As if the second series of Built To Rule wasn't hard enough to find as it was...Built To Rule - Freedom Defense Outpost
As if the second series of Built To Rule wasn't hard enough to find as it was...
Even as most of these sets were showing up on eBay, the infamous "Freedom Defense Post" was not. Heck, it was supposedly cancelled before release, never to be seen. It kind of made sense to me, since from pictures, it looked to contain a lot of the same parts as the Headquarters...I couldn't really see a viable reason to release it.
But then word started trickling out...one was spotted. Then a few more...then even more. Soon, it was sitting on eBay at a $20.00 Buy it Now. Still, I just never seemed to have the cash to spend, but an kind-hearted G.I. Joe fan named Ke7bo from JoeBattleLines was awesome enough to hook me up. After I posted my reviews of the 2nd series BTR stuff, I mentioned that I did not yet have the Freedom Defense Post or the Patriot Grizzly. Within 24 hours this guy was shipping me my Defense Post for just the cost of shipping (which I haven't paid yet...it's coming, bro! ;) ). It's kindness like this that make the Joe community so great.
But, anyway...what exactly makes the Freedom Defense Outpost different from the Headquarters? Well, it's size for one. It's definitely scaled down compared to the HQ, and is evidently meant to be...well...and outpost, as one would suspect. ;)
I think the fact that it uses a lot of the same parts as the HQ really makes some sense. I mean, it can exist in the same area as the HQ, and I think it works to have to use a lot of the same material as a base. It also ties this outpost in with the Headquarters very effectively.
So, how does it work from a functionality standpoint? It's all right. There's nothing real mindblowing about the Freedom Defense Outpost, especially if you already have the HQ. It's a lot of the same, just at a smaller scale. If at all possible, I actually really recommend picking up the HQ and assembling it before you take a shot at this, simply because this one doesn't come with instructions! Still, even though I'm far from an expert on these Building Block toys, I was able to look at the pictures and get the thing assembled with relative success. It's tough for me to say if I got it 100% correct, but it was good enough, I think.
The armored walls, like on the HQ, are surprisingly effective and look pretty neat, giving it a much more realistic appearence. Support posts are plentiful here, as they are on the HQ, and the unique interface of these posts allows for the walls to slide in relatively easily.
It's a double-leveled outpost/surveillance station with a cool radar dish, a nice selection of machine guns and some serious looking armor...all in all, it has some potential, though it's not as neat as the Headquarters, when it comes right down to it.
While the pieces are all pretty much the same as the Headquarters, the new configuration is pretty interesting, although the second level is quite bare-boned. It has a nice, solid foundation, but not much going on upstairs, but it does have a decent amount of armament with machine guns, rocket launchers, and a neat ramp system to deploy the RAM.
Speaking of the RAM...
It's funny...I don't know why it is, but it seems Hasbro used Built To Rule to supply long time fans with some of the homages we'd been asking for all along. An AVAC reissue with some great classic elements...Blowtorch in his familiar orange and red look...and now you get the RAM motorcyle, which stylistically is pretty different, but it still has some familiar aspects to it. The motorcyle looks pretty dated, but it's a neat enough motorcycle and a cool addition to the outpost. And speaking of homages...
We get the same Duke figure we got with the Armadillo HAV, but again, Hasbro pulls an "homage" out of their back pocket and gives us the same Duke in a much more familiar tan shirt/green pants theme.
The new head sculpt looks neat, and if it weren't BTR, the body mold would actually be pretty good for a simple dress uniform. With the BTR-related bowed legs and funky arms it doesn't work that well, but if it was tooled for normal use, I think it would have some serious potential.
Now, without instructions and with just a teeny tiny picture to look at on the back of the box, it was tough to try and figure out exactly how the second mode worked, but I think I kinda got it handled.
Instead of a flip-down ramp, you get a porch-type thing on the front, some armor swapped around, a set of stairs, and twin machine guns on the motorcycle instead of the more combersome rocket launchers. Ultimately, this design is pretty funky and almost just seemed slapped together without much thought. The second mode wasn't really worked into the set, it was just kind of tacked on at the end. It doesn't matter a whole lot to me, but that's one major difference between this set and the Headquarters...the second mode for the HQ was downright inspired, this one is just kind of there.
In fact, the top level of the second mode is just a single armored wall slapped up top and pretty much nothing else...both platforms are now on the bottom. I can't really think of a reason to even try the second mode, personally.
When it boils right down to it, this set works on a limited basis, I think. If you can't find the hard to locate Headquarters, the Freedom Defense Outpost might fit some of the same mold you want that set for. It's on the larger side, is very affordible (if you can find it outside of eBay) and it has some fun features to it. It's nothing revolutionary and non-BTR fans won't find any interest in it whatsoever...but people who are into the Built To Rule stuff anyway (and especially people who don't already have the HQ) might find this one fun. Just be warned, it doesn't come with any instructions, so you'll have to wing it during construction! It's not complex, though...trust me, if I can figure it out, anyone can!
