G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Storm Shadow

A couple of years ago, a version of Storm Shadow was released that effectively negated the need for any other Storm Shadow to be produced. The 30th Anniversary/G.I. Joe: Renegades version of the figure was an amazing feat in design, sculpting, and engineering, and proved to be somewhat of a turning point in the G.I. Joe line at the time. It managed to bridge the gap between vintage and Renegades to perfection, and release an awesomely articulated, sculpted, and accessorized figure to boot. This version of Storm Shadow would go on to be one of the rarest figures in the 30th Anniversary line, and is still one in high demand (even though his tooling has been re-used quite a few times since then).

Hasbro certainly looked to that formula when they designed this version of Storm Shadow, even using some of the same parts (mainly the upper legs and a modification of the torso). This figure is almost a perfect storm (no pun intended) of the updated 30th Anniversary/Renegades version and the classic version, giving us the awesome modern sculpting of new product with the much-loved aesthetic of the old school Storm Shadow. Even the title of "Ultimate" seems to indicate that this was Hasbro's mindset.

And you know, even for yet another Storm Shadow, this figure is pretty fantastic. I love the baggy, yet well articulated legs, and the shaped torso looks quite awesome as well. From what I can tell (I'm not necessarily a parts expert) the torso retains much of the same sculpting/tooling of the 30th Anniversary version, but was somehow modified at the shoulders to provide the little "flair" instead of the smooth look of the previous version. The arms appear to be new, with the updated wrist articulation. Barearms against the baggy martial arts uniform works really nicely here. The head sculpt is great, too, and the total package just gives us pretty much what's advertised... the "Ultimate" vintage themed Storm Shadow.

Accessories

Where to start...this figure comes with a ton of them. His largest and most obvious accessory is the CLAW-like jetpack which uses the familiar color scheme, design aesthetic, and even some of the labels from the classic Cobra jet glider. The harness can sit straight up or fold down, and pressing the platform on the bottom spins the harness wildly, but only if it's straight forward. I'm not entirely sure what this action feature is designed to replicate. The result is Storm Shadow sticking straight out from the CLAW and spinning wildly around and around and around...was this some variation of the daring Cobra Commander rescue from issue #24 that I somehow missed? The wings also swing out manually (no apparent spring-loaded features).

This figure also comes with the classic backpack, two swords, bow and arrow, a spare Retaliation themed Byung Hun-Lee head sculpt is included as well, probably for the same reason that Snake Eyes has a movie themed head sculpt.

Storm Shadow comes with a tiny little baggie as well, and that baggie has a ton of the little weapons that the 30th Anniversary Storm Shadow came with as well, including throwing stars, darts, and nunchuks.

Yeah, this figure is pretty amazing. He looks very vintage themed, but has a lot of the cool elements of the more modern version. I will say that I still like the 30th Anniversary version more, with the updated design, but there's a lot to love here, too. The CLAW backpack is especially neat and a cool throwback to those motorized backpacks of old.

A really neat figure that sort of came out of nowhere when first revealed, but a figure I think many collectors will jump at, considering how effective a mash-up he is of the old school and new.

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