Action Figure Barbecue: Action Figure Review: Carl "Doc" Greer from G.I. Joe: Series by Hasbro

I'm on a bit of a G.I. Joe: Classified Series review spree and today I'm checking out Carl "Doc" Greer, the original medic for the G.I. Joe team. Doc was a fairly prominent character in most of the various animated shows over the years and a memorable character in the original Marvel Comics run by Larry Hama. Doc's also often remembered for his death in Trucial Abysmia at the hands of a SAW Viper (hence all the comments at PulseCon about keeping the upcoming SAW Viper figure away from Doc), as he was killed alongside Crankcase, Heavy Metal, and Thunder. In the Classified Series, though? He's back and ready to keep saving lives and rescuing Joes when things get crazy. Doc shipped in the same case as Jinx, Torch, and the Night Creeper and he's been out for a good month or two. Ready to save the day with Doc? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height:6 1/8ths inches

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

Accessories: Helmet, stretcher, taser, flare gun, holster, leg pouch, glasses, and 6 MOLLE pouches.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* Dr. Greer is a combat medic and is toting a bit more gear than just someone working on a base. He's wearing a tan uniform like the vintage figure but now he's also sporting a belt with plenty of gear and a heavily kitted out MOLLE (modular lightweight load-carrying equipment) system vest. We first saw this vest with the Action Soldier earlier this year, so we know it's a pretty near feature for a figure. Without any pouches attached, he's still carrying some gear that gets some paint applications such as a blue pen and an orange flashlight. I like the belt, too, as that red and white gives off a nice pop of color.

* Doc's usually portrayed as a bit older than your average Joe team member, so Hasbro's given him a little age, particularly noticeable by some grey hair on his temples. The paintwork on his eyes is excellent and he overall just looks like a wise and determined guy. You'd feel confident if you'd been injured and Doc was telling you that you'd be OK, you know?

* His helmet is pretty cool and similar to the other combat helmets we've seen from other Joes, but with a buckled chinstrap and with what look like two objects on the side. I've always thought he was carrying two pill containers but I've also heard some other opinions that these are flares for his flare gun. I can kind of see that, too.

* Doc's green glasses have transparent lenses and actually look really cool when placed on his face while he's wearing his helmet. Without the helmet is a different story, though, but I'll get to that in a moment.

* Dr. Carl "Doc" Greer, MD comes with six different pouches which can fit on the MOLLE system vest in different places. There are four holes in the front. The removable pouches in this picture are a small, thin pouch, a large pouch with MOLLE attachment points of its own, and a medium sized pouch with some medic symbols on it.

* There are more storage spots on the back and two more removable medium sized pouches for carrying more gear. Of course, you can move these around as you see fit.

* Doc has some cool shoulder patches that are really neat and clean. A medic corps symbol of some sort with a dagger on it on his right shoulder and a simple "MEDIC" patch printed on his left.

* He's also sporting some useful gear on his left hip in a removable pouch along with a watch. The hands on the watch are even painted on! It's 9:30!

* The vintage Doc came with a very large rescue flare launcher. In the 25th Anniversary line, Doc was a mailaway figure in 2008 (for a promotion called Operation: Rescue Doc) and included both the larger rescue flare launcher and a smaller handheld flare gun. That's what we get here. It's bright orange, like most modern flare guns I've seen, and has a large hollow barrel. It's pretty nice looking and a useful tool for Doc to signal help or call for the upcoming Dragonfly helicopter.

* ~~Duke's~~ Doc's sixth attachment for his vest is a holster which can keep his flare gun easily at hand. It's a nice fit! (For some reason I kept wanting to call Dr. Greer Duke instead of Doc. Maybe I had "Men, Doc says Duke's gonna be A-OK" stuck in my head.)

* Since ~~Duke~~ Doc is a pacifist, he doesn't carry a standard firearm (although most modern combat medics actually do in order to protect themselves and their patients). Instead he comes with a taser. It's a cool idea and might come in hand in the event Doc has to subdue someone who's out of control. I wouldn't depend on this for self defense, especially against armed Cobra troopers, but for subduing someone who's been a victim of Dr. Mindbender's mind control or something? Absolutely a good thing to have on hand.

* The removable holster on Doc's right hip holds the taser close by and within easy reach.

* Doc's articulation is excellent. A great range of motion, solid construction, and plentiful joints make him a lot of fun to pose and mess around with. He looks great and despite his somewhat bulky vest, there's not a lot that inhibits his movement.

* Doc also comes with a stretcher that can fold and unfold. There's no medical equipment or gear on here bit there are some sculpted straps and handles. It can hold a figure, but only from one side.

* There's also a peg which helps hold a figure on the stretcher or allows you to put the stretcher on Doc's back so he can tote it to where it needs to go.

The Negatives:

* I do have a few problems with Doc, and the first is with his glasses. They actually look pretty good and they function well when held in place with his helmet, but without the helmet? They don't stay on and don't have a way to fit over his ears or anything. I'm really wishing Hasbro would start doing heads with glasses and heads without as they're about 50/50 on whether removable glasses work (Baroness, Ripper, and Chuckles work pretty well but Buzzer and Doc don't).

* There's some weird, random paint splatter on Doc's upper arm. Just some paint slop, something we don't see very often on the Classified Series or Hasbro figures in general. They usually have their paint operations down pretty well.

Even with glasses that don't fit without his helmet on, Doc's a pretty tremendous figure. The only thing I would have liked to have seen is a medical kit, but Hasbro probably wants to hold that back for Lifeline. Doc's MOLLE vest system is really cool and works great for the character, his helmet is really nice (especially with his green tinted lenses in place), I love the flare gun and taser, and the stretcher is a pretty cool accessory. He's really an Epic figure and Hasbro is definitely loading these guys down with more accessories than you'd fine with most other figures in this scale and at this price point.

This is the first figure of Doc, real name Carl W. Greer. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:

G.I. Joe Classified Series by Hasbro (2020)
Action Sailor (Recon Diver)
Action Soldier (Infantry)
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)
Big Boa

Blue Ninjas
Buzzer
Chuckles
Clutch with VAMP (Multi-Purpose Attack Vehicle)

Cobra Commander

Cobra Commander (Regal Variant)
Cobra Eel

Cobra Infantry
Cobra Officer

Cobra Trooper (Special Missions: Cobra Island)
Cobra Valkyries