COMIC - File #16: "Alvin's Girl"

So, Breaker's getting married. He's already living with the chick and 'knows' her pretty well. Or does he...?

After reading the comic, click here to view its Archive entry.  [OUTDATED; NOSTALGIC USE ONLY]

CLICK ON COMIC TO ENLARGE

REVIEW - Tiger Force Flint

Flint was always a pimp. He, Shipwreck, and Clutch formed the subgroup "Pimp Force" and cruised for chicks in the only GI Joe lowrider ever produced. Plus there was that time --



Okay, I made all that up and the gif is taken out of context, but it might as well have been true.

Flint's first 25th Anniversary figure was accurate to his original figure from the 80s. Except for the arms. Instead of short sleeves and gloves, he got 'Duked': cursed with a pair of duke fail-arms.

Hasbro seems to be phasing out those terrible arms, and they decided to give Flint better arms. Ones with short sleeves and gloves, ones he deserves. Rather than release the 'corrected' Flint in his regular colours, they put him in his Tiger Force uniform. ("Corrected" Flint, v1 costume with fixed arms, is coming out in the upcoming GI Joe 5-Pack.)

You can find out more/what I think about Tiger Force by reading my rantpost.



Flint has Duke's body and legs, and they work well. The shirt has the right look, as do the legs and boots. They don't look out-of-place like the duke arms did. The colours are accurate to the Tiger Force Flint figure from the 80s, which is great in terms of accuracy. Too bad the colour of the shirt is so hideous.

Flint has a great head. And I'm not quoting Lady Jaye. His facial expression might seem a little odd and his eyes might give the impression that he's constantly looking up, but to me it looks like his eyes are facing forward as he marches into battle, not taking any crap and slapping chicks' asses.



His head also has a terrific range of motion. Other 25th heads, though ball-jointed, can really only turn left and right, since the vertical motion range is negligible. But not Our Man Flint: he can actually look up and down. A welcome change.



What about the main attraction: the arms? I have to say I'm impressed. These arms look great and are actually functional. The short sleeves and gloved hands make Flint LOOK like Flint, and the wrist watch is a nice touch. Some people think the arms look a little too bulky. Really, the arm's aren't that bad. Don't get me wrong, I don't think all duke-armed characters should have these arms, but these arms fit some of them. They look nice on Rock N Roll, where beefy arms make sense since he's a weight lifter, and they work on Flint since they're not implausibly huge. After all, Flint's all about picking up chicks, so it's not hard to imagine him flexing his muscles for display.



If you're worried about the hands, don't be. Gone is the useless fist (though I guess Flint could use it for Donkey Punch action), and the left hand has the best trigger finger the line has ever seen. I'm not sure if Flint is a lefty, but this hand is so great that now, he's a lefty to me.



The articulation is a little better than what you'd expect from the 25th line, what with the great range of motion of the head and the new arms, which Flint can use to actually wield his SPAS-12.

Tiger Force Flint comes with the same gear as the previous 25th Flint release: shotgun shell harness with belt, sidearm, and SPAS-12 shotgun. The harness is moulded in green and the shells have gold paint on one of their ends. Only one of the two ends are painted, so you might want to touch up the paint yourself.

Not only that, but the whole harness assembly doesn't seem too secure. 25th Snake-Eyes' webgear stays in place, but Flint's straps WILL move. You'll find yourself constantly pulling it down into place. If it moves up too far, it looks like he should have a parachute attached to it. Don't get me wrong, the shotgun shell suspenders are buckets of badass, but they could have been better had they had a bit more paint and if they were more secure.



Both of Flint's guns are moulded in green. The sidearm fits incredibly well into his left hand. Again, this trigger finger is amazing.

It might be a case of the 'just mines,' but I'm having a really hard time getting Flint's sidearm into his thigh holster. The gun seems to be a bit too big and is an extremely tight fit.

Thanks to his new arms, Flint can hold his shotgun with both hands. It still doesn't look quite natural, but it's better than duke arms BY FAR.



I really don't like the fact that the guns aren't in a realistic colour, but I understand that they're moulded in green for accuracy to the original figure (and maybe to look more jungle-camo). I can accept that. Besides, even in green, the SPAS-12 is still one badass boomstick.

I'm really impressed by this figure. The lack of duke arms, the range of motion of the head, the badass gear, the outstanding left hand, and the fact that it's Flint. My only complaint is that it's Tiger Force Flint. The ugly colours and stupidity of Tiger Force bog this figure down for me.

Is 25th Anniversary Tiger Force Flint worth the purchase? No. If you already have a Flint figure, you don't need this guy, unless if you're a big fan of Tiger Force, or if you want to collect Tiger Force 25ths, or something. I bought this figure to repaint him in V1 Flint colours, but since that's that GI Joe 5-Pack coming out, I really don't have to.

