Let me get this right out of the way up front — when Hasbro first announced they were doing a Wal-Mart exclusive G.I. Joe: Classified “Retro” line, my first response was — why? I mean, after all, the standard releases had been trending very close to Retro already. What was the point?
When we saw the first figure — a carded Baroness, I doubled down on my reaction. While the oversized card was an interesting trinket, the placement of the bubble and the somewhat dull positioning of the figure (empty space and all) didn’t really make it at all appealing. Now, to be fair– the Baroness was a sensible choice, after all, she’d only been available in an expensive Target exclusive pack alongside the COBRA Coil motorcycle, so at least at Wal-Mart someone could drop $20 for just the figure.
In my mind, the extra items in the Target version made it worthwhile, but– I digress.
So, I guess the real question is– if I was so lukewarm on this idea, how the hell did I end up with all four figures?
Because Hasbro managed to weave some interesting design elements into them that made them worth my money? Yes.
Because I’m a G.I. Joe sheep who just might very well buy almost any action figure with the G.I. Joe logo on it? Also yes.
To be fair, Hasbro did manage to do some interesting things, especially with Lady Jaye and Gung Ho, so I bought those two readily and eagerly. Then I received a free Baroness inside a Hasbro Fan Box — and my obsessive nature compelled me to at least purchase that final figure I was missing. Thus, I ended up with the whole damn set.
I suppose the answer is– do I regret my choice? Hmmmm… yes and no.
From my perspective, both Destro and The Baroness are objectively worse than their standard retail versions, so in those cases, yes I have some buyer’s remorse (though really only for Destro, since I got Baroness for free). The removal of some of the gray trim from the Baroness, the lackluster weapons and the removal of her knife sheath are all big points against the Retro version of COBRA’s female intelligence operative. I do like the stand she comes with, but that’s about the only improvement.
Destro is a little bit better with the black, animation specific eyebrows over his eyes and a somewhat eye-catching silver on his gloves, but by and large, I much prefer the color breaks of the retail version of this figure as well. I think “regret” or “remorse” might be a strong word, but suffice it to say, the Retro Baroness and Destro will not be the ones that I stand up in my display.
Animation accurate or not– new stands or not– I just prefer the way the original releases look and will be sticking with those. I can kinda understand why Hasbro chose these two characters (especially with the Baroness’ availability and price point) I’m just not sure I needed them in my collection.
I will say, however, things get a lot more interesting when you start talking about Lady Jaye and Gung Ho. Especially Gung Ho.
Let’s take a look at Lady Jaye first — while Destro and The Baroness seemed to just sort of commit to whatever they were trying to achieve, Lady Jaye went all in on the homages to the original 1985 action figure. The lime green uniform, the lack of the hair to replace her hat, the NEWLY TOOLED OLD SCHOOL CAMCORDER not to mention her backpack. Yeah, whatever corners Hasbro cut they built back up.
As much as I’d prefer if Hasbro try new concepts and new ideas it’s tough to argue that having a 6″ update to the ’85 figure doesn’t have at least a little bit of a “cool factor”.
Now, taking nostalgia out of the picture entirely, I think I prefer the original release. I’d much rather have the swappable hair/hat combo, the more modern backpack-mounted camera and the slightly more toned down, realistic colors. I will say the execution on the face painting on the Retro Lady Jaye is great improved, however.
This brings us to Gung Ho. Far and away the shining star of the Retro series thus far, Hasbro threw everything they had at this Gung Ho update and stuck the landing.
Personally, I really liked the original Gung Ho release– it was during a short window of time where Hasbro was trying some new things, not beholden to vintage ideals, and I kind of liked that approach. It meant each new figure had a potential to bring something legitimately new to the table, rather than everything being, more or less, pre-ordained. Sure, Gung Ho came with some clunky weapons and his hat wasn’t 100% adherent to the Marine Corps standards, but the darker colored uniform, the modernized vest– the slightly retooled facial features. It all worked really well for me, though I acknowledge others weren’t wild about it.
For the Retro version, Hasbro leaned whole hog into that old school 1983 powder blue aesthetic.
And, you know, as much as I say I love the modern and scoff at the vintage accuracy of some of these figures– tough for me to say that the Retro Gung Ho isn’t pretty cool. Yeah his colors are bright and somewhat unrealistic, yeah, there isn’t quite as much originality at play. But the figure works.
