I am incredibly excited to finally check out Bulletproof, the first release from Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's 1/12th scale C.O.P.S. 'n Crooks line. I love Hasbro's C.O.P.S. 'N Crooks line from 1988 and
I collected it pretty actively as a kid. Heck, I still have most of my vintage figures, though I have sold off a couple figures and vehicles over the years. While C.O.P.S. 'N Crooks doesn't have the fanbase that many 1980s toylines have, there's still a group of fans who have long wanted Hasbro to revisit the property or incorporate some of the characters into a G.I. Joe toyline. Hasbro has licensed out the property to Fresh Monkey Fiction and they've worked with other companies to release M.U.S.C.L.E. inspired minifigures, 1/18th scaled figures (with Chicken Fried Toys), and now these 1/12th scale figures that will nicely fit in with the various Big Bad Workshop lines, Action Force, and the G.I. Joe: Classified Series. First up is Bullet-Proof (sometimes written as Bulletproof), the Federal Agent who came to Empire City to fight against Big Boss and now leads a special team of the country's best law enforcement specialists against Big Boss and his crime family. Bulletproof is definitely the first character I think of when I think of C.O.P.S. and he was a great choice for the inaugural figure in the line. This guy always seemed like the epitome of cool with his sunglasses and trench coat and I'm excited that Agent Baldwin "Bulletproof" Vess is now able to team up with my other 1/12 scaled action figures. This guy looks awesome working with the Joe team, Operation: Monster Force, and Action Force. Ready to check out Bulletproof? Then join me after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 6 3/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, lateral pectoral hinges, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, hinged neck, and a balljointed head.
Accessories: 2 swappable heads, trench coat, 2 belts, pistol, 2 firing effects, briefcase, handle, handcuff, 10 swappable hands, and display stand.
Non-Scalper Price: $40 dollars
Comparison:
* Here's a shot of Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's Bullet-Proof (left) and my vintage childhood Hasbro Bullet-Proof (right). If you ask me, this is a pretty close translation of the vintage toy into a 1/12th scaled figure with more realistic proportions. Every accessory from the vintage toy is included along with some extras like a hand holding Bullet-Proof's badge.
The Positives:
* Overall, it doesn't seem like BBW/FMF took too many liberties with the design of Bullet-Proof as he's incredibly accurate to both the vintage Hasbro action figure and his depiction in the animated series. From the above pictures, you can see that Vess is meant to be wearing his trench coat most of the time, hiding the fact that most of his body is now cybernetic. Ignoring that for a minute, from his upper torso up he's looks like he could be wearing a yellow collared shirt with either a black stripe or an incredibly thin tie. C.O.P.S. is set "in the future" so it's entirely possible that this is just a style of dress shirt now the "tie" is a raised element which might be the fashion of their era. The sculpt is excellent and it's unlikely that most of this will be able to be reused with another character.
* Agent Vess looks appropriately heroic and no nonsense with his lantern jaw and dark sunglasses. I also like the spit curl. It just adds a lot of character to his face. While the vintage C.O.P.S. figures were built like G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero figures, the larger size definitely gave Hasbro's designers and sculptors more room to work, allowing for more interesting facial features and such. The sunglasses (which have a computer device built into them that allows Bullet-Proof to identify criminals) are a separate piece, though they're not removable.
* A second portrait is included and shows Bullet-Proof with his sunglasses down on the tip of his nose, kind of like he's looking over them at someone. His eyes are more visible and he has a bit of a grin on his face, too.
I wonder if this is kind of what BBW/FMF was going for? I was kind of hoping we'd get the alternate portrait of him wearing his fedora, but no such luck.
* The sculpted detail on the visible parts of Bullet-Proof's cybernetic body is intense. Everything looks like it's truly made of metal and designed to be functional. I've always liked how he has a lawman's badge now permanently designed as part of his torso. While you might think that Hasbro was inspired by or ripping off of RoboCop, RoboCop came out in July of 1987 while C.O.P.S. action figures were released in 1988. Would that really have been enough time for Hasbro's designers to know about RoboCop and borrow elements of it? Maybe, though it would have been tight.
* I'm really impressed by how Bullet-Proof's legs look like they connect down into his pantlegs. They almost look more like long boots or something. There's a nice paintjob that does add the look of boots or long chaps onto the legs, though I could see them being just slacks somehow attached over his cybernetic legs. I believe in the comics it's said that 75% of Agent Vess' body had to be replaced with cybernetic parts, so we're clearly not seeing everything.
* Here's a shot of Bullet-Proof from the back so you can see more of his stainless steel body. It's all quite impressive. I'm excited to see how this line develops if BBW/ FMF puts this attention to detail into every character.
