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Hasbro- G.I. Joe Sigma Six: Tunnel Rat
It looks as though (some) G.I. Joe fans’ prayers have been answered. As at the time of this writing, Hasbro has just announced and released images of the new 6” Joe line and I could not be more pleased as they look AWESOME! Of course there was little worry on my part given that Hasbro has already released similar looking Joe figures in both the Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black series lines, but you never really know. I suppose there are a few minor things about these figures that standout including the finalized character version, futuristic weaponry and size class.
Every fan has their character version preference in terms of how they look and what accessories are included. For instance, I love V2 of Snake Eyes (Visor and Timber), but it’s clear that Hasbo’s new version is more modern commando look. I’m not sure that I mind as I have a lot of different versions that are equally as cool, but I also realize that this could be a one and done type situation with no other Snake Eye’s on the horizon. I feel that Hasbro is going to work to reach a compromise for collectors which works for me, but you can never please anyone.
As for the weapons: well, one look at Roadblock’s railgun kind of proves that Hasbro is really not taking a realistic approach to this toy line. This is consistent with most of the recent lines, including Sigma Six, but I understand that one of the appeals for old school collectors is the realism. Perhaps there is a 3rd party group that will step up with some accurate 6” weapons to match, but I’m not too worried.
Lastly, the size. I remember years ago when Hasbro almost lost their Star War licence and I was incensed at the thought that we may be losing the 3 ¾ figure line, but obviously since then I have come around to the larger scale. Sure, it limits the vehicle selection, but as a collector, vehicles were never my jam (couldn’t fit them in) and appreciate the individual characters much more plus 6” gives a lot of room for detail and articulation. The downside of course is that selection is rather limited given that the cost associated with producing one 6” figure is much more than a few 3 ¾ figures. Sure, we will get our share of tier one characters, but how many Captain Gridirons will we get? HOW MANY!?!?!?
Pros: Tunnel Rat is a great example how Hasbro really tried to incorporate play value into the Sigma Six line and unlike other gimmick, I don't think it detracts from the figure. Sure the weapons are a bit bit, but that’s typical for the time and fits with the “Sci-Fi” bend of the Sigma Six Mythos. THe figure has the standard Sigma body type, but comes with lots of super fun accessories that would provide pay value for days. A drill with multiple drill bit heads, various bombs with adjustable timers (no kidding, look at the picks) and finally a literal tub of pretend plastic explosive that can fit on his back; how cool is that!?!? When was the last time a kids toy was released with pretend plastic explosive?
Cons: If I had to say something bad it would be that the drill is a bit big, there is no place to store all the accessories and the articulation is dated, but that is really just the charm of this line that really keeps on impressing me with every figure.
