I figured I'd post a short review. I'll try and get some pictures later, though my photography setup is mostly packed away.
For starters, I'm going to come right out and say it. Much like the QC on the figures, the QC on these sets seems to be pretty bad. The first one I bought was missing both WOLF canopies, WOLF stickers, instruction sheet, AND the Ice Viper, as well as one set of the G.I. Joe and Air Force logos on the fin of the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk being placed upside down. After exchanging one set for another, I received a set with 2 Ice Vipers and no Snake Eyes, and those same stickers were upside down on the rear fin of the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk. At least I got my canopies and WOLF stickers. (Update: I also managed to fix the stickers on the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk fin. It doesn't suck any less.)
And speaking of the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk, let's call a turd a turd. I kind of liked the re-imagined POC Ghost Hawk with the armored canopy, rocket pod and minigun, along with those more functional engines and re-engineered tail section. On this, they went back to the 25th/ARAH styled version with its round engines, and ungainly missiles. At least they beefed up the skids a bit, and they don't look as if they'd buckle and break under the weight of this thing landing, or tear themselves apart while in flight.
It's done in a white and gray camo pattern, with the white being the plastic color. The canopy glass is tinted a dark blue. The skids, engines, and guns are done in a dark gray plastic, with some silver touching up the turbine section of the engines. The missiles, however, are cast in a light gray, bordering on that silver-toned plastic.
Also, what makes this thing qualify as a 50th Anniversary offering? I don't recall a snow-themed Skyhawk anywhere in the ARAH line. I'm sure they could have come up with something a little better. I can't comment on Snake Eyes because I didn't get one, but I do believe it was one of the winter-themed versions we got during ROC. Which is to say, there's hardly anything worth commenting on there.
More here:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...F-7821-48A3-AE71-FB4414C57C5B_zpsnzxomgm7.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...5-ECDB-4101-9424-C1F5D865ED70_zpsjiwivwba.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...E-2A4C-42BF-BF31-D75DE1C5B005_zpsb4xazzla.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...9-0A9D-4A4A-9840-03D47B7AC9D7_zpsfcfxcndb.jpg
Now for the prize. I know some people dislike the weird ARAH designs, but I was always quite partial to the WOLF, and it seemed like a good adversary for any number of the Joes' winter vehicles and soldiers. It's a fairly beefy vehicle, and looks as if it was brought straight out of an ARAH catalog. In fact, except for some smaller pegs on the rear skis, it's all ARAH WOLF, which I appreciate for nostalgia's sake.
That said, it IS a goofy-ass vehicle, and is hard to appreciate, especially in the present days of 1:18 scaled vehicles. The glass canopies could be more modern and armored, the ski-pedos are a tad ridiculous, the gun up top is too 'pew-pew lazers' to be realistic, and it really lacks any sort of visible mechanism with which to steer. At the same time, unlike some G.I. Joe vehicles, they take into account the need for a large engine, and most of the rear section of the WOLF is engine housing and treads/skis.
The missiles are a source of entertainment when realism takes hold, but they swing up smoothly and stay in place even when the vehicle is jostled around. The ski-pedos also stay firmly in place, and the treads can fold up neat and tight for downhill ski-mode. Speaking of skis, those rear skis clip on securely, and have the smaller foot-pegs for the modern figures, which is nice. However, it would be really bizarre to try and ski on something that has shock absorbing springs between you and the ground.
The WOLF is all white plastic on top with no paint details. The skis, treads, and gun are all dark gray, and the underbody is black plastic. The only thing breaking up the white is the stickers, which despite there being quite a few, are still fairly understated. They avoided the 15 million NO STEP stickers.
More here:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...E-1F06-4429-9E18-93A342130B45_zpsz24w2qfe.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...A-53A2-408A-8C69-BB7EEDA85231_zpsxe8iqxq9.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...9-8BAA-4910-8669-0002A881FCFB_zpsh3dxffxx.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...8-ABE7-4020-8DAC-DB2895B43598_zpsqiuyr5uw.jpg
The Ice Viper(s) is another nice touch of nostalgia. I dislike the giraffe neck that they gave him, using the Snow Serpent body, though a bit of dremel work fixes that. It clearly draws a lot from the ARAH version, down to the fur neck piece and strap across his chest, though they're pouches instead of bizarre metal plates. The goggles are a bit loose, the helmet is easily warped, I find the ROC Viper forearms to be a poor choice, and the sais still don't make any damn sense to me, but it's a good addition to the line all in all.
As an FYI, if you don't want the sai-sheathes to move around, you'll have to glue them to the outer thighs, otherwise they are brown flaps that move whether you want them to or not.
Before dremel: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...5-9731-4140-8510-9045CB86FDE9_zpsec5zsa2e.jpg
After dremel: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...1-9B5A-4371-ACFC-38C1384301C0_zpst5yzlbin.jpg
More here:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...8-380E-4BB0-852C-54B233B9B979_zpshxanddpw.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...6-6BF9-4D98-BB9E-25FD4FA6EDC4_zpsbxevwlm7.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...E-75FE-4633-A529-36B4B1BAC328_zpsx5rsrd6l.jpg
All in all, it's an okay set. I could do without the Skyhawk and pay 15-20 bucks less, but I'd be paying a lot more for JUST the WOLF on the secondary market. It's not exactly worth the brick and mortar price tag either, but it's what we get.