All things considered, this is nonetheless well done figure, and smeg-awful colours aside, this is how Flint should have been done in the first place.



SUMMARY:
25th Anniversary TIGER FORCE FLINT

ACCESSORIES:
- SPAS-12 combat shotgun
- sidearm
- shotgun shell webgear
- figure stand

PROS:
- fixed arms
- head had better range of motion than most
- badass equipment
- stands on its own even though he's mainly a repaint
- left trigger finger is fantastic

CONS:
- colours are ugly
- arms seem a little bulky (not excessively so)
- strange facial expression

RATING:
3 ON 5
"DO NOT WANT"

COMIC - File #15: "Breaker's Big Score"

With Plastic Gear Solid over, it's time to get back to the good old-fashioned Ages 25 & Up comics. This next story arc (don't worry, it's short) stars Breaker, the Joes' Communication Officer.

Enjoy!

After reading the comic, click here to view its Archive entry.  [OUTDATED; NOSTALGIC USE ONLY]

CLICK ON COMIC TO ENLARGE

COMIC - PGS-107: Endgame

Here it is! The long-awaited conclusion to the Plastic Gear Solid Story. Will Solid Snake-Eyes save the day? Just what does Storm Shadow want? Can Clutch and Rock N Roll arrive before it's too late? Will Cobra prevail?

Read on and find out!

Other News: Next week, we're kick'n it oldschool. Going back to the regular Ages 25 & Up comics: about the Joes, shorter, potentially offensive, no Plastic Gear, etc. My Tiger Force Flint review will still have to wait. I'm waiting for Lady Jaye to arrive in the mail before I post the review so I can have a photo or two of them together.

See you in seven!

After reading the comic, click here to view its Archive entry.  [OUTDATED; NOSTALGIC USE ONLY]

CLICK ON COMIC TO ENLARGE

COMIC - PGS-106

Sorry for the delay, troopers. I was occupied last night, so here's this week's comic. Also, the Tiger Force Flint review is ready, I'm just waiting for my Lady Jaye to get here (big thanks to Mandalore the Skepsis of the Mandalorian Guilds) so I can snap of shot of them together. Shouldn't be too much longer.

Previously, in "Plastic Gear Solid": Scarlett was shot by the Baroness, Solid Snake-Eyes was caught off-guard trying to avoid being detected by a guard, and Cobra's gained the upper hand.

This is the before-last PGS issue, so hold onto your seats and be sure to check back next week for the anti-climactic conclusion!

(If you're wondering, yes, I DID try to make a Cobra logo out of red Battleship pegs...)

After reading the comic, click here to view its Archive entry.  [OUTDATED; NOSTALGIC USE ONLY]

CLICK ON COMIC TO ENLARGE

Ultimate Battle Pack Now Available

According to this page on HissTank.com, the Target-Exclusive Ultimate Battle Pack is now available. It costs $62.99.

Remembrance Day

It is the eleventh of November, Remembrance Day here in Canada.

I don't have much to say, but we have many people to thank.

I hope you all wore your poppies.

COMIC - File #12: "Rocab Family Tailors"

Last time, the Baroness put a bullet through Scarlett and Solid Snake-Eyes was caught off-guard by a Viper. With things looking bad for the heroes, it's time for a commercial break!

After reading the comic, click here to view its Archive entry.  [OUTDATED; NOSTALGIC USE ONLY]

CLICK ON COMIC TO ENLARGE

Tiger Fail, Duke Arms, and a Review Coming Soon

SCROLL DOWN FOR TL;DR VERSION

The GI Joe franchise has seen plenty of subgroups, some much more stupid than others. Battle Force 2000, Python Patrol, Ninja Force, etc. One that really stands out is Tiger Force. For some reason, some people seem to have a lot of love for Tiger Force (maybe just fond childhood memories). Having no emotional connection to Tiger Force, I can see it for what it really was - a poorly thought-out cashgrab which resulted in ugly figures and hideous vehicles loosely tied together by a semblance of a story.

Here's the idea behind Tiger Force: repaint figures and vehicles in tiger-stripe camo. Not have a solid idea of what they're supposed to blend in with, so throw in some jungle green as well as desert yellows (effectively preventing blending in with either environment). Hell, toss in some arctic character and vehicle too. Not have a solid idea of what the unit is or does, just a vague idea of their mission on the filecards. A mission which would be severely hindered by the characters' and vehicles' colours. Oh, and rather than simply repaint vehicles in tiger camo, colour the vehicles LIKE tigers. Yellows, eyes, plenty of stripes.

