Wednesday, November 9, 2011

[Acquisitions] G.I. Joe: 30th Anniversary Sky Striker XP-21F


To me, the real appeal of the 1:18 scale can be summarized into one thing: the possibility of expanding my toy universe thanks to the various vehicles and playsets available in this scale. I'm all for troop-carriers, large headquarters/bases, and the likes, and it really bums me out everytime a large vehicle/playset capable of fitting only a single figure gets released. That's the reason why I'm not into jets and other aircraft (*aircraft is also the plural form of the singular noun aircraft) that much; they're a bit expensive, they consume a lot of shelf space, yet they offer very little play value.

Needless to say, I wasn't stoked when news broke out that Hasbro would be releasing a new Sky Striker. I didn't give a damn about it, and to be honest, I wasn't even planning to get one. When it came out locally, I still wasn't interested. That was my sentiment until I saw a set being sold at Toy Kingdom GH for only 2300 bucks. I decided to give it a try since the price was really a steal, and I'm glad I did. I still haven't assembled my Sky Striker yet (uhm, I don't really have plans of putting it together anytime soon due to space constraints), but the way I see it, this jet definitely looks bad-ass. If you don't believe me, well, let me tell you that I'm planning to get another one. It's that bad-ass.


The new Sky Striker comes with a very nice figure in the form of Capt. Ace, and unlike previous vehicle drivers/pilots, this one gets a display stand! I think that this will be the standard from this point on, but it's really amazing how long it took Hasbro to realize that vehicle drivers/pilots also need their own display stand.

The figure is another successful attempt at mixing and matching parts as Capt. Ace reuses Arctic Resolute Duke's upper and lower torso, POC Skydive's  upper and lower arms, lower legs and feet, 25th Anniversary Ace's head, and 25th Anniversary Wild Bill's upper legs minus the giant holsters. Capt. Ace also comes with two new accessories: a nice helmet (that fits very tightly over the figure's head), and a waist/leg harness. Rounding off the accessories are Arctic Resolute Duke's parachute pack, 25th Anniversary Ace's flight vest, and the standard POC pistol.

Overall, this is a great set and I'm glad that I got one. I'm really considering buying another set for two reasons: the jet has extra stickers for a different color scheme, and I want an extra Capt. Ace for my custom City Strike team.

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