Well....everyone should know by now that I'm all about obscurity. The more bizarre and out of the ordinary a figure is, usually the more I like it. Well, sometimes, anyway. ;)

I'm a big fan of the 90's army builders that everyone else seems to hate...I love those bright colors and figures/characters that have never been the focus of anyone's Joeverse public or otherwise. So I almost surprise myself with my love for the Crimson Guard figure. You don't get much less obscure than the Crimson Guard...he's a very common well-used mold. An uber-popular character that everyone loves...and as a kid, I was among that non-elite crowd who loved this figure, and I still do!

I'm not sure if I should really break down the pros and cons of this mold or not, but considering I've never reviewed or profiled the CG before, I might as well.

1985 was a pivotal year for the Joe franchise. The "ball-joint" neck was introduced...figure designs were getting more extreme and more non-military. Figure molds were bulking up and looking buffer and more intimidating...and Hasbro introduced the Crimson Guard, for the first time establsighting a solid COBRA "hierarchy". A goal for COBRA troops to attempt to reach.

The mold was quite simply the best of all worlds. He was larger and more solidly built than the COBRA and COBRA officer of years past, and he was really one of the first of the different molds of COBRA troopers. Back in the day the cartoon featured two troopers...the COBRA infantry, and the Crimson Guard.

His unifrom is pure straight-lace. A fairly simple, straight-forward mold with a very official almost regal look to it. The buttoned front, assortment of medals...shoulder decorations and jackboots. Just looking at this guy makes you want to salute, he is COBRA hierarchy personified.

The cool thing is that this mold still works even by today's standards. It doesn't try to do too much, it just represents a higher level of COBRA trooper and does it well.

The colors are also legend at this point...at a time when everyone is getting tired of the over-abundance of crimson-hued troopers, this is the guy that started it all. This one figure created a whole mythology of your next-door neighbor with a "red suit" in his closet secretly working for COBRA. This little slice of the COBRA mythos has grown a life of its own and is a crucial part of the COBRA cause.

At any rate, the color shade is just as it is meant to be...Crimson. A great, pure, deep red color that immediately brings a sense of honor to the figure and makes him one to be looked up to. The Crimson Guard is quite simply the epitomy of the perfect figure. Great, classic mold...excellent accessories...a vital, important, intriguing backstory. This figure had it all.

But does it still?

Well, first of all, this is NOT a Crimson Guard. It is Agent Faces in Crimson Guard disguise as seen in the Spy Troops movie. While it isn't the CG it definitely serves a good purpose and I think it suits the mold well, and accomplishes what it was meant to accomplish. This is a good update to a fantastic figure, and if you have a chance to grab some at $2.99 price point, you should jump on it.

First of all, the mold is nearly intact, with only the arms being changed. I'm not even sure whose arms are here, but they suit the figure well and work seamlessly with the rest of the mold. The buttoned-down front, medals, braid, and jackboots are all translated perfectly and as I said earlier succeed just as well today as they did back in the old days. Combine all these pluses with the fact that this figure is made out of the newer, softer, and more durable plastic, and you have a Crimson Guard who you're not afraid to play with.

But there are definitely significant differences with this particular figure and the 1985 version that inspired it. The colors are almost completely different. He's got the same shade of deep red uniform, which is terrific, as it's easily the CG's best feature. The medals and black parts are all reproduced to perfection. Hasbro added some black to the buttons where there was silver and it makes a great impact. It's a nice different flash of color that makes the figure stand out and it's a cool color choice.

The best part, though, is the shoulder braid. It has an awesome golden hue compared to the silver of yesteryear. This is a very welcome change of color that is a tiny adjustment but makes a huge difference. Very, very cool change, Hasbro, and it works well. One change that doesn't work so well, though, is the chest logo. First of all, they lowered it a little and shrank it down so it looks like it's a small stomach symbol instead of the proud, looming chest logo that it was over fifteen years ago. Not only that, but instead of the dramatic silver color, the logo is now...yellow?

I think they were going after a more golden look to the symbol, but it just didn't translate really well to the paint color and instead ended up with a more yellow logo than gold, which just doesn't look all that hot. It's only exemplified by the location of the logo and unfortunately, it just doesn't really work that well. Better this logo than NO logo, I suppose, but I wish Hasbro had gone the extra step to make it more similar to the classic version.

But what about the most important part? The head? This is a very significant part of the figure, being the focus point of the disguise, and really a big selling point for the figure. I think the Faces head sculpt is well done for what it is. It is a 1992/2001 Duke head painted with dark hair and a goatee with a different hairline painted on as well. This nicely separates this figure from his older version and brings Faces into his own personallity. It works well, and looks to be a completely different character. Now, for the helmet...

Well, I think Hasbro did as well as they could with what they had. They had to make the helmet fit, so obviously it had to be made a little bit bigger, which unfortunately does make it stand out amongst other CG's, but I still think it looks all right. He's got a big head and the helmet is bigger to fit, but the helmet is actually well-proportioned, not like it looked in the first pictures I saw. It is molded well and fits tight, but all right, and actually looks remarkably similar to the CG that was in the Spy Troops movie...so that gives it some credit.

I'm not sure how this is going to look on the 3-pack of CG figures coming out early next year...this is a very nice update and works well with the figure parts chosen. If you can get this figure for $2.99 plus Battle Points, I say find a way to stock up. It's a very interesting figure and will work as a CG troop in a clutch. It's a cheap figure and more dollars will convince Hasbro to continue to produce these mail order exclusives. This is a very neat figure...not quite as perfect as the classic version, but very cool in its own right.