Built To Rule - Headquarters Attack Page 2 (Second Mode)
At first the second mode doesn't seem like it would be all that impressive...it has a much more compact feel to it, and is one central base instead of three separate sections all rolled into one. But this single base actually ends up being a little bit more fun than the original Headquarters mode, but part of that might be the fact that it seems more geared towards COBRA, even if the instructions don't say as much.
The first indication of that is that every componant of this set that says "G.I. Joe" on it is not included in the secondary mode instructions...not even the sliding door, which would make perfect sense to go into the top armor plating section. Instead, they just leave that area open. That armor plating that originally went with the Armadillo could easily have been worked in somewhere, but it says "G.I. Joe" on it. The same could be said for the smaller bits of armored pieces that went on the top of the right section of the original mode. So all of this, combined with the fact that it has a Firebat launching pad, seems to indicate pretty strongly that this alternate mode is meant to be a COBRA base of some sort.
The upper platform uses various aspects of the first mode, and ends up being somewhat effective as a surveillance post. The angled blue fins give it a slightly more menacing look, further indicating that this was meant to be a COBRA outpost. The armor plated window offers some protection, although there is still a lot of open air up here...still with a nice swivel chair and control console next to a rotating radar dish, it makes for a decent observation area.
One of the main draws to this outpost is the Firebat launching pad, which is pretty darn cool. It uses some armored blocks to avoid the pegged look on the struts themselves, and there are actually a series of blocks on the bottom of the mini-jet that let it slide neatly into the twin supports and stay pretty nicely. Those supports are also hooked to hinges so the platform can raise or lower for Firebat launch.
The railings add a nice little sense of realism to the outpost, and I dig the mini-guns at the corners, too. The basic construction of this mode, foundation-wise, is extremely similar to the first mode, but you end up with a much different look, which is still pretty cool.
Below the Firebat launch is where the spotlight it mounted, although in this configuration it looks much more like a generator of sorts than really a spotlight, and it works to a certain degree. The piping used as part of the front facade in the first mode looks fine as a stand here, and there's less empty space here to worry about, too. Ultimately, I think this works fairly well.
Below the top observation center, to the left of the flight deck you have a small basic room, with the cool armored plating attached, but as I said before no sliding door, and thus no "G.I. Joe" logo. This area houses the smaller of the missile launchers that comes with this set (because the larger one is mounted up on top) and there is a neat assortment of consoles inside. Since the room is smaller and there are more consoles, there seems to be more substance to this configuration.
Down underneath that, there is a pretty well armored room that...well...I don't know exactly what purpose it serves. There are hinged doors attached inside that seem to form together to be a... recliner? There is a nicely detailed cabinet/console in this room as well, and it does look more filled out, even if there's no real way to tell exactly what it is that's filling it.
And really, that's the outpost in a nutshell. It seems almost shrunk down from the first mode, which actually works to it's advantage, because it ends up with more depth and substance inside, even though it takes up less real estate. The multi-tiered outpost format works pretty nicely, and you end up with a decent mini COBRA base. Personally, I think I'd use it more as a surveillance outpost/depot, because it's not nearly potent enough to be an actual base of operations. But even as an outpost, I think it works pretty nicely. It's got a little power station, some decent defenses, a radar area, and whatever that is Firefly is standing in. There isn't a whole lot of wasted space like there was in mode 1, and it seems to come together more cohesively.
Not to mention the second mode Firebat is an improvement as well.
It's very similar to the first mode, obviously, but the tail fins are now part of the wings instead of on the tail as they were, which actually gives it a cooler more "Firebat" vibe to me. The vehicle might look a little less sleek, but it looks a lot more maneuverable and dangerous, which I think is cool enough, and I love how it fits neatly into the launch pad. Of course there is no improvement on the lack of controls or protection to the pilot, but regardless it's a pretty neat mini-jet, and I like it.
So yeah, given my preference, the COBRA Outpost scores more points for injinuity and fun value than the Joe mode does. Regardless of which mode you choose, if you can find the HQ for a reasonable price, I think it's worth checking out, especially if you're a building block fan. Don't expect to use the base as your default G.I. Joe or COBRA Headquarters, but it will provide some fun and gives you a pretty cool AVAC figure while they're at it.
Back to Page 1 of "Headquarters Attack"!