Thursday, August 1, 2024

Action Figure Review: Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, & Yobbo from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

  It's been at least a week since my last review, but I assure you that I'm fine! I'm reviewing a hunter of sorts today, but I've been spending my time with a hunter of a different sort, a predator who turns the hunters into prey. October is getting closer, you know...

   At SDCC this year Hasbro showed off lots of new G.I. Joe: Classified Series stuff. G.I. Joe was even mentioned as a brand that grew for Hasbro in their most recent earnings report, so it's clear the line is doing well. Today I'm checking out another of the figure and animal companion 2-packs, though this one actually includes two animals and is labeled as a 3-pack (even though one animal companion is a nonarticulated minifigure): Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo. Gnawgahyde is a Dreadnok poacher and was part of the 1989 series of figures. He's a figure I absolutely remember picking out from store shelves at a fairly young age as 1989 was a great year for G.I. Joes and was one of the years that I had every standard figure (all 17 of the basic figures). The 1989 line had some of the best accessories in the vintage run and Gnawgahyde certainly impressed. Hasbro has really loaded up this figure, too, though many of the weapons are reused from previous releases. Making the vintage figure's unnamed boar companion into a fully articulated and named figure was a nice touch, too. Ready to check out Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo? Then join me after the break...





The Facts: Gnawgahyde

Height: 6 5/8ths

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, ball jointed neck base, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: Compound bow, compensator, arrow, quiver, hat, necklace, dog tags, vest, 2 wrist covers, bicep strap, rifle, magazine, bipod, scope, carrying case, 2 knives, and a machete.







The Facts: Porkbelly

Height: 3 inches (3 3/8ths w/ mane)

Articulation: Hinged hooves (x4), hinged hocks (x4), balljointed hips (x4), balljointed tail, balljointed mid-torso, balljointed chest, barbell jointed head, and a hinged lower jaw. 

Accessories: None





The Facts: Yobbo

Height: 1 1/2 inches

Articulation: None

Accessories: None

Non-Scalper Price: $45







The Positives:

* Gnawgahyde is pretty accurate to the vintage figure though the level of detail has been amped up quite a bit. He's a somewhat bigger and muscular guy and I'm sure the torso is reused, but there's all kinds of stuff on him to make him look like a more hardcore Joe Exotic. He's got tattoos (including the anarchy symbol on his left shoulder), a leopard print vest, and lots of collars and stuff. Oh, and grenades on his belt. Plenty of grenades. He's not scented or anything (this isn't a Masters of the Universe figure, after all) though he is supposed to reek. according to his vintage file card Gnawgahyde covers himself with animal fat and only eats what he traps so his prey doesn't smell soap on his body or chemicals and such from processed foods in his sweat. He sounds like the kind of guy who would have his own YouTube channel. 




* His headsculpt has a lot of personality. He fits in really well with the Dreadnoks with his mutton chops, a tattoo on the side of his head, and a nasty scar given to him from something with claws. He's also showing a lot of teeth as he scowls, just like the vintage toy. Hasbro definitely added some cool new details to the character's portrait in the Classified Series and they go a long ways to making him stand out even more.



* His hat looks pretty similar to Crocodile Dundee's with the teeth all over the band and one side folded up, like a slouch hat. It fits on him well and really seals the deal. 











* Here's a close-up of all the stuff on his chest. He's got a necklace made of teeth and a set of dog tags (both of which are removable). His wrist straps and the bicep armlet are also separate pieces and can be removed by popping off his hands.
















* Here's a shot from the back so you can see the pattern on the leopard print vest better as well as the tattoos. 










* The articulation is excellent and it's exactly what you'd expect from a Classified Series figure. Everything moves fine, Clyde Hyde is durable, and he can hold most of his weapons quite well. Poses with the compound bow are a bit finicky but I always find archery poses difficult for most figures to look right in. 








* Since he's usually slogging through the back country or crossing the savannah or something, it makes sense for Gnawgahyde to have a nice case for his rifle. He reuses the case from Low-Light, though now in a OD green.  It has a peg on the back, a peg hole on the front, and a carrying handle, so there are multiple ways for him to utilize it. 



 


* Gnawgahyde's scoped rifle was a highlight among the vintage accessories. This time he reuses the same model rifle as Low-Light which looks to be something like a Remington M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle (ESR). It's not often that Hasbro utilizes 100% accurate real world weapons (sometimes, though) but this one definitely has a very nice realistic feel to it. It's also firmer than Low-Light's rifle and has a mixture of green and black details. 








* Like most other Classified Series weapons, the magazine and the suppressor are both removable. The scope and bipod are removable as well.








* Gnawgahyde's compound bow is reused from Shadow Tracker and now shares the black and green color scheme of his rifle.


*The stabilizer on the front is also removable in case you don't want to use it on your figure.






* A spare arrow is also included, complete with fletching on the back and a sculpted arrowhead. 





* The quiver pack is also reused from Shadow Tracker, though, again, the color is different. Gnawgahyde's quiver has an OD green color with various details painted brown. 





* There's storage space on the pack for the extra arrow, the compound bow, and the compensator. There's a spare loop on the side that doesn't really hold anything, though a knife can fit inside if you want to store it there. 








* The vintage Gnawgahyde came with a cool machete accessory and this modern version does, too. This is a new accessory and, interestingly, it has straps on it so Gnawgahyde can strap it to his arm. That's kind of cool and unique. 











* He also comes with two standard hunting knives. 


