G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Agent Scarlett

Has it been twenty years? Wow, yeah it has. Two decades...twenty long years I've waited for a decent version of G.I. Joe's venerable female Counter Intelligence Operative. Well, it's been worth the wait!

I was one of those kids that hated my '82 Scarlett because it didn't have a ponytail. It made me so mad that they couldn't make her exactly like her cartoon and comic counterpart, and even though that little ponytail didn't increase her fighting ability or charisma any, it sure made for a cooler looking character, and dangit, my Scarlett had short hair!

I carried that burden for ten years (yeah, tough burden to bear, I know... :) ) until I saw that they were FINALLY making a new Scarlett...part of this Ninja Force. Cool! Now THIS Scarlett was sure to have long hair!

When I finally found it in the stores, I was excited...for about eight seconds. Then I noticed her articulation (or lack thereof). I was even more upset at that point! Yeesh, her head wasn't even compatible with the older figure...and even if it was, there was no screwhole to use to take the figure apart! This sucked!! (Hey, this was pre-internet...I didn't know jack about "boil and pop" and I'd never even HEARD of a Dremel tool.)

When Scarlett was rereleased yet again in '97 I had grown accostemed to being disappointed by the female lead of my favorite toyline...heck, I even wrote her out of my universe by having her marry Snake Eyes and retire to the cabin in the woods...

But then, there were the rumblings of Wave 2. But this was shortly after Wave 1 was announced and the whole Joe community was up in arms about articulation problems. I was convinced that I would yet again be denied my decent Scarlett. But then word of O-Rings returning...some GREAT concept art...my hopes lifted. And now, that I hold Agent Scarlett in my hands...yeah, it was worth the wait.

This is my number one pick for Wave 2...Scarlett ROCKS. She retains her classic look of her original uniform with a brilliant modern flair. Her somewhat bulky gloves and awesome array of sleek armor really make this woman stand out in a toyline dominated by men. Best of all, she actually LOOKS like a woman here, but can still hold true to her dominant self. She's got a number of belts, straps, and add ons as well, which make her all the more intimidating. Her shoulders are a little wide, but are adorned with some metal padding, which seem to make up for it. She has grenades, her trademark throwing stars, and nice kneepads, elbow pads and shinpads.

The colors are PERFECT, matching her original look perfectly, and again updating for the new millenium, and heck she even comes with a CROSSBOW...and get this...a removable ARROW! Sure, that thing will be lost in a second! I'll be buying some extras and storing up to make a huge profit in 20 years when everyone has lost theirs. :)

There are some minor drawbacks...her head is a little small, but not really noticibly. the pictures I'd seen before now seemed to really exaggerate her neck, but mine was blisfully normal. This Scarlett is the epitomy of how Hasbro has improved over even the last year...a great figure of a great character. Now we've got Scarlett and Stalker...I can't wait for the Wave 3 Snake Eyes to come out to round out the classic trio!