Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary
I just got my case of Wave 6 from BBTS. I think this is one of the most "lackluster" Waves but anything that I say is like that with the 25th Anniversary series is still something pretty damn good! :chew
There's only THREE new figures in this set...well I should say more like 2-and-a-half since some parts are mainly reused to make one of the figures. Here's a quick review.
Rock 'n Roll: My least favorite of the new figures...I actually prefer Rock 'n Roll's 1988 design where he had the two huge gattling gun things complete with a vest and a hat...I wish they would've done that design instead. He uses the Duke/Flint arms that desperately need to redone because they're not that great at holding weapons (two-handed) properly. He also has the Duke/Flint legs except with a knife sheath in place of a holster on the right leg. I believe his torso might be new as its just a plain shirt...and his head mold is definitely new as well as his weapon and the straps of ammo he has on his chest. He's a good figure, but nothing really special stands out as he's just another one of the original 13 Joes.
Torpedo: Due to copyright issues, he's "Lt.Torpedo". This is probably one of the most pleasant surprises as he's really an impressive figure. He looks plain, but his whole outfit has got that "covert SEAL" feel to it. This is a totally new mold that comes complete with a little airtank backpack, a pistol with a silencer, a knife, harpoon gun, flippers, and a facemask that connects to the airtank. His facemask's clear plastic even has a concave shape to it that makes him look goggly-eyed which is realistic. Very nice surprise for a character that I'm not a real big fan of.
Cobra Commander (Armored): Definitely the highlight of the Wave. Cobra Commander looks awesome and brutally intimidating in his '88 outfit. The helmet even removes to show a black ski-masked head (Beach Head reused) beneath and his backpack is much larger than the original. Overall he just is really cool and the attention to detail that Hasbro put into this update is great...complete to even having a belt that looks just like the card-art.
Still a solid line-up and Hasbro is ramping it up to deliver a heavy-hitting Wave 7 right after this one with some MAJOR big figures in there in the form of Snake Eyes v3 ('88), Spirit, Wild Bill, HISS Driver, Duke (ehh...not so much), and of course the COBRA VIPER.
This line just keeps getting better and better.