JoeCon 2011 Wet-Suit Review

[Mandingo Rex]

A lot of folks were split over the JoeCon exclusives released by the GI Joe Collector's Club. Most were excited to see the 25th/modern construction to be used this year, but many were irritated about the availability of them, and especially the price. This is a set that I personally respected quite a bit, and thought it was executed quite well, despite the handling of distribution by the Club. They dipped into reserves, which I didn't feel was very cool, and they completely sold out before the Con, which was a first-time event. Hopefully next year they produce more and can meet the demand. "Exclusivity" be damned, if the Club makes more, they'll sell more, which is their goal. And it's not like another 50 or 500 would make the demand go down, these would still sell out just as well if the set were executed as well as it was this year. I can't wait to see how they top this set next year.

With that said, although I really liked most of the figures from the set, I only got a few. I found the Python Patrol Tele-Viper on eBay for $20, and the PP Trooper for $18, and Wet-Suit for $30. With combined shipping (it was from the same seller), I got them all within a week of JoeCon and for around $75. Which isn't a great deal, but a better price than getting the entire set that I did not want and having to sell off the ones I didn't. At $300+ at retail cost, the full set was a bit much for many to swallow, and even harder for secondary market buyers to find as not a lot have shown up on eBay for decent prices. The only other figure I got from the set was Claymore, who is on his way. I will do a review when he gets here, so stay tuned.

Besides Claymore, the figure I was mostly excited about was the ingenious Wet-Suit. I got the PP figures, 1 each, out of nostalgia and to complete my 1x set of Python Patrol troops, out of novelty. Claymore, I got because of combined nostalgia and badassery. Wet-Suit, though, I got due to sheer badassery. It's just a repaint, so why is it so hot? I can't explain it, but it's just awesome, and until I get Claymore in-hand, he currently stands as my top pick for the best figure from the Joe half of the set.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

He is a full repaint, with no new sculpts. But the GIJCC knocked the parts selection out of the ballpark with this one. Issue #8 of GI Joe Special Missions (thanks Fogger!) which showcases Wet-Suit in non-wetsuit jungle fatigues. And this figure is pretty much that version of Wet-Suit. Why now, would anyone want a Wet-Suit that isn't wearing his trademark wet-suit? Well, frankly he can't go on all missions in that out-of-environment outfit looking silly. He is a 90% repaint of 25th Dusty, with Duke arms and POC Beachhead vest, with a boonie hat from the ROC Pit Commando. (The cap below does not come with him, but rather POC Nightfox, but the color and fit on the figure were perfect, so I included them.)

The figure comes with 2 rifles, 2 knives (mine came with 3, but I'm wondering if this is a mistake? He only has 2 sheaths... so I gave the spare to POC Beachhead, who was missing one from every version released. Was this a "fix" for that, Hasbro?) 2 flippers, a vest, a boonie hat, 25th style filecard, and 25th style stand. (Again, the Nightfox cap is not included with the figure.)

Besides the Dusty torso being in a base jungle green, which I've been wanting from Hasbro since Dusty was released, the other awesome factor is the paint apps. This figure has great paint apps on the camo, which is on the entire figure, even underneath the vest, which is a great touch that I did not expect. The vest has minute details painted, and I'm almost certain there's a slight wash to it, but I can't be certain. Although it looks like it, it could simply be the sculpting giving that illusion. The skin tone is more natural than I recall from previous, slightly pinker, flesh tones from the Club. The camo is one of the best paint apps I've seen for that style of camo, and is perhaps the highlight of the figure.

