Any time I’m confronted by Joe fans who are adamant that G.I. Joe should be a hardcore military group and one hundred percent accurate to realistic military structure, all I have to do is think back to the fact that in 1986, one of COBRA’s premier members of leadership was a deranged dentist who had perfected mind control. Not only that, but he was apparently a workout warrior with a monocle who enjoyed wearing metal suspenders, a codpiece and a long, black cape. Dr. Mindbender is one of those characters that almost defies description, yet has become an indelible part of A Real American Hero mythology.
I’ll say, first off, that Mindbender is one of those characters who I think is more timeless and more effective in some of his future iterations. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the 1986 version with the purple pants and the aforementioned codpiece is pretty iconic, but in my world, I sort of prefer either the Battle Corps cyborg iteration or the lab coat and glasses wearing version made popular in Devils’ Due.
That being said, it’s tough to argue that either of those versions are more memorable to the general public than the 1986 caped wonder made popular in the pages of the Marvel comic and throughout the Sunbow animated series.
Dr. Mindbender is yet another one of those Classified figures that goes whole hog into the vintage version for its inspiration, translating that 1986 classic in nearly every way to the 6″ scale. There are some minor changes, like the subtle hint of technical components in his monocle, and some nicely enhanced accessories, but beyond that, this is basically a scaled up version of the original.
That’s not to say Mindbender is without his issues. Hasbro offered this figure as an expensive deluxe, available only through somewhat limited quantities at SDCC and through Hasbro Pulse, which has provided some frustration for collectors. I think while Hasbro is doing a fantastic job actually executing on the design and production of these figures they still need to iron out some issues with cost and availability, especially for core characters like this.
DESIGN
Again, the mere notion of this figure borders on ludicrous. The bare-chested mind control scientist shouldn’t work as well as he does within the scheme of a modern military vs terrorist organization. That being said, he almost immediately fell in line with the COBRA hierarchy of 1986 and mostly thanks to the Sunbow cartoon and the eventual creation of Serpentor, the COBRA Emperor, Dr. Mindbender locked his position as a core member of the COBRA elite.
As I mentioned before, this figure is more or less a one-for-one upscale update of the 1986 original. From the familiar mustache to the metal suspenders and even those crazy gauntlets with the weird hooks on them, this figure is a modern, 6″ version of that classic. But it’s tough to argue when every element of the design has been nailed as nicely as this.
The sculpting, as with nearly all Classified figures, is immaculate. Great detail, great mixture of underlying tooling and the overlaid secondaries, which add a depth and realism to the figure that is difficult to capture at the smaller scale. The various textures used throughout the suspenders, the belt, and even the pants all make each element feel like different material, as it should in real life.
Purple, silver and black pop, the colors rich translations of the original and mesh together with perfection. He stands out very nicely among the other COBRA characters and shows that there’s no reason for Hasbro to shy away from some more daring, dynamic color pallets.
His scowling face is more or less perfect, the small hints of technical enhancements on his monocle a great, subtle addition without taking away from the vintage look that so many fans seem to crave. His soft goods cape is nice and thick, not cheap, thin material, though I do sort of miss the silver COBRA logo that was found prominently displayed on the original. I’m sure there are reasons why they couldn’t mirror that for this version, though it is an aspect that would have driven this right over the top. The always-present holster that perfectly fits his vintage-accurate pistol, is, of course, expected and appreciated. He also has a terrific mount point near the rear of his belt which can connect the small cannister, which also connects to his various weaponry. A nice touch that wasn’t found on the vintage original.
PACKAGING/BOX ART
I haven’t been covering the box art or presentation in reviews recently and mostly that’s because there isn’t really enough to share that sets each box apart from the other, even if they have particularly unique or eye-catching art.
However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the astoundingly cool box art and presentation of the Mindbender packaging. The artwork itself is amazing, to make no mention of the layered box that slips from the slip cover and unfolds to reveal the figure and all of the accessories within. Its just– gorgeous. The back of the box is great as well, chock full of plenty of awesome Easter eggs all pointing to the arrival of Serpentor that has now been revealed. Great stuff.
