G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Dart

It is quite evident that this figure was originally intended to be an update to the famous and popular G.I. Joe Tracker, Spirit. For whatever legal reasons, Hasbro was apparently unable to acquire the name, and so Dart was born. Pretty much the only difference I see between them is the name...this new character is also a Native American, with many similarities to the old-time Joe. However, with some nice additions to the file card, and some cosmetic changes, Dart becomes a brand new recruit, and a credible one at that!

Upon first glance, he seems much more the generic trooper. Plain green uniform, green helmet, and a non-descript face. But, upon closer inspection Dart appears to be quite the opposite...a new character with some great potential!

First of all, his mold, I must admit, is pretty plain, but plain in a definitely good way. He is very military. Khaki dress shirt with sleeveless vest...generic pants. His forearm guards add a nice little flair, and I gotta say the feather in his helmet is a really cool little touch! His got a trio of pouches on his left leg, and an awesome knife-sheath on his right! I didn't even notice the removable blade in there until over an hour after I first cracked him open. Great job by Hasbro on that sheath...too bad they don't do all of them quite that well.

The thing that really makes this figure stand out from a crowd, would have to be his ponytail. Without the sprout of hair from under his helmet, he would really just be another greenshirt to me. But thanks to that, and the pretty cool Eagle emblem on his chest, this figure becomes a little more. He becomes cool despite his "normalness". On the outside, he would appear a normal infantry trooper, yet he is evidently so much more, based on his fantastic filecard written, I would have to say, by Larry Hama. It makes this "Greenshirt" really come alive, and I'm thrilled that they have him back writing those cards again.

So, how does the figure stand up? Fairly well, I'd say. A good rookie figure of this new character, and while not really striking like Duke or Ripper, Dart is a great, solid new figure, and has the potential to be a great, solid new character. Personally, I'm happy Hasbro wasn't able to finagle the Spirit name for this figure, simply because I love having another Native American on the team, but also in the hopes that Hasbro will make the Devil's Due version of Spirit at another time.