|
Review by Fred Meyer & Chris Chung
Pics by Fred Meyer |
|---|
|
My first exposure to Flint was in the Sunbow animated mini-series G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra. Voiced by the talented Bill Ratner and portrayed as a no-nonsense field leader, Flint instantly became a favorite character of mine.
Likewise. Flint exuded “badass” from the get-go. He’s one the best ‘Joe cartoon characters ever. (Though sadly his actual original toy wasn’t as impressive as his ‘toon visage.)
However, my initial exposure to the A Real American Hero era faded around the same time as Sunbow’s contract and so it wasn’t until years later that I discovered Flint had received an updated appearance in the very year I graduated high school. Gone was the signature black shirt and beret uniform to be replaced by neon green and yellow. That’s right-- Flint had gone “Neon 90’s” and joined the Eco-Warriors.
My heart broke when I saw that, but I still bought him for the new head sculpt.
Flash forward to 2014 and Flint is back in those neon colors as part of the Zombie Initiative Joe Con set.
And I’m still in denial!
Have the years been kind to this environmental protector? Read on and find out the opinions of two long-time G.I. Joe fans!
In creating a Generation 3 construction update of the Eco-Warriors (now ECO-Force) version of Flint, the GIJCC opted for a functional homage rather than a literal one. In other words, this figure recreates the overall look of the original 1991 figure without being an exact replica. Considering I was never a die-hard Eco-Warriors fan to begin with, I appreciate the more functional design.
I’ll be blunt-- I LOVE this figure design!
To balance out the space/time continuum, I don’t.
The parts work well to create the appearance of a more field capable HAZMAT uniform while the toned-down colors give the ECO Force Flint a more realistic appearance. (If only the same could be said of Ozone-- the poor Play-Doh trooper.) However, the entire uniform is given a more military look with the addition of the web gear which further enhances Flint’s position as the most combat capable member of this sub-team.
The parts are serviceable---in the way of the most common denominator, but his neck is styled so he constantly looks down (though thankfully not to the severity of Outback), and his upper torso is too short compared to the legs, so he’s the shortest guy in his squad. That takes away some of his stature (figuratively and literally) when Clean-Sweep towers over him by almost two feet in scale.
To add insult to injury, mine came with two left arms that I had to mail back to the club for an exchange.
I’m reminded of the HAZMAT uniforms worn by the team members in an episode of Stargate SG-1 in which the team heads into a hostile toxic environment. The high collar from the Cobra Trooper body even works well with the new ECO-Force helmet to complete the look of a rugged HAZMAT suit.
…Except whoever approved the design, approved the neck’s inner suit collar to be painted flesh tone, so it looks like Flint has a very fat and wrinkled neck. I had to paint this yellow to correct the glaring mistake.
In general paint seems to be a big problem in this figure. The yellow is very sloppily applied over the green, and it doesn’t help several coats of yellow are needed to cover the green base in the first place. In some areas it was applied too thick and outside the lines (mainly the belt and chest zipper track), and other areas like the arms don’t have enough yellow, so the plastic and paint looks streaky and unprofessional---like a poorly painted custom.
To make matters worse, the green paint on the lower legs don’t match the green paint on the rest of the body, his black hair is splotchy, and the top of his eyes and eye lashes weren’t painted in, so he has wide open eyes that look like he’s from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. For whatever reason this seems like a cursed head. It doesn’t really look like D.J. Cotrona, it doesn’t look like classic Flint, he was given an incorrect skin tone just as dark as Roadblock during the Retaliation line, and now they didn’t do his eyes right. You just can’t win.
Flint looks like he’s ready to wade into a Compound Z affected area and keep his team safe while they perform their jobs and this Joe fan approves.
I may be mistaken but I could have sworn this figure was initially advertised as having a brand new head sculpt.
