Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Action Figure Review: Christopher "Law" Lavigne & Order from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Another G.I. Joe: Classified Series review? You'd better believe it! This line just keeps giving and giving and giving and today I'm really excited to check out a modern take on another of my childhood favorites: Law & Order. I loved any G.I. Joe figures that came with animals as a kid, especially dogs, and since I didn't get into G.I. Joes until 1986-ish, Law & Order (1987) was my first set of a Joe with a canine companion. Hasbro has released some incredible sets of Joes and Cobras with animal companions (dogs, wolves, crocodiles, eagles, giant scorpions, warthogs, macaques, iguanas) and this one is another good one. They've gone full out with most of these, offering some excellently articulated animal action figures rather than just a solid plastic animal companion like the vintage toys had. Law & Order did appear in the comics and they've had a few action figures over the years, but I think they're probably best known from their appearance in the animated film where they're part of the Rawhides. Ready to check out the team of Order and Law? Order finds the bombs and Law drives the car. They tried it the other way around but it didn't work. Join me after the break...

 



The Facts: Christopher "Law" Lavigne

Height: 6 3/8ths inches

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

Accessories: Pistol, Uzi, holster, knife, armband, helmet, handcuffs, thigh pouch, and eight swappable hands.







The Facts: Order

Height: Around 3 and 1/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge paws (x4), hinged hocks (x4), swivel/hinged knees/elbows (x4), balljointed hips (x4), swivel/hinge tail, balljointed mid-torso, balljointed chest, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 2 portraits, collar, and goggles.

Non-Scalper Price: $45 dollars




Comparison:


* Just for fun, here's a quick shot of my vintage childhood Law & Order (left) and the Classified Series Law & Order (right). Hasbro darkened the colors, gave Law a closed vest, updated some equipment, and gave Order some protective equipment on the newer figure but it's still very recognizable. Order is also articulated now whereas the vintage toy was just a solid plastic figure.





Just for Fun:


* As a kid I had a camouflaged hat with this cool Law & Order patch on it. At some point the patch came off, so I've had the patch tucked away. I still have it, though. Not a lot of opportunities to show this bad boy off, so enjoy and savor that nostalgia!




The Positives:

* Let's jump in and take a look at Christopher "Law" Lavigne first as he gets top billing over Order. Before joining the Joe team, Law was a police officer in his hometown of Houston, Texas. Now he's an MP who guards the base that G.I. Joe operates out of. While his base colors are very similar to the vintage figure, they're much darker now. I've never seen an MP outfit quite like this but it does work and looks realistic and like something that is functional. Instead of an open vest, Law is now wearing a closed vest which reminds me of the G.I. Joe: Renegades version of Law from 2011. The vest is also used on the Legacy Collection Police Emergency Service Unit figure which has just started showing up in stores. 







* Law's portrait does look like a modern, more detailed version of the vintage figure, a figure who was based on Hasbro executive Kirk Bozigian who was a driving force behind the 1982 G.I. Joe: A real American hero line. It's a good portrait that looks like a regular guy, which fits the line perfectly. He looks a bit intense, maybe a bit stressed out, but you'd be too if you had to keep Cobra off of your military base. 







* Besides a watch on his left wrist (that reads 12:00) and a bracelet on his right, Law is also sporting his badge and a removable bicep band that identifies him as an MP K-9 unit.






* There's a radio on his vest with a removable handset. You can pop it off for him to use it when he's having a more extended conversation!



* Law is wearing an older styled MP helmet that's white for high visibility. The print on it is clean but there's some detail painted on it, too: Lots of scuffs and scrapes and such. Law gets up to far more activity than just directing traffic. It's a good fit and stays on his head pretty well. 







* On the back of the belt there is a flashlight (not removable) and a set of handcuffs (also not removable) there is a removable pair of handcuffs, but I'll get to those in a minute. The handcuffs get a paint hit and the details look pretty good. A removable flashlight would have been cool, but it's not an egregious flaw.






* You probably won't be surprised by the articulation here if you're keeping up with this line; Hasbro has really created a great articulation scheme for the Classified Series and these guys are all really fun to pose and play with. They're sturdy, they have a great range of motion, and they can usually hold their weapons with both hands. Law comes with eight swappable hands so you can really experiment with some cool poses and such. His vest does limit his torso hinge a bit, but I imagine a real vest like this (surely with some armor built in) would too, so I'm not that perturbed by it. 




* Like Mutt, Law comes with a bunch of hands for issuing commands to perps or to Order. He's got a right hand fist, a pointing right hand, a gesturing or beckoning right hand, a cupped left hand like he's maybe snapping or making the "money" gesture, a left hand for petting Order, a left hand like he's gesturing with one finger, and a pair of pistol grip hands. Everything swaps easily and you get a nice range of hands for Law or other Joes with a similar skin tone who you want to swap hands on.


* The vintage Law figure came with an Uzi and this one does, too. This is the same Uzi that came with the first Classified Snake Eyes figure (the deluxe "00" version), though this time it has some great olive green highlights. I was hoping we'd get an MP5, or maybe an M4 or M26 shotgun here as those are more modern weapon used by MPs. Still cool, and I know Hasbro is balancing between letting G.I. Joe be recognizable and keeping it relevant, I'm not overly concerned here, either. It is a nice accessory. 







* Law has a holster for his Uzi and it actually works really well! It keeps the weapon solidly in place and at the ready if he needs it. 












