Toy Review: Hall of Heroes Firefly

Firefly

I really don’t understand why COBRA personalities were included in the “Hall of Heroes” sub-line. I would expect that these characters’ allegiance to an infamous international terrorist organization would preclude any of them from admittance into any sort of gallery of champions. I guess “Hall of Somewhat Heroic Soldiers and Nefariously Notorious Criminals” didn’t have the same panache.

Despite the odd choice of name, the line up in the “Hall of Heroes” line is really excellent. 10 of the most popular, and best designed Joe and Cobra toys from the earliest waves of the 25th Anniversary line. I’ve already reviewed Snake Eyes with Timber,Commando Snake Eyes, and Beachhead. If you want to know about the box they come in, you can read those as the only real difference is the file card and character portrait. The bubble on Firefly though is a lot bigger than the others I’ve bought to fit all the crap that Hasbro decided to give Cobra’s premiere sabotuer.

Here’s the list of toys our favorite masked maurader has.

• Backpack
•  Carrying Case (which is also a backpack)
•  Gas Canister
•  C4 Charge
•  Trasmitter
•  Flashlight
•  Rifle with Foldable Stock
•  Assault Rifle
•  Pistol
•  Googles

It’s amazing how much more junk this guy’s packing. Aside from the above, he’s also got on webgear that sports some righteous pocketry. I’m not sure if it’s all removable, and damned if I’m going to try and rip it off. It all looks great, so no need to do it anyway. The C4, Gas, and Flashlight all fit into the carrying case, and you can stuff the transmiter in there too (though there isn’t a molded spot for it like the other pieces). Unfortunately, when he’s carrying this package of dastardly dirty deeds, there’s no where for the other backpack. It would have been nicer if they had given him a satchel or something that had all to sculpted tools and gadgets instead of the extra accessory.

Sadly, he can only really carry one weapon at a time. There isn’t any holster for his pistol, and Hasbro didn’t give him a strap for either of the rifles. It would have been nice if you could pack everything on and send him into enemy territory.

Articulation is what I’ve come to expect from the Joes. It’s a sight better than the old 80’s era toys, and you don’t have to worry about some of the problems that those guys came with. There are no black rubber bands inside that melt in the sun or get brittle over time. You don’t have to worry about thumbs breaking off since the plastic used now is softer and more pliable. They also don’t seem as prone to scuff marks on the paint, but that may be because I don’t play as hard as I used to (re: bury them alive or line them up for a pellet gun execution).

From the other three modern versions I’ve seen of this character (2 carded versions; one light gray and another blue, and a boxset with him and a few Joe grunts), this is by far the best looking one. I have a bias toward darker colors, especially on the spys/ninjas/commandos and the gray chosen for the Hall of Heroes version is appropriately sinister compared to the others.

Throw in his red googles and BAM! you’ve got a very evil guy, ready to blow shit up.