Monday, December 2, 2024

Action Figure Review: Nemesis Immortal from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Cobra-La is probably one of the most unusual concepts ever used in G.I. Joe since the beginning of the brand in 1982. Sure, we've had G.I. Joe as an adventurer, a cryo-frozen World War 2 soldier, and every sort of military/ ninja/ spy/ international super team that you can think of, and we've seen G.I. Joe in multiple scales and styles. Still, in 1987 G.I. Joe went hard into a sci-fi/ fantasy theme with the introduction of Cobra-La, an ancient snake themed civilization that once ruled the glove but who now hangs out deep underground in the Himalayas. This wasn't the first time the brand went in that direction (in 1976 the Adventure Team fought the Intruders, intelligent caveman like enemies from another world and in 1986 they met the Transformers), but Cobra-La really cemented the weird sci-fi, horror, and mystical elements into the brand in a major way. Some people love them and others hate them, but for decades now they've had an affect on the brand's identity. Cobra Commander (Once a Man) figure started things, but the appearance of Nemesis Immortal seems to show that the Classified Series is willing to embrace these elements, too. Based on the character from the 1987 animated film and the 1987 ARAH toyline who was originally named Nemesis Enforcer, Nemesis Immortal kind of dropped unexpectedly on October 28th and shipped out within a week. Crazy! No preorder or anything. Ready to check out one of the most fearsome adversaries for the Joe team in the Classified Series to date? Then join me after the break...





The Facts:

Height: 7 3/8ths inches

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

Accessories: 2 swappable portraits, 4 swappable hands, articulated wings, tentacle pack, 2 swords, and 2 sheaths. 

Non-Scalper Price: $45 dollars





The Positives:

* The first thing that stands out to you when you place this guy by a standard figure is that he is big. He's taller than any other G.I. Joe Classified Series figure out there and wider than most of them, too. Road Pig is a big guy but Nemesis Immortal is larger still.

* He's also pretty impressive looking with a very unique appearance from most other Classified Series figures. He truly looks like some sort of human/ creature hybrid with lots of unusual textures, darker colors, and a bizarre mixture of bone-like growths and protrusions. If you didn't know this guy was a G.I. Joe character you might think he was from another toyline or property. He seems to take a lot of cues from the Skybound Comics version of the character.




* The headsculpt is pretty solid. Nemesis Immortal is wearing some kind of textured purple bodysuit under his organic, exoskeleton like armor, and it seems to extend up to cover most of his head, only showing his face. He has some wild, snake-looking eyes and a pretty pissed off look on his face. 






* A second portrait is included that offers up a different take on the character. He has an exo-skeleton like armor that seems to be made of bone protrusions (with a nice, dark wash). It matches the rest of his armor quite well. His eyes are also more fiery looking, with different colors but no pupils, giving him an even more unearthly feel. 


* For both offensive and defensive purposes the Nemesis Immortal has huge, bony shoulder pads and bony protrusions growing out of his forearms. There's a bit of give to the forearm spikes but they're not gummy or rubbery. Just enough to keep them from being brittle or, presumably, being shar enough to draw blood.









* Here's a shot of the Nemesis Immortal from the rear so you can see more of his crazy design. I love his collar. It looks like something you'd see on an insect. The vintage file card claimed that the Nemesis Enforcer was rumored to have been created out of a pile of dead things by Golobulus, so him being an amalgam of a bunch of creatures definitely seems fitting. 





*The Nemesis Immortal doesn't have boots. He has claws! That's a pretty cool upgrade over the vintage figure and the 25th Anniversary figure (who, Fun Fact, was the first to be called Nemesis Immortal). I love the weird ribbed texture on the back of his calves and the almost dinosaur-like feet. Crazy!









* The Nemesis Immortal might be a big, beefy guy but he has articulation that's on par with pretty much every other figure. He doesn't have a boot swivel but he does get swivel forearms so you can adjust the position of the bone blades/ protrusions on his forearms. He also has a balljointed upper and lower torso rather than the balljoint and a hinge. It's a better look, I think. 







* The Nemesis Immortal comes with two pair of hands: A pair  of fists and a pair of pistol grips that do work to hold his blades. You use his lower fingers to grip the handles and they work just fine.

