Spy Troops Wave 1 (Wave 5) - Burnout
Like Sgt. Hacker Burnout provided some confusion to the Joe community when shown with his Spy Troops gear last year when Wave 5 was first revealed. He appeared to be some kind of Riot Cop, which didn't match up with any names we had at that point. Once revealed to be a new Dreadnok, the Joe community (myself included) pretty much went wild for the guy.
But when I saw the first pictures of this figure without his Spy Troops stuff, he didn't really knock my socks off. His eyes looked weird and he looked interesting, but not fantastic. Now that I own the figure and have had a chance to use him, though...that opinion has changed.
This figure screams Dreadnok the moment you lay eyes on him. The sleeveless shirt wrapped in barbed wire...the arms tied in black bandages, and even the greasy hair style...this guy IS a Dreadnok. And he is a very cool one!
This figure is infinitely better in person than it was when I first saw him. His odd, blank eyes are completely fixed and natural...his mold is simple, yet very effective, with some interesting color choices and a very nice overall look. This figure is very slim, almost perfectly matching the dimensions of the older Real American Hero line, but is able to pack some punch into the slimmer mold.
The mold itself works nicely. He is slim, but muscular, and really looks the part of the type of greasy bike mechanic that the Dreadnoks would enlist. The torn shirt and barbed wire are done excellently (and look painful!!) and I love the way his arms are bandaged up. The spike knuckles on the right hand are GREAT, and I can't even imagine getting hit by him. The pants are very cool as well. They look like some bike-racing windpants, which again, make sense for Burnout's profession, and his purpose with the Dreadnoks. I love the blue/black color scheme, and the kneepads and metal strip boots just compliment things perfectly, and make him seem a little more "Cobra-like". Upon closer inspection of his boots as well, they are metallic monstrosities, and like his metal knuckles, I would NOT want to get hit by 'em.
The colors are also done fairly well. The nice, dull gray shade of the shirt (with an almost rust colored strip of barbed wire) and the black and blue just work great. The only questionable paint app in my eyes is the coloring of the shirt. There appear to be splatters of some kind of color on the shirt, or they're meant to be holes, I cannot tell which. The paint splatters look to be the same shade as his skin which confuses things, and I cannot tell if they are holes in the shirt, or if it's mere dirt. Either way, Hasbro should have sculpted holes, or chosen a different color, as it doesn't really work well the way it is.
Altogether, this figure is a terrific one, I have to say. The awesome head/hair sculpt...great overall mold, and very nice colors present a welcome addition to the Dreadnok line up. Top that off with his tactical shotgun, and this figure is a keeper. However, I beg of you not to use his Spy Troops gear...as an MP, Burnout does NOT work at all. His pants and boots don't look right, nor do his wrapped arms. As a Dreadnok, this figure is a winner! As a Spy Troops figure, though, the disguise does not work, and personally, I'll just put his disguise away. The riot shield may see some use, but besides the shotgun, everything else is just kind of silly. Still, the figure is what matters, and Burnout is definitely a great figure!
