I opened my Hiss Tank last night and here is my first quick thoughts on it. That thing is uber ugly.
As a stand alone toy sitting on the shelf it might look OK, but certainly not great. I'll try to look at the positive aspects of this thing first.The colours are nice and the new canopy design make a lot more sense then the V5 Hiss tank. It's a nice throw back to the original Hiss Tank in some ways like the small wheels under the non moving treads and a figure sits exposed in a large canon at the back. The canon has a launching missile, not sure if that's viewed as a good thing or not as an adult but my son will enjoy it.
Now the negative. I'm not sure that SDCC Hiss Tank is really going to be that cool. At least I now see why it has 2 figures compared to just one last year. It needs all the help it can get. Compared to last years Starscream, Shockwave probably won't be as cool. At least Shockwave will have new molding unlike Starscream last year but the base of the toy is boring.
The worst part it's a new mold, so you can use your old Hiss Tank treads on it or swap the canopy from the new one to your old Hiss Tank.
Like the figure, the thing is a statue. Tiny wheels on the bottom of the tread and very limited movement between the tread and the main body.
I suppose I'v become use to a higher standard from Hasbro. If this tank came out in 1985 I might have thought it was cool. Compared to the original Hiss Tank it has more play value, but compared to V5 with the moving treads and elevating action it's just dull.
If I was still chroming everything in sight then this body would perfect as there is a lot less moving parts. As it stands I'm done with chroming. I already did a V5 Hiss in chrome and I'm happy with that.
I give the Retaliation Hiss Tank a "C".
