Back when the second series of BTR sets were selling for way too much money on eBay, I almost did it. I almost dropped $50+ on a Ground Striker and Flint set, that is how sick and twisted I am when it comes to my cartoons.Built To Rule - Ground Striker
Back when the second series of BTR sets were selling for way too much money on eBay, I almost did it. I almost dropped $50+ on a Ground Striker and Flint set, that is how sick and twisted I am when it comes to my cartoons.
See, for whatever warped reason, I have this compulsion to want to own figures and vehicles of characters that appear in my favorite cartoons. That was a driving force for me as a kid (and a big reason why I always hated the Scarlett and Lady Jaye figures, because they looked NOTHING like their cartoon counterparts). And since the latest G.I. Joe animated feature, Valor Vs. Venom had a pretty major appearence by Flint and this Ground Striker, I just HAD to have it. I had to.
But, alas, I couldn't pull the trigger. At the time I wasn't really that fired up about the BTR concept as a whole, and had no intention of working them into my permenant collection or going out of my way to track them down. They were simply out of my price range, and since they weren't a part of the mainstream Joe line, well, it didn't really matter to me, anyway.
At least that's what I thought until prices got more reasonable. ;)
Now, though, I do feel like I want to get all of the BTR sets worked into my collection, and thanks to some very cool Joe fans, I'm almost at that point...and if you want to be a cool Joe fan, too, drop me a line if you can get me a Patriot Grizzly w/ Hi-Tech and Freedom Defense Outpose w/ Duke (at a reasonable price ;) ).
Enough of the shameless begging, though, let's get down to business, which is reviewing the Ground Striker.
First of all, the G.I. Joe team has enough Jeeps to choke a horse. From the very first VAMP to the latest Night Ops HUMVEE, you'd think the last think that the Joe team needs is yet another useless Jeep. And normally, you know what? I might agree with at least some of that sentiment. However, I've discovered that I'm really drawn to the Ground Striker, and even if it is just another Jeep, it's still a pretty cool looking one, and one that I can definitely find some uses for.
First of all, for whatever reason I love six-wheeled vehicles. Don't know why, but I really like the Desert Fox, and I love the way this vehicle looks right off the bat as well. There's something cool about a truck with lots of wheels, and something "tough" about the way the Ground Striker looks, and I dig it right off the bat.
The front of the 'Striker is sloped, yet angular, giving off a real "utility vehicle" vibe, yet this is a utility vehicle that could pack a punch if it needs to. With twin rocket launchers on the roof and mini-guns on the hood, I can see the Ground Striker fighting back against most attacks...although I will keep it's primary specialty is transport and basic service.
Sculpted armor plating on the sides and roof give it some great detailing there...the doors really look like doors (even if they don't open) and the holes in the roof are interesting and functional. It looks like the Ground Striker could take some serious punishment as well as dealing it out, and I like that about it. The cockpit area has two seats, and as usual, no console or steering controls, but it doesn't seem to matter as much here. The doors are raised up, blocking most views, so you really don't notice the fact that Flint is just kinda sitting in there loose, not steering or shifting a darn thing.
The grill on the front is a nice touch, and there are some great authentic 4x4 trademarks tossed here and there throughout the vehicle, just adding some more realism to it. You just end up with a Range Rover type of truck that can roll through most terrain, and tear it up with any COBRA troops that it might happen to come across.
It seems that at every convention, G.I. Joe fans are praising the figure designs in the Built To Rule line, and it seems we're constantly asking Hasbro why we don't see these designs used in the mainstream toyline. And, it seems we always get the same answer...they don't really know. We've been told in the past that they have every intention of using BTR parts in the main Joe line (I mean, it would save money on tooling, so why wouldn't they?), and yet, some of the best Joe parts over the past 2 years have come in the BTR line and stayed there. No BTR Firefly parts anywhere, no Gung Ho or Hollow Point...and apparently, no Flint as well, since everyone has pretty widely praised this figure, and yet no word on any parts recycling is pending.
It's kind of too bad, because without the BTR knobs, some of these figures would be the best new sculpt figures we've seen to date...fans would be in love with them. But because of this format, they are at best forgotten, and at worst, rediculed.
Anyway...what do I think of Flint? Well, he's great! Trying to set aside his BTR'ness for a second, the head sculpt is nearly perfect, and I love his padded vest with chest holster. He really doesn't fit any Flint stereotypes, but still, he just looks like Flint and works as Flint. His arms and legs are pretty simple and straight forward, yet fit the figure well, and you end up with the one and only new sculpt Flint update that's even worth talking about. For such a hugely popular character back in the day, I'm pretty flaberghasted as to why Flint hasn't gotten more love in new sculpt form. But maybe something's coming down the pipe, you never know.
Another redeeming quality of the Ground Striker is that it actually has a fun and functional second mode, which is pretty incredible for the BTR line so far.
Yes, the Ground Striker also doubles as a Water Striker! It turns into a pretty nifty looking attack boat. One thing about this second mode is that it only uses a fraction of the parts that Mode 1 uses, but that doesn't particularly matter to me as long as the alternate vehicle is cool, and this one really is.
The boat is pretty streamlined, floating low to the water, and looking pretty aerodynamic. The armored bumpers work well layered together as the bow of the watercraft, and the assorted weaponry serves it well. The tires double as rear rotors surprisingly effectively, which is something that Hasbro has been doing with BTR since the Raging Typhoon. Some imagination is necessary, but it's effective enough.
All in all, I kinda dig the second mode, and it works nicely as it's own vehicle, which isn't something that many of these BTR vehicles can boast about.
When it comes right down to it, I'd say my anger was justified...if these sets had maintained their rarity and I hadn't had a chance to own them, I would have missed out on some pretty fun little vehicles. I started out these reviews not really looking forward to them...I mean, this was "BTR", right, not "real" Joe stuff...but by the afternoon I found that I was having lots of fun tearing these pieces down and building them back up again, and watching as a pile of random blocks slowly actually started becoming something.
With a new sculpt Flint figure, and a very nicely designed armored utility vehicle, I feel comfortable highly recommending the Ground Striker to anyone. It will serve a great purpose, whether you use the figure as a foundation for customs, or build something neat out of the blocks, I think this is a pretty fun set, and is one of the highlights of both series of Built To Rule.
