G.I. Joe Classified - The Best of 2025

1. Ghost Viper
2. Desert Scorpion
3. Budo
4. Crankcase
6. Breaker
7. Monketwrench
8. Leatherneck
9. Wild Weasel
10. Crystal Ball

Tough one because the design team really hit their stride and knocked so many out the park. Even super simple designs like Hawk, Green Shirt and Steeler are really excellent.
 
Spongyblue said:
1. Ghost Viper
2. Desert Scorpion
3. Budo
4. Crankcase
6. Breaker
7. Monketwrench
8. Leatherneck
9. Wild Weasel
10. Crystal Ball

Tough one because the design team really hit their stride and knocked so many out the park. Even super simple designs like Hawk, Green Shirt and Steeler are really excellent.
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Those three guys didn't get on my list because I was like if I do one I need to include all three. The face sculpts are incredible.
 
I've been thinking about this thread a lot. But I feel like I can't really contribute because, despite being a 'G.I. Joe Stan' or something... I don't actually buy very many G.I. Joe figures. Looking at Ru's list, I own 11 figures produced in 2025 (not counting the animals, but including Slice and Dice as separate figures). By far the most Joes I've bought in a single year since Retaliation/Modern Era 1:18th. But a top ten out of 11 feels like cheating. So I'm gonna pick my top three.

For posterity, here are all the Joe items produced in 2025 that I own:

Leatherneck
Alvin "Breaker" Kibby with M.A.S.S. Device
Slice
Dice
Snake Eyes & Polar Bear with M.A.S.S. Device
Snake Eyes V.4
Major Bludd
Cobra Commander with Combat Armor
Budo
Desert Scorpion & SKRP10N-25
Retro Viper



I think my top three would go...

1. Budo
Just a great figure overall. I don't love all the changes to the original design, but it's hard to argue with how fun he is to pose around, and how many options he includes with the different heads and separate set of armor. I just really like this guy. And nostalgia points because Budo was always one of my favorite figures growing up.

2. Desert Scorpion
In terms of pure functionality, I think this might be one of the worst figures I've gotten this year. The hips somehow manage to have less range than any other Joe I own, and his butterflies are non-existent. I don't like the 'upgrade' to all the gold elements. The only thing they really stuck to, for some reason, was giving him a really stupid rifle. But ARAH Desert Scorpion is top 5, easily, in my list of favorite Joe toys growing up. Most days, I think I'd put him in the number 2 spot right behind Ninja Force Storm Shadow. So having this figure delights me in ways that make up for the deficiencies.

3. Retro Viper
This is kind of the opposite of the above two. He's here solely because he's SUCH a fun figure to mess with. Really smooth articulation, looks great, a bunch of extra hands. He's just a lot of fun wrapped into a design I don't have as much nostalgia for since I wasn't big on regular Vipers as a kid.


I did consider giving the number 3 spot to Breaker instead. I find that figure loads of fun to pose with his rig being a design that doesn't inhibit his butterflies. So.. honorable mention that Breaker is a SUPER fun figure to play with.

And all that is to also say that this was really hard to do because the reason I bought almost all of these figures is the nostalgia hit. Any one of them could be my favorite on any given day because of how much I love these specific designs. V4 Snake Eyes is really hard to leave off the list just because this was my favorite version of Snake Eyes for a very long time. The problem is that the figure is just sort of 'adequate.'
 
Come on.... picking ten from eleven?! You made it easy on yourself! I appreciate you including the whole list though. Don't you see how, of all the figures they did this year, those were the ones you liked enough to buy? You're literally voting with your money. Thank you for not only resurrecting this thread, but also sharing your thoughts on feelings on your top three.
 
Ru1977 said:
Come on.... picking ten from eleven?! You made it easy on yourself!
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That's the problem, though. It just felt lame to do it. Especially because I bought the SE/Polar Bear set for the bear and I actively dislike the SE figure. So he comes off the list immediately and now I already have ten. So choosing my favorite ten figures out of the ten figures I actually wanted to buy this year is SUPER lame.


Ru1977 said:
Don't you see how, of all the figures they did this year, those were the ones you liked enough to buy? You're literally voting with your money.
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Oh no, that's definitely true. I only bought what spoke to me and left what didn't. But I still think a 'top' list should force you to make decisions about what was the best stuff -from among what you bought- and not 'well, I have to hit an arbitrary number, so if that number is all the things I bought, then I don't even have to make decisions or think about why I like what I like.' So I wanted it to mean something. But yeah, it's also true that every one of those purchases meant something on its own and spoke to why and how I collect this line.
 
