Marauder, Inc. Custom Weapons System
I'm sure almost everyone here saw the pictures that Kevin, the proprietor of Armageddon Toys posted on the boards just prior to Convention time. A series of completely awesome looking weapons that promised to be your one stop source for COBRA trooper supplies and looked to be a nice assortment of weapon castings a little bit different than what Hasbro had to offer for their Joes.
Well, I'm more than happy to report that these weapons are so much more than that! They are factory-produced new sculpt, perfect scaled guns that work seamlessly with Joes (classic sculpt and new) and the store itself is run by a top notch Joefan, established member of the toy community, and an all around good guy. In fact, he offered to supply me with some weapons to review, but I happily paid money for these guns and am doing this review of my own volition just to try to educate some folks and show them just how kick ass these guns really are.
First of all, the store is located here. It is an eBay store currently, but John is working hard to get an actual website up and running. He offers several different guns from different eras and different countries of the world, from the M14 combat rifle, to a terrific urban styled AK-74 assault rifle. These guns at first glance look like they could have been produced by Hasbro back in the day, but they are 100% newly sculpted and factory produced. They are not flimsy rubber, they are a nice, smooth, solid plastic that works well in pretty close to any Joe's hands you'd try.
First up is the M-14...it comes with a bayonet and without, and will work with the bipod if you decide to buy one. That's another great thing about these guns...the bipods are interchangable from what I've seen, so you can use them on several of the different models of guns and don't have to keep track of which bipod works with which weapon.
The M-14 is an older model weapon, and frankly looks a tad dated with most of the modern Joe and COBRA figures. However for those folks who collect figures from the World Wars and around that time frame, this gun could work very well, and I love the fact that you can get it with a bayonet as well. That makes a big difference.
Next is the "Colonial Marines" gun, which is slightly modeled after the pulse rifle carried by the aforementioned Marines in the Alien series of movies. Unfortunately this weapon does not really closely resemble those pulse rifles (mostly for copyright reasons), and this might be one of the weaker weapons of the first series. However it still makes for a neat heavy assault weapon, and I love the pump action grip at the front of the gun. It still has a lot of potential.
Even better news is that John has worked hard to refine the designs and make it even more movie accurate with a Wave 2 version that he promises is almost 100% authentic.
The "Urban Assault Gun" is another close range machine gun that looks somewhat made up. It might be an actual real world weapon, I'm no gun expert by any means, but it does look somewhat clunky and unwieldy. The overall design is pretty neat, but the extra large ribbed handle and thick butt just look kind of strange and it doesn't really mesh well with the other weapons in this first assortment that all look very realistic and very authentic.
This weapon isn't quite as successful as some of the others in the assortment, in my opinion...it looks somewhat awkward and clunky, but still looks like a potentially dangerous concealed machine gun that would be near-deadly in close range combat.
Next up is the M4 Carbine. Here you start getting into some very cool territory. Obviously Hasbro has done plenty of M16/M4 combinations, but none of them have looked as streamlined and realistic as this one. From the accurately sculpted ribbed front portion to the expertly sculpted rifle butt and superbly designed magazine this rifle looks pulled straight from the real world. Whatever small cosmetic changes they had to make to differentiate it from it's real world counterpart were small enough to not effect the end result in the least, and the weapon looks fantastic.
Sure, there have been a wealth of M4/M16 based automatic weapons throughout the 20+ year run of G.I. Joe, and with a lot of the other "knock offs", too, but this version has a wealth of detail that a lot of the other designs lack, and you can never have enough of these rifles for your troops, that is for sure. There's also great potential for expanding and upgrading, which is something that John has in mind, based upon the early list for the second Wave of weapons.
Next we have a pair of AK-47's, one with a wooden stock and one with a "folding stock" (although the stock is molded in the open position). This pair of Russian made assault rifles are a "must have" for your COBRA troops and are exquisitely crafted weapons. There is lots of woodgrain prevelant throughout the sculpting of both of these guns, and the intricate design of the bolts and gun barrel just don't get any better than this. Either one is a great pick up for your COBRA troopers (especially since many of them came with subpar weapons assortments from Hasbro) and these are some expertly crafted weapons. One of the shining points of this first assortment.
