Firefly (2000)

Well, if you like your GI Joe figures done up drab and gritty, this is the Firefly for you. The third appearance of a classic mold, and one that would wear out its welcome by the end of the decade, Firefly worked for me in whatever environmental variation Hasbro chose to place him. This could be jungle Firefly, or even front line combat Firefly. In fact, the very drab nature of his uniform could have lended itself to a pre-Cobra version of the famous saboteur, were it not for the Cobra sigil emblazoned on his forehead. The figure also stands out as the only gloveless Firefly. Is that a big deal? Not really.

I’m not normally one for paint wipes on action figures, but here the effect is well done. I’ve seen other figures from this series that looked like they’d fallen into a bottle of ink and been hastily wiped off. Bringing out detail in a mold is cool, but making a figure look like its been buried in the dirt is not.

For the accessory hounds out there, I do realize that this version of the figure didn’t come with the standard ’84 field phone. I just couldn’t resist putting one in his hand. The 1984 Firefly mold just seems naked without it. Besides, how else is he going to call his Swiss bank to make sure Cobra Commander has made his latest deposit?