ARTICULATION
Mindbender, as with the other Classified figures, benefits from fantastic articulation. The reduced size of the suspenders and the soft goods cape both work together to helpfully enhance the figure’s range of motion, since he isn’t restricted by either stiff add-ons or an exceptionally bulky vest that might prevent some of the better poses you might want Mindbender to achieve.
He moves, poses and displays great!
ACCESSORIES
Of course, being a deluxe figure, the accessory compliment is really where one expects Mindbender to excel, and he really does. Things aren’t necessarily 100% perfect here, but I love that he comes with such a wide array of interesting accessories and gimmicks which go a long way toward showcasing his more esoteric adventures.
There is, of course, his familiar laser wand sort of weapon with a nicely thick and poseable hose that slots into each peg with perfection. It fits either accessory he comes with, then connects to the cannister, which pegs into a hole in the back of his belt. A great touch. He comes with two red-tinged containers, one small and one large, the smaller one holds the removable brain while the larger holds the zombified arm, both of which are also included.
Here’s where I have a small complaint or suggestion – it would have been really cool of the skull had been able to fit on an existing figure’s neck ball. Instead, the bottom of the skull is simply flat with no opportunity to add it to a figure. My real disappointment, however, is the zombie arm. The moment I saw it, I knew it would be great to be able to remove a figure’s forearm and stick the zombie arm in its place– only, at least for the COBRA Officer, that’s impossible because the bottom of the bicep is a male peg, so the zombified arm is incompatible. Obviously I haven’t checked every forearm in the line so perhaps there is a figure that would work, but that hasn’t been my experience so far. It would have been cool to be able to represent a character in a partially zombified state.
Anyway– the removable brain with the skull that splits in two are all nice additions, as is the pistol hypodermic which goes with his more standard pistol, very similar to the ’86 original. There are also four small peg additions that plug into the smaller container as well for some added design aesthetics. Lots of cool accessories, I just wish some more thought had been taken to making a few of them integrate better with existing figures.
CONCLUSION
Though he’s a pretty faithful representation of the ’86 original, which isn’t necessarily my preferred approach, the execution of the figure is impeccable. Making him a deluxe, Pulse/SDCC exclusive, however is something that has rubbed a few collectors the wrong way, making a core COBRA character a bit more unnecessarily difficult (and expensive) to obtain.
Hasbro continues to try and balance availability and price with sell through and I suspect this will continue to be a challenge in the years to come.
From a purely execution standpoint, however, Mindbender is a fantastic figure with some great accessories and will be a spectacular addition to your COBRA hierarchy.
General Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Dr. Mindbender
Design
Originality
Articulation
Accessories
Value
4.3
Summary
All in all, Dr. Mindbender is a great addition to the G.I. Joe: Classified line. An enjoyable figure with an array of neat accessories and a crucial member of the COBRA organization. If anything that actually hurts the figure in a way because the increased cost and restricted availability seems like a tough pill to swallow for such an important character.
Pros
– Colors and sculpt are gorgeous and eye-popping
– That deluxe box has some fantastic presentation
– All those great accessories
Cons
– Limited availability is a buzzkill
– The deluxe format ramps up cost that may be tough to justify with accessories that don’t add a ton of value
– Some interaction with the skull and zombie arm with other figures would have been terrific
I was a bit conflicted on how to handle this review, simply because Tomax and Xamot are, at their core, the same figure, only with some minor cosmetic changes. In a way, each twin is a counterpart to the other, so I think writing up a single review that covers both of them is an appropriate course of action.
Back in 1985, I still remember my trip to the local Ben Franklin, which was a craft store of all things, but had an action figure section. Not a huge one, but G.I. Joe was prolific back then and I saw that fantastic mirrored packaging from half an aisle away and immediately sprinted to it, snatching up the twins eagerly, even though I had no clue who they even were.
