FOE Striker (2015)

The AWE Striker is a vehicle mold that’s been used time and time again since its first release. The off-road ride has done duty in many a GI Joe series, from the Real American Hero era to the Retaliation movie. It’s been the go to transport for the Eco Warriors, had a Sound Attack version, and even traveled to an alien world via a remold into the Stargate movie line. I’ve said before that maybe it’s time to put the Striker out to pasture, but when I saw the photos of this new iteration, I was intrigued. Would it stand out or be just another re-hash?

The most notable new element of the FOE Striker for me initially was the soft goods cover. This is something I hadn’t expected to see in the line. It’s such a unique addition, and brings not only extra play but the perception of extra value. In the end, the feature was the reason I sat up to take note of an item I’d seen many times before. The way it stores and deploys works just as advertised in the instructions, with very little fuss, aside from the natural issue of rolling the cover back up to stow it away. Until I had it in hand, I was wondering how all this extra structure would integrate into the vehicle, and the final result was fairly ingenious. I’m reminded of a few of the Fisher-Price Adventure People sets that incorporated soft goods with the usual plastic elements. If the Joe team ever needs to hang out on the weekends, they can certainly put this vehicle to use in a civilian setting. Which reminds me, I could see this repainted in Adventure Team yellow and put to good use yet again. You never know when Joe might need to go on safari again. Of course, you’d want to exchange the weapons for cameras.

Aside from the forward observer outpost, the FOE also features a new snap-on armor/storage element for the hood. The piece adds some interesting detail, and dresses up the AWE mold just a little more. It’s a simple attachment, but one that again adds a lot of value. I’m just as impressed as I was back when the VAMP got its roof and door additions. This is a lot of bang for Hasbro’s buck. Brilliant work.

Hasbro has certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of a decades-old design, but with just a few additions, has made it very relevant and useful. I was pleasantly surprised when the AWE became the Retaliation Ninja Commando 4×4, and I’ve again found a reason to be impressed with the Hasbro team’s ingenuity. I hope there’s more to come.