G.I. | Sidewalk Soundtracks

Posts Tagged ‘G.I.’

G.I. Joe — Wave 12: Tripwire — Mine Detector

November 23, 2008

1) TRIPWIRE — Mine Detector

Head — Lt. Slip Stream (Target Exc. Conquest X-30)
Upper Body/Thighs — Sgt. Flash (w5)
Shins/Boots — New
Weapons/Accessories — New

Tripwire makes his single-carded appearance in Wave 12; he initially was included in the Comic 2-Pack (w5) with Cobra Commander. Unlike a straight repack, Tripwire has been packaged with a MASS element cannister. It is yellow to represent the meteorite element.

This character does a fairly good job of recapturing the likeness of the classic version, though I would have preferred the smooth padding as it was adapted for the H.I.S.S. Driver and AVAC Pilot since that would have been more accurate to the classic figure. But a mere collector’s quibble means nothing as the overall figure is excellent.

The MASS cannister my figure came with has a removable glass casing, though I’m not sure if this is meant to occur or if it is faulty manufacturing. Therefore I wouldn’t suggest trying to twist off the cannister’s casing. The inclusion of this accessory means that you can complete your MASS device, along with the cannisters that come with the Cobra Diver (w12) and Cobra Commander (w8, w12).

***

: Tripwire — Loose Front

: Tripwire — Loose Back

: Tripwire — Accessories

: Tripwire (w12 vs cp w5) — Loose Front

: Tripwire (w12 vs cp w5) — Loose Back

Posted in collecting, Review, Toy | Tagged action, detector, figure, G.I., G.I. Joe, Joe, loose, mine, Review, Toy, Tripwire | Leave a Comment »

G.I. Joe Target Exclusive — Ultimate Battle Pack (Loose)

November 15, 2008

This set rocks on all levels in spite of the plethora of repacks/repaints/re-decos. It’s a lot of value for the cost, plus you get Short-Fuze and the MOBAT. Before I display the loose pics, here’s a quick review:

Cobra Commander: Not much new here except darker shade of blue, silver trim/highlights, and no stripe down the leg. **

Destro: Iron Grenadier mold without the cape, silver and grey highlights instead of gold, and chrome head. **1/2

Cobra Vehicle Gunner: Straight-up repaint of the Cobra Trooper in dark grey with red highlights. ***

Cobra HISS Driver: Silver chestplate with black trim. Still an excellent figure. ***

Sgt. Stalker: Darker green and lighter skin tone, and comes with a JUMP pack and Air Trooper weapon. ***

Short-Fuze: Repainted Doc head on top of Steeler body (Snake Eyes torso and legs, Cobra Trooper Arms, Double Clutch/Steeler boots); mortar stand is loosey-goosey. Slight disappointment in this. **1/2

Ralph ‘Steeler’ Pulaski: Lame code name since it can’t just be Steeler, but a straight-up repaint of the figure that came with the Armadillo, this time in tan hues. Helmet too loose on his head doesn’t stay on. **

Flight Pod: Trouble Bubble in blue. Great update of a classic. ***

HISS Tank: Red color to accompany your basic black and previous blue exclusive. Excellent! ***1/2

MOBAT: Green tank with rubber treads and extendable cannon. Never had this as a kid so it’s a definite plus! ***1/2

: Cobra Commander — Cobra Leader

: Cobra Commander — Comparison Shot

: Destro — Enemy Weapons Supplier

: Hall of Destros — Comparison Shot

: Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver — Cobra Infantry

: Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver — Comparison Shot

: Cobra Vehicle Gunner — Cobra Infantry

: Cobra Vehicle Gunner — Comparison Shot

: Sgt. Stalker — Ranger

: Sgt. Stalker — Comparison Shot

: Short-Fuze — Mortar Solider

: Ralph “Steeler” Pulaski — Tank Commander

: Cobra Flight Pod

: H.I.S.S. Tank

: MOBAT

Posted in collecting, Review, Toy | Tagged 25th, 25th Anniversary, American, Anniversary, Battle, Bubble, Cobra, Commander, Destro, Driver, era, exclusive, flight, Fuze, G.I., G.I. Joe, Gunner, Hero, HISS, infantry, Joe, MOBAT, modern, pack, pod, Pulaski, Ralph, ranger, Real, Real American Hero, short, Short-Fuze, Stalker, Steeler, Tank, Target, Trooper, Trouble, Ultimate, ultimate battle pack, vehicle | Leave a Comment »

G.I. Joe Comic Pack w6 — Scrap-Iron / Wild Bill (Loose)

November 15, 2008

Just opened up my Scrap-Iron/Wild Bill comic pack, and here are the loose pics for your pleasure.

1) Wild Bill — Helicopter Pilot

Body — Wild Bill (w7)
Helmet — New

Here we have Wild Bill painted to represent his cartoon version, which doesn’t really work for me thought I like it a bit better than his drab olive and green colors. He comes with his signature cowboy hat and six-shooters, but he also comes with a cool new removable helmet (which gets a lot of mileage as it will show up with Scarlett (Pilot) and Destro (Pilot) and most likely some Cobra troop builders). Otherwise, since he’s just a straight up repaint, nothing much more to write about. **

2) Scrap-Iron — Anti-Armor Specialist

Body — Cobra Trooper (w2)
Head — Scrap-Iron (xc2)
Vest — New

Utilizing a different body and webgear construction from the Arctic Assault version, this Scrap-Iron looks like the perfect update of the original. And just like the Arctic Assault version, his visor is removable to reveal some pretty ugly scars. However, I think I prefer the Extreme Conditions version over this one mainly because that came first and all my excitement was used over that one, and the re-used comic-pack Firefly mold was rather genius. Here it’s just a ho-hum Cobra Trooper body; it works, but it’s just not as cool! Anyway, still glad to have Scrap-Iron in his classic colors. ***

Meanwhile, a brief glance at the comic reveals artwork that actually looks pretty good! Usually these comics feel light on story and art, so my expectations are low. The story has Wild Bill chasing after Scrap-Iron, and the novelty comes in the form of a narrative told solely through radio transmissions. It’s a pretty interesting gimmick, along the lines of the silent issue, but still a gimmick. It’s pretty much about what one would expect from the comics of these two-packs, but I’m not buying these for the comics.

Posted in collecting, Review, Toy | Tagged 2, 2 pack, action, Anti, Anti-Armor Specialist, Armor, Bill, Cobra, Comic, figure, G.I., G.I. Joe, Helicopter, Iron, Joe, pack, Pilot, Review, Scrap, Scrap-Iron, Specialist, Toy, two, two pack, Wild, Wild Bill | Leave a Comment »

G.I. Joe Target Exclusive — Ultimate Battle Pack (MIB)

November 15, 2008

Once news hit the boards that people were able to get the Target Exclusive Ultimate Battle Pack using the DPCI#, I got bit by the bug so hard that I went out and actually used that number to my advantage for the first time. On Wednesday, I used the scanner to check the stock and got a big fat “No!” I went home empty-handed, but relieved that my wallet would not be crying, keeping me up at night.

All that changed today. After work, I visited the same Target and input the DPCI# into the scanner again. This time it was a glorious “YES!” I then did another thing for the first time, and actually approached an employee and asked him to input the DPCI# in hopes he would pull it from the back. And he did. He was so helpful, he even flagged down the department lead (Toys & Electronics wasn’t his department) in order to help me out! Then he called the stockroom and got the stock shelf number and a few minutes later, I was hauling this huge sucker down to the registers!

Anyway, enough blabbing. Here are the pics!