G.I. Joe Classified Destro, Profit Director P.D Destro, Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L and Movie Baroness: A large one to end the year on.

With 2021 coming to a close, bringing with it another year of trying to kill time during lockdowns, I've got one last review in me for the year before beginning the celebratory Best and Worst lists. With it being Cobra's time to shine, who's left to cover? Zartan? I've got the Pulsecon exclusive coming, so I'll wait to review both versions. How about the Red Ninjas, Cobra Vipers or Cobra Infantry? It's like ending the year with a review of a Stormtrooper, rather generic for the final review of the year. That only leaves two, and if the Joe's can have a double review of an iconic pair, why not give Cobra the same treatment? While I'm at it, why not cover a pair of reinterpretations? So, to end the year, let's look at G.I Joe Classified #03: Destro, Cobra Island #13: Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L, #15: Profit Director Destro and #19, Snake Eyes Origins Baroness.

I'll go in the order I got them for this review, so I'll start with one of the few remaining members of Wave 1 to review: Destro (I'll get to you someday, Scarlet). Destro's an interesting case for me because out of all the Wave 1 figures; I found him to be rather dull at the time. When compared to the modernizations of Duke, Scarlet, Roadblock and Snake Eyes, Destro felt very safe and uneventful, scaled up remake of his original toy. But, with the element of hindsight and seeing how the line has evolved since Wave 1, I've grown more of an appreciation for Destro. The strengths in the design come from simplicity. In terms of design, this is a modern reinterpretation of his 1983 toy, the only new details being a new gold pistol accessory and some new paint and moulding details on the shoulders, briefcase, knees and boots. Just enough detail to break up the black without it being overpowering. Not counting the Cobra logo on the briefcase, I do appreciate the snake motif being toned down compared to characters like Cobra Commander and (as I'll go into later) The Baroness. Like with the original toy, the collar around Destro's shirt is designed like the Cobra Logo, but it's a detail most wouldn't recognize at first, adding to the brilliance of the subtlety. For accessories, Destro comes with a faithful recreation of his Laster gun, a reimagining of his suitcase to include painted in cash and a Cobra computer inside, and a gold futuristic revolver sidearm. Rather tame for a weapons specialist, but still appreciated.

If the priority for Destro was subtlety, Profit Director Destro's priority is extravagance. As for its history... it's complicated. Starting life as a traditional repaint of Destro's 1992 toy in 1997, a joke re-release was developed but not released, though some claim to have seen it at retail. The design got the nickname Pimp Daddy Destro thanks to the delightfully obnoxious leopard print added to the design, and something that Profit Director Destro (because you can't release a toy called Pimp Daddy anymore) takes and runs with. Everything about this is delightfully stupid. The gold head with the dark red and leopard print costume and the two-tiered cape with leopard skin on the back is laughable for all the right reasons. The fact that two of his accessories are a pair of pimp sunglasses (that, unfortunately, require glue to stay on) and some money on fire sells the stupidity of the design. They went all out on this repaint, both good and bad, because they overestimated how many people would want it. I still find store shelves with this guy on them as the only G.I. Joe Classified figure there, complete case assortments of them because no one's buying him. While I'm glad this exists, figures like this are why brands like Transformers have lines like Generations Selects, the lines where the semi niche, absolutely nerdy stretch repaints go for those who want more. At least if you want one, you can likely still find one in dedicated stores like Toyworld.

From a toy, they overestimated the demand for, to one they underestimated the need for (initially). Cobra Island Baroness with the Cobra C.O.I.L. I'll go over the C.O.I.L first before covering Baroness because while many people wanted to get rid of this thing and get the character, I love this bike design. This vehicle is new for the Classified line, as Cobra didn't have an equivalent to G.I. Joe's RAM Cycle. If anyone's curious, though, Coil was used as a name in G.I. Joe before. Coil was the name of a Cobra offshoot unit, and Cobra Coils was the driver's name for the 2003 vehicle, the Cobra Tread Fire. On the other hand, The Classified C.O.I.L is a modern styled motorcycle, the kind of bike you'd see in action movies. The bike is sleek, clearly built for speed while still packing a nice amount of onboard firepower. I would honestly love to see this re-released with a generic army builder repaint of Baroness. Her with a small squad of these would look imposing in a display. In terms of functionality, there isn't much here that's overly impressive. The bike has an excellent turning circle while still connected to the toy's handlebars. The ball joints used to connect the actual handles to the assembly give enough flexibility to help with attaching a figure to the bike. The kickstand also works well enough to keep the motorcycle standing upright on a shelf, and the guns can be removed and held by a figure. Is it a mind-blowing accessory? No, but I certainly prefer it over the RAM.

As for The Baroness herself, like the regular release of Destro, she's a faithful remaster of her early toy design, with grey patches helping to break up her outfit without detracting from the black and red. While I love the sculpting and moulding done for the body, I'm not a fan of the head sculpt they gave her. The big offender of this is the glasses they gave her. While they look better than the glasses she used to have, the frame style makes her look older than the rest of the sculpting lets on. While it works for a faithful reimagining of the 80's Baroness, I don't think it works for her modernization. Due to the inclusion of the bike, she doesn't get her rifle from her original toy, instead coming with two golden pistols, a small knife with a snakehead on the handle, akin to the sword Cobra Commander comes with, a helmet for the motorcycle which better incorporates all the joints in the neck, and... some snake gun that involves you sliding her arm through the coils made by the tail? I hate this gun; it stays in the accessories tub. Overall, she's not bad, and she does look outstanding alongside Destro. She's just not what I think of when I think of a modernization of The Baroness.

Ironically, that title would go to the Classified figure of The Baroness from the Snake Eyes movie. Based on Úrsula Corberó Delgado's portrayal of the character, though that's only obvious in the head sculpt. I love details like the shorter, more filled out hairstyle, along with the more angular glasses frames with smaller lenses. Details like that help modernize a character without subtracting from the original design. Another design element inspired by the original toy is the pure black costume with the red Cobra logo. Thanks to a healthy mix of matte black and glossy black, adding subtle separation in the detailing, it doesn't look as bland as you might think it would. One other change is the inclusion of heeled boots, helping to give the figure a sense of authority. One issue I have with the proportions is a minor one; I feel like the neck is a bit too long, something that's highlighted by the fact that this design for the Baroness has her wearing a Choker, along with paint on the torso to help better define her neckline. For accessories, she comes with a submachine gun with a removable silencer (yes people, a Classified figure that has a realistic weapon!) and two machete-like knives. You can remove the glasses, but I consider it more of an accessory to have the likeness align with the actor rather than the character. Because I don't recall her taking the glasses off during the film, they're something I prefer to keep on her and don't consider them an accessory. Though the Cobra Island one may fit in better with the rest of the line, Movie Baroness is an excellent representation of the character and one I recommend even if you're not collecting the Snake Eyes movie figures. 

