Even if they were going for the vintage SB V2, they just look weird.
http://www.yojoe.com/action/87/steelbrigade_2.shtml
And if they were going from the Vault figure, then they missed the colors there, too. They're just too "basic 8 Crayola" colors. Although the colors would theoretically go with some "Eco-Warrior" neons, I guess? So maybe that's their angle.
Unlike the SMB2, Oktober Guard, or Night Force set, there's no unifying theme with the Joe half of this set. It's what, a random ninja, a vault figure, Outback, and then a couple Eco-Warrior figures?
And I thought the Lab Rat was the weakest figure in the set.