For being one of the more recognizable G.I. Joe members who appeared in multiple forms of media, Quick Kick only showed up in the vintage line one time (1985) and didn't make a reappearance until 2008 as part of the 25th Anniversary line. My favorite version of Quick Kick is the 2010 Pursuit of Cobra version as outfitted the figure with shoes, a firearm, and a removable uwagi. Decked out in a black outfit with yellow trim, that version of Quick Kick felt like a great take on the character that modernized him, keeping the fun elements of the character while still making him seem like a legitimate part of a special ops team. For the Classified Series take on Quick Kick, Hasbro's Joe team has largely approached the figure as an updated take on the vintage toy. There are some great new features and he's quite cool, no surprise there, but it definitely doesn't try to reimagine the character at all. Let's take a look at Quick Kick, the G.I. Joe team's silent weapons expert, after the break...
Height: 6 3/8ths 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, chest strap, backpack, 2 swords, 2 nunchaku, shuriken, 6 swappable hands, and a candy bar.
Non-Scalper Price: $25
Non-Scalper Price: $25
* Quick Kick has a simple outfit: He's running around shirtless with some sleek martial arts pants sporting a cool design on the thigh. His belt has some pouches for gear on it and he's wearing a removable red strap that holds his shuriken and his backpack, but that's about it. No shirt, no gloves, no shoes. Odd that he can go into battle against the forces of Cobra but he probably couldn't get service at most gas stations and convenience stores. He's got a sleek, muscular build and, considering that he's a Hollywood stun man and martial art expert recruited to the Joe team, he reminds me a lot of Bruce Lee. Heck, Bruce Lee was know for the speed of his kicks and Quick Kick is named Quick Kick. Evidence!
* Quick Kick comes with two portraits, the first of which is a more neutral face. Well, he still looks pretty intense, but he's not right in the middle of battle or anything. He's wearing a hachimaki around his forehead and his hair drapes over the top of it. The tails around the end of it are solid looking, too.
* The second portrait depicts Quick Kick in battle. His hair is flying out a bit more, his eyes look a bit more intense, and his lips are posed like he's vocalizing a kiai. We don't get many alternate portraits in the Classified Series, so this is a real treat.
* The articulation is top notch. Everything is pinless, there's nothing to really get in the way of his battle poses, he has multiple extra hands for posing, and he's just a superbly built figure. His range of movement in the hips feels better than most other figures, too.
* Here are the multiple swappable hands I just mentioned. You've got a set of fists, a set of pistol grips, and a set of flat striking palms. They swap easily and all look really good on MacArthur here.
* Did you want some swords? Well, you're getting swords. Swords, as in plural. Two swords. These are nice, too, with silver blades and a cool animal head detail on the pommel.
* How about nunchaku? Need some nunchaku? You get two here as well. They're flexible, have a brown paint app for the handles, and they also have the same animal head design on each handle.
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* Quick Kick can carry his nunchaku in the loops on the back of his belt. Convenient!
* He's also sporting a nice red backpack that matches the color of his chest strap. It's a pretty detailed pack with lots of pouches and such for carrying all of his gear around.
* The backpack has sheathes built in for both of Quick Kick's swords! Very convenient.
* I absolutely love this throwing star! The shuriken is painted silver but the the "motion" is kept translucent blue. It's a rather cool effect and I think Quick Kick looks pretty darn cool using it. Very creative!
* Quick Kick also comes with a Fudgee Bar, a type of candy bar that he was a spokesperson for. Well, he at least did their commercials. This is about the nicest 1/12th scale candy bar I've ever seen and it looks delicious. It's amazing how Hasbro can really go and do some great things like this in the Classified Series.
I might have wished for some updates to Quick Kick's outfit and gear but, dang, he's a really nice figure, isn't he? Hasbro definitely stuck to the vintage here with some minor upgrades rather than updates, but it turned out one of the best figures for the 2024 series to date. A nice assortment of weapons, some useful extra hands, and the cool little touches like the candy bar and the shuriken with throwing effect really impress me. Oh, and two portraits, too. Quick Kick is an Epic figure. He's a great character and I'd love to see an updated version of him in the line at some point. Is anyone else surprised that this guy, who had a decent sized role in the cartoon and comics, never appeared in the vintage Ninja Force subset? How bizarre!
* Quick Kick comes with two portraits, the first of which is a more neutral face. Well, he still looks pretty intense, but he's not right in the middle of battle or anything. He's wearing a hachimaki around his forehead and his hair drapes over the top of it. The tails around the end of it are solid looking, too.
* The second portrait depicts Quick Kick in battle. His hair is flying out a bit more, his eyes look a bit more intense, and his lips are posed like he's vocalizing a kiai. We don't get many alternate portraits in the Classified Series, so this is a real treat.
* The articulation is top notch. Everything is pinless, there's nothing to really get in the way of his battle poses, he has multiple extra hands for posing, and he's just a superbly built figure. His range of movement in the hips feels better than most other figures, too.