My interest was piqued and to be honest, it’s never let up. Tomax and Xamot remain two of my all time favorite characters nearly four decades later. Unlike in 1985, however, these days you can’t buy both twins in a single box — you need to purchase two separate Classified figures, which actually doesn’t bother me in the least.
As the Crimson Guard Commanders, not only do I really love these two characters, but they’re also the men in charge of one of my favorite elements of the G.I. Joe mythology as well. The idea that these two men are business suited executives during their normal life, while funneling cash and resources to COBRA via Extensive Enterprises is just a brilliant turn. The fact that these two crazies are also acrobats and potential mind readers just ramps up the awesome ridiculousness to a new level.
DESIGN
I hate to sound like a broken record, but the fact is, Hasbro’s philosophy remains mostly the same with every one of these releases. They look at the vintage version and design a 6″ figure around that aesthetic, all while doing what they can to take advantage of the larger scale. That philosophy remains true with both Tomax and Xamot who use a combination of the same base body with opposite secondaries to both conserve tooling dollars and mirror what was done back in the 1980s.
Tomax and Xamot have been through a bevy of different looks if you consider the Marvel Comics, the Sunbow animated series, not to mention Devils Due and IDW, and Hasbro leans into their vintage, and likely one of their most recognizable versions. It works. I always really loved the sculpts for the original twins, though considering how heavily COBRA themed their armor was it always struck me as interesting that they seemed only tangentially interested in COBRA’s success or failure.
I’m happy to say that this COBRA themed armor only looks even more impressive at the six inch scale and I really love the scale-infused detail and the hooded thigh pads. The figure designs translate almost perfectly to a larger scale. I really love these figures.
Of course, one variation they have to go with is the head sculpt. While Tomax and Xamot are twins, the distinct scar along Xamot’s face is one thing that separates him from his brother, and they include that with these figures. Not only that, but they add a bit more expression as well, really infusing each face sculpt with its own unique personality. It’s pretty impressive how the two figures can look the same, yet still so distinct.
If I have one complaint about these Classified updates — the vintage figures seemed to have a really cool laser weapon embedded in one of their gloves, a raised, distinct sculpt that I really loved. That’s lacking on the Classified figures for reasons I’m not too sure of — probably to conserve tooling dollars for what is essentially a minor design element.
ARTICULATION
Even though most of these Classified figures have the same points of articulation, some of them just feel like they can move better and more smooth than others. The twins fall into that camp. I just love the way these figures pose and move, which is partially due to the lack of restrictions based on their bandolier. They are just really fun figures to display, which is great, considering their circus acrobat ties and history.
One thing to point out and it could fit either here or the design section. The plastic of the Crimson Twins seems to be just slightly different than some previous releases, though I can’t really pinpoint how. The legs and boots certainly feel a little “softer” though that doesn’t dramatically impact the overall success or failure of the figures. Just something to note. I’m not sure if there will be any additional degradation over time, or if it’s just a surface feel that seems a bit different in comparison.
ACCESSORIES
Compared to some other figures, Tomax and Xamot come with surprisingly little, but in a way, I don’t mind that. Hasbro has made it clear that they want to design a sensible accessory compliment per figure — give them the gear they need, but also the gear they can carry. The Twins aren’t typically weighed down with heavy backpacks or elaborate pouches, so as a result, there’s less that they come with. I’m fine with that.
They each come with a submachine gun (with removable silencer) and a pair of knives that fit nicely into twin sheaths. Simple and straight forward, and I like it a lot, even if, compared to someone like Outback or Stalker, they seem a bit thin.
CONCLUSION
Yes, Hasbro, once again, leans into the vintage look pretty heavily, but I really have a strong nostalgia tie to the 1985 Tomax and Xamot and I have to admit, it’s pretty fun to get close approximations of those zany figures in six inch scale. The sculpting and articulation are spectacular as always and even though they don’t have a ton of accessories, simpler is sometimes better. It doesn’t feel like they’re missing anything, so how can you ask for anything else?
