Action Figure Barbecue: Wrapping Up 2023: Mole Rat from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

Two of my favorite 1/18th scaled G.I. Joe figures came out in the 30th Anniversary line in 2011: The Hazard Viper and the Zombie-Viper. Both drew elements from the earlier Eco Warriors line, but they managed to add plenty of cool new ideas. The Mole Rat definitely feels like a modern continuation of the Eco Force ideas: Cobra suits up troopers for hazardous duties but also cuts corners, leading to some of the Cobra troops becoming zombies. It's a recipe for success! The Mole Rats was part of the first set of Walmart exclusive figures revolving around the Night Force theme (which also included Big Ben and Shooter) where Cobra is harvesting Dark Energon to function as a new energy source. This figure is a highlight of last year's releases (I'm sure you get tired of me saying that with the Classified Series) and one I'm really hoping we see some variants of down the line. Let's check out the Mole Rat after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 3/8ths inches

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

Accessories: 2 swappable portraits, backpack, Dark Energon container, 3 piece drill weapon, and scanner.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* The Cobra Mole Rat spend most of their time digging underground or sloshing through hazardous places, so they're equipped with fairly heavy outfits. The jumpsuit the Mole Rat is wearing looks somewhat like a CBRN suit with multiple layers underneath, though it has cargo pockets on the legs. Maybe it's similar to a CBRN suit, but not quite the same? It's not all bright orange, though; most of the suit is a Cobra blue with orange highlights. There's a harness for toting extra gear and plenty of cords, monitors, and cables for monitoring a hostile environment and keeping the trooper safe. Well, as safe as Cobra cares to afford, I guess.

* The Mole Rat is wearing a very, very cool gasmask. I love the purple lenses and how the tube on the chest connects to the device on the front of the suit. The backpack seems to be an oxygen filtration system, so I'm not sure what the device on the front it for. The gasmask isn't removable but it is sculpted to look like it's fitted snugly over a CBRN hood.

* Here's a closeup of the harness. The Mole Rat has four large pouches, a device with green glowing screens and buttons (maybe a monitor of some sort?), and some nonremovable wires that run from the front right shoulder to the rear right shoulder. Perhaps communications equipment?

* The Mole Rat comes with a second portrait that shows what happens when the trooper is exposed to Dark Energon! This is incredibly looking. It's a very creepy zombie-like portrait with milky eyes, some pretty fierce teeth, and some sort of Energon influenced tumor growing over the right side of the head. It's really bizarre and I absolutely love it! I hope we continue to see more Cobra zombies in the line.

* The backpack looks to have multiple filtration cartridges and has a long tube that connects to the left side of the Mole Rat's gasmask. I presume the bottom cartridge is the one in use while the ones above it are spares.

* The Mole Rat might be wearing a pretty bulky hazmat suit but his articulation is still pretty good. He's not as nimble as some figures but most of the articulation is the same, just a bit more restricted. He's a sturdy, fun figure and he interacts nicely with his various accessories. If you've got him wearing his gasmask the head is pretty restrictive due to the various tubes and hoses, but that's to be expected. Safety first!

* Hasbro calls this a "drill trigger" on the Hasbro Pulse page. It's a device that the Mole Rat can use which can link up with the rifle attachment or the drill attachment. It's pretty cool looking on its own and seems like it could make a good close quarters weapon or a tool of some sort.

* To help mine Dark Energon just place the drill attachment on the barrel and you've got either a useful tool or a very nasty melee weapon.

* The tool also turns into a firearm with the addition of the battel attachment. It's a pretty cool looking carbine with a forward grip.

* At first I thought this was a lantern of some sort but it's actually a canister for carrying Dark Energon. The handle rotates and there's some Dark Energon inside, too. Well, the side is painted too look like a window, so you can see what's inside.

* This is a really cool Geiger counter! It doesn't have any paint applications but it looks great and definitely has a bit of an old school feel to it. I love it!

* The backpack has a slot in the side for holding the rifle barrel attachment while the canister of Dark Energon can can hang down from the bottom of the backpack.

The Mole Rat is another winner for me. I love figures in hazmat suits and this guy looks great in his. Throw in the very cool gasmask, the excellent gear, the unique rifle and drill device, and the fact that you can turn him into a Dark Energon influenced zombie with a head swap and he's another of my favorites from last year. While he's not a "Night Force" figure himself, he fits in with the other Night Force Joes well. I'd love to see more zombie vipers and such in the line, particularly even some inspired by the 2014 Zombie Initiative convention set. The Mole Rat is an Epic figure and just a fun example of how creative this line can be.

This is the first figure of a Mole Rat I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:

Agent Helix

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
Buzzer
Chuckles

Cobra Commander

Cobra Commander (Regal Variant)
Cobra Eel

Cobra Infantry
Cobra Officer

Cobra Trooper (Special Missions: Cobra Island)
Cobra Valkyries