Hasbro clearly invested a ton of new tooling dollars into the figure, giving him a new head, new hat, new backpack, new vest, new grenade launcher, new holster and grenade pouch. The entire figure could have easily sold in a box at MSRP rather than the Wal-Mart Retro line and I suspect almost any Classified fan would have paid up. It is, more or less, similar to Heavy Artillery Roadblock, a vintage looking figure etched in 6″ scale with a modern aesthetic.
What started as mostly a curiosity for me has somewhat surprised me. Initially I hadn’t really considered buying any of these, yet somehow I ended up with all four in my collection and while their usability might be in question, they remain fun additions to the Classified line.
Without a doubt, I would say anyone who owns the existing Baroness and Destro don’t need to bother adding those two Retro figures to their collection, however both Lady Jaye and Gung Ho have significant additions to their figures and are both worth at least considering, in my mind.
I suspect the majority of fans will eagerly acquire Gung Ho and to a lesser extent Lady Jaye, though they might very well (and rightly so) pass by Baroness and Destro.
I know this wasn’t a full-blown review, but in truth, the majority of these figures didn’t have enough changes to warrant a full individual review and rather than just focus a review on Gung Ho and/or Lady Jaye, I decided to write up a sort of “catch all” post covering the interesting and less interesting elements of these figures.
The year was 1987 and it was a turning point, of course for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Many fans these days would claim it was the start of a downward trend, the emergence of COBRA La, a shift toward more ridiculous enemies like Raptor, Crystal Ball, Big Boa and yes– Croc Master.
I will say, I find Croc Master’s relative popularity curious– not that he’ll ever rise to the ranks of someone like Firefly, Storm Shadow or The Baroness, but amongst the other 1987 rookies, I feel pretty confident in saying he remains at the top of most fan’s lists. Unlike his COBRA La counterparts, he never appeared in animation, and he was barely featured in the comics before being buried in the COBRA freighter, so beyond being COBRA’s island security with an obsession with crocodiles, there isn’t much known about the enigmatic villain. Perhaps that’s part of his appeal? The relative blank slate status he has so the fans can write their own backstory?
Or maybe it’s just his look — the black mask, red eyes and crocodile hide armor giving him very unique aesthetic that is both apart from COBRA standard, but also fits them in its own weird way.
Whatever the reason, Croc Master, over the years has received a surprising focus from Hasbro and G.I. Joe fans in general. After all, he appeared relatively early on in the 25th Anniversary line (as well as near the end of Valor Vs. Venom), and even earned a Python Patrol repaint, which, I’d say, is definitely a possibility with this version as well.
I mean, objectively speaking, he looks a LOT cooler than someone like Raptor or Crystal Ball (and this is coming from a guy who actually likes Raptor quite a bit), but even so– his emergence as an almost constant presence among COBRA’s elite does remain at least somewhat of a surprise.
DESIGN
What isn’t a surprise is just how bad ass this figure is. As the G.I. Joe: Classified line has evolved over the past two years, it’s become clear that the sculpting and design talent behind the line are second to none and when it comes to a character like Croc Master there are so many awesome, unique design elements, it’s no surprise that the talented folks behind Classified design absolutely knocked this one out of the park.
First and foremost, yes, as with most recent Classified releases, the designers adhered pretty strictly to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” vintage inspiration. While I’ve found some reason to complain about that approach in other reviews, it’s tough to argue its effectiveness here. I would still maintain that characters like Storm Shadow, Stalker, Firefly and others would heavily benefit from a more modern approach. But when it comes to a croc obsessed COBRA security guard? I dunno– the vintage look nailed it pretty nicely.
Croc Master is a larger body buck, but not as large as say Roadblock or Gung Ho. His broad shouldered bulk is covered by a fantastically sculpted crocodile hide body suit layered in various shades of green which add a nice sense of depth, realism and texture to the figure. He comes complete with his two familiar gauntlets, the COBRA emblem on his right chest and the unique weird eyeball belt buckle that has become a strange hallmark of sorts. Is that eyeball an actual crocodile eyeball? If he’s obsessed with the creatures so much why does he wear their skin? So many questions.
The sculpting on the figure is amazing as well, with his furrowed brow beneath the taut, black mask, the airmask and hose that leads to his back where the secondary tank is plugged into his back. His holster and awesome, somewhat modernized revolver as well as the knife at his calf. This is a perfect upscale rendition of the familiar ’87 Croc Master and Hasbro really turned the design dynamic up a notch when translating him in three dimensions.
ARTICULATION
Pretty much perfect, all things considered. The textured croc skin vest is sculpted on instead of strapped over, so his ab crunch is unhindered and fully poseable. Even though he’s got pretty muscular arms, he retains full range of motion in the elbows and shoulders, and even with the air hose his head and neck are capable of any manner of twists, turns or nods.
