Joe*Battlelines

[barbecue17]

I picked up the Walmart exclusive G. I. Joe Adventure team Land Adventurer at Wal-Mart on Thursday, and I have to say that I am really impressed with this figure. Most of my collecting is of the 8 inch and 3 3/4 inch figures, but I certainly have an appreciation for the roots of G. I. Joe. While I don't have any of the original Joe stuff, I do have every single Joe ornament released, a few of the 12 inch reissues, and some awesome t-shirts (one of which proudly proclaims "With Kung Fu Grip!"

12 inch stuff is not my preferred Joe toy line, but I'm certainly glad I picked this guy up. This is a great promotion that may not really draw kids in, but it certainly is a nice treat for collectors.

The package: Plainly stated, the package on this figure rocks. I haven't seen a cooler package on an action figure in a long time (with perhaps the exception of the single packed 25th anniv. figures.) It really grabs your attention from the shelf. The box is nice and sturdy, and looks great sitting on a shelf. And the best thing is that the boxes are unique for all 5 figures! I only grabbed Land Adventurer, but I can see myself picking up a few more of these guys just because.

The figure:I was surprised by how light this guy was when I first picked him up! After looking at the joints, I don't have any real fear of him breaking, but he certainly feels a little flimsy, probably because he is hollow. After playing with him extensively he still holds up well, and I enjoy the poseability that the figure offers.

This is the first figure I have ever owned with this kind of Kung-fu grip, and it is quite interesting. While this really wouldn't be a big deal now, I can see how cool this would have been back in the day, as I have already had my Joe hold his wrist while shooting a pistol, wing from a tree limb, carry a pen, and a variety of other things.

The outift is great. The "alpenflage" camo pattern really makes the figure stand out and feels to be of a very high quality. The boots I'm not so ctrazy about, but I realize that the point of the figure is to recreate the original. Still, I'm not crazy about them.

To me, accessories is where this guy is lacking a bit, but for 10 bucks, I'm sure that collectors are just thrilled to get their hands on these guys. The AT medallion is cool, although I prefer to keep it under his shirt. The pistol and holster is a nice inclusion, but I'm not wild about either of those. Well, I do like the luger stlyed 9mm pistol that Joe comes with, but the holster suffers from the same problem the boots have, and that is that they feel a little cheap to me.

THe head: The last thing I'll point out is that the head sculpt on this guy is awesome. I love it, especially the hair. It feels really cool, looks good, and even has a really cool, really interesting smell about it. It kind of reminds me of the smell of Mossman from the Masters of the Universe toyline, and that is a smell I have loved since child hood. If it weren't so expensive, I would buy a MOC Mossman every other month and hang him from my rearview mirrror. Anyways, the hair on this guy rocks.

Overall: being too young to remember the original Adventure Team figures (I was born in '83) I probably am not able to fully appreciate this guy as well as you old timers. Still, I enjoy this figure. It looks great, is a ton of fun to mess around with (Joe spent a few hours today hanging out in a tree in our living room) and is really a value for the money, considering what figures tend to go for these days. While my focus lately has been on the 8 inch Adventure Team figures, I'm certainly glad to have this Joe around to remind me of my favorite hobby's great roots!

Yo Joe, baby! You've come a long way!

I'll add some pictures tomorrow if I can!
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"I got your offensive weapon right here!"

[Eye of Agamotto]

Thanks for doing the review, barbecue17. I was unable to find any of these yesterday, so I'll try again next week. I hope these sell well, though like you said, these are probably more geared towards collectors. It'd be neat if they came out with some AT gear packs to recreate some of the old AT sets. In all honesty, the 25th Anni figs leave me cold, and though I like the 8" figs, nothing out right now is grabbing my attention like these old AT figs. Flocked hair rules! I will definitely grab one for my 6 year old to play with.

Oh, and pics are absolutely necessary!
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[HelaViper]

I wouldn't worry about the durability of those figures. I have a few that are 37 yrs old and still holding tough. My original went through yrs of hell and is still pretty tight. They built them to last back then.

[barbecue17]