I look forward to the eventual deluxe 2-pack with pinstriped suits.
G.I. Joe Classified Tomax & Xamot
Design
Originality
Articulation
Accessories
Value
4.3
Summary
I’ve always loved Tomax and Xamot and Hasbro gives them the credit they deserve, even as they lean heavily on the vintage aesthetic. While they are limited on accessories and might have benefitted from a somewhat less expensive two-pack option, I can’t argue that they’re great additions to the COBRA roster.
Pros
– Love their unique head sculpts
– Vibrant 80s sculpts translate into six inch scale perfectly
Cons
– Not a ton of accessories, though what they come with makes sense
– Buying them separately when a combined two pack at perhaps a slightly reduced cost might have been nice
Stalker is one of those intriguing characters in the G.I. Joe mythology. As odd as it sounds there were certain characters that really found their audience in the cartoon while others were made popular through the pages of the comic. Duke was a cartoon stalwart while Snake Eyes was the single most important hero of the comics. Scarlett bridged that gap, rising to large levels of popularity throughout both series, while Stalker definitely became a more popular character through the Marvel issues, even before he was linked to Snake Eyes’ back story.
Because I was always a comic reader back in the day, Stalker became one of my favorite characters and I’m thrilled to say the Classified version basically takes everything I love about the character and wraps it up into one nice package.
As one of the original 13, Stalker has been with the team since the beginning, though for whatever reason he’s sort of dipped in and out of popularity. I would wager he’s one of the core members of the Joe team and I’m glad to see that Hasbro seems to realize that as well, giving him his due relatively early in the line.
That’s not to say this Stalker figure is perfect, there are some issues, but by and large it does a good job updating Lonzo Wilkinson to this new universe and at this new scale.
DESIGN
While Hasbro has remained exceptionally faithful in their modern interpretations of key vintage characters, I’m happy to say they give Stalker some nice updates to make him work as a more modern combat operative.
Stalker’s head sculpt is absolutely perfect. Extremely expressive and full of personality, it looks exactly how I’d picture Stalker to look, complete with a removable beret. The body itself is layered with sculpted texture, looking more like a thick uniform than the original 1982 bodysuit.
The intricate texture of the pants is another nice addition– it’s pretty typical of these figures, but it looks nice and adds a touch of realism. Stalker’s web gear is very reminiscent of his vintage look, but it still works for the more modern interpretation, especially with the addition of shamog, which is a little bulky, but does help modernize the figure somewhat.
If I have any comments or complaints, Stalker’s colors almost come off a little bit too monotone. There isn’t much difference between the greens and the browns throughout, so he doesn’t pop quite as much as some other figures do. That being said, I think Hasbro did a great job overall, giving us a modern interpretation of G.I. Joe’s first Army Ranger.
ARTICULATION
Great, as we’ve come to expect. The dual strap web gear does restrict mobility a tiny bit, but not nearly as much as a full-torso tactical vest might. As a result, he still poses well and can achieve all sorts of effective shooting poses. His articulation is terrific.
ACCESSORIES
Like another recent figure I purchased, Outback, Stalker comes with a nice amount of various different military-styled accessories. A lot of the gear that these figures come with is predicated on how they can hold that gear. In that way, the G.I. Joe operatives seem to have an advantage, because you can give them backpacks, holsters and sheaths to hold everything they need to hold. I love the pistol holster with a spot for the rectangular suppressor as well. For some reason, I really love that suppressor. I have no idea how realistic it is, but it looks cool and that’s really all I care about when it comes to these figures.
The old school machine gun is very much like the one the original Stalker was released with, complete with a removable magazine that fits into the weapon sheath backpack. He’s got a knife complete with a thigh sheath, the removable beret and the aforementioned shamog which can cover the top half of his torso. I haven’t quite decided if I prefer that look or not.