But that vest! So awesome, and fresh off the presses from POC, which was really nice to see so early on. (Most fans had previously thought or been told that the Club didn't have access to recent molds, but that is apparently not the case.) Put on the figure and completely geared up, Wet-Suit is one badass figure. The only downside to him is that he has Duke arms which limit his poses slightly, and the cost and availability issue. I really wish that Hasbro had put this figure in one of the later "repaint/kitbash" POC waves, because I would have troop-built the crap out of him. He's essentially the "fix" to what pissed me off with the Pit Commando: that stupid ROC blue-gray camo.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

AESTHETICS:

9.5 out of 10

All of these parts individually, aren't the best. The Dusty head has been reused too many times and should be retired, as great and "generic" as it is. We need to see a new head. The same with those Duke arms. I realize that the Club can only use older molds though for the most part, so this is forgivable, and honestly, the figure looks really good overall when completely geared-up, which is how it's intended. It also looks really impressive geared-down too. The 3/4 sleeves are the perfect length, as short sleeves and long sleeves would probably throw off the figure's balance. Take a look at my Leatherneck custom... With a bulkier vest, the arms visually work better than if they'd used the shorter sleeves I used for Footloose.

I am a designer and artist by trade, and also a "shelf" collector so display and aesthetics will always be my personal bias. Which is why I love this figure so much: he looks great put together.

ARTICULATION:

7 out of 10

The Duke arms do indeed limit poses, and the vest is a tad bulky. You can't get the arms in some of the poses that POC Beachhead can, due to the arms, and the vest further hinders that. This will hurt in dios, but I don't imagine many folks will be getting this figure to part out for customs (although I could be wrong). So as far as reuse of parts, I don't see too many chopping up a figure this rare, although I would in a heartbeat if it was a "general release" so I could make Footloose from him... The Dusty torso and legs raises the score up the rest of the way, and the head works well with the vest off and on. Off, the neck post isn't too long to look goofy like with the Snow Serpent, for example, and on, it doesn't hinder movement like some vests tend to do.

ACCESSORIES:

9 out of 10

This is a really well-armed figure. He comes with a great selection of gear thanks to POC Beachhead, and they make sense. Fflippers for a S.E.A.L.! Plus the knives work great and don't look overly bulky, and since mine came with a 3rd blade, that made me happy as it fit into my empty POC Beachhead sheath as sort of a "sorry, Hasbro goofed!" fix.

The 25th style stand and filecard fit into any collection great to boot. (I personally don't use those things and they get stuffed in a drawer, which is why I forgot to shoot the filecard).

PAINT:

Easily a 10.

Some of the best paint apps on a figure I've seen. Masks are sharp, and the camo is ridiculously detailed. My pics are at almost 200%, so at full-size they look amazing.

FINAL VERDICT:

8 out of 10*

If you get one figure from this set, I highly recommend the Wet-Suit. He's almost a "must-have", although many may argue that the Leatherneck, Sparta, or Claymore are more "crucial" to finishing one's collection. While the Leatherneck is decent, I feel like we'll still get a better Leatherneck down the road. At least I hope so. If not, my custom is closer and I'm sure others can make a more accurate one themselves from existing parts. And for Sparta, I feel like they kept her unique enough so that a more proper Covergirl can be made by Hasbro in their 30th line. Claymore is a toss-up, but those giraffe pants and Tom Selleck face may not be for everyone. Wet-Suit is an all around great figure, and can even be used as a generic troop by dio guys. (He would also make a decent Footloose base with the Claymore head and helmet, and Falcon webgear... hint-hint, Hasbro.)

* The original score was 9.5 out of 10, but I lowered it after reconsideration, and did a "breakdown" score that better explained my overly-biased score. With the posing flaws and overuse of the head, I felt that the final score was closer to accurate, but still retained enough "umph" to reflect my personal taste in the figure, which is what my score was.

 

[K-Tiger]

If he were on the peg i'd buy him. The head sucks, but that's fixable. Less so are the Duke arms, the molds for which should get a long salt water bath.

I'm familiar enough with the body in it's other applications to say i'd probably give the figure as a whole 6/10.

 

[fogger1138]

It's issue #8 of Special Missions - Midget and I have been talking about doing a custom of that Wet Suit for a while. I'm still tempted, as I'd make some slightly different decisions about what to use, parts-wise, but the paint apps on this version are great.

 

[Monkeywrench]

Great Review!! You hit everything very nicely. Solid pics. I like that you took pics with him and other figures together. It's nice to compare the figs. I also like the crucial placement. It gave me a smile.

