Category Archives: GI Joe Classified

GI Joe Classified Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo

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Watch the video review HERE.

I was shopping after Christmas, and saw this GI Joe Classified…the coolest one I’ve ever seen!

Before this I had two GI Joe Classified figures. One Cobra Commander, and the other Sgt. Slaughter. Both of those are characters I have a connection with. But Gnawgahyde as a specific character I do not. But you knew immediately what he was about. A Dreadnok.

On the old cartoon, Dreadnoks were a group of criminals operating for Cobra under Zartan. I thought they were cool as a child…every one of them had the air of Crocodile Dundee. And they lived in the Everglades or somewhere similar. None seemed as smart as other Cobra characters, but now as an old teacher, I believe their smarts were just from a different place. Cobra troops for instance blindly follow orders. These guys were apt do do whatever they wanted in spite of orders. I didn’t get it as a kid, but as an adult they I understand them to be a group of mercenaries.

So why did I think this was the coolest GI Joe Classified I have ever seen? Keep reading!

PACKAGING

You can see clearly in the box what is here, and now you know why it caught my eye!

In most of these, you see the figure first…it is usually the most central idea…but in this product a warthog takes that real estate. The SpartanNerd has TWO pet pigs. (There’s a photo of one on this blog entry.)

Here’s a little “stream of thought”

My eye saw the pig, then I looked clockwise as one does, and saw the monkey, then the bow…my eyes jerked over and saw the man.

This window box shows everything you need to see. I guess they used more blister bubble packaging because of what they saved back when they tried the windowless packaging. This box is all black. All business.

The back gives us a photoshop of the figures and some details. Gnawgahyde stands in the rain with his pets. (I wonder if his mother took this photo)? Details pointed out are the snake tattoo on the side of his head, the nose ring on Porkbelly, and Gnawgahyde’s vest and two necklaces. Also his stats are over on the left side. (Those red triangle things). We aren’t given any other bio, however. No traditional “file card”

The side features the same stats images.

The other side gives us a nice image of all three characters. That number 125 is the character number in this series. Gnawgahyde probably won’t get one, but someone like Snake Eyes likely has five versions. Each version will have the same number.

So there is a QR code. My thought was…this will lead me to some content, probably the file card or at least some bio information. NOPE…It was a dead page.

Behind the figure is Cobra graphics, that make a nice backdrop.

FIGURE REVIEW

I used the backdrop that came with this set, and also Cobra Commander’s as the floor.

What do you get in the package?

  • Gnawgahyde figure
  • Porkbelly figure
  • Yobbo figure
  • Compound Bow
  • Quiver with one removable arrow
  • Hat
  • Sniper Rifle with case
  • Pair of daggers
  • Wearable machete

So this GI Joe classified comes with a TON of stuff!

As mentioned, the vest is removable, and he also has a removable animal tooth necklace and some dog tags.

Gnawgahyde is a tall boy compared to Cobra Commander. But…I mentioned before that maybe Cobra Commander has a Napoleon complex. (Joepedia says that Gnawgahyde is Cobra Commander’s most trusted Dreadnok).

PICTURED GI Joe Classified Series Cobra Commander and Gnawgahyde.

So much to talk about.

Gnawgahyde has a few tattoos. The aforementioned snake on the side of his head is joined by the obligatory “anarchy” symbol on one shoulder, and on the other a skull with a snake and a knife. (I like to joke with my chorus students I am going to put this image on our t-shirt. And then I saw this)! If you don’t have Gnawgahyde’s hat on his head, and you don’t look closely to know better, you might think he has scraggly remnants of hair combed over all pathetically. (I say this in jest…I am voluntarily bald because I hate my bald spot).

The two necklaces. One is something like Kraven the Hunter might wear, and could honestly go on any barbarian figure. The dog tags don’t have any paint.

The arm machete. What an impractical weapon. I guess it is more believable than the “chain sword” that Buzzer traditionally sports. (The only other Dreadnok name I can recall). If you use this to chop trees, it is just going to flop around and be less effective than a traditional machete.

PICTURED: GI Joe Classified Series Sgt. Slaughter and Gnawgahyde.

The daggers can be stored in his belt sheath behind him or on the one in his boot.

The bow is surprisingly rubbery, and joins the hosts of bows I have that can’t have a knocked arrow. It’s too floppy. This one has a plastic string molded, necessary for it to appear correctly. But pretty much Gnawgahyde has to be posed with it before or after a shot. The bow and removable arrow do have some paint. There is a removable “ballast” on the bow. ( I looked this up and still don’t know the real word. Stabilizer? Rod damper?)

