G.I. Joe Club Footloose Review

Sculpt	Articulation	Paint	Accessories	Package	Overall
A-	A	A+	A-	C-	A-

Some people may think that my reviews on exclusives may be graded a tad high. Here’s the deal though: the reason I purchased these pricier figures was because I felt their value was worth enough to warrant getting the figure in the first place. I’ve passed on several recent Club figures (I didn’t get the majority of the 2011 JoeCon set, for example… I just cherry-picked the ones I wanted from eBay—figures like Claymore, the Python Patrol Tele-Viper and Trooper, Brazil-deco Dial-Tone, and Wet-Suit— and I even sold off my regular bagged Dial-Tone after I did the review on him. I did, however, keep the carded one—more on that in a moment.)

The Club really knocked Footloose out of the park, as far as I’m concerned. Considering the parts that were available to them, and the fact that they used more recently sculpted parts (versus dated earlier 25th parts like on Claymore), plus he has new arms, means that we get a pretty updated version of him. And except for the webgear, all the parts fit together pretty well and give a great range of motion overall.

Sure, he’s not a perfect figure, but he’s far from a lazy kitbash. The Club’s 2011 Dial-Tone, except for his head sculpt and gear, was a mediocre figure at best. The paint apps were messy, the flesh tone was weird, the parts used for the torso and legs were not the best they could have used. Footloose is a vast improvement, and I dare say a more “essential” character than Dial-Tone.

“Essential”? I think so. Sure, he’s not a core character like Flint or a popular “lower-tier” character like the Sarge, but fans love him nonetheless. He was personally one of the figures I’ve been waiting for since the 25th line debuted. But whether it’s his hippie personality, or just that he’s a great “generic” looking Vietnam-era trooper, I honestly don’t know why Hasbro never bothered to release him previously in any retail format. Not only would he have sold well to classic Joe fans, but I think that 1:18th army fans would have purchased him as a preferred troop-builder. I know I would have gotten more than just one. I would get a platoon if I could. With his articulation and sculpting, he rivals any Vietnam-era figure on the market. Footloose would be great for customization via head-swaps, but I just don’t see many folks shelling out the Club price (and especially the secondary/aftermarket price on him) to chop him up for custom fodder.

He’s no Slaughter or Zarana, so he doesn’t have the “pull” that those two had  as convention exclusives, but he also doesn’t suffer from the “licensed personality” issue that Sarge had holding him from retail, and the “female figures don’t sell” stigma that undoubtedly held Zarana back from the main line. I’m really disappointed that he never made it to retail, and it’s unfortunate for the fans who won’t own him because of price or limited availability. He’s a great figure overall, with solid sculpting, top-tier articulation, and he makes a great infantry trooper overall.

As I mentioned before, I was fortunate enough to get the carded Dial-Tone last year, which was totally worth it for my carded collection. The loose Dial-Tone figure was sold after I realized that I preferred my own custom with the Club’s Brazil deco Dial-Tone head-swap. This Footloose, on the other hand, will not be sold, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the inevitable carded version that is expected to be coming.

Footloose comes highly recommended if you can afford to get him. The Club, with all their recent credit card issues, may not have had the best track record this year, but if next year’s figure is remotely as cool as Footloose, I recommend a Club membership to save money and hassle on trying to track him down on the secondary market if you want the figure.

Footloose was originally $44 (um, I meant “free” with a 2012 GIJCC membership) and available only through the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club as it’s 2012 membership figure. He came bagged with a file card, pistol, knife, flashlight, backpack, rifle, bazooka, missile, stand, helmet with his webgear attached. A carded version is rumored to be available later this year, either through the Club’s site or available at JoeCon 2012. The Fighting 1:18th is not affiliated with nor endorses the GIJCC membership in any official manner.