Stalker’s main weapon appears to be a stoner-influenced machine gun, and though at first I thought it was a made up weapon, the following post on the Facebook group G.I. Joe: Classified Elite led me down another path. In fact, Stalker’s weapon seems at least partially based on the FN EVOLYS but perhaps draws some inspiration to the FiNN LMG found within Call of Duty Modern Warfare. In fact, the weapon seems to be almost a dead ringer for that one. Keep in mind, I’m far from a weapons expert, but I do enjoy seeing where inspiration is drawn and while I don’t mind those early Classified figures, I’m all for a trend toward more realistic looking weapons as well. This one is a good one. Thanks to both James and Brandon from the above Facebook group for pointing out those other weapons.
CONCLUSION
Stalker is a great, great figure. I’m thrilled to have him join my G.I. Joe ranks and from an execution standpoint, Hasbro did a pretty excellent job.
I wish the color scheme was a bit more exciting, but beyond that, they gave him a ton of great accessories a terrific head sculpt and he’s just a great, if somewhat basic, figure.
General Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Sgt. Stalker
Design
Originality
Articulation
Accessories
Value
4.6
Summary
Although it’s a pretty straight forward modern military update, I love what Hasbro does with Stalker, allowing the collector to go more vintage or modern as they choose. While the color scheme is a bit bland, the sculpt, accessories and overall character are all great enough to warrant high review scores.
Pros
– That head sculpt is terrific
– Great accessories and love that he can carry them all. Great stuff
I absolutely love the fact that we got Tiger Force Outback before we got our standard deco Outback, both because it’s such a fun international variant, and it proves that nothing is really off the table when it comes to figures Hasbro might consider revisiting for the Classified line.
I’m really digging the fact that they’re focusing so strongly on Tiger Force and Python Patrol as this Target exclusive run– it makes a lot of sense. Folks who don’t care so much about repaints don’t have to track them down, and it allows Hasbro to re-invest tooling dollars in figure variations that make a lot of sense.
I will say, however, folks who are waiting for the standard deco of Outback are doing themselves a disservice– this figure is amazing. Check out my G.I. Joe: Classified Review page or access the review directly at the link below:
If you’d told me, even when the G.I. Joe: Classified line started, that we’d be seeing the UK exclusive deco of Outback before the regular ’87 release, I would have thought you were nuts. If you’d told me that Outback would actually be the first Tiger Force figure released in the Classified line, I would have said you were double nuts.
Yet here I am, with the figure in my hands, and I’m still having a hard time believing it. But believe me, I’m not complaining.
I’ve been around the online G.I. Joe community for a long time and can still remember the days when the UK Exclusive Tiger Force Outback was a strange fascination that domestic collectors barely knew about. Of course back then, many of us hardcore collectors sort of rolled our eyes at the silly “cat deco” on the t-shirt and the vibrant orange and blue color schemes the UK Tiger Force figures had.
I’d like to think as we’ve matured (ha, right) we’ve learned to appreciate those more esoteric color schemes, especially since Hasbro revisited them purposefully for a Toys “R” Us O-Ring 6 pack so many years back. Of course, as a Hit & Run fan, I have a real fascination for that era of UK goodness and seeing Outback get this early treatment is both exciting and hilarious at the same time.
Frankly — I absolutely love it, not just because of the orange shirt, but his unique white hair– he almost looks like a completely different character. Hasbro has really leaned into some of the more obscure aspects of G.I. Joe early in this iteration, and I’m here for it.
Of course, Hasbro did change things up a little bit. Instead of giving us the old school cat deco on the t-shirt, they did the Tiger Force logo, a new logo they whipped up just for the Classified line, it seems. Personally, I’m fine with that compromise, giving us the underlying color pallet of the UK version, but making it just a little bit more “on brand”.
DESIGN
Back in 1987, the original Outback was pretty revolutionary. Having a figure with both removable web gear and a removable leg-mounted flashlight was a rarity, and Outback had them both a good three decades before they did it in the 25th Anniversary.
