Although Hasbro has announced that windowed packaging will be returning sometime within the next year, it’s too late to save some of the G.I. Joe Classified Series figures from the windowless fate. One such figure is Shipwreck, which we found in the wild this week.
So, is Hasbro hiding cost-cutting measures from customers who can’t view the figures before buying them? Let’s take a look at G.I. Joe Classified Series Shipwreck and see.
We first noticed the lackluster paint application on Shipwreck’s clothing. There’s zero paint in the areas where his biceps meet his shirt sleeves, leaving the shirt itself flesh-colored. When rotating the bicep swivel, more of the flesh-tone plastic is visible. There are also noticeable paint chips on his other sleeve.
For whatever reason, Hasbro didn’t bother to put a dull coat on Shipwreck’s shirt, so it’s gleaming. I had to move the lights in my studio because the plastic was coming off too reflective in the pictures. Compare that to Destro’s clothing. The only parts on him that are shiny are those bits that are meant to be metallic. Even the Tiger Force Bazooka, with his white jersey, isn’t as reflective.
As we mentioned in the D-Rezzed Podcast, Hasbro is cutting corners and hiding behind the “plastic-free” packaging veil. Oh, and they want you to know that these boxes are light on plastic because the proclamation is printed in giant letters on the front of the packaging. That’s what I want to see when displaying this thing with my other G.I. Joe Classified figures.
Another cheap move is including swappable hair rather than multiple heads. On paper, this sounds like an OK idea, but in execution, it’s terrible. Both the hat and hairpiece are not snuggly plugged into Shipwreck’s head. This results in him losing his wig every time he is moved. Said engineering inadequacy could result in losing the critical accessory quite quickly.
The best aspects of Shipwreck are its accessories. Polly may need a little fine-tuning regarding paint application, but the parrot does plug into Shipwreck’s wrist. However, the sailor’s pet cannot sit on his should unless you use the rope bandolier.
His sidearms are also nicely detailed, with his smaller black pistol showing an intricate rope and anchor design that I’d suggest painting silver so it shows up better. Or, if you don’t want to mess around with paint, use a welder’s pencil.
The grappling hook is a bit too soft and pliable for my liking. It can be easily warped and was originally somewhat flattened when I took it out of the footlocker.
An unintended accessory comes from paper ties used to secure the figure inside the packaging. The ties’ width and length are perfect for the grappling hook.
It’s sad when the best aspects of a $20+ action figure are a few small accessories. I cannot recommend that G.I. Joe Classified Series collectors spend money on this figure until Hasbro fixes the quality control issues and bring back display-friendly packaging.
If you’re a fan of Shipwreck and want to pick the figure up regardless of Hasbro’s dubious quality, he’s currently $21.88 if ordered from Walmart.
Kai was taken into custody as the giveaway turned chaotic, with people in the area beginning to fight and commit acts of violence towards police officers in the streets. The crowd became incredibly violent and went as far as to break into a nearby construction site and began picking up items to use as weapons. Eventually, NYPD police were able to remove Kai Cenat from the area, citing safety concerns, and activate a Level 4 response, which is one of the highest disaster responses for the department in the event of a disaster.
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The best parts of Twisted Metal are the action scenes, with awesome car combat sequences that feel ripped right out of the game. However, the series strangely only has so many of these sequences throughout the first season, with is around ten episodes. Often the fights are limited to shootouts between people, which are still good but not on the same level as the car chases and battles. Twisted Metal as a series is all about vehicular combat, it’s a major part of the plot and the universe as a whole. So it’s a shame to see that aspect of it not dominate most of the series’ action in a significant way. But when things amp up and people get into their cars for battle, the show is at its best.
The dark humor of the games is here as well, but often can feel awkward in some spots. Many of the characters we meet are crazy in their own ways, with some being crazier than others. The dialogue is often very edgy with everyone who talks, but there’s always a looming dark overtone that tries to make things feel direr in the show. At the same time, things can get very grotesque in this world, which fits with the tone of the games that inspired the show.
Anthony Mackie plays John Doe, while Stephanie Beatriz plays the role of Quiet. The two of them have a gradual partnership that grows over time throughout the season, with a lot of humorous moments. Their relationship changes as you get deeper into the season, but the two of them have a lot of great banter that can be funny.
The biggest inclusion in the series is the appearance of Sweet Tooth, who is often viewed as the mascot for the Twisted Metal games. Sweet Tooth is played by two actors in the series, with the movements being done by wrestler Samoa Joe and the voice by Will Arnett. Sweet Tooth is a weird character with a pretty brutal backstory that is very dark, although the origin we get from the series is different from the games. There have been multiple versions of Sweet Tooth’s background, but this series depicts a Sweet Tooth who was once a child star that went crazy and was sent to an insane asylum.
Twisted Metal is a decently good adaptation of the games it is based on, with a few things that work and don’t work in its favor. Most fans will be disappointed that the story doesn’t get into the infamous tournament that is in the games, opting to set that up in a few ways for a Season 2 of the show. At the same time, fans will also be annoyed at the low number of car combat sequences throughout the season, even though the ones in it are pretty good. Most viewers who aren’t fans of the games won’t think much of the show, especially if dark and twisted humor isn’t your thing. But if you know even a vague amount about the games and just want something wild to watch, you won’t find Twisted Metal to be a bad series. Hopefully, if there is a second season, more car combat will be injected into it. What’s here is a good start, but can hopefully turn into something better.
