JoeCanuck

As noted by several other board members in my PoC Spirit review thread and confirmed by Hasbro, the PoC line has several "Easter Eggs" in it.  Here's what we know for sure so far, and feel free to post new Easter Eggs you know of.  And by "Easter Egg" I mean stuff not shown in the instructions/packaging.

The upcoming HISS Scout can be towed by the PoC HISS.

Spirit's bow can be strung with the elastic ties that hold figures in their packages, and the removable arrow both has a working nock and the arrowhead fits in 25th style backpack holes so Spirit can "shoot" figures with his arrow.

Snow Job's gear can be arranged to make a lean-to shelter.

Cobra Commander's staff fits onto the PoC HISS.

Review – SDCC Exclusive Sgt. Slaughter
USA Version (Read First)


The San Diego Comic-Con has turned into a mainstream pop culture event.  It’s not just about comics anymore.  Everyone from movie studios to video game and toy companies show off their wares and what they have planned for the rest of the year, and sometimes they even preview what’s up for the next.  This SDCC was one of the biggest yet, with stars such as Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. unveiling the Avengers movie among other big happenings.  Hasbro has a history of releasing some popular Comic-Con exclusives too, especially in the GI Joe line.  They started with a 25th style “Pimp Daddy” Destro in 2007, followed that with a suited, lecturing Cobra Commander in 2008, and continued with a boxed set with the movie Destro and his ancestor in 2009.  This year’s Comic-Con Joe exclusive was not only a fan favorite, he also has crossover appeal as well as being one of the few real people to have a 3 ¾” figure made of them…none other than the “Special Drill Instructor for GI Joe,” Sgt. Slaughter!  Hasbro made two versions of him, one modeled after the original ’85 mail-away version (also known as the “USA” version because those letters are emblazoned across his chest) and one modeled after the figure included with the 1986 Triple T tank, with the “Triple T” version being the rarer of the two.  This review is of the “USA” version.

The first thing you’ll notice about Sarge is the protective plastic case that his card is packaged in. These covers are pretty darn neat.  The top right hand corner of the bubble has a Comic-Con 2010 sticker.  The top right side of the case has an embossed Cobra logo in a circle, and the left side has a GI Joe star.  The back has “GI Joe” embossed across the back and a small Hasbro logo stamped into the bottom right corner.  These cases are now available on HasbroToyShop.com for $15 for a pack of 10.  Mint-on-card isn’t my thing, but if some of you have some rare or overly expensive MoC figures out there, these would be a great way to protect and display them.  The card inside is the good old 25th Anniversary style, which are a homage to the original A Real American Hero cards.  The old style GI Joe logo is emblazoned across the top, and Sarge takes up the left side in a grappling pose.  He looks ready to body slam someone!  The bottom right holds the figure.  The back has a letter from Sarge at the top and a copy of the mail-away Sarge’s file card on the bottom.

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Open up the bubble, and you can pull Sarge out.  He’s dressed in a green tank top with the aforementioned “USA” up top with black wrestling tights and boots below.  Sarge has a Marine Corps drill instructor’s hat perched on his head, his silver glasses on his face (along with his mustache) and black gloves with red wristbands on his hands.  He also has a white web belt around his waist with a coppery-colored Corps logo belt buckle.  The wrestling tights have the GI Joe logo running down the left leg, and Sarge’s boots have a gunnery sergeant’s rank insignia on both ankles.  There isn’t a whole lot of detail on Sarge, but for a minimally clothed and geared-up wrestler, what do you expect?  One other thing that sets Sarge off from other 25th and RoC style figures is his right wrist.  It’s jointed like the ankles, where he can move his wrist forward or backward realistically.  The extra joint is so seamlessly done that it is hardly noticeable, and extra movement is always welcome in a Joe figure.  I just wish they’d done this to BOTH wrists, and that Joe figures in the future have the same feature.




