Friday, April 17, 2026

Action Figure Review: Edwin "Lifeline" Steen from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 


    More G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews? You know it! Today I'm looking at Edwin "Lifeline" Steen, the first rescue trooper for the G.I. Joe team. While Doc was the original medic for the team, I've always seen Doc as the skilled doctor and surgeon while Lifeline is more of a field medic who does have to engage in combat from time to time. With his brightly colored outfit he also seems like someone who may even be used by the Joe team in emergency situations where civilians and other responders are involved. He's definitely not going to be embedded with a covert team all decked out in camouflage. Lifeline is one of my favorite vintage A Real American Hero figures and I had high hopes for this guy. Lifeline had a couple really good figures over the years, especially the 2011 30th Anniversary release, and I was hoping the Classified Series figure would live up to that figures pedigree of excellence. There are some great things about this Lifeline but there are also quite a few elements that are inferior to a now 15 year old figure in a smaller scale. That's a real surprise, right? Let's take a look at Lifeline after the break and see how he measures up...





The Facts:

Height:6 1/8ths 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, ball jointed neck base, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Helmet, 2 pair of goggles, sunglasses, pistol, knife, holster, medical kit, flashlight, oxygen mask, IV bag, and backpack. 

Non-Scalper Price: $28 dollars




Comparison:

* Here's a quick shot of three different Lifeline figures: The 30th Anniversary Lifeline (left), the Classified Series Lifeline (center) and my childhood vintage Lifeline (right). While I prefer the size and some of the details on the Classified Series Lifeline, that 30th Anniversary Lifeline has accessories that just can't be beat, including a trauma board!




The Positives:

* Lifeline is decked out in his classic red and white outfit that definitely identifies him at a glance as medical or rescue personnel. He definitely stands out and certainly wouldn't be embedded with a unit standing out like this (though the Tiger Force version absolutely could...), so I've always envisioned Lifeline as someone who comes during or after a fight to extract injured troops or who shows up when the G.I. Joe team is involved in a mission affecting citizens. Cobra bombs a civilian target? Lifeline is on the scene along with other first responders. He's wearing a fairly heavy looking outfit which I imagine provides protection in harsher environments. Maybe in cold weather, perhaps? Maybe even some a bit of protection from fire if he's helping other first responders. It's a nice outfit and the red and white are crisp. He has his distinctive "not the Red Cross" symbol on his chest. If you like your Lifeline as a pacifist, the holster with strap is fully removable, too.


* Lifeline certainly favors his Sunbow animated counterpart. His glasses are removable, a first for the character in action figure form, and he looks... just kind of unhappy. I love that all the Joes aren't just generic, Captain America looking guys. Lifeline looks determined, sure, but he also just looks like he's over whatever is happening. He's sick of Cobra's crap. I can imagine that he absolutely will render aid to anyone, even an injured Cobra trooper, but if they try to attack him or his patient he's delivering to rounds to the chest and one to the head.




* I didn't really his glasses looked crooked in the picture but, in person, they looked OK. They're a bit loose but not terribly. They actually fit really well under his helmet which keeps them in place nicely. They look good. 

Also... does he kind of look like McLovin to anyone else?








* Lifeline comes with two pairs of goggles: One for his helmet and to actually wear. The pair he can wear looks great and fits nicely with or without his helmet. 







* Lifeline's helmet has an odd shape to it. I don't like it as much as the vintage or 30th Anniversary helmet but the design does seem like it offers nice protection. The microphone and headset attached seem pretty useful, too. I think I might have the chinstrap pulled down too far in this picture. It actually looks a lot better actually over his chin. 







* Lifeline's belt is pretty cool. He has some pouches on his right hip, a sheath for his rescue knife on his left, and some sort of sensor device on his belt. Maybe a compact EKG machine or something? He's also sporting really impressive kneepads and he still has "RESCUE" printed down his left thigh. 





* The articulation is fantastic and while there's nothing too unusual from most other figures in the line, that's not a bad thing at all. The articulation has been really consistent throughout the line and I appreciate that. He can utilize his accessories pretty well, crouch, and looks excellent in most battle poses. 






* In both the Marvel comic and Sunbow animated series Lifeline is a pacifist who refuses to use and even touch guns. That didn't seem to be a component of the vintage toy, though, as he included a pistol. This version of lifeline also comes with what looks like some type of Glock pistol, so he's ready to defend himself or his patients if the need arises. 







* The holster is attached to a strap that is removable. If you don't want your Lifeline armed, only using his aikido abilities against Cobra, than you can pop it off. If you want Lifeline able to defend the doctor/ patient relationship with some hot lead, then keep that Glock close at hand. 








* Lifeline comes with a tool that seems like a multitool. There's a decent blade and what looks like a seatbelt cutter or some other sort of device on the end. It's clearly a tool, not primarily a weapon, and it's a pretty decent little knife. 







* It slides safely and securely into this little sheath on his right hip, too. 












* When he needs to treat a patient or look through his gear at night, Lifeline can use this little flashlight. It's small but it works well with him. 










* There's even a spot to hold it tight on his right hip. It fits into that loop pretty securely. It looks a bit small there, but it does stay in place.




* The radio backpack is cool. It's extremely similar in shape to the vintage figure but now it's not silver; instead it's mostly white with some fabric and a detailed screen. I imagine this isn't just a communications pack now; probably more like a mobile diagnostic center for processing blood samples and other such. It fits on Lifeline's back very securely and it feels nice and solid. 

 







* I'm going to get back to Lifeline's medical case as I do have some issues with it. From the outside, though, it looks great. It's pretty similar to the vintage accessory but larger. There's some nice details on the case and it looks like it's well armored. It does open but more on that in a moment. 







* Lifeline has a few pieces of medical equipment for providing aid in the field. One of these is an IV bag with an attached line and a cuff for keeping the IV "attached" to the wrist of the injured figure. Pair this with Doc's stretcher and you have a nice setup for field care. 


* There's also an oxygen mask that can attach to the oxygen tanks inside Lifeline's medical kit. 

The Negatives:

* I wish there was a way to attach the breathing mask to a figure, though. The vintage and 30th Anniversary figures made it work, so it's a bit disappointing that this updated and larger scaled version don't have the feature.





* On the left is the Classified Series case. It opens nicely but it just has a basic black interior with a couple sculpted tanks and some scissors. That's it. On the right is the 2011  1/18th scaled medical kit. Check out the detail and paint applications. Those defibrillator paddles? They're removable. And that IV bag? Also removable (it attaches to a separate IV line). This is a rare miss for the Classified Series where an accessory is just objectively weaker than the accessory from a older version. I'm tempted to try to just use this one for the Classified Series Lifeline. 





* The second pair of goggles is supposed to fit around Lifeline's helmet (there are even grooves on both sides that are meant to keep them in place. To bad they just fall off when you look at them funny. 








   Is The Classified Series Lifeline really a bad figure? No, not at all. I actually like most of the figure quite well. It's just shocking that his accessories are such a downgrade from the 2011 30th Anniversary release. His backpack is better, so that's a plus, and I'd even be willing to overlook him not coming with the trauma board since it would have been larger than the figure, but his medical equipment just seems rather weak. I'm not loving the goggles on the helmet, either. He's still a Great figure but I think I'm displaying mine helmetless with the medical kit from the 30th Anniversary line. There haven't been many Classified Series figures that felt like they were inferior to previously 3 3/4ths inch releases but this guy does seem like one.



This is the first figure of Lifeline, AKA Edwin Steen, that I've reviewed on the site. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:
Destro  
Flint  





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