Action Figure Spotlight: Firefly

Stats:
Cobra Saboteur
Code Name: Firefly
File Name: Unknown
Primary Military Specialty: Sabotage, Demolitions
Birthplace: Classified

It is my firm belief that if the character of Storm Shadow had not been made, Firefly would be the guy with 10 gazillion repaints right now, as well as arch nemesis of Snake Eyes. In the 80’s animated show, Firefly was a bit of a quiet chap; casually blowing up stuff for Cobra & crew, while Storm Shadow was in the throes of becoming a Joe Icon along Snake Eyes, whom would both become easily the most recognizable characters in Joe Lore outside of Duke and Cobra Commander. As I was hunting my local Newbury Comics, I came across this peculiar “Blue” version of Firefly- which I later discovered was actually the 3rd version of Firefly to come out in the 25th anniversary line (Thanks, Wild One). It was weird at first to put this version in perspective because Firefly was predominantly dressed in gray camouflage. However, the new Blue Uniform grew on me- so much so that I wanted to review him.

Packaging:
An all new illustration of Firefly adorns the common 3 3/4th 25th anniversary line, which sets him in a “I’m about to jump kick your face” pose. At the top right hand corner of the card is a notation that this specific interpretation of Firefly comes from the G.I. Joe comic series (specifically, the 80’s Marvel series to the best of my knowledge). On the back of the card is Firefly’s Fire Card, which I think is an absolute hoot because it is so comic in the way it’s written. I.E. “FIREFLY has been blowing things up for COBRA since COBRA COMMANDER first donned his hood and opened up for business.” Pure comic genius, guys. LAUGH, I TELL YA!

The Figure:
Standard height, standard articulation is the name of the game, and for those of you familiar with the 25th anniversary line, you know that says a lot for each figure. On a side note, I think it’s really ironic how Hasbro, who bought out the Star Wars line from Kenner, started modeling the later Star Wars figures along the lines of the Joes in regards to articulation, considering it was the Joes who outdid Star Wars in the 80’s to begin with. Anywho, back to the subject at hand- the best word I can use to describe Firefly is “solid”. Solid in every aspect, actually. Joints are tight, nothing slipping. He comes with a cross pack lined with grenades and explosives that is removable from the back. Once removed, it looks exactly like one of the Beachead molds for the chest (a lined longsleeve shirt). His pants are a predominant blue with gray camouflage highlights and one set of major kick ass boots. I love the boots! Makes me want to go out and get a pair for myself, not that I am a demolitions expert or anything. HAHA. I digress again. In keeping with the mystique surrounding the character, the face mask is permanent, not letting any hint of identity out there. The Cobra Insignia adorns Firefly’s right shoulder. In many ways, I prefer the character and figure of Firefly over Storm Shadow any day of the week.

Accessories:
Firefly comes stacked with all sorts of little goodies, “little” being the operative word. His backpack holds a can of gasoline, a plastic explosive, a maglite, and a swiss army type of pliers. The cool thing about his back pack is that it opens in the middle like two book leaves, and when Firefly flies Cobra Air Lines, he can pull up the “carry on Luggage” handle that conveniently remains bent when not in use. For firearms, Firefly comes with two: a hand pistol which fits into a holster on the right hip, and a cool automatic rifle whose butt can bend to either be or not be used. Also included is the standard base with the Cobra Insignia. Always a cool thing.

Point Loss:
Basically, not much is wrong with this figure. Small gripes include the backpack not fully fitting into the back slot when the cross pack is being worn and a knife on the right boot that was permanently molded into the piece instead of being a separate accessory like the Crimson Guards, for example. Once you get used to the blue uniform, there’s a lot to like about this figure. In the realm of scarcity, the only time I have seen this Firefly V3 available was the one time I picked him up. Given the fact that the 25th anniversary line has been somewhat put aside for the movie line, I recommend picking this little gem up if you see him. Until the next review, have fun and Yo Joe! (or, in my house, COOO BRAAAAHHH!!!!)