Action Figure Barbecue: Action Figure Review: Action Sailor (Recon Diver) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

Today I'm really excited to check out one of the two 60th Anniversary G.I. Joe figures released in the Classified Series: The Action Sailor (Recon Diver). Taking inspiration from the vintage G.I. Joe: Action Sailor and various frogman gear sets, this Classified Series Action Sailor isn't a named character but regular American soldier. Well, maybe not regular; he looks like a Navy SEAL, so he's definitely more of an elite operator. Still, like the original G.I. Joes, these aren't developed characters but just regular servicemen. This guy sells for a deluxe price of $35 dollars, but man is he loaded with gear! This guy is insanely well equipped. Many of the accessories are reused from previous figures (most of the figure is reused from Torpedo) but there's a lot of new stuff to appreciate here, too. Let's dive in and take a look at the Action Sailor (Recon Diver) after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 1/4th 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 ball jointed head.

Accessories: 2 swappable heads, dog tags, submersible scooter, diving navigator, 2 fins, knife, sheathe, thigh pouch, rifle, magazine, speargun, pistol, suppressor, dive computer, rebreather pack with mask, vest, backpack, satchel, and display stand.

Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars

The Positives:

* The base of the figure is shared with Torpedo, except this Sailor is in a mostly black swimsuit with OD green gear. The vest is a separate piece and, while it isn't removable, it is new and has various bits of gear and hoses attached to it. It's a sleek uniform that captures a very real world military aesthetic. I wonder who we'll see reuse that vest in the future? Wetsuit, perhaps?

* For being an unnamed figure, there's a lot of character in the Action Sailor's portrait. He looks like a really tough and determined guy, as you'd expect from an elite special forces operator. Most of his head is covered by the hood of the wetsuit with just his face poking out.

* The second portrait is another standard diver sculpt, though this time it's a white guy. The original G.I. Joe Action Soldier figure from 1964 was Caucasian but in 1965 Hasbro offered the Action Soldier as black, reaching a wider variety of kids. Since then G.I. Joe has always been a rather diverse toyline and Hasbro routinely includes multiple headsculpts with army builders in the Classified Series. It's a neat feature; I'm have tempted to buy another Action Sailor to have both portraits on display.

* The Action Sailor has the same dive computer on his right wrist that Torpedo had, though the color scheme is different. It is a removable piece; just pop the hand off and it slides right over.

* As another throwback to the vintage toys, the Recon Diver has a air of dog tags. The size is pretty accurate and while you wouldn't wear them over your diving suit like this, I like the look. They can tuck into the diving vest for a sleeker appearance.

* I think this vest is part of a closed circuit rebreather, but I could be wrong. It's a separate piece that fits over the Action Sailor's torso (just pop the head off). It even has some paint applications for the various hoses on it.

* The front part of the rebreather kit attaches to the diving vest and is permanently attached to the goggles. Check out those goggles, by the way. The lenses are clear, so you can actually see the Sailor's eyes! These are very impressive and I wouldn't be surprised to see them reused on a Wetsuit figure in the figure.

* The backpack is the same that came with Torpedo. It's cast in black and OD green with some little "No Cobra" victory marks on the back.

* The swim fins are also all black this time around. They're kind of rubbery, too, and they fit over the Action Sailor's boots rather than just clipping into the foot peg hole.

* There are two hooks on the back of the Recon Diver's vest which allow him to carry his swim fins when going on land. That's a pretty nifty feature!

* The Action Sailor has the same weapon as Torpedo which appears to have been identified by the good folks over at the HissTank forums as hybrid of a Sig MCX Rattler and an FN SCAR. So, yeah, it's fictional, but it looks realistic. It's a great weapon for a Recon Diver! Compact and versatile.

* Of course, it still has the removable magazine.

