G.I. Joe Spy Troops Vehicles - Battle Blitz (Desert Repaint)
Well, I said back in my Wave 7.75 Alley Viper review that it was tough to review this new figure because you really shouldn’t mess with perfection, and the Wave 1.5 Alley-Viper was nearly as perfect as it gets, and didn’t really see a need to try and work off of that.
Well, you could say the opposite is the case here…as much as you can’t mess with perfection, you also can’t try to polish up something as bleh as the G.I. Joe Battle Blitz. The one redeeming factor the original Blitz had was it’s overly dark “night attack” like color scheme, which made it a credible recon/assault vehicle as well as a swap/amphibious attack craft. Even as fugly as the vehicle is, it works in this regard, but labeled in this new paint scheme as a desert vehicle, I don’t see how this thing works.
The six-wheeled format is something that I’ve always thought was pretty neat, but it doesn’t really work too well here, being as the craft is short, squat and blocky, and there seems to be no real reason for six wheels. The clearance is low (errr, non existent) which is why it works as a water/land vehicle, but I can’t see this thing plowing through sand dunes and chasing down Sand-Vipers. Like the original, armament is pretty much not present, with only one small rocket launcher to provide cover fire for any recon or attack event this vehicle might participate in. All told, I really don’t see much reason for the existence of this vehicle.
But, there is a redeeming quality to this mini-set. The Grunt figure in it is very, very cool. I made no hesitation in mentioning my enjoyment of this figure in my last review of this set, and it hasn’t subsided at all. The figure is a great one, with a nice slim build, not overly bulky (as some JvC figures are) as well as a generous adornment of details and accessories which make the figure both appealing to the eye and useful on the battlefield. It’s kind of odd that the Grunt figure would be produced with this gray, night/urban-based uniform when included with what appears to be a more desert oriented vehicle, but I’m glad that he was. The gray/black and silver color scheme really looks great on this figure and some really cool paint apps that will fit in with the Night Force theme very well. It would have been nice to get some silver knee pads and a little more splashes of color here and there, but in a Night Force or urban environment this figure works great. It’s a repaint that makes sense and looks good and you really can’t ask for much more than that. Whether or not its worth the $12-13 price tag I can’t really answer, but it definitely helps a lot. And heck, even if you don’t like Grunt, by this vehicle for the exclusive “Crimson Strike Battle Luge Guy!” he rules! ;)
The ultra rare, ultra limited Crimson Attack Battle Luge Guy! Go get it now!
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