That Figures: REVIEW: GI Joe 30th Anniversary - Renegades Kurt ''Airtight'' Shnurr

Produced by Hasbro | Released December 2011

Dr Kurt Shnurr is a scientist working for COBRA Industries. Shnurr became a bio-chemist to fight diseases in developing countries, and he believe COBRA personnel when they assured him they would support his goal. But he discovers that COBRA has darker plans for his research, and that even his lab partner, Dr Monev, is not who he pretends to be.

Renegades Airtight

Airtight is part of the final wave of the 30th Anniversary/Renegades line. Like yesterday's Law & Order, Airtight cleverly manages to be both an update of the original and also a direct adaptation of the Renegades character. Beyond that though, is he actually a good figure? Read on and find out!

Packaging

Airtight comes in the standard GI Joe single carded figure blister pack. Everything here is fine - there are no issues with the packaging bending gear and the figure is secure but easy enough to remove. Beyond that there's little to say.

Sculpt and Design

Considering he's basically a guy in a set of coveralls, Airtight's sculpt is actually pretty good. There's some cool detailing, with the suit featuring a variety of seals and cloth folds, plus a couple of pouch pockets. The legs - in particular - seem pretty familiar and I'm sure we've seen a lot of these parts before, but they're assembled in a new, interesting way so that's really not a big deal.

This basic sculpt is augmented with vest/chest piece that's a really snug fit. And I mean that in a positive way. Some of the GI Joe figures do occasionally have vests or jackets that are a little loose or don't always seal as well as they should - but that's not the case here. This is a great piece of design and I love that it gives Airtight a unique look but also defines a strong role for the character, especially when one of the back pieces is in place (more on that later.)

The chest piece is also a very nice-looking bit of detail, featuring a couple of read-out meters and some form of tubular apparatus connecting it to the rear. There's also some cool texture detail on the shoulder straps and a generally ''functional'' look about the whole thing.

The head sculpt is particularly impressive. Not only is the face well-detailed but the pinch/folds around the exposed face look incredibly lifelike. You really get the sense of this being a character in an elasticated hood and this detailing - especially around the neck - is excellent. Of course, whether you get to see the face or not depends on which way you read this version of the character (if you recall, the Renegades Airtight was infected with the Anaconda Strain and so must remain in his suit to protect others from the virus.)

Despite the relative simplicity of his uniform/suit, the overall level of detail is very good indeed.

Articulation

Unlike many other suited-up figures, Dr Shnurr's articulation is barely effected by the sculpt. He can move as freely as most other GI Joes and there are no annoying, bulky limbs or accessories to hinder his movement. That's certainly a relief, as I was initially worried he may be another Hazard-Viper...

The only minor issue is that Airtight's head movement is restricted by his hood. It's not a massive issue (as I'm sure he'll be displayed by most collectors wearing his helmet anyway) and it's the only real limitation the sculpt imposes on his articulation set-up, so I'm sure we can forgive this one minor negative.

Airtight - like many of the 30th Anniversary/Renegades figures - also features tilting wrists, which make posing him even more fun. It's a shame Hasbro doesn't make this a standard across the line, as it is pretty cool, especially when you have a character able to utilise the functionality as Airtight can. And while we're on the subject of hands, I'm very happy to report that Airtight's grip is particularly good and he holds his gear very well.

Paint

On the whole Airtight's paint app is very good. The only minor issue with my Airtight was that the bar on his chest display is either worn-off or mis-applied. It's a pretty tiny mistake and it's only really there if you look for it but it's worth mentioning and if you have the choice of multiple Airtight figures, it's always worth checking. It's also worth noting that the photos here seem to make Airtight look a little more ''plastic'' or day-glo than the actual figure's tone.

Fans of the militaristic figures will probably not be too keen on the yellow coverall but it works for what it is and it's a very close approximation of the original figure's look.

Extras and Accessories

Airtight comes with a pretty decent line-up of gear.

Out of the box he comes with his filtration pack attached, which can be connected to his HECR - that's Hazardous Environment Containment Rifle to the uninitiated... There's a second back-piece in the form of an oxygen tank, plus a haz-mat helmet, Geiger counter (I assume that's what it is, even though the clip and collect card mentions a ''containment unit'') and a shotgun.

These accessories all work well, with the packs fitting nicely into the back port (the purification/filtration unit is particularly snug) and he can hold each item with ease. The helmet is a little wobbly on his head but it's not going to come off without the application of a bit of force and generally everything works as it should. My only minor complaint is that Airtight has nowhere to store the spare tank or the shotgun.

The paint/colour detail on the accessories is also good - especially on the air tank - although I wish the containment unit/Geiger counter had some paint or tampo detail, as that would have really made it pop.

Final Thoughts

Airtight isn't really a character I was that interested in, truth be told, so the idea of an Airtight figure seemed a little dull to me, especially as my most recent memory is of the Renegades version, who only appeared in a single episode and didn't seem to do much.

So I really wasn't that excited about Airtight until I opened the pack and started looking at the figure in more detail. And at that point I realised that this is actually a really fun figure. Airtight has a cool, detailed sculpt, good articulation, just about the right amount of well-designed accessories and a really defined role or character. I particularly like it when you get a Joe that's not just a military specialist Airtight is just such a figure.

I especially like that he makes a great companion-piece to Lifeline and I could imagine them working together as some kind of emergency response unit. Given the Compound Z/Hazard-Viper/Zombie-Viper theme of the 30th Anniversary figures, I get the impression - especially as he comes armed with a shotgun, too - that Airtight is somehow intended to fit into that mythology , maybe as the Joe's anti-zombie infection expert or something... Whether that's the case or not, I've no idea but I do like that the toy made me think of that, as it's always a treat to find a toy that so fires the imagination.

A unique but very worthy addition to any Joe collector's roster.

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