G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary Law & Order (G.I. Joe: Renegades)

I think when word came out that toys for G.I. Joe: Renegades wouldn't really be continuing beyond Wave 4, I was one of the first folks out there to freak out.

What about Roadblock? What about Destro or The Baroness? Why are they wasting spots on Law & Order instead of filling out core cast members?

I'll be honest, I still don't know the specific reasons behind that, but I can say that regardless of what you think about this figure being released, it is an amazing upgrade for the Joe Military Policeman. It would certainly take some paint to make him look like his vintage counterpart, but there are enough cool things here to make for a fantastic figure, and one that belongs in everyone's collection.

From the outset, Law looks much more like your typical tactical officer. Much more like a SWAT guy than a true Military Policeman, which is an interesting change, especially since he was kind of just a prison guard in the Renegades episode. Don't get me wrong, he looks very similar to how he looked there, but in a more "real world" aesthetic, I get a much more action-packed vibe, but it works.

He's got a mixture of new and reused tooling, but it's all merged together quite nicely, giving us a well articulated figure that blends well. That's one the most impressive things about how Hasbro designers are currently utilizing the tools, they have it down in such a way that parts fit almost seamlessly together even being mixed and matched from various sources. Much of the figure looks like G.I. Joe: Renegades Duke, most notably the torso and legs but in fact they are pretty different. The torso is a completely different tool, as well as the arms, which gives the figures a similar look, but with entirely different designs.

The end result is a very similar look, but engineered completely differently, and Law is superior in pretty much every way. He's got the sculpted belt, he's a bit taller, and they managed to retain the wrist articulation nicely, too, which does bring up the question of exactly what went on with Duke's arms.

I really like the head sculpt on the figure as well. It has a lot of character, even for just being a relatively generic "trooper" type of sculpt. It's impressive the amount of detail Hasbro is able to achieve in every single head sculpt they put out there these days, regardless of how popular the character might be. A very good base figure, all told, even if nothing really stands out specifically. Underneath the great tactical vest, he's a mixture of green and grays, which is a great color scheme, and I love how it all comes together.

Now for his accessories... ohh, yeah. Well, first the bad news. In early Con pics, he was shown with an additional head featuring a balaclava. That head is not included with this figure. A bummer in my opinion, I thought it was a great one, but we've all gone down that "cost cutting" road before. No need to regurgitate it here.

Beyond that, he has a removable helmet with face shield, handcuffs, a nightstick, a couple of guns, and a pistol with silencer...but wait. The silencer doesn't just work with the pistol. It can also turn his submachine gun quiet as well! It does look a bit silly with the light gray on the rifle, but hey, if you have 12 Cobra Troopers like I do, there are plenty of black silencers to go around.

And of course there's Order! Transformed from just a regular looking german shepard to a pouch-wearing utility dog, Order makes the big leap to the 21st Century and looks great. The sculpting on the dog is just amazing, and I love that they found a way to include him in here. Very cool.

Law's vest also bears specific mention. The layers of padding, pouches, the badge, the radio, it's all there and in such meticulous sculpted detail. I am surprised they tooled up a brand new vest with a badge sculpted right onto it, considering it would probably get pretty limited use. I would have thought a removable badge with a peg would be more logical. Still, it looks great. Very reminiscent of Duke's vest from the Renegades line, but with enough added detail to stand out.

The only question I have about Law's vest is that there is a small hole in the back that looks like it should have included something to plug into it, yet nothing fits there. Interestingly, the Wave 3 Tunnel Rat comes with a walkie talkie that fits there, but doesn't fit on Tunnel Rat anywhere, so folks who buy two might just end up doing that. The color even matches. Now, Law's already got a radio on his chest, too, so that seems redundant, but there's an option, anyway.

This figure is very impressive. There isn't necessarily one single thing that jumps out and amazes you, but the entire package is fantastic. Great articulation, great design, awesome accessories, and the potential to be a nice homage to the '87 version with some paint tweaks. Personally, I prefer this one in nearly every single way to the original.

Exellent work here. A Renegades figure, but it totally fills a hole and helps build the main line as well. A ton of great, military accessories, a very nicely detailed, yet playable figure. Not the shining star that Sci-Fi or Airtight first come off as, but solid in every single way. Good stuff.

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