FSS 5.0: Sneak Peek & General Flagg

Sigh... Can I get through one review of FSS figures without finding issues?

The official second shipment from the Club has been delayed again, so they sent out the 4th set of figures - Sneak Peek and General Flagg. When I first saw the reveals online, all I saw were just quick pictures of the carded figures. Initially, they looked great and this appeared to be a great set of figures.

I get home that afternoon and there in the mailbox is my shipment. Woo Hoo! Right? 

 

They're awesome, right?

One minor problem... The Club chose the same head sculpt for each character and they both shipped together. Sigh...

Individually, each figure turned out great. Both are great builds and deserve a closer look.
Let's take a look at General Flagg first.

The General Flagg build is simple and effective. I know others out there on the interwebs dig down deep into the builds that the Club does, but I'm not 100% sure of the parts choices. I know that the torso is from a Firefly figure from Retaliation and it works great for Flagg. I'm guessing that the legs come from the Shock Trooper figure (another Club source figure).

Accessories are light with Flagg. Machine gun (MP something...), pistol, briefcase, and that hat.

The briefcase originates from the "money-bags Destro" figure. It's a great case and a great choice for Flagg. He certainly can't be carrying around a case full of money. The insert in the case is simply the static stacks of money with new paint apps/detailing but the oddness of the sculpt of the money just doesn't work with the new deco. The hat is a bit over sized, especially on the Airborne head sculpt. Overall, General Flagg turned out great, but...

Let's take a look at Sneak Peek. Is this the third version of Sneak Peek from the Club? Maybe just the second. Last year, for FSS 4.0, the Club released a Tiger Force version. 

 

This version aligns more closely with the original o-ring version of Sneak Peek. It's a good build and captures the general look of the original figure. Accessories in line with the Tiger Force version, but the periscope is just a bit too bright green. Many have observed that the 'scope is a bit out of date with modern technology, but it had to be included for that nod back to the original figure.

 

Sneak Peek was always bit of a boring figure to me, but I think I'm digging him a bit more. Someone online mentioned that perhaps he should be a drone operator. Sounds good to me! Another win by the Club, with just the nagging issue of these two being twins. Ugh...

I figure that the easiest solution to the Wonder Twins aspect of Flagg and Sneak Peek would be to swap out Flagg's head. The Airborne head sculpt is just a bit too young looking for a General. Sure, Flagg is supposed to be a young General, but... c'mon. For now, I'm trying out this Marauder head sculpt for General Flagg. The first criteria for the head swap is "how well does the hat fit" and the second would be "how well does the head rest on the neck post."

There may be a post in the future about who finally becomes General Flagg. I've got a few more ideas for head sculpts.

The Club did a great job on these two figures, but it seems a bit unfortunate that they chose the same head sculpts and both figures wound up in the same shipment. FSS 5.0 is still a strong set of figures. I'm looking forward to who comes next!

GI Joe Club FSS 5.0 Reveals

All the shenanigans seem to have settled down about the reveals for the Club's FSS 5.0 set of figures. I've been it a bit of a funk lately, at least in relation to toys and stuff. Surgery, new job, moving... it's all piled up to make for an interesting summer. The toys and this silly blog got put to the side for a while.

I've signed up for FSS 5.0 and have previously been a part of FSS 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. I figured that I might as well throw out my two cents about the troops for FSS 5.0. Nothing better than sharing your opinion on the internet, right?

I loaded the pictures as to how I had saved them, not in the sequence that they were released. So, what the hell? Let's get going.

First up is Ambush. I wasn't really a huge fan of the original figure and I think that the Club did a decent enough job in capturing the essence of the character. As has been pointed out elsewhere, his neck seems extra long with that head propped up on that collar. Maybe it's just a pre-production issue and hopefully it will be resolved. In general, I'm in favor of this figure.

Next up is the Viper based on version 4 from 1994. I really didn't like the original figure much. I'm sure I bought a few, but nowhere near the amount of regular Vipers that I would have bought back in '86. Now we have another troop builder from the Club. I can't really fault the Club, primarily because the Cobra figures were largely the troops, with the individual personalities being a smaller amount. I think the figure looks well made, but I just don't know yet if I'm going to keep him. The design doesn't really fit into the design of the current modern Vipers or Cobra soldiers. Right now, I'm thinking he's going to head to the secondary market. I'm thinking I should be able to turn him for a decent profit.

