Storm Shadow (2012 Dollar General)

Since the debut of the 25th anniversary figures back in 2007, I’ve hoped that the discount stores would pick up some of the modern molds for single packs, much like in the Valor vs. Venom days. Back then, I was able to army build some Cobra troops quite affordably (3 bucks each!) But alas, the dream of some cheap figures (and exclusive repaints) never came to pass, even in the 2009 movie year.

But hold the phone! It’s finally happened! Joe has made a triumphant return to dollar stores! Granted, what’s considered cheap now is a matter of opinion, although 6 dollars each is still less painful than $10.99. Just seeing repackaged figures at this price would be terrific, but Hasbro put out a little extra effort and gave us not only repaints, but also managed to put together some effective homages, a couple of which are right up my weird alley.

I’ve covered both Ninja Force and Renegades Storm Shadow before, and am incredibly fond of both. Ninja Force Stormy is the kind of ostentatious 90’s figure that I love, but was lacking in articulation. As soon as Renegades Storm Shadow came out of the package, the figure became my favorite of the last several years. He was accessorized to the hilt, amazingly poseable and realistically sculpted. So what would you get if these two figures were combined? Is it the best of both worlds?

It’s a very nice, albeit simplified, homage. The Renegades mold is intact, save for a different head with removable hood. The hood fits fairly well, but does have a tendency to move around on the head. The paint scheme is a good approximation of the Ninja Force figure, but not quite an exact copy. The dalmatian spots, gold shoulder pads and grenades are missing, but not missed too much. Overall, the look is quite nice, and again, I’d buy the Renegades Stormy mold in just about any flavour, including orange sherbet.

Make no mistake, these discount figures aren’t loaded with accessories as we’ve become accustomed these last few years. Storm Shadow includes just one sword and a bow. There’s no backpack to store the sword, but that’s not such a big deal, as most 25th collectors probably have plenty of ninja accessories hanging around. All in all, it’s a very cool figure, and thankfully didn’t end up as a barely articulated figure like the Hasbro Marvel figures on sale in the same store. They saved those for the Retaliation vehicles <rimshot>.