 

[xhairs]

he looks good for what he is but i hate those arms. now if they gave him wet suits arms i would of got him. great review and im glad your happy with him. now i like that the club is doing 25th but they need to have better parts on some of them.

 

[Bravestarr]

Awesome review, and thank you for sharing the photos with us!

 

[Mandingo Rex]

If he were on the peg i'd buy him. The head sucks, but that's fixable. Less so are the Duke arms, the molds for which should get a long salt water bath.

I'm familiar enough with the body in it's other applications to say i'd probably give the figure as a whole 6/10.

For me, I guess the decision came from aesthetics, not for use of parts but how they actually came together for the final look. I may revise my scoring system a bit... Thanks for making me re-think that.

Individually, I am not a huge fan of those arms for poseability (which according to the red squiggly lines underneath it apparently isn't a word, but dammit if I'm not using it without a dash), but aesthetically, the figure itself looks better with the mid-arm rolled sleeves.

I think short sleeves would have looked off, just as bad as long sleeves, and Hasbro doesn't really have any other good mid-arm sleeves yet, unfortunately. (That I can recall quickly, anyways). Hardmaster's, maybe? The hands are odd on that one though. Although I see what you mean completely.

The head, yeah, not my favorite now as it's been reused to death, but it's a good "generic" head and cast in flesh, seems to look slightly different than when it's coated in paint like most of its previous uses. It "babies" up the features a bit too much. Good points.

It's issue #8 of Special Missions - Midget and I have been talking about doing a custom of that Wet Suit for a while. I'm still tempted, as I'd make some slightly different decisions about what to use, parts-wise, but the paint apps on this version are great.

Thanks fogger! I updated the issue. I actually think I have that in the Special Missions TPB, so I need to dig it up and read that issue.

Great Review!! You hit everything very nicely. Solid pics. I like that you took pics with him and other figures together. It's nice to compare the figs. I also like the crucial placement. It gave me a smile.

he looks good for what he is but i hate those arms. now if they gave him wet suits arms i would of got him. great review and im glad your happy with him. now i like that the club is doing 25th but they need to have better parts on some of them.

I honestly hate the original Duke arms, which were too long and unsightly. I don't so much mind the later reissues. Although nothing is worse than Hawk arms for poses. The only arm worse is Major Bludd's unarticulated one.

Which Wet-Suit arms do you mean?

Awesome review, and thank you for sharing the photos with us!

Thanks man! It's mostly because Eddie was bugging me for pics, but I figured I'd do a review since I've never done one on any sites before.

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

Is there an audio book version of this?

The figure is pretty cool. It's a shame that it's that much to get a decent camo figure though. I'd have a few of these for troops and switch out heads. Good comparison shots.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

If he were on the peg i'd buy him. The head sucks, but that's fixable. Less so are the Duke arms, the molds for which should get a long salt water bath.

I'm familiar enough with the body in it's other applications to say i'd probably give the figure as a whole 6/10.

Revised it. Still not as low as yours, but I agree my original evaluation was a bit high due to my excitement over it. I broke it down a bit more objectively.

Is there an audio book version of this?

The figure is pretty cool. It's a shame that it's that much to get a decent camo figure though. I'd have a few of these for troops and switch out heads. Good comparison shots.

Look, even x made it through the whole thing! Were you too busy moderatin'?

Anything I write in detail will always be lengthy, apologies for that. I'm a "more is more" idiot. I hate that the figure is so expensive, as it is a glorified kitbash/repaint, but a very well done one, and folks shouldn't have to shell out that much for him, especially considering his troop-building potential. The base figure is excellent with a headswap and gear change. It's a shame it didn't make it to the mainline, but as much as the Club irritated me with things this year, this figure is one of the best things they did with these sets.

