G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Beachhead

And so Wave 3 continues...and so does Hasbro's tendancy in this Wave to base these new figures heavily on their classic counterparts. As already seen with Flint, Snow Serpent, and The Baroness, Hasbro is really taking the original molds and beefing them up for the modern day. Beachhead is along the same lines.

He retains his classic color scheme of green, black and brown, only with more detail and more meanness about him. His mold is really, honestly head and shoulders above the '86 version, which was no slouch in the detail department itself. His head is slim and scowling, with each line of the skimask crafted in nice detail. This detail leads down to his Kevlar vest/shirt combination below. His black straps and shoulder gear look fantastic, adorned with machine gun magazines and grenades, with pouches that cover wherever other things do not. His legs are a great brown camo scheme, with pistols on each leg...he even has a pair of small grenades on the back of his belt! Awesome!! This figure is molded terrifically down to the last little detail and will undeniably make a non Beachhead fan into a fan. You're listening to one right now!

Hasbro also did a great job thinning down the bulk on this figure to fit in well with the classics as well as the new sculpts. If they can get the hang of the plastic rivets, I actually prefer that style of construction as it keeps the same color of the plastic around it and doesn't look quite so out of place.

Some people have been complaining about his bow-legged appearance as well...well, I have found a solution that at least worked on my figure. I swapped the bottom halves of the legs. Believe it or not, my Beachhead now stands tall and proud.

It's the little touches that really make this figure stand out, too...the aforementioned grenades on the belt...the cool knee pads...those awesome padded, oversized gloves. Add all of this to the fact that he comes with his own classic weapons...an awesome submachine gun and his great oversized backpack. I LOVE this figure, and it is my pick of Wave 3. Combine him with the relatively neat Dr. Mindbender, and I'd say this is the must-buy pack of Wave 3, followed closely by Flint Vs. Baroness.

I can see this Beachhead figure leading his troops through the steaming jungle, or going solo through the dense wilderness. He is great as a squad leader or as a Covert Operative, and along with Stalker already make up an awesome group of Rangers for the Joe team.