Though my views are overall mixed when it comes to the four of them, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I appreciated Destro now that I've spent time focusing on him and how much I enjoyed the Movie Baroness. All four figures have the feel of a line still trying to figure out what it wants to do going forward, so it'll be interesting to see how 2022 treats the line, now that things like a pandemic delayed movie won't hamper it. I'm genuinely surprised the line has kept my attention, especially as this started life as an experiment. Marvel Legends didn't catch on, Star Wars I didn't end up trying because Star Wars content doesn't get much attention from my audiences, so to see the Joes, a brand that struggles outside of America, get interested in Australia enough for people to read the reviews of someone using them not only as an excuse to get into the brand, but also begin collecting traditional 6-inch figures has been quite relieving. I have more plans to review more Joes and Cobra characters in the future; maybe someday I'll give the Vintage toys a review as the vehicles were what got me interested initially. Until then, though, reviews will be put on hold until 2022... at least, that's what I would say, if I didn't have one last one in mind. There's not going to be a better time to review him, so next week: The Big Guy.

G.I. Joe Classified Flint and Lady Jaye: Behold, Duke and Scarlet 2.0...?

 As the last few Transformers reviews have indicated, I've had the 1986 Transformers movie on my mind. Still, I did notice when comparing the original Transformers Cartoon to the G.I. Joe Cartoon running around the same time because it feels like G.I. Joe handled the leadership transition somewhat better than Transformers did. Ironic as a last-minute edit to the G.I. Joe Movie was done because of the backlash Transformers had. Though some leaders did take more of a backseat even when they were introduced, to me, it did feel like when Flint and Lady Jaye were introduced, they essentially replaced Duke and Scarlet. There was even an episode where leaders of both G.I. Joe and Cobra were taken for a series of challenges, and while Cobra Commander and Baroness were taken to represent the Cobra side, Flint and Lady Jaye were taken to represent the Joes. Even when an official chain of command was discussed, Duke wasn't in charge; he was now second in command behind the then-new General Hawk. It makes me wonder what would have happened if they committed to killing Duke off in the movie. While we may never know about that, what we can do is look at the newest versions of Duke and Scarlet 2.0. By request on a poll on Facebook, because of how close it was between these two and how many can't see one without the other, here's a review looking at both G.I. Joe Classified Flint and Lady Jaye.

I'll start with Flint first as, in the spirit of him being Duke 2.0. Though some elements are different, a new head, new shin guards, a few new accessories and the vest replacing Duke's belts, the bulk of the parts are reused, but using a fresh paint and colour scheme to make him feel more unique when compared to his Wave 1 predecessor. The reuse of components fits the two of them, thanks to how similar their roles are in the Joe team, and what elements are different make a significant change to how the two of them look. Even if you had the two of them standing right next to each other on a shelf, you wouldn't notice that they're essentially the same toy just by looking at them. For those looking for a faithful modernization of an 80's Joe figure, Flint is a mostly 1:1 accurate translation of his original 1985 toy, only missing his backpack from the original toy, but it doesn't feel like a significant loss.

Regarding the accessories he has, Flint comes with the same pistol that Duke comes with, but without the gold paint that Duke's did. While it looks more realistic, it also seems pretty bland by comparison. He also comes with what is essentially a Shotgun to serve as a primary firearm. I love the look of this gun, especially over the one he came within 1985. From what I've heard, it's not a realistic Shotgun, but the paint and sculpting is realistic enough to look like a modern shotgun, especially when compared to Duke's rifle. I'm less of a fan of how it stores on his back; it does feel like the holster designed for it was put on upside down. It doesn't look bad when stored away, but like many primary weapons in the line, it looks better in the figure's hands rather than on his back.

Lady Jaye, on the other hand, I find less impressive in certain elements but more impressive in others. She's a very mixed bag, as some parts have transitioned very well in the modernization process, while others have transitioned very badly. I love the sculpting on the figure itself. The design for her feels more like a translation of the cartoon rather than one of the original toys, similar to modern Transformers aiming for the look of the character in the cartoon rather than the toys. That's not to say she hasn't got any roots in the original toy. Like Flint, her design is primarily based on her 1985 toy, and the accessories help bring more of the toy's elements into the design. The inclusion of an optional hairpiece that has the hat the original toy came with is a lovely touch in this regard. However, the other accessories suffer in the attempt to merge the original toy's design with her design in the cartoon, all while modernizing the design for the 21st century. The backpack was completely redesigned to incorporate storage for a spare Javelin, optional Javelin heads that can be easily interchanged, and a modern redesign of the camera accessory her original toy came with, now looking more like a GoPro on a very articulate armature.

 

The Javelins are simple but effective in design, but what lets things down is the attempt to modernize her Javelin launcher gun. Trying to insert a Javelin in the launcher is surprisingly tricky, with a lot of friction between the pieces, making the connection feel too secure like it's trying to lock the Javelin in forever. The result is an awkward mess of a launcher that either sticks out too far or is cumbersome to hold. It would have been better if she came with a Mini Javelin to load into it, as that could have also worked for the backpack storage as her Javelins did compress for storage. I'm surprised her backpack doesn't have any Mini Javelins sculpted onto it, in a similar vein to Scarlet and Storm Shadow's Quivers. As it stands now, it looks like she has two shots before she has to rely on her knife, a weapon that doesn't work well when fighting an army all using guns. Granted, neither is Javelins, but a Javelin with an explosive tip would be more effective. 

 

With the exception of Lady Jaye's accessory choices (mainly the Javelin launcher), both these figures are solid inclusions in the line. Neither are the strongest the line offers, but both are fantastic inclusions to your Joe team. I could see Lady Jaye getting a re-release with different accessories, but they got Flint perfect right off the bat. Considering this was the first full year of the line and a year that was hampered by the delay of the Snake Eyes movie, it'll be fascinating to see what 2022 has on offer. Though the following review was sold as a Predacon, many know him as a Maximal. It's time to tell his tale to those who ask. To tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good, and let him be judged accordingly. Up next: Dinobot.

G.I. Joe Classified Cobra Island Major Bludd: Really trying to break that first boss stigma aren't ya Bluddy?

Due to my lack of knowledge about broader points on the franchise, particularly the "A Real American Hero" era, some characters get a lot of attention, but I struggle to grasp why. Jinx is one, but that's because I've only seen her in the original G.I. Joe movie, where her gimmick was that she was a lousy fighter unless she was blindfolded. While she's more interesting in shows like G.I. Joe Renegades, the original source wasn't that interesting for me. I bring this up because Major Bludd is another one of those characters. He's somewhat interesting in later interpretations (though I struggle to remember much about them), but he came off as a very "First Boss" member of Cobra in the original cartoon. Brock from Pokemon Gen 1, the wrecking ball from Sonic 1, Wispy Woods from Kirby, bosses you remember existing, but don't leave much of an impression because they're the first boss. When he was leaked for Classified (remind me to do a post at some point talking about Hasbro leaks if it interests you because I've got stuff to say, but it may not be interesting), it was a fitting inclusion, but one I probably would have skipped if I didn't know of an easy way to get Classified Figures imported. So, how's the serious, adult collector reboot treating you Cut Man? 

