G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Heavy Duty

First and foremost for all of these 2002 reviews, I am going to streamline a little bit. If you want basic information and pics of filecards, packaged figures and what weapons came with whom, go check out YoJoe. Eugene has all of the basic pictures up and they’re great as usual! He’s got the necessary information. Me, I’m just gonna tell you what I think of ‘em!

Heavy Duty appears to be the new G.I. Joe Heavy Weapons Expert/Urban Assault trooper. He wears a nicely designed gray and green camouflage jumpsuit, loaded with the necessary straps, holsters and sheaths. He is large and imposing, with or without the loaded .50 cal that he comes with. But how does he fare against the dreaded G.I. Joe fan? 

Quite simply, very well. Heavy Duty works for me in all the right ways. He is large and in charge, perfect for the personality I always imagined for this classical music lover and heavy gunner. The camouflage pattern is done very well in nice grays, browns, and greens. I also really dig the nice touches and details strewn throughout this figure. His straps and holsters are a cool green color, not real dark, but still a nice, appealing shade. He’s got big thick pouches on his chest to store all the necessary items, and a cool pair of grenades hang underneath an equally nicely detailed gas mask. Heavy Duty is locked, cocked, and ready to roll!

Now not only are the straps a great color, they are just really nicely placed and look great. Along his legs, over the shoulders…molded with the holster and in the same color as his backpack. It all blends together very, very well. It gives him a nice, bright touch in an otherwise bland color scheme, but it’s not too bright and keeps him grounded in military reality.

And, quite possibly, Heavy Duty’s coolest feature…his holster and pistol firing hand. I LOVE this new aspect on some of the 2002’s as long as it’s done right. The pointing trigger finger adds quite a bit to a pose, and I am loving these holsters (again, as long as they are done right).

As for the weapons…I think his weapons were chosen well and really work with this figure. Roadblocks Ma-Deuce is a great choice and HD carries it well (even without a tripod).

As for bad points…well, beyond the typical articulation complaints, I really don’t have many arguments with Heavy Duty. The bulkiness of the 2002’s only adds a nice element to this character, and his legs seem to be positioned well. I was afraid the holster would be more of a hassle than a good thing, but I was proven very wrong with this figure, and I couldn’t be more glad.

All in all, Heavy Duty is a nice touch to the 2002 line, I can only hope that perhaps some day we’ll see his likeness in O-Ring form.