Spy Troops Wave 2 (Wave 6) - Shipwreck
As I said in my Overkill review repaints just for the sake of repaints really don't thrill me. But when you take a character and make him interesting through a repaint, that works for me. I think we'll all agree that there are times when a figure could have been terrific, if only for a different shade of paint. If Hasbro can accomplish this through a repaint, then I'm thrilled.
With this figure, they took it a step even further...
Shipwreck has always been somewhat looked at as a comic relief. He was not featured in the comic very prevalently, but had quite a role in the cartoon. His role in the toon was a dubious one, usually serving as the "class clown" or the unmotivated slacker. Because of his lack of focus in the comic, this role has pretty much become what he is known for. I think Hasbro really took advantage of this class clown aspect by making him a Spy Troop...and for Cobra Commander no less! The concept of Shipwreck burying himself within Cobra disguised as CC himself is something too funny for words, and something that you could only imagine the brazen Shipwreck of the toon to do. Whether or not the disguise is convincing or not (let's face it...it's not, really... :) ) this is a pretty funny thing to have everyone's favorite Sailor doing. It's something that really matches his character.
But back to the figure, this figure could just barely be classified as a repaint. Granted, the shades are different, but the paint scheme is extremely similar to his Wave 4 version, with blues and grays. His pants are blue here instead of the gray they were before, while his shirt is a much lighter tone. His knit cap has disappeared, and he now has hair, which is a pretty neat little addition. Hasbro probably could have just kept the hat on and sculpted CC's helmet around it, but they changed the mold around a little bit and added a little more desirability to this figure.
Overall, the figure works on the same levels as the Wave 4 one did. His colors are slightly different, but still retain that maritime atmosphere, and he still resembles the sailor we all know. But, this Shipwreck comes with a host of very cool accessories that really make him stand out. First of all, what fans have been clamoring for...well, since 1983...a battle helmet for Cobra Commander. The one here works marginally, not perfectly, but it's a cool enough stand in until we get the REAL Battle Helmet CC in Wave 8 (I hope). He also comes with Mindbender's Cape, which works greatly as a Cobra Commander cape as well. Then, the final touches are the pieces of armor that fit in various places to complete the Cobra Commander ensemble. Right up front, I'll say the costume isn't 100% convincing, but with enough imagination (which as a kid, I had in spades, and still do, for that matter...) this is a really cool accessory for a figure that's pretty neat on its own.
I'm really not that much of a Shipwreck fan, but this figure and his accessories have me smiling, even if you can't bring yourself to have good ole Hector impersonating the big C, you can at least use these accessories to compliment the real Cobra Commander...they work great for that as well!
