G.I. Joe: 25th Anniversary Sgt. Flash

This first wave of 2008 almost seems like it was made for me. The Crimson Guard is an all time favorite, and one of the best COBRA Troopers ever made (in my opinion), the v.2 Destro is my favorite version of this great character, and Snow Job was always a figure that rang true with me because he was born in my state. Even if I wasn't a huge fan of the figure originally, I used the heck out of him in my sandbox, and his ties to Vermont always made me smile. And of course, now we have Flash...who has the distinction of being the first G.I. Joe figure I ever bought, straight-armed, back in 1982. Because of Flash's unfortunate code-name, he was destined for action figure "never never land" due to DC Comic's character, but thankfully some colorful renaming has given us a few more opportunities to see Anthony Gambello in plastic form in recent years. Only a couple of months ago we got an excellent rendition of Flash in the Convention set, and now we have a great 25th Anniversary version as well.

Flash, from head to toe, is sculpted in terrific detail that pulls the best aspects of the original, yet interjects some terrific, more modern detail into the figure's overall design. The head sculpt is a bit on the "soft" side, looking a bit unusual, but still works well as a generic special ops soldier. Flash's torso is the showcase of this figure, with very well sculpted torso pads, arm, and leg pads that are all very nicely reminiscent of the vintage version of the Laser Trooper, yet bringing the detail to a new level.

The sleeves and gloves are also detailed to look more "cloth" like than the original did, as well as the legs. The way the pants overlap the boots look just like the original, yet end up being a bit more realistic here in the Anniversary version. Soup to nuts, this version of Flash brings out the best elements of the vintage version, yet are updated in all of the right places to make this a very nice figure that is a great homage, but still works as a modern toy. One little touch I really love as well is the collared shirt and black turtleneck underneath, which just looks a little bit nicer than how it was done originally.

Proportions are great from head to toe, with nice, rounded shoulders, aesthetically pleasing sculpting in the arms and legs, and the hands are functional as well as sculpted well. Little details make the figure great, too, like the familar Hasbro "house" logo on his belt, which is definitely reminiscent of the early version. Sculpted kneepads, thighpads and boots are all very nicely sculpted, too and round off the figure nicely.

Flash has all of the great articulation the 25th Anniversary figures have grown into over the first few assortments. The sculpting of the sleeves around the elbow overlaps nicely for a great aesthetic look, yet still gives the elbow pretty nice range of motion. Still not the 90 degree movement that I'd prefer, but not too shabby, and a heck of a lot better than the sleeved arms of Duke that we got in the first run. Flash also has the retooled hip sockets, which give his legs great range of motion, too. The only slight detraction I can think of is that the mid-torso joint looks a little funky smack dab in the middle of his orange chest pad, but it's a minor aesthetic complaint, and since it adds such critical articulation, I won't complain too much. The essence of G.I. Joe has ALWAYS been function over form, no reason why it should be different with the Anniversary line.

I would have probably preferred the elbows bend a little bit more, but he can hold the laser rifle fine in most poses I tried it in. Hasbro was able to do a great job of sculpted the cloth around the joint, yet still leave it relatively functional.

Flash comes a bit light on the gear, but he should, since the original figure did as well. He comes with the same stuff that the original came with, a great green helmet, awesome clear visor, and his trusty laser rifle with backpack. These weapons are a pretty straight re-release of what the original Flash came with. The backpack is a lot more nicely detailed and sculpted than the original with lots of intricate panels and dials. The extra hole for the rifle to plug into is a great touch as well.

The rifle looks very close to the original, but actually has been resculpted to look a little bit more detailed, and also comes with a peg to hook the rifle to the backpack! A terrific little touch, to be sure. I personally would have prefered a more flexible cable to attach to the power pack...that was one thing I never liked about the original. But I suppose that's a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.

The first figure I ever owned redesigned in a great new Anniversary look. I'm extremely excited that Hasbro worked this character into an assortment this early, and the execution is great. A very nice looking figure with great articulation and the perfect allotment of weaponry. Very nice job, all told. Great colors, great sculpting, nice articulation and accessories. This is a near-perfect update to G.I. Joe's first laser trooper and gives me a nice warm, fuzzy feeling inside. ;)