G.I. Joe: ARAHC - Zartan

I don’t know whether it’s the fact that I’ve been restricted to buying non-O-ring Joes for the past couple months or what, but Wave 5 has pretty much knocked my socks off. Every figure seems to come packed full of character, sculpting and terrific color schemes, and I really see a lot of these updates kind of overshadowing their original incarnations.

I tried. I really, REALLY tried. From the minute I saw the preliminary pictures of the new Zartan, I kept my hopes high. He was in his traditional brown and black color scheme, cowl and all, and looked to me like a sure winner of a figure. I mean look at all the other 2000 remakes. For the most part they were very nicely done, and even outshined their predecessors. Zartan, sadly, does not.

Perhaps it’s because Zartan was such an integral character and figure when regarded within the G.I. Joe mythos. Perhaps it’s because the original Zartan had such a cool design, that nothing could possibly live up to it. But, when it comes down to it, I think the new Zartan is just somewhat lacking. He is not an awful figure by any means, but the faults that he has just ruin what could have been great.

Let’s hit the good points first: The colors. He is clad in the great brown and blacks that made Zartan famous. Nice, dark colors really make him seem dark and mysterious, which is the perfect look for the Cobra Master of Disguise. The mold, as a whole, isn’t a bad one. While the SAW Viper was never one of my favorites, he was a decent enough figure, and the mold is a pretty good one. The flack vest is nice, and the designs work well…but they work well for a SAW Viper, NOT Zartan.

Now, for the questionable points…first of all, his skin. It is disturbingly pale. This is an issue with most of the Wave 4 releases for some reason, although with Zartan’s dark uniform, the abnormality is all the more pronounced. Secondly, his mold is just too meek. The SAW Viper always did appear somewhat scrawny, and on Zartan, it just does not work. He looks quite unintimidating, and if Zartan should be anything, he should be VERY intimidating. This is a man who is a little off from human in appearance and talents, and his look really should reflect that. Unfortunately, in this case, it does not.

Do I hate the figure? Absolutely not. I find it very difficult to hate any G.I. Joe figure (with some exceptions, of course). Is it Zartan? No way. It just doesn’t fit. There are no glaring issues or problems in my book (I don’t even really mind the molded collar…it just looks a little silly) but overall, the figure just falls a little short for Zartan’s stature. I am, however, very glad that Hasbro game out with this figure…it shows their interest in older characters, obscure molds, and it also gives me a GREAT ball-jointed Zartan head to work with.