As for gear, the original figure came with just a baton.  The new Sarge has some considerably nicer and better gear.  He still comes with a baton, and the whistle around his neck is now removable instead of molded onto the figure like the original version.  The figure is even assembled with the whistle turned correctly, so if Sarge was to put the whistle to his lips he would do so the right way.  Besides the whistle, there’s also a microphone.  While I doubt Sgt. Slaughter needs the mike to yell at recruits, it would be a great tool for cutting some wrestling promos either on the air or in the ring.  The final feature is really, really neat…it’s a wrestling championship belt with the Joe logo emblazoned on the front.  The belt is VERY intricately detailed, and the metal sections on it are painted accordingly.  It looks great around Sarge’s waist, and it would be a great tool to smack someone with, WWE style.  




I’m glad to get a Sgt. Slaughter figure, but there’re a few flaws with this figure.  You’ve probably read these before elsewhere or commented on them yourself online, but I’ll touch on them again here.  Physically, he’s not very big, and I think this version’s legs look too short.  Slaughter was always big and beefy on the cartoon, and he’s hardly muscled at all here.  I also picture Sarge as being at least as tall as me (6’4”) and if he’s not bigger than life, how is he supposed to snap new Marines (and Joes) into shape?  Also, the gear is fine for a wrestler, but I wish Sarge at least had a gun or something…though the Triple T version comes with both a pistol and a heavy machine gun.  The final physical problem with the figure is the way the “USA” is printed right across the split in his chest.   If you turn his torso at all, the letters don’t line up and it just looks kind of goofy.



Note that I commented a lot on “physical” flaws.  The other flaw comes with the distribution of this figure.  The combination of the character’s crossover appeal, the 25th Anniversary packaging, and the wholly reasonable price of just $12.99 for an exclusive figure made this fig sell out completely.  He wasn’t even offered on HasbroToysShop.com the day after the convention the way exclusives have in the past, which led to some angry Joe fans, your humble reviewer included.  I’m not gonna go into a whole bunch of complaining here since I have another thread for that, but a lot of folks in the Joe community found the situation highly annoying.

The furor about THIS figure appears to have died down a bit, with the “USA” version selling online for anywhere from $20-40, with $25-30 being the norm. The Triple T version still sells for around $50 though, so be prepared to invest some serious dough if you want both of these figures.  I just really wish this figure was bigger, at least around Bench Press’s size.  To me, this isn’t the “blow me completely away” Sarge figure I was hoping for, so unless you’re a completist or a giant Slaughter fan I’d wait a while and see if the price comes down a little more or if you can get lucky and score one for around $20.  I just hope that Hasbro learned a little lesson about the popularity of Sarge and especially of 25th style figures for the future!

I saw the thing in Wal-Mart today and it looks pretty freaking awesome.  I know it's HUGE!  I was just wondering if anybody had one yet, and if so if it's worth the hefty, hefty price. 

I got out of Star Wars a long time ago when they started flooding the shelves with every variation of every character that even got a millisecond of screen time.  However, between the AT-AT and the classic style ESB carded Vader, I might actually have to make a few Star Wars purchases. 

Review – Resolute GI Joe Battle Pack


Well, you just can’t have a Resolute Cobra set without a Resolute GI Joe set.  And, unlike the Attack/Defense of Cobra Island sets, this year it’s the Joe set that outshines the Cobra set.  Well, it does in MY humble opinion anyway, and since it’s my review I’m the one that matters!  Anyway, on to the review, and similar to the Cobra review I’ll start with the retreads/repaints, and intermix plenty of photos, with some comparison shots thrown in for good measure.  



