Scarlett (Covert Ops)
Another Guest Review this time around with Carlos!
CARLOS: Scarlett in Covert Operations a.k.a. in her BDUs, our first R.O.C. Scarlett figure. This figure had a lot of feedback when pics first showed up... especially the headsculpt. Does her face keep this figure from being good or do the accesories more than make up for it? Well read on and find out my opinion.
CARLOS: When we first saw early pics of this figure from overseas we hoped the head was an early prototype. Sadly not much has changed in that department. For some reason Hasbro didnt quite get the look of the actress in this figure (or any of their females). Scarlett has a very plain Jane look with her hair swept back in a pony tail. But the head doesn't take away that much from the coolness of this figure, thankfully.
JUSTIN: I don't know if I want to read the rest of this review...I'm one of the folks who has held off on buying this figure so far, mostly because I don't like the head sculpt. I also just prefer the Reactive Armor look, but damn it all the pictures I'm seeing of this figure are slowly swaying me into picking it up...
CARLOS: Well, here is the head. Man-ish may come to mind. Just not the eye pleasing female face we'd all think of when we hear the name Scarlett. More than just the poor headsculpt, what bothers me is the emotionless expression. What is she doing? Deep thought? Staring out from some sniperhole biding her time? That blank face doesn't seem to express what I'd want from an 'action' figure. Then comes the ponytail. Yeah, that thing can get in the way. Its made of soft plastic so it can be moved accordingly for action posing but it can be tricky.
JUSTIN: Yeah, that's a freaky looking melon, I gotta say. Rachel Nichols is a beautiful woman, and this action figure does her absolutely no justice whatsoever. I can't quite figure it out, because the head sculpt on the Reactive Armor version is darn near perfect, but this one is pretty horrible. I'd assume they use the face-scanning software for all of it, but who knows for sure.
CARLOS: Alright, that was tough. Its all positive from here on end. Seriously, once you get passed that face its all great. Lets get to the accesories. Wonderful and plentiful, Scarlett comes with some really great and useful stuff (and Im not talking about that spring loaded launcher). Lets start with the guns; an automatic standard issue rifle and a silencer SOCOM styled pistol. Also she comes with a short sword and her trademark weapon of choice, the crossbow. To wrap things up she has a great backpack which can hold the crossbow via a peghole and can hold the sword, too. This backpack rocks. It stays on well with play, too.
JUSTIN: Yeah, the gear looks pretty great. I love that silenced pistol, that's a real gem in the weapons assortment. At first I wasn't crazy about all of the Joes coming with that same FN 2000 type submachine gun, but it's kind of growing on me, at least a bit.
CARLOS: Her body is in BDUs uniform. Seems plain enough at first glance, and it is sculptwise, but that paint job is a real beauty. She gets an excellent camo that brings the figure to life. The camo is broken up by the black sculpted on belt and her black boots.
JUSTIN: Yeah, it does look nice. I'm trying like hell to only get one of each character if I can help it (though I already blew that with Duke, Storm Shadow, and Snake Eyes) and so far I've stuck to my guns with this version of Scarlett. I will say, though, that the mold and the paint apps are really nice. This is a great "hanging out at the Pit" version of her.
CARLOS: The articulation really shines, too. Nothing on the figure (besides the pony tail) hinders her movements or articulation. She can hold her weapons double handled, get down on one knee, really just nothing to complain about her posing abilities.
JUSTIN: This is what's really grabbing me right now. I like figures that can move and be posed, and Scarlett looks like she has that in spades. Without bulky armor or a rubber vest, Scarlett can achieve almost any pose you can think of, which is yet another big draw for me. Cut it out, Carlos!
CARLOS: The play value on this figure is through the roof. You get plenty of functional accesories for several types of missions. Once you get passed that aweful headsculpt the figure is not so bad. I guess the question is if the figure is worth it and to me she is. I think you can get passed the face and get some great enjoyment out of this one.
JUSTIN: Yeah, I think you're on the money here. Scarlett can't wear her Reactive Armor all the time, so it makes sense that she have a more toned down non-battle uniform...this definitely fits the bill. Carlos mentioned that if her head was better, he would have given the figure four stars, and I agree with that, but as it stands, this is no slouch. A very nice figure, far better than I initially thought.
Buy this figure at Big Bad Toy Store!
GRADE: