Okay, so maybe it's been a while since I've posted on here as part of the Blog Mash Bash. Maybe I've been busy, you ever think of that?! Huh?! Didja?! Well, I haven't been...just lazy. Anyway, I've recently decided to take the plunge back into the world of G.I. JOE thanks to the amazing figures that have been released in the Pursuit of Cobra (P.O.C.) line. Hasbro is really letting their design team go wild and the results are simply the best JOEs I will probably ever see in my lifetime. Today I'm taking a look at one of my personal favorite characters: Firefly.
That's right, its SABOTAGE baby! Sometimes evil terrorist organizations need to blow stuff up, and when they're not employing suicide bombers, they call Firefly. No one has ever seen his face and his funds are wired to discreet bank accounts all across the globe. You want finesse? You want maximum damage? You want untraceable? You get Firefly for the job.
The front of the new P.O.C. package hearkens back to the 1980's A Real American Hero era of the JOEs. It features a more metallic-tinged logo instead of the ol' red, white, and blue...but I kinda dig it. A digital painting of Firefly appears on the left hand side of the card along with his name and alliance. The figure is placed (non-posed) in the blister bubble on the right. The card is very familiar to longtime fans and doesn't feature tons of excess. The figure's name and number are also listed in a small bar on the top right of the card. This is very useful when searching through the pegs at the store since they're easy to read and differentiate.
The back of the package is very nice. As much as I like seeing other figures in the line, well I'm easily able to search the internet for such things. That being said, there is a fairly nice action shot of Beachhead running recon on a COBRA patrol. Firefly is part of the "urban warfare" play pattern that is set up by the storyline on the package. Below the scene is the patented filecard that we all know and love. Firefly looks a little different than normal and his bio helps to fill us in on why:
Firefly works for COBRA as a saboteur with expertise in explosives, espionage and silent infiltration. During the Urban Battle, he uses Multi-Resonance Structural Demolition (MRSD) Pods to collapse a building, trapping G.I. JOE team members inside. His Titanium body armor and arm shields protect him from the blast.
Apparently his new helmet allows for 360 degree field of vision, hence it's weird shape... I guess.
Firefly is pretty well off in the accessory area. In the blister he comes with: an M-4 machine gun w/ grenade launcher, extra helmeted head, two mines, a large molle backpack with working straps, two pistols w/ compensator and tac-light, two "titanium" arm guards, and a figure stand which has the COBRA logo sculpted on top and Firefly's name printed on the front.
As you can see by the 2 pics above, Firefly is almost too heavily armored. While being protected form a bomb blast is indeed quite important, it should impede your ability to look cool. The sculpt is still amazing though and really puts Hasbro's other 3 3/4" property (Marvel Universe) to shame.
With all of the armor removed (his armguards can both attach to the back of his vest OR get stashed in the backpack) you can check out his full range of articulation. Ball-joint head, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel wrists, ball-joint torso, ball-socket hips (using the metal t-crotch of the 80's JOES!), double-hinged knees, and ball-hinge ankles allow for Firefly to be put in pretty much any combat stance that your heart desires.
The paintwork is very clean and highly appropriate for the character. While I would have preferred the gray camp look to have been extended onto his face like in the old days, Firefly is all gray...and all business. My only real gripe is that when the vest is removed, the chest beneath is painted in a very different style than the rest of the body. It's so different that you won't even want to remove the vest at all, which kinda sucks. Actually it sucks big time, but this isn't my site so I'm tryin' to keep calm...
aaaaaannnndddd here's the comparison pic that Novelty loves so much. On the left is the 25th anniversary version of Firefly with the new P.O.C. counterpart on the right. Neither of these are perfect, so I'm still hoping that one day Hasbro will deliver the ultimate version of the mysterious mercenary.
The mix of mescaline and vodka really saved this review from becoming an reprehensible rant on terrorist fashion. Once again illicit drug use and alcohol consumption have saved the day!
ReplyDeleteDuke's upcoming review, however, is a trek into violent madness... or at least it seemed that way when I was chugging Drain-o I had strained through and old sock...
Thanks again for the opportunity, Novelty. :)
LOL, I have to send over a few bottles of the good stuff the next time I visit the store. Thanks for the great review. It must have taken ages to do the pictures, let alone the review!
ReplyDeleteNah, once I get going the photographs come right along. I love photographing outdoors lately.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, you are dressed when you carry out photographing outdoors :p I like the shots of Orko that you took on the balcony and stuff.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that has become my defacto MOTUC pic background.lol
ReplyDeleteWell, hopefully I'll get to see more of it here? ;)
ReplyDeleteNice review, LJ. These figs area popping up everywhere, I like that they're tapping into classic characters now since the film (if we can call that) craze has passed.
ReplyDeleteThanks. That new Zartan is on the top of my want list. He looks a million times cooler than anything they did in the movie...that poor, poor, piece of crap.
ReplyDeleteOut of the new figures I picked up this one is probably my least favorite. Mostly because he doesn't come off feeling like Firefly as he does just some generic Cobra baddie. Plus the gigantic vest kinda bothers me. Nevertheless, he is a solid Joe figure, and as you said, any of these can put any MU figure to shame.
ReplyDeleteTwo things bother me about this guy: that he's shortpacked and that they gave give generic pistols from the ROC line! everything else is awesome though, especially the vest and the helmet. But give him some proper guns, dammit! :)
ReplyDelete