* I'm quite happy with the articulation on Bullet-Proof. If you own any of the Operation: Monster Force or Soldiers of Fortune figure, I think you'll know what to expect in terms of the feel of the figure. The articulation scheme is quite similar to the G.I. Joe: Classified Series. Bullet-Proof does not have the "drop down" hips with a vertical hinge nor any kind of boot swivel, but he does have the lateral "butterfly" joints with a great range of motion. Everything feels really solid and the articulation is nice and smooth. He looks great firing his oversized pistol or just aura farming in his trench coat.
* Let's take a look at Bullet-Proof in all of his glory by putting this incredible trench coat on him. Trench coats like this are just the coolest and I loved the look of Bullet-Proof as a kid. That cloth trench coat just seemed so neat! While the vintage toy had the details like pockets and such printed on the fabric, here everything is sculpted. The belt is a functional piece with a buckle and there are multiple places where the coat is wired to aid in posing. Trench coats are meant to be a bit oversized, too, so this doesn't look off at all on a 1/12th scale figure; it just works perfectly.
* The belt is a separate piece that is wired, connects via a metal belt buckle, and even has nonfunctional metal buttons on the coat.
* I'm not completely sure why but Bullet-Proof does include an alternate belt. Again, I'm not sure what the extra belt's purpose is for but it is an extra piece if you want to use it for something.
* Bullet-Proof includes ten swappable hands. Nine of them are standard hands that give you multiple options for display (one is missing from my photo). There is a pair of fists, a pair of pistol grips with extend fingers, a pair of pistol grips with gripping fingers, a left hand for holding or picking up small objects (like a pinch), a pointing right hand, and left hand with a thumbs up. Nice!
* The tenth swappable hand is a right hand that has Agent Vess holding up his badge. How cool is that? I really like this one.
* I love Bullet-Proof's "pistol." The vitnage toy called it a pistol but it's really quite large and seems more like a submachine gun with a stock and a scope. All of the C.O.P.S. figures had unique weapons, many with interactive play features. This one doesn't have any moving features or anything but it does have a great futuristic sculpt that still feels grounded like a real firearm. There looks to be a cylinder, kind of like a revolver, but there's also a magazine coming out of the bottom. Make of that what you will.
* The vintage C.O.P.S. featured rolls of caps, similar to Kenner's RoboCop toyline. While Kenner put the cap-firing action feature inside of each figue in a backpack, Hasbro put the cap-firing feature inside of the weapons and accessories. Bullet-Proof's weapon fired caps in the vintage line. Here, is does not. Instead, you can place the firing effect or a wisp of smoke inside the barrel. These extras are also used with Operation: Monster Force and Soldiers of Fortune, so they are interchangeable with those lines.
* Bullet-Proof might be better know for the attaché case he carries that is handcuffed to his wrist. The handle is a separate piece (it just pops off) and you can slide the handcuff connection over it. You pop the cuff around Bullet-Proof's wrist when you change hands. It's a basic, plain case that looks heavily armored and quite similar to the vintage toy.
* The case opens via hinges to reveal a plethora of crimefighting goodies inside. There's a pistol with various attachments, a knife, extra ammunition, and a small computer system with some sort of "copy" device inside as well. It reminds me a lot of Destro's briefcase from the vintage A Real American Hero figure.
* Vess also comes with a display stand with the C.O.P.S. 'N Crook logo. It's a great stand (it's the same sculpt as the stands from Soldiers of Fortune and Order of the Crimson Moon) and it keeps him nicely upright on your shelf, It's also quite colorful.
The Negatives:
* If I have one complaint with this figure, it's that I wish the briefcase were updated a bit. By updated, I mean it would be really cool if, say, the pistol, the knife, and maybe another item, were removable accessories. A few paint applications wouldn't hurt as well. I don't feel like the C.O.P.S. designs and gear are outdated because they were designed to be futuristic but it would sure be nice to have some elements of the toys updated. This was an impressive accessory in 1988 and it would be nice to see it redesigned in light of nearly 40 years of toy design progress.
While an update to the briefcase would have been nice, I am extremely happy with Bullet-Proof. Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction are quickly becoming one of my favorite companies producing action figures and they really came out swinging with Bullet-Proof in the C.O.P.S. line. The sculpt is fantastic, the coat is well done, the accessories overall quite good, and he overall product really works. I would have loved another extra or two considering the price, but I think you're getting far more here than you get for most higher end figures (like S.H. Figuarts, One:12 Collective, etc.). How deep will BBW and FMF go with this license? Considering how Epic Bullet-Proof is, I'm hoping we get a full roster and then some! There were some unproduced characters from a third series that looked incredible and plenty of characters from the cartoon who never received action figures in the vintage line.
This is the first figure of Agent Baldwin "Bullet-Proof" Vess that I've reviewed on the site.
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