REVIEW: GI Joe 25th Anniversary - Flint (in Cobra Disguise)

Flint in Cobra Disguise | Produced by Hasbro | Released 2008

FLINT was a Rhodes Scholar and earned his degree in English Literature. Bored by the Groves of Academe, he enlisted in the Army and applied the tenacity and concentration he had used so well scholastically to grind his way through Airborne School, Ranger School, Special Forces School and finally Flight Warrant Officers School, graduating each with top honors. A thoroughly tactical planner, FLINT drafted and personally led a half dozen rescue missions in hostile territories that for obvious reasons of security were never published let alone admitted to.

Packaging Shots

Flint in Cobra Disguise

Flint is from the 25th Anniversary figure line and, as such, isn't rendered in the more lifelike style seen in the Rise/Pursuit of Cobra figure waves. However, he's still a pretty cool figure with some nice details.

The sculpt uses a number of parts from the previously-Reviewed Cobra Bazooka Trooper, specifically the legs. Both figures share the same left-leg knife slots and right-thigh pouch, although Flint's torso is from a Cobra Trooper. The pieces work together just fine and the look is capped-off with a combat harness that features some nice detailing, too.

Flint's core head is a very good sculpt. His face has a lifelike look to it and the beret he wears is nicely modeled. There's a cool detail of a badge on his beret, which is a nice touch.

Flint also comes with a second ''disguise'' head, which is again, a from the Cobra Trooper. The helmet is removable. Interestingly, the disguised head looks nothing like Flint. I guess he's been taking lessons from Zartan!

The arms are a little problematic, with loose wrists (which is apparently a common problem with this figure) and the elbow joints seem a little restricted due to the forearm muscle-sculpting. I also found his hips are a little ''sprung'' and he tends to pull to one side when being posed. Perhaps this is simply my figure, though. Everything else is fine, although the head can be a little tough to remove.

Paintwork is nicely applied and the darker blue of the uniform is much more effective than the sky-blue of the Bazooka Trooper. Eyebrows and facial details are cleanly applied and the details on his uniform are picked-out well in silver.

Extras

Flint comes with an SMG (which doesn't fit very well in his hands), a bayonette/combat knife, spare ''disguise'' head (with removable helmet) and his own stand. Interestingly it's a Cobra base, rather than a GI Joe one. The figure's core look is augmented with a harness/webbing kit.

Final Thoughts

The 25th Anniversary figures are proving - to me - to actually be a lot more fun than I expected them to be. Some of them are still too cartoonish for my tastes but some - like Flint - are pretty close to being up there with the more lifelike Rise/Pursuit of Cobra figures, something I like.

Flint is a fairly simple figure but he does what he does well. The weak wrists and odd arm posing problems are a hassle but with a bit of work you can get a reasonable pose out of him and he's got a pretty cool look going on, overall. I just wish the disguise elements had been additional parts rather than a head-swap, as that would have been even cooler.

Overall though, he's quite a fun figure and although he's not the best, he's a pretty nice addition to my collection.

Scores

Sculpt	B+
Paint	B+
Articulation	B-
Production Quality	C+
Final Score	B

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