G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Dusty

G.I. Joe, welcome to the new millenium! :)

I can't even tell you how long I've been waiting for the big day...the day G.I. Joe made it's return...made the return it deserved! The O-Ring has returned, and returned in a big way.

Dusty was the first Wave 2 two pack that I received this Friday from my buddy seaN at The Store on 44. I could barely hold myself back as I tore through that package like a kid at Christmas! It's times like this I will never understand MOC collectors. :)

I'm not proud to say the first Wave 2 figure I touched was Desert C.L.A.W.S. I quickly cast him off as if his mere touch had scalded my hand and immediately dove into Dusty, the first brand new sculpt O-Ring figure in eight years!!!

And...well, I was a little disappointed. But just a little. :) Dusty is made out of a little more rubbery substance than his older comrades. This new material isn't bad, it's just...different. Dusty's molding is somewhat plain, really. A plain khaki button down shirt and his trademark desert camo pants. He has some cool wrap around his knees and he all comes together as a pretty nice desert trooper. So why was I disappointed? Well, on this figure it was obvious that he was originally intended to be a non-O-ring figure. His shoulders and hands are HUGE, and his feet are somewhat oddly positioned no matter how you try to move the more poseable legs. He looks a little gainly and awkward and no matter how he's posed, he just doesn't quite look...right. Not bad, just not...right.

But that's not to say I don't like the figure...he's not that bad. The new webgear and the black M16-203 is enough to love the figure right there! He's also got a very cool backpack, but unfortunately the weight of the pack and the awkwardness of his stance just makes it nearly impossible for him to stand with it. Once you do stand him, he looks great, it's just tough finding a natural pose for him.

All in all, this Dusty is a great newer version of his classic '85 mold. The headdress and goggles and jacket tail are molded VERY nicely out of thin, flexible rubber and don't hamper his positioning at ALL. I was kind of afraid they would, but really, he can move more than normally. His colors are fantastic, with nicely different shades of brown, and you can even see some sideburns sticking out down under his helmet. Very nice little touches and overall a pretty nice figure. Not the best Hasbro could have done, but for scaling him back to fit with the O-Ring, I think he looks good.