* Here are the multiple swappable hands I just mentioned. You've got a set of fists, a set of pistol grips, and a set of flat striking palms. They swap easily and all look really good on MacArthur here.
* Did you want some swords? Well, you're getting swords. Swords, as in plural. Two swords. These are nice, too, with silver blades and a cool animal head detail on the pommel.
* How about nunchaku? Need some nunchaku? You get two here as well. They're flexible, have a brown paint app for the handles, and they also have the same animal head design on each handle.
* Quick Kick can carry his nunchaku in the loops on the back of his belt. Convenient!
* He's also sporting a nice red backpack that matches the color of his chest strap. It's a pretty detailed pack with lots of pouches and such for carrying all of his gear around.
* The backpack has sheathes built in for both of Quick Kick's swords! Very convenient.
* I absolutely love this throwing star! The shuriken is painted silver but the the "motion" is kept translucent blue. It's a rather cool effect and I think Quick Kick looks pretty darn cool using it. Very creative!
* Quick Kick also comes with a Fudgee Bar, a type of candy bar that he was a spokesperson for. Well, he at least did their commercials. This is about the nicest 1/12th scale candy bar I've ever seen and it looks delicious. It's amazing how Hasbro can really go and do some great things like this in the Classified Series.
This is the first figure of Quick Kick I've owned. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:
Cobra Viper
Cobra Viper Officer & Vipers
Cobra Viper (Python Patrol)
Copperhead
Courtney "Cover Girl" Krieger
Craig "Rock 'N Roll" McConnel
Crimson Guard
Crimson Strike Team
Crimson Viper
Croc Master & Fiona
David "Big Ben" Bennett (Night Force)
David L. "Bazooka" Katzenbogen
David L. "Bazooka" Katzenbogen (Tiger Force)
Desert Commando Snake Eyes
Cobra Viper Officer & Vipers
Cobra Viper (Python Patrol)
Copperhead
Courtney "Cover Girl" Krieger
Craig "Rock 'N Roll" McConnel
Crimson Guard
Crimson Strike Team
Crimson Viper
Croc Master & Fiona
David "Big Ben" Bennett (Night Force)
David L. "Bazooka" Katzenbogen
David L. "Bazooka" Katzenbogen (Tiger Force)
Desert Commando Snake Eyes
Storm Shadow
Stuart "Outback" Selkirk
Stuart "Outback" Selkirk (Tiger Force)
Tele-Viper & Cobra Flight Pod (Trubble Bubble)
Tomax Paoli
Tripwire, Aspara, & M.A.C.L.E.O.D.
Tunnel Rat
Tunnel Rat (Night Force)
Vincent R. "Falcon" Falcone
Vypra
Stuart "Outback" Selkirk
Stuart "Outback" Selkirk (Tiger Force)
Tele-Viper & Cobra Flight Pod (Trubble Bubble)
Tomax Paoli
Tripwire, Aspara, & M.A.C.L.E.O.D.
Tunnel Rat
Tunnel Rat (Night Force)
Vincent R. "Falcon" Falcone
Vypra
That is kind of crazy. Wasn't Nanchaku supposed to be like a stand in/replacement for Quick Kick? I could be wrong. QK has always been one of my favorites. I still have the vintage figure John Gaither " jboypacman" sent me years ago.
ReplyDeleteHe's a great character and I'd love to see an updated version of him in the line at some point.
ReplyDeleteI think we can all agree that we'd prefer the Pursuit of Cobra design to be released as a separate figure, rather than as some kind of awkward mashup between the original design and later versions.
Is anyone else surprised that this guy, who had a decent sized role in the cartoon and comics, never appeared in the vintage Ninja Force subset? How bizarre!
I'd almost wonder if it's related to his status as a Bruce Lee homage and if the sudden 1993 death of Brandon Lee made Hasbro feel that perhaps it would be in bad taste to reuse the character at the time, but the dates don't quite line-up...
Quick Kick died in the comics around 1991, so that's an explanation, too. I don't think any G.I. Joe characters who died in the comics had a figure released after their deaths until the relaunch of the line in 1997 relaunch at Toys R Us.
DeleteCrazy idea as there is no precedent for it in any Hasbro line (that I know of), but what if he had came with swappable feet? He could have regular feet, feet with the toes curled back slightly in a kicking position, and even maybe boots?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I always find it weird when these martial arts guys (Ryu and Ken in Street Fighter also) walk around in bare feet like damn that's dangerous especially on a battlefield. :P At least have some optional sandals or something.
DeleteThat would have been a really good idea! I recently picked up the Donatello/ Invisible Man figure from NECA and he has a set of invisible feet. NECA's Lon Chaney Jr. Wolfman also has swappable feet. I'd love to see Hasbro implement something like that at some point. Because, yeah, surely there's some point where Duke is like "Quick Kick, go put on some boots."
Delete