First up is a figure that fortunately isn’t a total repaint, just a retread.  We’ve already gotten two versions of Resolute Duke beforehand, both the single-carded, cartoon-accurate version (one of my all time favorites by the way, both because he’s a badass figure and because he looks a lot like me) and the helmeted rocket-pack version from the Resolute 5-pack.  This version of Duke is a take on the character as seen during the assault on the Siberian missile silo with Scarlett.  Duke uses Arctic 25th Snake Eyes’s body, with Resolute Duke’s legs and arms, and a new headsculpt.  The new head makes Duke look older and more grizzled (and mean!) than his previous Resolute counterparts.  His hair has more detail, and is sculpted in more of a squared-off fashion.  He also has the earpieces, lower face cover, and microphone that he did in the cartoon.  This isn’t a terrible figure and it’s very cartoon accurate, and I applaud Hasbro for not just repainting Resolute Duke like they did with Cobra Commander.  But it’s still a pretty meh figure, especially considering the badass unreleased (but still available from certain sources) Arctic Threat Duke from the PoC line.  One nice little detail I noticed (and that several other Joes have too in various places) was a tiny little tricolor Resolute symbol on his belt buckle.  For accessories, Duke comes with the same black and silver assault rifle and M1911 .45 that the previous versions had.






Next up is yet another version of Snake Eyes.  Unlike Duke, this IS a straight repaint of City Strike Snake Eyes.  The main differences between Resolute SE and City Strike SE are lighter shades of gray, gray on the legs instead of black, and green (green?) goggles.  I think with the goggles, the designers were going for the scene where he switches to night vision to see the Cobra troopers on the docks when he’s gliding in, but I don’t like it very much.  The big news here are the accessory changes.  Resolute SE has the same backpack, but now he Duke’s assault rifle too in a solid black color for a more stealthy finish.  If there was one tiny little complaint with City Strike SE, it was that his sword and sheath were just a tad too long and looked kind of goofy if not positioned perfectly.  Well, Snakes has a new shorter sword and sheath.  I kind of like this change, but I wish the sword had a tad more blade and a tad less handle.  The really big news here is the inclusion of the glider pack that Snakes used to glide in to the island where he was to face Storm Shadow.    It’s black and gray and spring loaded, so pushing a button on the back snaps out the wings.  There are swing-out handles on the ends of the wings for Snakes to grab onto.  For gliding ability, there is a thin mesh fabric attached to the wings.  The fabric has clips on the bottom of it to attach to SE’s ankles, giving him that same “flying squirrel” appearance from the cartoon.  I really, really like this piece of equipment, but I don’t think that fabric is durable enough for the long haul.  Toss it into storage with your guns and such, and it’ll probably come out with holes sooner or later.  I’m not going to complain too much about this figure being a repaint, because it’s a repaint of one of my favorite figures EVER, and the new accessories are very nice.  I just wish the goggles weren’t freaking GREEN (though I’m sure a little paint will fix that).  









The next figure is everyone’s favorite gourmet chef turned heavy machine gunner, Roadblock.  This is the third time we’ve gotten this body mold, with the first time being Night Adder and the second being the Roadblock included with the Wal-Mart exclusive Outpost Defender.  I absolutely love this mold, as it’s freaking HUGE.  Roadblock towers a full head over the other figures in this pack, just as a guy who can handhold a .50 cal Browning should.  He’s painted in much more cartoon accurate colors this time, and they’re definitely a homage to the original version of Roadblock.  His pants are orangey-brown, and he uses Night Adder’s vest repainted green.  The vest is VERY nicely detailed, with the pockets and details painted a slightly darker shade of green than the vest underneath.  This gives the vest a worn, washed effect that works VERY nicely.  There’s also well-detailed bullets around the waist and up on the shoulder pads.  For accessories, Roadblock comes with the same machine gun TRU Repeater had, painted in green and gunmetal and accompanied by an ammo belt.  The big gun has a post molded into it so Roadie can carry it on his back.  The other two accessories are kind of puzzling.  There’s um, a mortar shell.  Why Roadie has a mortar shell and no mortar is beyond me.  Perhaps he’s gonna slam in on a plate and toss it at Cobras, Saving Private Ryan-style.  There’s also…a pickaxe.  A freaking BIG pickaxe.  It comes up to the shoulder on a regular sized Joe, and also has a post on it so Roadblock can carry it on his back.  Why they included THIS accessory is almost as puzzling as the mortar shell.   Apparently Roadblock likes to go mining on leave, as well as cooking.






