Peril in Paradise Tiger Force Stalker

By KansasBrawler

When Hasbro added Stalker to Tiger Force, I thought it was a great decision. I always used Flint as my de facto Tiger Force leader, but I always used Flint a lot as a Joe squad leader, so it didn’t feel right having him lead his own special squad, too. However, when I purchased the Tiger Force set from Toys ‘R’ Us when I was in high school, Stalker seemed like the perfect choice to lead the team. Even more surprising, though, was that Hasbro decided to use the Talking Battle Commanders Stalker mold for him. It was some out of the box thinking, and I really appreciated that at the time. It made a lot of sense for the GIJCC to use Stalker for their Tiger Force set as well. Stalker has been with the Joes for a long time, but unlike guys like Duke, Flint and even Sgt. Slaughter, he never had a squad of his own to lead. Now that the modern Tiger Force ranks have been expanded, it’s nice that Stalker can reassume the role as Tiger Force leader in my collection. The GIJCC made a decent approximation of the pretty funky look that Tiger Force Stalker had and while he’s not a perfect update, the look is close enough to pass the squint test.

The GIJCC used a lot of modern parts to create this figure. Unfortunately, not all the parts choices are great. The biggest problem comes from his legs. Tiger Force Stalker uses Retaliation Ultimate Duke legs, but something at the factory clearly went wrong because the feet don’t fit properly with the lower legs. It leaves Stalker wanting to lean back and topple at the slightest provocation. I don’t recall Ultimate Duke having that problem, so I’m assuming it’s from a production problem on the GIJCC’s end rather than a flaw in the mold itself. Compounding the problem, Stalker’s footholes are extremely shallow so his figure stand really doesn’t help him stay vertical that well. The legs are decent and stand in quite well for Talking Battle Commander Stalker’s baggy pants though I do miss the high boots from the vintage figure. I’m having a bit of trouble pinning the torso down, but it looks like it might be the 25th Anniversary Viper mold. It’s a basic buttoned military and it’s a nice stand in for the Stalker mold originally used to create the Tiger Force version. To make things a little more interesting, though, Tiger Force Stalker gets the webgear from the SDCC Transformers crossover Snake Eyes figure. It’s a really great piece and I’m surprised we haven’t seen it used more often. The crossed straps reference the original figure’s chest but the rest of the webgear is a bit heavier duty, which I like. He’s got a lot of pouches to carry extra equipment in and the webgear looks strong enough to support his substantial backpack. The arms come from Retaliation G.I. Joe Trooper and that’s a great call. The added details on his wrists reference communicators and like the webgear, the G.I. Joe Trooper arms aren’t a piece we’ve seen a lot so they seem fresh and new compared to something like the Shock Trooper arms. Up top, Tiger Force Stalker gets a brand new head. I’ll admit, part of me wishes that the GIJCC had given someone like Big Brawler a new head, but the first 25th Anniversary Stalker head is pretty dated and I don’t think dreadlock Stalker fits with this look, so I get why the GIJCC had Boss Fight do up a new head for Tiger Force Stalker. Unlike every other version of Stalker, this one actually has a removable beret so we get to see the top of his head for the first time ever. The GIJCC had Boss Fight walk a fine line here. Talking Battle Commanders Stalker’s face is almost as ridiculous as “Drunken Karaoke Duke” so going that route would be stupid, but it’s still something that should be referenced so this version of Stalker has a bit of a grimace. It’s not over the top, but it’s enough to make him look different than any other Stalker out there. This version of Stalker also has the added benefit of looking a bit older. Considering Stalker served in Vietnam, his figures modern always looked pretty fresh faced. I like seeing a bit more age on Stalker’s face here. It adds some more character to the figure and it makes him very different from the other versions of him I have. I’m honestly kind of looking forward to seeing this head on Jammer in FSS 4.0 because it’s that good of a piece. Topping off the figure, Stalker has the removable beret that’s been used a few times since the Retaliation line. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really fit Stalker’s head that well. It’s a lot more fiddly than I’m used to it being and that bugs me a little. With Retaliation Ultimate Flint, you could put it back on quite easily, but with Stalker, you have to find just the right angle or it doesn’t sit right and if it’s off by just a tiny bit, the beret looks really off. I don’t quite know why it doesn’t fit Stalker’s head as well as it should, but that’s the case.