* He also gets the speargun that both Torpedo and the Cobra EELs use. It's an impressive modern speargun with a sleek design. The harpoon on the end is really cool with some decent sized barbs, and there's also a length of cord and a wrist strap. I'm not sure if a speargun really has any practical military uses but it's pretty cool and surely has some crazy uses. The speargun is a bit rubbery, but I don't find it to be overly so. Honestly, it's nice to not have to worry about the harpoon tip breaking off.

* There's a lot of Torpedp reuse here, as I mentioned earlier, so the Action Sailor also has Torpedo's knife.

* And his sheath, which perfectly holds the knife.

* He's also sporting some pouches on his left thigh. They're surely filled with all kinds of useful stuff for sneaky, black bag operations.

* The Action Sailor's sidearm and suppressor are both borrowed from Stalker. it's a modified M1911 pistol with boxy suppressor that looks like an Osprey from SilencerCo to me. It's a really nice kit, giving the Recon Diver another quieter weapon (he's also got the knife, the spear gun, and his Kung-Fu grip).

* The pistol and suppressor fit into a holster and loop built onto the dive vest, so they're easily at hand.

* For engaging in underwater demolitions, the satchel of explosive charges that came with the Retro Snake Eyes is included here, too. This time it's in OD green so it matches the rest of the gear.

* The Action Sailor's diving navigation board is a new piece with lots of gauges and an undewater compass. It's based on the TAC-100 Combat Swim Board and has handles for your figure to grip and lots of gear and readouts.

* The navigation board fits right onto the front of the rebreather, keeping it locked in place. It really is impressive how much of his gear this figure can hold.

* A small submersible scooter is also included for helping your Recon Diver reach their mission goals. It's quite cool with the G.I. Joe stars and stripes logo, a front carrying handle, and lots of pop up displays.

* There's some really cool writing on the side of the unit and a propeller that rotates. You can break this down into four pieces (body, two haves of the propeller housing, and the propeller) but I'm not sure that's an intended feature or anything.

* The 60th Anniversary figures each come with a black plastic display stand. Simple, but a nice extra.

* This guy reuses the Torpedo body, so you already know that the articulation is excellent. While he's toting his scuba gear and additional pouches e's pretty loaded down, but if you take off a few things he can take some great poses. Everything is sturdy, the joints have a great range of motion, and the Action Sailor looks awesome in both traditional combat poses and swimming poses. Here's a shot of him with a Mezco One:12 Collective stand so you can see how he looks "swimming."

* The rifle clips underneath the backpack for storage.

The Negatives:

* Unfortunately, it's pretty loose and it falls off far too easily. Bummer.

The Action Sailor (Recon Diver) is loaded to the gills with cool accessories, and the fact that he can hold every one of them is just remarkable. See him on the right there? Other than the extra head and display stand, he has every piece of gear on his body or carried in his hand. That's crazy! No, you don't have to display him like that, but it's darn impressive for a 1/12th scale action figure. This is a very cool tribute to the classic G.I. Joe 12 inch figures in the Classified Series style, kind of like the Action Sailor and his fellow soldiers were in the 30th Anniversary Commemorative line that was part of A Real American Hero. He also reminds me of the incredibly cool stuff that companies like 21st Century Toys did in 12 inch figures back in the late 1990s/ early 200s and Plan B's Special Forces line. Despite not being around for the original G.I. Joes, this guy has me feeling a bit nostalgic for many toylines I loved as a kid and as a young collector. He's definitely an Epic figure.

This is the first take on the classic Action Sailor that I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:

Agent Helix

Alley Viper

Alvin "Breaker" Kibbey
Arctic B.A.T.

Arctic Mission Storm Shadow

Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L.
Baroness (Retro)

Baroness (Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins)

B.A.T.
B.A.T. (Python Patrol)

Blue Ninjas
Buzzer
Chuckles

Cobra Commander

Cobra Commander (Regal Variant)
Cobra Eel

Cobra Infantry
Cobra Officer

Cobra Trooper (Special Missions: Cobra Island)
Cobra Valkyries