FSS 02: Wide Scope & Skull Buster

I am disappoint...

So the next two GI Joe Club FSS figures have come in. From all appearances, I figured these two would be the first ones that I would open. Never really a big fan of Skull Buster and the original Wide Scope figure was a new sculpt era odd ball. So, yeah, let's open up these rascals and see what we've got.

Oh boy, here's Skull Buster, looking so cool in his nice package. i was a fan of the Range Viper when they came out. I never got any of the RV's from the Defense of Cobra Island set, but I did get a couple from the Whirlwind/Range Viper "Ross exclusive" Rise of Cobra set from a few years ago. Hasbro did a decent job on those figures, so I figured the Club was just reusing the mold. Not so fast... Stay tuned...

Wide Scope - a Shockblast, no, a Shockwave knock-off that had a nearly horrific figure back in the new sculpt era. Such a disproportionate mess! But it was still cool to see a new character introduced into the GI Joe mythos and I'm glad that the Club took a chance on him. so is he any good?

 There's not much new sculpt with Wide Scope. He's just a straight re-use of the awesome Pursuit of Cobra Shock Trooper body and vest. I don't recall where the head sculpt came from, but it is a reuse. Is the dog new? Maybe? I think the hat may be new, I don't recall the bend in the brim in other caps.

 Here's Wide Scope next to another straight re-use of the Shock trooper body - the Retaliation Cobra Combat Ninja. What the hell? Okay, whatever with the ninja stuff. So the biggest issue that I have noticed with commentary online is that this basically re-use figure costs so much more as a Club exclusive. Well, no shit. The Club is making figures at a much lower production run than Hasbro, so, yeah, their figures are going to cost a bit (much) more. Tough shit. If you don't want to pay the price, don't buy the figures! Deal with it!

Overall, I'm pleased with Wide Blast, no, Shock Scope... Oh yeah, Wide Scope. The Club did a decent job of recreating this new sculpt era character. Am I really thrilled about him? Not so much, but he's pretty cool. Maybe a strong 3.75 out of 5. Don't like the decimals? I'm a math teacher, deal with it!

Okay, on to Skull Buster. Like Wide Scope, he's pure reuse of parts and I'm okay with the Club for doing that and I understand the pricing issues. Fine. Whatever. But those damn forearms just don't work. They used everything from the Range Viper except the forearms and hands. 

I get it. They wanted to add the new swivel hands. Cool. But they got the forearms from Shadow Tracker, a taller figure. So now the arms almost hang down to his knees. Damn...

I just don't know about this guy. Sure, I opened him, but I carefully opened him. Do I repack this guy and try to make back some of my money? Are there enough shitty reviews about this guy where no one will want to buy him? Based on the first four releases, this guy is the stinker. So far... And actually, I hope he'll be the only stinker.

It wasn't until it was pointed out on Joebattlelines.com about the height differences just between the 25th/RoC figures and 30th/RET figures. Huge differences in height. Not too bad, the Range Vipers can work as smaller body types, but SB is just too short to be the leader of the Range Vipers.

FSS 02: Airtight & Shipwreck

The first two offerings from the official GI Joe Club's FSS 2 have arrived and I'm not too impressed. There is a decent mix of figures with this assortment, with some of the figures being definite keepers, some mixed opinion, and some to sold on the secondary market.

These first two figures didn't show up on my "keeper" list. The Club used the Tiger Force theme for these first two figures, Airtight and Shipwreck. Both figures look pretty cool, but I'm just not overly impressed.

Airtight is a straight repaint of the awesome 30th/Renegades update from a couple years ago. I was tempted to hang on to this new version, but he just didn't quite get me interested enough. I've got two of the original version, so I really didn't need another, despite the new uniform colors.

Shipwreck is one of those characters that I am nearly so very tired of seeing. A Tiger Force version just doesn't work for my collection. I'm not sure of where all the body parts came from to make this version, but he looks pretty good. I can't stand that goofy grin on his face.

It's been a while since I had an interest in buying every figure. I really don't need to have a complete collection. I never found the 30th Crazy Legs figure at retail (who did?). Retaliation figures are very difficult to find. I may totally miss out on the Blind Master, Jinx, and the Cobra Combat Ninja and I'm okay with that. The new versions of Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Cobra Commander are of little interest to me. And I'm okay with that.

The FSS is offering up some pretty decent figures that I am very excited about and look forward to their arrival. For now, these first two will be finding a new home around the end of the month. The two Oktober Guard figures? They'll probably be headed out as well whenever they arrive.

I'm really hoping that Tollbooth and Keel Haul won't be numbers 11 and 12!

Troops of Doom is back!

Or should that be Troops of Doom are back? Whatever.


Troops of Doom, the most awesome-est web comic featuring the ongoing battle for galactic supremacy featuring the forces of GI Joe, Cobra, and the Empire from Star Wars is back!

Cobra Blackshirt Upgrade

The MARS troopers from the over-priced Rise of Cobra preview set were so laughable. Well, that's a bit harsh. Given the construction methods that Hasbro was using at the time, they really weren't that bad. When you compare them to more recent offerings, they do kind of suck.

The only real benefits that I have found from them is stealing their gear. I first stole the trooper web-gear and re-outfitted my POC/30th Cobra Blueshirts - because their web-gear sucked.

I was digging around through my various plastic storage containers and came across my MARS troopers. (Okay, the storage containers once held sandwich meat, alright? Deal with it!) 

Hmm... Black helmets... Cobra Blackshirts from Dollar General. I wonder? A quick test fit and the helmets fit nice and snug on the Cobra trooper heads. I like the touch of red to the overall look as well.

The MARS officer helmet is a little different with the sculpt and the silver paint. Officers? Sure, why not?

The only problem is that the helmets tend to move upward on the heads, obscuring their eyes. Not a huge deal.

So my 12 Blackshirts are now geared up with MARS helmets. Nine troopers with the red masks and three officers with the silver masks. Or is it 8 and 4? I'm not at home, so I don't remember.

Either way, the troops get equally divided up into small teams of an officer and either two or three troopers. Equally divided - that satisfies my bit of OCD weirdness.

Hellboy

Hellboy in 1/18th scale. Just because.