[Acquisitions] G.I. Joe: 30th Anniversary Wave 2 Figures

 

Got myself some new toys, Renegades-style! Uhhhhmmm, sort of.

I passed up on the majority of the figures from Wave 1 since they're mostly just glorified repaints and re-issues of the army-builders from the POC line, but Wave 2 is comprised of four new figures based on the  just-concluded G.I. Joe: Renegades animated series and so, I decided to give myself a well-deserved treat. If you're not yet familiar with the G.I. Joe: Renegades cartoons, well, I'm wondering why you're here reading this post. Okay, that was just a joke! To begin with, the series is about a group of young soldiers who were forced to become fugitives after a spy mission (against Cobra Pharmaceuticals) went horribly wrong. Being hunted by the authorities, the team must use their skills to expose the true face of Cobra Industries and therefore prove their innocence. Want more info? Here's the series' catchy intro:

"Accused of a crime they didn't commit, a ragtag band of fugitives fights a covert battle to clear their names and expose the insidious enemy that is... Cobra. Some call them outlaws. Some call them heroes. But these determined men and women think of themselves only as "Ordinary Joes". And this is their story."

 

If you can't get by with that, I suggest you look up all 26 episodes on YouTube after you finish reading this entry. The series is a joy to watch especially for Joe fans, and I highly recommend it!

So, enough of that, let's talk a bit about the toys. Well, this wave is composed of Duke, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander, and Firefly, and believe it or not, all four figures are actually good, with Duke and Firefly being absolutely great. Duke manages to maintain the Pursuit of Cobra's hyper-realistic look, but the same cannot be said about the other three figures. Yes, you can use this version of the character as your default Duke because it blends well with the other great POC offerings, but amongst its Renegades peers, this one stands out like a sore thumb! Yup, the other figs are a bit cartoony, but they look fine. They look more cartoony compared to the Resolute figures, but I don't mean that in a bad way. In fact, a few more characters from the series will be getting the action figure treatment and I'm excited about those figures too! The figs also come with a decent amount of accessories and that's always a good thing. One concern I have with these new figs is that they seem to be made from a different type of plastic compared to their predecessors. The materials used look a bit cheaper, but they still look sturdy enough to survive the daily grind, and I don't think they'll bring me any trouble in the near future.

I'll try to cover these Wave 2 figs on separate reviews if time permits me, so please stay tuned.