The Toy Room - REDUX : Toy Reviews | GI Joe

In Target, after finding a cool Storm Shadow w/ Cycle on the pegs, I also spot this set and a Barrel Roll w/ Air Assault as well. Not knowing at first if anyone else knew these were out, I snagged this figure and checked it out. Is this repaint of figure and station worth your bucks? Read on…

The Dart figure mold itself is one of my favorite molds in recent years. While some Joe fans argue he is a poor man's Spirit figure, he is just different enough to me to make him cool as it is sculpted. The paint app, however, is not my favorite. While not too fancy or over the top, the paint app the underlying uniform in drab green is fine, but mixing it with a tan jacket (that looks too short for him this way, and a tan helmet, just doesn't sit well with me. Add to that a kind of silvery-blue tint on his fore-arm guards that don't seem to go at all, and this figure almost feels like a Power Ranger wanna-be. While the figure is a little bothering, the gun station is another story…

This gun station, offered initially with the Spy Troops line with another figure about a year or so ago, is a cool pack-in. It fires three missiles with the press of the top button, and seats one figure perfectly. With a highly detailed control panel for the figure to grip and a tilting, turning motion for the whole unit, it can function very well as an anti-aircraft emplacement. I also like the desert camouflage paint scheme on this station as well, almost better than the green on the original. So where as the tan on Dart doesn't look so good, I think on this station it does.

Bottom Line

Bottom Line - The only reason I like this set at all is the gunner station itself. The Dart figure is ok, but he will be ending up in my box of extra Joes, and may not end up on my shelves at all. I suggest that if you want a new anti-aircraft weapon for your Joes, or missed out on the green version, pick up this set, otherwise, you can easily pass on it. It is available only at Target for now, with a wider release as I understand it later on.