Next up is everyone’s favorite female counter-intelligence operative, Scarlett.  I feel that we’ve been hard-pressed for a good Scarlett figure since the 25th-style started.  The original anniversary 5-pack version had that goofy leg attachment that limited her usefulness in vehicles, and a head that was permanently tilted down.  Pilot Scarlett was of course a pilot and more a homage to Glenda than anything else.  As far as RoC figures went, the first version of Scarlett in her fatigues sucked because she didn’t look very kickass in them and because the figure had kind of a monkey face.  My favorite Scarlett to date was the Reactive Impact Armor RoC Scarlett.  She was bad in black, had her hair down, and looked both kickass AND beautiful, just as Scarlett should.  Well, that Scarlett just got booted off the island in favor of Resolute Scarlett.   Resolute Scarlett is ALMOST perfect.  For starters, her uniform and color scheme VERY closely mimic her original comic appearance, with Resolute touches like knee and shoulder pads thrown in.  For another, this Scarlett has a very pretty face, like the one in the cartoon did.  There’s just one problem…her head is just a TAD too big for her body.  If it was say, the same size as the 25th pack Scarlett but with the more beautifully sculpted face, she’d be absolutely perfect.  Anyway, this is the best Scarlett BY FAR, and I now have a new Scarlett for my Joeverse.  Scarlett comes with a crossbow (of course) and a scoped rifle that very closely resembles a US Marine Corps M40.  I LOVE sniper rifles and I love this rifle, both because it’s very nicely detailed and because now Scarlett can have a sniper duel with Zartan.  







Next up is Flint.  Flint of course uses Resolute Duke’s body like the rest of the figures here, but with a black painted shirt, green camo pants, and tan vest/body armor.  The highlights here are the new headsculpt, which I think captures Flint perfectly, and the vest/armor.  It’s got great detail all over, from the buttons on the pouches to the shotgun shells molded to the left strap.  Flint also has a small container of shotgun shells strapped to his left wrist that can be removed if you pull off his hand.  For accessories, Flint has his familiar green pistol-grip shotgun and a .45.  While there’s not a lot new here either figure-wise or weapon-wise, I think this figure so perfectly captures Flint that I think I have a new Joeverse Flint as well as a Scarlett.  It perfectly captures the essence of the classic while updating him just a tad for modern combat.






Continuing the “modern update” theme is Beachhead.  Beachhead again uses original Resolute Duke’s body, with a green shirt, brown camo legs, and black vest/body armor.  Beachhead has a green scarf around his neck that prevents the figure’s neck from looking too long for the head.  The head is well done, there’s very nice detail on the pouches and such around the vest, and the right shoulder of the vest has something new…a removable knife in a sheath.  Beachhead comes with an olive and silver version of Duke’s assault rifle and yet another 1911 .45.  Again, there’s not a whole lot new or groundbreaking here, just a fantastic modern update of a classic figure.  






Finally, there’s Stalker.  Stalker differs from his original look more than most of the rest.  Stalker looks like a grizzled old veteran in this incarnation, and he’s got a pretty mean look, too…as well as what I can best describe as dreadlocks pulled back and tied in a pony tail.  Just from the look sculpted onto Stalker’s face, I doubt too many people are going to call him a sissy for having a ponytail.  Stalker changes the body construction up just a tad, too.  He’s still got Resolute Duke’s legs, but he uses City Strike/Resolute SE’s upper body and arms.  Further differentiating himself, Stalker’s also got actual web gear instead of a combination body armor/vest.  Similar to Beachhead, Stalker has a removable knife in a sheath on the right shoulder of his webgear.  Also similar to Beachhead (in fact, it’s the exact same piece), Stalker has a green scarf around his neck so that his neck doesn’t appear too long for the head and carries the same olive Duke assault rifle and 1911 .45.  Stalker’s much more of a new take on a classic character than an update like the rest of the figures, but I really, really like what they did with him, and the sculpting and paint apps on the head and hair especially are spot on.  








