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Author Topic: Review of the Sky Sweeper Jet and Night Adder!  (Read 2660 times)

olyeller01

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Review of the Sky Sweeper Jet and Night Adder!
« on: October 21, 2009, 12:08:46 AM »

Hello all, it's time for another Ol Yeller review again, and I've got a couple for ya.  I recently picked up the Sky Sweeper Jet and was fortunate enough to find Night Adder.  I'll give ya the scoop on both.

I'll start with the Sky Sweeper.  Not to be confused with the SpyTroops F-117 style vehicle (which itself has been repainted in the RoC line as the Crimson Hydra) this is instead a repaint of the good ol' Firebat. 

I should correct myself - it's a repaint and an upgrade.  Well, maybe.  Depends on how you feel about both the original Firebat and the modifications done to it to make it a Sky Sweeper. 

First off is the most obvious change.  Instead of being bright red, the Sky Sweeper is blue on top with white underneath.  I didn't think I was going to like the color scheme, especially based on the pictures I saw of it online.  I thought it was powder-blue.  I was pleasantly surprised to actually get it and find that it's a light bluish-gray.  Really I think that Hasbro was going for the same color scheme as a great white shark.

The other modifications are physical.  There is a skid mounted under the cannons on the front underside of the nose, along with skids mounted with the rear stabilizers.  Instead of the sleek rear stabilizers of the Firebat, the Sky Sweeper has two very large engines mounted on them.  On top of the engines are two pieces, one for each side, that slide into the top part of the engine and give them the appearance of being connected to the main fuselage.  The canopy is more detailed, with a slightly darker blue trim that goes around the canopy instead of the Firebat's clear plastic.  The other modification is there are two spring-loaded missile launchers that mount in place of one of the pairs of small bombs on the Firebat.

The figure is, to me, the highlight of this little set and really the whole reason I got the vehicle.  Air Raid is a repaint of Resolute 5-pack Duke.  He's done in a dark navy blue flight suit, with black, navy, and gray camo patterns on the pants, a gray parachute pack, and the same helmet included with 5-pack Duke.  He also comes with Resolute Duke's black and silver assault rifle and a good ol M1911 .45 pistol. 

Evaluation?  I figured that the vehicle was gonna be a "binner" for me...namely I'd get it, sticker it up, and then toss it in the storage bin never to see the light of day again.  I was actually pleased and surprised by the Sky Sweeper.  I'm also happy that Hasbro put a little effort into this one instead of throwing us a straight repaint...though a solid black Firebat would have been pretty cool. 

I also really like Air Raid, and I don't mind that he's a straight repaint because he really looks good.  I think he's going to by my new 25th style Phantom X-19 pilot.

One gripe though, and it's something that's actually potentially dangerous and if you get this vehicle for your kids you might want to be aware of it.  The release button for the spring loaded missile launchers is right on the very spot you'll want to place your fingers to push the launcher onto the wing.  I've already shot myself in the face twice.  While you probably won't think about it, it's a great idea to attach the launchers FIRST and then add the missiles.

While how you feel about the Firebat obviously plays in to how much you'll like the Sky Sweeper, I do advise you not to simply dismiss it out of hand like I almost did.  It's a decent vehicle that's worth a look.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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OlYeller01
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olyeller01

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Re: Review of the Sky Sweeper Jet and Night Adder!
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2009, 12:46:39 AM »

Next up is the new and somewhat hard-to-find Night Adder figure.  Night Adder almost instantly sold out when released on Hasbro Toy Shop, and while his wave is starting to show up at retail, the combination of the figure's popularity and the first few waves of figures still clogging most retail shelves has made him pretty hard to find.

The first thing you'll notice when you take him out of the package is that he is indeed a big guy.  As noted before and elsewhere, he uses the Resolute Roadblock body mold, with the ROC Ice Viper's head minus the visor and plus red-painted eyes.  He has a gray and red vest, and comes equipped with the same shotgun included with Bench Press and Flint, the small (9mm?) pistol included with several other ROC figures, a black knife, and a repainted black Junkyard guard dog. 

Some interesting touches on this figure...as you've probably read elsewhere he has tattoos on almost every part of his body, including on his "skin" underneath the vest.  The tats are either blue or black depending on the variant you get (mine are black which I feel are more realistic).  Oh yeah and in what is probably a first for a 3 3/4" Joe figure, Night Adder has nipples.

What do I like about Night Adder?  I like his sheer size, the tats are a neat touch, and I dig his accessories.  He's a mean-looking figure, and I can't wait to get a similarly scaled Resolute Roadblock for him to duke it out with. 