Sculpting wise, Bludd is an interesting figure when compared to other figures in the line. Design-wise, he looks to be a take on the original design run through the same filter as the v6 version from 2005. Going into this review, I thought the cybernetic right arm was an introduction for this design of the character. Still, it looks like it was a part of the original toy (just more visibly shown as a robotic arm and not just an unpainted black arm). Bludd has the feel of a front line trooper in terms of design; he has more body armour and protection on him when compared to other Cobra leaders. I love how the body armour is designed; it's refreshing seeing an extra layer over the torso that doesn't block the ab crunch. It makes him look far more dynamic when compared to figures that limit that joint. The robot arm is also very nicely detailed, thanks to an aggressive feeling sculpting the "metal" plates look like muscle, and even sculpting under the shoulder pad to explain how the arm would move if it were real. Unfortunately, on my copy of the toy, the ratchet in the joint is exceptionally stiff, and I've barely gotten it to move outward. It's not an inherent deal-breaker, as any position I want to replicate can be faked without it; it's just a minor blemish on the quality control. 

While I like the look of the base figure, I'm not as sold on his accessories, though. The two guns look great, and the helmet looks good while it's on him (it would, however, be nice if it worked similar to Lady Jaye's hat to make it more secure on him), everything else is a bit of a miss for me. The dog tags I find to be entirely redundant, and I often leave them off. The backpack with the rockets is the biggest oddity for me. You can plug the rockets into one of the two guns, but because the gun is designed like a handgun, it looks awkward when it's got a rocket on the end of it, doubling its length. Is the pack meant to be like Mandolorian jetpacks, and the rockets are meant to fire from the backpack? If so, couldn't there be some better way to secure them because breathing on them will knock them out. The accessories are based on the original toy, but I don't think these do a good job replicating them because the gun from those toys looks like it's more of a, to put it the best way I can, a rocket crossbow launcher without the bow. Here, the rockets look like an optional form of ammo, and it makes the launcher look awkward as a result. The gun makes for a great looking firearm but an awful looking rocket launcher. This is one figure I'm content with not having completely geared up.

While the core of the toy, Major Bludd himself, is excellent, some elements could have taken a bit longer to perfect, to improve. However, I can see why many people like him; Bludd would likely make my top 10 of the Classified line so far. The best of the line so far? I'm not convinced of yet, but part of that comes from not knowing who would be that "best of Classified 2021". That list will come, but I have two more G.I Joe reviews to get through this year first. The focus of those reviews is up to you (as I doubt any new products will make it here in time). Your choice of Joes are: Scarlet, Flint, Lady Jaye, Breaker, and Commando Snake Eyes with Timber. For Cobra, your options are Destro, Zartan, Cobra's army builders and The Baroness. You have until my next upload, which will cover the Pulsecon reveals that interest me. That will be next week's post, but the following review will be one I wanted to do months ago, but delays got in the way. Rodimus Prime!

G.I. Joe Classified Cobra Island #32; Barbecue: "I fear no man. But that... thing... it scares me."

Toy Logic: A concept that goes against what many would see as sensible, practical and realistic and relies on what would appeal to kids, be it something cool, something cute, or something in between. While I usually accept what would seem to be jumps of logic for the sake of Toy Logic, every now and then, one feels like it's going a bit too far. For example, robots turning into animals? Sure. The bad guys having a Pillbug in their ranks? That's a stretch. A firefighter in the anti-terrorist team? It seems like a stretch, but when said terrorists are employing arsonists, maybe not that much of a stretch (even if it's a bit of a niche specialist). Meet Gabriel Kelly, better known as Barbecue. 

 

"One shudders to imagine what inhuman thoughts lie behind that mask. What dreams of chronic can sustain the cruelty?"

 

For a hero, though, he's undoubtedly intimidating. This look for Barbecue is based on a heavy-duty Fire retardant suit, with onboard oxygen and smoke filtering system. Not the kind of suit you find on your average joe (joke intended) firefighter. Due to that, though, there's a heightened intimidation to the look. If I saw this when I was in a building that was on fire, my first thought wouldn't be, "Sweet, a firefighter has cleared the path to escape", my first thought was "oh shit this guy's come to kill me!". On the plus side, it is faithful to the 1985 toy for those looking for accuracy, just with some minor modernization updates. A few new paint applications, some tweaking to the sculpt. To those who still have the original and can put them side by side, you'll probably be able to spot more differences than I can with YoJoe images. Still, for those without direct side by side comparisons, it's in a similar category to MP-10 Optimus Prime. Different in subtle ways, but unquestionably the character when looking at the figure as a whole. I just wish he came with an alternate head to help ease the intimidation of the design. Are we sure he's not a robot?

 

While there's no alternative head, there is an extra accessory when compared to the original. You get a three-piece assembly of an all-purpose multi-tank (I'm pretty sure you can't use the same chemicals to put out all the different types of fire, it's why there are multiple types of fire extinguishers), a hose and a nozzle to put out fires. The complete assembly looks good overall, though it is a missed opportunity not to have an effect part for the nozzle. The hose itself doesn't feel brittle, but that remains to be seen as it's potentially a long term issue. However, what is far less likely to break are the two axes. You have a short axe that is a modernization of the axe he originally came with and a far larger, more intimidating axe. I've got no complaints with these; they both look great. I appreciate the silver on the axe heads, making them look far more dynamic when compared to most toy weapons I see. Unfortunately, the hose gets in the way when the nozzle is stored, and the giant axe is a nightmare to store thanks to the plastic used for the pack, to the point where I'm not sure I'm even putting it in correctly.

 

Plastic use is the only major issue I have with this figure, as aside from the backpack, the only other note about it is in the hands. They feel stiff compared to the other figures I own, again making using the weapons somewhat frustrating (though thankfully, these don't appear to be painted like Gung Ho's hands were). Barbecue, to me, feels like the kind of exclusive character that should be in the Cobra Island line of exclusives. Though he seems to have been somewhat prominent in the comics (from what I can tell with brief gloss overs), he didn't have much to do in the show, only being in one episode. It makes getting him feel more like a nice novelty, but not a necessity, kind of like a good chunk of the Generations Selects toys for Transformers. While it would have been nice to get an alternate head and an effect part (requests that could probably also be said for many characters in the line), what we got is solid. A great find if you can get him, but not someone to lose sleep over if you can't (unless you're a big Barbecue fan). All this talk about Barbecue has made me hungry, so I'm going to go make some snags for lunch.

