Burn Out (2011)
New Dreadnoks are always a welcome sight for me. Ever since their introduction in the ’80’s, I’ve enjoyed the anarchic elements they bring to the line in terms of both character and design. I always thought that the Mad Max films would have made for a great toy line, and the Dreadnoks exemplify that kind of post-apocalytpic look very well.
Released as part of the BigBadToyStore exclusive Dreadnok battle set, Burn Out also scores bonus points for me by being based on a 2000’s era figure.
In the original Burn Out’s file card, shoehorned amongst his mechanical abilities is a mention of his ability to easily assume anyone’s body language and speech patterns. I can only assume that this was done solely as a means to further the concept of the Spy Troops line from which he came. Regardless, he’s a man of many talents.
It looks like someone took his code name too literally, since he comes packaged with a flamethrower. Since his primary specialty is mechanic, I would think that the code name refers to the idea of smoking the tires on a car or motorcycle, not actually setting things on fire.
The use of the Pursuit of Cobra Recondo body makes for an imposing figure, and the various wraps, padding and plates on the arms and legs give off a decidedly Dreadnok vibe. It’s yet another example of the versatility of the modern Joe molds. A couple of oddities with the figure are the painted spots on his shirt, which appear to be meant to represent rips, and the angle of the neck, which causes Burn Out to constantly look down at his feet. The neck problem isn’t as pronounced as Recondo’s, but it’s still a bit of a drawback. The new head sculpt itself however is fantastic, and conveys a lot of emotion.
Burn Out is available along with six other figures in the Dreadnok battle pack at BigBadToyStore. A GI Joe set, Slaughters’ Marauders, is also available.
I love this update of an awesome new Dreadnok character that’s often forgotten. This was a far better use of the Recondo mold than Recondo was, this is a bad ass figure. Just needs new accessories.
I need Zanya, no way I can buy it in Europe!
I’m not a Dreadnok fan, but their presence in the Joeniverse is impossible to ignore by now. This latest set of figures is a love letter from Hasbro to ‘Nok aficionados everywhere and could have doubled as a Mad Max homage line on its own. Burn Out here is enough of a clean slate to fit in either world. (Except for his accessories’ similarities to those of Torch!) I’m also wondering if Hasbro still has any ties to Tonka so that they could resurrect the Steel Monsters characters from the late 80’s. Those guys would make for perfect additions to the Dreadnok family.
Steel Monsters would be awesome!
Having never owned the original and going from pictures I’ve seen that head sculpt always made me think of Luis Guzman. Now this head sculpt, wow, that is some fantastic detail. This is what I would consider to be THE no-$#!+ guy. There is still just a hint of Guzman to my mind, but it isn’t nearly as apparent.
I could not agree more with NFC that this was a far better use for the Recondo mold then Recondo was. Burn Out doesn’t seem to suffer from the looking down issues nearly as much, either.
With regards to his reuse of torch’s well… torch, I think it makes sense for welding. He is a mechanic after all, so that accessory usage doesn’t bother me.
The Dreadnoks/Mad Max connection was never lost on me, even back when the original ‘Noks were introduced. When I opened this 7-pack, I had to do it with Max Mad on the tele, I just HAD to. Now to work on the idea I have for a Toecutter custom.