Thursday, September 11, 2025

Action Figure Review: Footloose from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   After reviewing four Cobra agents in a row (and M. Bison, who did show up as a villain in the vintage G.I. Joe line) it's time for a hero. A Real American Hero. Let's take a look at Footloose from the G.I. Joe: Classified Series. Part of the 1985 series of vintage G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero figures, Footloose is currently the second to last 1985 single carded character we need to finish that year in the Classified Series (we just need Airtight now). An infantry trooper, Footloose had a rather basic specialty compared to other Joes. I wonder what led to him being placed on the Joe team, anyway? Footloose had an interesting file card that portrays him as an Eagle Scout and valedictorian who drops out of college, moves to California, and "became quite weird for about three years." Eventually he reaches a point where he questions the meaning of his existence (or lack thereof) and joins the army. Interestingly, Larry Hama originally suggested that figure should have just been an update of Grunt rather than a new character, but Hasbro apparently disagree and we have a somewhat far out, though presumably competent soldier who once told a kid playing football "Nice catch blanco nino, but too bad your ass got saaaacked." And then he tackled the kid after he was down. Seriously, besides the figure and file card, this is the thing I remember most clearly about Footloose. Avoid a similar fate as that kid by joining me after the break...



The Facts:

Height: 6 3/8 ths inches 

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

Accessories: Helmet, backpack, rifle, magazine, missile launcher, missile, pistol, knife, watch, paracord bracelet, and watch. 

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars




The Positives:

* Footloose might be the ultimate definition of a basic army man in the G.I. Joe line, but that doesn't mean that Hasbro took any shortcuts here; Footloose is a very unique figure. His BDU shirt is unbuttoned much further than any Joe other than Cover Girl and his web gear and belt are all new. The vintage figure has smaller gear but this guy has larger web gear that should give him plenty of room to cover a variety of equipment for whatever mission he's on. He doesn't look like a super modern soldier or like part of an advanced team using cutting edge technology, though I'm sure that's a plus for some collectors. I like figures updated a bit, but Footloose works for me. He's in uniform, so he's definitely more "professional" looking than some Joes, but also a bit casual seeming, too. Maybe this is just what he likes?   



* A lot of vintage Joes had mustaches. Part of the reason was that it let the figures look more unique even though they had smaller heads and tougher to really get detail on. Now? Footloose looks pretty specific. Hair that's clearly been in a helmet and seems like it's just a bit long, a small, trimmed mustache, and an appearance that just screams 1980s step-dad named Jeff. I don't know, I call them as I see them. It's a good sculpt, though. Hasbro manages to make each of these portraits really unique and they always look impressive. Some folks have compared him to Pedro Pascal, but I'm not quite seeing it.




* The most distinctive thing about the vintage Footloose was that his helmet looked like it had netting and various bits of foliage attached to it for camouflage. Hasbro did capture some of that here and improved it, too, by adding an attached headset with microphone, a chinstrap, and some night vision goggles attached to the front of the helmet.






* The detail is really impressive and I believe that's the battery pack for the night vision goggles on the back. 


* Footloose has two really neat patches on the shoulders of his uniform. The left shoulder has a red clover or shamrock, which I'm guessing might be a reference to the Fourth United States Army, a now inactive part of the United States Army. They would have been active during the time the original figure was designed, so it's possible there symbol of a white shamrock on a red diamond was used as inspiration. The left shoulder has a US Flag that is facing the proper way. Remember, the idea is that the flag is on a pole and is heading into battle, not retreating, thus why it looks backwards. 




* If you've ever owned or worn camouflage BDU pants, you'll just automatically recognize the texture on these. The camouflage pattern is excellent and the addition of the reinforced kneepads is definitely cool. I don't know if I recognize these legs from any other Joes off hand, so I think they're new.







* On the back of Footloose's belt he's toting an extra magazine (non-removable) and a couple first-aid kits. Neat little details. I wish the extra magazine was removable, but it would probably be a bit of a paint to get it in and out of there.





* Some people talk about the vintage Footloose wearing two watches, but I don't think that's correct. I think the band on the vintage figure's right wrist was intended to be an honor bracelet or a memorial bracelet. This time around, Footloose has a watch on his left wrist and what looks like one of those rappelling cord bracelets on his right. They're both removable and the watch even has a painted face.





* The articulation on Footloose really isn't much different than any other figure, so he's a ton of fun to pose and play around with and looks great in action poses. His web gear might restrict his mid-torso hinge a bit, but that make sense. I'm actually really impressed that he can carry his M72 LAW. It's an oddly designed weapon as it doesn't have a traditional handle but it does work with Footloose just fine. 









* Footloose backpack is shared with Dusty. It fits him well and looks pretty standard with two canteens, lots of storage space, and MOLLE system straps all over the back.







* Footloose comes with what appears to be an M16A2, a weapon we've seen a few times before, originally with Grunt. Like a lot of the equipment that comes with Footloose, it's an older weapon that has largely been phased out in military use, though not by every branch or unit. It's not crazy outdated, though it's absolutely nothing cutting edge. It's still a solid sculpt with a scope and a hole in the barrel for attaching a firing effect.






* The magazine is removable, which still makes me smile. Footloose with real reloading action!










* Footloose also comes with the same pistol as Grunt. It looks to me like a Colt .45 pistol, something modern like a Night Commander, perhaps?









* There's a holster on Footloose's belt for storing his pistol. It rests at a 5 o'clock position and secures into the holster snuggly.



* The knife is also shared with Grunt. It's small and fairly plane, but it gets the job done.






* You know how I always go nuts over knives carried on shoulder straps like this, so you can probably tell I'm thrilled. the knife fits in there perfectly and does stay in place until you need it. 







* Lastly, Footloose comes with a missile launcher. the vintage figure came with an M73-A1 LAWS, a launcher that doesn't really exist, but it was clearly based on the M72 LAW. These have been around since 1963 and they're still in active use along with other variants. This one is black but it reminds me more of the M72A7 LAW based on it's design. There's no traditional handle or pistol grip as the trigger is on the top. Footloose even has the barrel of his painted with a Tiger Force/ shark-like grin.







* The M72 LAW is a single fire weapon, so after you fire it you just toss it away. It does come with a rocket, though, which you can have loaded into the front or pose in mid-air if you use string or something. It's a cool feature to include the rocket.


The Negatives:

* I do have a couple small issues with the helmet. One, it's a pain to get off due to the chin strap. Two, the night vision goggles can pull down to be used. Valaverse has this figured out and Hasbro has had other figures in this line with night vision optics that can fold down or flip around. Why not Footloose?





   I really do like this figure a lot. Footloose is far from one of my favorite Joes, but he fits the role of a more generic soldier quite well. He's a solid figure with great accessories, even if they're mostly reused, and he's just a lot of fun to mess around with. I really like posing him with different weapons combos and he just always looks impressive. For the price, I really feel that Hasbro packs so much into each of these Classified Series figures; far more than most of their other lines offer currently. I never had Footloose as a kid, so I don't necessarily have a lot of nostalgia for the guy. My first Footloose was the DTC version from around 2005, followed by the Rise of Cobra version in desert camo around 2009. This guy is Epic, though, and definitely surpasses most previous versions of the character. Footloose was part of Slaughter's Marauders in the vintage line, so how long do you think it will be until Hasbro repaints him? Footloose and Mutt are the only two missing members from that subset in Classified, so it'd be an easy set to complete.



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



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