G.I. Joe Classified 14; Storm Shadow (Arctic Mission): That one placeholder every one has

There are certain characters in franchises that, when a new tv show, or movie series, or toyline becomes available to the consumer, their appearance is more a matter of how long of a wait it'll be before they show up, not if they'll show up. Storm Shadow is one of those characters for G.I. Joe, at least anything based on the 80's version. People knew Storm Shadow would come, but no one expected this to be his first release in the Classified line. Arctic Mission Storm Shadow, an Amazon exclusive based on (as far as I can tell) a mix of the 1993 Ninja Force release while borrowing elements of a semi-recent version of Storm Shadow from 2011-2012 (that YoJoe only identifies as v44). Many people identify Storm Shadow as a member of Cobra, so for his first release in the Classified line to be based on the toy where he was a member of G.I. Joe, it felt odd to many. Considering the hurdles the line had so far due to the pandemic last year, it wouldn't surprise me if we were supposed to have had a "regular" Storm Shadow by now, and this was meant to come out around the same time as it. However, we're still waiting on said regular release, so while we wait for a version of Storm Shadow that isn't tied to the movie, let's see how this Amazon Exclusive one goes. 

Do you recall the designs from Batman Begins for the ninjas in the League of Shadows? I know that comparison has probably been brought up multiple times when talking about this character, but it's almost inescapable. But that's not inherently a bad thing. While the more traditional Storm Shadow design is a statement for the character's personality, he's so confident in his skills as a warrior that he's willing to go into battle against enemies with powerful guns in nothing but a Gi. But an armoured look does still have its advantages, especially when the armour is light. It gives Storm Shadow a feel similar to that of specific versions of the Batman Suit, such as the ones used in the Nolan Trilogy. Aside from the extra warmth that this would bring (it is being sold as a suit for Arctic Missions after all), it's armour that looks to protect him from blades and other close-ranged attacks, armour Ninjas would generally wear if needed. Where it loses intimidation with the lack of protection, it gains a different kind of intimidation as now you'd need to figure out where the weaknesses are in the armour and hope he doesn't know them as well. It makes the design very comparable to Snake Eyes in that regard. I think it's a comparison that works well, highlighting how similar the two are, even if they don't see eye to eye.

One other advantage this design has is that the armour sculpting hasn't impacted the articulation too much. There's no ab crunch blocking vest here, the only thing on here that gets in the way of movement is the belt and skirting around the thighs, and even then, it's only a minor inconvenience to move the hips and thighs. One thing I wish it had, though, was ways to store his accessories, accessories that I'm hit and miss on, to begin with. Going down the list, Storm Shadow has a bow, an arrow, a quiver pack, grappling hook, removable hood (though the process of it is slightly tedious, so I don't consider it an accessory), a scythe, katana and sheath for said katana. I love the katana and sheath, mainly as they painted the blade, making the sword look that much more impressive. I'm not as big of a fan of the bow, arrow, and quiver because they are not very consistent. The bow (which looks excellent, thanks to the gold and black paint) is missing something resembling a bowstring out of the box, and the arrow is surprisingly tedious to have Storm Shadow hold. Perhaps if there was a bowstring, the arrow could hook onto the string and then have Storm Shadow hold the string? The arrow itself also can't go into the quiver, and because the arrow is unpainted white plastic, it stands out badly against the quiver's gold arrows. There's also nowhere to store the bow, scythe and grappling hook (which for the record does have a line attached to it) without having Storm Shadow hold them, so there's no way to store all the accessories on him, unlike Snake Eyes. It wouldn't have been impossible to do. The Red Ninjas (a review I hope to get to at some point) are an excellent example of this. It's a shame that the same care didn't go into storage for Storm Shadow, especially as all that would have been needed was a hook and hole on the belt and a bowstring for the bow to hook it over a shoulder. While I know the intention is for collectors to add their bowstring if they so choose, this review focuses on the figure straight out of the box, which is why I keep bringing the lack of it up as a negative.

While the accessories bring Storm Shadow down a bit for me, I still think the base figure looks great. Suppose the regular release of Storm Shadow is a repaint of this version, armour and all; I think it would look imposing. I think it fits the character, and it makes him look more intimidating as a result. I could see it working well alongside the armies of Red Ninjas people have in their collections, as those also have the armoured aesthetic. Above all else, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes look great together on a shelf, which is what you hope for in the release of two rivals. Even though this version of Storm Shadow is a Joe, getting this and Snake Eyes into a fight is fitting and looks good. When I write this, we're back in COVID lockdown (because we clearly haven't spent enough time in lockdown), so it'll be a while before I see the Snake Eyes movie. A minor change to the schedule. What was going to be a combined review of Studio Series Hot Rod and Kingdom Rodimus Prime is going to now be split in two, as a delay has caused Rodimus to not show up at my house until mid-August. Rodimus will come soon, but at least his younger self can get a review first.

G.I. Joe Classified 02; Snake Eyes: Insult to injury if you missed the Deluxe version

Snake Eyes. A character with a name that you'd think would make him a villain, released initially with no paint to not take away from any of the other figures in the initial wave. But that didn't stop him from becoming a fan favourite character thanks to a mysterious history and him being both a ninja and a commando. Now, why a Ninja would be in an elite American military unit is beyond me, but it's a case of "Rule of Cool". "They need a Ninja to fight Cobra's Ninja". So, to tie into the Snake Eye movie releasing soon, the two Ninjas are getting reviews, starting with the title character himself. 

As with most of the Classified figures I've reviewed so far, a few different versions of Snake Eyes are out on the market. A deluxe version came out first, with the main draws are a few extra paint applications, alternate guns weapons, alternate hands and extra ninja weapons for a display piece. There's also a recently released Commando Snake Eyes based on the original release of the figure that comes with his wolf Timber. I intend to get a review of Commando Snake Eyes out sometime soon, as I have one on the way, but for this review, I'll be looking at the general retail release. Same sculpt as the Deluxe version, just without the bonuses. However, this is a case though where, to me, the regular retail version looks significantly better than the Deluxe version thanks to the removal of specific paint applications, mainly the removal of the silver visor. Due to black being the primary colour on him, accenting colours stand out a lot harder, and while the silver and red look good on the belts and sheath, the visor being silver is not a good look. But, if you want a silver visor and can't find the Deluxe version, the recently leaked Deluxe Zartan might be able to help with that, as one of the alternate heads he's coming with is Snake Eyes with the silver visor. 

Unfortunately, though, one problem the deluxe version seems to have going for it is quality control. In terms of build, this is hands down the worst figure I own in the Classified line. If I didn't get Duke, Scarlet and Destro (who's in a similar boat, but not to the same extent) at the same time, I probably would have stopped then and there because of how bad the build is on him. Most of the joints feel weak, especially the ab crunch. There is a lot of give before the joint moves to the next point on the internal ratchet, and it takes minimal effort to move it along said ratchet, especially if you want his back arching backwards. The bandolier is also very loose on him. If you want it sitting flush on his body, you need to ignore the hole on it that's meant to sit over the port on his back for accessories like his backpack (so far the only pack I don't keep with my figures, instead sending it to an accessories draw), and the sword sheath. The weak joints take the wind out of this figure, and while I know they can do better, as I said, this was almost an interest killer for me. 