The quiver is a backpack with a peg. It is molded with a curve to fit his back. It has an oversized clip to store the bow or gun case. The little loop is for that “ballast.”

The big surprise for the SpartanNerd was the details of the sniper rifle. It came with a case that has molded spots for the weapon. And the gun has four parts…the main gun, the bipod, the scope, and the noise suppressor. And each part has a spot in the case.

I don’t personally have a lot of knowledge about guns, especially of this type. But my son certainly does, and when he saw this he was completely shocked. His words…”I didn’t know they were making GI Joes now with real weapons!” He told me that this was the general sniper rifle used in the army. And immediately we found the model: Remington M2010 ESR (Enhanced Sniper Rifle).

This inspired him to go out and buy some GI Joe Classified figures of his own, and you can see those in the video I posted.

THE PETS

Are they pets? Do you really think Gnawgahyde puts out a food bowl for these guys?

Porkbelly is very nice, and is fully articulated. He is in fact more articulated than Super7 Ultmates! Snake Eye’s “Timber” wolf. (A figure that costs a lot more). Porkbelly has a torso bend on a ball joint, legs that splay out, joints on each knee and ankle, and articulated tail, two joints on his neck, and a jaw that can open!

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes pet wolf Timber, and GI Joe Classified Series Gnawgahyde’s pet Porkbelly.

Yobbo is the exact opposite, but nicely painted anyway. He is the kind of toy you might get out of a teacher’s prize bucket. But his tail is very rubbery and can be posed any way you want just be careful not to stress it. He can sit nicely on top of Gnawgahyde’s hat or on Porkbelly’s back.

PICTURED: McFarlane’s Raw-10 Cy-Gor, Figura Obscura Sun Wu Kong The Monkey King, and GI Joe Classified Yobbo.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF GI JOE CLASSIFIED SERIES GNAWGAHYDE, PORKBELLY, AND YOBBO

Is there really a question? 5/5.

Great sculpt in line with other GI Joe Classified figures, and also great paint with what are probably tempo graphic tattoos.

A great set of accessories, including two animal companions.

No stupid problems. Great articulation. Looks great to pose and photograph.

The package is ok if a little bland. But you can see everything in it. It isn’t the product’s fault that the QR code didn’t work.

He adds a lot to the SpartanNerd’s collection. Especially with Porkbelly and Yobbo. They can go anywhere, with any other figure I have. It might be a little odd to have a warthog with a nose ring in the wild or a monkey with an eyepatch. But why not?

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Do you have any GI Joe classified series? Should I review more? I have to say the allure of them as compared to Super7 Ultimates, for instance is pretty strong. They are easier to get and you get more value for your money.

FIGURA OBSCURA Sun Wukong The Monkey King

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Check out new video content from the SpartanNerd on YouTube!

(Direct link to this review here.)

The story here is that I got the Figura Obscura Father Christmas, and realized that I wanted more similar things.

The Figura Obscura logo features variations on a key.

The Headless Horseman was one that I waffled on several times prior to having Father Christmas because the horse would be a nice addition, and the character is undeniably cool. And then I kept hearing people talk about The Monkey King, and how great the sculpt was, etc. I got some money for Christmas and went shopping, but decided after looking at the Headless Horseman retail version, it wasn’t cool enough. The Store Horsemen version has red details and better fire, while the retail version I had my hands on in the store has green fire and details. This makes the horse practically the same horse as Boreus, with some green eyes and highlights. And then the figure doesn’t seem to be that re-usable either. But they had the Monkey King sealed, and so I actually purchased it sight unseen…only barely stealing a glance off of the internet while I was in that store.

Here is a character that I was only vaguely aware of. It seems like there was going to be an Indiana Jones movie about the Monkey King, or something like that. And then recently this year there has been a popular video game, “Black Myth Wu Kong,” and I didn’t even realize the name of the character Monkey King was actually Sun Wu Kong.

In my thinking, how could I use such a character? Well I have the McFarlane Raw-10 Cy-Gor and really like taking pictures of it. But it is huge. (That was a real value, by the way. I bought it at Wal-Mart for like $10)! And Sun Wu Kong is just another weird creature to me to join the other monsters in my collection.

So is all the hype around Figura Obscura Sun Wu Kong The Monkey King worth it?

PACKAGING

The packaging works very similar to what we got with Father Christmas. There is an enclosing “book” capping over the box. This makes for collector friendly packaging and helps push the product forward as kind of a one-off to any casual fan or collector.

