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Sculpting
: OK, so the MAJOR cane in the sculpting here
is the loss of the O-ring. Its this loss and a few other
things that really help these figures stand apart from
other Joes. Whether its good or not is for you to decide
(its a heated debate topic among Joe Fans these days).
I for one am open to new ideas, and like these figures
without the O-rings. It allows for a better sculpting
that we could not see all that well on original Joes.
And the detail on the sculpting is on par with larger
figure scale. You can even see the detail on Snake-Eyes
face through his mask (mouth and nose are very present)
which is really nice. Storm Shadow has a ton of great
sculpts on his body, 13 small detailed pockets and a
pair of Nunchucks on his legs all sculpted in. But since
there is no O-ring, this part of my review gets one
notch below a perfect score.
Sculpting - 9
Articulation : One could say that without
the O-ring, there is slightly less poseability in the
new Joe figures. That is true, but they do retain all
the other posability that they are known for. Ball-and-Socket
shoulders, swivel arm battle-grip (I love saying that),
knee joints, and ball-and-socket necks. The necks are
different in that that they can bend down and up a little
further, and can turn around 360 degrees, allowing for
some great head poses that the first Joes in 1982 did
not have, and improved slowly through the 80s and 90s.
To replace the O-ring, we get a standard straight leg
up and down for the upper leg, and right to left torso
joint. Now with Storm Shadow, this does not hurt him
too much as his legs are pretty much molded straight
down, but Snake Eyes has a weird stance molded into
his legs, a design that hurts his posability some, and
thus this rating.
Articulation - 8
Accessories : OK, great accessories
are included with these two figures. Each one comes
with one gun, and a knife for each one. But as ninjas
each, they each get a pair of like swords, with both
can be stored in their own x-formed backpack on each
one. While the Backpack seems to be a bit much (first
time I looked at Storm Shadow I thought he had SIX arms),
but after a couple of days they are growing on me. Do
they have all the accessories I think they should have?
No...I think their should be a ton of ninja weapons
and a rack to put them on, but what they have isn't
a bad start. As a side note, the real loss is the figure
stand, not included with these figures. Hasbro should
put these with every new Joe figure, as they really
help to set them up for kids, or display them for collectors.
Accessories - 7
Painting and Design: Here is where
the new design really stands out for the new Joes. With
more attention to detail, these Joes look and feel much
better. The plastic used to make them seems to be different
in that it is sturdier and a little more robust than
previous figures. The Paint apps are flawlessly applied
on mine, and with at least 4 different colors on each
one (including two distinct tones of black on Snake
Eyes) they look superb. As for the design, the afore
mentioned weird molded stance on Snake Eyes its a little
off, but other than that flaw, they are designed well.
I would only comment that the backpacks should have
been more self contained, and not so big. But that is
a minor gripe. Overall, a great paint and design on
each figure.
Painting and Design - 8
Overall
Overall, these are really fun figures. With a packaging
of a Joe and Cobra, you get something great for kids
and collectors alike - one good guy and one bad guy.
The sculpts look really good, and the only flaw with
that new sculpt is the lack of the O-ring. Even with
out that Joe mainstay however, they are still very poseable,
have the most detailed look of any small Joe I have
ever seen, and seamlessly (in my humble opinion) fit
in with older Joes, with the new look making them stand
out a bit only. If you can find the two packs for under
$9 or $8 bucks - grab 'em...they are well worth it.
Overall Rating : 8
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