Storm Shadow - Hall of Heroes (Figure 4 of 10)
The Hall of Heroes had been touted as the "ultimate line" of G.I. Joe figures for collectors...and compared to the standard releases, I could see that perspective. But Storm Shadow seems to really take a step backwards, and I'm not entirely sure where.
I know Hasbro wanted to use the original figures as a base when designing some of these versions, trying to make them as authentic as possible...but in this case, Hasbro kind of did a mish-mash. They took the stark white uniform that the original did and the plain jane black sash, but then used the sleeveless look from the comics for his arms. The result is a version of Storm Shadow that actually looks nicely authentic to the comics, but with a somewhat boring color scheme.
Yes, I know...this is the same color scheme as Storm Shadow used back in the day, and these are supposed to be modern day renditions of those classic figures, but personally I like it when 21st Century designers take the liberties to improve certain things. And it seems like they did that throughout most of the Hall of Heroes line. Added weathering, more paint detail, different accessories...all of this stuff designers took some liberties with to make the figure more exciting. Storm Shadow, unfortunately, didn't get any of these updates and ends up looking the most boring out of any Storm Shadow release we've seen thus far.
It's a shame, because I love the sleeveless look, but I just wish there were some added paint details throughout the rest of the figure, because as it stands, he looks pretty ordinary, especially compared to some of his Hall of Heroes compatriots.
The Cobra Ninja comes with the same familiar assortment of weaponry...the dagger that slips into his belt, two swords, backpack, nunchuks, and a grappling hook. Nothing amazing, pretty standard stuff. His backpack is woefully under-decoed with pretty much straight black all the way through. It's a shame, too, because the original Anniversary Storm Shadow's backpack is actually a lot more interesting, which seems in direct contrast to the purpose of the Hall of Heroes in the first place.
Ultimately, while I like the sleeveless look for Storm Shadow here, the figure is relatively bland and uninteresting, and certainly doesn't add any necessary elements. The original Anniversary figure remains the gold standard of Storm Shadow tributes and they haven't quite been able to match that yet.
GRADE: 
