Finally Kre-O gave me what I've been wanting all along, a Destro Kreon. Everything else in the GIJoe Kre-O line exists merely to support this Destro figure. It's nice that they saw fit to put him with Baroness and a HISS tank, two other things I wouldn't mind having.
It's not nice that these three things came packaged with some giant-ass sprawling ninja dojo or whatever, including Snake-Eyes and some other ninja dudes. I have assembled my Destro and Baroness and HISS tank. Those other things remain in the box, perhaps for all eternity. They are surplus to my requirements.
Kreon Destro has a chrome head, as one would expect, and he comes with a rifle and a M.A.R.S. briefcase. The briefcase contains one single $100 bill. Destro's a high roller.
Y'know, I actually still enjoy The Simpsons, but my cartoons don't always agree with me.
But this is the last TNI strip! I told myself long ago I'd run until the 250th installment, probably "conclude" the old Robo-J.O.E. "storyline," and here I've kept to my internal promise. I hope you've been enjoying them! Jay Cochran at ToyNewsI has always been a saint to me, and I had fun doing them as well. Good feelings all around.
Man, why did #250 have to land on the weekend we finish moving out of our house. That is the worst timing.
I'm not a big fan of getting more accessories than a character can hold or holster. These new G.I. Joes seem to be really pushing the concept of having as many accessories as possible, so it doesn't really suit my fancy much, but I'm happy for those who enjoy having a variety of accessories with each figure. Me, I just lose them if they're not stowed somewhere. Hell, I lose them even if they are! Also, if all the accessories are awesome, it forces me to choose between them. How hard-to-please am I.
Arctic Destro does come with quite a few awesome accessories. Okay, the climbing picks I can take or leave, but they seem to store okay on the backs of his shins (immobilizing him in theory), so no harm no foul. But his squirt gun is awesome. His larger gun is connected to his backpack via a tube, and I noticed while playing with him that there's a big button on the backpack you can depress with some effort, plus a small hole on the front of the gun. That's pretty neat! Water squirter! Destro also comes with a smaller gun that looks like it has a canister of ooze or something in the front, like he uses it to vaccinate people. That one's okay. But what's pretty awesome is the drill. He comes with a drill!
Now, he can't hold both the drill and the gun and the other gun... These are hard decisions! Unfortunately, to get him to hold all of his accessories with none left prone on the shelf next to him, I have to shove the awesomer drill through the tube on his backpack to stow it, while putting the less awesome canister gun in his one empty hand. Not my preferred hierarchy, but apparently I value complete weapons storage over awesomer weapons.
He also comes with two pieces of ice that you can attach to other figures to simulate Destro having used his freeze gun/water squirter on them. That's pretty damn neat. I kinda want to stick them on him, too, as if he's just really really cold, but the one that hooks up and around the shoulder doesn't fit on him at all, what with the winter jacket's hood. So it has to go on another Destro or something. As shown.
Oh, and the goggles. He has goggles.
P.S. There's Shortpacked! strips tomorrow and Sunday.
I wasn't a big fan of G.I. Joe Resolute. Mind, I didn't hate it or anything, and I did enjoy it as a curiosity. It was sort of like a trial exercise to see what would happen if you took all of the soul and fun out of G.I. Joe and replace it with as much blood as possible.
But at least it got us more Destro toys! This guy was supposed to come out in a single pack, but when plans folded, he got pushed into this Internet-exclusive seven-pack of Resolute designs. (I don't need the rest of them, so they'll be eBayed soon.)
He's more machine now than man.
The most notable thing about this Destro, obviously, is the swappable arm. He comes packaged with the untorn sleeve arm, but sitting next to him in the plastic tray is a torn-sleeve arm revealing he is actually a robot! Or something. I recall some of the Resolute design art pegged him as a big metal dude under his clothes. Perhaps he's a Cyborg? Regardless, there's two arms. I think I'll keep him wearing the torn-sleeved arm, since it's more visually interesting. Maybe keep the other arm hanging limply out of the suitcase.
I'm not sure exactly which of the guns he's supposed to come with. There's two tiny ones beside him in the tray that obviously fit in his hip holsters. There's a MARS briefcase that's obviously his. He comes holding another gun. But then there's a few guns between him and the Viper that I'm not too sure about. Oh well. My Destro doesn't need more than one accessory per (attached) arm, anyhow.
Finally Kre-O gave me what I've been wanting all along, a Destro Kreon. Everything else in the GIJoe Kre-O line exists merely to support this Destro figure. It's nice that they saw fit to put him with Baroness and a HISS tank, two other things I wouldn't mind having.