The AK/Kalishnikov models of machine guns really are the "go to" weapons for your COBRA troops. It's quite obvious that from the beginning, COBRA was almost meant as an offshoot of communist Russia, our major "enemy" from back in the day. The imperial look to these first few troopers, and the prevelance of Russian weapons in the first two figures only demonstrates this. Thank goodness, though, that COBRA quickly lost that identification and became its own entity. Yet because of the AK-47's first appearence way back when, and it's other appearences throughout the run, it has become the default assault rifle for the COBRA troops. Thus, any different models of AK's are a welcome mold, especially with this great level of detail.
Complimenting the Russian made AK-47 is the equally Russian made Dragonov sniper rifle. Like the '47, this gun is similar to what originally came with the COBRA troops back in the day, but the design asthetic of this weapon is light years beyond what Hasbro produced back then. The fantastically designed rifle stock looks modern and beautiful, with a terrifically original handle formation that still allows for a nice solid grip. Like the AK-47, wood grain is a constant throughout this gun, and it looks realistic as well as a pure pleasure to place in your trooper's hands.
It's also the perfect compliment for your Oktober Guard Daina figure. Any sniper worth their salt should have one of these trusty long range rifles within arm's reach and this is another product that looks so much better and works perfectly with any of Hasbro's offerings.
Next, we have an Uzi. Hasbro produced Uzi's of many makes and models during G.I. Joe's 20+ year history, but none of them really captured the essence of the mid-sized Isreali submachine gun like this sculpt does here.
The size, sculpting, and presentation of this weapon is spot on with what we were seeing on Miami Vice back in the good old days, and I just plain love how this Uzi looks. Larger than Snake Eyes' familiar model, and less clunky than the one that came with Low Light back then, this Uzi is sleek, simple, but exquisitely crafted. Beautiful, beautiful submachine gun.
Speaking of beautiful, we get something here that we were really lacking in the original line of G.I. Joe. A terrific sawed off, short range style pump action shotgun. It's amazing what the simple addition of a second handle on the front pump will do for a weapon's coolness as that simple change really elevates this shotgun to a near perfect place.
The handles are a tad oversized, but I love the finger grips prevelant on both of them and it fits so perfectly into the figures' hands that it's just tough to complain. With smooth, yet well executed sculpting and detailing, these miniature shotguns look like they pack a might punch, and are the perfect addition to any Headhunter army (which is what I'm using mine for). A great, great gun that is pretty different than anything Hasbro ever produced.
Speaking of different, and speaking of a second handle adding an immeasurable amount of coolness, I felt the need to cover my favorite gun last. The amazingly detailed Ak-74 Russian submachine gun, obviously modeled after the familiar Kalishnikov series of weapons. It carries many similar features compared to its AK-47 cousins, like the banana-style clip and sleek, streamlined design, but in this formation it looks so much cooler.
Where the Ak-47's look great for established COBRA troopers, I can see some great "commando-style" troops carrying these slung across their chests, smaller weapons for quicker draws, with an awesome second handle for better weapon control and more accurate shots. These guns are the epitome of what makes Marauder Inc's weapons so great. A familiar shape and design, but with an amazing sculpting change that separates them just enough from the established Hasbro offerings to make them unique and a "must have". These weapons are short, powerful, and deadly, and by far my favorites of the set.
Trust me. I cannot really convey in pictures just how cool these weapons are. We've been waiting a long time for some really nice, factory produced weapons kits to go along with our Joe figures, and they're finally here. What's even better is the owner of the shop is open for comments and/or criticism and responds to requests immediately. He is at this moment designing the second wave of these amazing weapons, and wants input whereever he can get it. If you have some ideas, drop him a line, or swing by some message boards and engage in conversation about these. Be sure to check out his eBay store here and tell him you got the link from GeneralsJoes.com.
Enjoy these weapons, they are definitely worth the price of admission!
The best news is, that as of this writing, Marauder, Inc. has already given us the lineup for "Wave 2" of these excellent factory-produced weapons of his. Lots and lots of very cool stuff planned for today!
Hop right on over to Page 2 of this review to see this lineup, and I've also included some "real world" pictures so you know just how cool these upcoming weapons could potentially be!
