Beachhead (2008 Comic Pack)
The original Beachhead figure is great, but wow did the guy have a huge melon. Of all the many times the vintage mold was re-released, it never got a retrofitted head. I hoped for one as part of the vintage styled comic packs, since those sets seemed to be head-swap happy.
The first 25th anniversary Beachhead wasn’t too thrilling, with a cumbersome open vest and a head that went the opposite direction from the original–it looked a bit too small. Well, how’s this for a fix on both issues; and in a comic pack, no less?
First off–hooray, they fixed his vest! The closer fitting, more 1986 accurate gear makes the same basic figure look so much better. The camo on the pants has more contrast, and stands out better than the previous version. The redesigned head is a welcome change too, and further helps with proportions. It also more closely resembles the 1986 head sculpt.
Swappable heads are a great addition to the GI Joe line. Having the ability to switch them out, especially for an unmasked head, is something my younger self would have loved. It was a feature I always wanted in my figures. After all, the helmeted guys usually could remove their headgear, why not the mask wearers? As a bonus, Beachhead also gets a pulled down version of his balaclava that partially covers his face. Very nice. Maybe he pulls it up to mask his foul breath, since he’s known as a guy who’s not big on hygiene.
Speaking of bonus features, the removable ammo clip is great, and there’s even a spot to store one in his satchel. The little touches all over this figure elevate it as one of my favorite GI Joe team members from the 25th anniversary, and I think it still stands up as one of the coolest versions of Beachhead.
One of my favorite characters In the Joeverse!!!!
His birthplace is only a few miles from me and I work there as well.
A GREAT figure and an EXCELLENT update!
The pulled-down scarf would later be used for the Desert Pack Major Bludd.
I really do like this figure, especially the accessories. If I manage to get the black version that came with ROC Rampage, I’m giving it to my Night Force Beachhead.
This was my pick for best figure in the 25th Anniversary line. Pretty much perfect all the way around.
I think the WOJM crew somehow missed this guy when they did the big roundup last podcast. This is a rare figure that I’ve kept the 25th version as my “prime” display version even though there’s a POC version available.
So thats what Beachheads head looks like
This Beachhead was a great version. While I liked that they tried to do something new with the vest on the first release, I found myself missing the classic vest. The head sculpt is really cool and while the alternate head was not what I was expecting Beachhead to look like under the facemask, I still appreciate that they’ve finally given us an unmasked head for him.
I never looked for the original figure back in ’86 because masked guys looked more like Cobras to me. However, I warmed up to the character after recent viewings of the Sunbow cartoon. As with Snake-Eyes, I always wondered what he looked like underneath that mask. (Even though the comics briefly showed his face early on. Ditto for Shockwave.)
I’m glad I waited for the comic pack version since it turned out to be the definitive Beachhead and the only one I need.
Great figure!
My sister brought me this comic pack back from her holidays in Malta. I had stopped collecting 25th at that stage. However even I will readily admit this rendition of Beachead is very cool and I was pleasantly surprised to recieve him. I especially like his updated weapon and accessories. A nice figure and a great review again.
A much better update of one of my favourite if smelly characters, lol.
– John.
Who decided that Beachhead was consciously unhygenic, anyway? That’s not good fieldcraft.
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