Overkill (2003)
Each time I dig down into the storage tubs that contain my new sculpt era figures, I become more and more enamored with them. Having bought the series as it was released, I followed my typical adult collector process. Buy a wave of figures, open them up in reverse order of interest, put the choice few that I really liked on display on my work desk or a shelf, and throw the rest in a storage tub. Such is the life of a completist. Now, as I rummage through those unvisited tubs looking for blog subjects, I find myself gaining new appreciation for figures to which I had previously paid little attention.
Overkill is one such figure. He never made it to the prime display space shared by other Spy Troops figures, as I just didn’t like the way he looked. At the time, he seemed kind of bland. What was I thinking back then? This is a really cool figure. First off, it has those classic Cobra design elements in the helmet and face mask/scarf. The figure also fares better than many others of the time with regards to proportion. You can’t go wrong with the classic removable BAT weapon arm either, especially when the gun is as large as this one. One bit that still bothers me however are the strangely painted eyes. I suppose they’re meant to represent the image intensifiers mentioned in the file card, but it just looks to me like he’s squinting.
The file card doesn’t mention much about his background other than the fact that this version is a cyborg rather than a robot. In the Devil’s Due series, he was the murderous former SAW Viper who gunned down several Joes in Trucial Abysmia. In that comic, his appearance under the helmet and scarf were quite graphic. He was bald and stitched up much like the Frankenstein monster. His jaw was replaced with a rather ugly mechanical jaw, which explains the scarf. I guess it was more than just a fashion accessory after all.
I like the outlaw bandana look.
I usually open up stuff in reverse order of interest. Wonder how many of us do that? I read the DDP comics featuring Overkill and thought they did a good job with the whole “SAW Viper turned into Trap-Jaw” scenario. I wasn’t collecting Joes at the time, so this is another figure that I didn’t know about. The eyes are its weak spot, however. He does look like those image intensifiers aren’t doing too great a job.
I tend to follow and streamline the cartoon continuity a little more, so this is how I explain this new look: when Cobra was transitioning into the early 2000’s, Overkill decided to give himself an upgrade, one that would make him a little more human-looking so he could blend in with crowds should the need arise to make a retreat.
Nice B.A.T.’ s leader!
IIRC, the 12-inch version of this character has a removable scarf with a mechanical jaw underneath.
Really dug this figure right when he was released. Not sure why so many fans didn’t like him, but I notice he is getting noticed again. I thought he was a cool figure with a cool idea. Grey is a color that worked better IMO, but blue worked as well.