Micro Toy Review: G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Action Figures

August 19, 2007  |  Posted by: Shane

G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Action Figures
Hasbro
3 stars

2007 Marks the 25th Anniversary of the “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” line. To commemorate the event, Hasbro released all new sculpted 3 3/4″ figures based on the more popular characters such as: Duke, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Gung-Ho, Roadblock, Cobra Commander, Destro, Baroness, and Cobra Enemy Trooper. These figures feature more articulation and are reminiscent of their original incarnations.

Are the G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary action figures worth your time?

If you were a boy growing up in the 80s, there’s a strong possibility that you owned at least a handful of these action figures. These guys were cool for a number of reasons: they had great character design, there was poseability that was ahead of its time, and these toys had both a cartoon and a comic book reinforcing how awesomely awesome they actually were. It’s all about commercialistic mind-control.

So for Hasbro to go back and modernize the line while staying true to the essence of originals…it seems like a no-brainer. And for the most part, these figures work.

Hasbro didn’t try and reinvent the wheel. All fifteen initial releases look and feel like the classic Joes…with a modern twist. In most cases, the articulation is slightly better (as is the paint application). Hasbro even went the extra mile to make varied body sizes; the Heavy Machine Gunner, Roadblock, is quite buff compared to his other Joe teammates. To make the figures just a little more special, the carded figures have packaging that closely mirrors the original 80s style. It’s a nice touch, and it shows that a good design can remain good, even a quarter century later.

Of course, nerds can always find something wrong, and I’m no exception. The biggest no-no of the line is the fact that many of the figures have a hard time holding their weapons. Whether that’s due to soft plastic or poor sculpting, the fact remains that these military toys can’t keep track of their armaments.

Also, Hasbro dropped the ball for a number of the figures in terms of accessories — or the lack of them. For instance, the iconic Snake Eyes figure packaged with his wolf, Timber (you know the one I’m talking about) lacks both his trademark sword and a backpack to store it. Hasbro also reused parts for some figures instead of creating a new part that more closely resembled the original iteration. If Hasbro wants to make a big deal about recreating the past lines, they better make sure they do it when it counts.

While it’s always easy to complain about something, the fact remains that this new line of G.I. Joes is, overall, a lot of fun. Hasbro got it right more that it got it wrong, and because it’s only their first attempt, there is reason to believe that they’ll fix some of the issues in future waves. The Scope gives these troops a moderately boisterous, “Yo Joe!”

Category: Reviews  |  Time: 9:53 pm (CST)  |