Categories Galactic Heroes Warduke Aayla Secura Things from my collection

06/07/2008 Hasbro GI Joe Arctic Trooper Snake Eyes, Roadblock V2 & Major Bludd Review

It is time for more of Hasbro's great GI Joe line. This time around it is Arctic Trooper Snake Eyes, Roadblock Version 2 and Major Bludd. This line keeps getting better and these live up to the hype with only a few slight issues.

These three figures are from the fourth wave of 2008 figures (or wave 8 if you start from the beginning of the 25th Anniversary release last year).

First up is Arctic Trooper Snake Eyes. He used this particular outfit in a couple of very early Marvel Joe comics when he battled and later befriended Kwinn the Eskimo. This cardback is one of the new cardbacks with the 25th Anniversary theme dropped from it. The 25th logo has been replaced with a "From the GI Joe Comic Series" logo. At first I wished Hasbro hadn't used this logo on the cardbacks (or the cartoon logo for others) but it is growing on me. It could also be an interesting bit of info for anyone who doesn't know where a particular figure hails from.

Also dropped from the cardback is the foil GI Joe logo which has been replaced by a standard white one. I like this a lot better. One major reason is it makes the cardback much more durable. The foil cards were foiled and then had the artwork added on top. This resulted in a few cards having the art "peel" off a bit or having the foil logo "crack". These should hold up to wear a lot better.

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The figure comes with several accessories - a stand, an uzi, a sword, a backpack and a pair of ice shoes. The stand comes with two peg posts . The ice shoes fit nicely onto the backpack via two posts on the pack. The holes on the shoes also can be used with the figure stand. The sword has the Arashikage clan symbol on one side. It is a pretty nice assortment of accessories.

The figure also has a shoulder harness that is removable but you will need to pop the head off the figure to remove it. I couldn't find an obvious way to remove the hood or skull necklace without the risk of breaking something.

I love this figure. I know a lot of people are tired of the millionth version of this character but hey at least this is a well done version. It also takes me back to a kid as I vividly remember the comic issues that he appeared like this in.

One minor issue I had with the backpack is that I could not get it snuggly attached. The figure's hood protrudes enough that the pack can't get fully seated into the peg hole.

Next is Roadblock Version 2. I like this outfit more than the original. The cardback is very nice. It also is one of the new non-25th cards. This one has the cartoon logo on it but without looking, I thought he appeared like this in the comic as well. It's not a big deal. I guess they had to choose some logo to put on it.

This figure comes with a stand, a vest, a machine gun, a tripod and a length of ammo.

The vest does come off but you will need to undo a set of snaps on one side and remove the head off the figure to get it off. Once you get it off, you are only rewarded with a plain white shirt. The vest does restrict the movement a little but the figure looks a lot better with it. Also when you take it off, it becomes even more painfully obvious that this figure is only a repaint of the previous Roadblock figure. The vest does however make the figure look a bit like it has no neck.

This figure has all the same issues holding the machine gun as the first Roadblock did. That left hand is such an awkward sculpt. It doesn't quite work for a two handed grip on the gun. I tried here to use the hand to hold down the ammo.

Finally there is Major Bludd. This figure was supposed to be in the previous wave but there were some sort of production problems that delayed it. Because of that it is on the older 25th Anniversary card. I wonder how long it will be before it transitions to the new cardback.

This figure comes with a stand, a rocket gun (?), three extra rockets, a string of dog tags and a backpack. The backpack is a major pain for me. Those extra rockets just don't stay in place. If I barely - and I mean barely - touch the figure, they fall off it. I think these will be easily lost because of it. I have already come close to losing them several times. They will end up being sacrificed to your vacuum if you aren't careful. It is a shame because I really like this figure and these rockets are a big pain.

The dog tags are only removable if you pop off the head. They don't always fit all the way down the neck and may need some adjustment. I don't think the figure's helmet is removable.

Just like the vintage figure there is no elbow articulation to the armored left arm. Hasbro did add wrist articulation however.

Even though this figure uses a lot of reused Zartan body parts, I do think it is a good remake of the vintage figure. It is obvious who the character is and he does look good overall.

These figures are hitting retail and online stores now. Expect to pay a price off about $7 each for them. They are a little difficult to find now but be patient - they will be out there.

I am giving Snake Eyes a **** out of five star score. I almost gave it a **** 1/2 except for that backpack not fitting on all the way.

Roadblock is getting a *** rating. It is good figure but there are some issues with that particular sculpt. It is hard to pose in a satisfying way.

Major Bludd is getting a *** 1/2 rating. I would have easily moved it a full star to **** 1/2 except for those darn rockets. I challenge you not to loose them.