REVIEW: GI Joe Slaughter's Marauders Battle Set - Varujan ''Bull'' Ayvazyan

Produced by Hasbro | Released January 2012 [Big Bad Toy Store-Exclusive]

Varujan ''Bull'' Ayvazyan was a circus acrobat in Europe who did occasional undercover work for an international police organization. His circus act involved breaking two-by-fours over his own face, a feat that deeply impressed the GI JOE team. They recruited him for his iron toughness and fluency in a dozen different languages, and cross-trained him in explosives and mountaineering.

Bull AKA Taurus

Here's the final Mini-Review of the Slaughter's Marauders figures - in this case, Bull.

Sculpt and Design

Pros	Cons
Back knife sheath is cool	Forearms seem more fat that muscular
Has holsters for both pistols	Obvious reuse of the Dreadnok Zandar harness
Head sculpt is cool	Hands cannot hold knife properly
Nice update to the original	Chest holster is impractically positioned

Articulation

Pros	Cons
Standard GI Joe articulation set-up	No extra joints (such as wrist or ankles)
Joints are firm but not stiff	Knees stop him from standing up straight
	Feet don't fit too well on the stand

Paint

Pros	Cons
Neatly applied	Cartoonish colouring
Looks very similar to the original

Extras and Accessories

Note: Bull also includes a silver assault rifle (not pictured)

Pros	Cons
Colour choice is lifelike	Cannot hold knife
Knife fits nicely into back sheath	Rifle is cumbersome and looks plastic-y
Pistols fit hands well

Final Thoughts

Bull wouldn't have been that bad a figure had Hasbro not made the fatal - and frankly ridiculous - decision to use the legs of the SkyStriker Captain Ace - which happen to be the worst knee joints ever made. Ever. Hasbro's designers seem to believe that there's no reason why the thigh and knee pad components can't simultaneously occupy the same space. As a result, it's impossible to pose Bull (or Captain Ace) in anything but bent-knee/squatting poses. And because of that he looks as if he's constantly doubled-over with stomach cramps or about to fall over.

The rest of the figure isn't bad, particularly. The forearms look a little tube-like and the choice of colouring is a little too 80s day-glo for my tastes but I could just about live with that were it not for the fact that the knees completely destroy any fun or cool factor this figure might have mustered.

A potentially sound figure totally ruined by utterly useless knee joints.

Scores

Sculpt and Design	B
Articulation	C
Paint	B+
Extras and Accessories	B
Final Score	C

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