Action Figure Barbecue: Action Figure Review: Scarlett (Retro) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

So far, four of the five series one G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures have received updates in the retro carded subset (Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Destro) while Roadblock got a mostly retro update with the Heavy Artillery Roadblock figure. I looked at retro Duke earlier this month and today I'm checking out Scarlett. I really like the original Scarlett figure and her "field" variant but there's obviously a large contingent of collectors who want figures that are as close to the original vintage toys as possible, which isn't a bad thing. Scarlett had a unique look that was more superhero or superspy than straight up soldier, so I'm not sure there's anything about her that looks really outdated. This is a completely unique figure from the first release and she's loaded with accessories. Let's check out Scarlett after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 5 7/8ths inches

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

Accessories: 4 arrows, 2 piece crossbow, laser rifle, machine gun, magazine, sheathe, leg strap, knife, 4 swappable hands, pistol, backpack, display stand, and 2 swappable ponytails.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* Scarlett's vintage outfit definitely looks better here with a bit more shape to it. It's sleeker and seems like it could almost be something that's very lightly armored, or at least padded, to give the storage space that her bodysuit just doesn't provide. The extra gear like her quiver, knife sheathe, and the device on her right leg are all attached via light green straps rather than just looking like they're attached to the bodysuit. She's also got a shoulder pad on her right shoulder and a grenade attached to the left side of her outfit.

* Like with Duke, the Retro Scarlett's portrait doesn't match with the earlier figure release. This is actually the fourth Scarlett in the line! We've had the original release, the "Field" variant with darker colors, the Samara Weaving Snake Eyes movie version, and this retro version. This one looks the most like the classic Scarlett, but not necessarily the vintage 1982 figure. She reminds me more of the comic and animated series Scarlett. She's rather lovely but she also has a look on her face that seems like she's going through all the ways she knows how to kill you in her mind.

* Here's a look at Scarlett from behind so you can see another way she varies from the vintage 1982 figure: She has a ponytail. Yeah, she always had one in the comics and animated series, but the figure did not. Here she has one, though. Well, two, actually. You can swap between one of two different ponytails. The first one is a simple, straighter ponytail, hanging down mostly flat over her back. You can also see here how Hasbro wisely implemented the "butterfly" joints where her unitard meets the sleeves. Quite nicely design!

* Scarlett's second ponytail is wavier, like it's blowing in the breeze as she's leaping out to neutralize some hapless Cobra soldier. Or it could be curved so she can wear it with her backpack.

* The vintage toy has what looks like a sleeve gun (you can kind of see the rail) on Scarlett's inner right arm, which has always seemed like such a cool feature. This Classified take on Scarlett moves the pistol to the inner left forearm . There's no visible rail, though. I do think there could have been a cooler way to do this (maybe a swappable piece like Black Widow's gauntlets with and without the tiny pistol?), but I'm still pretty tickled that it's here.

* Scarlett's just loaded with cool and deadly gadgets. She's got some pouches on her boots and a little device on her right hip (it's removable). What do you think it is? I've always thought it was some sort of explosive device and that's kind of what this looks like, too.

* Scarlett's articulation is good. Darn good! Scarlett's body is all new, though it's going to be shared with the upcoming Glenda figure included with the Dragonfly. She has fantastic articulation and looks great utilizing her weapons, engaging in melee combat with Cobra forces, or just hanging around looking fine. She's all pinless, too, so she's top of the line.

* Scarlett's crossbow is different from the previous two versions. This one looks a bit simpler with a scope of some sort on the side. It's actually made from two separate pieces but it stays together really well unlike most prior crossbows made from two pieces.

* Scarlett also comes with four crossbow bolts. Four! And guess what? They're all different. She has three different standard arrowheads with different sizes and shapes and one that looks like it has a clawed head. Maybe it delivers and electric charge, neutralizing a B.A.T. or disabling Cobra hardware?

* The bolts can fit onto the crossbow and they stay in place fairly well.

* She also can carry all four of them in the quiver on her hip. The quiver is attached to her belt, though it isn't removable. You can carry any of the bolts in it, though the claws arrow will need to be positioned with the tail end inside the quiver. I had a bit of trouble getting all four in perfectly, but they definitely can fit in there.

* Scarlett has fewer knives than the first release, but she still at least gets one. It's pretty basic but it's sharp and gets the job done.

* It can also fit in the sheath on her left hip.

* Like Duke, Scarlett also comes with some swappable hands. She has a set of fists for punching and a set of trigger fingers/ pistol grips for laying down some fire.

* Scarlett comes with a few nice firearms as well. She comes with the same M-16A2 that Grunt comes with. It's a nice sculpt with a scope and a hole in the barrel for a firing effect. It also has a paint application on the stock.

* The magazine is also removable,

* Shanna also comes with the XMLR-3A , the experimental laser rifle that came with Snow Job in the vintage toyline and which was used in the animated series pretty frequently. It also gets a paint application for the stock.

* Last up is the standard .45 caliber pistol. It also has a hollow barrel and a paint app for the slide. For those of you who wish Duke had a .45; just give him this gun and let Scarlett use the cooler pistol Duke comes with.

* Scarlett comes with a backpack for when she needs to tote some extra gear around.

* She can use the backpack for stowing both rifles, too.

* Last up is one of the basic display stands that the retro series figures have come with. I don't know why only the retro figures get these, but it's a nice extra.

Like the retro series Duke, I'm just impressed with how much quality Hasbro has packed into this figure. Excellent sculpt, fantastic articulation, and so many accessories. Sure, she has some reused accessories, but she also has the unique crossbow, four different bolts, and a quiver that holds them. Oh, and swappable ponytails, too. $25 has kind of become the default price for your average "low-end" action figures targeted at collectors and I'm not sure any line packs in the value like the Classified Series. Every time I open one of these figures I find myself thinking about what missions they can tackle with their wealth of gear, just like my friends and I used to do with our figures. Heck, even in 9th grade I had a couple friends who would join me in coming up with proposed "missions" for our action figures (yeah, we still messed around with them even then) and then we would select a complement of gear for them from G.I. Joe accessories and a big yellow box of other random action figure accessories I kept around. Good times! Oh, and Scarlett? She's Epic!