Getting to the accessories, none of them are inherently bad, but I can see people being disappointed in one of them. The backpack I mentioned previously is fine. The big issue I have with the pack, and why he doesn't wear it, is the issues I have with the bandolier; it makes the backpack not sit flush against his back. You also get a sword and sheath, with the sheath having an Arashikage symbol on it to match the symbols on Snake Eyes's torso and belt. This is what I prefer to be on Snake Eyes' back, as even with the bandoliers issues, it sits naturally on his back. He also comes with a knife, and the only fault I have with the sword and knife is that I wish they painted the blades silver. It's something I'm surprised even the Deluxe version doesn't do, as I think the silver blades would look amazing. Finally, you get a pistol with an optional silencer and an uzi for ranged weapons, both of which do have that "Nerf like" aesthetic to them. Unlike Firefly, I'm not that big of a fan of these two guns. While they look ok, and I stand by my view on the Nerf/ Sci-fi guns not inherently being a bad thing, it's hard to deny that the more realistic weapons the deluxe version came with instead of these two do look a lot better. The uzi especially as it seems lighter, like it would better fit Snake Eye's fighting style. At least these two you can plug together to make a dual gun? For those who want a pistol and uzi to both be in one hand and firing simultaneously? I don't think Snake Eyes will be joining the Cybertronian arms race any time soon, though; he would need more guns to plug together.

I want to love this figure. I love Snake Eyes' design, and only one thing is holding back this modern, faithful redesign for me in terms of enjoyment. But, that one thing is a massive problem and one I can't ignore. I can live with the bandolier being loose. In fact, I somewhat prefer it when comparing it to what it's supposed to look like. But the loose joints are a killer for me, making the toy feel cheap. It stings because, as "new fan" as this is going to sound, Snake Eyes was the figure that tempted me into trying the line in the first place; the other three were purchases to help get a better feeling for the line's potential.

For those wondering what the Deluxe version looked like.

However, I do want to close out on a different final note. After writing the bulk of this review, I looked around to see if the loose ab crunch was a common issue and learned of a silent remake of the toy. Everything is the same, just with some minor changes in plastic used, some improvements to the joints, and removing a red dot on the helmet that looks like it's the top or bottom of the Arashikage symbol. An impulse purchase to see for me got here in time to be included in this review, and I can safely say that it does fix most of my issues with the release. I'm still not a fan of the backpack; it still doesn't want to sit flush against the back, but the ab crunch is stronger, and the bandoleer sits a lot better on his body. This springboards Snake Eyes from one of my most hated in the line to one of my favourites now. If you were turned off from getting the figure because of my review of the first version, look for a copy of the toy that has the knife already sheathed, not packed separately. With that said, see you for the review of Storm Shadow.

G.I. Joe Classified (Cobra Island) 21; Firefly: Now with 100% less explosive robotic flireflies.

"Exclusive figure". A term that screams pain and misery for a lot of collectors due to the extra difficulties. For Transformers, especially during the War for Cybertron Trilogy, complete teams would be divided thanks to exclusivity. One of the worst offenders of this recently was the Earthrise release of Starscream, where if you wanted to complete the six main Decepticon Seekers, you would have to find five of the six in three different retailers (at least in the U.S.). For international fans, the product even coming to your country isn't a guarantee. Just because a product might be exclusive to Target U.S. doesn't mean it's exclusive to Target/ Target equivalent stores internationally. When you have a line like G.I Joe Classified, where retailers are barely stocking the mainline where you live, let alone getting store exclusives like the "Cobra Island" subline, then your best option is to look elsewhere and hope the price isn't too high. So how did I get a Firefly? Facebook. Facebook contacts and Buy/ Swap/ Sell groups might not be the official way to get the products, but when the demand isn't meeting the supply, you go elsewhere. Was Firefly worth the trouble, though?

To start with, Firefly is, for the most part, a repaint of another Cobra Island figure, Beachhead. As tempting as it would be to do a dual review of them, I don't own a Beachhead. He and the Cobra Island Cobra Trooper are the two big holes in my Classified collection so far. It would be great to review at some point, but that won't be anytime soon. The two significant differences between them are the accessories and the ab crunch blocking vest the two figures have. Like with Roadblock, I am not a fan of these vests in execution, but I'm willing to make an exception for Firefly due to the design and the intended purpose of the vest. It's an explosive resistant vest meant to protect the wearer from heat and blasts from explosives, so a thick vest that's harder to move around makes sense for the character. I love the sculpting on it, things like the pockets at the front, the crotch and butt flaps, the grenades on one shoulder, with a shoulder guard on the other; it's well done. My only real complaint with it comes from the figure's neck. Thanks to some Q.C. issues, the neck on my copy of Firefly is a bit stiff, and when you combine it with the vest's neck protection, getting the head into positions that require him to look down are just a bit harder than they would otherwise be. I've been able to do it on mine, but it's often required taking the head off the ball joint, positioning the neck, and then putting the head back on. 

While I like Firefly's accessories, in theory, the execution is hit and miss for me. He comes with a handgun which... ok, tangent for a moment. One point I see brought up now and then that has people split, most leaning towards viewing it as a negative, are the weapons looking like Nerf Guns. I honestly don't see that comparison as bad, as the sculpting on many Nerf guns is very impressive. Most of the Nerf guns I have seen and used are only held back (in terms of a visual design) by their colours to ensure they comply with safety standards and don't look like real firearms. If you give them a better paint job, one that doesn't scream, "I'm a toy for kids to shoot with!" most Nerf weapons can look like really intimidating weapons. One of the frequent reasons I hear about it being a bad thing is the desire for realistic armaments, which is a fair reason, at least for G.I Joe. But for Cobra? I don't see the appeal. Most of their technology has often aired on the sci-fi side of the spectrum anyway. What realistic vehicle is the H.I.S.S. tank supposed to be? The S.N.A.K.E.? Serpentor's Air Chariot? The Trouble Bubbles? To my knowledge, the A-10 Thunderbolt doesn't have VTOL capabilities, and the Blackbird didn't have a second vehicle that attached to the top of it. So, why is Cobra using weapons inspired by a toyline that blends realistic design cues with futuristic ones a bad thing?

Alongside the excellent looking gun, Firefly comes with a pair of goggles that he can wear, a backpack to store most of his gear, a cluster of Dynamite sticks for an explosive, a drone, and a tablet controller for the drone. The only two significant problems are the dynamite and the tablet. The tablet can barely stay in his hand, and it takes next to no effort to pop it out, while the dynamite doesn't fit at all. I cannot for the life of me get him to hold the dynamite. Supposedly, the drone can carry the dynamite, but the connection for it feels, to use a Lego building term, illegal. It feels like connecting the dynamite to the feet of the drone puts strain on the drone's legs and could break them. With all of his gear on him, along with his grey camouflage look, he stands out in a good way when standing alongside your other Cobra figures, as the grey stands out nicely among the mainly dark blue, back and red aesthetic. 