Gripes?  I hate the fact that there are holes in his head (left from Ice Viper's visor).  I suspect many customizers will be filling those holes.  His head also looks kind of small for his massive body. 

This doesn't really fall under the "gripe" category, just an observation.  Night Adder is by far the blackest African-American (Canadian?) figure we've seen yet.  You know that Chappelle Show bit where Charlie Murphy is talking about Rick James teasing him for being the blackest guy in Hollywood?  Well, Night Adder is the Wesley Snipes of black GI Joe figures. 

Overall?  This is a cool figure, and worth the hassle of getting him...but like the rest of the ROC stuff, if you're patient, he'll show up at retail for ya eventually.  He's pretty cool...but I wouldn't pay more than retail for him.

Pics: http://s635.photobucket.com/albums/uu71/olyeller01/Figure%20Reviews/
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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OlYeller01
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canprime

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Re: Review of the Sky Sweeper Jet and Night Adder!
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2009, 12:19:10 PM »

Wow olyeller01.

I have to disagree with you on some things about the Sky Sweeper and Air Raid.

First Air Raid.  Overall a nice figure.  A nice addition to the "air" ranks.  I don't have a Resolute Duke from the 5 pack, but does the helmet not fit properly on your Air Raid?  Mine can just barely see over the edge of the mask since it won't fit properly on his head.  Why the front parachute pack?  Without some kind of backpack it looks odd and out of place to me.  I do like the gun, but otherwise it seems a bit more like a generic "pilot" for the Joe ranks.

Now the Sky Sweeper.  First off, I LOVE the Firebat!!!  It is a great plane and a really well executed design.  The Sky Sweeper takes a great vehicle and, in my opinion, turns it into a mess.

My "likes" are the colour scheme.  I love the mix of blue and white, and I could see this easily being an "arctic" vehicle with a bit more white.  The new canopy.  I like the added detailing.  Finally the "skis".  I think they are a great addition and make for an alternate form of landing and taking off.

Now the bad.  Warping.  I believe this is a problem with the mold and not the add-ons.  The left side is warped to the degree that everything on the left side is "curved" a bit upwards.  This causes the new engine addition on that side to be warped towards the canaopy while the right side is nice and straight.  It looks bad.  Next the engines.  Completely and utterly wasted.  They are too big and cumbersome.  They distract from the mold design and the feeling of airflow that should be part of that design.  Finally the launchers.  Again, this is a small mold and once you start to add "large" items to the mold it ruins the design.  They stick out too far and look out of place.  Much like the "sonic" weapons added on to vehicles by Hasbro a few years ago, the launchers take away from the vehicle.

I think Hasbro dropped the ball on this toy by going for the old "more is better" theory.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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olyeller01

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Re: Review of the Sky Sweeper Jet and Night Adder!
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2009, 08:05:01 PM »

Quote from: "canprime"
Wow olyeller01.

I don't have a Resolute Duke from the 5 pack, but does the helmet not fit properly on your Air Raid?  Mine can just barely see over the edge of the mask since it won't fit properly on his head.  Why the front parachute pack?  Without some kind of backpack it looks odd and out of place to me.  I do like the gun, but otherwise it seems a bit more like a generic "pilot" for the Joe ranks.

Now the bad.  Warping.  I believe this is a problem with the mold and not the add-ons.  The left side is warped to the degree that everything on the left side is "curved" a bit upwards. 
I think Hasbro dropped the ball on this toy by going for the old "more is better" theory.

My Air Raid did not have a problem with his helmet fit.  My Resolute Duke DID have that problem, but after several times of me forcing the helmet down on his head into the proper position and holding it there for a few seconds it worked itself out.  I suggest you give that a try, and the helmet should eventually sort itself out.  As for the parachute pack, it WILL snap right off, though I do agree that it looks kind of goofy.

My Sky Sweeper is NOT warped on the left side of the vehicle.  The only slight warping is on the left engine (barely noticeable, but where the engine meets the fuselage on the top of the plane you can see it's kind of pushed back a bit).  This is from the way that Hasbro tied the engine down in the packaging, and not from the mold.  And yes, it really sucks that your brand new vehicle can come out of the box bent because of the way they decided to package it.  Sounds like you either got a bad one or the packaging really warped it.

And trust me canprime, I'm far from saying that this vehicle is the best ever, I'm just saying not to dismiss it completely without checking it out first.  I honestly thought I was gonna hate it.  It's definitely not my favorite Joe plane ever, nor do I like it as much as the Firebat, but it's worth checking out.  And Air Raid does look pretty good in the X-19.

One thing's for sure...love it or hate it the Sky Sweeper at least is not as bad as the Mole Pod  :lol:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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OlYeller01
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