Thursday, December 11, 2025

Action Figure Review: Sgt. Slaughter & Felix "Mercer" Stratton from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Are you maggots ready for another G.I. Joe: Classified Series double feature? Then hop to it because we've got Sgt. Slaughter and one of his Renegades today! Yes, while Sgt. Slaughter commanded the Renegades in the 1987 G.I. Joe animated movie, Hasbro sold them (Red Dog, Taurus, and Mercer) in a 3-pack in 1987. In the Classified Series Mercer has been packaged alongside a new version of Sgt. Slaughter sporting a more combat worthy outfit that's oddly reminiscent of Slaughter's 1991 WWE (then WWF) heel turn where he became an Iraqi sympathizer, praised Saddam Hussein, and allied with General Adnan. I'm sure the Joe team kind of had that in mind, right? This version of Sgt. Slaughter never turns his back on the US of A, though. Now Mercer? Mercer is interesting because he's a former Viper who has defected from Cobra and now serves as part of the top secret Renegades, a group paid under a budget line for the Pentagon labeled "Pest Control." This is a really cool set and I was definitely anticipating it, though I figured we'd get the three Renegades as a set. I'm guessing Red Dog and Taurus will be packaged together in the future. For now, let's check out Sgt. Slaughter and Mercer after the break...



The Facts: Sgt. Slaughter

Height: 6 7/8ths inches

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

Accessories: 2 swappable portraits, 5 swappable hands, ammo belt, wristwatch, bracelet, revolver, holster, knife, sheath, campaign hat, cover, beret, baton, sunglasses, ammo bandolier, grenade launcher, rifle w/ removable magazine, and submachine gun w/ removable magazine and barrel shroud.





The Facts: Felix "Mercer" Stratton

Height: 6 1/4ths 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, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 2 swappable portraits, 4 swappable hands, forearm pad, bicep band, backpack, glasses, pistol w/ suppressor, knife, sheath, rifle, shotgun w/ removable drum magazine.

Non-Scalper Price: $60 dollars




Comparison:


* Here's a quick shot of Sgt. Slaughter (left) with my original childhood Sgt. Slaughter v3 (driver of the Warthog A.I.F.V.), who seems the closest to this Slaughter, and Mercer (right) with my original childhood Mercer. His vest is red instead of orange here and he's clearly based off of his appearance in 1987's G.I. Joe: The Movie.





The Positives:

* Let's start by checking out Sgt. Slaughter. This isn't just a repaint of the previous Sgt. Slaughter figures Hasbro has released; it's quite different. Weird, right? I actually really like how massive he is here. I'm also liking the desert color scheme. There aren't many desert themed figures in the Classified Series yet so it helps to make him part of a sub-team with Dusty and the desert version of Snake Eyes. Instead of a tank top, Slaughter is wearing a more traditional military shirt with the sleeves ripped off and some camouflage pants with an excellent pattern. It reminds me of the color scheme that US troops wore during Operation Desert Storm, so maybe this is the Joe team's way of remedying Vince McMahon's crazy idea of having Sarge side with Saddam Hussein instead of the US in the early 90s. 






* Sarge looks tough, idealized, and pretty intense. Whether he's getting ready to train some new recruits, lead the Renegades in some "pest control," or launch an all out assault on a Cobra fortress, Sgt. Slaughter is ready to lay the Cobra clutch on anyone who gets in his way. The face print on this version of Slaughter looks even better than the previous two figures. 







* These sunglasses fit really well on Slaughter's face with a shiny gold frame and dark brown tinted lenses. They work great and compliment his trio of hats.






* First up is the traditional campaign hat. It fits  well and has some pretty clean paint on the pin. 











* The second hat is a Marine styled utility cover with a skull logo on it. It's a nice look for a battlefield version of Sgt. Slaughter and really brings something new to the table.









* My favorite might be this red beret, though. It's another thing that seems to be a bit of a wink and nod to the character's 1991 heel turn in the WWF/WWE, though it looks killer on a heroic version of Slaughter.







* This is actually a second portrait of Sgt. Slaughter, this time with a whistle permanently attached in his mouth. The cord hands around the back of his next and it really just looks natural. You would have to modify the hole in the head to fit on one of the previous Slaughter bodies, though, but it could be done.








* A bandolier of ammunition is included if you want to change up Sgt. Slaughter's look a bit, or if you just like a busier look. 





* He also has a removable watch on his right wrist and a removable bracelet on his left wrist. It looks like one of those bracelets made of paracord you can unwrap in emergency situations. 








* There are even three (nonremovable) grenades on the back of Slaughter's belt. That's a nasty little surprise hidden back there.











* Want to talk about Mercer, the only Cobra Viper to ever defect and live to tell the tale? Let's do it then. Mercer is pretty cool and is clearly based on the movie version of the character. His pants are very inspired by the Vipers while his vest seems to be all he's wearing above the waist. It's got plenty of pouches and a holster for his pistol. He's also sporting the "no Cobra" logo on the right breast pocket. It's different from the orange vested version in the vintage toy line but it's still a pretty cool looking figure that looks more like a mercenary and less like someone part of a standard, or even atypical, military unit. 









* Mercer's portrait also seems to be based more on the animated movie version of the character. He's sporting a flat top and definitely looks a bit brutish. I mean, the guy is a former Cobra Viper, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised he looks like a tough guy.










* A second portrait depicts Mercer looking much more angry. Or disgusted by something. He's got a pretty good grimace going on.










* Check out this cool spider and spiderweb tattoo that Mercer has on his left elbow. I wonder what that's about?









* He's also sporting a removable padded forearm guard on his right arm and some sort of band around his bicep. He's got a lot of random straps and stuff here and he kind of feels like he could be a precursor to the Rob Liefeld era of comics!