Next up is Charbroil, another figure that wasn't terribly exciting in his original form. I think the Club did a decent job with him. I like this design over the Hasbro Blowtorch design. Charbroil is a keeper.

Next up is Darklon. The Club used the character in one of the recent Convention sets and he looked pretty good. I don't recall the build and I'm too lazy to go look it up right now. I think the Club did a great job; I think the parts choices work. I've always liked the character and will be pleased to add him to my collection.

No, this isn't Gung Ho. This is his Action Force counterpart, Gaucho. The original Gaucho was just a repaint of the original Gung Ho, so... yeah... Easy figure for the Club. He's way too much like Gung Ho for him to fit into my GI Joe world. I don't know what I'm going to do with this figure. Keep or sell? Time will tell. 

Next up is General Flagg. I like the design from the Club. Not sure how well that hat is fitting on his head, but the build looks pretty decent. I'm looking forward to adding him to my team.

Raptor? The Club decided to tackle Raptor? They certainly did and they did a damn fine job. I've seen customs in which the jungle viper "wings" were used for Raptor customs and I'm pleased that the Club went the same direction. The "wings" work great for Raptor and I'm excited about adding this goofball to my Cobra lineup.

I have always liked the character of Scoop. A combat journalist always sounded like a cool part of the team. Those odd combat jobs, like the journalist or the combat engineer (Tollbooth) always appealed to me. I think the Club captured his look well enough, but I'm disappointed that the head sculpt has a non removeable helmet.

Sneak Peek in his more accurate colors is up next. I liked the FSS 4.0 Tiger Force version and this guy looks just fine as well. Lazy on the part of the Club? Yeah, maybe, but it makes sense. I'm not sure why Tiger Force came out before this regular version, but either way, this figure works. I'm pleased to add him to my team.

Next up is Steel Raven, from the Club's comic story. Loosely based on a SKAR character from GI Joe: Extreme. Wow! The Club dipped into the mutant cousin/line of GI Joe? Not bad! There's been some criticism about Steel Raven looking like a female Major Bludd. Yeah, maybe. Whatever. I think she looks pretty good and well designed. 

Next up is Xamot, from the "Shattered Glass" storyline from the Club's Adventure Team comic. Whatever the backstory, we have one of the twins in a business suit. I'm quite pleased with this choice. Does the Club have plans for Tomax? Maybe in the future? 

Next up is the biggest source of nerd rage of FSS 5.0 - Salvo. This is the first concept from the Club and the Joe fan community exploded in a fury of outrage! Personally, I didn't care too much at the time. I've always imagined that the Club has to use what Hasbro allows them to use. Apparently the fan base interpreted the somewhat bulky original figure with the idea that Salvo had to be a big dude. Nerd outrage ensued... But the fan base did a good thing. They politely went to the Club's forums and reacted in a positive fashion, which resulted in...

This new version of Salvo. The Club offered up a design using the Retaliation Roadblock torso which gives Salvo much more bulk to him, much more in line with the muscular original figure. I've got to admit, the fan base did a good thing and I'm really hoping that the Club can create this version of Salvo.

Finally, there will be the mystery 13th figure. The Club has revealed that the figure will be a female figure and a "highly requested GI Joe team member." So what does that mean? Sounds interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing who it will be.

I was pretty much sold on FSS 5.0 from just the original line up and the release of the preproduction designs further completed my buy in of the line up. Right now (only considering the 12 named figures), it looks like there are ten solid keepers, with the Viper being a probable sale and Gaucho being on the fence as to what his final fate will be in the end.

My only real complaint with the Club and the FSS figures is the lack of communication. I don't want to know all of their business, but keep the fans updated on production and expected shipping delivery times. Just give us something once in awhile. Please.

One last question - Will the last figures from FSS 5.0 be released before the 2017 Convention? I certainly hope so.