G.I. Joe Classified Series

[Chooch555]

I don’t need the Dictator

 

[Damien]

I know I'm behind the times but I just got Budo and I have thoughts. My thoughts should be taken with the amount of salt appropriate to 'this is one of my favorite vintage figures.'

I am less enthused than other people.

That isn't to say he's bad. In fact, I'd probably generally agree with the sentiment that he's one of the nicest figures in the line so far. He's super cool and I like him a lot. I'm just, maybe, more bothered than other people by the stuff they didn't do quite right or could have done better.

I think his gear arrangement is bizarre and it's immediately striking to me. First, his scabbards (on both waist pieces) are at a fucking STUPID angle. Not only from a 'realistic ability to draw them' perspective, but even from an actually having his weapons on him on display perspective. His sword handle is jammed up under his armpit and it just looks weird and bad.
Also, his sword is on his right hip and his drop leg holster is on his left leg. Which means he has a left-handed draw for both items, which means he can't draw his pistol if fighting with his sword. Also, his right hand is articulated for a weapon, but not his left hand.. even though he's clearly designed to be left-handed. The whole thing is just fucking bizarre and annoying because it would have been so easy to see this prior to tooling. Why design him this way?

Also, they cut out lots of room in the 'traditional' armor - which is great. But on his more modern style armor, they felt they need to sculpt like a quarter-inch of extra bullshit around the plate carrier, making it impossible for him to bring his arms together. Like.. all they had to do was NOT do that, and he'd of had awesome ROM around the armor (like Breaker has). That's just silly and short-sighted. It reeks of the 'make it look COOLER!' attitude without the 'make it work well' caveat. I dunno.

Also also... Hasbro is kind of just ass at swords. They always have been. I'm sure to anyone here but me, they look great. But I genuinely fucking hate his swords. Everything about them just looks wrong.

I'm aware that these are really just minor complaints and I DID preface this by saying it's a good figure and I like it. I'm just a little disappointed that I don't like it more. Especially because all of this was so easy to not fuck up.

 

[Ru1977]

Are his scabbards upside down too? Being on the wrong side really bugs me.

 

[Damien]

Are his scabbards upside down too? Being on the wrong side really bugs me.

Upside-down scabbards is like.... a whole conversation. The short answer is; while it is pop culture convention that katana (and related Japanese swords) were always worn with the edge up, that's not strictly true at all. Edge-up requires the sword to be worn higher. In armor, or on horseback, it often makes sense to wear a sword slung lower, but then you have to wear it edge-down to draw it properly.
Samurai in armor, therefore, would have mostly worn the sword edge-down and that seems to be the case in historical photography.

 

[Ru1977]

Upside-down scabbards is like.... a whole conversation. The short answer is; while it is pop culture convention that katana (and related Japanese swords) were always worn with the edge up, that's not strictly true at all. Edge-up requires the sword to be worn higher. In armor, or on horseback, it often makes sense to wear a sword slung lower, but then you have to wear it edge-down to draw it properly.
Samurai in armor, therefore, would have mostly worn the sword edge-down and that seems to be the case in historical photography.

Ah thank you. So it's either go for accuracy or what I know from movies heh

 

[Akatsuki]

It was the name, oddly.
“Annihilator” they felt was inherently violent.
Meh. Just pearls-clutching “won’t someone think of the children” Gingrich-era fear-mongering. Good thing we left all that behind . . .

And I want my Interrogator strictly 90s ARAH. One of the best Cobra designs in the entire line, and also a very important person in the Cobra hierarchy. I’d consider Interrogator more “necessary” to Cobra than a lot of more famous Cobra operators. He’s also arguably the scariest Cobra.

Yeah it was Annihilator’s name that was the kicker. Too violent to “annihilate” your enemies. He’s got such a cool colorful design. All of the Iron Grenadiers were awesome.

Yes exactly classic Interrogator was perfect. Creepy cool helmet and just a bass was look overall. And he fills an important niche as the guy who interrogates
the Joes for secrets. He seemed like he would have a high rank. Not sure why he came with a helicopter, but that helicopter was cool and really worked.

Which reminds of the Cobra Heli-Viper! Man that guy was cool too. He reused the original Snow Serpent helmet (awesome design) and the Night-Viper leg gear (with that cool rifle that could peg onto his leg).


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[Akatsuki]

How do you feel about Overlord?

And thank God those people didn't see the Cobra La set.

Yes! Loved Overlord! He’d be amazing in Classified. I would buy the Dictator vehicle, too. It wouldn’t be too huge.


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[Chooch555]

Got a text that my 2 Ghost Vipers should be here Friday.

 

[altcunningham]

Top 3 at this point.

Dawn Moreno Snake Eyes. This is one of those that I think is long overdue given how the line has gone, but I'm also glad they're only probably just going to get to it because we have quantum leaped how these figures look several times over it at this point. I don't care which costume.