* Both figures have great articulation, but would you expect anything less from the Classified Series? Hasbro's Joe team has been very consistently delivering with this line! Both figures move, can attain great firing positions, and just interact with all of their accessories well. They're a great pair of figures for posing, whether they're just hanging around looking menacing or they're taking down a Cobra installation by themselves. They're both pinless, so Slaughter is clearly an all new figure.






* Sgt. Slaughter comes with five swappable hands: A pair of pistol grip/ trigger fingers, a pair of fists, and a flat right hand. What's it for? For saluting, of course! Everything swaps easily so change him up whenever you feel like it.





* Mercer also comes with a pair of hands: A pair of pistol grip hands with fingerless gloves on and a pair of fists... without gloves? I'm not sure why. I'm guessing it was a cost thing as the fists were already tooled, but hey, it's an extra pair of hands. I guess when Mercer gets ready to beat someone down he says "Now I'm taking my gloves off." And he means it literally. 









* Mercer also comes with a pair of ballistic glasses with amber lenses. Pretty cool extra, though easily removable if they're not your thing.





* Let's talk about Sgt. Slaugter's accessories. First up is a baton. It's the same as the previous releases and was a staple prop for Sgt. Slaughter in his wrestling promos and press photos, so it's always nice to get one with the figure.









* This version of Sarge comes with some serious firepower and first up is what looks like a Colt Python with a pearl handle. That's a .357 Magnum and one heck of a hand cannon.






* He's toting a pretty substantial holster to lug that thing around. There's even a small pouch on the holster for carrying extra equipment.











* When a Cobra clutch just won't do it, this knife will. That's a pretty nice looking blade. It's a bit too flexible, but not really rubbery or bendy or anything. 






* There's a sheath on the left hip for storing the knife safely.



* It's a bit difficult to tell what weapons are really intended for which figure in the set as the promo shots show some weapons with both characters and the description doesn't specifically say which weapons are for which figure. This rifle definitely matches Slaughter's color scheme and seems to be his. It's the same M4 inspired rifle with M203 grenade launcher that Leatherneck came with earlier this year. 






* There are holes in the barrel of the rifle and the grenade launcher for firing effects as well as a removable magazine.









* This grenade launcher also seems to be Sgt. Slaughter's as it has the same black and tan color scheme. It looks to be inspired by a Russian GM-94, a pump action grenade launcher. Usually it has a 3 round tube but this one has been designed with a belt on the side so it can more easily fire more rounds quickly. It's cool to see that this one has been liberated and is used by G.I. Joe.






* This Kriss Vector is incredible. It looks like generation Kriss Vector CRB, though just a bit different. There's an extended magazine, a foreward vertical grip, optics, and a long barrel shroud. This is one of the coolest guns I've seen in the Classified Series! I'd think it would go better with Mercer though there are images of Sgt. Slaughter holding it, so I guess you can take your pick. 









* The barrel shroud is removable (it isn't a suppressor) as is the 40 round magazine. You can actually buy a semi-automatic Kriss Vector for under $1,800 dollars! 











* Next up for Mercer is what looks like a Beretta with a removable suppressor. This is intended to fill in for the pistol the vintage figure came with. 










* The pistol (minus the suppressor) fits perfectly in the holster on Mercer's vest.






* Mercer also comes with a knife. It's a decent sculpt with a silver blade. It's not overly rubbery, though it's not brittle, either. Pretty decent and just a bit pliable.










* There's a removable sheath on Mercer's right boot (though you could move it to the left if you wanted) which the knife can slide into easily.









* This is an incredible weapon! What is it? Well, it looks like it is inspired by the ArcFlash Labs EMG-02 Coilgun. How crazy is that? It's a pretty high-tech piece of equipment and could easily serve as an updated version of the classic XMLR-3A laser rifle. I love when G.I. Joe gives us stuff that feels like it's cutting edge, or even bleeding edge. This is a beautiful accessory and that red paint app just makes it sing.




* I had to look and find what this weapon is. I thought it was some sort of automatic rifle but it's actually based on the Panzer Arms BP-12 shotgun. It's a cool weapon and the added optics on the top rail along with a drum magazine and a vertical grip make this a darn fine piece of hardware. I'm a sucker for shotguns and this one is unique from any other in my toy collection.






* That drum magazine is removable and is really a well made piece. Slapping it in is just so satisfying!







* Mercer has a lot of guns and needs somewhere to carry extra magazines and drums, so this backpack is a must. It's a simple black backpack with MOLLE straps and it fits on him pretty well.







The Negatives:



* I've tried and tried but it's so tough to get Mercer's sheath to stay in place. Unless you're just having him stand on the shelf, it's going to slip down and trip him up.





* Overall I really like this version of Sgt. Slaughter but there's something that looks off about the butterfly joints here. I think it's the way the "sleeves" sit under the shoulder piece. It's just visually very odd to my eyes.


   I love this set! Both figures are really good and definitely not just retreads of the vintage figures. Multiple portraits, alternate headgear that actually fits, and some darn fine accessories. Seriously, the Kriss Vector, coilgun, BP-12, GM-94, and Colt Python are freaking incredible sculpts that make this feel almost like an accessory pack. There are plenty of goodies here to outfit these Renegades to take on a full Cobra squad themselves. Definitely an Epic set. I'm looking forward to the two-pack of Red Dog and Taurus that's got to be coming in 2026, right? The Renegades would be a heck of a team on the shelf.


  For more of Sgt. Slaughter check out my reviews of the G.I. Joe: Classified Series Sgt. Slaughter and Sgt. Slaughter (Mad Marauders), 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.

This is the first version of Mercer that I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:
Destro  
Flint  





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