Author Topic: POC Quick Review: City Strike Figures  (Read 2454 times)

Offline Greg

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POC Quick Review: City Strike Figures
« on: August 3, 2010, 01:12 PM »


Alright, I have a quick review of the three POC Wave 1 "City Strike" themed figures, which are Beachhead, Firefly, and Alley-Viper. I'm not a hardcore Joe collector, but I have had a bunch of ROC and 25th Anniversary figures over the past few years... so I know some stuff.

Now, that main thing I have to say about these new figures is "Stuff, STUFF STUFF!!!" These new figures come packed with accessories. Guns, helmets, knives, random tools... each figure is loaded with cool stuff!





These figures have the full range of articulation that has been present since the start of the GI Joe 25th Anniversary line. I won't go into detail about the articulation, because if you're reading this post then you probably know a thing or two about Joe figures.

Alley-Viper is a repaint of the 2009 figure that was packed in the Defense of Cobra Island gift pack. Included are two small knives, a riot shield, night stick, assault rifle, two helmets, backpack, a (nonworking) grapple gun, and a gas mask. The figure has two working sheaths for the knives, and the backpack has a peg that the grapple gun is supposed to attach to. (Just a heads-up, that grapple gun doesn't stay attached for ****.)



Overall, I'd give the figure a 9/10. The only bad part is that the grapple gun doesn't stay attached to the backpack, but that's a minor gripe. The multiple helmets are great for adding diversity to an army or squad. Of course, good luck finding these guys... they seem to be almost as popular as the chase Cobra Commander.



Next up is Beachhead, which is probably my favorite toy from the whole assortment. The figure includes three assault rifles (one looks like a laser cannon or something), two sub-machine guns, a pistol, a knife, a pair of flippers, and a helmet/gas mask. The figure holds the sub-machine guns at an angle, and it looks somewhat funny. Other than that, all of the accessories work well with the figure.



Features include flippers that can attach to the figure's vest and two working sheaths (for one knife). The figure is very detailed, with many pouches and ammo magazines sculpted onto the vest. Each pouch has a painted buckle, and some sculpted grenades are "labeled." I don't know if any parts are re-used or if this is an all new figure. Whether it's new or repainted, this figure is awesome. I'm almost tempted to army build this guy. 9/10.



Lastly we have Firefly. Firefly comes with an assault rifle, two pistols, a backpack, two land mines/bombs, an alternate head, and a pair of armored gauntlets. The figure has a lot of the same details as Beachhead, such as sculpted grenades and ammo magazines on the vest. He has a gray camo pattern all over.



The coolest part about Firefly just might be the backpack. The backpack is huge, it opens, and the land mines can be attached to pegs on either side. Firefly's armored gauntlets can clip onto his forearms or attach to the back of his vest. Firefly also has an alternate, helmeted head. The head looks kinda stupid and too futuristic. It strikes me as a cross between a Predator mask and the aliens from Independence Day.



Firefly is a solid figure but it's kinda boring. The Alley-Viper is much cooler looking and is a better choice if you're looking for a COBRA figure. 7.5/10 for Firefly.

Overall, the Pursuit of Cobra line offers some great updates of classic characters. While the toys look very different from previous versions, you can still tell which character they are supposed to be. At $6.99 each, these figures are a good value and offer a decent amount of display/play/custom options.

Right now the line seems to be pretty hard to find. They are trickling into Targets and TRUs, and the Alley-Viper and Cobra Commander figures seem to be the first ones to sell. The way the line is being sold reminds me of the initial 25th Anniversary release, with figures only receiving a few pegs at each store and the bigger pieces being relatively easy to find.






Offline spiderpumpkin

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Re: POC Quick Review: City Strike Figures
« Reply #1 on: August 3, 2010, 08:00 PM »
Good review.  Now I'm tempted to buy Beachhead and Firefly. 

My POC Alley Viper gun stays attached to the backpack.  There is a peg on the backpack that goes through the trigger hole of the gun.  Seems to stay in place.  This was a fix from the Cobra Island version.  Does your's have that small peg on the backpack to hold the gun on?

Offline Sprry75

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Re: POC Quick Review: City Strike Figures
« Reply #2 on: August 3, 2010, 08:49 PM »
I use some of those tiny clear rubber bands to hold the grappling gun in place; there's a way to wrap in around that is very unobtrusive.  You can't even see it.
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Offline Ben

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Re: POC Quick Review: City Strike Figures
« Reply #3 on: August 4, 2010, 02:23 AM »
Great review. I think that these three figures are my favorite from the first wave, and of those, Beachhead is the winner for me.

And like spiderpumpkin said, there should be a peg that fits the grapple gun. The gun on mine has stayed in place since I put it there.  :)
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