* Backblast and Gnawgahyde, both in the 1989 vintage series, were the first figures in ARAH to have sheaths built on to the figures themselves. That was always a cool feature and while it's no longer unusual, it still brings a smile to my grizzled old face that the Classified Gnawgahyde has functional sheaths. I love this cool fur covered sheath on the small of his back. 


* The second sheath is a separate piece but it's not really removable from Gnawgahyde's foot. There's an additional pouch on there, too. Probably for a sharpening stone or something.










* Let's talk about Porkbelly. I thought some things mentioned him being a wild boar but he definitely looks like a warthog. You know, like Pumbaa. The vintage Gnawgahyde had a plastic, slug figure companion included that the package called a boar, but this is a fully articulated warthog. He's really pretty impressive and definitely not something I was expecting to get in this line. He's an impressive looking and rather realistic figure.






* The portrait is really good. Warthogs are pretty wild looking animals and Hasbro nailed their likeness and colors pretty well on Porkbelly.He's not your average Warthog, though, as he's wearing a septum piercing, an ear piercing, and he has a cracked tusk with a peg or piercing in it. Wild stuff. How does one go about piercing a Warthog's tusk? Inquiring minds want to know!







* Porkbelly's lower jaw opens, allowing you to have him bite Joe team members or carry off stray accessories. Or maybe he can talk. Or maybe it's just Gnawgahyde taking for him, kind of like Sven and Kristoff in Frozen. But then why is his mouth moving, huh?









* There really are a few colors mixed together to capture the color of Porkbelly's fur and make his hair a bit more nuanced. It's quite nice and definitely elevates him above being just a plastic articulated animal. 









* Speaking of articulation, it's quite good. A warthog isn't going to be the most dynamic figure to pose and play with but he's got multiple leg joints, balljoints at the hips, mid-torso, tail, and head, and that movable jaw. He's a sturdy porker and just a lot of fun to mess around with.







* Last up is Yobbo, a macaque sporting an eyepatch. What's a Yobbo? Apparently it's a British or Australian slang term that kind of means a bully, brute, lout, hooligan, roughneck, or someone with just no class. Interestingly, when I first heard this mentioned at whatever livestream the Hasbro Joe team revealed the figure at, I immediately thought of Hocus Pocus, where the term Yabbos is used to refer to breasts. Anyways, this guy is a plastic slug figure with a lot of personality.







* There's some great paintwork on this cheeky little guy. Yobbo is definitely a nicely painted minifigure. 





* He's also posed so he can ride on Porkbelly's back or perch atop Gnawgahyde's hat. 


The Negatives:

* I have a few issues with this set and most stem from the accessories. Interestingly, while the rifle and case were fine with Low-Light, I cannot get my case to close with Gnawgahyde's rifle inside. The rifle and the slot just don't lineup quite right. The scope, suppressor, and bipod are fine, but the rifle just won't fit in there. 



* There's also no way to utilize the arrow. It doesn't really fit in Gnawgahyde's hand and there's no way to attach it to the bow or notch it against the string. 







* Porkbelly isn't broken but his lower jaw does fall off every time I open his mouth too wide. It just seems like a design flaw to me. If anyone else doesn't have this problem let me know. 








Hasbro is really giving the Dreadnoks a lot of attention and I'm surprised we've gotten Gnawgahyde (though, to be fair, the line is now over 4 years old) as he only ever had 2 figures, one in the vintage line and one in a 2011 7-pack. I do have some complaints about the accessories in the set but everything else I love. Porkbelly and Yobbo are both pretty neat animal companions. I love these animal and figure sets, just like I did as a kid, and this one packs a lot of stuff in. It's a Great and a 1/2 set and well worth grabbing. For some reason, these deluxe sets don't seem to be as popular with collectors, but they've been some of my favorite releases.



These are the first figures of Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo that I've reviewed. For more reviews from the G.I. Joe: Classified Series check out the following:







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6 comments:

  1. Big ToneAugust 2, 2024 at 6:01 AM

    I like the Deluxe sets just not ready to drop $40 bucks on them. I'd have to REALLY like the character. Mutt and Junkyard are on my radar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17August 9, 2024 at 3:46 PM

      It seems like a lot of folks feel that way and were waiting on clearance sales. I'm waiting for Law and Order (I know they're in the pipeline) as that was my favorite figure and animal companion as a kid.

      Delete
  2. GIJigsawAugust 3, 2024 at 11:23 AM

    I wasn't going to get this guy - only because I don't know much about the Dreadnoks after the first three - but this guy looks amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17August 9, 2024 at 3:52 PM

      He's one of the later ones for sure being a 1989 character. Along with Road Pig they were the last Dreadnoks released in the vintage line. There have been many new ones since, then, though. A lot, really. I'd love to see all of the vintage Dreadnoks (feels like a given) and some of the newer ones, too like Storm Rider, Heartbreaker, Zanya, Burnout, and Machete.

      Delete
  3. CarniviusAugust 4, 2024 at 4:05 PM

    Looking at the SDCC Joes I'm still shocked they've gone and made Raptor look somewhat cool. And I say that as someone who actually owned the original vintage figure. :O

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17August 9, 2024 at 3:55 PM

      Yes, Raptor looks quite good. Still bizarre but not outrageously...useless, bizarre? Seriously, he's really how I dreamed the Classified Series figure would look. He has that tactical, Metal Gear Solid vibe that I just dig. I do wish he were bald, though; Raptor was always my Mola Ram when I played Indiana Jones with my figures as a kid and I very well might have bought a second to put in my Indiana Jones: Adventure Series collection just for fun.

      Delete

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