It was. But since it didn’t, where did that extra tooling cost go if we didn’t get something new? Hmmm…
The reality is a bit different as ECO-Force Flint utilizes the same head as the Ultimate Flint figure from Retaliation wave 3.5. I’m not certain why this head was used but it certainly works very well to represent Warrant Officer Fairborne in his new role. The Club had the foresight to include the removable beret that was included with the Retaliation wave 2 Flint which means that this figure actually looks better than the original 1991 version with the helmet off.
According to the convention materials, the ECO-Force team is tasked with finding a cure for the Compound Z zombie outbreak while the Zombie Hunters are tasked with containment. (That’s code for ‘kill’. And kill they do!) However, just because his team is tasked with a more peaceful solution doesn’t mean that Flint is going on the mission armed only with syringes and leaflets. The ECO-Force team leader comes equipped with the following gear:
There are two pieces of gear that absolutely make this kit work in my opinion. The first piece is the included shotgun-- which has long since been viewed as Flint’s signature weapon going back to his debut in 1985. It’s also a practical weapon for close-range combat which would certainly apply to the zombie hordes that this team is facing. The second piece that works is a brand new sculpted helmet that completely the HAZMAT look of Flint’s uniform. Rather than emulating both the helmets for Flint and Ozone, the Club opted to save costs and produce one single helmet for use with both figures. The result is a hybrid design that borrows more from Ozone’s vintage gear than Flint’s-- which is fine as the latter’s helmet was rather lackluster in appearance.
Lackluster is an understatement! Vintage Eco Flint’s helmet also had an exposed mesh screen over his lower face that offered no protection against liquid or gas Plasmatox! Whoops! See, if Airtight was leading the team instead, compromised MOPP 4 gear wouldn’t have happened on his watch. That’s what you get when you throw a helo pilot in to lead a HAZMAT team…
The new helmet fits solidly on the figure’s head and really helps give the appearance of a uniform sealed against toxic airborne contaminants. Personally I wish it were just a bit larger but I’ve had that same complaint with modern removable helmets before so this is nothing new. (It’s still proportionately better than the one that came with the FSS 2.0 Cesspool figure.)
Yes, but it still leaves his jaw jawline bare and thus exposed, which defeats the purpose of containment gear. I’m not sure why Boss Fight could make the helmet work on Clean-Sweep, but not Flint or Ozone. I do feel a bit cheated there, but I can forgive it because the helmet is a vast improvement over the stupid original one. And it looks cooler.
As far as the return of the “Blast-o-matic 6000”, it certainly looks better here than it did when it first was released with Duke.
Note to Club staff: Black guns look cool. Thank you. Orange or gray do not. No thanks.
The Zombie Initiative ECO-Force Flint is one of rare cases in which the modern update is clearly superior to the original in every single way imaginable. The figure’s design is more practical, the color scheme is more realistic, and the gear selection is both functional and plausible.
What?! Whoa Nelly! I wholly disagree. I think the original was superior because it had a dedicated design right from the start instead of being shoehorned into a FrankenJoe; it had better sculpted detail because it was brand new and specifically created to hold that design instead of having to be shopped around and having to settle on existing parts that may not be accurate; and it had aesthetic presence that looked good outside of Eco colors, but the same can’t be said about the con version.
The figure retains a terrific range of motion including the hinged wrists that I’m convinced should be standard on all Generation 3 era figures. Out of all of the figures in the convention set, Flint was the third one that I acquired-- after Clean-Sweep and T’jbang and yet he is tied with Clean Sweep as my favorite pieces in the entire set.
The Bottom Line: Even if you’re not a fan of the “Neon 90’s” this version of Flint is a great addition to any collection. Very much worth the purchase!
To me, Flint is the worst figure in the convention set. His body construction makes him look small and weak, his paint is sloppy, he can’t wear his helmet as well as he should be able to, and he has a d-bag looking face. Coupled with an obnoxious color and no role outside of a HAZMAT operation, I see no redeeming value of Flint and I do not recommend a purchase. There are plenty of Flints to get if you need one. This isn’t one of them, and certainly not at scalper prices.
|
| Copyright 2003 JoeBattlelines.com |
|---|