Hips, knees and ankles all have their full poseability as well, and in spite of the bulkier, more stout stature, Croc Master can move with the best of them.
ACCESSORIES
I mean– the focal point of his accessory compliment has her name right on the box — Fiona is where it’s at. A fully articulated crocodile, Fiona is a spectacular addition to the figure and a real upgrade from the static chunk of plastic the ’87 version came packed with. She’s amazingly articulated with a wire frame tail, ball joints at the base and a multi-segment neck joint, so she can twist and turn in all manner of different directions.
Her hips and jaw are all articulated as well, not to mention her wrists, which helps get just the right predatory pose no matter the circumstance. Don’t even get me started on the paint apps — the various shades of green, the touches of pink at the tongue and the corners of her mouth. She looks like a crocodile translated into plastic– who just happens to be an accessory for a G.I. Joe figure.
What’s great is that she’s far from the only accessory he comes with. I already mentioned the great revolver and knife, plus a nasty looking meat hook, a chain leash with spiked collar and a whip, all very much in line with the original and 25th era releases. There are also two baby crocs that come with the set as well, all combining together to make this entire box feel “deluxe” though I’m not sure I’ll ever get accustomed to paying $40 for a domestic release six inch figure, no matter what it comes with.
CONCLUSION
Croc Master is one of those obscure characters that I fell in love with early, and unlike some of them that I appreciate, the fans and Hasbro themselves seem to share that love.
Taking the 1987 template and cranking up the scale and sculpting to align with a 21st Century aesthetic works absolute wonders for Croc Master, giving him suitable bulk and intimidation. He remains exceptionally well articulated and as I mentioned before, the intricate layers of paint and texture just bring him fully to life.
If you’d asked me to pick which COBRA characters were going to make an appearance within the first 38 figures of the Classified line, I’m not sure Croc Master would have been on that list– but I’m thrilled that he was.
General Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Croc Master
Design
Originality
Articulation
Accessories
Value
4.6
Summary
Yes there’s more of that adherence to vintage look and feel but for Croc Master it works. He looks suitably imposing and thankfully his old school aesthetic doesn’t deviate from more modern elements. He’s a great looking update with some fantastic accessories and a face only a mother could love.
Pros
– Amazingly detailed sculpt
– Fiona is remarkably cool
– That multi-toned and textured croc skin outfit is gorgeous in 6″ scale
Cons
– Doesn’t have a place for all of his weapons, unlike most classified figures
– $40 still feels like a sorta steep price point, though Fiona almost makes it worth it!
Hasbro was still fully in the modernization mindset when they designed the COBRA Trooper to align with the initial assortment of Target releases and I couldn’t have been happier. COBRA’s backbone infantry unit was completely overhauled for 21st Century operations with layered body armor, a metal face mask, armored gauntlets and boots and a uniform rich with layered texture and awesome aesthetics.
At the time of its release, the COBRA Trooper was quite possibly my favorite figure of the line. Thus, when the COBRA Officer was announced, I was greatly anticipating the eventual reveal, but also, at the same time, a little cautious. What would they do? Simply repaint the trooper with the trademark silver sigil? Or would they make some other, more dramatic changes that might create unnecessary separation and division from within the COBRA forces?
Turns out, I needn’t have bothered to worry– the Hasbro designers in charge of G.I. Joe: Classified have quickly become some of my favorites and the COBRA Officer is a perfect reason why.
DESIGN
First of all, no Hasbro didn’t simply throw a silver logo on the COBRA Trooper and as much as I love the COBRA Trooper (and COBRA Infantry for that matter) I couldn’t be happier that they went in a different direction with the officer.
First of all– yes there are some connections to the trooper, which is exactly what you’d expect and want for the Officer. With similar blue hues to the uniform, he also has some of the same added texture to his balaclava, his arms and his legs, which immediately makes that much needed connection to the larger group of COBRA Infantry. The effective balance of black on blue, as well, especially on the shoulders and near the collarbone adds a nice divergence of color and breaks up the standard canvas nicely, adding more detail to the sculpted texture and some deviation from what could have been a bland, monochrome color scheme.
But, of course, they removed the bulkier battle armor, taking him a step away from the front lines, instead using web gear on him that’s somewhat similar to the old school officer, but with a bit of a modern touch.
With the opened “V” of the web gear, you can see the uniform beneath, featuring a smooth surface tunic with a nice rank ribbon on the upper chest, immediately adding a sense of significance to his position, settling him firmly in a stance of leadership among the other cadre of troopers. It’s a small touch, but a great one.
