Storm Shadow Unmasked - Hasbro Mail Away
Toy
name: Storm Shadow
Assortment: N/A
Price: $2.99 and 10 Battle Points
Availability: January - June, 2005
Is
there such a thing as too much of a good thing? If we get a good figure so many
times after it first appears, does that make it any less of a good figure? Does
that effect the impact of the toy's design and the character itself? My argument
would be yes, especially if these numerous new versions do little to add to
the mystique and desirability of the character and the figure.
As my argument, I need only point out the version 1 Firefly figure. An excellent figure in it's own right, most collectors loved the mold at one point...until it started being released in every other Toys R Us 6-Pack that came out, often without enough drastic improvement to advance the figure. However, once they did something new...like sculpt a new head for the comic pack version, the figure once again gained it's luster.
While the new Storm Shadow figure is merely a shadow of what Firefly is, you cannot argue that we have seen a LOT of this figure over the past few months. Granted, the original version released in Valor Vs. Venom was well over a year ago, we really saw the impact of this figure in the Wave 4 version, sporting an o-ring and no action attack. That came out in November, and already we have five different versions of this figure, and all are only really minor variations of the original. All have white based uniforms, merely using different shades and hues for the dragon trimming and other details.
The Wave 4 Storm Shadow is one of my favorite figures from the new sculpt line...but is this overkill? Pretty darn close, but not quite yet. And while this mail-in version lacks the flash and luster of many of these others, it adds a new enough element to still make it pretty cool and extremely desirable, especially for the price point.
Figure Mold
There really isn't much I can say about the mold that I haven't said already...I mean, after all, I have reviewed this figure four times already! I still love the way Hasbro has been able to integrate a classic martial arts style with some new age flash and design. The basic uniform pattern underneath an array of dragon-themed trim really makes the figure stand out and look cool. Where kids might overlook a plain white ninja on the shelves, seeing those dragons curl around his legs helps draw attention...and then you notice the nicely sculpted straps, pouches and other uniform trimmings. The arm and leg wraps are still sculpted nicely and realistically, and the layered look to the figure's uniform is executed well.
There remains a few issues with his hand sculpts...his hands are very small, with thumbs angled somewhat oddly...however, unlike the Wave 7 Snake Eyes, this sculpting method does not appear to interfere with the way he holds his weapons, and actually helps him grip his sword handles more tightly.
But of course the main draw for this figure is the unmasked new sculpt head. Just like the Firefly figure, Hasbro has made this figure even more desirable merely by resculpting a head for it, something new and different to add a different dimension to the character. Hasbro takes it even another step by offering this character unmasked for the first time...and all in all, I think it's very successful. The head sculpt is nicely detailed with some great oriental features, including a cool samauri hair style. The face isn't anything dramatic or special, but it looks quite similar to how I'd expect Storm Shadow to look, and for a relatively inexpensive mail away figure, getting a 100% new sculpt head tooling is a pretty nice thing, especially as cool as this head looks. A really great way to make a figure that might otherwise be somewhat boring and turning it into something nice.
Paint Applications/Color Choices
This is undoubtedly where this figure has some shortcomings, although they are understandable. While in my mind a big success of the different versions of this figure were the cool paint apps, this figure has very few paint applications in general. Considering the cost of this item, it's understandable, though that Hasbro would not want to invest serious capital into decorating what could essentially be an almost free figure. And even though there aren't many colors, the few colors used are used nicely and effectively.
The white base of the uniform follows along Storm Shadow's motif and works in this case...I don't think anyone is arguing that point. The simple black strap on his chest is nice and breaks up the white pretty well, too...finishing up with light gray trim on his wrist and leg bandages, which also adds a different color element that works fairly well.
The biggest shortcoming in the paint applications are definitely on the dragons...the detailing on these things is so nice and intricate, that it's a shame some different colors couldn't make it stand out a little bit more and add some flair to it. Still, though, considering the price of the item, I can't argue with the fact that Hasbro couldn't put a whole lot of paint on this figure, and I'm more than willing to trade off a newly sculpted head for some additional paint. It's funny, too, because the original Storm Shadow had pretty much the same colors...an overall white base with black straps. But no one finds any fault with that one, even though this one is seen as being bland. I can understand it...again, I think the fault lies with the dragons. They look like they should be painted but are not...however in my opinion, the figure still remains a nice homage to the original, non-descript paint apps and all.
Accessories
This is another part of the figure where Hasbro really did some nice things. Too often we get single-colored weapons which look nice, but not quite as realistic. Here, though, Hasbro gave us two daggers and a sword with black handles and actual silver blades. All three weapons look great, even though they are molds that have been used plenty of times in the past. Those two different colors add a really nice new dimension to the accessories and work well.
But of course the focal point of the accessory pool is obviously the hooded mask that the figure comes with. Personally, I think Hasbro was quite successful with it. It's easy to cast it off as being bulky and oversized, but really, how could it not be? If you look at any normal person wearing a wrap-around hood and mask, you can bet the real cloth is going to hang pretty loose, and this looks the same way. We're all used to seeing tightly sculpted hoods on the figures, but personally I think this works just fine. The material is rubbery and fits snugly, but well, and most importantly it looks good. You can see his eyes and the bridge of his nose through the opening in front just as you should, and I really have no problems with it at all. It even slightly resembles the look that Storm Shadow has had from '88 until now and I think the execution is great. The mask has to be somewhat large to fit over his head, and I just think it works terrifically, especially for the price paid.
Final Comments
Mail aways have been a long, storied tradition in the G.I. Joe franchise, giving us our first look at a hooded COBRA Commander, the infamous Sgt. Slaughter, and many other interesting characters. I'm thrilled that Hasbro thought enough to continue this tradition on through the past few years and they've given us some neat toys for next to nothing. Granted I'm not sure if there's much else that can be done with this Storm Shadow mold to make it interesting, Hasbro has done cool things here and I like the figure quite a bit. Even with limited paint apps, it works as Storm Shadow, and if worse comes to worse you can paint the figure or just slap the head on one of your other 5 or 6 Stormy figures. ;)
For $3 and a small pile of Battle Points, consider me sold. It's still available here as well...so order while supplies last!
Ratings (out of 10)
Character: 8
Mold : 8
Paint Apps: 3
Value: 8.5
Overall score (not an average): 7
Besides the screwed up flesh tones, I think it looks pretty neat...