Packaging - ***
If you've ever read my reviews before, you know that boxes are nothing more
than functional transportation vessels to me. I immediately rip them apart
to get at the goodies inside. However, this box does feature great graphics
and photos, and a flap style box that allows full viewing of the contents.
For those collectors that like to keep the boxes, this is kind of a mixed
blessing. The figure and accessories on the box side are easily removed and
could be easily returned. However, the accessories on the flap side are
impossible to remove without destroying the box.
Sculpting - ***1/2
The head sculpt is great. It has a really nice likeness of Marcinko. The
sculpt has a long rubber like braid that is blended nicely into the sculpt.
It is hard to see how it attaches, unlike most figures that have an
obviously glued on hair extension.
Paint - ***
The head is the only thing is the only thing that is really painted. BBI did
a hit & miss job on this head. The skin tones are fine and the eye
detail is excellent. However, I have a couple bleeds on the hairline onto
the face and have a couple of small unpainted/thin spots on the top of the
head.
Articulation - ***1/2
bbi has articulation that is comparable to the other top figures on the
market. I especially like the "ratchet" type joints that allow the
figures to retain even the most awkward poses. This particular figure has
"gloved hand" made of a semi-flexible rubber. Overall it is a very
poseable yet stable figure.
Accessories/Outfit - ***1/2
This guy come nicely equipped. For starters he has nice set of black BDU's
and a balaclava. They're all nicely detailed yet functional, complete with
real pockets. He has a thigh carrier that holds three flash bang grenades
and his two extra pistol magazines. The bangs even have real
"pins" that hang loose instead of being molded. He comes with a
MP5K sub-machine gun and a M92F pistol. Both have removable clips/mags and
are made of metal. They are not the most detailed but are still very nice.
He wears a bulletproof vest over the BDU's. The detail is authentic, right
down to the warning tags inside the vest. The crown jewel of the set is the
load-bearing vest. It is a nice mesh vest with magazine pouches and a built
in pistol holster. The lower straps attach to the front of the vest with
real metal clips and look pretty realistic. The only thing I'd like to see
is a scale zipper instead of the large one they used. Also, the clips on the
mag pouches are molded and not real clips but that's kind of nitpicking
based on how small they are.
Play Factor - **1/2
This figure is more suited to striking a pose on a collector's shelf
than it is riding an avalanche down a back yard log pile. The BBI figures
are overall pretty sturdy but the mini-clips and other items on the vest and
weapons won't take a lot of abuse before popping off or breaking.
Value - ***
I got him on line at Hot Rod's Collectibles for $35 delivered as part of a
package deal with another figure. Most on-line retailers have him for about
$10 more. That's still not a bad price, but is getting close to the high end
and out of reach for a lot of collectors. It's also a fair price when
compared to comparable figures on the market like Dragon. The quality is
high end but there was no skimping on the details and accessories.
Overall - ***1/2
This figure is one that will appeal to collectors of several
categories…military, SWAT and Action Heroes. The detail and accessories
make it a great figure for any 1/6 scale collection.
Where to Buy -
As I mentioned earlier, I got this one at Hot
Rod's Collectibles. I have also seen the figure on-line at several
other on-line retailers:
- Good
Stuff to Go has them for $34 plus shipping.
- Entertainment
Earth has him for $40 plus shipping, and
they have them in stock. (MROTW affiliate)
The Rater: Mark D is an avid
action figure collector old enough to have gotten vintage GI Joes for
Christmas as a kid, but still young enough to play with his toys. He
collects mostly vintage AT GI Joe stuff but still likes to grab the cool
stuff that comes out now, especially law enforcement figures and
accessories. He's been a regular at The Sandbox (alt.toys.gi-joe) since he
first came on line about five years ago. He's always looking to swap with
other Joe-head and assist them in finding the hard to find stuff. You can
contact him at mmdals1@aol.com or visit
his site at www.the-precinct.com.
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