His bulky sculpt and removable gear really set him apart from most of his ’87 peers and while the Classified version isn’t quite as distinct from a design perspective, the things it does, it does exceptionally well. I might even say it does them perfectly.
While it’s true that separate web gear and removable accessories aren’t such a novelty these days, I can still say with confidence that Outback achieves the look exceptionally well. The sculpting on Outback is fantastic. For a bearded dude in a t-shirt and camouflage pants, he looks amazing, with some really intricate work on his determined looking face sculpt and a series of different folds and textures throughout his makeshift uniform.
The size of the figure is really great, looking a bit bigger and larger than some of the other Joes, but still not quite as big as Gung Ho or Roadblock. He fits into his role perfectly well. The combination of orange on the t-shirt, the brown web gear and camouflage pants somehow manages to work amazingly well together, reminiscent of the UK original yet also looking new and exciting. The camouflage on his legs is nicely understated, a great blend of green and brown that mutes the colors a bit and offsets the brightness of the orange.
Along with the basics, it’s also the little things — the weathering in his hair that makes it look more real than just a blank wash of white– and the ARM HAIR. YES. THEY PAINTED HIS ARM HAIR. Pretty great detail work there.
Outback, from a design perspective, is legitimately one of my favorite figures in this line.
ARTICULATION
What else is there to say?
Even with the web gear and the leg straps on the figure, he maintains full range of fantastic motion, the joints moving smoothly and with terrific poseability. His ab crunch works even with the straps and I find myself able to get him in pretty much every single firing pose I can dream of.
ACCESSORIES
Outback’s complement of accessories is yet another example of the near perfection this figure achieves. He comes with a lot of different accessories, but not too much. As Hasbro has managed to do with nearly every release, they’ve found ways to stash every item on the figure without anything left over. For a survival expert like Outback, this is no small task.
His fantastic backpack has two pegs, one for an awesome shovel that comes included, the other for the rifle, just in case you want to stash it away. His left leg strap holds his flashlight (which is still small enough for him to hold) with a spot on his left ankle for the knife. His rifle has a removable magazine and a great sling which can also be used to carry the weapon if you don’t want to put it on his backpack.
Lastly, Outback also comes with a great pistol– I’m not sure if it’s a specific type of pistol, but I love that he’s got a cloth wrap around it, a nice little touch that differentiates the weapon from others in the line.
In a world where Hasbro leans on re-used tooling for so many toys, I remain consistently impressed by how many new parts they cram into these figures. Each of these accessories is used here for the first time, as far as I’m aware, and the figure itself doesn’t feel “re-purposed”. Granted, we’ll be getting a standard deco Outback down the road, but I’m still really blown away.
CONCLUSION
Outback rose to near legendary status back in the 80s because of his revolutionary design elements and bulky sculpt. While the removable gear isn’t so landmark setting now as it was back then, this figure achieves those objectives magnificently well. His sculpting, his accessories, his paint deco– everything about this figure (including its source material) is executed to near perfect status.
If I could come up with any complaints, it would be with availability. Granted, while he was relatively easy to pre-order either on Target.com or Hasbro Pulse, distribution has been terrible. As it stands, he shipped to the UK a good several months ago, but currently has a release date of October on Target’s website with no clue when he might actually ship. That’s not Hasbro’s fault, but it is an unfortunate effect of this figure’s exclusivity.
General Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Tiger Force Outback
Design
Originality
Articulation
Accessories
Value
4.9
Summary
With a great UK Exclusive inspiration, the perfect compliment of accessories, and an amazingly cool sculpt, Outback ticks every single box anyone could want. I’m sure some collectors would prefer the original deco, and I have no doubt that figure will rock as well, but I really dig this one, too.
Pros
– The sculpt is insanely cool
– Love the source material
– All those great accessories
Cons
– Target exclusivity and limited availability might provide a bit of frustration
