GIJCC Exclusive Adventure Team "Air Adventurer w/ Helicopter"

Even without the Internet as a youngster, I had some built in abhorence for the concept of the "Adventure Team". As a devout fan of the G.I. Joe comic, I loved the idea of the military angle for the Real American Hero concept, and the idea that a distaste for real life conflict would drive Hasbro away from the military and towards the "Adventurer" really rubbed me the wrong way. If I wanted Indiana Jones, I'd be buying an Indiana Jones line, not a G.I. Joe line that suddenly became a team of tomb raiders.

But with years comes maturity...well, some maturity, anyway. After all, I am still reviewing action figures, right?

I've learned to appreciate the Adventure Team a little bit more. Seeing them as a team of military operatives who also happen to freelance as "adventurers" is a cool concept, and something that they seem to be building on in the Collectors' Club comic, and seeing the Adventure Team as being a direct precursor to the Real American Hero universe is a really cool idea.

Of course, the most traditional RAH fans will bristle at this figure, mostly due to the day glo orange uniform which doesn't match the equally day glo yellow on the helicopter, but both of these colors are natural parts of the Adventure Team universe, and I've never had a major issue with bright colors, anyway.

The Air Adventurer uses a different torso than the rest of the Adventure Team figures, sporting the same one that Ace and Wild Bill use. Beyond that, he has the same head sculpt, arms, and legs as the other figures, which creates a nice seamless "team unit" feel. In fact, these slightly different parts allow for a much better fit of the gray vest over his torso, so his backpack is far more functional than the others.

Sure, the orange color can be a little off-putting, but it's very accurate to the source material and is quite fitting to the Adventure Team idea, and the figure fits in quite nicely to the team concept.

Like pretty much every other Adventure Team figure, he comes with the rifle, awesome magnum pistol, backpack, and battle stand. No surprises there.

Adventure Team Helicopter

Along with the Air Adventurer, you also get his "ride", which is a repainted 25th Anniversary Fang, painted up in your typical yellow Adventure Team colors. The dark yellow is actually amazingly appealing, and the brazen logos on the tail, the nose, and the body of the flight craft make it immediately clear what affiliation this helicopter serves in.

For whatever reason, I just love this yellow, even as bright as it is, and the dark black blades, seat, and thruster engine play off of the yellow perfectly. I love the silver cage, the silver rockets, and the nose turret...another different flash of color and really brings all of the colors together nicely.

Considering Hasbro's current stance on vehicles (they don't seem inclined to do them) it's nice to get one from the Collectors' Club, and I love how well it fits into the Adventure Team aesthetic.

All of this being said, the Air Adventurer isn't one of my favorite AT sets... his orange flight suit isn't real "combat friendly" and he does sort of stand out like a sore thumb amongst his adventurer compatriots. I understand the need to make him vintage in appearance, and I like that, but from a purely functional standpoint, I'd rather have some good land-based figures that are a bit more flexible.

He is, of course, a necessary purchase to complete your Adventure Team ranks, but he's not the best figure in the series.

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