After years of producing GI Joe figures in the iconic 3.75 inch scale, Hasbro launched the Classified Collection in 2020 - a new line of 6 inch collector scale figures from the GI Joe franchise. The first wave hit stores in Summer 2020 with 5 figures in total - Duke, Snake Eyes, Destro, Roadblock and Scarlet.
Packaging 4/5
The GI Joe Classified packaging follows the window box design that Hasbro use for the rest of their collector focused lines. The colours on the box are specific to the faction with GI Joe characters in blue and Cobra in red. The bottom rail of the box front carries the GI Joe logo and the character name. Above this and wrapping the right hand spine is character specific artwork, in the case of Snake eyes this is a red and blue hued image by Tracie Ching.
The other spine carries the numbering for the line - Snake Eyes being number 02. This left hand spine is part of the window with the coloured design with the numbering being part of the cardback piece behind the clear plastic of the window.
The back of the box features a montage of GI Joe characters and the usual legal and safety text. What is a shame is the lack of any background info on the box for each character. The old cut out Command Files (Stat Cards) were a staple of the classic GI Joe line and a modern equivalent would have finished off the box nicely.
The box opens via the top flap and the figure slides out wrapped on the back and side by the backing card. For Snake Eyes this is in the blue Joe design with the star icon. The figure sits into a plastic tray surrounded by weaponry. There are no twist ties, but the knife and silencer are taped into place so they don't fall loose in the box.
Paint & Sculpt 5/5
Snake Eyes is presented all in black, but with a wealth of detail when you get up close with the figure. The helmet is smooth and expressionless with the ridged visor and mouth piece all in a glossy black plastic.
The body is cast in black with masses of detail in terms of straps, fastenings, panels and armour. Said armour pieces are in a glossy black like the helmet, while the body suit is a duller black adding contrast across the piece. Paint is applied sparingly but where it is used it is neat and tidy. We have red panels in places like the chest and the belt, with silver then used for fastenings and straps.
A loose bandoleer crosses the chest, cast in a rubbery plastic and sculpted with grenades and pouches. There is a similar approach with the belt which can slide up and down around the waist. There are also two strapped pouches on either bicep, they look sculpted at first glance but are actually loose pieces that can be moved up and down and removed if you need to.
While the GI Joe Classified line is classed as 6 inch in scale, it is more aligned in size to the Marvel Legends figures where figures sit at about 6.5 inches tall - you can see this in the images below, and how undersized Luke Skywalker looks vs Snake Eyes.
Like Marvel Legends, the GI Joe line has gone with a body shape that is perhaps not completely accurate with broad shoulders and slimmer waist.
Accessories 5/5
Snake Eyes is fully armed with an array of weapons to use and pose with. We start with a combat knife, cast in black plastic with serrated blade and curved hilt. The plastic used is harder than usual accessories and gives a crisper finish.
The blade fits in either hand, but be warned that Snake Eyes has a hell of a grip and the hands are very tough to tease apart to get the weapons in place. When not in use, the knife will fit into a working sheath on Snake Eyes left hip.
Weapon two is an odd looking handgun, cast again in a black plastic and with a hole through the middle above the trigger. The barrel is tiny and looks odd, until you realise the tube that comes in the pack is a silencer to slip onto the end of this gun.
With the silencer in place, the look is much improved. The gun can be slotted into either hand, and when not in use you can disassemble the weapon to put the gun in a holster and the silencer in a slot next to it.
Weapon three is a larger assault weapon of unknown design. Hasbro are taking a more futuristic approach to their GI Joe weapons than using those grounded more in reality from today's military.
The assault weapon is OK, but has an odd barrell and another hole through the middle - we will see what that is for shortly.
We couldn't have a Snake Eyes without his Katana, and this piece is absolutely gorgeous. It is crisp and straight with loads of detail in both the handle and blade. It fits into either hand, and can also go into a two handed pose thanks to the arm articulation.
It comes with a sheath which is in the same black base colour but with some red applied to the details at the top.
Finally, Snake Eyes has a backpack. Another piece cast in black with silver then applied to the buckles and straps. It has a peg on the back of the pack that lines up with the hole in Snake Eyes body.
When placing the backpack in place you will see a corresponding hole in the bandoleer also. I believe the intention was to push th ebackpack peg through this strap and then into the figure. Sadly, when you do this you end up pushing up the bandoleer on the front so it no longer sits naturally over the shoulder - see image below - and you will get a better overall look by bypassing this hole and slotting the backpack directly into the hole on the figure leaving the strap to sit under the peg.
With the backpack in place, you will also find a socket on the bac pack side into which you can then place the Katana sheath. The Katana and Sheath can also be slotted directly onto the back of the figure if you don't want to use the backpack, and you can do the same with the assault rifle. As far as I can tell you could then slot the Katana Sheath through the whole in the hand gun and into the hole in the assault weapon to have all three weapons back mounted.
Articulation 4/5
The articulation on Snakes Eyes is impressive with 22 points of articulation in total. We have the newer two part neck articulation included as well as butterfly shoulder joints with double jointed elbows and knees.
Head : ball joint neck with pivot, lower neck joint
Body : T-joint chest pivot, waist swivel
Arms : ball joint shoulder, butterfly shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
None of the joints are blocked or restricted, with parts made to move around them if needed like the belt, bandoleer and arm/thigh straps. Snake Eyes can get into a multitude of fighting poses.
Snake Eyes can kneel and sit as well as most poses in between. Add him onto an action stand and he can leap and strike his enemies down at will. The butterfly shoulders work well with the Katana allowing two handed posing and striking.
I will however say that there is an issue with the security of joints, particularly the legs and waist which are all very loose and Snake Eyes slides into the splits and falls over far too easily, particularly when there is the added weight from his backpack.
Summary
For the launch of the GI Joe Classified Series, Snake Eyes was a no brainer and he has been executed really well in this larger 6 inch scale. The sculpt and decor is good, with a clever use of varying finishes to add some contrast to the all black suit.
There is plenty of accessories included, and they each have a place on the figure if you want to stow them away when not in use. The designs are a bit odd and while the holes on the guns have a use, they are not very visual pleasing.
Articulation is immense, with plenty of posing options - it just suffers a little with loose joints straight out of the box. The box itself is not perfect and while the artwork is great, the generic backing image and the lack of any character details is disappointing.
I score the GI Joe Classified Snake Eyes an impressive 4 out of 5.
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, GI Joe, G.I. Joe, Cobra, Classified Series, Snake Eyes
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