The front gives us a good comic image of the figure, with foil details. As you wrap around the box you can see Asian style art depicting characters in the Monkey King’s story.

A tiger guy on the spine. A Raksasha? (My context is Magic the Gathering)

The back gives us the broad story points of The Monkey King. He is kind of a Hercules, only Ancient Buddhist rather than Ancient Greek. Rev. SpartanNerd also sees some parallels to the epic of Gilgamesh. Born out of a rock. Blessed by the gods with incredible strength. He wants the secret of immortality. He challenges and defeats the gods, who offended him, and gets imprisoned in a mountain. He is freed by a monk to go find some scrolls, and picks up some fantastical friends as well…the White Dragon Horse, a Sand Ogre, and a pigman. There apparently 81 tribulations that this team overcomes, and wow…what a story. You know, it also reminds me of the video game series God of War. It seems that Kratos has similar adventures.

Let’s look at the other spine…

A dragon, in flames. And if you remove the cap, you have yet another side panel.

This must be the White Dragon Horse. However, I don’t know who the saintly flying woman is. She looks very “Virgin Mary,” but that wouldn’t be in this Buddhist story.

If you look on the inside of the cap, you see this wonderful Asian backdrop for your Sun Wukong figure.

I’m pretty sure all of this art is by Nate Baertsch. He continues to show his legendary talent.

One more thing…

Behind the figure we have yet another backdrop piece. Another tree. I see it now! It is a peach tree! Makes sense! (I didn’t see it when I did the unboxing video)

FIGURE REVIEW.

Rather than do a “Here’s everything” photo, I am just going to name what we see in the blisters. (This is a double blister.). Sun Wu Kong on the left, surrounded by alternate faces at the top and a giant peach, with four alternate hands on the bottom. The right blister has an alternate head and some feather headdress details, his tail, a pair of alternate feet that are shoes, and his weapon which is a bo staff. Also two scrolls, one with red ribbon and the other plain, and a gourd to drink what I assume is Sake from.

Right away we can see a mixture of cloth and plastic. This sculpt is pretty indescribable…I don’t think any camera can do it justice…you have to have it in hand. He is completely tactile, if that makes sense!

Time to break it out.

And unfortunately, “break” is the key word.

This is my first pose. And I ran into my first problem.

When I tried to raise his arm…like just a little bit…the shoulder pauldron snapped off. So I broke out the Gorilla Glue. But this stung right away. The other one didn’t have this problem. What I think happened was this side didn’t have enough glue in the first place. You can see below how it works, and inspecting it under light it appears that it was just applied too thinly at the factory. But I didn’t even stress this toy, and right away I had issues.

I wanted to put that alternate head on right away. Now the head comes off so easily. I took the other head and put it on, then proceeded to do the headdress.

My mistake must be that I didn’t heed that warning the Four Horsemen always pack in with their products. “Mythic Legions need you to use a hairdryer.” Is the gist of the message. I didn’t…and you can see how the connector almost separated from the feather under the stress I applied to attach it to the crown.

BOO!

It is such a lovely piece, though. And that’s what makes this even more of a shame. I am glad I caught myself before it could break completely off. So what I did was reinforce it with some Gorrilla Glue. But now I am wary of ever taking these feathers off of the head. And this is fine except for accidents that might happen in storage. But still…

Now it was 11:00 at night. I must not have been thinking straight. I also tried to swap the right hand, and it snapped off at the joint!

Not irreparable…the hand still fits in the peg…if you are going to break one of these wrists, this was the way to do it. But ARGGH! So I stopped for the night and resumed photos and such the next day.

USE THE HAIRDRYER, PEOPLE. OR BE PREPARED TO USE THESE TOOLS.

Think… I bought it. It sat around for a few days while I messed around with GI Joe Classified Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo. Doing the review of MASTERVERSE Fisto. And I am thinking “I have something really special waiting to be opened!” I actually waited until I put the Father Christmas robe away before opening this. So a few days of anticipation.

So let’s put that negativity behind us.

Sun Wukong is beautifully sculpted. It is like every piece of hair or fur is artistically placed.

Under the power of the hair dryer, his hands become very pliable, and he can hold this weapon with no issue at all.

Those soft goods have a good wire inside, and you can pose them around how you like and they will stick in that appearance.

His paint…also another WOW! The gold details on this armor and weapon pop so hard. And then he has a “mat” of green “Mardi Gras” beads around his neck. (Probably emerald or jade or something story related I don’t know about.)

