The end of the lists and recaps is here. Scaled back from my original plan of a best and worst (for those curious, Roadblock made the worst because for all the repaints and re-releases, it still feels like they're struggling to lock down the character). And now, including a summary of the Fan First Friday that aired yesterday (or tonight at the time of writing this part), it's time to see how the Classified line goes ranked. While it's true for the Transformers lists and the miscellaneous action figure list, I feel I should stress that this is a list covering the Joes I got in 2021. Thanks to the fact that I could still get early line figures last year relatively easily, it's a list that covers both 2020 and 2021. Does this include all of the figures in the line? No, there are some I'm missing and some I do not intend to get. This list is just covering the ones I've gotten. To the retro collectors, I would love to do one of these for the retro line at some point, especially for the vehicles. Unfortunately, I don't have the money or space to collect the retro stuff.
8. Scarlet (v1):
Scarlet's an interesting case for me. Like her wave mates, she got a reissue with a different paint job to "make her look more realistic and not as futuristic", but except for the head sculpt, I think the first version is far better thanks to the modernization done to her original costume. I think the dark blue better compliments the figure than the black does. The accessories she comes with are also a little clumsy. Her crossbow comes apart easily (granted, it's an anti breaking bit of engineering), and her quiver is awkward in its design. Awkward is probably the best way to describe her, as there isn't anything objectively wrong with the toy, just awkward. I hope if she does get a new toy later down the line, they bring the dark blue back. Another hope of mine is that they give her the articulation that came with Lady Jaye. For those wondering why she didn't make it, out of the two I just prefer Scarlet in terms of an overall upgrade to her original design, even if Lady Jaye is still a solid figure on her own merit.
7. Cobra Infantry Trooper:
Representing the army builders is the Cobra Infantry. Better than the Cobra Trooper released in the Cobra Island line? I don't know, there are two figures I'm missing from the 2020-2021 lineup, and that army builder is one of them (the other is Beachhead). While the Infantry Trooper might not be as well-armed as other Cobra Army Builder's so far, I honestly prefer that as it helps identify them as the grunts. The nameless, faceless, rank fillers intended to enforce a "Strength in Numbers" mindset but are more akin to Stormtroopers, "throw enough bodies at the problem and hope it goes away". There's a certain charm in the simplicity of the Infantry Trooper, and what helps them at the moment is that they're so generic that they fit in with basically any member of Cobra. The Vipers seem to be too skilled to not be on their own, the ARC Troopers of Cobra. The Red Ninjas look fine, but they feel out of place without any other Cobra Ninjas. That's why the Infantry Trooper wins out over them, at least in my eyes.
6. Major Bludd:
As much as I joked about how much of a "first boss" feel Bludd has, it's hard to deny how good he looks. The detailing work for him is well done, and it helps define things from the original toy, such as the robotic arm. Bludd makes it to the list as, while it doesn't make me more invested in the character, I can't help but give him credit for trying. He is a solid figure of a needed character, but for all that polish, for better or worse, he still feels like that first boss.
5. Zartan (retail and Pulsecon):
Zartan's an interesting case for me. It's a figure where I loved the base retail release but hated the accessories; some felt like mould flash that looked somewhat cool, so they kept them in (these being the monkey's paw and the snake head). When the Convention Exclusive version came out, I thought the colour change gimmick was an excellent nod to the original toy. The silver armour I could take or leave, but the accessories he came with were a significant step up from the retail release. I love the giant sniper rifle and the different heads (the Snake Eyes one I keep on my Snake Eyes figure, as the grey visor looks good on him). I wouldn't recommend what I did; the chances are that Zartan will see another release that combines the two is relatively high. Both are good, though, so there's no definitive "which one's better?" in my eyes.