It doesn't annoy me that Tiger Force was just a line of repaints. What annoys me is that Tiger Force was a line of crap repaints centered around a bad name and a half-assed storyline. Night Force was also a line of repaints, only it didn't suck. The night-ops colour schemes actually looked good. (Granted, the glow-in-the-dark gimmick kind of defeats the purpose of sneaking around at night, but still.)

According to Tiger Force Leader Flint's filecard, the unit goes behind enemy lines with captured Cobra vehicles. Really? Really. Here's an idea: if you're trying to go behind enemy lines in enemy vehicles, DON'T REPAINT THEM. Dress up like Cobras and cruise in undetected. You'd think Cobra would know that there are no Rattlers coloured like tigers in their air fleet.

The toy line could have consisted of rereleased vehicles (maybe with remoulded parts or new accessories) and a figure. The figure would be a Cobra body with a removable helmet. Under the helmet is a familiar Joe's mug. That could have been interesting: "Cobra HISS with Flint in Cobra Officer Disguise" or "Cobra Rattler with Roadblock in Cobra Viper Disguise." Something like that, only less lame. Less lame but better than the fail that is Tiger Force.

Tiger Force, unfortunately, did not die with the 80s. It managed to find its way into the 25th Anniversary collection, but at least it's back with good intentions. To explain what I mean, please allow me to rant a bit further.

Don't get me wrong, I can't thank Hasbro enough for making the GI Joe 25th Anniversary line. To say I'm grateful is an understatement. The whole line is aimed at collectors and grown-up fans, because, hey, what the crap do kids know about GI Joe? Thanks Hasbro, and keep the Joes coming! That being said, the line's not without its flaws.

I can't blame Hasbro for recycling parts. It keeps costs down, and part recycling's an integral part of Joe history. But one part I can't forgive them for recycling (and won't forgive them for making in the first place) is the Duke Epic Fail Arm (trademark pending).

The "duke arm" is not only undeserving of capitalization but incapable of bending and the wrist cut is very visible and weak. These crap arms were made for the Duke figure. Duke is the character I hate the most. Hands-down, no-contest. Duke blows. That bastard grin, the all-American-boy blond-eye-blue-eyes, the being a jackass in the comic, the overall propaganda feel of the character... you get the idea.

I enjoy that Duke was cursed with those smegawful arms, but what pisses me off is that those bastard arms stain some of my favourite characters. Even Rock N Roll and Clutch! Unforgivable. The arms don't even look like those characters' '82 arms. In '82, they had short sleeves, or at very least sleeves rolled up to the biceps. Not long sleeves rolled up to their forearms. So not only are the arms not functional, they aren't even accurate.

Among the affected figures is Flint, the beret-wearing lovable braggart. Poor ol' Flint was cursed with Duke's arms, but now, Hasbro's finally seems to be trying to phase out the Fail Arms. They're re-releasing some affected characters with better arms: Shipwreck's, modified.

Flint was lucky enough to be cured of his Fail Arms, but Hasbro couldn't just re-release him with the new arms single-carded. Well, they could of, but instead they decided to recolour the new fixed-arm Flint into his Tiger Force colours. He's not the only Tiger Force character to return. Duke's also been recoloured into his Tiger Force uniform. They didn't really fix his Duke Arms since... well, he's Duke. Rock N Roll's getting rereleased in a Comic Pack with better arms and, you guessed it, he's got black tiger stripes on his legs.

Anyway, why all this talk about Tiger Force? I'm going to be reviewing the 25th Tiger Force Flint figure soon, so I figured I'd get all I had to say about Tiger Force out of the way before I wrote the review, or this whole post would end up as the introduction to my review.

Check back soon to find out what I think of a figure you already have or passed on Waves ago!

TL;DR VERSION:
- Tiger Force is made of fail
- Duke Arms blow, kudos to Hasbro for canning them
- Review of 25th Tiger Force Flint coming soon

COMIC - PGS-105: A Bullet Flies...

Welcome back, troopers. Time again for another Ages 25 & Up comic. Get ready for some more Plastic Gear Solid action!

Last week, Dr. Anthony Gambello (aka Weeaboo) and Destro were attacked by a mysterious assassin. Luckily, Solid Snake-Eyes arrived just in time, and after a round of hyper fighting, he defeated the masked assassin.

Thanks to the information Solid Snake-Eyes and Scarlett learned from Weeaboo, they head off to find Plastic Gear's secret maintenance hanger.

After reading the comic, click here to view its Archive entry.  [OUTDATED; NOSTALGIC USE ONLY]

CLICK ON COMIC TO ENLARGE