HOW DOES THE MONKEY KING WORK

First of all, he comes with two heads. Both of them have the ability to swap the face. Some of the faces have tribal paint, or it might be blood (seems like a detail from the story about wearing that crown.).

Like I said, a mix of cloth and plastic. Here I have taken off his belt piece, and you can see how it works. The torso is removable from the legs, and you can remove the belt that way. He looks very awkward without that belt. What you see here in the picture is the cloth robe piece, which has a hole for the ball joint to work with the torso. It has a slot where you can place the plastic chain mail over it, creating layers. And the other robe piece loops through the belt. (There is also a hole in the back for the tail.)

These bracers are sculpted pieces and non removable. All of the pieces are modular, of course to work with other Mythic and Cosmic Legions figures.

I don’t think I will ever take this figure apart like this anymore.

You can swap the feet so that he is wearing shoes.

PICTURED: Funko Magic the Gathering Liliana action figure hands a divine peach to Sun Wukong. Possible captions. “No matter what she said, DON’T DO IT!” My grandfather would have said this…“Boy! Did you steal them shoes from your girlfriend or from your sister?”

I prefer him being shod to being barefoot somehow.

I think it is because I always think of monkeys like I do clowns. This is some kind of jokester or funny man. Go ahead…hold hands with your feet. Eat some bugs off of your friend. I’ll throw you a banana, and you can throw…

But the Monkey King is civilized and serious, kind of. Obviously, the point is that he IS a monkey. The gods didn’t take him serious either, but he was able to ascend according to the story.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF FIGURA OBSCURA SUN WU KONG THE MONKEY KING

OK. Deep breath. This Four Horsemen Studios figure can’t have 5/5.

I got that out of the way! It seems like everything they do is crackin’ awesome. (I just invented that phrase…I been playing the drums some lately). And on their end…assuming their responsibility is sculpt, paint, and design…they can’t be faulted. BUT. I had THREE issues within thirty minutes of taking it out of the package.

PICTURED: McFarlane Toys Raw-10 Cy-Gor (never done a review…sorry!), Figura Obscura Sun Wu Kong The Monkey King, and GI Joe Classified Yobbo (review coming soon)! Cy-Gor- yep…she’s a big girl. Yobbo surely knows how to operate that rifle…I think Monkey King wins this one. (Read your comics if you want to know more about Cy-Gor!)

And then on examining the packaging, opening the figures and seeing the amazing sculpt. All this excitement!

But, I mean as soon as I moved the right arm up just barely really, that pauldron popped off. And little fights like that kept coming.

I am going to give this one a 3/5.

Here is my metric.

A point for sculpt and paint.

  • A point for sculpt and paint
  • A point for accessories
  • A point for what he stands for as a unique action figure

But the QC problems…you shouldn’t need a hairdryer. You certainly shouldn’t need pliers or glue just to make the action happen. This COULD take three penalties. I don’t believe it to be a bottom of the barrel figure like Movie Beast Man or Marvel Legends Thor (comic appearance). So I am being generous. I have another Mythic Legion to review soon, and I will have the hair dryer handy right away.

On a positive note, maybe I should look into more similar “animal warriors.” Obviously Ninja Turtles go here. Animal Warriors of the Kingdom. Really there are endless options, or he can just fit right in with Conan the Barbarian, etc. You know, they could expand on this story by giving us more figures from this myth.

Do do you agree or disagree with my commentary, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes (Cartoon Appearance)

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NOTE: Before reading this, you should read this….

SpartanNerd review of GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander and Sgt. Slaughter.

OK….the problem with getting so much stuff at once….

I lost my photos of Super7 Snake Eyes packaging! ARGGHH!

And just yesterday (October 20) I threw away the box, thinking I wouldn’t need it. (Yes..the most first-world of problems. Don’t be a hater.)

So I’m telling no lie. I purchased Snake Eyes in Columbia SC for $40 at the end of July. Here was my go-around with this figure…I had seen it at Walmart marked $25. When I took it to the cashier, it rang up $55 (the normal price for an Ultimates! Figure,) but I didn’t want it that bad. Then I saw it for $40 and was like “why not?” And that is the true story.

A $25 Snake Eyes isn’t that far fetched…after all a bevy of Super7 Ultimates! Were put on sale for $25 during Cyber Week last year. Some of them, like the TMNT Slash were an unbelievable deal for that price. (I didn’t buy that, but I admired from a distance…)

So this time, no package photos. You could go back and look at my review of the Cobra B.A.T. and see what the packaging was like, however. Mine didn’t come with a sleeve, and maybe that’s why it was marked down. Snake Eyes had green metallic box on theme with GI Joe instead of Cobra, with some images from the A Real American Hero show, and some information that mostly didn’t tell us anything. Otherwise it was the same. It also had a double blister to display the contents, however if I remember correctly the back blister was smaller.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Here’s what you get.