While Firefly is a nice figure, the question about "is he good?" comes back to the issues related to the distribution of the Classified line, especially Cobra Island branded figures. He's a solid figure overall, not the best, but not the worst. He's average for the Classified line, which is still very impressive considering other 6-inch figures in other toylines. But was he worth the inflated price I paid for him second hand because there was no hope in him getting an official release here in Australia? Not really, no. If he were spectacular, then I would say it's worth getting him, but because he's only an average figure in an exclusive line, it's hard to not look at the effort needed and go, "he's not worth it".

G.I. Joe Classified 01; Roadblock: Why was he first?

At least when it comes to the box numbering. To compare the toyline to Transformers, I can understand the leader not being first in the numbering. Throughout War for Cybertron and Studio Series, the numbering has been in the order of size class, smallest class to biggest in wave order. Even then, Core Class Optimus Prime in WFC: Kingdom is WFC-K1. Here though, they're all the same size in terms of packaging; they're all sold at the same price, so why wasn't Duke or Snake Eyes first? Maybe this could be my lack of in-depth knowledge showing that, in reality, Roadblock is the most beloved character in G.I. Joe. It would certainly explain why he's had three toys so far, two of which I will not be covering in this review as one isn't out yet, and the other is a (for me at least to get it brought in) overpriced exclusive repaint. So we're sticking to the original release; here is Classified Roadblock.

Drawing inspiration from (I believe) his 1986 version, just with some more sci-fi touch-ups, the overall sculpting on Roadblock is solid. However, I don't think it's as solid of a representation as something like Duke or Cobra Commander were. "Close, but not quite there" is probably the best way to describe the figure if you're looking for a faithful version of Roadblock, as some of the modernization changes are detrimental to the feel of the character. The biggest one of those? The weapon. I'm of two minds for this. While I agree that something that many prefers to be more current day military-themed like the Joes shouldn't have something like this, I'd be lying if I said the idea of someone lugging around a giant two-handed Railgun wasn't awesome. This is a cool looking weapon, with many excellent paint applications and even sporting accessories like a removable magazine (which I think is undersized for something this big, but it's not a deal-breaker). Does it work as a weapon for Roadblock, though? Not really. It keeps to the theme of his original gun, a two-handed heavy machine gun. Still, I wouldn't say this is a good substitution, as a Rail gun is a sci-fi version of a rocket launcher. Due to the size of this accessory, though, his only other accessory, a knife, looks ridiculously small in his hands. 

Sculpting wise for the figure, he's a solid action figure, but aside from the uniform, there's not much here that says it's Roadblock. At least, not the 80's Roadblock. There's a mix of styles here with things like the facial hair being inspired by the Roadblock from G.I. Joe Renegades, and the tattoo potentially being a nod to Dwayne Johnson, the actor who played Roadblock in G.I. Joe Retaliation, but his tattoos look nothing like the lion head that's on this toy. I'm not a fan of how the designers handled the vest. It's a piece put on over the chest, which does make the vest itself look good. Still, because it's a solid rubber piece, it makes the ab crunch that most figures have useless, something that I've noticed on many other Classified figures that have a similar vest as a part of their design. It's something that I wish was a paint application on the torso rather than a separate piece. The vest, though, is the only real issue I have with the figure as a whole because on its own, it's a nice figure and fits in well with the Classified team. Is it a good Roadblock figure, though? That's more debatable.

 
The more I look at this guy, the more I'm reminded of how Hasbro handles the more "mass market appeal" sides of Transformers, the toylines tied into shows like the Unicron Trilogy, Animated, Prime, and Cyberverse (among others). Character designs for these versions are somewhat amalgamations of different representations of said characters in visual design, personality, and other character design aspects. If you're looking for a faithful recreation of a Roadblock toy from the '80s, this isn't it. Even with the different two versions available, you're going to be looking for a while. This toy does a solid job capturing the character's spirit over the years, combining different versions to make something new. Still, because of all those inspirations, I can't help but ask for something more. I think versions of characters based on the other cartoons and the movies done in this style could be interesting to see if this line does take off to a point where stock can reliably get to stores and not disappear in under a minute. Again, not bad, but I doubt he fits the description to what many collectors of the line are looking for.

MAYvel 2021 (Marvel Legends); Into the Spiderverse Miles Morales: Close, but no cigar.

 While the Main site will soon be starting MAYvel with a collection from Disney+, I thought I might use this as a chance to go through some of the other Marvel Legends I picked up. Because nothing says "riding the hype train" quite like reviewing toys from a few waves back from a movie that came out in 2018, does it? I mean, it is MAYvel after all; catch up is the name of the game here.

 
As with the Gwen Stacey, this represents Miles from the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. However, while Gwen's design for the movie was mostly the same as it is in the comics, Miles' takes many more liberties. You can't pass this off as a comic Miles, thanks to the shorts, shoes, hoodie and jacket. The design itself is a bit of a mixed bag because while it looks good in the movie, it doesn't translate well to plastic. Unlike Gwen, though, one of the best things about the toy is the head sculpt for a maskless Miles. It's an excellent translation of the animation model, though there are other parts of the toy that I don't think translate as well. The shins look a bit too thin and skinny on the toy, which is heavily contrasted by loose-fitting shorts. Another minor nitpick of mine is the fixed neck. Due to the way it's sculpted, it kind of looks like he has a hunched back thanks to the way the jackets sit on his torso, but if you take the jackets off, other than the awkwardly coloured arms, it looks too long. The neck reminds me of Hungry Hungry Hippo when the hippo heads are extended to reach the marbles. 

 
Sculpting on the figure (prior nitpicks excluded) is well done. I love the sculpting details on the spider suit, and the work done on the sleeves to give the jacket a fabric texture look to them is impressive. I'm also quite impressed with the paint. The eyes on the mask stand out nicely. It is a shame, though, that the spider logo is lost amongst the red hoodie. Articulation is solid; he is far more agile than the Gwens were thanks to a resounding ab crunch, though the hoodie can get in the way at times of movement, mainly if you want to curve his back. The lack of a double elbow joint is annoying but not the end of the world.

 
The big takeaway for me from this figure, comparisons to G.I Joe articulation excluded, is that this makes me think, "Wow... I'd rather have a comic version of Miles." This toy isn't bad, far from it, it does the job it set out to do pretty well, but when I think of what Miles Morales looks like, this isn't it. I like his design in the movie, Into the Spiderverse is up there as one of my favourite Superhero movies. But just because I associate the character's personality with the movie form doesn't me I associate the design. The black and red spider suit looks cool, and the appeal of it is lost due to all the extra clothes this toy is wearing. Because of that, though, this feels like an "it's close, but I can do better." It's not bad, not quite what I'm after. I hope you stick around because while Sundays this month will all revolve around Marvel Legends, the main site will be mainly focusing on Disney+ streaming for MAYvel 2021, starting with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. If this marathon of content goes well, great! If not, I can always default back to Lego if I need MAYvel content for the Toybox.

G.I Joe Classified 06; Cobra Commander and Regal Cobra Commander: And now for some different forms of buckethead.

