely detailed Crimson Guards...and...let's not mention the Fireflies.
As one of my favorite subsets, I'm quite picky about Crimson Guard-oriented items. So far, from a strictly technical standpoint, I have yet to be disappointed. Great sculpts that translate well to the new line...cool head sculpts underneath somewhat large and bulky helmets are still cool head sculpts. Great accessorization all around. You'd think from this review that I hated this set...but trust me, I don't. I just want to see Hasbro pop up some surprises on me and pull something off that maybe I wasn't expecting. These sets didn't do it. Still, though, how can I possibly give this set bad scores? From an execution standpoint, it hit on all cylinders.
Ratings (out of 10)
Characters:
9.5
Molds: 8 (deduction for Firefly)
Paint Apps: 9
Value: 7.5 (deduction for Firefly)
Overall score (not an average): 8