Along with the tunic and web gear, the lower half of his facemask is now a smooth cloth rather than the armored look, just as his gloves and boots look like more natural leather rather than next generation armored tech. The result is an update to the COBRA Officer which looks a bit more “real” but at the same time still blends in almost seamlessly with the existing trooper base. It’s a pretty great symbiosis between different techniques and they pull it off perfectly.
ARTICULATION
With a look closely aligned with the Trooper, I’m happy to say the Officer actually retains better articulation, specifically due to the thinner straps used for the web gear rather than the huge, full-torso battle vest which restricts movement on the Trooper and Infantry.
Elbows, knees, hips, all the rest of the requisite joints are present and accounted for and work really well, allowing for a wealth of various poses and positions. I didn’t notice any real stiffness or hindrance to range of motion and the various battle ready stances or gun-firing positions all worked really well.
ACCESSORIES
It seems like so long ago that Hasbro seemed wholly unwilling to put realistic weapons in with their figures. COBRA Officer comes with an AK-47 with removable magazine and scope, as well as submachine gun with a second removable magazine, a knife and a pistol. As Hasbro as done throughout the Classified line, there is room on the figure for all of the various accessories, which is an excellent detail, though I’ll admit it was a bit difficult to get the scope and the magazine where they belonged in the back of the belt.
A separate sleeve backpack is included as well, which will fit either weapon nice and snug, allowing for some customizability when it comes to which weapon he’s holding and which one he’s saving for later.
It’s not an extravagant assortment of various weapons, but simple and functional, even if the pistol seems a bit old school for the modern Officer to carry.
CONCLUSION
I had several different expectations when it came to the inevitable Officer release and somehow Hasbro eschewed them all and managed to surpass them all at the same time. The web gear, the various different smooth and rough textures throughout the body sculpting, the similarity, yet differences to the Trooper cadre– it all comes together to give us a spectacular version of the Officer which simultaneously adheres to classic tropes while at the same time bringing in plenty of more modern twists.
The COBRA Officer, in its unique and somewhat simple way achieves precisely what I’ve wanted Classified figures to achieve– latch on to some of that vintage inspiration that brings out the nostalgia, while at the same time not backing away from tying in modern elements that make it something new and different from an 80s faithful regurgitation.
They nailed it with this one and I’m thrilled.
General Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified COBRA Officer
Design
Originality
Articulation
Accessories
Value
4.2
Summary
The COBRA Trooper was an exceptional modern interpretation, several steps apart from its vintage counterpart– in a time when Hasbro seems to be looking firmly toward vintage designs for inspiration, how would they blend the two aesthetics in the COBRA Officer? As it turns out, pretty darn well. The COBRA Officer takes some of the intriguing textural elements of the Trooper while adding some more old school “officer type” layers and creates a figure that, while reminiscent of the 80s, isn’t beholden to it. Yet even with those subtle vintage elements, they manage to modernize it enough to blend with the existing Troopers, a feat that was likely far more complicated than they made it seem.
Pros
– Great modernization to the old school Officer vibe
– Love the removable magazines and that there’s a place on the figure for everything
– Variations in texture make for a very interesting looking figure
There are times, it seems, where nearly every memory of my childhood is at least tangentially related to G.I. Joe, as foolish as that sounds. As I was prepping this review in my head, I recalled that at some point in 1984, my best friend at the time and I were preparing to exchange Christmas presents. It was with some great, barely concealed frustration that I was wrapping a brand new Spirit figure for him– not because he didn’t deserve it, but because, dangit, the figure looked awesome and I wanted it. But my mom had been adamant that we give it to my friend for Christmas, so it got sealed in a box, wrapped in paper and forever removed from my eager, ten year old hands.
Fast forward a few days and my friend and I exchanged our gifts, both of us eagerly opening them– and much to our pleasure (and surprise) we’d both bought each other Spirit action figures from that new G.I. Joe toy line we both loved so much.
For whatever reason I clearly remember Freedom’s claws breaking within three days of opening him, but I loved that Spirit figure and by the time it finally saw retirement there was a broken thumb, a broken crotch and a lost belt to go along with Freedom’s claws.
Now, here were are in 2022, way more years later than I’d care to admit, and I just expressed similar excitement in opening the package of another version of Spirit Iron-Knife, one whose design was overseen by a group of Native Americans who had agreed to work alongside Hasbro to ensure the update to the G.I. Joe tracker was as inclusive and sensitive to their heritage as it could be.