Damien said:
That's the problem, though. It just felt lame to do it. Especially because I bought the SE/Polar Bear set for the bear and I actively dislike the SE figure. So he comes off the list immediately and now I already have ten.
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But the Polar Bear!
Damien said:
So choosing my favorite ten figures out of the ten figures I actually wanted to buy this year is SUPER lame.
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I genuinely get why you feel that way, but as Lord of the Poll*, I say it counts and you should just go for it.
Damien said:
Oh no, that's definitely true. I only bought what spoke to me and left what didn't. But I still think a 'top' list should force you to make decisions about what was the best stuff -from among what you bought- and not 'well, I have to hit an arbitrary number, so if that number is all the things I bought, then I don't even have to make decisions or think about why I like what I like.'
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But you DID make decisions. You're putting arbitrary limitations on yourself as far as 'a top list should force you to make decisions', but either way, you DID make those decisions. Now coast through the damned top ten list!
Damien said:
So I wanted it to mean something. But yeah, it's also true that every one of those purchases meant something on its own and spoke to why and how I collect this line.
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Right, so... I guess I'm just going by your purchase list minus the Polar Bear....


*yes I heard myself.
 
Very difficult, because 2025 kicked so much ass when it came to the Classified line. But, after some thought, here is what I came up with.

1.) Snake Eyes V.4
2.) Cobra Commander Combat Armor
3.) Sci-Fi
4.) Law & Order
5.) Retro Flint
6.) Heavy Duty
7.) Wet Suit
8.) SAW Viper
9.) Desert Scorpion
10.) Retro Rock N Roll
 
Ru1977 said:
But the Polar Bear!
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I wasn't counting the animals at all. Despite being really cool, I -am- trying to treat them more like great accessories. At the end of the day, I'm really here for the characters. The polar bear is basically a dio piece to me rather than a figure. And as cool as stuff like the scorpion and alligator are, it's not like you can easily separate them from the figure they come with as distinct toys because they are the required accessory for that character as much as anything.


Ru1977 said:
*yes I heard myself.
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Kind've pissed off that you preempted my excellent joke.
 
Just thought of something, I haven't bought Snake-Eyes and the Polar Bear because I don't really care for that Snake-Eyes and I haven't bought Desert Scorpion because I don't need a giant scorpion. The perfect two pack would be Desert Scorpion with a Polar Bear. I'm waiting on a discount.
 
mrboshek said:
Just thought of something, I haven't bought Snake-Eyes and the Polar Bear because I don't really care for that Snake-Eyes and I haven't bought Desert Scorpion because I don't need a giant scorpion. The perfect two pack would be Desert Scorpion with a Polar Bear. I'm waiting on a discount.
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My ideal set up would be two Desert Scorpions with one giant scorpion. So the big thing (literally) stopping me from getting another DS is that I do not want/need another scorpion. Especially when this set is like 60-80 bucks Canadian.
 
I take a look at Desert Scorpion almost every time I'm in Target, but not ready to buy yet.

Out of the figures I bought this year, I would go with these ten. I disqualified Mindbender and Bludd because they were too close to previous releases. Almost everything else I bought can be considered an honorable mention. The only item I was mildly disappointed with was the S.N.A.K.E.

1. Retro Cover Girl
2. Retro Rock N Roll
3. Dreadnok Monkeywrench
4. Pythona
5. Footloose
6. Sci-Fi
7. Dial-Tone
8. Blowtorch
99. Night Force Quick Kick
10. Budo

For some reason the formatting of my copy/paste is all messed up, I'm going with NF Quickkick at 9.


These are the figures I didn't buy. Crystal Ball and Baroness could've made the Top 10 if I had them. Thanks to Walmart's store distribution, I don't have CB. He's on the To Buy list with Hawk and Desert Scorpion.

Trench Viper
Crystal Ball
Snake Eyes & Polar Bear with M.A.S.S. Device
Cold Slither Box Set Zartan
Cold Slither Box Set Buzzer
Cold Slither Box Set Ripper
Cold Slither Box Set Torch
Red Diver with M.A.S.S. Device
Yellow Diver with M.A.S.S. Device
Ghost Viper
Steel Corps Sentry & Modular Defense Post
Desert Scorpion & SKRP10N-25
Hawk with M.M.S.
Baroness - Rattler
Wild Weasel - Rattler
Rattler Gunner
Retro Tele Viper
Retro B.A.T.
Legacy ESU Police Officer
 
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