Alexx Shorts: RoC Outpost Defender with Tripwire and Roadblock (11/22/09)

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.


Sandbags and sheet metal: The Big Boy's Fort!

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WOW. Not just for this set, though. This series of four sets from Wal-mart are just amazing! I want to get one important fact out there right now: This was all just 14.99, and in a time where you can spend that much and get nothing in the mole pod (not to mention the horrid Star Wars build-a-droid two packs that run you 17.99 for two figures and just one robot piece): that is a freakin' STEAL for all the little stuff you get 

Lets get to it!

I have never cared about package presentation (since I just take it home and murder it for the sweet, sweet insides), however: they did a great job here! If you were a MSIB kinda person, then these would look great just sitting there.

Each set has a cool action scene on the side:

Only scratching the surface, though! Once you get this puppy open, the old fashioned play value comes pouring out. As you're probably all aware, this is a rerelease of the original, and you get all the same stuff with different colored sandbags. Curiously enough, "all the original stuff" counts the original guns as well!

They look a little small compared to all the new guns, but I'm glad they didn't update them so I could get a taste of the original stuff. Anyway, speaking of accessories:

That's everything together, and you can see that Tripwire only comes with his drone and the laptop, which gets it's own sticker for a screen!

I assume Tripwire is supposed to use one of the guns from the weapons pack.

 Lets get into those figures!

I'll start small, 'cause Tripwire is the weakest of the set, though I certainly like him. While I don't quite agree with the tiger strip he's got going on, I love the detail they added to him, when compared to his regular version.

The red shirt and the black headset on the helmet make the head pop much better than on the original. I wish they had chosen something other than silver, since that's sorta Grand Slam's thing, but at least it still looks cool. The best part, though, is his accessories. First, like I said, he can use one of the guns from the crate:

Otherwise, he comes with a laptop and his drone, which was previously going to come with Short Fuze in the Sigma 6 line.

It looks great here, even for something that was gona be a tiny drone in Sigma 6.

That's it for Tripwire, though, because I know you're waiting for this one:

Roadblock, in his resolute mold! Not only that, but he's in a perfect green color that works for EVERYTHING! So don't be afraid of him being only decked out for specific duty. This figure is just freakin' all around awesome, and if you only get one of these sets, make it this one, just to get Roadbock. Then again, he's gona be out in a set in the future, but you really can't go wrong with this deal.

He looks great no matter what you do, but here's some ideas:

There he is with Night Adder, the guy who also uses the Roadblock resolute mold. You can barely tell! That's the way to use existing parts, I tell ya.

Next, you probably don't need to see this, but:

Yeah, no question, no contest. In fact, when the regular resolute version comes out, I'll probably just do this:

Awesome, right? Here's one more, 'cause I couldn't stop messin' with 'em:

So, obviously, Roadblock rocks! How about the peice that takes up the most space in that set, though? First, let me show you the really cool extra peice:

Each set comes with a background that folds together! They are VERY cool, and I'm certainly going to keep them around. Most importantly, they work great with the set they come with:

Finally: the Outpost Defender! Sandbags, wood, sheet metal, and a machine gun. I have always wanted these little sets (I've been seeing them in pics since I was little). I don't know why stuff like this hasn't come back before; they have said that big sets don't sell as well nowadays, so why not do more of these tiny sets? They can be set up anywhere, and they have so much cool stuff for being so small! 

I took a million pics of this thing; setting up the figures in different ways. It's just so awesome! You could set up this little thing in a bunch of places and get a cool picture. 

So, like I said, out of all the sets: this is the one to get if you're gona limit yourself to just one set. It's gona be hard to pass up the others, though! You'll see. I was very impressed with this set, and it gives you a whole lot for your money. Grab these when you see 'em! I doubt they'll be around long.

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I need to dig this and the other Wal-Mart sets out - they are still awesome!  And I'm sure you recognize the background it comes with.  I've been using those ever since!  They are beyond useful for nearly everything around this scale.  I can't say enough how great a deal these sets were, with this one being one of the best.  Two great figures (I actually like this Tripwire a lot now, contrary to my past thoughts on him) and a bunch of accessories with a little outpost you can set anywhere. 

I still agree with Past Alexx: I don't get why we didn't see these more often.  Maybe something collect-and-connect.  I feel like large playsets have dwindled in number, so doing tiny stuff like this should have been a hit...but what do I know?  G.I. Joe is barely the shelves right now, so who even knows what'll see with these guys, nowadays.

The facts remain as I had reviewed them, back then: This is awesome, and was even better for the price at the time.  I have no idea what it would go for now, but if you're still in to Joes: I'd get it.  It's a straight-up classic.