Spy Troops Wave 1 (Wave 5) - Overkill
One thing that Hasbro has done remarkably well over the past 2 years of G.I. Joe's resurgence is to take relatively unknown figures (or characters) and breathe some nice new life into them. Take, for example, the '94 Lifeline mold which became Wave 5 Lifeline...the Ice Cream Soldier mold which has now become infamous as the Shock Viper. Even Undertow, a real unknown commodity became a staple Cobra Troop when he was the first Cobra Army Builder released in the original Wave 1, back in the Fall of 2000.
But since they've been making new molds, Hasbro has, for the most part, stuck to the tried and true. Duke, Flint...Beachhead, Dusty, Snake Eyes, etc... A few somewhat unknowns have come through (Heavy Duty, Nunchuk to name a couple) but mostly, Hasbro has been re-doing their big names. Well, they took a plunge with this character, a complete unknown from 1991, and really made him pretty impressive.
When Overkill was first released, he had the dubious distinction of being the B.A.T. leader. However, he was simply another mechanical construct...it was pretty unclear how his mechanics were any better than the robots he was leading. But this Overkill for a new generation is now apparently a Cyborg...part robot, part human. This makes a LOT of sense, since it only seems right that a squad leader should have some human tendencies...human ambitions and human thinking. I think this was a great move! Especially since it flows with my Dio-Story plots over the past year. ;) But Hasbro's thinking on this figure could have been completely undermined if the figure itself was sub-par. Thankfully this is not the case...quite opposite, in fact!
Overkill really just knocks my socks off. His mold is large and imposing, yet still retains a lot of nice, human characteristics. The metallic, lined body makes him just feel metal-like without needing the requisite colors. As a matter of fact, I love Overkill's colors, and they really do not take away from the metal feeling at all. His thick metal chestplate just feels awesome as well, and the same armor plating is evident on his arms and legs. It all meshes together perfectly and makes him very human, yet extremely robotic as well. His head is a complete marvel, too. Upon first glance, I really wasn't sure what to make of it, but I was quite pleased to see that despite the large red scarf, his head was moveable. This is a nice touch, and I love the mystery that the scarf implies...what is underneath? Some horrid cybernetic monstrosity? I can only imagine...
In my world, Overkill's main source of communication is through wireless contact with his B.A.T. Armies. His commands are sent to them over a complex wireless network powered by Cobra spy satellites and radio towers scattered throughout the world. Heck, Cobra just piggy-backs the signal off of existing towers to save them the expense.
But back to the figure...the coup de grace of Overkill definitely has to be his arm weapons. They are integrated so well into his robotic right arm, that they appear seamless, yet quite deadly and fit marvelously. The knife is a huge, jagged death-blade, and his gun is an oversized hand cannon, with disturbing results when fired upon normal human troops. Topping all of this off is his cool removable helmet (which fits perfectly), pivoting shoulder-armor, and detachable belt. These all add a nice touch to an already nice figure.
As I mentioned already as well, the colors are very, very appealing. He is a great multitude of greens and blacks with some cool hints of black and silver along the way. The two shades of green used a of the aqua variety, yet two completely different hues which come together well. The blacks are all in the right places, and with the sharp contrasting red scarf, this figure just shines. Colors are spot-on...nice and different from the norm, yet great and subdued and very "Cobra-esque".
Like much of Wave 5 as well, this figure is perfectly complimented by his weapons and accessories. The attachable hand-weapons, snake handled knife and removable helmet all work wonders for this figure! Hasbro has blown me away with their weapon assortments in Wave 5! I only hope it continues.
All in all, this figure is a testament to what Hasbro is capable of. Yeah, he is a shift from the military realism Joefans sometimes prefer, but when a non-realistic figure looks this darn cool, how can you resist?? A great leader for the Wave 4 B.A.T.s, and the upcoming B.A.T. Army Builder Packs, Overkill is a terrific addition to a terrific Wave! Pick this figure up with no hesitation!
