Alexx Shorts: PoC Firefly (8/8/10)

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.


Kicking off the 80's action movie references with an Alien helmet:

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Following suit with teching-up old favorites, Firefly returns with gear that turns him into a freakin' beast! So far it's been light clothes for 'ol Firefly: turtlenecks, regular fatigues, belts 'n straps, or maybe a kickin' cap like in the 90's.

 Now? Now it's time to ROCK.

As usual, the new filecards give the basic info on what he does and completely ignores character. However, they do name some of his equipment, and I've always been a fan of that!

We've got two laser-sighted pistols, a larger rifle with a grenade launcher (or shotgun; not sure), then the titanium body armor parts (as stated on the card) along with "Multi-Resonance Structural Demolition Pods" and a helmet that I don't feel like writing out again; it's under "mission equipment" on the card. Very cool stuff and, I'll admit that none of it impressed me from pics or looking at the carded figure. This guy really turned me around when I had 'em open, though!

First off, much like Beachhead, he's got a fantastic sculpt under the vest! Also like Beachhead, I hope to see this mold used somewhere else just as it is (or with some lighter gear that shows it off) 'cause this mold is too cool to keep covered all the time. Without the vest on, you've almost got two whole Firefly figures here! One like this (sorta looking like his usual lighter gear) and then a heavily armored version. 

Even with the vest, though, he is very cool:

And you'll see two holes on the back there to place his armor plates:

And - though I don't know if it was meant to - the helmet fits inside the backpack (the two mines plug into the sides).

There's nothing else to put in the pack, so I have to assume the helmet goes in there, but it doesn't fit like a glove. Nonetheless, it goes in, and it does shut (once you've got it in a certain way). So, other than his pistols, you can have everything on his person, ready to go!

Once you unpack it: you unleash the beast!

This will be the part that makes or breaks the figure, I think. I wasn't sure about the look at first, but it has really grown on me. First point: the helmet is actually a whole separate head! It seriously looks big enough to be a helmet, but they opted to just have you pop off the head and pop this one on instead. Doesn't bother me, 'cause there's no worry about the helmet fitting right!

Second: look at that thing! If Spirit is a homage to Predator, then this is our homage to the Predator itself with a little bit of Alien with the back of the helmet stretching back so far. I really don't know why it needs to stretch back so far, but the filecard says it has a 360-degree spectrum view, so perhaps it's all camera stuff and whatever makes it a "sonar" helmet. I'm gona have to look all this junk up to find out what he'd do with this thing, but I love it even without fully understanding it! 

Third: Anyone out there play Red Faction? The backpack with the pods attached totally looks like a Tremor Pack, and the funny thing about that is that the pods sound like they use sound to bring things down around them! I very much like the idea of these sound pods. 

So when you've got this guy all geared up, you end up with a total monster! I always imagined Firefly getting the job done and moving out, but now he looks like he sticks around and mops up the excess! The city could be falling down around him and he'd probably still come out alive! Thinking of his character (though now his character is just up to whatever the kids think of his look) I can imagine that he wouldn't be too happy about all the junk weighing him down and pretty much making his usual silent entry and exit impossible. I see this Firefly as annoyed and stomping through a city with some Alley Vipers, taking things down one by one to stop the Joes at every turn. His helmet lets him see all around him, so he's hard to catch, and with the "sonar detection" thing I guess he can hear noises as well. He'll be impossible to find and yet he'll be tearing things down around you!

So like I said, I wasn't really impressed with the looks until I got him outa the package. Also, the filecard's description of his gear just makes him even better for me! I love it when old standards take a step forward and do something still within their skill limits, but in a new way. This is a great version of Firefly. Perhaps not the normal Firefly, but a very cool variation on the Firefly theme. He won't be doing this all the time, but it suits him and really brings out his scary side. I imagine you wouldn't want to run into him while he's working anyway, but now you'll be messing your pants and hoping one of your guns will be able to get through that armor! 

Long story short: He holds his weapons well, his gear mostly attaches to him, he looks great, and he's just an awesome toy. I love him way more than I thought I would, and I highly recommend him!

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This is an odd bird.  I haven't really touched him in ages, but pulling him out again, I still like him!  The armor is WAY too big; making his head seem tiny, without the Alien/Predator helmet.  In fact, his head is a little small, so I'm surprised the extra head wasn't actually a removable helmet.

Anyway, this one yet again shows how cool Pursuit of Cobra was.  The little touches (like the helmet fitting in the backpack and the armor parts fitting on the body) really push this guy ahead of other figures in this scale, showing why G.I. Joe was on top....at the time.

This is a unique look at Firefly, so I'd still consider him worth it, since every one after this was just a rehash of his vintage design.  The accessories aren't so tiny that they become annoying (like a certain Lowlight that you'll see later) and they store on his person or can be carried or worn easily, so it covers pretty much everything I loved about G. I. Joe.  Still not a bad figure!