* These blades are really cool. While the vintage figure came with the swappable wings and tentacle backpack, he didn't come with any weapons. These are awesome, though, and seem fitting for a creature like Nemesis Immortal. They look like they're some sort of organic weapon, perhaps made from bone and sinew. Or something. the hilts are like a claw. Did these come from something he killed? Were they grown for him? Who knows?







* The sheaths on his thighs hold the blades nicely. The are on the larger side, so they're not crazy sleek looking when stored away, but they do stay put.


* The Nemesis Immortal's wings are huge! They're an extra piece and fit on his back like a backpack. That's how the vintage figure's wings worked, too. These ones are much larger, however, and really impressive. They're articulated with lateral butterfly joints at the base paired with a swivel/hinge joint, and then another swivel/hinge joint at the base of the wing. 


* Here's a closeup of the "backpack" that the wings attach with. It's furry and reminds me of a bat, so, again, another animal element featured in this guy's gear. He's also got those weird, spiky shoulder pads on the wings as well. They're attached via flexible flaps, so they move so as not to impede the wings.










* Here's the wings from the front and extended a good bit. They're quite nicely sized.


* Looking at the wings close up you can see that they're translucent and have some really cool textures to them, especially the veins running across them and the various rips and tears in them. They kind of remind me of the 1995 Batman Forever Attack Wing Batman from Kenner. Not sure why; just a feeling.


* Last up is the weird tentacle pod that the vintage figure came with. As a kid I assumed that Nemesis Enforcer/ Immortal could mutate and go back and forth between wings or tentacles, but a number of years ago I thought I had heard that the tentacles were some sort of pod that he could throw and the tentacles would "wrap around" the figure. 





* See! Just put the pod and tentacles on a figure's back and the bendable tentacles can wrap around, capturing the figure. Pretty nifty!










The Negatives:



* The articulation on the wings is pretty impressive except that the articulation at the base of the wings is weird. You kind of have to really swap things around to get the wings in different positions, but it feels like you're having to work around the articulation and not with it. 


   The Nemesis Immortal may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you're not a fan of Cobra-La or the more sci-fi/ fantastical elements of G.I. Joe. I really like this guy, though, and I'm impressed by how well made of a figure he is. Easily a Great and a 1/2. He's a completely unique figure with huge wings, two portraits, and the cool tentacle piece that can fit him as a backpack, be used to capture other figures, or even walk along like some sort of spider. Creepy! Hasbro really did go all out on this guy and, with the quality work they showed here, I'm excited to see how a future Pythona, Golobulus, and Royal Guard might turn out.


This is the first figure of the Nemesis Immortal/ Nemesis Enforcer I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:




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6 comments:

  1. Big ToneDecember 3, 2024 at 5:25 AM

    Insane figure! I may have to pony up and add this guy to my collection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17December 7, 2024 at 10:34 PM

      I believe he has shown back up on Pulse recently, so he should be available for retail again.

      Delete
  2. 555December 3, 2024 at 8:49 AM

    Golobulus being redeemed as a figure? Awesome

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    Replies
    1. Barbecue17December 7, 2024 at 10:37 PM

      Well, nothing official has been announced but with Hasbro having released "Once a Man" Cobra Commander, Serpentor, and the Nemesis Enforcer/ Immortal, I can't imagine them not continuing to delve into Cobra-La. They seem to enjoy releasing very unique figures that break the mold of the traditional military guys from time to time and a snake bodies Golobulus seems like a figure that would draw a lot of attention.

      Delete
  3. 555December 8, 2024 at 8:18 PM

    I'm not sure if you're reading the Energon Universe stories (Destro and the Cobra Commander runs are an absolute blast), but they're referencing the Classified figure portraits. Scrap Iron is the absolute spit of the box set toy, right down to the new facial scarring and drone unit, while Destro has dropped a nod or two to the Profit Director outfit l. I mention this because Golobulus has a very nice sleek, updated design (not to mention being twice the size he used to be).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17December 23, 2024 at 4:41 PM

      I am not currently reading it. I do have the Duke TPB but haven't read it yet. To be honest, I'm just not thrilled that the Transformers are already part of things. I'm not a Transformers fan much at all and I'm just aggravated that Skybound has went ahead and merged them with G.I. Joe from day one now.

      Delete

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