When I think of “G.I. Joe” there are certain characters that come to mind. Whether it’s the influence of the Marvel Comics monthly series or the Sunbow animated episodes, names such as “Duke”, “Roadblock”, “Gung-Ho”, “Snake Eyes”, “Scarlet”, “Flint”, “Shipwreck”, and “Lady Jaye” all are immediately recalled. Apparently the writers of G.I. Joe Retaliation have a similar list as most of these characters will be included in the core cast of characters when the film finally makes its debut in theatres on March 29, 2013. Portrayed by the lovely Adrianne Palicki, the covert operations specialist Alison R. Hart-Burnett makes her big screen debut and receives her first “cinematic” action figure in the second wave of Retaliation figures. How does this plastic incarnation compare to the other versions of the character? Read on and find out one Joe fan’s opinion.
Once again, Hasbro proves that an old mold can be made fresh again with a different paint deco. In this case, Lady Jaye’s body is 100% shared with the G.I. Joe Renegades version of Scarlet. The swivel wrists, the rocker ankles—they’re all still present in this new version. To create a movie-version of Lady Jaye, the design team in Pawtucket took the lithe female body and gave it a decidedly desert-themed color palette with some digital camouflage thrown in for good measure. The result is the transition of a mold from “animated” to “real world” that really pops! The entire base body is rendered in a light brown with a darker camo pattern applied over the top. The figure’s sculpted body armor is painted in a sandstone hue with the figure’s sculpted belt, boots, and fingerless gloves all painted dark brown. The darker colors can give the impression that Lady Jaye’s arms and legs are thinner than Scarlet’s but it’s not the case. If Hasbro had to reuse a female body mold and couldn’t use the previous 5-pack body for Lady Jaye then this is a good choice.
In terms of head sculpt, Lady Jaye is given a newly-tooled head that is meant to resemble Ms. Palicki. The result is serviceable but not outstanding. The figure sculpt has the same strong cheek bones as the actress but something seems a bit “off” with the eyes. Perhaps it’s the result of the painted flesh and eye combination that prevents this mold from screaming “I’m Adrianne Palicki!” However, the sculpted bangs and pony tail go a long way in helping to strengthen the resemblance. Let’s face it—we’ve all seen far worst female head sculpts and overall I’d say this one works quite well. (I still have nightmares of the she-male head that was the Rise of Cobra Cover Girl. “Former fashion model” my Aunt Petunia!) The figure’s expression is kept fairly neutral as it typical for a movie representation. I do find it interesting that her lips are painted a fairly bright shade of red rather than a lighter pink. It would seem that Lady Jaye has donned her “combat lipstick” before heading out into the field!
Some figures in the G.I. Joe Retaliation line have been rather light on accessories and have included an action feature gimmick that appeals to the target audience. Lady Jaye, on the other hand, seems to have anticipated the equipment shortcomings of her peers and complete packaged with a small arsenal. Seriously—she’s got enough hardware to take down all of Cobra and still have some left over to pass out to the members of the Expendables!
Included with Lady Jaye are the following:
- Javelin launcher
- Bazooka
- Backpack with 4 removable shells
- 2 knives
- SMG with scope
- SMG with silencer
- FN SCAR-H
- M4 carbine with underside grenade launcher
Most of this gear should look familiar as it’s been used previously. The bazooka was recently included with both Zap and the 30th Steel Brigade Trooper, the pair of SMG’s were part of the kit for the Paris Pursuit Baroness from RoC as well as the PoC Beach Head, the smaller assault rifle was also from PoC Beach Head, the javelin launcher was from the 25 th Lady Jaye, and the larger assault rifle was last seen with the 30th Anniversary Lifeline. Essentially, Allison is packed with enough gear to equip all of the other Retaliation figures that came with minimal equipment. What I find impressive is that this time the javelin launcher and the two assault rifles feature paint applications! It’s as if Hasbro decided to go the full extra mile with this figure and just load fans up with gear! I whole-heartedly approve of this tactic!
At the end of the day, is Lady Jaye worth a purchase? I’m just going to come out and say it: YES. She’s a great figure with a decent actor likeness and more practical equipment than you can comfortably shake a stick at. I’m glad that the early rumors of her being planned as a New York Comic Con exclusive proved to be false as she is one of the STRONGEST figures in the entire Retaliation line thus far. Yes, she’s a bit different from the classic olive drab short-haired Lady Jaye that we’re all used to but this is a movie likeness. It’s a different continuity and that makes very easy to gear up Lady Jaye and place her on my figure shelf along with the rest of my Joes. Snag this figure as soon as you see her in stores as she’s packed one-per-case! I did and I have absolutely zero regrets about it. Of course, that’s just one Joe fan’s opinion.
End result: Snag this figure immediately! She’s a solid addition to any Joe collection.
