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Adventure Team Dusty (Unproduced Sigma 6)

There isn't a more painful question in the world of toy collecting than "what could have been?". If only sales had been a bit better... if only Hasbro had used their second concept design instead of the third... if only the political climate hadn't been what it was 10 years ago. What could have been?

This question became even more painful in Atlanta, Georgia in 2007 when Hasbro set up a presentation in the Convention show room at the G.I. Joe Convention that year with a display of Sigma 6 figures that would sadly never see the light of day. Figures like Zanzibar, Short Fuze, and Scarlett. But, without a doubt, the figures that really stole the show were the Adventure Team. Joe Colton and Wet-Suit were in full effect with tons of accessories, some great animal comrades, and lots of bells and whistles.

Ironically, Dusty was not on display that day, but has apparently become the first of the infamous Adventure Team Wave 2 figures to surface overseas. So far, two have come to light, one now owned by the admin of HissTank.com, and one belonging to the collection of yours truly. I feel extremely fortunate to have this excellent piece in my collection, but every time I look at him, I just cannot help but ask... "what could have been"?

Like the 1970's when the Adventure Team first appeared, Hasbro seemed to be trying to separate the military and action portions of the Sigma 6 line, by breaking it apart into Combat Squad and the Adventure Team. Normally in my mind a firm separation from the military angle is death knell, as I really love that aspect of G.I. Joe...it seems to create the perfect marraige between military and "super hero" and I really like that facet of the mythos. So you wouldn't think that I'd really be into a more "adventerous" side of things, but it helps a lot when the toys simply kick ass.

Instead of your more typical commando style raids and military action, the Adventure Team went much more into a tomb raiding or artifact hunting direction, but I think Hasbro managed to merge the universes well enough that they both blend together perfectly. Sure, Dusty comes with an idol, an old sword, and some funky communication equipment, but he also comes with a machine gun, a knife, and a cool ass helmet. He can be trudging through the deserts of the Saraha chasing the large Scorpion, or setting up an ambush for COBRA Troopers. He looks perfect doing either one.

Like most Sigma scale figures out there, Dusty shares many parts with fellow figures, most obviously the Adventure Team Recondo. However, while the torso looks like it's from the same source as the legs, it is in fact, new tooling that does not belong to Dusty's Adventure Team cohort. Sure, the designs are similar, but there are some distinct differences that separate the two.

Recondo's shirt is quite a bit more wrinkled, and the straps look quite a bit different. Of course, Dusty's forearm guards are clearly new, as is his terrific head sculpt. that's actually one of my favorite parts about him. The sunglasses and the earpiece are both really unique touches that make the figure look very cool, and very modern in spite of his somewhat older style non-conformist uniform.

Even with a few reused parts, Dusty is a fantastic figure. He oozes character, he looks great, has fantastic articulation, and is just all around fun. It's such a cool feeling getting a new Sigma 6 figure again, so long after the line had died...I only hope there are other gems out there that can be dug up.

Now, what would a Sigma 6 figure be without their accessories? The gear has long been a highlight of the 8" line, and the Adventure Team series only proves that point, Dusty included. Look at all that freaking gear he comes with.

Right off the bat you gotta notice the oversized Scorpion that was slated to come with the figure. Impressive, to say the least. Each set of legs is fully jointed and poseable, and the large bug can be moved around almost at will. What's exceptionally cool about the animal, though, is the magnetic stinger.

I'm not entirely sure why the arachnid was made this way, but his stinger attaches to this small, but powerful, magnet seamlessly, and holds very tight, yet it also pops right off very easily. I don't know if that's to simulate the Scorpion actually stinging someone or what, but it's a neat feature, nonetheless.

It's the small stuff that really shines with some of these figures, though, and that includes Dusty's backpack. What an amazing looking piece of gear. There's nothing overly fancy about it, it's just flawlessly sculpted and designed, and works perfectly as a small and managable knapsack for carrying ruck through the desert. I wish more figures had come with stuff like this.

It always seems to be the little stuff that really makes the Sigma accessories shine, and Adventure Team Dusty is no different. Along with big rifles, backpacks, and deadly scorpions, Dusty also comes with a Leatherman. That's right, a Leatherman. How cool is that? It actually folds and unfolds and gives him three different tools to work with.

If I remember correctly, one of the Adventure Team icons was shown as being in Egypt, so I think that's why we've got these cool temple-related artifacts that Dusty comes with in the form of a nice looking ornate sword and shield. I can just see Dusty breaking into one of the pyramids, trying to prevent COBRA from taking off with some Egyptian artifact being used to resurrect Set or something along those lines. Dusty gets cornered, and busts out these ancient relics to defend the sarcophogus against invading B.A.T.'s. That's something that I really love about these figures, each little accessory can tell an entire story.

For offensive firepower, Dusty comes with a fairly generic, yet very cool, looking machine gun. Pretty basic, but also very nicely detailed with a countered handle, nicely ridged magazine, and some subtle silver highlights. A very cool, almost realistic weapon that still fits in well with the Sigma 6 style.

It feels like forever since I've gotten a new 8" figure from the Sigma 6 line, and then in one box I got a Groundblast Heavy Duty and an Adventure Team Dusty. It was like Christmas in June. Yet in some ways it only served to cement in my mind just how awesome this line was and how disappointing it is that it's done.

Dusty is an almost perfect example of what made this line great. Reused tooling for budget mileage...a style that walks the fine line between realism, future tech, and super hero. A nice, large scale, but not too large, with very nice free-flowing articulation, and an animated look that has character dripping from its pores. Another great figure in a way-too-short line of great figures.

GRADE: out of FIVE