FSS 4.0: Billy Arboc & The Interrogator

Time for another FSS 4.0 review and as usual, I'm late to the review game. This latest shipment involved two of the most anticipated figures from FSS 4.5, Billy and the Interrogator. Not much in depth to my reviews, just a few pictures and random thoughts.

The Interrogator first appeared in 1991 as the driver/pilot of the Cobra Battle Copter, a rather dorky vehicle that sort of flew with the pull of a zip cord. The Interrogator's role in Cobra was, well... interrogating, I suppose. He's got some fancy electronic helmet that does some sort of mumbo-jumbo on a prisoner's psyche. Secrets are revealed and all that sort of stuff.
Hasbro released the Interrogator in a new color scheme in 1993. A new sculpt came along in 2006, and the Club came out with another version in 2010 for one of the Convention exclusive sets.
The Club decided to include the Interrogator into the FSS 4.0 set and for me, he's a welcome addition. With an army of faceless legions, it's always welcome to add an individual personality into the Cobra hierarchy. 
Big problem right not, at least for me personally. I've got a job change coming up at the end of July and nearly all of my GI Joe stuff has been packed away. So pictures will be extremely limited in their creativity.

The Club did a decent part selection in my opinion. He pretty much matches the original figure enough to satisfy me. Plus his helmet is removable! 

I'm not real crazy about the web gear. It works well enough, but I may try something different once I get my stuff unpacked in a couple months.

The head choice from the Club was not very imaginative. The original head sculpt was a masked head that was seen on several other figures. I've tried out a few different head sculpts and have settled on this Fred head for now. To me, it works well enough with the character and the idea that, unmasked, he could hang around with the troops without drawing any attention to himself. Great job by the Club on this one; one of the stronger entries of FSS 4.0.

Next up is the son of Cobra Commander, Billy. Since when did Cobra Commander have a son? At one point in the Marvel run, he was a young kid who attempted to assassinate CoCo under the urging of Major Bludd and the Baroness. Later, he grew up and became an apprentice to Snake Eyes and a somewhat reformed Storm Shadow. Somewhere along the way, he lost an eye and a leg in an explosion. The leg was replaced by a cybernetic version, but no luck with the eye.

The cool part about this figure from the Club is that Billy has never been made as a figure before this. First time in action figure form! So how did the Club do? Not too bad! He's a simple, but decent build, but like most of the Club figures, there are a few flaws. The torso is a bit odd. There seems to be a ridge between the collar and his neck. Not a huge deal. I don't like the web gear. That little clip on the back strap is useless. I've used an extra set of web gear from an extra Ultimate Snake Eyes figure and it was okay for a bit.
Since the time I took these pictures, I switched out one set of Snake Eyes gear for another. I'm currently using the belt from City Strike Snake Eyes and it is far superior. New pictures eventually. 

The head sculpt is well done, capturing the look of the adult Billy.

Not a bad figure, one of the better figures from FSS 4.0. The Club walks away with two winners for this shipment. 
Only one more shipment to go! Tiger Force Outback and Sneak Peek as well as the mysterious 13th figure. The Club says that this will be a female figure with a new head sculpt. My guess is a Tiger Force Jinx with an unmasked head based on the animated movie appearance. She already showed up in one of the comic stories in the Club magazine. Besides, why not stick with the Tiger Force theme of these last two named figures?

"Hello, son... What brings you by today?"

"Perhaps losing your other eye will help loosen your tongue..."

Brutal, even for CoCo.

But then again, CoCo killed Billy toward the end of the DDP run of GI Joe.

I'm guessing we're about a week away from the last shipment for FSS 4.0.
Stay tuned!

FSS 4.0 Reveals: Quick Thoughts

Just a quick overview of all of the 12 members of the FSS 4.0.

From left to right, top to bottom.

Row 1:
Interrogator - Looks cool, glad to add the character to my modern mix. Hoping that the seemingly lower head is just a Photoshop thing.
Ice Ninja (Night Creeper) - I like the look, well designed, good use of parts. Ultimately an expensive troop builder, so he'll be off to the secondary market.
Nunchuk - Kind of a blah original figure, but effectively recreated. May need new military web gear.
Inferno BAT - Another expensive troop builder. I like BATs, but this one just looks dumb to me.

Row 2:
Outback - Over-sized head compared to body? Still, I like this version. Don't mind the white hair.
Barricade - I figured that the Club would go with the Delta suit torso/body. A bit too bright on the colors? Still a keeper. A favorite character.
Sneak Peek - Euro Tiger Force? I don't care. I'm glad to add the character to the mix.
Billy - Basically a brand new never produced figure. Billy has been around for quite a while. A welcome addition to most Joe collectors and well done by the Club. Not a huge fan of the bronze highlights, maybe Photoshop issue?

Row 3:
Law & Order - More accurate vintage colors, older vest. Looks great, but I'm not 100% sure about opening him. Some want him for a Bozigian autograph one day, but the key to the link between Kirk Bozigian and the original Law & Order was the head sculpt for Law was based on Kirk. Not the case with the new one.
Jammer - Action Force character? So what? Looks cool. Will he stay as Jammer or become a new Stalker?
Pathfinder - Decent upgrade, a little concerned about the small head and bulky vest, but he's a keeper.
Bullhorn - A real simple upgrade by the Club. A new head sculpt would have been nice, but he'll do. The original was pretty basic looking, so the Club redesign works. Hey Bullhorn, the 90's called. They want their headband back!

Mystery figure 13: The Club commented on this figure being an established female character with a new head sculpt. Intriguing! Cobra or GI Joe?

For the basic 12, it looks like 3 Cobras, 8 GI Joe/Allies, and 1 independent mercenary. I don't mind it too much, but Cobra offerings are going to be much tougher as the Club goes through the named Cobra personalities and are left with troop builders. 

If the Club could do some troop builders outside of the FSS realm and make some multi-packs, that would be pretty sweet. Maybe an intensive collector poll and lay out basic costs with an increased production run and hopeful strong fan response would be able to support something like this? That basic Cobra Trooper mold used for the Dollar General figures is ripe for an awesome upgrade.

Overall, I'm pleased with the Club offerings for FSS 4.0. Maybe I'm treading close to becoming a GI Joe Club apologist, but they do pretty good work.If they had the full resources of Hasbro, I'm sure they could crank out some even cooler figures. They are doing their best to support the brand as well as running the Transformer Club. 

Maybe one day, I'll actually make it to a national convention?

FSS 4.0 Reveals: Interrogator

The Club has finally resumed the reveals for the remaining FSS figures. With the new subscription due date of July 15th, I hope they get busy with the rest of the reveals.

There seems to be mixed reactions, as usual, from the bits of the GI Joe fan community that I frequent. More butt-hurt, I suppose, because the figure doesn't look exactly like original or the parts choices aren't the best. "I would have used these parts..." Cry babies...

I think the Interrogator looks pretty good. The only issue that I have right now is that the head/helmet seems a bit too low on the neck. Hopefully, that's just an issue with this mock-up image. I think the color combination looks good. Not too thrilled with the accessories, but the gear has never really been a strong point with Club figures. 

I'm interested in the idea that he has a removable helmet. What does he look like underneath? Hopefully something cool from Boss Fight!