Cover Girl - Figure Subscription Service (Wave 1)

I almost feel like I have this figure already, what with it being so (relatively) similar to the 2011 Convention Sparta we received just a pair of years ago. Sharing the majority of those parts, with slightly different arms, and the trusty jacket from the Direct To Consumer Cover Girl, this figure is transformed into everyone's favorite glamour model/tank jockey.

Even at the age of 14 I had decided that I really didn't like the Cover Girl character all that much. To that point, she was one of the few original G.I. Joe characters that I still did not own, and being an action figure spaz like I was, if I didn't own the character's figure, that character was dead to me. I think I've matured a little bit over the years, but sometimes I wonder.

After Sparta appeared in the Convention set in 2011, it just seemed like a matter of time before we'd see a Cover Girl using a similar formula, and indeed we got one in the FSS 1.0, not just with a similar formula, but almost the exact same formula.

This version of Cover Girl is blow-by-blow the same as Sparta from the Mission Brazil II Convention Set, only she's got brown arms instead of tan, and a different shade of hair color. The Direct To Consumer jacket from the comic pack completes the look in a pretty nice way.

With the long, flowing hair, the head sculpt borrows much more from the Devil's Due look than the original action figure look, but I think most fans would be okay with that. By and large, Cover Girl has appeared with longer hair throughout the animated series and in quite a few of her comic appearances. As mentioned, her hair color is a lighter strawberry blonde, much lighter than the stark red of Sparta's hair. I know I mentioned Sparta as being the source of these parts, but in truth, it's the Rise of Cobra Cover Girl that spawned most of them first, and I have no problem with that. The sculpting and design is good, the articulation is great, and she can hold weapons fairly well. The paint scheme is pretty basic here, with brown and tan to match Cover Girl's apperance throughout the years. They also included the familiar arm patch that first appeared on the 1983 version as well. All told, it's a very successful formula that works nicely on Cover Girl, and the Collectors' Club did their job well with this one.

ACCESSORIES

The G.I. Joe tank driver really doesn't come with much accessory-wise. She has the coat, a belt, a pistol, and old school machine gun (the same one as Duke). I have no issues with any of this gear, and don't think that Cover Girl needs a whole lot, since she's behind the wheel of a tank in most cases, but I will say based on how many accessories most other FSS figures come with, this does seem somewhat light.

Cover Girl is a very nice figure and a good representation of her vintage look. Even though I have several different Cover Girl toys now, she still has never really been one of my all time favorite characters, and I'm not entirely sure how she's captivated so many fans over the years. There must be something I'm missing, because it's not just the fans, but also her appearances in the new sculpt era, the Devils' Due comics (including being a core member in America's Elite), and now having that same role in the new IDW title...she obviously has some appeal, I just don't see it myself.

But she fills a very big void in the 25th Anniversary run, dropping right into her 1983 spot nicely. She's been a fan favorite and in hot demand, so the Club made a good call here, even if she's not one of my favorites.

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