I really, really like this set, and I LOVE the updates to Roadblock, Scarlett, Stalker, Flint, and Beachhead.  It’s AMAZING how the paint apps and accessories can take essentially the same figure (Resolute Duke) and make a great update of classic characters over and over again.  I don’t mind the use of Duke’s legs over and over, but I wish they had pulled off that stupid molded-on gun and put an actual holster on the figures.  Other than the few flaws listed with the figures (Scarlett’s head, SE’s green goggles, and Roadblock’s strange accessories) I wish that the weaponry was a tad more varied.  Duke’s assault rifle is nice and the recolors do a bit to help, but I’d still like to see at least Beachhead and Stalker get different guns.  Also, I love me some M1911 .45s, but was it really necessary to include, oh, EIGHT of them in this set?  Further, an update on Flint’s shotgun would have been welcome as well, because we’ve gotten that same gun a bunch of times now.  But all in all this is a great set, a great update on classic characters, and well worth the $35-40 this set will cost you.  And if you’re reading this and you haven’t WATCHED Resolute, get on youtube or go to the store and pick up the DVD, so you can understand what all the fuss is about.  




I’ll tell ya, that just makes me want to yell “YO JOE!”

Vintage Review – Air Skiff


Everybody loves the Dreadnoks.  Mean spirited and destructive, yet dumb enough for occasional comic relief, the Cobra allies and minions of Zartan who snack primarily on grape soda and chocolate covered donuts are both favorites of fans and of Larry Hama.  The Dreadnoks actually had quite a few vehicles released during the ARAH line, and gained new members just about every year.  Released in 1987 alongside the Dreadnok Cycle, the Air Skiff included a new Dreadnok, a wannabe pirate named Zanzibar.  Unfortunately, I don’t have Zanzibar…but I do have his vehicle. 

At just 5 ¾ inches long x 3 ½ inches wide by 3 ½ inches tall, the Air Skiff is one of the smallest Joe vehicles out there, and definitely one of the smallest to include a driver.  A “skiff” is best described as a small, sea-going boat…either a fishing boat or a very small sailboat.  I wouldn’t really call the Air Skiff a “skiff.”  The best way I could describe it would be as a small airboat.  If you don’t know what an airboat is (I bet a lot of you Canucks have never been to the Louisiana Bayou), an airboat is a small, flat-bottomed boat with a large, aircraft-style propeller mounted on the rear.  The propeller is usually mated to a high-performance small- or big-block V8 engine.  The rush of air from the propeller pushes the airboat forward, and steering is accomplished with rudders that change the direction of the air.  Think of the propulsion arrangement on the Water Moccasin/Sting Raider but on a much smaller and more primitive flat-bottomed boat, and you get the idea.  Some airboats have friction-reducing coated hulls, allowing them to traverse land as well as water.  An airboat is the ideal vehicle for swamps, marshes, wetlands, and other shallow water areas because of its very shallow draft and the fact that none of its powerplant sits below the waterline. 
The Air Skiff fits part of this description.  It’s not flat-bottomed; rather, the lower hull is triangular, with what appear to be small skis on both sides.  While it doesn’t have as crazy of a color scheme as the Dreadnok Cycle, the Air Skiff’s color scheme definitely isn’t subdued.  Teal, black, and yellow are the order of the day here.  Meanwhile, most of the vehicle’s area is taken up by the operator’s seat.  There’s a standard ARAH sized-backpack peg to help hold Zanzibar or whoever is operating the Skiff seated.  There are control levers on both armrests, tilted towards the front of the vehicle.  There is a very small, short “nose” that sits just below the driver’s seat.  Attached to the back of the seat, just behind the driver’s head, is a small three-bladed turbofan for propulsion.  The fan has a post that extends from its center, so you can give the fan a twirl with your fingers.

The Air Skiff may be small, but it will pack a punch.  The very front of the craft features two machine guns, one on each side.  There’s also a small missile on each “wing,” mounted even with the driver.  Two missiles and two machine guns may not sound like a lot of armament for a vehicle, but when you consider how small the Air Skiff is, it’s a lot of firepower. 

