Toys "R" Us Exclusive Firefly

It seems only appropriate that as I'm wrapping up my G.I. Joe: Resolute reviews I also take some time to review the Toys "R" Us exclusive Rise of Cobra Firefly figure. To be honest, I'm shocked it took me this long to review this figure. Normally when a figure comes out that I really like, I dive right into the review...some folks show their enjoyment of a toy by posing, playing, displaying it...personally, I show my appreciation by taking pictures and sharing the information. So, when I get a figure that I love, I dive right into the review process.

Well, somehow this figure fell under the radar and I just never got a review done, even though this is probably among one of my favorite Rise of Cobra figures released.

Using the Resolute Cobra Trooper as a base figure, this Firefly immediately resonated with me as a potential homage to a Resolute version of the Cobra Saboteur. With the recent release of the real G.I. Joe: Resolute Firefly, this figure gets somewhat lost in the shuffle, but there are still many things that I love about the figure...some even more than the real Resolute version.

The light urban-style gray of his base uniform blends nicely with the gray/brown deco on his boots, gloves, and the harness. It maintains a nice unified "city strike" look yet still has an array of different colors to break up the monotony of a straight-gray paint scheme all around. The gunmetal on the kneepads and shoulder pads also helps with this, as does the black vest and other dark trim scattered throughout.

The end result is a figure that doesn't have the familiar camouflage of Firefly, yet still looks just as you might imagine the Cobra saboteur would look.

Like most of the Toys "R" Us Exclusive figures, Firefly comes with a swath of accessories that increases the value of the figure regardless of all the reused tooling. Firefly comes with Beachhead's machine gun and magazine pouch, Falcon's backpack with knife, and lots of the sabotage gear that came with the comic pack Firefly.

At first it might seem like Firefly really doesn't have a place to keep all of his extra gear, but actually, his backpack works extremely well for this function, I was pleasantly surprised to discover.

It's a nice and snug fit that works perfectly. Very cool. Not sure if they thought of this ahead of time, or if it's just a very happy coincidence, but I have a feeling it was planned this way.

With the recent release of both the G.I. Joe: Resolute Firefly and the Pursuit of Cobra Firefly, this figure is in an interesting position, but he easily competes with the other two for sheer coolness. I love the base figure, I love the Airborne vest, and the accessories are all fantastic, too. While the Resolute Firefly makes for a great saboteur, as he should, this version seems more "combat ready" for those times when he has to get his hands a little dirty. I think they each have their place, and for anyone who might not have this figure yet, I would highly recommend finding a way to get your hands on it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

GRADE:

Carded figure images courtesy of YoJoe.com