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

I rather you do a lengthy review. I like hearing as many details as possible. I can't wait to get this next week and get him dirty and blooded up. I would not mind them visiting the camo scheme again sometime. It was not all that bad IMO.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

i really like this figure...i really like a lot of the clubs figures...but exclusivity means nothing to me...i have no one who looks at my collection and knows that any one figure is more rarer than any other, so the added cost, for one figure, just isn't worth it to me...

but man do i wish i had him...he does indeed loo great, especially posed with the other jungley type figures...and side by side, its easy to see what a great FL he would make...and what a cool team you could build with some simple head swaps...i just love the that Dusty body...such a great sculpt and so much articulation (Duke arms aside)

speaking of heads, although the Dusty mold has been used to exhaustion, i like its use here...for one, if you didn't collect RoC, like me, the only figure in your collection with that head is Dusty, and its covered in cammo...so having it standing on my shelf on W-S sans cammo is fine...

anyway, great review MB...VERY thorough ...thanks for the pics...they look really good on your wall dio...though, seeing these jungley guys next to the urban enviro makes me hanker for a cool jungle/anchient ruins dio

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

anyway, great review MB...VERY thorough ...thanks for the pics...they look really good on your wall dio...though, seeing these jungley guys next to the urban enviro makes me hanker for a cool jungle/anchient ruins dio

Ummmmm, It was MR but thanks! Anytime.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

oh whatever, you knew what i meant...d!ck...being a goderator, you coulda just corrected it for me...just HAD to go and whip yer balls out

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

I didn't have to whip them out. They were already. It's slow at work. I wore a long hoodie so nobody knows any different.

 

[Goldbug]

It's issue #8 of Special Missions - Midget and I have been talking about doing a custom of that Wet Suit for a while. I'm still tempted, as I'd make some slightly different decisions about what to use, parts-wise, but the paint apps on this version are great.

Yeah he seems to be blonde in that issue. Plus he has different web gear.
Was Wet-Suit blonde in all the comics? I know the cartoon version had brown hair. This red hair just doesn't seem right.

I like your Leatherneck much better!

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Yeah he seems to be blonde in that issue. Plus he has different web gear.
Was Wet-Suit blonde in all the comics? I know the cartoon version had brown hair. This red hair just doesn't seem right.

I like your Leatherneck much better!

Actually, the redhead caught me off guard a little. Personally, I feel like the 25th Chuckles head looks more like the cartoon Wet-Suit, and Matt Trakker looks more like Chuckles should...

Thanks, I was not very impressed with the Club's Leatherneck or any of Hasbro's, to be honest.

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

Just got mine today and am digging it. Glad I got it when I did because it looks like the price is going up right now. Hopefully things will drop eventually but these may stay high for a bit it seems.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Just got mine today and am digging it. Glad I got it when I did because it looks like the price is going up right now. Hopefully things will drop eventually but these may stay high for a bit it seems.

Claymore just arrived from his Tom Selleck Lookalike Tour. Same thing with him, I got him when the prices were "lowish", looks like they're only getting worse now.

Would folks want a review on Claymore as well?

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

You might as well do one for Claymore. We need to fill this section up!

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

i'd love to see/hear more about Claymore

 

[ThunderDan19]

Great review and cool pics! Like was stated above, I'd happily pick him up at a store, but wouldn't pay club prices. He looks pretty cool though!

 

[Oliverbox]

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with this figure... the concept is great, but I did not care for the part selection.

Obviously, we need more SEALs released in land warfare uniforms. I think only two Joe SEALs have ever been released in land warrior attire: Tracker and Night Fox. And Tracker's "uniform" is a joke.

However, I just have to question the part selection for this Wet-Suit... the torso is OK, but that belt looks like it's always about to fall off... ROC Desert Duke, would have been a better choice. It's the legs that bother me most: No knee pads, no holster or sheath... and full leather boots? Really? It wouldn't make sense to give him some lighter Jugle boots? PoC Dusty's legs would have worked well. Were those legs available for the Club to use? I don't know, but they got PoC Beach-Head's vest.

And the head... every PIT Commando had the same head. It's just been over used... and since when did Wet-Suit have red hair? It was always brown on TV and in the comics.