Like Tiger Force Dial Tone, Tiger Force Stalker differs a bit from his vintage counterpart when it comes to his color choices, though the differences aren’t quite as drastic and work better with the rest of the team compared to Dial Tone’s changes. Tiger Force Stalker is wearing yellow tiger-striped pants. It’s a bit of a change from the orange used on the vintage version and I’m not sure it’s for the better. Yellow brings him more in line with the rest of the American Tiger Force figures, but it’s honestly brighter than the orange Hasbro originally used on the figure and I’m not sure I like that because the rest of the figure is so dark. Stalker’s got a black shirt and the webgear over his torso is a dark green. I kind of wish the GIJCC had used the brighter green from Big Brawler’s webgear here. It would have brought everybody a little closer together. Big Brawler and Wreckage both have green accessories in matching shades, so Stalker’s darker green looks a little off. Plus, I think the brighter green might have made it so Stalker didn’t look so dark and might mean his yellow pants don’t look as obnoxiously bright as they do now. There’s a bit of yellow on his sleeves, covering both his pouches. The yellow is crisply applied and there’s no slop, which is good considering how visible it would be. Stalker’s head is molded out of a nice shade of brown for an African American’s skintone and fits with the color traditionally used for Stalker’s skin. The black for his hair is cleanly applied and the white for his teeth and eyes really make them pop against his darker skin. The figure’s beret is decent, though the yellow trim is a bit fuzzy. There’s no real slop, but it doesn’t look as crisp as it could be.

As befitting Tiger Force’s commanding officer, Stalker has some great gear and it makes him look like he brings a lot to the squad. Starting off with his backpack, Stalker has the same backpack that was used for Pursuit of Cobra Snow Job. It’s got a lot of carrying capacity and considering how the comic portrays Tiger Force as a team that goes into the jungle on long missions with little opportunity for resupply, having a big backpack is a plus. As a nice reference to Stalker’s Vietnam past, the backpack has a great radio built into it. The only other time that Stalker was the one with the radio pack is his LRRP patrol was the comic pack version, so I like seeing it here. Plus, the backpack allows him to carry all his other accessories. Tiger Force Stalker’s primary weapon is the great 30th Lifeline rifle. It makes sense for Stalker to have a tricked out assault rifle. He’s been with the Joes long enough to know what he needs and has modified his weapon accordingly. To fill his holster, he’s got a small pistol and it’s a great weapon of last resort. Finally, as a reference to the old Talking Battle Commander Stalker’s crazy big rifle, Stalker also gets the .50 caliber machine gun that first came with Retaliation Ultimate Roadblock. I like the piece, but I’m not sure it really fits with Stalker. Yes, when Hasbro released Tiger Force Stalker the first time, they cribbed his weapons from the original Talking Battle Commander version, but that thing was a funky artifact of the 90s, and I don’t get that vibe from this piece. It’s just a big old machine gun and that’s not something I generally associate with Stalker. On the plus side, the peg on the side plugs into the backpack securely so Stalker can carry it around with him.

Tiger Force Stalker is a great modern interpretation on a relatively recent addition to the Tiger Force team. I do wish the legs were better, especially in light of Stalker’s balance issues, but I’m not sure how prevalent Stalker’s leg issues are, so I won’t call him a bad figure just because mine’s got some balance problems. Like I said, I know it’s not the legs themselves that are the problem because Ultimate Duke doesn’t have that problem, so to me that says isolated factory error. Considering some Joe fans got saddled with Metal Head’s with two left arms, I’ll happily take Stalker’s balance problems over that. The colors work well, though it would be nice if his upper body were a bit brighter so his lower body didn’t seem exceedingly bright. The overall design is solid and while I hope the GIJCC doesn’t get in the habit of releasing figures from subteams in their original colors in a later FSS series, I wouldn’t mind seeing this particular take on Stalker released in more standard military colors. Tiger Force Stalker is a nice addition to the team and I like having Stalker around to lead my modern Tiger Force figures.