For every hero, there is a villain, or at least there should be. The 1980's G.I Joe reboot, A Real American Hero, wasn't originally going to have an offensive force to fight against. Originally, Hasbro wanted the Joes to fight other companies toylines like Star Wars. I can imagine the epic battles between the Joes and the evil forces of Lego Castle. When Marvel, who was working with Hasbro to develop a comic series to tell the toyline's story, told them "No", a random idea resulted in the creation of the Joes, now infamous villains. Cobra, "a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world"... it was the 80's, terrorism wasn't immediately associated with radicalized Muslims flying planes into buildings and bombing places in the general culture that's quick to label anything and everything in black and white. Well, now that I've probably pissed a lot of people off with that comment, let me quit when I'm behind and review that one time Starscream was the leader of an army and why it was probably for the best that he never gets to lead the Decepticons, Cobra Commander.

For this review, I'll be looking at two versions of the Commander. The general retail release Commander, which has a darker, more realistic colour palette, and the Hasbro Pulse exclusive Regal Cobra Commander, boasting a brighter cartoon and 80's toy accurate colour scheme. There is a third out there that was a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive before COVID happened. It became a Hasbro Pulse exclusive with more accessories and a different colour scheme, going for a mix of black, red and gold. Due to the fact that shipping is a problem, and I'd rather not spend triple digits on a $40 figure, we're not covering it in this review, ok? Ok.

 

I'll quickly touch on the articulation, as while it's similar to Duke's from back in February, both versions I have seem to suffer from different quality control issues. On the regular retail version, the hinge in the shoulders to help bring the arms closer to each other rarely wants to stay in any position other than getting the arms in closer, especially the left shoulder, though thankfully, the Epaulette does hide that. When using some of the accessories, you don't even notice it. The Regal variant doesn't have that issue in the shoulders, but the ab crunch ratchet is uncomfortably stiff and does not feel good to use, at least on my copy. If you ever wanted an example of how the QC is in the Classified line and how varied it can be, that should give you an idea when comparing two versions of the moulds. One minor note that may or may not be quality control, the rubber sashes and Epaulette are noticeably looser on the regular retail copy than the Regal version. However, I don't know which one should be correct in terms of application. 

The sculpting and paintwork on both figures give Cobra Commander a very ornate. It's fitting for a character that is so over the top in terms of personality (at least going off the 80's cartoon), and the Military General Dress Uniform fits this personality perfectly. The dark blue and black colours make up most of the colour on the figure on the regular retail release, with beautifully contrasted accents done in silver, gold, and dark red paint. I love how the snake motif is integrated into the sculpting without overpowering the look. It's on the strapping and Epaulette, the sheath for the sword, the black patches on the coat (not counting the gauntlets) and red striping on the pants. Enough for it to be noticeable, but grounded enough to have it still be a realistic-looking uniform. Regal Commander shares this aspect with the sculpting, but it's harder to notice on him due to the brighter colours. Everything that was dark blue on the regular version is now a more brilliant blue, in line with the 80's look. The black patches on the coat, the red striping, and the black gauntlets and boots have all been swapped out for dark blue. Anything that was silver (except for the visor) is now gold, giving him more of a presence due to how loud the colours are compared to the general retail version. The only complaint I have with the paint is that the gold doesn't look as durable or as well applied as the silver, but even the silver on the regular retail version has some issues when it came to the application, mainly the front of the left shoulder.

 

I love the head sculpts on both of them. There's enough detail to make it look visually interesting, without things being distracting, like many of the designs from Rise of Cobra. It's a shame that he doesn't come with an alternate head to look like the Hooded Cobra Commander in any version of the figure, but the accessories he does come with are good enough. While I wish he came with the sceptre as Snake Supreme does, both figures come with a handgun that's sculpted beautifully while still keeping the snake theme toned down. Due to both guns only being one colour, the snake detailing looks more like ornate detailing, which fits the figure as a whole. The same thing sadly can't be said for the sword. Both figures come with an elaborate dress sword that, while the blade looks solid and formidable if you dare try to put it into his right hand, something I haven't tried to do, the Cobra head for a sword hilt stands out badly against the rest of the figure's more toned down snake aesthetic. I wouldn't mind as much if he came with the sceptre, but as it is, it looks awkward. Unlike all the other figures released so far, Cobra Commander comes with four hands, two left hands and two right hands. For the left hand, you have a fist or an open hand that could be either a "resting comfortably hand", "resting on sword hand", or an "I'm going to rule the world!" acting hand. You have a trigger finger grip hand that will hold the gun and a pointing hand on the right. These hands sell the figure. He's surprisingly expressive purely because of the hands for a guy with a mirror for a face. It would have been nice for the figure to come with a version of each position for both hands. It would be excessive for a figure to be released with eight hands, but the possibility for photos and displays would be worth the CAD file mirroring required to pull it off. I hope to have some picture tests in a new photo set up on my twitter feed sometime during the week.

"Decepticons! Megatron has fallen! I, Cobra Commander, am your new leader!... Wait, wrong series, but you should make that red, white and blue jet with the beautiful voice your new leader!"

 

Like with Duke, Cobra Commander is a nice modernization of the original character. But unlike Duke, the sci-fi elements don't clash as hard against the design, partly because Cobra always had one foot in sci-fi and didn't need to get around the logic loophole of realistic, modern army people using space guns. While Duke can look a bit too generic as a general army person at times, this is unmistakeably the Commander. Both the regular and Regal versions have their unique charm, and both are worth picking up, depending on your preference.

Marvel Legends Into the Spider-verse Gwen Stacey and Maximum Venom Ghost-Spider: At least this can last a while.

 "Will this mean I'll start collecting Marvel Legends and Black Series? No, I'm not made of money!"-Mediaholics Toybox's review of G.I. Joe Classified Duke. My curiosity will be the death of me, I swear.

Well, with my curiosity fueled by the return of, and my introduction to, G.I. Joe toys with the Classified line, along with seeing a wave of Into the Spiderverse figures on shelves, it was not a good combination for someone who is curious by nature, and still waiting for the Events Industry to recover from COVID-19 with time to kill. Though my knowledge of the comics isn't excellent when compared to other fans, some things do pique my interest, which is why this is a dual Ghost Spider review. Thanks to the Build-A-Fig accessories, these will likely go on for a while as semi-regular reviews, if for nothing else, then not having random torsos lying around my collection. Shall we try and see why there's love for Marvel Legends? Oh, and encase you're curious, yes, that quote does extend to Star Wars, but that's for another day. It can wait.

