G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary Iron Grenadier

I've had no issues recommending pretty much every 30th Anniversary figure I've received so far, just because they're either reissues of great existing figures, or they actually improve on the existing versions.

Sadly, that is not the case with Iron Grenadier. Don't get me wrong, the figure itself is still very cool. I love the Destro tooling they used, I think it integrates with the Iron Grenadier helmet very nicely, the armor is great, and I loved Hasbro's comments about the high-powered contractors that are the Iron Grenadiers.

But the simple fact is, for the 30th Anniversary release, Hasbro took one of the cooler aspects of the figure (the intricate urban camouflage pattern) and completely removed it. So now the Iron Grenadier is just plain gray with the red armor, and the effect almost makes the figure look incomplete. I think if it had been released that way initially (or even better in a black uniform with red and gold armor) I don't think it would have been so noticable, but now that we've seen the figure in the awesome urban camouflage, seeing it without just seems like a cost cutting measure and nothing more.

Of course, that is what it likely is, I just wish it wasn't so noticable.

The updated Iron Grenadier retains all of the cool accessories from the original. He does not have the sniper rifle that originally came with the Para-Viper like the Pursuit of Cobra one did, but any accessory that uniquely identifies him as the Iron Grenadier is carried forward to this version.

In the end, the figure itself retains the cool structure and accessories of the original, though the elaborate sniper rifle that initially came with the PoC version is now absent. Because the figure is so similar, only without the really cool camouflage, I can find no reason to recommend this one when you can probably find the better one for an equivilent price. For other images and details, check out my Wave 6 review.

GRADE:

Buy this figure NOW at BigBadToyStore.com!