My original Dreadnoks are complete! Welcome to another Dan's ToyBox review. This time around, we're taking a look at the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series: #123 Torch action figure. I was surprised that he wasn't released with Ripper and Buzzer, but this figure is one that was definitely worth waiting for.
Tom Winken, better known as Torch, was born in Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Torch is the dim-witted lackey of the Dreadnoks, notorious for his lack of intelligence and literacy. He follows orders without question and is valued more for his sudden and unexpected violence than for his brains. His only notable skill is his proficiency with an acetylene torch, which he has modified into a functioning flamethrower.
Torch's background includes being a juvenile delinquent who joined the merchant marines, where he became adept with a cutting torch. He later ran chop shops, remodeling stolen cars, with a tendency to go way overboard and often turning them into smoldering scrap piles. A former member of the Melbourne Maulers, he joined the Dreadnoks after they absorbed his former gang. Were it not for his talent with motorcycle repair, he might have been kicked out long ago.
As I mentioned, I couldn't wait for Torch to be released in order to add him to the Dreadnoks in my collection. I remember when they were first introduced in G.I. Joe A Real American Hero, issue #25. Later, in issue #30, Zartan and the Dreadnoks mistakenly assume Maguire Air Force Base to be the G.I. Joe Headquarters and alert Cobra Commander. He plans a surgical strike against the base, but the Joe team, realizing that Zartan had visited the base, disguised as Hawk, mount up for a defense. Meanwhile, The Dreadnoks are tasked with opening holes in the fences, to allow Cobra entry, but the desire for destruction is too great. Torch charges in, with Buzzer and Ripper eagerly joining in the mayhem. The three begin vandalizing and destroying vehicles, but when they destroy the undercarriage of one of the SkyStrikers, causing it to explode, the base is alerted and deploys security. Both the Joe team and Cobra arrive and engage in a furious battle, which allows the Dreadnoks to escape unnoticed... or so they thought.
I could go on and on, but it's time to review. So, let's discuss the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series: Torch Action Figure.
Accessories: 8/10
Torch comes with his signature weapon a modified acetylene torch, that he's turned into a flamethrower. Two pistols, the backpack with tanks and hose and three flame effects. I would have liked to have seen a pair of fists with the figure as well, but it's not really an issue. The flame effects are done very nicely and all three of them plug into the end of the torch and fit snugly. The smallest is designed to indicate that the torch has just been ignited, there is a relatively straight-line flame to indicate a stream of fire and the last is a smaller more rounded "ball of flame" which I would take to be the initial gout of fire when triggered. These are in a relatively translucent orange plastic, with a bit of yellow paint highlight. The torch has a sculpted skull mounted over the barrel, with flames shooting from the eyes and looks really sharp. The backpack mounted tanks are molded in solid black with the Oxygen tank painted yellow to differentiate it from the two acetylene tanks. The control valves are also set at the base of the yellow O2 tank but are molded in black. The pistols are a solid gray and while sculpted nicely are somewhat unremarkable in design. Overall, though, this is what I picture when I think of Torch.
Appearance: 10/10
In terms of accuracy, I feel like Torch is the best of the three. Ripper is awfully close as is Buzzer, but Torch is dead on. The best feature for me is that the sunglasses are sculpted on. I ended up gluing them in place on both Buzzer and Ripper, which kind of ruined the look a bit. Anyhow, the design on Torch is fantastic from the flame tattoos on his forearms to the flame patches on his jeans and the studs and chains on his vest, to the sculpted chain belt, with skull buckle. I'm very pleased with the paint applications as well. Honestly, the only spot I had an issue with was on the side of his red headband. There looks to be just the tiniest bit of brown paint spillage, but it's very negligible. His purple sunglasses are not only sculpted on, with detail at the hinges, but the paint is cleanly applied with no splotches on his skin. His hair and facial hair are all sculpted carefully and have some depth to them. The facial hair really looks good and is also painted very cleanly. I noticed a hint of paint around his mouth, which was a nice surprise given that with the mustache, I didn't expect the attention to detail for the mouth. As I mentioned, the vest has a tremendous amount of detail and even the zippers and buckles are painted silver. There are a number of sculpted details, which help to convey the leathery look to both his vest and his boots. The leather look is semi-glossy, with areas that are more of a matte finish, which would convey leather that has been rubbed and worn. Even his jeans are highly textured, which just gives such a realistic look to the figure. I think I'm even more impressed with Torch than I was with Ripper when I first cracked him open. This is a solid looking figure, with a lot of hidden detail, bringing even more realism and accuracy to the character.
Articulation: 8.5/10
Torch has the same engineering design as his brother Dreadnoks but there are some limitations caused by his vest and holsters. His head and neck, combine for decent range of motion. He can look up and down, side to side, and has decent head tilt. The arms are set in the hidden butterfly joints, which don't have much forward or backward range. But, the arms can be raised out to just above a T pose and will rotate a full 360 degrees. The bicep swivels work fine and the elbows can bend fully in, even with the bicep design and the studded arm band on his left arm. The wrists pivot and hinge vertically, but the chains around his arms do impede him somewhat. His torso articulation is somewhat hindered by the vest, but his waist joint does rotate and allow for some forward and backward crunch. There is a bit of side tilt but the joint is a bit stiff on my figure. He does have drop down hips, but the holsters limit how far the splits will go. His legs can kick up forward to 90 degrees and the knees will bend in almost fully to bring his heels to his back. Unfortunately, the thigh cuts are very tight on mine and the holsters make rotating the thighs more difficult. His boots do have a hidden cut, allowing for rotation below the knee. Lastly, his ankles do have great hinge range and can pivot reasonably well. The torso, hip, and thigh limitations are a bit frustrating and the waist joint worries me a bit as I'm afraid to push it too much.
Affordability: 9/10
I picked up Torch from BBTS for $25.99 and really, with the accessories, accurate character design, and decent articulation can't complain about the cost. I would prefer to find figures at my local stores as there is a bit of savings, and certainly no shipping cost, but it's darn near impossible given that my local stores are about four months behind in receiving new items. So, I order online.
Overall, I do really like this figure. My gripes with it are pretty minimal and he looks great with his fellow Dreadnoks and Zartan. With that in mind I'm happy to give the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series #123 Torch Action Figure:
9 out of 10 ToyBoxes
Torch is a slick figure and Hasbro has done a really nice job of rounding out the three original Dreadnoks in their Classified Series. I don't know if I'll add any others, but for now, I'm content to have these three with Zartan. Thank you, as always! Until next time... GEEK OUT!!!