Action Figure Barbecue: Action Figure Review: Kim "Jinx" Arashikage from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

This summer was pretty filled with new G.I. Joe: Classified Series and I'm still making my way through them. Today I'm checking out Jinx, another new figure from the single packed main series. Well, Kim "Jinx" Arashikage, to be exact. You see, she's Storm Shadow's cousin and part of the Arashikage clan. I had the vintage Jinx as a kid (still do, too), but I actually prefer some of her later costumes like the Sigma 6, Valor Vs. Venom, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation versions. This one borrows pretty heavily from the vintage toy, sure, but we do get a couple new elements and some details brought over from other incarnations, so she's not just a straight up vintage rehash. Ready to kick it with Jinx? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 5 16/16ths inches

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

Accessories: Staff, sword, sheathe, 2 swappable portraits, 4 swappable hands, and blindfold.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* Rather than a simple red suit like the vintage figure now Jinx's outfit has a more traditional gi with a mixture of a bright crimson and darker maroon highlights. It's pretty impressive and, mixed with the black details, nicely helps to balance the bright red, subduing things quite a bit. It reminds me a lot of the 2012 SDCC exclusive figure of Jinx. She's still rocking her dragon logo, a holdover from the original figure, but now she's sporting ripped sleeves. I actually like that detail as it gives her a bit more personality and seems more functional for a ninja. I mean, wearing red it's not like she's trying to blend in too much, right?

* Jinx has an unmasked portrait that looks to be based a good bit on her appearance in the 1987 movie. It's quite lovely and while I prefer Jinx with long hair, the short hair is styled nicely and looks like it could easily be packed under her mask.

* Jinx sometimes utilizes a blind fighting technique, so she comes with a removable blindfold. It fits easily over her eyes on either portrait and can be simply placed on her forehead if you want. She's also sporting a neat little pendant around her neck, which is removable if you pop off her head.

* Jinx's second portrait features her with her mask on covering everything except her eyes. It's a bit different than her vintage styled mask as that seemed more like a hood or balaclava while this seems more like something that's made from two pieces of fabric and tied tight like a bandanna behind her head.

* Jinx has some great ink down her right arm. Our those lotus blossoms mixed in with the design? It's quite interesting and definitely makes her lack of sleeves seem more interesting since you can appreciate the tattoo work.

* Here's a shot of Jinx's lower body to better show off the painted details down her legs and the back details mixed into her red boots.

* There's really nothing much to say with Jinx's articulation that I haven't said on most other Classified Series figures as everything is excellent. She has a great range of motion in most joints, with a good bit of it fairly nicely hidden. Her torso is a bit more limited than I expected, but everything else moves superbly. She looks excellent in almost any ninja pose you can think of and she's sturdy enough that you should have no concerns about posing her frequently. Without any extraneous items on her costume, she's pretty inhibited.

* When Kim Arashikage needs to use her bladed weapons you can give her the gripping hands. When she just wants to punch some Cobra's lights out you can give her the fists. If you want her grab some Cobra by the collar and give them a noogie, just use ones of each.

* Jinx comes with two martial weapons, the first being a pretty standard katana. It's pretty basic with a painted handle.

* There's a simple black sheathe for the katana that fits into the peg hole on Jinx's back. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done.

* I feel like this has always been called a naginata in collectors guides and such, but I don't believe that's hat this really is. It is a pretty cool double bladed staff, though, that's an upscaled version of the vintage toy. The paint applications make it far more appealing and the blade designs are pretty nifty. Does anyone know specifically what this is called?

I really like this figure. Her accessories aren't as exciting as they maybe could have been but they're solid. The figure itself is just really good with solid paint and detail on her uniform and tattoos; she's far more than just the Blue Ninja repainted in red and her outfit has it's own unique personality. Both portraits are excellent, plus the extra necklace and blindfold allow for a bit more versatility. She's very reminiscent of the vintage figure but not overly beholden to it. Some more spy influences would have been appreciate on my end, but I'm quite thrilled with her. She's quite Epic and one of my favorites in recent memory.

This is the first figure of Jinx/ Kim Arashikage that I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:

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