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GeneralsJoes Reviews FSS Charbroil and COBRA Viper

Don’t look now, but the Figure Subscription Reviews continue unabated here at GeneralsJoes.com!

Today we’re taking a look at Charbroil and the COBRA Viper, the first two figures that hit mailboxes for FSS 5.0.

You can check out the reviews on the G.I. Joe Collectors Club Review Page or click the links below.

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Charbroil (Figure Subscription Service)

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If you’d asked me at any point over the past several years if we really needed an update for Charbroil, I would have said “hell no”.  In the 21st Century the need for flamethrower troopers seems unnecessary, and Charbroil isn’t even the number 1 flamethrower trooper on the G.I. Joe team.  Not only that, but we’ve already received two Charbroil updates, though one was Rise of COBRA and one was Night Force, so we never really got the 1988 update that some folks might have thought we needed.

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I would have disagreed.

However, throughout doing this review and realizing just how many 1988 figures have now been released, it’s kind of cool to see the group shot and Charbroil does fill a hole in that roster, which is cool to see.

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Charbroil himself is a decent figure.  He uses pretty much the entire base figure for the G.I. Joe: Retaliation G.I. Joe Trooper (like the Night Force version did) but done up in colors more accurate to the 1988 version.  The shade of brown for the uniform is a decent match for the ’88 original and the yellow trim does a good job complimenting it now as it did 19 years ago.

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One curious choice, however, was that instead of reusing the same unmasked head that we got with the Night Force version, instead this Charbroil has a balaclava.  I’m not entirely sure why that decision was made, though I would have much preferred the unmasked head here as it was with the Convention set.

If I have a gripe, while the sculpting on the legs is exceptionally well detailed and looks really nice, the ankle joints don’t work especially well (as they really haven’t since 2012) making it tough to keep the figure standing, either on the battle stand or off.

Accessories

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This figure comes with the accessories you’d pretty much expect, including the familiar helmet, backpack with flamethrower (and removable flame) and pistol.  Honestly there’s nothing especially revolutionary or different here, and nothing that wows or impresses.  The weapons are fine and they make sense, but beyond that they’re just kind of there.

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As a character, Charbroil has never really held an interest for me, and as we sit here in 2017, the concept of a flamethrower trooper seems unrealistic at best.  It’s nice to have another entry in the 1988 figure roster filled, however, and I will admit I geeked out just a little when I shot that group shot that keeps on getting just a little bit larger every year.

FSS 5.0 Charbroil
  • Character
  • Sculpt
  • Articulation
  • Paint Deco
  • Accessories
3.1

Summary

I don’t need a third Charbroil update, but the 1988 roster appreciates another hole being filled. The figure mold is the same as the Night Force version and the colors are updated to match the vintage, as one would expect them to be. At the end of the day, it’s a fine update, but doesn’t do anything amazing or out of the ordinary, it just kind of ticks those normal boxes that you’d expect to be ticked.

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Surprise! G.I. Joe Collectors Club reveals FSS 5.0 Charbroil!

This is one way to make a Monday better!

The G.I. Joe Collectors Club has posted their first reveal from the upcoming Figure Subscription Service 5.0 and it’s one great looking figure!  Charbroil has appeared on GIJoeClub.com and anyone who has the Night Force version will find some similarities in the build here, but the Club looks to have included a removable helmet that is much more 80’s inspired.

Check out the first preview below and get excited, because I’m sure there’s more to come!

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Charbroil’s head sculpt revealed on GIJoeCon Facebook page

Well, look at that!  You wouldn’t necessarily think so, but a slight change in hair color makes all the difference in the world.  It helps that this head has only been used with masked characters so far as well.

Yes, Charbroil uses the same head sculpt as the Rise of Cobra Aqua-Viper Officer and more recently as the Figure Subscription Service Dice, but with the red hair he looks like a totally different guy.  The G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club showed his unmasked head on their Facebook page.  It’s also mirrored below.

The next 2013 G.I. Joe Convention Exclusive revealed – Night Force Charbroil!

And this just might be a figure that is better than his previous version.  Far, far better.

Charbroil was always somewhat of a second rate Blowtorch in my opinion, and even though his Night Force version did add some nice credibility to the character (I really hated the brown, yellow, and silver look) he still wasn’t really high on my list of knock out characters.  Of course, appearing in the same assortment as Hit & Run, one might expect he got a little overshadowed.

The Collectors Club has revealed their version of Night Force Charbroil now, and it is pretty nice.  Using what appears to be the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Joe Trooper body from neck to toe (which I have ZERO issues with, as demonstrated by my Best Toys of 2012 article), he’s got a newly tooled helmet and backpack and even without a ton of detail work, the figure looks really nice.  Love the combination of gray and blue here.

Check out the latest update at GIJoeCon.com, and I’ve mirrored the image below.