Ahh, Heavy Duty. One of quite possibly the most hated Joes in recent memory, simply because Hasbro seems to love him.
Originally considered a poor substitute for Roadblock, Heavy Duty almost seemed to be a filler character. Even though when he came out in 1991 originally, he was very different, it seems that these days he’s just being used as a Roadblock replacement. Granted, Roadblock was released in Wave 6, but still, Heavy Duty seems to be getting more attention and more figures. Not only that, but on the latest filecard they mention him filling Roadblock’s shoes and even trying to become a gourmet chef? Sounds like they’re almost writing off ole Marvin, there, doesn’t it?
Originally released in Wave 1, he was re-released (as the exact same figure… ugh) in Wave 4. Now, here he is in Wave 8, and then again, destined to appear in Venom Vs. Valor Wave 1. Heavy Duty overload, huh?
Well, it doesn’t really bother me all that much…sure I use Hasbro’s classification of a character to a certain extent, but to me, Heavy Duty is still that guy from ’91 who loves classical music and blasting away with heavy weapons or rocket launchers. He’s a large guy with big guns, but is a completely different character than Roadblock…and he works for me that way. I like Roadblock, I see no reason to try and force another character into his niche, so I’m going to use them both as I see fit.
But will I use this version of Heavy Duty? Yeah, you know, I think I will.
Something about this figure just “clicks” with me. His head sculpt w/ bandana has a whole lot of character…and his mold is definitely NOT traditional military, but is funky enough that I really like it. His torso looks like some sort of bodysuit with a pretty funky, yet very cool diamond pattern on it. It’s covered by a neat set of pads over the chest, that while look a little odd, are really pretty nice and make neat adornments. This body suit is continued over his VERY large arms, and then his hands are surrounded by some oversized metal gauntlets, which (someone’s gonna shoot me for this…) I actually think look really cool!
Unlike Wave 7, which had long and scrawny legs, his are big and powerful, yet properly proportioned…the figure is just big all around. I really dig that cool padding along the tops of his legs as well, and the big boots on his feet.
This version of Heavy Duty seems almost futuristic…there’s definitely an air of things to come with the figure design, but his overall accurate proportions and cool molded-on accessories make the figure really shine for me, and I like him a lot more here in my hand than I did looking at a picture on a website.
His colors are also very neat and different. He’s got your basic green, but it’s in a cool different shade, yet still dark and interesting. His gray pants are also an unusual shade of the color, but work…my only real complaint is the paint apps on his legs seem rather barren. Some trim or highlights somewhere would have been nice.
Unfortunately, as if the comparisons with Roadblock weren’t bad enough, they stick Heavy Duty with his Wave 6 weapon, which will just keep ‘em coming. Personally, I’m going to stick that right in a drawer and give ole HD something else…not sure what yet, but I’ll think of something. I also can’t get over the fact that they actually included Nullifier armor with him! I am a huge fan of the big Iron Grenadier beasts, and I only hope that the inclusion of this armor means we may see them in JvC (or VvV) form sooner rather than later. What are the chances?
Overall, I think the Heavy Duty detractors should really pick this figure up. He’s pretty darn cool and comes with an equally cool COBRA army builder. Trust me on this one, I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Originally released in Wave 1, he was re-released (as the exact same figure… ugh) in Wave 4. Now, here he is in Wave 8, and then again, destined to appear in Venom Vs. Valor Wave 1. Heavy Duty overload, huh?
