Wednesday, May 18, 2011

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Jungle Assault Crazy Legs


I was planning to review the Wave 6 figures one by one from the worst to the best, but it's pretty difficult to get into a rhythm that way. So, I decided to do it the other way around, from the best to the worst. Crazy Legs and the Cobra Viper are the stars of this wave, but I'm starting off the reviews with Crazy Legs because this is the character's first G3 rendition, and for me, that gives him the edge over the Cobra Viper.


This figure is just a mishmash of reused parts, but the combination works perfectly and I have no qualms about how they made this version of the character. The head is from Desert Battle Zartan's Sandstorm disguise, with the bonnet now painted black rather than gray. A new headsculpt would have been better, but the Sandstorm head still manages to work since the head accessories for the two figures are different.


The torso is from the TFAC Version 3 Commando Snake Eyes, with the chest hole still present. The chest hole doesn't bother me that much, especially because it can somehow be covered by the strap of the parachute pack. The arms, down to the hands, are from the TFAC Lift Ticket. The combination of the torso and the arms amazingly captures the classic quilted look of the original figure. The upper legs and knees are from the TFAC Arctic Snake Eyes, while the lower legs and feet are from the TFAC Snow Serpent.


The accessories are also reissued items, but they work so well with the figure you'd wonder why they didn't come up with this figure sooner. The helmet, contrary to what was previously thought as a generic trooper helmet, actually comes from the TFAC Blowtorch. The pair of goggles on the helmet is from TFAC Dusty, and it is placed upside-down to match the classic look. The parachute pack is from the 5th DVD Battle Pack (Best of the 80s) Cobra Trooper, while the pistol is so generic I don't actually remember when it first came out. I tried to do some research, and I was able to track the same pistol back to ROC Desert Ambush Conrad "Duke" Hauser, but I'm not sure if it was just carried over from the 25th Anniversary line. I also tried checking my TFAC figures but none seems to carry the same pistol, so maybe it's really from the said Duke figure. To round it off, the assault rifle is from the POC Pit Commando, and the old-school machine gun is from TFAC Firefly. Note that the Pit Commando rifle is made from very soft plastic. Crazy Legs also comes with the requisite display stand that features two foot pegs.

 
The paint apps are great, but fanboys might be pissed to know that the figure's color scheme somehow deviates from the original's.  There is a slight paint wipe that accentuates the sculpted details, making the figure look less plasticky (yup, there is such a word). The color scheme somehow throws the figure off the jungle assault style, but that's a compromise Hasbro took to stay more faithful to the classic figure.

 
Articulation is also good, though thigh movement is somehow limited due to the harness of the parachute pack. It's not really too big of a deal, as a similar harness will actually limit your movement in real life. The head's range of motion is also great, as the figure can look up (slightly) and down with ease. The elbows can be bent a little more than 90 degrees, and the figure can hold his assault rifle with two hands quite realistically.

 
Overall, this is an amazing figure. The reused parts work really well in giving us another G3 rookie, the paint apps highlight the sculpt, and the accessories, though limited, are quite enough. This figure is truly a must-have, especially if you are trying to expand your G.I. Joe roster.

Some parting shots:


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