Retaliation Blind Master

by KansasBrawler

Blind Master is a weird figure for me. I didn’t mind RZA’s interpretation of the character in Retaliation, but at the same time, I really didn’t care much about the movie version of that character as a whole. Yes, Blind Master was an important part of the Arashikage clan in the comics, but the movie never really gave me enough of a characterization to actually care about him. However, when I walked into a Toys ‘R’ Us and they actually had some new Joe product on the shelves (though it was already picked over since someone already snagged the Jinxes and Night Vipers), I figured I should grab Blind Master just in case since the chances of me seeing him again were probably next to nil. Blind Master has grown on me a little since I purchased him, but I’m still not really sure what I think of him and that’s a little weird for me to say.

Since Blind Master is ninja character from Retaliation, that means we’ve seen a lot of the parts used for this figure before. From the neck down, Blind Master uses the Renegades Storm Shadow mold, so there’s an element of more of the same here, but he does get one extra piece to make him look at least a little bit different—a long coat piece from one of the Rise of Cobra Storm Shadows. The parts work relatively well together and the added skirt piece is a nice variation from the standard ninja garb we’ve been seeing a lot since the Retaliation line started and makes it look more like a robe than a gi. Don’t get me wrong, the Renegades Storm Shadow figure is a great base for ninja figures, but I’m honestly getting a little tired of seeing it. I’m getting pretty badly burned out on that mold. I’m almost as tired of seeing it as I was of the first 25th Anniversary Cobra Commander mold, it’s that overused. It’s got a lot of poseability, though this time his legs are a bit restricted from his long robe. It’s a tradeoff, but since we really didn’t see Blind Master involved in that much action, I’m okay with him being only being able to stand well. On top of the figure, we get a great head sculpt that is a perfect representation of Blind Master from Retaliation. The scar across his face is well-executed and you can see a lot of RZA in that face. Hasbro has really made some impressive strides in capturing actor likenesses since Rise of Cobra and that’s definitely a good thing.

Blind Master may not be the most colorful character out there, but Hasbro did a good job of recreating his costume colors accurately while still making the figure look at least somewhat interesting. The base of the figure is a charcoal gray and it looks very sharp. It’s a bit more interesting than your basic black and it allows you to see details a little more easily. The edges of the cloth and his leg wraps are painted white, but unfortunately, the white edging is, at times, a bit unsuccessful. The edging on his chest is pretty faint, like they didn’t have time to put enough coats of paint on that spot so the dark gray didn’t bleed through. It’s not a deal breaker, but it does mean that the upper body and the robe look a bit off when compared to one another. The paint work on his head sculpt is good, but I do wish they’d been able to incorporate a bit more gray into his hair. Blind Master’s beard and hair had some strong gray streaks in them and his eyebrows were pure gray. It was a very distinctive look but it wasn’t carried into the figure and I think that’s just a touch of a letdown. That said, though, the paint work on his scar is well done and helps bring it out enough to the point that it’s easily noticeable, something that isn’t necessarily true on all the production shots of Blind Master from Retaliation. Blind Master’s shoulder strap also helps break up the gray by adding in some gold and black. It’s a nice accent to his look and I like how it looks, even if doesn’t fit him
perfectly.

Blind Master comes with a wide array of accessories and while some of them are a little weird, I honestly love their weirdness. According to some interviews, RZA took his inspiration for Blind Master from the old kung-fu movies of the 70s and while I don’t know if that was the best interpretation for the character, it did allow Hasbro to create some fun accessories for him that didn’t actually show up in the movie. His first weapon is also probably my favorite…the flying guillotine. This device showed up in an episode of Mythbusters and I like seeing it in Joe form. The flying guillotine can fit over a figure’s head and Blind Master can hold it in his hands thanks to a ring on the other end you can slip over his fingers. It looks great in his hand and I love how well-executed this accessory is. Blind Master also has two different options for head gear First off, we get a variation on the sugegasa. It’s built like a typical conical Asian-style hat and fits decently on Blind Master’s head, but as a Joe accessory, it’s been modified a bit to also be a bladed shield. The sugegasa has a sharp point on the top and six bladed that can be folded out to provide some offensive capabilities. Again, it’s a little weird, but when cast in the light that a lot of Blind Master’s characterization was based on cheesy 70s kung-fu movies, I’m strangely okay with it. I can see a bladed hat being a weapon in some weird kung-fu movie so it fits with the established idea behind the character. His other head accessory is a black, white and green face mask. It’s a great design and slips over his face well but is sturdy enough that I don’t think it’s going to break while I’m taking it off and on. Plus, I think it’s a great piece for customizers. Anyone that has an appreciation for Ninja Force will love that we’re one step closer to having good accessories for Banzai. His final non-weapon accessory is a flute. I’m really not sure why Blind Master has a flute. I don’t remember any rocking flute solos in Retaliation, but it looks nice, it’s just kind of a shame that he really can’t hold it like you’d hold a flute. For weapons, Blind Master is packing the Sword of Nine Rings, which is based loosely on the Japanese da dao sword with nine rings on the back. It’s also an amusing reference to RZA’s day job, part of the Wu-Tang Clan who had a comic book series called The Nine Rings of the Wu- Tang where all the members became superheroes. It’s a great pairing of references and it’s a surprisingly cool-looking accessory. His other weapon is the only piece that ever actually showed up in the movie, his bamboo bo staff. It makes sense for a blind man to carry around a staff to help himself navigate, but Blind Master decided to take it one step further and there’s a hidden blade inside as well. The accessory is well designed, but Blind Master doesn’t hold it quite as tightly as I’d like. When he’s holding it at the proper height that we saw him hold it during the movie, it’s a bit loose in his hands. It’s not bad, but he dropped it enough times sitting on my desk that I’ve got him gripping it around the middle of the staff because it’s much more secure there. My only other complaint about his accessories is what he doesn’t come with. The Rise of Cobra Storm Shadow skirt has a pistol holster built into it. I realize that Blind Master wouldn’t carry a firearm, but I wish there was something to fill that empty holster or that they’d modified the piece to remove the superfluous holster.

Even after reviewing Blind Master, I’m not 100% sure what to think of him. The figure is a pretty good representation of the Retaliation take on the character, but therein lies the problem. I’m still having trouble reconciling the take on Blind Master in the movie with the Blind Master I’m familiar with from the comics. I’m normally not one to get bent out of shape when a character deviates to wildly from what I’m familiar with in a movie, but Blind Master still confounds me a bit. I’ve found a way to mentally incorporate most of the Retaliation Joes into my own Joe-verse, but I’m still not sure what to do with Blind Master. Every other figure I’ve gotten recently has inspired at least one story idea, but Blind Master really didn’t. I’m glad I grabbed him and I did want to pick up the figure before I saw it somewhat unexpectedly at retail, but as I have him in my hands now, I’m not really sure why I did. It’s not a bad figure, it’s just not a figure that I can figure out how to use.