Crimson Guard Officer (2008)
With all the focus on the Crimson Guard as an elite force of Cobra soldiers, it’s a bit surprising that the group didn’t get another official officer figure until this Toys R Us exclusive. Part of the Senior Ranking Officer sets, it’s a flashier repaint of the 25th Anniversary CG mold. The same year saw the release of a silver breasted Squad Leader in another Toys R Us multi-pack, but its rank was E-5, where this one is E-6. I guess the gold and black indicates just a bit higher rank. What is it with gold and higher ranks in enemy forces, by the way? Remember the original Cylons? Their officers gadded about in shiny gold to distinguish them from their lower ranked compatriots.
The 25th Anniversary CG mold has been a meh for me since its release. Maybe it’s the build of the figure, or the oddly narrow helmet. In comparison to the o-ring original, it just looks a bit off, proportionally. Where the 1985 figure was sleek, the modern interpretation is thin. The build really falls apart when it comes to the legs, as the hips look too narrow where the sockets connect. Very strange.
Of course, I still love the siegie concept, and I always give them a shot, no matter the format. Want to check out all the many Crimson Guards we’ve covered at JAD? Check them out here.
Well they did have a Crimson Guard Commander back in ’93. He didn’t have a rank on his filecard but his MOS was Cobra Elite Officer. Sadly his highlights were yellow not gold but I might do a repaint on him now I think about it. I have already repainted 2 o-ring Segies to represent this Officer and the silver Squad Leader. It’s not just the Cylons, one of the Viper Pit Vipers had a gold faceplate which I bet most of us use as the squad leader.
Crimson Guard is one figure which Hasbro has just not gotten right since the original mold IMO. The boots on this figure look great, but I agree that he is too skinny. The new Retaliation figure was nice although the alley viper legs don’t work that well and the helmet is a bit squat. For some reason Hasbro just can’t seem to properly recreate the CG helmet and face mask to look decent on the modern figures.
@Kick2hester
To me this guy looks more like some sort of diver
A cool figure!
Great idea and army-builder multipacks are generally a hit. But I’m not big on this figure. Some 25th figures were near-perfect (the BAT), while others were lacking and got multiple repaints (CG, Trooper).
Will Hasbro ever get figure proportions right??!?!
I think an officer figure was a good idea to give the crimson guard more depth. The 25th head is a little too pointed in the face though. I’ve never understood what they were trying to accomplish with his side arm. Looks unfinished….