The Air Skiff does have a few flaws.  For one, some people won’t like the extremely small size.  For another, it has questionable military applications and the color scheme isn’t exactly stealthy camo.  I can see the machine gun barrels getting broken, bent or stress-marked if it’s dropped on its nose.  The missiles are small and easily lost.  And finally, I bet that with that fan right behind the driver’s head, he’d get quite the headache from the noise…not to mention that Zanzibar would have to worry about his ponytail getting sucked in to the fan, which could lead to a very messy situation!

This isn’t a bad little vehicle, and I think it’s actually kind of neat.  It won’t set you back a lot of $$$ either…figure on about $7-30 for the Air Skiff.  $10 will get you the complete vehicle, $30 can get you the vehicle, figure, blueprints, and box.  Especially for $7, you can’t go wrong with this vehicle, because it further expands your Dreadnok forces too…and who can ever get enough of the Dreadnoks? 
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Vehicle Review: Pursuit of Cobra HISS


By far the most iconic Cobra vehicle of the original 3 ¾ inch GI Joe line was the original Cobra HISS tank.  The HISS (short for HIgh Speed Sentry) was just that…a small, lightly armored, agile tank that made up for in speed and maneuverability what it lacked in armor and firepower.  The HISS was such a vital piece of equipment to Cobra that they came out with several variations on it.  The HISS II was much larger, much more heavily armed, and carried more troops.  The HISS III was a simple repaint of the original, while the HISS IV was a step back for many, as it didn’t have all that much armament and took the “snake” theme a tad too far…though I thought the way the “head” of the tank snapped up into attack mode like a snake preparing to strike was pretty cool.  Next up came the DTC HISS, which many people considered the best HISS successor yet…it was fairly heavily armed, carried a decent number of Cobra troops, and was bad in black just like the original.  We got several repaints of the original HISS in the 25th Anniversary line, first as a Target exclusive in blue, then in general release in black, and finally as a Target exclusive again, in red, included with the Ultimate Battle Pack.  We also got the first variant of the original HISS, with the Arctic HISS being one of the last releases of the 25th Anniversary line. 

Well for the Pursuit of Cobra line, we get yet another HISS tank, and this one seems like an amalgamation and culmination of the almost 30 years of HISS tank design before it.  It’s fairly large, and it’s got most of the classic HISS design cues: triangular tread design, angled front end, and weaponry mounted high and behind the cockpit.  Despite the classic cues, this HISS is definitely designed for combat in the 21st century.  First, the glass canopy is gone, and the color is changed from black to dark brown (and these changes have been the subject of some derisive commentary from fans).  While many may not like these changes, I always thought that a big glass canopy on a military vehicle wasn’t exactly the safest design for operator survivability…and this is supposed to be a “desert battle” vehicle so dark brown makes more sense as a color.  Besides, I have the feeling we’ll get a black repaint before all is said and done.  As for the canopy, the new HISS has a solid, armored canopy, and the driver controls the vehicle with a big yoke and several heads-up displays.  Also, the treads may be triangular, but they’re far from the classic molded, immobile treads with hidden wheels under them so the vehicle can roll.  THESE treads are like those found on the Mauler and the MOBAT, with a large rubber tread that can be spun around wheels.   

For weaponry, the new HISS has a double-barreled chin turret (similar to the DTC HISS) that can rotate past 90 degrees to either side.  There’s also a Gatling gun that attaches to the right rear part of the body.  The Gatling gun’s long barrel can be spun with a thumbwheel on its right side, and it has an ammo belt that plugs into the left side and into an ammo drum molded into the HISS’s body.  A large cannon with a big red missile is attached to the right side, and the cannon is spring loaded so the missile can fire.  There’s a small red button on the top rear of the body that can be moved from side to side.  Doing so turns the weapons from side to side in tandem.  I really like this, and I think it’s a cool little touch.  There’re also spaces on either side of the body for the weapons to plug into.  According to some other reviews I’ve read, including one over at GeneralsJoes.com, the holes are just barely the wrong size for the weapons included with the DTC vehicles to fit.  This is disappointing, as it would have been neat to load up the HISS with some captured RHINO and ROCC weaponry, though I have the feeling we’ll get more weapons that WILL fit in the near future.  As a final included accessory, the HISS has a staff similar to the one included with the new/upcoming PoC Cobra Commander, only without the paint apps.  This looks like a Cobra regimental crest, it’s supremely detailed, and I really like it.  There’s just one thing…it plugs into spots on either side of the HISS’s body, and looks ok…but if the weapons on the rear fire, they’ll blow it right off.  So unless the HISS’s weapons are mounted on the sides, I don’t see much of a use for it other than maybe for parade duty. 

