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G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe Classified Flint
By Hervé St-Louis
August 11, 2021 - 00:49
Flint is the G.I. Joe’s warrant officer, second-in command, and the Ken to Duke’s Ryu. Introduced in the second G.I. Joe mini-series in 1984, he is a scholar of literature. He dropped out of academia to join the military where he continues to be one of the most learned G.I. Joes. His appearances in comics have been fewer, with a first appearance in G.I. Joe #37.
Flint is the example of an intellectual property telegraphing the creation of a character, as the mirror of an earlier one. For all intent, Flint is a clone of Duke with darker hair, instead of the latter’s All-American blond. He does not have a specialty or a function, he has a rank, like Duke. His G.I. Joe Classified action figure is also a clone of Duke’s. Most of his parts were farmed from Duke.
Likeness
Flint looks like the original but with a more rugged face. He seems older too. The classic dark grey beret is there with the bullet-laden suspenders and the khaki camouflage pants. One major difference is that Flint does not wear his sleeves rolled up above his elbows as his sculpt borrows much from Duke’s. The suspenders are also on top of a bullet-proof vest instead of just having a shirt underneath. This is a great representation of Flint.
Sculpt
The sculpt is Duke’s except for the head and the shin guards. Everything else is the same with a different colour. The sculpt works and has been used by many customizers to create other Joes. It’s a bit surprising how Hasbro can reuse so much, change the base plastic’s colours, apply a different paint and voilà, a new guy. His beret is left steep than the 1985 action figure’s. The style looks better than the old action figure.
Here Flint feels like the Ken to Duke’s Ryu and like him, sports a nice fade on his hair. Like Duke, Flint is a great base and standard scale for the other G.I. Joe Classified action figures. He feels beefier than Duke, mostly because his face is rougher. He has a scar under his eye. He does not have a scar in the comics or the cartoon. Flint is not good-looking. He does not look frail at all, which is weird for a guy who is supposed to be a Rhodes’ scholar in English!
Paint
Flint has base plastic colours. His pants have a camouflage pattern that look good. The opening of his shirt shows a bare chest, but it doesn’t feel as natural as Duke’s white undershirt. The vest has painted bullet shells.
Scale
Flint is about the same size as Duke, which puts him in the midway point in the Classified line, shorter than most big guys, taller than the women and Snake Eyes. He looks great next to Lady Jaye and Firefly.
Stability
It’s weird, but Flint is not as stable as Duke. I don’t know why. Duke has a backpack that should make him top-heavy, yet his stands up nicely, unlike Flint whose feet seem to be too short to support his weight. After a few weeks, Flint stopped falling over. It might be some loose joint or the plastic warming up. Who knows, right? He is more stable than when he arrived, but I am still careful with him.
Articulations
Flint has articulations at the neck, where it is a separate piece that allows the figure to look up down, and rock side to side. He has butterfly joints in his shoulders, but they are not very flexible because of his vest. He has bicep curls, double elbow articulations. His wrists can bend. He has abdominal crunches, but it is limited by the vest. His waist can twist and rock. Flint has thigh curls that are aligned to his pants’ texture. He has double knee articulations and shin curls. While his ankles can rock, they cannot bend upward much because of the shin guards.
Plastic
Flint is made of PVC plastic and his vest and hat is a rubbery material.
Props
Flint comes with little props. He has his beret which will fit Duke and his pump shot gum. His vest has a holster for his shot gun which pulls from the bottom. The pump shot gun can bend as if Flint was loading it. That’s great. He has a handgun that inserts into a holster on his thigh.
Packaging
The Flint’s package features beautiful art by Rich Kelly and the growing back of the box art of the entire G.I. Joe Classified line. The side of the box features Flint’s ranking and expertise that must be decoded on the GIJOE.com website. I wish there were biographical cards with the G.I. Joe Classified figures.
Cost
Flint is around $20-23 USD or $29.99-32.99 in Canada. The toys have not inflated in price as it is widely available.
Availability
Flint is still easy to find although early releases were in April 2021, but most were in June 2021. The action figure is still easily available in local and online stores. There are many Flints around so do acquire them now if you want this toy. It’s a great action figure even though it has been reused from Duke. Flint is a loved and favourite character that rounds up the G.I. Joe ranks overall.
Rating: 9.5 /10
Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12
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