Blowtorch (2015)
Another Blowtorch, really? Yep, it’s the seemingly go-to guy when it comes to making up a modern GI Joe figure assortment. Actually, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but for someone who’s collected the last few series of modern figures, the character has almost become an army builder. I’m beginning to think they might recolor it tan and blue and call it the Steel Brigade flamethrower. Hey, that’s not a bad idea. I’d buy one.
I can’t be too hard on any release of the character, as I’ve been a fan since first seeing a tiny image of him on the back of a 1984 figure card. He’s one of the first figures I acquired when buying back all the Joes I’d sold as a teenager. And now, finally having this version based on pre-production color studies, I’m pretty excited. It’s certainly a unique variant.
Accessories and gear are the same we’ve seen in the PoC and previous 50th anniversary packages. There’s still something cool about Blowtorch brandishing a fire axe and a machine gun. I’m sure my kid self would have loved such a thing back in the 80s. On a positive note, the flamethrower clip seems to fit more securely this time around. And in three releases, I’ve yet to figure out what to do with the extinguisher bottle. It shouldn’t plug into his back, right? It’s not oxygen, after all. Maybe there’s a use I’m not seeing, and someone can correct me.
The least they could have done was fix the arm articulation a bit more.
Really, if this had been the figure packed with HEAT Viper last year, people would’ve have been quite as critical. Now, I’m hoping this is the last Blowtorch figure ever, short of a reinvention. It’s not a terrible figure, it’s just too many of a 3rd tier character in a short time. Kinda like Big Ben during the early ’00s.
The color’s interesting. Would have been cool to see a vintage figure in this color scheme. I’d still like to see an Action Force green Blowtorch. For some reason, I think the mold would be exceedingly sharp in that color.
The worst part for me is that I only kinda wanted this version because of the homage to the production piece, and the fact that it is so different in color to all of the previous version(s) I’ve gotten in the modern era. Unfortunately, as soon as I got him out of package the right arm elbow peg snapped before I put any pressure on it to get it to move. So, I’m just going to glue it in place and call it a day with this one. Display piece only… only if I care enough to bother displaying him.