Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Action Figure Review: Sgt. Slaughter (Mad Marauders) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 


   Sgt. Slaughter was a huge part of the G.I. Joe: A Real American hero franchise in the 1980s and he had four different figures available during the decade. He also had a few groups of his own that he was the commander of. In the 1987 G.I. Joe animated movie Sgt. Slaughter led the Renegades (Mercer, Taurus, and Red Dog), released as a three pack of action figures, while in 1989 Sarge received his own subset: Slaughter's Marauders. In the Classified Series the name has been changed to The Mad Marauders. This version of Sgt. Slaughter is largely a Mad Marauders/ Slaughter's Marauders repaint of the first version with blue, green, and brown, though he does come with quite a few more accessories than the first release, making him a much better deal. While I'm nuts about Tiger Force and Night Force, the Mad Marauders figures don't appeal to me in quite the same way, though I do own the three already released (Barbecue, Spirit, and Low-Light). Ready to check out this Mad Marauders take on Sgt. Slaughter? Then join me after the break...





The Facts:

Height: 6 1/2 inches

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

Accessories: Glasses, hat, whistle, baton, 9 swappable hands, 2 boxing glove hands, 2 boxing globe wrist cuffs, duffel bag, 2 barbells, rifle, magazine, and mini Sgt. Slaughter w/ package (tray, blister, and backer card).

Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars





Comparison:

* The Mad Marauders Sgt. Slaughter is on the left while the 2022 Sgt. Slaughter is on the right. What's the difference? The paintwork and accessories. Most accessories are different between the two; some because of paintwork and others featuring different molds or different items altogether. 


The Positives:

* Like the first figure, Sgt. Slaughter has a pretty basic costume and Hasbro didn't really do any redesigning of his look for the Classified Series. His blue, green, and brown color scheme is even pretty accurate to the vintage Slaughter's Marauders figure. He does have an all black American flag logo on his tanktop now, so that's a new addition. Sarge is pretty muscular and looks imposing, which seems to match his character in the comics, the movie, and the in-ring performance of Robert Remus. It's a bit idealized/ stylized, but it works well for the Classified Series. He's ready to take on that Nemesis Enforcer whenever it arrives!

* The portrait is no different from the first Classified Series figure, so this is still an excellent looking classic Sgt. Slaughter portrait from his prime, which coincided with the time he was affiliated with the G.I. Joe brand. The sour look on his face and the raised eyebrows works perfectly and he isn't overly caricatured. He looks like a tough customer and fits in perfectly with the rest of the line.






* The sunglasses get blue lenses and gold frames this time around. They seem a bit looser this time, but not terribly frustrating or anything. Not as bad as Buzzer's for sure.

 *And the campaign hat? It fits quite well on Sarge's head. It's a bit firmer and less rubbery than the former hat but it still stays in place well and looks good. It's dark green this time around, fitting in with the color theme of the Mad Marauders. 






* Slaughter's a big guy but he sure can move with the best of them. The articulation is excellent with a fantastic range of motion that's not hindered at all by his outfit. If you're familiar with the Classified Series it's probably not a huge surprise, but Hasbro continues to impress.


* We're starting to see more figures come with extra hands in this line and this version of Sgt. Slaughter comes with nine, one more than the standard figure does. He has a pair of trigger hands for shooting, grappling hands for wrestling, fists for punching, fingers for pointing, and a right hand for saluting. That's a nice assortment of extras!








* There's one more pair of hands: Some blue boxing gloves for combat training! These are new to Sgt. Slaughter but are reused from Big Boa, though in this new blue color scheme. The boxing gloves have two pieces: The fist itself and a wrist "cuff" that fits over the wrist to represent the part of the glove that's tied on.



* Sgt. Slaughter also comes with his whistle for getting everyone's attention when he's drilling the troops. 



* When he really needs to go to war, Sgt. Slaughter can use this AK styled rifle. It's a great sculpt (it's very similar to the one from the original Cobra Officer), though the flashlight or target designator that was removable on previous versions is now molded on and not removable. At first I did find it a bit odd that Sgt. Slaughter came with a very "non-American" weapon, but at this point I'm wondering if the intention was that he "liberated" this from a Cobra solider and is now using it to fight for freedom.






* The magazine is still removable and there are a couple paint applications on the forward grip and the handle. 







* Sarge's Baton is an accessory which the real Sgt. Slaughter often carried to the wrestling ring and used in plenty of press photos. It's a nice accessory with a few paint applications on it, now with a bold blue color.









* Sgt. Slaughter also comes with two dumbbells, just like Big Boa, but his get a paint application on the numbers. They each have two 90lb weights on them, so you can have him lifting 180lbs per arm. That's how he gets so big and strong!




* A truly new accessory that comes with Sarge is this cool military duffle bag. It's a soft goods piece and has U.S.A. stamped on it. It can definitely hold most of his spare accessories, making the Sarge come off like an OD green Santa Claus.







* There are two carrying straps on the duffle bag and a string that can be pulled to close the opening. That's pretty cool! It's a neat accessory and I wonder if we'll see it with any other figures in the future.




* Since Sgt. Slaughter was the pitchman for the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero action figures, Hasbro included a packaged miniature action figure for him. The package looks like a classic ARAH figure and showcases Sarge in his Mad Marauders color scheme.



The Negatives:


* While the first release of Sgt. Slaughter came with a figure tat was easy to remove and put back in the package, this one is sealed with tape. Pry that tape off and you're going to tear the backer card and the file card on the back. It's a bit of a bummer that this one isn't a functional as the minifigure that came with the first release.









* There's a bit of slop around the edges of Sgt. Slaughter's tank top, which isn't a good look.









   How does this Sgt. Slaughter compare to the first? While he's not the classic Sgt. Slaughter figure due to his blue and green camo outfit, he is the better figure because he has more cool accessories and swappable hands. Really, this guy has some crazy extras that feels like it justifies the $35 dollar price more than the original figure did. There's a lot of reused extras here, sure, but that duffle bag is really cool. It's just a shame that the micro Sgt. Slaughter figure can be removed without ripping the backer card. Otherwise, this is  Great and a 1/2 take on the Sarge and a figure you'll want if you have been collecting the Mad Marauders. 




   For more of Sgt. Slaughter check out my reviews of the G.I. Joe: Classified Series Sgt. Slaughter, the Action Force Sgt. Slaughter, Mattel's WWE Elite Collection Hall of Fame Sargent Slaughter (and yes, that's really how the package spelled it) and the M.U.S.C.L.E. Sgt. Slaughter from Super7.

For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:






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