Review: Dreadnoks meet Hotwheels Motos

The infamous biker villains of the GI Joe universe, the Dreadnoks, didn’t come with any choppers when they were first sold in the mid-80s (Zartan’s vehicle was a swamp ski). Hobbyists have to make do with whatever 1:18 scale bikes they can lay their hands on. Two years ago, I chanced upon several such bikes in a Carrefour hypermart here in Bangkok. Made by Hotwheels, they look impressive in their packaging but were pricey at around 500 Baht (roughly US$16 in today’s exchange rate). Several markdowns later, I finally bought four of them at around 79 Baht (or around US$2.6) apiece. For one reason or another, I had these stuff in storage and it was only this weekend that I got the chance to open them. Are they worth the sticker price? And most important, can the Dreadnoks use them? Apparently, they can, as this picture shows:

On to the review. As one would expect from Hotwheels, these bikes have rather bright colors. (There were actually more models when I bought these four, but I found their colors too loud and cartoon-y, which reminds me of the Battle Corps line of the early 90s, so I didn’t purchase them). These four bikes’ colors work for me, though. Two bright reds, a dominant black and a black and violet one. Somehow, they also complement the colors of the 25th anniversary line. It’s obvious that Hotwheels did not pennypinch on the materials. There’s metal aside from the usual plastic and rubber. The main chassis, the handlebars and forks are all metal, while the seats of two of the bikes and their wheels were of rubber.

One good feature also of these choppers is the detailing.

As for the useability/playability factor, yes, these four that I got posted above average scores. As their handlebars and other small items are made from metal, concerns that they might easily break off are almost negligible (unless you intentionally snap them off). Hotwheels also provided a quickstand for each bike so that they can stand on their own for displays.

The 25th anniversary line figures can easily hold on to the handlebars. However, the unique designs of these choppers (as compared to the usual motorcycle models) make it a bit difficult to make the figures “ride” them. Instead, one has to be a bit creative in posing the figures, taking into consideration the unique articulation of a particular figure and also the ergonomics of each bike, as shown by these photos:

All in all, for their design, material quality and playability, I give these choppers a 3.5 in a scale of 1 to 5, with five as the highest.

Ride on, baby!

Review: Clap of Thunder!

Definitely one of my favorite ARAH vehicles, the Slugger looks  sturdy with its boxy shape (so ’80s!) and six wheels. I also like the camouflage paint scheme which was standard Army color until Desert Storm ushered in desert tan. One drawback of the Slugger is that it can accommodate only the vehicle commander. No room for a driver or even foot pegs in the vehicle’s sides or rear. Also,  the Slugger has no revolving turret, its cannon fixed in its forward position. No surprise there as this G.I.Joe vehicle is a self-propelled artillery, or in layman’s terms, a mobile cannon. Unlike the usual artillery, which has to be towed, the Slugger is more mobile, enabling itself to get closer to its objective and fire for effect. And what effect it would have had on poor Cobra blue troopers, with its 175 mm Howitzer cannon. The vehicle commander, in this case, Thunder, has a .30 caliber machine gun mounted on his cupola.

Speaking of which, this is one nice thing about the early Joe vehicles. Hasbro really tried its best to provide them with neat details. In this case, the cupola has a sliding hatch cover. Thunder can crouch inside, or pop up and man his machine gun. This vehicle’s engine can also be inspected once you open the cover. And, as a testament on how strong that 175 mm Howitzer can kick, the Slugger has a telescoping (meaning you can pull it out) stabilizer at the rear, so that the vehicle would remain in position each time it fires.

Thunder is one of my favorite action figures in terms of uniform and sculpting details.  This guy has a stern-looking face that says he’s all business and won’t take any BS. He has a tanker’s brown leather jacket. Though Hasbro didn’t provide him with a sidearm like the other drivers (Steeler comes to mind), that .30 cal would do nicely! He does, however, have a monocular so he can better observe the battlefield. He’s got also a neat helmet with a dark visor that can be slid up and down plus a headset. Pound for pound, he can give Thunderblast–Thunder’s 25th/ROC series version–a run for his money. As an aside, I’m interested in getting a Thunderblast figure and have it a try sitting in the Slugger’s cupola.

I bought the Slugger along with the Wolverine more than a year ago. As I have said in a previous post, they didn’t come with their drivers.  It was nearly a year later that I was able to get a complete Thunder figure. As with the Wolverine and Cover Girl, man and machine have been finally united.