The Slaghter's Marauders 7 pack from 2012 was a mixed bag (er, box). All of the figures were nice, but the whole Slaughter's Marauders sub group wasn't included. Either way, the figure that is the subject of this post is a very love hate figure.
SM Spirit deviates from his original figure a great deal. Using a mix of PoC tooling instead of the lackluster 25th Anniversary mold, he is now shirtless. For me, I appriciate this as if I wanted the original, I would buy the original.There is no need for a perfect "update". In many ways, the new style Modern Error figues have been the most boring for me when they try to do the same thing that was done 30 years ago, except with a new construction. Sometimes new stuff doesn't work, as was the case for some of the RoC designs, but in all it's far more exciting to get new figures.
As for the figure himself, Spirit is a mixed bag. This particular incarnation fits well with the rougher team that comprises the Slaughter's Marauders. The tattoo on his chest adds some personality and story to the figure. Perhaps during his time on the team, Spirit became a tougher, rougher person who felt that a tattoo would commemorate his time on the team? Maybe it was some sort of rite of passage that all the members of the SLaghter's Marauders went through? Maybe him a Falcon were drunk/high and hit the town getting some regretable tat's that the Sarge mocked them for the next morning and forced Spirit to go shirtless as long as he was on the team?
His articulation is great too. He can get some nice poses and overall is up to the standard of what a GI Joe figure should be. The colors are nice, and the blue gloves and elbow bands work the trademark color onto the figure in a nice, realistic manner. The web gear helps to cover him up, and his rifle and machete are his essential weapons that establish who he is.
All around, I liked this guy. There really isn't much to say about him really, other than he is a good stand alone figure or a nice part of an updated SM team.
The first wave of Retaliation product was shown via USA Today last year to much fanfare, with disappointment following shortly afterwords with closer examination of the pictures. It was to be learned that the new figures would have reduced articulation, in addition to some really funky accessories. That, along with the return of the dreaded missile launcher proved to make the first wave of figures very much unpopular. Which was good for a cheapo like myself. The first wave retaliation product had a small rise in value due to panic over the movie's delay. That would not last though, as most of the first wave figures dropped far below retail on eBay in Fall 2012 and early Winter 2013. Among others, I managed to snag this guy for only $3 shipped. Was he worth it?
In fact, he was. Had this figure been released at $7.99, he would have been a great figure despite the reduced articulation. The design itself is quite under-appreciated among modern fans, mainly due to the fact that he is nowhere near movie accurate. However, with the price hike to $9.99 to accommodate the included play-gimmick piece (mostly missile launchers, though this particular one included a spectacular parachute which works even with O-ring Joes) feels like it's asking too much, especially when the figure has less articulation than others.
Again, the figure itself is nice. He makes for a great Cobra Para-Trooper! His place in the ranks could be in a subordinate role for the Para-Vipers. Maybe he's just a normal Trooper in specialized landing gear? One of the nice things is that he can fill many different roles, and is practically a blank slate.
