Well, unfortunately this review is going to start off on a couple of sour notes...first of all, for those of you who don't know, in my universe, Lady Jaye is...well...dead. So, this figure probably isn't going to get much use from me. Don't get me wrong, I love the character, but I loved Flint's character even more, and I think to properly develop him, I needed to make a drastic change...so...anyway.
Second of all, the first time the prototype appeared on the 'net there was wide speculation that her hat was going to be removable. Finally, after nearly 20 years, a hat-less Lady Jaye that looked to be very nicely sculpted was going to be available! Maybe I'd finally have a reason to resurrect her...or at least film a flashback... ;)
But alas, this proved to not be the case...turns out they couldn't quite get the Spy Troops gear working right without it, and it probably provided some kind of scary choking hazard that would not be good at all. And thus, we get another Lady Jaye saddled with that silly baseball cap. Maybe I'm glad she's dead. :)
But enough of that unpleasentness...for those of you who still have a LIVING Lady Jaye in your worlds, how does she add up?
I'd say pretty darn nicely. It is obvious they used the original '85 mold as a STRONG inspiration here, which is fine and makes sense, since that is how she is most well-known. Instead of the typical green military uniform, though, they went for a more "jumpsuit" like mold design, being more skin tight than wrinkled, and coming down over the boots instead of being bunched down on top of them. She's got the same open shirt look that she originally had (although is now wearing a white shirt underneath...) and dog tags hang down effectively from her neck.
The criss-crossing straps over her chest and down her stomach work well and add some nice flair to what coul havce been a pretty straight forward, monochrome mold. Her short sleeves and fingerless gloves add soem nice flashes of design and the black kneepads work nicely as well.
Now while sculpted a little on the small side, her head, face, and hair look nice and feminine and are pretty appealing for a boys toy. What looked to be some outragous proportion in prototype form have actually seemed to trim down a little, and she looks perfectly comfortable standing upright and does't really seem to suffer from the "Dolly Parton Syndrome" that it looked like she would originally.
All in all, this figure was definitely taken straight from the 1985 concept art, but has been given enough cool modenr flairs to make this a cool update and not just a rehash.
Add to all of this a cool rubberized backpack with real working chest straps, and her kick butt twin holsters and the figure erally comes together nicely. Like Kamakura, her joints are loose, but strong and allow for some really cool poseability, but she still retains the poses easily and doesn't fall over or droop as could be expected.
The figure is not without some downsides, though, unfortunately. As mentioned above, her head is pretty small compared to the rest of her body. Her green jumpsuit is a very bright green...it almost looks too bright. And those great holsters that she comes with? They're a little too big for the pistols meant for them. :( The pistols fit great, but the slightest motion practically makes them slip out and threaten to be lost. I haven't tested any other pistols in the holsters yet, so I can't really determine a better alternative at this point, but it's a great concept for a couple of great weapons, but unlike the Wave 7 Destro, just wasn't quite executed perfectly.
Then, of course, there's the Spy Troops gear. Errr...it would take a lot of imagination to make this work, for sure. I can see young kids being able to make this effective, but as it is, it just does not work. The Baroness mask is interesting...the chest plate could potentially be used for customs...but all of this gear on a bright green Joe just doesn't look right. I'm usually a fan of the Spy Troops concept, but in this case I don't think it was executed very well. It was a great idea, making LJ a master of disguise as she should be, but in execution, while perhaps fun for kids, just doesn't work for me.
Still standing up with those holsters at the ready, Lady Jaye definitely looks like she could start some trouble and end it as well.
What about buyability? I think Lady Jaye is pretty much a staple character in the Joe mythos...she comes with a pseudo-army builder (although it won't be built by me...) and as such I do think she's worth a try. The figure is not the best of Wave 7, but it is a solid one, especially for a female, and has many more good points than bad.
I'd say pretty darn nicely. It is obvious they used the original '85 mold as a STRONG inspiration here, which is fine and makes sense, since that is how she is most well-known. Instead of the typical green military uniform, though, they went for a more "jumpsuit" like mold design, being more skin tight than wrinkled, and coming down over the boots instead of being bunched down on top of them. She's got the same open shirt look that she originally had (although is now wearing a white shirt underneath...) and dog tags hang down effectively from her neck.
