Buddy Cops!

Ok so they're not cops.  I'm not sure if they're really even buddies.  But I'll tell you what they are:

They're Rise of Cobra G.I. Joes Beachhead and Rollbar packed with Snarler Cycle!

One's a loner...The other a ladies' man. One's meticulous, the other a loose cannon. Two men who couldn't be more different. Two cops, thrown together by fate.  But both on the same side of the law...

Cue the buddy cop music!...No?...The A-Team music?

Ok, maybe not. But enjoy this crime-stoppin' toy review anyway!

I have to admit I wasn't a huge Joe fan when I was a kid.  My knowledge was limited to Duke, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander, Destro and Baroness.  And that was it.  I mean, that was it. So this summer's blockbuster film was really not just a chance to re-visit these characters, but also to get to know new ones as well as find out more about the Joe world through new G.I. dudes (strangely, no new dudettes. Not even the figures...hmm).

So enter Beachhead and Rollbar, two guys I know completely nothing about. The former is a favourite of the Rangerlord, who frequents this blog in a stealthy, ranger-like manner. I always wondered why Beachhead would be the' Gerlord's top Joe. But now I know why! According to his bio above, Beachhead is a former army Ranger.  Well, Rangerlord is a ranger and a lord. Duh.  It was staring me right in the face!!!

Well enough blabber, on to the review!

Likes: The price! I snagged this set for just under $24 Singapore dollars on clearance, that's about US$17 or thereabouts. Retail is around US$28.50.  Considering that each singles-packed Joe is around S12.90 now, and BH and RB come with a vehicle, I'd call that a steal. Heh. ;)

Like: Funky vests. Both of them sport one each, with Beachhead's incredibly deatiled with pockets, compartments, and even a red beret tucked nicely o his left shoulder. Rollbar's is fully zipped up, and has a knife and greande strapped to the front.

Like: The tooling of the belts. Beachhead has his molded onto him, while Rollbars' is removeable. Both have amazing little detailed like the caribiner on Rollbar's and the grenade and buckle on Beachhead's. A good belt can make the difference between and good and great figure/character.  Just ask Batman. ;P

Like: Head sculpts. Beachhead has a nice grooved pattern giving him a nice balaclava-wearing effect (in fact its all over his upper body excpt te eys and hands), while Beachhead looks like a certain Bond, James Bond. And not just any Bond, but the original Sean Connery Bond.

 

Like: Trigger fingers! Both these guys have'em!  So their fists are molded to hold theit various weapons, but their forefingers are separate from the lot.  This looks simply great when they're both holding guns with trigger guards.

Too bad only their right hands have 'em. I guess they'd look a little weird if the "trigger finger" stuck out on both hands while they were unarmed.  But it would be nice to see e'm hold both guns properly when dual wielding Rambo style. ;)

Like: The Snarler Cycle! It's a bike and sidecar combo of death with its gaint mounted cannon. It can carry two Joes comfortably but it actually has space foo up to 3 more! One more can go on the bike and two guys can peg on running board at the rear of the sidecar. The vehicle also rolls nice and smoothly with all the wheels/tyres touching a flat surface equally.

Like: Beachhead's storage space for his crossbow on his backpack. Clipping it in the middle of his pack is just genius. :)

Dislike: The working holsters. I love a great working holster any day, but it bothers me that both the guns don't fit in snuggly on BH and RB. I switched the guns around thinking that I'd given them the wrong guns but that didn't work, nor did angling the guns when holstering the weapon. Bummer, I hope mine was the exception rather than the norm.

Dislike: A minor issue with the crossbow.  It comes in two pieces so it can be assembled. But the bow and string portion don't fit so nicely on the stock of the crossbow.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 9.2/10 for both guys. Excellent tooling on especially Beachhead, unfortunately his paint lets him down on his face mainly. He losses some points there, but not much.

Poseability: 9/10 - Standard Joe 22 points of articulation for both.  Beachhead and Rolbar's vests do get in the way of his arms a little, but that's minor.

Fun: 9.2/10 - I always maintain that action figures themselves are fun, but throw in props such as (more) guns, oil drums, a roadblock or two and suddenly the fun is doubled or even tripled. A vehicle is the ultimate of such props, and this set comes with the Snarler Cycle, which is just great to pose BH and Rollbar around, in, and seeking cover.

Value: 9/10 - You get two figures, with their accessories and a bike and detacheable sidecar. There's one thing missing though: figure stands. Bummer. Oh, but you do get Rollbar's bio card packed in the box. Beachhead's is of course underneath the box itself.

Overall: 9.1/10 - I do like this set. There's very little to not like and tons of tiny details to gush over. Of all the other vehicle sets of this size, I think only this one comes with 2 figures.  And how many times as a kid did you wish that the one big vehicular/command centre size playset came with more than just the one action figure? Just so the one dude isn't lonely. Yeah, me too. :)