SDCC JINX - My Thoughts

Jinx first appeared to the GI Joe world back in 1987. She appeared in the Marvel Comics run and also in the notorious GI Joe:The Movie animated mess. Well, the movie wasn't that bad. The opening sequence was amazing, probably one of the best pieces of GI Joe animation ever. 
Enough about the movie, back to Jinx.
Jinx was written by Larry Hama as a member of the Arishikage ninja clan that produced Storm Shadow and trained Snake Eyes.
Female figures are usually difficult to sell in a predominantly boy's action figure line. Female figures are often left to linger on the peg hooks much longer than other figures.Personally, I like adding female figures to my collection. I've never had a problem with female action figures, but I wasn't a kid when I started buying GI Joe figures back in 1982. 
I've also created various custom female figures, primarily using the Helix body and various other female heads from assorted lines. 

While Jinx is a part of GI Joe: Retaliation with a figure on the way early next year, creating Jinx based on her original design in the modern style was probably a response to fan input rather than a realistic marketing choice. Creating this classic version and an alternate version as San Diego Comic Con exclusives was a smart move, frustrating for many collectors, but still a smart move. 

The card backs are impressive, both capturing a frame of Jinx's comic appearance that reflects both styles of uniform.

Both figures share the exact same body sculpt with the obvious variation in color. The body sculpt is very well done. Red Jinx comes with similar accessories to the original figure - two swords, a naginata, and a double scabbard for her swords. The original figure had a much bulkier backpack; this new simpler backpack is more appropriate for such a slender figure. Oh yeah, and a stand too.

White Jinx comes with the two swords, the double scabbard, and a kusarigama.  

The scabbards fit nicely on each figure, but they seem to just sort of "float" on Jinx's back. Some sort of strap to imply that Jinx has the swords slung over her shoulder to rest on her back.

The Red Jinx head sculpt is simple and effective. One complaint, based on the unmasked head sculpt. That's a lot of hair to hide under that red head wrap!

The White Jinx head sculpt is one of the better female head sculpts that Hasbro has done. Simple elegant beauty.

Look at that hair! That's some seriously long hair!

There are some great light gray paint apps to Jinx's uniform as well.A dragon on her left shoulder and one crawling up her right leg. Can I talk about the sculpting job on Jinx's body? Check out those abs! And the hint of belly button. Yowza! Is it twisted to comment on a female figure's plastic breasts? Small, petite, and not torpedoes. Nicely done, Hasbro. 

Red Jinx has a Dragon painted on the upper left chest. The best part of the modern GI Joe figures is the ease in simple customization. Heads can be easily popped off and switched. The obvious choice for switching is the unmasked Jinx head. And it works great on so many different female bodies.

A ridiculously simple head swap creates an unmasked red uniformed Jinx. But what about other female head sculpts?

Renegade Scarlett's head sculpt was an almost immediate fan-boy favorite. I had a thought of a dio set-up with Jinx training Scarlett in the latest martial arts moves. So how does Scarlett's head work on the Jinx bodies?

Excellent! Varying heights in neck posts can either create a too long of a neck or a stumpy neck. Scarlett's head works great and looks great on both uniform colors.

One of my personal favorite GI Joe female body is the Helix body from the Rise of Cobra series. This works well with Jinx's head. Jinx is now ready for a serious combat mission. I'd love to repaint a Helix body, but I'm too lazy.

What about other female bodies? The RoC Dialtone body is a decent match in skin tones and works well as a more military looking Jinx. Scarlett's reactive armor body works well with Jinx's head. But Jinx's head on Renegade Scarlett's  body doesn't quite work - Jinx now suffers from short neck syndrome. Not good.
The SDCC exclusive Jinx figures are very well done. A bit expensive, but what can you do? I was lucky to catch the figures on Hasbro Toy Shop. If I had to rely on alternate sources such as eBay, I don't think that I would have ever added her to my collection.