The HISS has a few other tricks up its sleeves…first, there’s a second cockpit hidden in the rear underside of the body.  I’m not quite sure what this is for, other than perhaps as a weapons control so the driver can concentrate on well, driving.  The cockpit opens kind of in a funny way…it lowers so the driver is laying on his back, and there is a flip-down harness to hold him in place.  I just hope he gets in and out quickly, because that blood rushing to his head would be unpleasant.  The other trick is right out of the HISS IV’s playbook.  Pressing a big gray button on top, just behind the cockpit, raises the HISS’s body on four spring-loaded legs.  This gives the HISS a commanding presence on the battlefield, as well as allowing the entire body to rotate, meaning it can bring all its firepower to bear in any direction.  While some fans may find any connection to the HISS IV dubious, I like it!

The PoC HISS comes with a TON of stickers, and Hasbro saw fit to allow for some customization.  Besides the standard stickers, including a pair of classic “788s,” there’s two of each number and letter included as well (along with some dashes and slashes), which allows for a pretty fair amount of sticker customization.  I thought that the extra numbers included with the Arctic HISS was a nice touch, but Hasbro went above and beyond here.

As with every vehicle, the new HISS isn’t perfect.  As I mentioned, a lot of fans are grumbling about the lack of a transparent canopy and the color change, though they don’t really bother me.  Also, that regimental staff or whatever it is is a cool accessory, but it doesn’t have much use on the HISS.  Further, it’s easy to knock the rear weapons off center from the slider switch, and I can see the chin turret getting broken off pretty easily the first time the HISS is dropped or accidentally kicked.  When the body is in the lowered position and you’re pushing the vehicle across the floor, the treads will often catch on the fenders.  Speaking of raising and lowering it, the up/down mechanism on the HISS is far from perfect.  Pushing the button doesn’t always release the body immediately, yet the body will often pop up simply from handling it.  The system could definitely use a little more work.  I also don’t like the fact that the stickers still use the RoC Cobra sticker fonts…more of a personal preference issue here, but still a complaint.  Even the original HISS could carry some troops on the back bumper, but the PoC HISS has no room for any Cobras other than the 2 in the cockpits.  Finally, there’s various screw holes and the like that are exposed, and I wish Hasbro would find a way to hide them better.

The HISS comes with a new HISS driver.  He’s a darker red than the 25th Anniversary version, and features a few changes of his own to make him more futuristic.  He uses Battle Armor Cobra Commander’s body with the 25th HISS driver’s head, and Resolute Comic Pack Destro’s webgear, body armor, and backpack molded in blue with a large red Cobra sigil on the chest.  He also includes a black .357.  The back of the box shows him with the same pistol/backpack/hose setup as the comic pack Destro, but the hose isn’t included in the actual box…though it doesn’t bother me too much, I’m just happy to get a gun with my figure…unlike the Wolf Hound!  I find the new HISS driver simply ok.  Battle Armor CC’s body is not my first choice, though I know Hasbro was going for a futuristic look.  I think they could have simply used the 25th HISS driver’s body and slapped on Resolute CP Destro’s gear and called it good. 

All in all, I really like the new HISS, and I think it’s a step in the right direction for the future of the HISS tank.  I like the design, I like the weaponry, and I like the spring-up attack mode.  Now, if I could get another one in black this time (I admit I want one too!), and they’d fix the treads so they wouldn’t hang, fix the problems with the snap-up mode, and change the sticker font…we’d truly have the greatest HISS yet!

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