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Sure Fire:



Sure Fire is a figure probably nobody wanted in the FSS except G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club staffer David Lane, because it is Lane’s vanity figure done in his general likeness; using his name on the filecard. Yeah, I would wager most of us would like to see ourselves as official figures, but even if Lane wasn’t initially aware of this figure being made by his co-workers, it was a terrible lapse of judgment on the part of the Club because it can be viewed as an abuse of power since no matter how it’s spun, it was our money that paid for this figure to be made. I mean c’mon, it was bad enough Lane deliberately placed himself in the comics he writes, but taking this a step further by using our money to make his figure; and then having the gall by making it a severe departure from the clean-shaven originals by using an updated head with a goatee that more looks like him personally, can be seen as scandalous. And of course his ‘avatar’ can’t be anything less than a Lieutenant Colonel! Anyone want to bet to see if the Club will make a “Werecat” figure in my likeness for FSS Series 2? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Anyway, Sure Fire uses (I think) the Renegades Law upper body and vest, a retooled VvV Shipwreck/Footloose head, and Resolute Duke legs. He comes with a G-36 rifle, a Vector submachine gun, pistol, helmet, flashlight, handcuffs, and figure stand. (I’m selling this figure off, so I didn’t open it.)

The paint and style harken back to the 2002 JvC 2-pack with Sure Fire and Slice (a possible contender for the mysterious 13th freebie figure), and for the most part, it’s a faithful translation in both style and color. The Resolute Duke legs were a good choice, since that has stirrup gaiters that match up in style (though not color) with the stirrupped pants on the original figure. The head, however, is problematic because it is proportionately too small, and the high collar of the vest gives the figure a “pin-head” look reminiscent of the VvV days. As mentioned above, it’s a radical departure because it throws away the clean-shaven face of the original heads and uses one with facial hair that looks more like how Lane looks now. And as with the original, the modern Sure Fire is a last-tier character far, far from most people’s top fave lists, so his use and even inclusion in the FSS (beyond the obvious reason) is questionable, especially since this slot could have been used for more sought-after characters that could be made with existing tooling like Salvo, Hardball, Pathfinder, etc..





As a final note, there were some quality control problems at the factory that led to an issue of his rolled right arm shirt sleeve not being painted. For a normal release at mass retail that’s not a big deal, but when we are paying premium pricing on these figures, they had better be near perfect to justify the costs. When others on different sites contacted the Club about this problem, they were told the production sample had painted sleeves, but the factory screwed up. However, the Club also said there was nothing they could do about it now. Well gee, thanks. Nothing like having to fix something right out the package... Grade: C.




Iron Klaw:





Iron Klaw was from the G.I. Joe: Extreme continuity, and was planned to be released in a comic pack, but was cancelled because Hasbro thought we needed more repaints of 25th Duke and Cobra Commander instead of new characters. (No, no, that’s not true! …Or is it?)

Iron Klaw is a mixture of both versions of the 25th Destros, with a new head, beret, and webgear. He also comes with a dual claw blade, the bladed pistol that originally came with Munitia, a sword, .357 revolver, and stand. While a suitably cool likeness to the original 6” figure, this Iron Klaw is not without generic problems. As with many others, his 25th articulation is outdated. His arms don’t bend well at the elbows, and it’s difficult for him to properly hold his weapons---which is unusual, since he’s one of the few modern characters that has relatively decent C-grip hands without the irritating flaw of having the thumbs grossly pointing downwards to the point of having useless hands.





Despite the minor problems, Iron Klaw is still a great figure. Without a doubt, the head is the hallmark of the figure, and it’s sculpted in great detail---though it still suffers the all-too-common problem of being a tad to small proportionately.



The beret is cool because it’s removable, but the flip side of that coin, is, it will be a problem because it does not stay on. Collectors who want to ensure a loose figure’s beret stays on might have to affix or glue it in place. (He also kind’s looks like Spawn with his beret removed.)



Another simple but effective touch that further removes him from Destro and helps make him individualized, is his webgear. He retains his classic pauldrons---the skull over his right shoulder, and the spiked plate over his left. Thus he retains the specific look that makes him who he is. His filecard is also well written, and it successfully merges the two G.I Joe continuities together, and fits him in as a contender to both ‘Joe and Cobra.



Despite the minor flaws, Iron Klaw really shines three-fold: 1.) He’s a new character. 2.) He was a cancelled figure that was resurrected giving us a second chance to get him. 3.) He has brand new parts, but especially a new head that has a unique personality even amongst the near-endless masked men of Cobra.

Grade: A. Even if you don’t care for G.I. Joe: Extreme, this figure is a worthy addition to any collection. (And he’s a cooler, tougher looking leader than Cobra Commander!)