4. Snake Eyes Movie Baroness:
Like I said in my review of the two different Baroness toys, while the Cobra Island release feels more like a faithful, blown up re-release of the original Baroness figure, the Snake Eyes release feels more like what I want to see from Classified. "What if this character was done in the style of the 2020's?" While I know this was because of the movie, and the style of Holywood is, at least for Paramount, to take things in a very different direction in terms of designs (yes, I see you in the corner over there, Bayformers), this feels different enough to the original without being barely recognizable. You can still show the design to a casual fan of G.I. Joe, and they'd go, "Oh yeah, that's The Baroness". While I have gotten some more from the Snake Eyes sub-line, Baroness is still the best of the ones I've gotten (which ironically still doesn't include Snake Eyes himself).
3. Duke and Flint:
I think many people gave Duke a hard time when it came to the initial launch of Classified. "G.I. Joe is based on the real army. Get all that sci-fi shit out of here!" I hear people say. To paraphrase a friend of mine, G.I. Joe has always felt like it was on the cutting edge of modern military technology. While Cobra went harder into Sci-fi in terms of weapons and vehicles, the Joes' gear felt like it was brand new, like they get the latest, experimental hardware before the main military gets it. New military hardware is being developed every day; why do you think America spends so much on its military? What was new for 1982 is dated in 2021. Even with that said, Duke doesn't go into Sci-fi. His rifle is just a little shinier. I include Flint here because of how similar the two figures are (Flint uses a lot of Duke's parts, after all). While he doesn't get as much modern tech (probably thanks to the backlash the first wave got), it gives him a more rugged feel, which I think nicely complements Duke as Flint always seemed to prefer the front line instead of leading from behind.
2. Cobra Commander and Regal Cobra Commander:
I love how expressive this guy is, considering there's not much to be expressive with. Because of the mirror helmet, it's hard to convey any emotion until you get the hands involved. Oddly, CoCo is the only character to include alternate hands, as all the other figures rely on the heads to carry the expression. While that's not a bad thing, it feels limiting compared to other 6-inch lines, and even when compared to CoCo due to how much personality you can get out of his unique hands. I think all the figures in the line could benefit from a set of fists at least (and I'll have an example coming soon of that point). Still, the expressiveness that comes from both the significant releases of Cobra Commander is what brings him to Number 2. I couldn't pick a favourite out of the two, though; both are equally good.
1. Timber.
You may say it's a cheat to include an accessory into this let, let alone have it be the number 1 spot, but it's hard for me to think of anyone else taking up this role. Bundled with the Commando Snake Eyes (based on the first unpainted Snake Eyes toy from the 80's run), Timber is just a gorgeous figure and sets a high bar for not only the upcoming Fiona but also any other potential Classified animals like Junkyard. Timber captures the wolf's beauty while also adding in unique detailing that helps tell a story about what Timber's life was like before befriending Snake Eyes. In all honesty, Snake Eyes feels like an accessory in this set; that's how good of a figure Timber is. Perhaps Commando Snake Eyes would stand out more if it gets repainted into cartoon/ "this is probably what they intended him to look like before his paint was sacrificed to make everyone else better" colours, but even with the generic Snake Eyes bundled with him, you should go out of your way to get Timber.
While working on this list, Hasbro put out a Fan First Friday for G.I. Joe, which was overall solid. A shift to digital renders should hopefully help with the messaging so that they get announced before figure leaks happen. Tomax, Xemont and Stalker all look great (I would absolutely buy a set of the twins in their business suits if they made them). The Viper troop builder pack I'll wait and see how they look with the already released Vipers (as I already have three...), the retro "totally not being released on oversided card backs like Marvel Legends" look ok, the only one that interested me was Destro, maybe Gung Ho, I'm going to wait and see before I make up my mind on them. I don't have much to say about the O-Ring figures, as I don't collect them. Hopefully they interest the retro collectors. From next week on, I'll be going back to reviews. In fact, the following review will keep in the spirit of the Classified line, just not quite what you're expecting. Welcome to the slaughterhouse G.I Joe.
No comments:
Post a Comment