They made such a big deal about this figure being the first time Wet-Suit was going to be in land warfare gear... wasn't that worth a new headsculpt?

 

[fogger1138]

And the head... every PIT Commando had the same head. It's just been over used... and since when did Wet-Suit have red hair? It was always brown on TV and in the comics.

He's been inconsistently colored in the comics, actually - in his Special Missions appearance he was blonde, but had light brown hair in issue #53 of the main Marvel series, when they first showed him out of uniform. Not sure about appearances after that - but it was definitely not red.

 

[nacho]

I always thought it was reddish brown, so the color doesn't bother me much. In a world where Hawk can go back and forth between blonde and dark brown, light brown to red seems like far less of a stretch.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

And the head... every PIT Commando had the same head. It's just been over used... and since when did Wet-Suit have red hair? It was always brown on TV and in the comics.

They made such a big deal about this figure being the first time Wet-Suit was going to be in land warfare gear... wasn't that worth a new headsculpt?

Yeah, the red hair did bother me. I wasn't sure if Wet-Suit had red hair ever in the comics, but Lady Jaye seemed to be a redhead sometimes, and there were constantly coloration issues. But I didn't recall him having red hair, and the cartoon definitely didn't.

For many vintage fans though, I don't think a lot of them use the Pit Commando as a main character, if at all. I know I don't. He was a fodder farm, and nothing else. Had he been in green camo or tan or gray, I would have gotten him and used him a lot more as the intended figure. But he had that awful blue camo, so he didn't have much use to me besides the massive amounts of gear he came with.

And Dusty was all camo'd up, like Eddie mentioned earlier, so I don't think it's the worst head they could have used, but I agree, it's definitely seen its limits. Time to retire the mold.

Even Deep-Six's head would work, or Hawk, or Chuckles, or any of the single-use "generic" heads that could do a hair-color change and be different enough.

I am all for new heads, but this is one figure that I am fine with them reusing a head... Just perhaps a different one.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

personally, i think the Chuckles head woulda been the best choice

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

They might have had to use one of the smaller domes for the hat's Eddie. That could have been a deciding factor.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

didn't stop them from giving Claymore a helmet big enough for a 6" figure

 

[MAJOR BLOOD]

Well he had a helmet like that, didn't he? Maybe Wet Suit didn't. I don't know. I'm just speculating.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Yeah, originally Claymore had a fairly gigantic helmet. Same as vintage Footloose. I'm hoping if they make a Footloose, that they reengineer the helmet a bit closer to POC Dusty. That helmet fits great and looks good on the figure's head. Claymore's is at least 15% too big.

I tried the boonie hat on Chuckle's head. Hat doesn't fit, and the head sits WAY too high on the neckball of the Dusty torso.

 

[Oliverbox]

Yeah, originally Claymore had a fairly gigantic helmet. Same as vintage Footloose. I'm hoping if they make a Footloose, that they reengineer the helmet a bit closer to POC Dusty. That helmet fits great and looks good on the figure's head. Claymore's is at least 15% too big.

I tried the boonie hat on Chuckle's head. Hat doesn't fit, and the head sits WAY too high on the neckball of the Dusty torso.

I feel like they should have just given him a new headsculpt... or stretch the boonie hat they used and simply used a better head. It seems like if they went to the trouble of making new heads for Claymore and Dial-Tone, they could have made a new head for Wet-Suit... and given him brown hair.

 

[Midget]

i thought Wet-suit had curly-ish brown/red hair. Although the color may have been due to the ink used in the old comics.

 

[Oliverbox]

i thought Wet-suit had curly-ish brown/red hair. Although the color may have been due to the ink used in the old comics.

Fogger has mentioned that the Wet-Suit's haircolor was pretty inconsistant in the comics... The Club makes references to the cartoon all the time - the file cards in this set for Wet-Suit and Leatherneck allude to the rivalry that was so prevalent in the cartoon - it just seems like they should have gone with the brown curly hair from the cartoon... that was pretty consistant.