Spy Troops Wave 2 (Wave 6) - Roadblock
Roadblock has always been one of those mass-appeal characters and figures. I'm not sure what it is about him, but he has always been exceptionally popular whether you're a comic, cartoon, or merely an action figure fan. The big, burly, gourmet chef/heavy machine gunner has some kind of charm and charisma that captures the attention of everyone...heck, I'd hazard a guess to say that he's one of the top ten most popular characters in the Joe mythos. Granted, he's not as well liked as say, Duke or Snake Eyes, but those two characters have a lot of rabid haters, whereas Roadblock probably doesn't.
That being said, Roadblock has never really knocked my socks off as a character. I'm not sure why, perhaps it's because of the insane amount of focus he's always gotten...either that or because I haven't really loved very many of his figures. His first version was okay, but a little bland. His second version was kinda silly, really...odd color choices and all. My long-time favorite version of the character would definitely have to be his '92 version, with the olive-green vest and blue jeans...and even with the release of this figure, that version is still my favorite.
That's not to say that this figure is bad. I really don't think it is...it just doesn't do a whole lot for me. The colors are different, yet somewhat bland, an odd mixture of brown and green, and not much in between. He is built almost small, believe it or not...Blackout and Depth Charge almost seems to loom above him, and his head seems crammed down into his vest. I do like the fact that Hasbro is experimenting with making different figures different heights, but after making Tunnel Rat 6'3" and Roadblock 5'10" maybe they should rethink the decision.
I do like the mold overall. His knit sweater-vest is an interesting choice and I really dig the armor pattern on his back. His huge, muscled arms look neat as well, as they should for this behemoth, and I think his plain army-style pants finish off the mold nicely. He's got a nice assortment of belts, pouches and adornments, and those massive shells on his biceps are just plain scary. The scarves around his wrists are interesting, nothing great or horrible about them. The holster on his leg looks neat and seems to work well, but he doesn't come with a weapon to go inside.
Overall, I think this figure has some real potential. The mold is pretty cool, but some little faults here and there add up, and combine that with the fact that he doesn't come with many accessories (just his 3 part mini-gun and ghille suit from what I can tell) makes this a figure that is only slightly desirable. It's unfortunate, as I was looking very much forward to a new default Roadblock I could use, but it looks like my '92 version better stay out of his storage drawer...I'm not done with him yet. :)
