Today's review is the second of the 60th Anniversary G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures: The Action Soldier (Infantry). An Action Pilot and Action Marine have already been showing up on lists of leaked codenames, retailer codes, and such, and the fact that the Action Sailor and Action Soldier have special designations (Recon Diver and Infantry, respectively) makes me wonder if we'll see more of these figures with different specialties in the near future. While Joe team army builders are becoming more common these days, they're still not as common as Cobra army builders, so these sets give you some nice options to add some unnamed troops to your shelves or to create your own characters. While there's a lot of reuse here, there's also quite a few new parts that are from upcoming figures or that we'll probably see again. Ready to check out the Action Soldier (Infantry)? Then fall in and join me 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, helmet, 2 hoods, poncho, dog tags, thigh pouch, holster, pistol, rifle, magazine, light machine gun, box magazine, 5 pouches, backpack, radio, heavy machine gun, tripod, ammo belt, 2 handles, and display stand.
Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars
The Positives:
* The Action Soldier is geared up in desert camo BDUs and a tactical vest that uses the MOLLE system (modular lightweight load-carrying equipment). The camo pattern on the Action Soldier is excellent with a blend of cream, green, and brown splotches. Most of the body is shared with Rock 'N Roll (with arms from Grunt), as is the belt, holster, and thigh pouch. He even comes with a few of his accessories. The vest is shared with the upcoming Doc figure, though we're getting to see it here first. This is an excellent basic trooper and I could see Hasbro repainting him a few times in different patterns.
* The figure is wearing a balaclava, so you can't see much of his face; just his eyes peaking through. It's plan, but it's pretty versatile and gives the Action Soldier a very Special Forces kind of feel.
* Like the Action Sailor, the Action Soldier also comes with two portraits, so you can have your Infantryman be either black or white. I do think the features on the lighter skinned soldier headsculpt look a bit darker than on the lighter skinned sailor.
* The helmet is reused from Grunt, and it's a simple, modern ballistic helmet. There are quite a few brown paint applications on the sides and on the straps, so it stands out nicely.
* A pair of dog tags are included as a throwback to the vintage 12inch Joe figures. The size is pretty accurate and while you wouldn't wear them over your outfit like this, I like the look. They can tuck into the vest to keep them out of the way.
* The Action Soldier comes with five different pouches which can fit on the MOLLE system vest in different places. There are four holes in the front. The removable pouches in this picture are the small, thin pouch, a large pouch with MOLLE attachment points of its own, and a medium sized pouch with the G.I. Joe stars & stripes logo.
* There are more storage spots on the back and two more removable medium sized pouches
* The Action Soldier reuses Rock 'N Roll's belt, which is a non-removable separate piece that's loaded with pouches, extra pistol magazines, and a canteen. The pouch on his left hip is removable. It looks heavily padded, so maybe it has some piece of special equipment inside?
* This camo poncho is very cool. It's a nice soft goods piece that fits on the figure well, feels like it's made from a decent quality material, and which has a functional pocket. This really changes up the look and feel of the figure.
* There is a hood for the poncho. Well, two, actually. They're separate plastic pieces. The first hood is sculpted in a folded down position.
* The second hood covers the sides of the head and even a bit of the front of the mouth. It's a really cool look
* Four hands are included with the Action Soldier: The same pair in two different skin colors, so you can swap them up for whatever portrait you're using on the Infantryman.
* Outback's large backpack makes a great rucksack for the Action Soldier. It's incredible detailed and matches the rest of his gear.
* The satellite phone is another extra borrowed from Rock 'N Roll. It can be used on it's own or it can fit into any hole o the Soldier's vest or on the back of his belt.
* One thing that's always a pleasure with the Classified Series is the articulation and the Action Soldier makes the vintage G.I. Joes proud. He moves freely, holds his weapons well, and just looks great in a variety of poses. Lod him up with his weapons and let him help stamp out Cobra.
* The included pistol (also borrowed from Rock 'N Roll) looks like a Glock 33 with an extended magazine, maybe with a modified barrel. It's a nice looking pistol for sure with some excellent detail. There's even a safety on the side.
* It fits securely into the included holster.
*The Action Soldier also borrows two guns from Big Ben, the first being the double barreled rifle based on the Gilboa DBR Snake. This is a really neat looking piece of equipment with two barrels and a functioning forward grip. It folds down!
* It also has a removable magazine.
* The Action Soldier is also equipped with the same light machine gun that came with Big Ben. It looks like an FN Minimi (known in the US as the M249 and the UK as the L108A1). It's a nice looking SAW with lots of detail on the body and stock, a carrying handle, and the visible ammo belt coming out of the box magazine. There's also a functioning bipod that folds up and down.
* The bipod folds up, the box magazine is removable, and the barrel is hollow, allowing you to put a firing effect inside.
* The M2 Browning is going to be included with the upcoming Tiger Force Roadblock figure (in a 2-pack with Tiger Force Tripwire), but we're getting a sneak peak of it first in this set. It's a massive weapon that looks pretty accurate and reminds me of the old Coleco Rambo accessories. The barrel is hollow, so find some firing effects for this bad boy.
* The ammo belt feeds through the M2. It's not terribly long, but it gets the job done and has paint apps for the rounds.
* The tripod is removable and keeps the gun positioned securely wherever the Action Soldier might need some additional firepower.
* There are also two swappable grips for the back of the M2. One is the older style pistol grip and the other is the two handles spade grip. That's an interesting feature, to give us two types of grips, but it does make it fun to customize the weapon a bit.
* The 60th Anniversary figures each come with a plastic display stand. Simple, but a nice extra. Even cooler, the Action Soldier's is brown to match the terrain he's operating in.
The Negatives:
* My only negative about the figure is that the trigger finger on the hands isn't cut deep enough, meaning you'll have to do some work on it yourself to get a proper pistol grip for having your figure pull the trigger.
Both of the 60th Anniversary figures are just absolute hits to me. This is a cool looking figure with some nice customizability options with the MOLLE system vest, the poncho, and the different pieces of headgear. Throw in the nice assortment of weaponry and you have a really versatile figure who can be geared up for plenty of different missions. That was always a fun thing about G.I. Joe figures, particularly the 12 inch ones; there were so many options to outfit your team with exactly what they needed. This guy is an Epic figure that captures the spirit of the vintage toys and of the cool Hall of Fame and 12 inch figures Hasbro released in the 1990s, too.
This is the first Action Soldier I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:
Both of the 60th Anniversary figures are just absolute hits to me. This is a cool looking figure with some nice customizability options with the MOLLE system vest, the poncho, and the different pieces of headgear. Throw in the nice assortment of weaponry and you have a really versatile figure who can be geared up for plenty of different missions. That was always a fun thing about G.I. Joe figures, particularly the 12 inch ones; there were so many options to outfit your team with exactly what they needed. This guy is an Epic figure that captures the spirit of the vintage toys and of the cool Hall of Fame and 12 inch figures Hasbro released in the 1990s, too. 
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