50th Anniversary Hit & Run

By KansasBrawler

Last year’s 50th Anniversary assortment was a bit of a high wire act. There were quite a few good figures, but there were also quite a few more head-scratchers than the previous year. I really wanted to like Hit & Run, but there are some strange choices that make me unsure what to think of him. I like that he’s part of Wolf Squad, but there’s still something off about him. I think part of it is that he’s functionally identical to FSS 3.0 Hit & Run, but I liked that figure a lot and this one just doesn’t capture my attention quite like my earlier Hit & Run does.

As far as I can tell, this figure’s is identical to the two Hit & Runs the GIJCC has released. I think that’s part of why I’m a little bummed out by this figure. Considering the GIJCC couldn’t release the Concept Case Hit & Run, I was hoping that the reason was because Concept Case Hit & Run was going to show up somehow from Hasbro proper. Instead, we get this. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad figure, it’s just feels a little rehashed. Considering how many people were upset that Hit & Run was coming out in FSS 3.0 after the GIJCC made him in the Nocturnal Fire con set, it seems a little odd that Hasbro redid this figure again the same year the GIJCC put out the traditional Hit & Run in its figure subscription service. The legs are from Pursuit of Cobra Desert Battle Snake Eyes II with knees from Retaliation Ultimate Firefly. They’re good looking legs and I think Hasbro has gotten some excellent mileage out of them. They work well for a basic military operator and Hit & Run is, at his core, a basic military man. His torso comes from 30th Anniversary Lifeline and the arms are from Retaliation Agent Mouse. The arms and torso work well together, though the arms do have the slightly awkward elbow joints that have been problematic since this figure was first released. It’s good that the simple spin trick we picked up thanks to the 25th Anniversary line still works to make them serviceable. The arms have the great wrist articulation that means he can hold his rifle in a realistic firing position. Up top, he’s got the same head the GIJCC has used twice. It’s a decent piece, though I still wish Hasbro would find a way to get the head that was created for Concept Case Hit & Run out somehow. I’m okay with this figure, but considering Hasbro prevented the GIJCC from using the Concept Case Hit & Run parts, it seems a little odd that the Hit & Run Hasbro proper released used none of the parts that they kept the GIJCC from using. Finally, topping off the figure, Hit & Run has a different helmet and goggle combination than the GIJCC used. It’s a Pursuit of Cobra Dusty helmet with 25th Anniversary Comic Pack Firefly goggles on them. I think they look better than the goggles originally tooled up for Pursuit of Cobra Dusty and it’s a decent look here for Hit & Run. However, the older goggles don’t fit as snugly on the helmet as the goggles the GIJCC tooled up for the figure when they first released it. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to go hunting for Hit & Run’s goggles after he’s fallen over, but it’s been a lot. This is a solid figure, construction-wise, however it feels just a little redundant. Who knows why Hasbro couldn’t release the Concept Case Hit & Run figure? I’m sure we’ll never know, but it just seems a little odd to see this Hit & Run again when the GIJCC has released two good versions of him and all Hasbro has done is released the same figure a third time, just with a different paint scheme.

If I had to guess why I don’t find this version of Hit & Run that interesting, I’d have to say that the paint work is where he feels the weakest. I really like the idea of an urban Hit & Run, but the execution here is just off. The bulk of the figure is light gray, which is a great urban camouflage color. However, the camouflage pattern is applied extremely inconsistently. There’s some camouflage work on his pants, none on his torso and a very detailed camouflage pattern on his helmet. The inconsistency really makes the figure look incomplete. The red patches under Hit & Run’s arms do add a nice bit of pop to the figure and I like that detail. I just wish the rest of the figure had been given the same level attention. The goggles look sharp with reddish lenses. It’s a detail that’s been on Hit & Run since 1988 and I like seeing it referenced here. The Wolf Squad logo on his left bicep is poorly applied and looks like a blob rather than the cool logo it’s been shown as on other figures and vehicles. The other area that’s a bit problematic is Hit & Run’s skin camouflage. The light gray looks fine on it, but the darker gray just looks off. It looks a bit metallic and that leaves Hit & Run looking really odd. I think that’s Hit & Run’s biggest problem. On the paint work, nothing really comes together all that well. I wanted to like this figure, but it just comes off as a cheap repaint.

Hit & Run’s gear is fairly basic, but I’m fine with an infantryman having relatively simple gear. To fill his holster and sheath, he gets the same knife and silenced pistol that have been coming with these legs since they were first created back in the Pursuit of Cobra line. He also gets a pistol to fill his chest holster. It’s a good piece and fits snugly in the holster so you won’t have to worry about it disappearing on you. His primary weapon is the same assault rifle with a bayonet we first saw with 25th Airborne and was also used with 25th Anniversary Hit & Run. It may be a little older, but it’s still a good piece and it looks at home in Hit & Run’s hand. Plus, the added wrist articulation means he can grab the forward grip in a natural manner. Unlike a lot of modern Joes, 50th Anniversary Hit & Run gets a backpack. It’s a simple piece, but again, that works for Hit & Run. Like the rifle, I believe this is also the same backpack Hasbro gave 25th Anniversary Hit & Run. While the GIJCC may have given Hit & Run some fancier gear, I do like the simplicity of the throwback gear 50th Anniversary Hit & Run gets. These are all pieces that would have looked great with the original figure and it’s nice to see them here.

I’m still not totally sure what I think of this version of Hit & Run. I love the idea of Hit & Run in urban camouflage. However, the execution is just so subpar I can’t really bring myself to like the figure. I think part of it is that it’s something I already have in my collection via FSS 3.0, but I have plenty of duplicate figures thanks to multi-packs and I’ve been able to find something to like about most of those figures. Maybe it’s just because I got both Hit & Runs so close to each other, but this version of Hit & Run just feels really uninspired. I think the GIJCC’s version was better equipped and better painted, so this Hit & Run kind of became the cost of doing business to get cool versions of Zartan and Torpedo. I think Hasbro really dropped the ball by not giving us the Concept Case Hit & Run figure. After Gung-Ho, I think Hit & Run was one of the more clamored for Concept Case figures, and I don’t quite know why Hasbro didn’t make the choice to give us him in addition to Gung-Ho. As it stands, if you weren’t able to get either version of Hit & Run the GIJCC gave us, it’s an okay addition, but even then, I’m not sure, with as inconsistent as the paint work is, finally getting the same figure as the GIJCC released might not be enough to get you to like it.