As a result, some changes were made from the vintage version, but all things considered, this Spirit update is a credit to the fantastic history of the character, who took up prominent roles in both the comic and the cartoon back in the 80s.
DESIGN
As with most Classified figures these days, Spirit Iron-Knife certainly seems to take a healthy amount of inspiration from his classic look from 1984, but, ends up with just the right amount of updates and tweaks to thrust him into the modern day.
Like the classic Spirit he’s got his powder blue shirt and tan khaki pants, though Hasbro removed the belt and the frills along the boots, mostly, I suspect, out of respect for Spirit’s Native American heritage and without leaning on some of the more prominent stereotypes of that heritage. The result is a figure that looks instantly like he did back in the day, but without some of those more egregious design elements that could take away from an otherwise fantastic looking figure.
The secondary strap and knife sheath on his chest, along with the belt and leg holster and sheath are all in the same olive green color and fit the figure perfectly without restricting his articulation, a delicate balance that Hasbro has achieved to perfection here. The sculpting on Spirit is as terrific as always, his face full with the familiar character that we’ve seen throughout both Sunbow and Marvel, the look of grim determination as well as the red headband and a thin strand of hair hanging over the fabric which only serves to further express the figure in three dimensions.
The gauntlet on his left arm has two holes in it for Freedom’s claw pegs and the sizing is just right, allowing the large eagle to perch, ready to strike.
Speaking of that eagle, he comes with folded wings or wings outstretched, and includes ball-joint articulation for both as well as hip and neck– so he can be perched in wait, or in mid-flight. Some fantastic added detail only possible in a larger scale.
ARTICULATION
As mentioned, the design of the chest strap and sheath is great in that it does nothing to restrict the movement of the figure’s torso joint or shoulders, so Spirit Iron-Knife retains a full range of motion in nearly any direction.
A pet peeve I’ve often had for G.I. Joe figures in other scales was that the soldiers could never really quite hold their weapons “right” there were always some limitations to the way the figures moved. Well, Spirit can capture an almost perfect pose with the sniper rifle, either on his feet or on a knee or anything in between and while it might be a little thing, it makes a big difference.
Spirit Iron-Knife’s articulation is pretty much everything you’d want it to be and it gets bonus points because even the eagle has it!
ACCESSORIES
At some point during Classified’s inception, it was decided by the design team that they wanted to do whatever they could to have a spot for all of the various figures’ accessories either on the figure or in an included bag or backpack. They haven’t always hit that mark (there have been spare hands and hair pieces, for instance) but they’ve regularly come pretty dang close.
Spirit Iron-Knife is a perfect example of how they’re achieving this feat.
Obviously there’s an exception here — Freedom comes with two sets of wings, so they’re not going to have a place to store the alternate set– but everything else has it’s place. A holster for the pistol, two separate sheaths for both knives, a backpack with a peg for the sniper rifle as well as a mount for Freedom.
You can pose Spirit Iron-Knife with every bit of gear he comes with and he both holds that pose well and looks dynamite at the same time. Obviously, Hasbro elected to eschew the spear gun from 1984 in favor of a more traditional sniper rifle, and that totally works for me– even as a kid I wasn’t especially sold on that weapon. His pistol looks like an old school combat pistol and both knives are just different enough, while very much looking their part.
I’ve already expressed my pleasure with how Freedom came out as well, so in short — I cannot think of a single way they could improve the accessory compliment with this figure. It’s just fantastic.
CONCLUSION
Whether facing off against Storm Shadow in the Sunbow cartoon, or teaming up with Ripcord and Blowtorch alongside Bongo the Balloon Bear, Spirit has often played key roles, not just on the toy shelves but in various media as well — heck, he even made the shortlist for Sigma 6.
With this version of the character, Hasbro propels him into a slightly more modern look but with all of the great vintage throwbacks, and took great care to remain sensitive to his cultural history. All three figures in this assortment are spectacular and Spirit, I believe, stands atop that pile
General Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Spirit Iron-Knife
Design
Originality
Articulation
Accessories
Value
4.7
Summary
It seems only fitting that Spirit Iron-Knife comes in the same assortment as Storm Shadow and although I always bristled at that conflict in the Sunbow cartoon, I find the giddy nostalgia satisfying nearly 40 years later. It certainly helps that Spirit is a hell of a great figure with some flawless sculpting, excellent articulation and great accessories.
Pros
– Amazingly detailed sculpt
– Poseable Freedom? Get outta here!
– Just the right touch of modernization
Cons
Knife handles are pretty small and his hand gets stretched out with the rifle so he can’t hold them all that well
