G.I. Joe Club Footloose Review

This exclusive figure comes bagged with a file card, pistol, knife, flashlight, backpack, rifle, bazooka, missile, stand, and helmet with his webgear attached.

His main weapon set and backpack originally came with the first Pursuit of Cobra version of Duke, and his webgear came with the 25th Falcon figure. The bazooka and single projectile are reused from the 25th Bazooka figure.

The backpack and other gear are superbly sculpted as well. The flashlight stows away into the backpack, and all the weapons fit snugly into Footloose’s hands. In fact, he comes with so much gear that it won’t all stow, which will be an annoyance for some, and likely result in the loss of gear. I simply had to put his extra gear in a ziplock bag, for fear of losing the smaller parts. Which is a little odd, as the backpack is gigantic, and could easily fit the gear if the back wasn’t completely open. This is a flaw of the original mold, though, so it can’t be blamed in its reuse.

The bazooka can be slung over his shoulder, or attached to the bottom of the backpack, via the elastic straps. (At least that’s what I did, anyways, and it looks cool.)

The thing I miss—and wish that they’d included—was the M-16 that came with “greenshirt” Duke from the Red Star/Duke comic pack. It matches his vintage figure, but was not included in the set (although I have him pictured in a few shots with it for reference.)

Fortunately for those who have Footloose but don’t have that Duke, the upcoming “2012 Dollar Store” series Duke reuses the very same M-16 sculpt. I foresee that Duke losing his rifle to the various Footleese out there.

The 2012 membership Footloose came loose, but bagged, in a thin white mailing box direct from the Club. I ordered two just to be safe, and one came smashed with the file card bent. The second card was bowed significantly, but not creased or cracked. The cards that came with both figures have dents due to the figure and accessories pressing into them. One end of the box had tape, while the other, which is folded so that it interlocks (or it’s supposed to, if it’s not smashed), was open.

I cannot wait for a vintage carded version of this Footloose. The bagged version is an unfortunate mess, sadly, as the box is cheap and the file card comes damaged because the figure is shipped right up against the card, and presses into it. A slightly sturdier box, with a snug piece of tape on each end, and a slip of corrugated cardboard between the figure and the file card would help immensely, and would not cost that much to implement in future figures. As it stands, the packaging is the worst aspect of the figure, and could result in damaged (or missing) parts. A carded version will be reviewed at a later date if it becomes available.