G.I. Joe AGENT FACES from Valor vs. Venom Series

Art Design: The new Valor vs. Venom series features card art which has a green and yellow theme. This window carded set clearly shows the exciting contents of the Agent Faces set. The back of the card has a great Cobra storyline update which seems to indicate that Dr. Mindbender and more of the Cobra characters will soon be making their debut into the world of the 12" action figure! Also included is the Agent Faces File Card.

Headsculpt: The Agent Faces headsculpt is proof that GI Joe just keeps getting better! Agent Faces has a thoughtful expression on his face. Agent Faces is not like any GI Joe from the past. Perhaps that is because Agent Faces is based on a real-life Hasbro employee? According to the File Card, Agent Faces "real name" is Michelino J. Padlino. Agent Faces is presumably an Italian American GI Joe, but the File Card name is probably not the real name of the actual Hasbro employee. Regardless of who it is, the sculptors have put alot of human character into this 1:6 scale action figure. It is a testament to the GI Joe creative team's artistic ambition and grasp. Did GI Joe use more than one sculptor for this set? Are you interested in knowing? Do you think that this Agent Faces set is of such a superior quality that the creative staff deserves artistic recognition? Review these photos and/or examine one in person and decide for yourself! You are guaranteed to have fun! (Thanks for info from Paul of THE FRONTLINE)

The DESTRO Mask: DESTRO looks a lot like DR. DOOM! These latex rubber masks are AMAZING!! If only Captain Action had been able to use this technology back in 1966! The masks are soft and easy to pull on and off. However, Destro's mask seems to be painted with silver over a gray latex base. Just from removing the mask a couple of times DESTRO developed some color chipping. Bonding paint to latex seems to be a very complex process, and it is possible that most DESTRO masks will not have this problem. However, based on my experiences collecting Captain Action, the "Melting Factor" should also be taken into account. These masks are packed with tissue padding inside of them, and it is probably a good idea to keep that padding inside the masks when they are not being displayed.

The Zartan mask is a bit disappointing compared to the other masks. Zartan's mask is too large, and the soft rubber cowl connects to the neck of the mask and it tends to pop the cheeks out slightly so that Zartan looks like he has a very big face. For anyone who has ever seen the comic book art, Zartan has a very muscular face. The Zartan mask should look at least as sinister as Dr. Mindbender, or like a 1970s Ace Frehley of the rock band KISS! Unfortunately, the Zartan mask reflects an effort which falls a bit flat, but only because the DESTRO and Dr. Mindbender masks are in a league of their own.

The Dr. Mindbender mask has the tightest fit to the Agent Faces head, and it looks like the best one. The skin tone is excellent, and the serious expression on the face makes Dr. Mindbender a candidate for a Vin Diesel kitbash or perhaps Yul Brynner? The comic book version of Mindbender was a bit older. The spectacles on the mask are not removable, and they look like optical glass! Someone in the GI Joe Laboratory must have broken new ground when they programmed the latex mold machinery to perfectly attach the spectacles to the mask during production.

The Outfit & Gear: Agent Faces is dressed with a nice Cobra gray (reversible to black) trenchcoat and black pants. The boots and black utility belt are from previously issued Action Man sets. A Cobra Medallion is included, and a nice set of GI Joe and Cobra insignia stickers. The Cobra sticker fits on the Cobra Medallion (see the photos above). A Cobra HOF knife is included. The icing on the cake is the Napoleon Solo style (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) Luger Sniper Rifle and briefcase that Agent Faces is armed with.