Alexx Shorts: RoC Heetseek Missile System with Scrap Iron and Neo-Viper (11/29/09)

Well, this is it: I've finally decided to start reposting my old "Alexx Shorts" G.I. Joe reviews.  They're the reviews that lead to what eventually became this blog!  I'll be posting them in straight copy-and-paste format, separating them with bold dotted lines so you know where they begin and end, and then I'll post some final thoughts on what I think of the figure currently.

For those unfamiliar: I used to take random pictures here and there, but by the time the Rise of Cobra toys came out, I was getting annoying with how much people had been bashing the figures which were clearly better than the previous 25th Anniversary offerings.  I set out to show people how awesome they were, and things went from there, forming into "Alexx Shorts", named so because I thought I was going to keep to a short format with a few pictures.  I did not do that.


LARGE MISSILES!

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Alright, on to the next one! I'm reviewing what I consider to be the weakest of the bunch (but still pretty dang cool). I only consider this weaker because it doesn't stand on it's own as well as the others; this one does much better when towed by a HISS tank. Regardless, you do get a plain Neo-Viper (in case you haven't been stocking up on them) and a very cool version of Scrap Iron for folks who skipped the comic pack (like me). So, lets dig in!

Once again, we got a nice window box showing the figures using the featured item, and a real cool pic on the side displaying the same. As with all these sets: they're not only cool, but displayed well! 

We get another Neo-Viper with this set, but thankfully it's the only one out of these four sets.  I'm a little disappointed that he's not in some new funky colors like the rest have been. On the other hand, I only bought one of the normal colored ones, so I've now got two, which is nice. Nonetheless, the colors they've been created have actually been kinda cool, and the set feels a little less special when you just get a dude that is hanging out on the shelves everywhere. He comes with the same 'ol stuff, while Scrap Iron comes with MARS Soldier gear:

By the way, the handle on the rifle didn't come that way; I cut it down so Scrap Iron could use it. I love the rifle, but MAN is it unwieldy. Speaking of unwieldy, it goes both ways when the hands are barely useful. Scrap Iron has Cobra Trooper legs and arms with a Viper torso (and then his trademark stuff). This saddles him with those horrid Trooper hands that only hold things sideways, so I swapped 'em out for different hands. That's why you'll be seeing him hold the pistol out straight.

Even with the handle cut on the rifle...he can barely hold that big chunk:

Otherwise, Scrap Iron is very cool! He loses the dark blue jumpsuit and red boots for, basically, a more realistic version of his regular duds. I really like 'em! 

And, of course, he's still ugly as sin underneath that visor. Man! What the heck happened to him? Did he learn about ordnance the hard way?

Someone dug a trench in that man's face.

Anyway, lets get to those missiles!

So there's your basic Heetseek missile system. Pretty simple, eh? Three large detachable missiles that are VERY detachable. You look at those things funny and they fall off; just don't touch them often. Anyway, the best feature of this system is it's original use:

There's a hitch! If you look at your HISS tank, well, there's a place to put that hitch:

The only problem with towing is that the stand for the computer console stows behind the system, right into the wheel axel.

You can see the Viper pulling out the stand there. When it's in, it makes the wheels unable to turn on their own, so you're just dragging it. Small problem really, since you'll mostly be displaying it, but I thought I'd point it out.

There it is all set up; stand plugged in under the console. Doesn't give 'em much room to get out of the way, but I'm sure it all works out. One way or another, it's much more impressive than Scrap Iron's usual mini setup.

Oh, also, the missiles seem to match the red on the red HISS from the Target Ultimate Battle pack pretty well!

Just attach it to your favorite HISS, or, buy a bunch and give 'em each one! Once again, though, if you're planning on skipping one of these sets; I'd probably make it this one, for lack of a total package. That's not to say that it isn't a cool setup; with Scrap Iron at the ready with those awesome missiles. However, if you already got the comic pack version, you're probably happy with your Scrap Iron (though I like the colors on this one better). I assume most of you have at least one HISS tank, though, and I wouldn't pass this up if you do. It looks really cool!

So, as usual, I find it hard to give you a real reason to skip this. Nonetheless, since it's kinda of an attachment, it loses a bit of the "complete package" thing that the rest of these sets have. It's still awesome, though, and Scrap Iron is really sharp; a great version to have if you have none or just the mediocre one from the cold weather operations set (I'd still switch out his hands). All depends on your individual situation.

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I haven't touched this since the review, probably.  This is one of those set pieces that maybe you throw at some point (because what else are you going to do with a missile?).  I agree with Past Alexx: This is mostly for looking good hanging off the back of a HISS tank.  Not that it wasn't cool!  It's just that the best part was Scrap Iron, and only because I had extra hands lying around to make him actually useful. 

So it was the lesser of the sets, but still kinda neat to get remakes of classic 80's items.  Nothing worth hunting down, but nothing that I regret getting, either.