Checkpoint Alpha (2013 Kre-O)
When I covered a few of the individual Kre-O figures a while back, I mentioned having the most pure fun with GI Joe since the days of Sigma 6. I’ll go one better with the building sets and say that I’ve been transported back to the days of assemble-your-own vehicles and accessories. I know that pre-assembled vehicles have been a part of GI Joe since the 2000s, but I hadn’t realized how much I missed putting them together myself until I got a chance to build a vintage styled kit, even if it is more a Lego–excuse me, Kre-O type of experience.
What we’ve got is a pretty good approximation of the old Check Point battle station. For the lowest price point of the first wave sets, it’s packed with quite a few pieces, including two of the coolest individual figures in the series so far–Firefly and Order. Order? Yeah, how cool is it to already have an animal companion in this line? I wish it could have been Mutt and Junkyard, but they’re coming up soon in a single pack. Even better, an enterprising customizer could easily make Order into a Timber for Snake Eyes with just a simple paint job. Somebody get on that.
If you like the building aspect of the format, and you’ve got a thing for vintage Joe, it’s hard to resist these sets. It also doesn’t help that they had to make Firefly so gosh darn cute. He’s got a cool Cobra bike to ride and he’s even got a little explosive that he can hold or fit in his backpack. Isn’t he just the most precious saboteur action figure you’ve ever seen?
It’s cute if you’re into Legos, yeah. Seeing the Checkpoint Alpha return like this is bittersweet since I’m still trying to find a vintage MIB one to complete my Joe Battle Stations. But these new Kre-Os are turning up in my customized Ebay searches instead of the classic toy. You can tell that the designers know their stuff, though: They chose the right characters for this set.
Now if only Hasbro would reissue the actual Checkpoint Alpha, I’d be a truly happy camper. (And buy at least 4!) 🙂
If they made the checkpoint. How far away can the Flagg be?
This is a really good set, and has more building pieces for the price than the Ninja Temple gate (though the red ninjas make up for that one). Both of those sets are selling very well, while the more expensive ones are lingering. Must…resist…buying…MORE!
I bought this set for my kids and we had a blast putting it together. I wasn’t to thrilled with the whole G.I.Joe Goes Lego idea, But once in hand,I had ALOT of fun with it.could the command Center be far behind. Excellent idea, Hasbro! Let’s see more!
I like Order!