"Alright people, let's start this from the beginning one last time." To start things off with answering some questions as to who these two are and why I'm reviewing both of them at the same time when they look nothing alike, that requires a bit of unpacking. In a basic summary, Gwen Stacey was Peter Parker's first love in the comics; The Night Gwen Stacey Died being regarded as one of the most important comics in Spider-Man history. Many, many years later, a comic event was being written themed around Spiderman known as Spider-Verse, a multiverse adventure pairing many different versions of Spider-Man together. A mix of pre-established comic spiders like Miles Morales from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, spiders based on media representations like the then ongoing Ultimate Spider-man version of the character, along with versions of the webhead that flip the concept on its head all being brought together for a story. "What if Gwen Stacey got bitten instead?" was one of these "flip the idea on it's head" ideas. This event is where the Spider-Woman that the fanbase nicknamed "Spider-Gwen" came from, and when she was dimension-hopping, she got herself a special Venom Symbiote. She would eventually adopt the alias of "Ghost-Spider" when she was brought into the central comic universe. Symbiote part excluded, her role in the Spider-Verse and popularity from that series was one of the driving reasons why Spider Gwen was put into the Sony Animated Movie from 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Anything I could say about that version of her can be summed up as "go watch Into the Spiderverse, it's a great movie." My apologies to the more well-known fans about this likely butchering of the character's history, there is a lot to it, and I know people don't like to read a lot, so I had to keep this brief.

I'll start this review with the Build-A-Fig pieces; so that if I do more reviews of Marvel Legends, I don't need to go into this process again. With the majority of Marvel Legends figures (that I've at least seen), a themed wave of figures tends to come with a piece of a larger figure that you can put together if you collect all the figures in that wave. Both figures come with the torso of their respective figures, Gwen Stacey (the name I'll be using when referring to the Into the Spider-verse character) comes with the torso of Stilt-Man (who wasn't in the movie, but that is best saved for a dedicated review). Ghost-spider comes with the torso and weapons of Venompool, who, as far as I can tell, is Deadpool with the Venom Symbiote. It is a solid idea for getting larger figures into the market, though annoying for those who don't like leaving random pieces of figures lying around (like me). When writing this, Stilt-Man is complete, and Venompool has a set of legs to go with his torso. If these reviews interest people, I'll keep making them, and they'll eventually get reviews once I've covered the characters lugging around their body parts. In the meantime, let's look at Gwen. 

To get one positive out of the way first, with the significant exception being the Maskless Gwen face, this can be quickly passed off as the comics Ghost-Spider, the traditional look, not the symbiote costume, due to how faithful the Into the Spiderverse design was to the comics. Those looking for a Gwen from the comics and can't afford the late tax (the first one I could find on eBay was $100+ shipping, and an Amazon listing had her almost $190). Completely accurate? No, but within the ballpark. If you're hoping I compare this to the Edge of Spider-verse version, you'll be disappointed as I don't have that one, and I'm not paying those prices. Maybe if I can get one second-hand, as I do enjoy the character in all the media appearances that I've seen, but that might not be for a while. As for the Spider-verse version that I do own, when she's wearing her mask and hood, she looks like she's jumped off the screen. However, to compare it to something like modern Transformers Masterpiece figures, there is extra detail here that, while likely coming from other characters, adds enough detail to help it feel alive. To jump ahead a bit, I think the two figures here share moulding for their lower chest, but that's me basing it that the abdominal muscle-sculpting looks to be the same. Even in basic poses, the sculpted muscle tone gives the figure an air of power to her, like this is someone that can, and will, beat you up without breaking a sweat. 

While as good of a figure as it is, there are parts about it that I'm not a fan of, thanks to a mix of things like unknown expectations going in, accessories I wish she came with and accessories that I'm not fond of the result. I've been focusing on the masked look because I'm not a fan of her unmasked face. Don't get me wrong, it's sculpted well, and the detail with things like the eyes is impressive, but she has a dead eye look about her with the mask off, which is kind of unsettling. The face needed a better expression on it, something like the smug smile from the forest where she debuts as Ghost-Spider/ Spider-Woman would have been a lot better at giving some more life to the face. It's a shame that it's the face the figure is wearing in the box. She comes with other accessories: a pair of web-shooter hands to swap out with the fists she has by default and a Spider-Ham figure that can't move (outside of a ball joint for the head) but is well sculpted and works well as an accessory. It would have been nice if she had come with gripping web hands, encase someone wanted to use some white string as makeshift webs, but a part of that goes into a flaw I have with both figures, so I'll save that for after I talk about the symbiote suit.

One of my significant issues with the traditional Spider-Man Venom suit is that for as nice of a look as it has, it's somewhat surprising how well red and blue characters being painted black works; it is just a black version of the Spiderman suit. No extra details, no bells and whistles, just a black suit, likely due to its introduction and the cause of the suit coming after the fact. I bring this up because Ghost-Spider's suit fits the Symbiote suits' potential now that people accept that the symbiotes are more than a set of black threads. I love some of the details like the jacket with the spiked shoulders, and the hood being designed like a symbiote mouth. Honestly I think the hood is a far better way at executing the symbiote mouth when compared to other costumes such as Miles'. The "tongue" I'm a bit hit and miss on. While it looks fantastic in comic art, I don't think it's translated well to plastic, even though it is nicely sculpted. I think it has something to do with the length of it. I think it's a bit too long if you have it just dangling, but you can wrap it around her leg and have her hold the end of it in one of her hands. I also like that it's more of a dark blue and not black, which helps her stand out a bit more when put next to other symbiote suits. Unlike Gwen, you don't get extra accessories like alternate hands or a head without the hood on for her, but I don't have an issue with that as it's not needed, and the clawed fingers are the only hands she needs. 

Articulation on both of them is about the same. However, Ghost Spider's hood and jacket limit the head movement, and the joint in her chest doesn't seem to want to let her arch her back. The overall articulation is fine for what it is, but it is limiting when you consider how limber she and other spider characters are in media. While I've been able to replicate poster shots of Gwen's Into the Spiderverse design, neither can pull off things like a wall crawl or a "spider landing"; fingers of one hand on the ground, the other arm in the air, the body as low to the ground as possible). The problem with articulation is that it is hard to balance the figure's movement with its sculpt, especially when there's nowhere to hide the hinges, such as on figure-hugging, single-piece super-suits. Would I have liked these two to be more agile? Yes, but I don't know if that would have been worth sacrificing to the sculpt needed to pull it off. At the very least, though, was it too much to ask for a forward ab crunch on these two?

From an outsider looking in, one of the biggest problems is that it is a very, very deep rabbit hole due to the massive catalogue of heroes, villains, side characters, and alternate costumes for all of them. When you combine that with a business model that encourages you to get figures, you don't want to complete larger figures. From there, enabling you to start pairing them up with other characters thanks to the web of connections that are the many different Marvel Universes makes getting into the line as a new collector very daunting. With two of the ones I took the plunge with, what I got were solid but a little underwhelming. Great representations, to be sure, but I can't help but think things could have gone further when it comes to stuff like articulation. I plan to do more reviews of Marvel Legends in the future, for both the Spiderverse wave and the Venom wave of figures. Past that, though, is a bit more up in the air. I might not know how deep this rabbit hole goes, but I know it goes deep, and many figures have hefty late taxes on them. See you next week for a review of Maximal #2.
 
Also, I should say this now encase anyone wants to ask; I've got no plans to review now brand new wave of X-Men figures, which only just launched at the time of writing. I recognize some by name, none by design.