Hasbro: G.I. Joe Classified Series Roadblock Video and Quick Pics

I may have a problem, and it involves being knee-deep in a new action figure line.

Shocking, right?

But seriously, I’m to the point where I’m planning and gathering fodder for customs. I mean, actually working on them too. That always means I’m all-in on a line. I’m trying to guess what characters Hasbro will make next so I won’t have to scrap my work too soon, and given that’s it’s G.I. Joe, there’s a lot of characters to consider. But it’s not only that, I already plan on buying multiples of this first wave just to have different versions. I’ve come to like the new designs but I also want to try to classic another set up a bit.

I’ve got it bad.

Like Roadblock, not having a lot of Joes as a kid I wasn’t as familiar with V2, so when I first saw the Classified Series version I thought “What the….” But I quickly learned of and accepted the look, even liking it by the time I got the figure in-hand.

But I just had to know what was under the vest so it was quickly cut off. And I’ll be damned, just like they said at Toy Fair, ‘Block has a fully sculpted and functional torso under there. Which promptly sent me to eBay looking for softgoods tank tops so I could whip up an easy V1.

(I haven’t received the shirt yet so no pics)

But I still want a V2 look so there’s another purchase. I also don’t mind the rail gun Classified Roadblock comes with, but I’ve also been scouring for M2s and other big heavy machine guns. Just because. It’s fun.

And that’s the point here. I had my nitpicks with the line. Still do. Some people have more hardcore lines drawn in the sand, and that’s okay too. But at it’s core the Classified Series is just amazingly good $20 mass market action figures. They may not fulfill your every childhood dream of having a purely 80s 1/12 scale Joe line but the basics are there. It has that same spirit, and you can tell the people working on this line has a lot of love for the property. At this point in my collecting adventures part of my excitement is swapping and cutting and tweaking relatively cheap figures, while still enjoying the re-imagining Hasbro has done.

So yeah, doubles. A set to keep as is because I like those looks, but also a set to do head swaps and repaints and try out different weapons with because I also like the classic looks. That’s part of the overall experience to me.

Oh, and Roadblock? Since this is supposed to be a review of that, might as well type a few words about that. He’s awesome. The vest does hinder chest movement but the ball in the waist system works to counteract that. Plus, he’s a tank, he hit hard and lays down heavy fire. But the figure still moves where it counts. The gold is a deeper shade than Duke’s muted color, while Scarlett’s is even more metallic. Not sure what’s going on there but if I had one sore spot to continually mention, it’s the use of gold in general.