Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Action Figure Review: Parth "Wolf Spider" Varma (Night Force) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro



   Today I'm looking at the second G.I. Joe: Classified Series figure from the newest Night Force themed series of figures and this time it's a member of the Joe team: Parth "Wolf Spider" Varma. Parth "Wolf Spider" Varma is a brand new character and adds another Coast Guard member to the crew. He's a pararescue trooper, so he has EMT training for when your Joes get hurt. I believe it was mentioned somewhere that Wolf Spider is the first Joe team member of Indian heritage, so that's kind of cool. His first name, Parth, means "the person who never misses his target" and his last name, Varma, means armor and protection in Sanskrit. That's pretty cool. I wonder if that was intentionally chosen by Hasbro? Wolf Spider has an interesting story in that he began showing up in pictures and for international fans early last fall, at least a month or so before he was even announced by Hasbro. That doesn't happen often these days. Wolf Spider does reuse parts from a number of other figures, so he's a bit of a Frankenjoe, but he has his own unique vibe. Ready to take a look at Wolf Spider? Then join me after the break...




The Facts:

Height: 6 3/8th inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed drop down hips, ball jointed waist, mid-torso hinge, butterfly pecs, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, ball jointed neck base, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Pistols, holster, thigh pouches, helmet, goggles, mask, 3 piece shotgun, knife, backpack, and string. 

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:


* Since Wolf Spider is part of Night Force, he's clad in dark greens and greys with...some bright yellow? Hey, the color works and does help him to stand out a bit on your shelf while still looking like he's ready for a stealth raid. I've seen him compared to the Battle Corps Beach-Head figure and I kind of agree. Wolf Spider uses Scrap Iron's limbs and lower body, Dusty's torso, and Storm Shadow's neck with the vest and thigh holsters from Beach Head, so he's made from mixed parts, but he looks good. Everything fits together nicely and the colors are really solid. 

* We're going to talk about Wolf Spider's masked portrait in a minute but first let's check out this cool face mask. What's the deal with this? It looks like a combination respirator/ oxygen mask and some sort of goggles, though there's only one lens. Maybe a scanner? Wolf Spider has EMT training, so could it be some sort of high-tech medical scanner? It's quite cool and a unique accessory to him and I'm loving how it seems like something very cutting edge. Yeah, some Joes run around in old military gear or without shirts using swords and stuff, but most should have the stuff that's at the bleeding edge of technology. 



* Wolf Spider also has a pretty cool ballistic helmet with a chin strap and night vision goggles on top. The helmet has a fantastic sculpt and some nifty paint applications. I thought this was something that would be shared with the upcoming Airborne but, looking at pictures of that figure, this seems to be unique to Wolf Spider as well. 




* The goggles flip down into position and look very cool, particularly for a Night Force figure. Just adjust the helmet a bit to get them over his eyes. 











* Here's a look at the paint and sculpt on the back of Wolf Spider's vest and a glimpse of his cool personalized patch. It's a wolf spider in front of the moon. I dig, I dig. 




* The pouches on his right thigh are removable, though why take them off? They look cool and are surely loaded with extra goodies. 


* As is typical with the Classified Series, I'm pleased with the articulation here. Wolf Spider moves well, can take a great variety of poses, and interacts nicely with his weapons. The 6 inch Joes are just super sturdy, durable figures that have some of the best articulation out there. The only place where there is a bit of restricted motion on him is his torso, as he's wearing that heavy combat vest.



* Wolf Spider's Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun is borrowed from Falcon, though his is in all grey. It's a nice looking accessory with solid sculpting and even some paint applications for those bright green shells. The barrel is hollow, too, so you can pop a firing effect inside.




* The stock folds out and it's made from two parts that attach to the shotgun: There's an arm and the butt plate. 












* Wolf Spider also comes with the same knife as Falcon.



* And the same backpack! It does seem like it has plenty of gear for getting into treacherous situations and rescuing allies: A long range antenna sticking out of the back for the radio system, two canteens, and some rappelling cord. The canteens each get a paint app, as does the cord and the radio. Behind the antenna there is actually a radio tuner sculpted onto the pack with a little bit of detail. That's a neat feature. The colors match the rest of Wolf Spider's gear nicely. 




* The knife fits into the sheath on the side of the backpack, keeping it ready for Parth to reach back and grab it if he needs to cut some robe, strip some wire, or stab a Cobra trooper right in the aorta. 


* Wolf Spider is also packing one of the pistols we saw with many figures early in the line. I still like the design and I won't fault Hasbro for reusing it here. It's a solid sidearm. 




* It fits right in the holster on his right hip, which is the same hoster that came with Beach Head.



* Wolf Spider also comes with some rappelling cord. It's just a simple string and there's no way to really attach it to him (no carabiner or anything), so it's an odd extra, though it makes sense for someone who probably rapels out of helicopters fairly often. 


* Rumor has it that Wolf Spider was at one point intended to be a G.I. Joe troop builder, but he was given a unique name and personality at some point. Sadly he doesn't have an unmasked head, but he does have a masked head. It's pretty nice but...

The Negatives:

* It's reused from Kamakura. I'm not totally aggrieved by this but I don't like the idea of named characters sharing heads. It got out of control during the 25th Anniversary era and it's definitely not acceptable in the 1/12th scale.




* I love the helmet design but the attachment point for the night vision goggles is kind of rubbery. The goggle stay on fine but if you actually try to move them up and down the hinge just bends. 



* The fold out stock on the SPAS-12 is really cool, but it's too bad that the butt plate keeps falling off. It's tough to keep it attached unless the stock is folded up. I had the same problem with this shotgun accessory when it came with Falcon, so I expected it. Doesn't make it any less frustrating, though.


   While there are a few little fidgety issues with the accessories, overall I like Spider Wolf quite a bit. He fills a unique role in the Joe team, he's a great looking Night Force figure, and his head gear and mask are superb. I'm not wild about him reusing the same masked head as Kamakura, but at least it's a masked head. Plus, Kamakura had an unmasked head, which is typically how I display him. For being a Frankenjoe with a few new accessories, Wolf Spider doesn't leap out at you as being reused. Her honestly feels quite new and fresh. He's a Great figure and a cool new addition to the team. 



This is the first figure of Parth "Wolf Spider" Varma I've reviewed on the site. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:






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4 comments:

  1. GIJigsawFebruary 28, 2024 at 9:08 PM

    Very cool looking figure. I got him as well but didn't know his background. Didn't realize he's a brand new Joe. Looks great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17March 9, 2024 at 11:01 AM

      Yeah, it sounds like it happened later in design/ production, but it was a cool idea.

      Delete
  2. Super-Duper ToyBoxFebruary 29, 2024 at 9:19 AM

    Damn, the night ops gear is fantastic on this- every time I want to stop buying Classified ...!

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