Overkill. 1992 neon colors. Transparent chest with the flip down gun barrels. Swappable hand with the claw/laser attachment. Rifle. Shrink down the talkie backpack for an injoke, but it would look so cool with Classified detailing on the piping. But he needs the claw because I never took the claw off because he was always clawing and brain drilling Joe's like that stupid Eco Warrior in the Homer Simpson radiation suit. I saw that he had a second upgrade at some point and they actually fixed his hairline. Maybe you can include his head as a trophy.

Bombstrike. I have a fondness for her because I got back into GI Joe with Valor vs Venom. Briefly. It was a two pack with a hot blonde and Croc Master.. I love her uniform. It's just the BDU pants and undershirt. I still wear the undershirts years out of the service. That's mainly why it even caught my eye.

Don't put the Joe Logo on the Classified one, though. Just let her look like she's on lunch break at HQ. Do not do the hideous second edition. Do the first one, and whoever unfugged Cover Girl, let them work their magic.

Pistol. SMG. Pack. Radio. Maybe a laser targeter for calling in air strikes.

Probably reverse this priority order based on my passion for write ups.

 

[Jolene00Negative]

Can I dream wish some figures?

Dark Hadou Jinx from Street Fighter X GI Joe
Abby Chase Agent of Cobra from Danger Girl/GI Joe
Ice Queen Vanessa Warfield from the IDW crossovers
Aura Gloria Baker from the IDW crossovers

 

[docsilence]

I almost posted a wishlist earlier but really if they keep up a steady stream of Viper options and adding to the ever-growing roster in the nice varied pattern they're doing they'll keep me happy for years. But I think the GIMME NOW characters for me really is a short list - Spearhead and Max like everyone else, Muskrat, (Airtight has been previewed already, yeah?), Fast Draw, Scoop, those are the ones I'm super impatient for. Then there's "I don't quite know how they do it without vehicles" figures like Cutter, Strato-Viper, Deep Six. And then there's ones I know they'll get to eventually and I'll be happy when they show up but I'm okay waiting a bit like Rampart, Ambush, Stretcher. Voltar's probably closer to GIMME NOW than happy whenever he gets here. Like it's very weird to be very confident this line will absolutely get to every character I want, it's just a matter of when, and I'm okay with them being doled out four or five figures at a time.

 

[Ru1977]

Can I dream wish some figures?

Dark Hadou Jinx from Street Fighter X GI Joe
Abby Chase Agent of Cobra from Danger Girl/GI Joe
Ice Queen Vanessa Warfield from the IDW crossovers
Aura Gloria Baker from the IDW crossovers

I had to look a couple of those up, but I am down. Also, there aren't too many MASK characters I'd try to sneak onto my Classified shelf but Gloria and Vanessa are definitely among them.

I almost posted a wishlist earlier but really if they keep up a steady stream of Viper options and adding to the ever-growing roster in the nice varied pattern they're doing they'll keep me happy for years. But I think the GIMME NOW characters for me really is a short list - Spearhead and Max like everyone else, Muskrat, (Airtight has been previewed already, yeah?),

Shit, was he? I honestly can't remember now. Damnit, I better bump him up in the one-a-day schedule.

Then there's "I don't quite know how they do it without vehicles" figures like Cutter, Strato-Viper, Deep Six.

Deep Six could be a deluxe. Was there a carded Cutter? Like the DEF one or something or did he still come with a boat?

And then there's ones I know they'll get to eventually and I'll be happy when they show up but I'm okay waiting a bit like Rampart, Ambush, Stretcher. Voltar's probably closer to GIMME NOW than happy whenever he gets here.

Those have gotta be soon yeah. It's funny because they'll do something like the Grim Viper, and its cool and all, but when are we gonna get someone like Voltar? Or some of my heavily desired comic characters?

Like it's very weird to be very confident this line will absolutely get to every character I want, it's just a matter of when, and I'm okay with them being doled out four or five figures at a time.

Agreed. Especially, as was pointed out, the quality just seems to mostly go up with each wave. mostly.

 

[AceofKnaves]

Was there a carded Cutter? Like the DEF one

Exactly so. No boat.

 

[docsilence]

I may have hallucinated Airtight. Could've sworn we saw a render last year but I may have conflated him with Blowtorch.

There was a carded Cutter but he was the one from the OH SO 80s and 90s "Drug Elimination Force." His bio card got so much grimmer with that version, too. Gone was the "I can't believe the only Coast Guard Joe is from fucking Kansas named Skip Stone" and that makes me sad cos DEF Cutter was very pro prison industrial complex.

Oh, they did have a repaint of classic Cutter that came with a VERY TINY version of the WHALE called the Night Landing Craft.

Man, a lot of my "I'd love that character" figures were vehicle drivers. Grand Slam, Thunder, Lamprey, Ace, Ice Viper...

 

[AceofKnaves]

DEF is one subset where I desperately want the villains and honestly don’t care whether the good guys get made at all.