Recondo (2005)

Recondo is one of those fan favorites that folks clamor for in every new incarnation of GI Joe, and most of the time Hasbro has obliged. In the 2000’s series, he saw three separate releases, twice as a driver. Were they calling back to his Tiger Force days?

The body mold was used in 2003 to create both Double Clutch (the Desert Coyote driver) and Recondo (released in a two-pack). Repainting the same mold in the same year seems to be pushing it in most fans’ eyes, especially when one of the repaints is a character as well-remembered as Recondo.

This third new sculpt era version of the Joe team’s perennial jungle specialist corrected some quibbles that fans had with the previous two releases–namely, his hat. The Double Clutch mold on which it was based, wore a basic cap instead of the classic boonie hat everyone remembers. Most fans loathed it, feeling that the figure is just not Recondo without that distinctive hat. The color palette was also much improved, with a tan color more closely approximating his vintage look. He was also given a mustache this time around, and although it’s not an exact match for the almost handlebar style he sported in ’84, it’s a good try.

Of course the mold itself, especially the torso, just can’t distance itself from that of Clutch, who has always been known for having a holstered sidearm on his chest. It’s an element that just doesn’t quite work for Recondo, and this could have been a definitive “new sculpt” version of him if a more appropriate chest piece had been used. On a positive note, there were some nice innovative articulation elements to the figure. He has swivel wrists, and also a swivel at the top of the boot.

Despite the fact that the Joes’ primo jungle operative was thrown in as a driver for a vehicle called the Desert Coyote, it’s an overall cool “throw the fans a bone” figure in the life of the 2000’s line.