G.I. Joe Classified Scarlett

G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe Classified Scarlett
By Hervé St-Louis
July 20, 2020 - 22:43

Studios: Hasbro
Cover Artist(s): Phil Noto

Scarlett is the special operations agent of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero and also one of the original member of this incarnation of the series and toyline. On television show from the 1980s Scarlet was romantically linked with Duke, the field commander of the team. In the comics by Larry Hama, she was romantically with the commando Snake Eyes. In G.I. Joe Renegades, from the 2010s, she was both of interest to Duke and Snake Eyes. But there is more to Scarlett than who she is dating. Scarlett is the first female G.I. Joe character and a famous red hair hailing from Atlanta Georgia much like her namesake Scarlett O' Hara in the classic novel and movie Gone with the Wind. Scarlett is a superior martial artist.

I chose to review Scarlett first as part of the G.I. Joe Classified series which has brought me back to action figure collecting. A note on Classified I enjoy the action figures and am very keen on collecting many of them as it is a new collectable series that hopefully will prove popular and long-lasting. The six-inch (or 1:12) scale is new to G.I. Joe but Hasbro seems committed to making this a successful toyline. So far, the G.I. Joe Classified offers current reinterpretations of classic G.I. Joe characters and themes and this is what was done with Scarlett. Let’s look at her in more detail.

Likeness

The yellow unitard that Scarlett wore in G.I. Joe A Real American Hero obviously did not make the cut for Hasbro who felt that the unique sculpt the original action figure had had to be refreshed. So the basic colour theme of yellow and grey are back for Scarlett but with a more appropriate combat uniform. Scarlett was never the most traditional soldier who wore fatigues. She stood out from everyone else, including other female characters from the start. Scarlett’s uniform and likeness here is new. What she does retain from the past are her red hair. But this is Scarlett.

Sculpt

Action figures representing women are always finicky. Because of their smaller build, they tend to be more fragile or have less articulations. It is important that Scarlett be great because she is the base for other females in the line. I want Cover Girl the Baroness, Lady Jaye, and Zarana. You can keep Jinx and Helix. Let me just say Helix is the Ray of the G.I. Joe line. Scarlett is skinny and petite. As she is also an acrobat, I am okay with this decision. However, I would not want her basic sculpt to be the same one for other female characters. As all Classified action figures have these annoying kneepads, at least, Scarlett’s make sense with the rest of her design. I am not sure they look as great on Duke or Roadblock.

Someone at Hasbro mistook Scarlett for a Decepticon seeker as she has air vents that look like mini reactors on her calves. It is odd but not a design feature that annoys me. Scarlett is already in the science fiction realm. The front pad on Scarlett’s chest seems like a bullet-proof shield. That is a good thing. What I find annoying on the Scarlett is the sculpted in shoulder pad on her left shoulder. It limits her articulations and looks weird. It is not glued in. I don’t like it as it adds a big red target on her. I fail to see what its function is. That’s a thing with Scarlett. She has a lot sculpt in features that seem to have no real-world utility. This shoulder pad and her jet packs in her calves are just decorations. Although there are many seams on her uniform, I cannot figure out how she would wear this suit. There are no back zippers on her torso piece.

The head sculpt makes Scarlett a skinny woman with a long neck. Her gaze is odd and does not look at anything in particular. The ponytail is a trademark of Scarlett but highly unnecessary in combat. It is a distraction and does limit Scarlett’s neck and head articulation. The ponytail also affects the crossbow backpack that she sports. He toupee almost covers on eye like Veronica Lake.

Paint

The application of the yellow paint is not great. On my figure, there is a paint imperfection on the left of the chest. There is no toning in the colours applied to the uniform. The toning is reserved for her hair and face. The good thing about the paint is that Scarlett’s face and hair have more nuances and tones. Scarlett has freckles on her cheekbones.

Scale

Scarlett being a woman is smaller than the other Joes and Cobras. That’s okay with me. She is supposed to be 5’6 feet so this scale is fine and she looks great next to the other action figures. I am not sure if she will look as great with other six-inches action figures as her head is smaller than those of a Marvel Legends or a DC Direct.

Stability

Because her upper body is so light, Scarlett has problems standing up in a regular pose. She can take a number of poses though. The good thing is that there is a way to adjust her articulations to keep her in balance. Also, unlike the first Scarlett action figure released in 1982, this Scarlett has peg holes in her heels! Just s you know, if you place her in a straight pose on your desk, she is a faller!

Articulations

Scarlett lacks the range of articulations of other G.I. Joe Classified action figures. She lacks the butterfly hinges in her armpits, the ab-crunch, and the double-elbow articulations. She does have the new Hasbro double hinge waist socket articulation allowing each thigh to extend and do the split. Her articulations in her things, double knees, and double pivoting ankles are well hidden. Like the old A Real American Hero G.I. Joe action figures, Scarlett has a ball joint at the upper waist allowing her to twist and curl. Her head articulation which is a ball joint for the head and a rotating and pivoting next is limited by her ponytail and the quiver inn her back. Scarlett’s articulations are still stiff, especially at her knees and thigh sockets.

Plastic

I am not a fan of the new G.I. Joe Classified plastics. They feel like they will break easily and not last as long as the original A Real American Hero toys which are still with us today. Scarlett’s plastics are soft and rubbery. So are her weapons which can bend easily. I am very careful when making G.I. Joe Classified figures hold weapons. It feels like their fingers will break easily.

Props

Scarlett comes with many props but no real backpack. Backpacks for me, are a G.I. Joe staple. Instead she has a light quiver shaped as a belt that is pre-installed on her chest. You can remove it. It floats easily which is annoying. The quiver allows you to store her two knives. Scarlett has a third knife that fits within the front part of her quiver. A floating belt upon which nothing can be attached floats at her waist. Finally, Scarlett comes with a crossbow which has to be attached. The gun part really looks like a gun. The bow part has a solid cord which breaks the design of what should be a slender weapon. The bow attaches on the front top of the gun part but tends to fall off easily.
Packaging

Hasbro’s package for G.I. Joe Classified is unique in that each figure has customized comic art by a distinct comic book artist. While I like the work done, the credits about the artist are not easy to locate on the package. Like the old G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero action figures of old Scarlett has some stats about her rank and expertise. However, to decipher the data, one need to use it with Hasbro’s G.I. Joe website which lists everything in detail as well as provide a back story for Scarlett. I wish most of that information was on the package instead of a website.

Cost

This set costs about $19.99 USD and 30$CAD. The price is right for Americans but a bit too pricey thanks to the bad exchange rate for Canadians.

Availability

Although sold-out at Hasbro Pulse, Scarlett should be easy to find at large retail stores and online. It does not appear that people are jumping over the action figures outside of the collector community. G.I. Joe Classified should be big but even though it is found in major stores, it still feels like a premium collector product. That is unfortunate as there are so many fans of G.I. Joe The toy is semi-compatible with Fortnight action figures although Scarlett and her pals look much better than anything from Fortnight.

Although my criticisms may sound harsh, I really do like this action figure. If you are a G.I. Joe fan or someone who grew up with the toys, the cartoon, or the comics, go for it!

Next: Roadblock

Rating: 8/10

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