  • Snake Eyes figure
  • Timber figure (that’s the wolf.)
  • Jetpack
  • Laser Rifle
  • Laser pistol
  • Walkie Talkie
  • “Radioactive canister”
  • Fist hands, trigger hands, gripping hands, and open palm hands.

At first, I thought the Jetpack was a scuba tank! I used to watch GI Joe as a kid, but I have to admit I don’t remember many of the episodes. I did watch the movie many times on BETA Max…it was a blurry thing we recorded from the TV. But I loved it! I remember the “we combed the tombs…etc” and Cobra making Serpentor. And I remember an episode where there was a gigantic amoeba. That’s about it.

We had a small army of GI Joes and the generic “C.O.R.P.S.” Figures and vehicles. Because GI Joe was more expensive than He-Man or Ninja Turtles…

I suppose that was a tangent. My point is, the jetpack and the “radioactive canister” mean a little more to people who remember the episodes. That canister can’t be comfortably held by Snake Eyes, and it doesn’t attach to Timber in any way.

I think it is funny that he has a Walkie Talkie. Snake Eyes never spoke in the show!

Timber was a big draw for me in getting this figure. All of those hands…I wish there was a gloved option. But I went back and saw some YouTube clips of the old show, and Snake Eyes never wore gloves back then. So that explains it. But I suppose we live in a post 1989 Batman world, where awesome gloves help make the look complete.

ARTICULATION

Well here I have two figures to discuss. First of all, Snake Eyes moves all the ways you would expect a Super7 Ultimates figure to move. Supposedly there is a famous scene where Snake Eyes break dances. So here’s my take on that. (I looked it up. It’s cool, but short.)

Maybe someone should tell him….

You can see, there is no hindrance to the figure’s articulation.

Now Timber on the other hand. (Face palm)

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates Snake Eyes with Timber and GI Joe Classified Sgt Slaughter. These guys are exactly the same size. Yes…the sarge depicts his real human self. But in scale, they are the same.

Timber can move his head side to side. But it breaks up the sculpt and the paint badly. His forelegs can splay out and his feet are on ball joints, but this articulation is limited. His back legs have no spread, so they are always too close together in my opinion.

SUPER7 VS HASBRO

So which is better?

Timber is about to change the odds….He better watch out though, Cobra Commander is known to kick puppies. PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes with Timber and GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander.

I don’t know if you can tell from the photos, but Snake Eyes is exactly the same size as GI Joe Classified Cobra Commander. He seems a little chunkier, and yes he represents his cartoon appearance. But Cobra Commander has so much more detail. And the articulation is EXACTLY THE SAME. But one big difference…Cobra Commander was less than $25 if I remember correctly.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes and Timber vs. Super7 Ultimates! Cobra B.A.T. And this is a real Karate move…I witnessed my brother’s black belt test for Shotokahn style. The instructor taught him how to take out a guy with a gun, and this was the move. This lesson came with a heavy dose of “It probably isn’t worth it.”

You can see that he is a little smaller than the Cobra B.A.T. And if you read my review from way back when I did it, I am of the opinion that the Battle Android Trooper is a big boy compared to your average guy. Maybe Cobra Commander has a Napoleon complex. But when I put Snake Eyes with Sgt. Slaughter, they are the same size.

My point is, I don’t think I will get any more Super7 Ultimates! GI Joes. The Hasbro GI Joe Classified series is cheaper, features the same articulation, practically the same accessories, better details and sculpts. Just better value.

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF SUPER7 ULTIMATES! SNAKE EYES (AND TIMBER)

The paint and sculpt are good, depicting the way they look on the cartoon.

The accessories would be kind of bland if it wasn’t for Timber. It is a bummer than no one can hold the canister.

The package was pretty, and if you wanted to keep them in box it is collector friendly.

The value is here…there is just better value in Hasbro’s offerings. Yes…this is a Masters of the Universe Classics Snake Eyes figure….like a distant cousin to MOTUC at this point. He feels chunky in your hand. Timber on the other hand seems like he could be a cheap dollar store toy.

Right now I have Snake Eyes stored with the Cobra B.A.T., and Timber, being a generic wolf is on display with my barbarians. So he adds a lot to other property.

So I rate Super7 Ultimates! Snake Eyes 4/5. He’s OK. Not bad. But there could be some improvement.