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Hasbro- GI Joe- Sigma Six: Snake Eyes
Yeah baby, buckle up because I’m about open the floodgates on a toy series that SHOULD have been way more popular and certainly set the stage for rise of the 6” figures that we see in today’s toy market. Sure there had been a few 6” figure lines prior to that, including Toy Biz Marvel Legends and Mattel’s DC line, but Sigma really amped it up with a nice blend of playability and collector aimed sculpting, accessories and articulation.
Unfortunately the world was not ready for Sigma 6 and without having any empirical evidence (as well as being completely bias) I’ll chalk it up to a few problems.
1. Concept. Hasbro tried the full court press including 2 toy lines, a comic and a questionable Sigma Six cartoon. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking out the first episode or at the very least the intro, it is certifiably bananas and probably left a real bad taste in those hardcore ARAH fans clamouring for something similar to what they are used to.
2. Design: Another thing that did not really fly with ARAH fans was that the designs were exaggerated and more cartoonish then the 3 ¾ figures. This was never really A big deal for me as I rather liked the look. Sure it was different, but I commend Hasbro for trying something different especially on a line that needed a fresh take.
3. Perhaps the largest issue was the size class as Sigma Six was split into two lines, a 2.5” and 8”. The 2.5” line had smaller figures and vehicles whereas the 8” line was mostly just full size figures with some added “soft goods”. I focused on the later as I didn’t really care for the little static figures that came with the vehicles, but I will say that I did end up picking the massive hover tank on sale and I was completely blown away. I will say that I get the complaints for the 8” size class as it does seem like an odd choice, but it allowed for a nice blend of sculpting, accessories, soft goods and play value that actually work on a figure this large, something that a 6” figure and 12” is not able to do.
Overall the line just rocks and I hope that my upcoming reviews can do them justice.
Pros: Snake Eyes here is a pretty solid example of what Sigma Six does well: Good sculpt, fun accessories and lots of play value. I also love that his “periscope” rifle is based on a real working weapon. Hasbro has always do well to include a touch of realism to the Joe line and I’m glad that Sigma was no different.
Cons: I will say that the articulation could use a bit of work, but maybe I have just been spoiled by Marvel Legends.