For starters, I'm going to come right out and say it. Much like the QC on the figures, the QC on these sets seems to be pretty bad. The first one I bought was missing both WOLF canopies, WOLF stickers, instruction sheet, AND the Ice Viper, as well as one set of the G.I. Joe and Air Force logos on the fin of the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk being placed upside down. After exchanging one set for another, I received a set with 2 Ice Vipers and no Snake Eyes, and those same stickers were upside down on the rear fin of the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk. At least I got my canopies and WOLF stickers. (Update: I also managed to fix the stickers on the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk fin. It doesn't suck any less.)
And speaking of the Skyhawk/Ghost Hawk, let's call a turd a turd. I kind of liked the re-imagined POC Ghost Hawk with the armored canopy, rocket pod and minigun, along with those more functional engines and re-engineered tail section. On this, they went back to the 25th/ARAH styled version with its round engines, and ungainly missiles. At least they beefed up the skids a bit, and they don't look as if they'd buckle and break under the weight of this thing landing, or tear themselves apart while in flight.
It's done in a white and gray camo pattern, with the white being the plastic color. The canopy glass is tinted a dark blue. The skids, engines, and guns are done in a dark gray plastic, with some silver touching up the turbine section of the engines. The missiles, however, are cast in a light gray, bordering on that silver-toned plastic.
Also, what makes this thing qualify as a 50th Anniversary offering? I don't recall a snow-themed Skyhawk anywhere in the ARAH line. I'm sure they could have come up with something a little better. I can't comment on Snake Eyes because I didn't get one, but I do believe it was one of the winter-themed versions we got during ROC. Which is to say, there's hardly anything worth commenting on there.
More here:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...F-7821-48A3-AE71-FB4414C57C5B_zpsnzxomgm7.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...5-ECDB-4101-9424-C1F5D865ED70_zpsjiwivwba.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...E-2A4C-42BF-BF31-D75DE1C5B005_zpsb4xazzla.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...9-0A9D-4A4A-9840-03D47B7AC9D7_zpsfcfxcndb.jpg
Now for the prize. I know some people dislike the weird ARAH designs, but I was always quite partial to the WOLF, and it seemed like a good adversary for any number of the Joes' winter vehicles and soldiers. It's a fairly beefy vehicle, and looks as if it was brought straight out of an ARAH catalog. In fact, except for some smaller pegs on the rear skis, it's all ARAH WOLF, which I appreciate for nostalgia's sake.
That said, it IS a goofy-ass vehicle, and is hard to appreciate, especially in the present days of 1:18 scaled vehicles. The glass canopies could be more modern and armored, the ski-pedos are a tad ridiculous, the gun up top is too 'pew-pew lazers' to be realistic, and it really lacks any sort of visible mechanism with which to steer. At the same time, unlike some G.I. Joe vehicles, they take into account the need for a large engine, and most of the rear section of the WOLF is engine housing and treads/skis.
The missiles are a source of entertainment when realism takes hold, but they swing up smoothly and stay in place even when the vehicle is jostled around. The ski-pedos also stay firmly in place, and the treads can fold up neat and tight for downhill ski-mode. Speaking of skis, those rear skis clip on securely, and have the smaller foot-pegs for the modern figures, which is nice. However, it would be really bizarre to try and ski on something that has shock absorbing springs between you and the ground.
The WOLF is all white plastic on top with no paint details. The skis, treads, and gun are all dark gray, and the underbody is black plastic. The only thing breaking up the white is the stickers, which despite there being quite a few, are still fairly understated. They avoided the 15 million NO STEP stickers.
More here:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...E-1F06-4429-9E18-93A342130B45_zpsz24w2qfe.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...A-53A2-408A-8C69-BB7EEDA85231_zpsxe8iqxq9.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...9-8BAA-4910-8669-0002A881FCFB_zpsh3dxffxx.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...8-ABE7-4020-8DAC-DB2895B43598_zpsqiuyr5uw.jpg
The Ice Viper(s) is another nice touch of nostalgia. I dislike the giraffe neck that they gave him, using the Snow Serpent body, though a bit of dremel work fixes that. It clearly draws a lot from the ARAH version, down to the fur neck piece and strap across his chest, though they're pouches instead of bizarre metal plates. The goggles are a bit loose, the helmet is easily warped, I find the ROC Viper forearms to be a poor choice, and the sais still don't make any damn sense to me, but it's a good addition to the line all in all.
As an FYI, if you don't want the sai-sheathes to move around, you'll have to glue them to the outer thighs, otherwise they are brown flaps that move whether you want them to or not.
Before dremel: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...5-9731-4140-8510-9045CB86FDE9_zpsec5zsa2e.jpg
After dremel: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...1-9B5A-4371-ACFC-38C1384301C0_zpst5yzlbin.jpg
More here:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...8-380E-4BB0-852C-54B233B9B979_zpshxanddpw.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...6-6BF9-4D98-BB9E-25FD4FA6EDC4_zpsbxevwlm7.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c...E-75FE-4633-A529-36B4B1BAC328_zpsx5rsrd6l.jpg
All in all, it's an okay set. I could do without the Skyhawk and pay 15-20 bucks less, but I'd be paying a lot more for JUST the WOLF on the secondary market. It's not exactly worth the brick and mortar price tag either, but it's what we get.
Last edited:
