Art Design: This new 8" GI Joe Sigma 6 action figure line uses innovative soft-crease technology to create a clear plastic box (covered with graphics) around the card-board frame. The gray plastic box caps also serve as the top and bottom of the weapons case. There are two long flat strips of clear plastic that hold the caps tight around the box. The cardboard frame slides out once the caps are removed.
Sigma 6: is the code name for a new group of covert GI Joe operatives with highly specialized capabilities who use innovative technology and gear designed exclusively for each of their missions. Sounds like James Bond? In the Sigma 6 cartoon, the characters are all guided by Hi-Tech, who keeps them linked via their visual data system and cybercom links. The emphasis is on cyber-tech.
Headsculpt: Heavy Duty looks like a real bad boy. He has a cool Abe Lincoln beard and a band-aid over his nose.
Articulation: Heavy Duty has gigantic muscular arms that resemble those of Cyborg from the Teen Titans. The shoulders, elbows, wrists, torso, hips, knees, ankles, and neck have reasonable articulation. Just above the boots is a cut joint.
Outfit: Cargo pants, a do-rag, cybercom goggles, gloved hands with a flip-top control screen that generate an electro magnetic field to smash through concrete & metal structures; nice boots and a tiny Sigma 6 dog-tag.
Gear: Heavy Duty has a Plasma Cannon that is pretty cool. The cold fusion generator on the back can be fitted with either a plasma or pulse power cores. The two power cores are hollow. They would look a lot better if they had been filled with some kind of liquid or gel. The plasma cannon looks like a Gatling Gun, and it has an excellent wind-up feature that spins the barrel when it is shooting plasma/pulse bullets. Attached to the bottom is a grenade launcher that shoots long range thermal grenades (plastic missiles). The Gatling Gun is large but the frame and the straps for the back-pack (cold fusion generator) are too small for a larger figure.
The Weapons Case: Using the two box caps is very ingenious. You attach the handles and the hinges, and they really work. The weapons case could fit on most 1:6 scale jeeps or trucks.
Price/Availability: These figures are $14.99 at most retail stores like Target, x-Mart, etc.Overall: Heavy Duty looks very cool. For young kids and GI Joe collectors, it is a fun action toy that can take a lot of play. This is one tough GI Joe. It has pretty good articulation and some nice accessories. The weapons case is a nice extra.
Grade: A
