REVIEW: GI Joe 30th Anniversary - Renegades Law & Order

Produced by Hasbro | Released December 2011

Laws is a prison guard with his canine partner, Order. A rookie at the prison, Law is honest and fair. He refuses to join the corrupt warden and guards who hold illegal cage fights between prisoners. Law and Order encounter the Renegades when DUKE is arrested after being mistaken for a member of a chop shop ring.

Renegades Law & Order

The latest Wave of GI Joe figures has proven to feature some very cool figures -  and Sci-Fi. Will Law & Order prove to be a great addition to that roll call or are we looking at another Seymour Fine? Read on and find out!

Packaging

There's not much I can say about the packaging - you all know the drill by now.

Although I do have to say I was disappointed in the way Order's leash is packed. We'll come back to that later but it's worth mentioning at this point that the problems with its extreme curvature are quite probably caused by the way it's packed...

My other quibble is that the pre-Renegades Law (and Order) was a Military Police officer. This Law is a prison guard. Yet Hasbro seems to have decided to make him some hybrid of the two by including an MP helmet and arm detail and the word ''POLICE'' appearing on his back. It's a small point but worthy of note.

Sculpt and Design

I'm honestly not sure if Order should be considered an Extra or if he's a figure. Either way, I'm going to get him out of the way first. Whilst overall there's some nice detail on the figure - the padded vest is cool, in particular - Order is a very cartoonish, cute-looking dog. Now I happen to have a German Shepherd and I grew up around actual prison dogs, so I think I've got a pretty good idea about what they should look like. And yes, whilst they can be friendly dogs, they're pretty much semi-domesticated wolves and - like all dogs - they have a wild side. Sadly Order just doesn't convey that scary, feral guard dog look and unless you have a phobia about being snuggled by cutesy animals, I doubt any prisoners would really take much notice of Order.

My other major problem is that the leash is glued or moulded - as far as I can tell - to the toy, so it becomes quite difficult to pose him with Law, especially when the leash is so awkwardly curved. Whether this is down to the design or is caused by the packaging (as mentioned above) I don't know. But whatever the cause, it's annoying. I can't even begin to tell you how long it took me to get both figures to pose together...

Thankfully I'm pleased to report that animal issues aside, Law is actually a very good figure.

The sculpt is a pretty good looking piece, with some cool fold and cloth detail - pretty much as we've come to expect over the last few years. What I particularly like is that the figure includes a number of holsters for his various weapons - including a thigh-holster designed to also accommodate his pistol's silencer. We'll cover the gear later but for now know that he can be posed holding pretty much every accessory he comes with.

This look is augmented with his (removable) protective vest, featuring such detail as his badge (which some people have claimed is over-sized. I don't have that big a problem with it myself), more ammo pouches and a port for his radio to clip into. His design reminds me somewhat of an antithesis of the Renegades Cobra Trooper, which is kind of cool given that Law is supposed to be in security, too. 

I must say that I love this head sculpt. It's a great translation of the 2D/animated character but it also looks incredibly lifelike. I could see customisers going crazy for this head, as it's a great-looking bit of design. Indeed, it's a shame Law includes a head-obscuring helmet, as he looks even cooler displayed without it. Which of course you can do, but the purist in me always likes to display my figures with as much gear as possible...

Articulation

Law features the standard level of GI Joe articulation, with the addition of the tilting wrists, thus allowing him more flexibility when it comes to posing with rifles or two-handed weapons.

This is a very cool addition but without sounding ungrateful, I'm not entirely sure why it's included, because if you're posing him with Order (and I'm sure most people will be) one hand will probably be occupied by the leash. It's too bad the leash isn't detachable so you could pose the two without it. But that's me nitpicking and it's certainly not to the detriment of the figure's articulation rig.

As for the joints themselves, they're nicely solid, with no slackness or - at the opposite end of the scale - stiffness. Aside from the issues of posing Law with Order's leash in-hand, the articulation presented no issues at all.

Paint

Although Order seems to suffer from an all-over piebald colouring (which isn't accurate to the animated version) Law's paintwork is pretty good. The colouring is a nice blend of khaki-green with blue and the detailing - such as the badge - is all cleanly applied.

The facial details are also very nicely applied. My only concern is that the plastic used for his skin seems a little shiny, especially on the face. I know that's not a paint issue per se but it's still something to note.

Extras and Accessories

Law packs a number of very cool accessories and - in a move not usually seen that often with the Renegades figures - actually comes with non-fantasy weapons.

Out of the pack he comes dressed in his vest and helmet (which includes a removable visor plate) and with a revolver and automatic pistol (complete with screw-on silencer) holstered at his right side. The pack also includes a pair of handcuffs (which fit neatly into the hole on the back of his vest), a nightstick/Tonfa (which, although probably not intentional, can be slid into the vest for storage), a shot-gun and a sub-machine gun. Oh and his dog, Order.

We've already covered Order at the beginning of the Review, so let's take a closer look at the gear. Overall, it's very good. Law has no problems holding any of the items and - with a bit of improvisation - he can be displayed dressed with just about every accessory he comes with. It seems though that Hasbro changed his arsenal at the last moment, as the figure's card references a flashlight and ''electroshock weapon,'' neither of which seem to have made it to the final cut...

As for the construction and quality of the individual items, they're good on the whole. I'm not a fan of the grey-ish plastic used for the silenced pistol and the helmet is a little wobbly (especially when you display it with the visor) but minor issues aside, this is a well-equipped figure.

Final Thoughts

Law and Order are literally two figures - both physically and in terms of their design and execution.

Truthfully, Order is a pretty weak addition to the pack. I know he had to be included (as he and Law are part of a team) but I wish Hasbro had done a better job with the dog, as he simply looks too cute and cuddly to be a prison guard dog. It's also annoying that the leash is attached to him and that it's so bent out of shape, as it really makes posing the two together difficult.

At the other end of the spectrum though we have Law. This is a superb figure, with some great detailing, a brilliantly detailed body sculpt (that also includes space for his gear - which is always a plus), an equally awesome head sculpt and some cool accessories. Yes, purists will argue that he's neither the Renegades prison guard or the vintage MP but personally that's not a big deal for me. If you're one of those people who back-storyfies your Joes rationalise it that Law joined the Joes at the end of Renegades and is now their Military Police officer or something. Whatever you do though, make sure you grab this figure.

That's not to say he's perfect. Law's leash is a pain to pose him with and the helmet doesn't really work quite as well as it should but these are pretty minor points you can work around and given just how cool Law looks, it's worth it.

Another great addition to the line and probably the best of the Renegades figures so far.

Scores

Sculpt and Design	A-
Articulation	B+
Paint	B+
Extras and Accessories	A-
Final Score	A-

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