* The nightstick has been seen before (with Shockwave) but it fits Law a bit better, I think. The Legacy Collection Police Officer also comes with this accessory. 



* I like that there's a loop for carrying the baton. It just slips in and stays in place pretty decently. Law shares a belt with the Legacy Police Officer, so you'll see it again in that review at some point.






* This seems to be the new standard issue pistol for many G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures. It's a decent looking pistol, fairly realistic, so it's not a bad choice at all. 



* The pistol fits right in and, with the help of a strap, stays firmly in place.











* This small knife has been used a lot in the Classified Series lately. It's very basic, sure, but it's a decent little knife. Nothing crazy or anything. There's nowhere to store it, oddly enough, but you could always tuck it in somewhere or just set it aside when not needed.





* On Law's right thigh is a a decent sized pouch for extra gear and other equipment. It's removable, so you can swap it around or give it to someone else. Maybe it has some dog treats in it for Order?



* A spare set of handcuffs is included that you can actually use to have Law detain Cobra agents. These originally came with Chuckles and are also included with the new Legacy Collection Police unit mentioned earlier, too. 





* OK, let's start talking about the star of the set: Order! He's a big boy! He's a gorgeous German Shepherd with a nice mixture of colors, what looks like an almost all new sculpt (I think the paws are shared with previous dogs), and a tactical harness. 









* I really like that Hasbro's Joe team, actually includes swappable heads with the dogs in the line. Order comes with two portraits as well. My favorite is the "good boy" head where he looks like he's ready to just play around, get some scritches, and maybe beg for some chow. 








* Of course Order can't just sit around all the time! Sometimes he has to chase down Cobra agents and find hidden explosives! That's why he has this ferocious head with his mouth open and his ears pulled back. He's ready to grab a Cobra agent by the arm and take him down, or maybe he's barking? It's a good portrait and it should work for a lot of different uses.






* Order has a tactical harness that's not removable (unless you disassemble the figure) and a collar that is removable. No leash here, but I'm guessing Order is so well trained that he doesn't need one. The vest and collar are quite cool and look like they're made to last.









* There's a handle on the collar and on the harness as well as what look like some MOLLE straps. Nothing is included but I wonder if at some point we'll get a dog that comes with some gear you can attach to their vest?




* This helmet/ goggles combo for Order is incredible! Not only does it provide Order some extra protection but it also has a camera built in. presumably Law has a tablet or app on his phone so he can monitor the footage if Order is searching somewhere Law can't get into or if Order is pursuing a suspect. What a neat extra! Order looks real proud of this. How cool would it have been to have given Law a tablet (like Cover Girl's) with an image that looks like it's chasing a Cobra Trooper in first person?




* Hasbro has done an excellent job of giving the the animals in the Classified Series some really impressive articulation and Order might be the best. Can he run and jump? Yup. Can he attack Cobra agents and grab Firefly's explosives, carrying them safely away? Yup. Can he lay down and just chill and pant? Yup. He's a bit thinner than the other dogs in the line so he moves like them but with a bit more range of motion.




* The back of Law's belt does have a second spot for carrying handcuffs....

The Negatives:

* But you gotta either have one cuff just hanging down or fold the plastic, which definitely is going to leave a stress mark. These really aren't molded in a plastic that's designed to bend that much. Weird design choice.




* I also noticed that, oddly, the kneepad on Law's left knee isn't fully painted. I don't think this is intended to be wear and tear or battle damage, either. It's just a paint error/ QC issue. 







   Law & Order are an incredible team and another Epic set. Another Epic for a G.I. Joe: Classified Series release you say, huh? Listen, I'm not sure anyone right now packs in the value in terms of articulation and accessories that Hasbro does. Now, granted, Law & Order were released before Hasbro started announcing the new, higher price points (though GameStop actually jumped this set up to $62 dollars which is absolutely insane), so I'm judging them by that. Have their been any disappointing G.I. Joe: Classified Series release this year? Yes, there have, and I'm going to be reviewing one soon....



These are the first figures of Christopher "Law" Lavigne" and Order that I've reviewed on the site. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:

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6 comments:

  1. CarniviusOctober 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM

    Hasbro's Joe animals really do show up how little effort other companies put into the animal companions with their figures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17October 14, 2025 at 10:57 PM

      The scorpion that just started showing up with Desert Scorpion is nuts! I'm curious about who else we'll see in the line. Off the top of my head for dogs there's Lamont (Widescope's dog) and the dog that came with Night Adder, Max the Bobcat, the Stingray included with the Hydro-Viper, the Barracuda with Undertow, Voltar's vulture, and Deep 6's dolphin. Oh, and whatever Dusty had in the early 1990s version. Sandstorm.

      Delete
  2. Joe PantsOctober 17, 2025 at 2:12 PM

    A few bits of the review seem to be missing. There's nothing on the bullet points by the pictures of the nightstick, its holster, and the pistol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17October 18, 2025 at 12:39 PM

      Thanks for pointing that out! I went in and added the missing text. Thanks again!

      Delete
  3. Joe PantsOctober 17, 2025 at 2:14 PM

    Don't forget about the polar bear! I just got that 2 pack and wow! Seriously, the animals have become the absolute high point of this line for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17October 18, 2025 at 12:42 PM

      They are all really good. Hasbro has put a ton of effort into these and it shows. The Polar Bear is incredibly cool. I'm not sure I'll get around to reviewing it but I definitely have it on my shelf.

      Delete

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