Action Figure Barbecue: Action Figure Review: Steel Corps Troopers from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

I've been enjoying lots of time with family and friends over the past week or so as well as playing Nintendo Switch, watching Universal monster movies, and doing some shopping (lots of action figures purchased), so I've been a bit slow in putting out reviews. I've got plenty more coming, though, and today the G.I. Joe: Classified Series marathon returns with a look at the Steel Brigade.... wait; this isn't the Steel Brigade? Nope. While Hasbro originally released the Steel Brigade as a mail-away figure in 1987 (mine was named Shark!) and continued releasing the the troops in different ways through 2014, in 2019 Valaverse picked up the trademark to the name Steel Brigade. So, no, this isn't the Steel Brigade. It's the Steel Corps, now! The Steel Corps Troopers set came out a couple months ago and includes two Steel Corps Troopers; one male and one female. That's a neat idea. These figures are loaded with accessories including alternate heads, multiple weapons and firing effects, and even JUMP jetpacks. Ready to check out the first true army builders for the Joe team in the Classified Series? Then join me after the break...

The Facts: Steel Corps Trooper

Height: 6 1/4ths 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, balljointed neck base, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: Holster, pistol, leg pouch, shoulder pads, 2 swappable heads, knife, jetpack, and two jetpack thruster effects.

Shared Accessories: 3 rifles, 3 magazines, 1 suppressor, and 9 firing effects.

The Facts: Steel Corps Trooper

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed drop down hips, ball jointed 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: Holster, pistol, leg pouch, shoulder pads, 2 swappable heads, knife, jetpack, and two jetpack thruster effects.

Non-Scalper Price: $55 dollars

The Positives:

* While the outfits are far more detailed and far better armored than their vintage counterparts, Hasbro did really capture the design and colors of the original Steel Brigade figure. The Steel Corps Troopers are sporting some very heavily padded vests with lots of gear, straps, and pouches. They look nicely armored up and even include some shoulder pads now, too. Underneath the vest (which isn't removable) you can see that the male Steel Corps Trooper is wearing a ribbed light blue commando sweater.

* The female Steel Corps Trooper is wearing a very similar outfit to her male teammate, just slightly sleeker. She has some additional armor such as the vambraces on her forearms. The blue shirt underneath her vest also looks to be some sort of light, reactive body armor rather than just a sweater.

* The main Steel Corps Helmet looks very true to the vintage Steel Brigade helmet. It has a really nice design and paint job, especially the blue details on the visor. I assume this is intended to be a heads up display (HUD) of some sort that relays up to the second battlefield information to the trooper.

* The female Steel Corps Trooper's helmet is just a bit smaller but is otherwise the same. While this helmet design is now 36 years old, some folks will inevitably think Hasbro is trying to borrow from Halo. The Steel ~~Brigade Corps~~ and Master Chief's helmet definitely have a lot in common.

* The second helmet also looks a lot like a Halo helmet. It definitely looks like it might have some additional gear for helping the Steel Corps Trooper to breathe in hazardous environments or even in thinner air if the jetpack is used.

* I love the visor design. I'm imagining that this helmet very specifically is designed for piloting the JUMP jetpack and the HUD inside has all of the information needed to help the Steel Corp Trooper avoid incoming fire and enemy vehicles.

* The shoulder pad additions are quite cool. Both figures have a Steel Corps symbol on their left shoulder while the right shoulder has some additional gear. The female trooper has some additional pouches while the male trooper has some additional grenades for the undermounted grenade launcher on the included rifle.

* The male Steel Corps Trooper just has kneepads but the female Steel Corps Trooper has kneepads and some very useful armored boots/ shin guards. I'd definitely opt for shin guards if I could as getting hit in the shin sucks.

* Both figures have excellent articulation. It's exactly what you'd expect from the Classified Series. They're built a bit differently as the male trooper has a hinged mid-torso while the female trooper gets a balljoint there. The neck joints are a bit different, too, but otherwise they both move freely. The larger vests do impede the range of motion on the shoulders, so some twohanded firing poses aren't possible. Mess around with things a bit, though, and you should be able to make it work.

* The set includes two JUMP jetpacks for the Steel Corps to utilize. The sculpts are a bit more detailed than the vintage toys but the design is largely the same. They're still sleek and fairly realistic looking. Hard to be outdated when real jetpacks really aren't easily available, right? The flags on the back are a nice touch, too.

* Each JUMP also comes with two flames for the propulsion units which plug in easily. It's a very cool effect and, with a flight stand or some fishing line, you'll have an incredible display.

* Both figures come with a pistol. These were pretty prevalent early in the line and were used by both Joes and Cobras. I still like the design as it leans just a bit futuristic, which I think is fitting for the Classified Series.

* Both troopers have a holster for their pistols on their right thigh.

* They also both have a storage pouch for their left thigh.

* The Steel Corps come armed with the same set of three rifles the Cobra Viper Officer & Vipers came with. The Steel Corps rifles get some green paint highlight, but it's the same three rifles. You can tell they're all the same base weapon, a kind of a mishmash of different assault rifles, but all with different attachments and different barrels. There is one with a grenade launcher, one with a long range scope, and one with a vertical grip and no stock.

* Each of the three rifles also has a removable magazine. They're all interchangeable, too. It's a pretty cool feature and one of those things that just still makes this line tops in my mind

* The included suppressor can also work with any of the three rifles.

* You also get a set of nine different firing effects for the Steel Corps to share or which can be used by any other Classified Series weapons with hollow barrels. These same nine effects also came with the Cobra Valkyries and the Cobra Viper Officer and Vipers set , though here they're in red with some white effects. They look great and add a lot of variety to the figures on display.

* The firing effects can stack as well, with some having a peg and a hole so you can create some sort of crazy blast coming from a weapon.

* When their guns are all out of ammo, the Steel Corps still have their trusty knives. They're basic black handles with silver blades.

* Each knife slides easily into the sheath worn on their combat vest.

The Negatives:

* As mentioned above, my only complaint with the Steel Corps is that the female trooper really has a difficult time holding a rifle with both hands. Her vest prevents the shoulder from having any lateral movement, so it's really tough to take a two handed firing pose with the included weapons. That's a real bummer.

Hasbro really packs some value into these troop builder packs. Besides getting two very impressive figures you're also getting additional headsculpts, a very fair selection of weapons, functional holsters and sheathes, and a wealth of firing effects. Oh, and jetpacks. Two jetpacks with fire effects. It's incredible how much stuff Hasbro crams in to the G.I. Joe: Classified Series line compared to their other lines and to the offerings of their competitors. This is an Epic set and a respectable way to start building up your Joe team to compete with Cobra legions. It's a shame Hasbro has cancelled the Selfie Series as these would have been great bodies for Joe fans to utilize.

Looking for more of the Steel Brigade/ Steel Corps? I've also reviewed Valaverse's Action Force Steel Brigade figure.

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

Alley Viper

Alvin "Breaker" Kibbey
Arctic B.A.T.

Arctic Mission Storm Shadow

Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L.
Baroness (Retro)

Baroness (Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins)

B.A.T.
B.A.T. (Python Patrol)

Blue Ninjas

Cobra Commander

Cobra Commander (Regal Variant)
Cobra Eel

Cobra Infantry
Cobra Officer

Cobra Trooper (Special Missions: Cobra Island)
Cobra Valkyries