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GI Joe Pursuit of Cobra Arctic Threat Destro Review
Pursuit of Cobra Arctic Threat Destro: I’ve been waiting for this figure for awhile, and now that I finally have one, it’s time to review him.
The Packaging:
I love the Pursuit of Cobra packaging. The layout, the colours – it’s all way better than The Rise of Cobra packaging. It’s new, and still retains the classic “Real American Hero” look. In the pictures below, you’ll also notice that this particular package is for the US release as it only has English, and there’s a sticker on the front promoting Hasbro and Discovery’s TV network, The Hub.
The back of the card has the file card printed on, unlike the inserts we get on the Canadian tri-lingual packaging. He also comes with an insert showing the Pursuit of Cobra figures on one side, and an Arctic Threat scene on the other where a Snow Job figure is facing off against Destro and the Cobra Ice Cutter. Both sides would be a cool poster if it hadn’t been folded six million times to jam it in the package.
The Accessories:
Destro, like many Joe figures, suffers from “Too-Many-Accessories-itis.” Now really, you can never have too many accessories, but I prefer the figure to be able to hold them all whether they clip in the back pack or belt – just give me somewhere to put them.
Destro comes with a drill, goggles, two pick axes, a handgun, a backpack/water gun, and two…pieces of snow…?
The goggles don’t seem to quite fit over his eyes. They rest on his forehead just fine. I’ve tried to force them all the way down, but I’m afraid of breaking them. Honestly, I don’t think they are designed to fit over his eyes which is disappointing, but they still look cool resting on his shiny, snowy noggin.
I like to clip the snow on to his arm or leg to use as armour, or maybe he’s just been walking around in a blizzard for a really long time. It also makes a nice hat. Yes, Destro finally has hair! The snow can also clip on to enemy Joes to freeze them in place, or be placed around the drill to look like Destro’s drilling into the snow.
The back pack actually shoots water! If I ever take this figure to the arctic, I will be able to instantly freeze enemy Joes! Mwahaha! There’s a tiny hole in the back of Destro’s larger gun that you need to force the hose from the backpack into. I found it tricky to get in, but managed. Once assembled, stick the gun end in water, and hit the pump/button on the backpack to suck up some water. Point it at Destro’s enemies, and press again to shoot. It fires remarkably well.
The Figure:
The figure itself is great. I love Destro’s shiny face speckled with snow. It really makes him worthy of the “Arctic Threat” name, and Hasbro did a great job of making it look like he’s been out in the snow, as opposed to if they had just painted his entire head solid white.
I may still be used to the 80’s G.I. Joes here, but the plastic is much softer than what I am used to. I’m afraid of bending his wrists right off when trying to jam his weapons into his hand (some weapons fit perfectly, others you have to fight with), but I suppose that’s preferable to just snapping his hands off. I have a few figures from back in the day who are missing their thumbs.
Destro’s arms can turn up and down at his shoulders, while his elbows are a little more flexible being able to turn left to right as well as up and down. His wrists are also able to swivel. He can twist mid-torso instead of at his waste which lets him also lean forward ever so slightly. Like most Joes, he seems capable of doing the splits, but his winter coat prevents him from going all the way. His coat is a softer plastic allowing for more flexibility which transfers to posability (is posability a word?) for the figure. Destro also wears knee pads - which makes perfect sense for exploring the Arctic tundra – and is able to bend his legs both above and below the knee pads to create some cool running poses. And finally, his ankles can swivel left to right, but not up and down.
Final Thoughts:
This is a great figure and may be my new favourite Destro (I’ve always been partial to the 80's Iron Grenadier one). There’s not much to dislike about this figure. I mean is “too many accessories” really a complaint? Just give me a place to put them Hasbro! And the softer plastic should result in less broken thumbs – my own included!
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