Once more with feeling(since I accidently deleted the entry)...
Okay...take 2 -_-;;. It's weird how things work. Wave 7(even though I have gotten duplicates of the ones I wanted) has not really hit the stores in great big numbers. Super Targets seem to be the ones with the most, though I've seen them now in Toys "R" Us as well. I've not had the chance really to see if my store has them in yet, since my tasks have not taken me into the toy section, but the Target I worked at over the weekend for training did not have Wave 7 in. Last night, since I was closing in the toy section, when I went on break I peaked over in the Joe section and lo-and-behold they had Wave 7.5. This is in reality Wave 8 minus one figure pack and with Destro/Grunt Wave 7 pack thrown in. The true Wave 8 includes the missing Tele-Viper and thrice named Joe paratrooper figure(first was Ripcord, then came Airborne and now Halo Jumper(though this might be a placeholder name)). I did pick up 3 of these figures since that was all I had the money for at the time. I shall now review them(and hope I don't cause this entry to go bye-bye again).
Gung Ho vs Zarana:
This is the second version(or third if you count the Built to Rule Gung Ho) of Gung Ho for the G.I. Joe Vs Cobra line. At first I thought the BTR GH was just going to be a slightly modified version of Wave 8(or 7.5) GH, but it's not. The new GH is a completely new figure, from head-sculpt on down. Colors are mostly blues and greys, with some brown straps thrown in. Accessories include: a removable cap, M-4 w/ M-203 grenade launcher, a removable tactical harness, a knife and a pistol. There are two variations to this figure, with one sporting a blonde goatee and another sporting the correct brown goatee(as you can see, I have the blonde). Since I don't really care for the head-sculpt(and definately don't care for the hair color) I switched heads with the Wild Bill figure's old head(the bald one with sunglasses and goatee). I found this looks perfect.
Zarana, making her second appearance all time in figure form, has a very cool sculpt and paint application. Her hair is molded out away from her head, giving it a real look. A nice touch is the sunglasses on her head. Her body is not as over proportioned as the Lady Jaye figure, but her shoulders are a tad large. Her outfit is fairly simple, but still looks close to what Devil's Due has her wearing in the current Joe comic book. Her accessories include: a "saw gun"(which is the same the original Zarana came with), a removable(by taking the figure apart) belt, a ghile suit, and an Uzi.
Heavy Duty vs Heavy Water:
This is the second version of Heavy Duty for the G.I. Joe vs Cobra line, and ways better than his super bulky Wave 1 version. Though the resemblance to Roadblock is there, with the dew rag and goatee. Even his gun is the same: the Mini-gun. Spy Troops: The Movie establishes HD as Roadblock's cousin which could explain why he suddenly resembles RB. His file card does mention his "replacing" RB as not only heavy machine gunner, but as chef for the team. He is a simple figure, with a green top and dark grey legs. To facilitate his Spy Troops gear, his legs are molded with armor on to match the look of his removable disguise armor. His forearms are covered with big metal pads, also part of the costume. He comes with: the Mini-Gun, a pistol, and Nullifier helmet and chest armor.
Heavy Water is Cobra's new varient to the Toxo-Viper corps. His armor is designed to protect him in areas of heavy readiation. This is a great looking figure, though at first sight, one thinks Master Chief from the game Halo. His backpack has lots of clear green hoses that snake out from it, connecting to points on the armor. The hoses don't always stay in the holes to easily though, but a little glue and they'll be in to stay. His chest aparatus is removalbe as well, letting you show the figure sans any hoses. He comes with a small machine gun and a spear-type gun.
Switch Gears vs Cobra Commander.
Switch Gears is one of the new members of the Joe team, with a specialty in Armor. He has a nice sculpt, with small armor pads on his shoulders, arms and legs. A relatively simple figure, he's still fairly detailed. He comes with: a removable M1 helmet and an M-4 Master Key. His other accessories are relating to his Spy Troops disguise of Over-Kill. This includes: a helmet/mask combo, chest armor and a snap on arm gun.
The Best Figure of the Wave award goes to the new version of Cobra Commander. This figure is about as good as you can get. Clearly the best CC figure of all the CC figures made to date, in my opinion. This is a return to the battle helmet design that he sported in his first ever figure way back in 1982. A sharp mold is accentuated with a sharp paintjob. His uniform is a dark blue, with red cording giving him a regal look. He has a black belt with holster for a pistol and a removable half cape that attaches to his right shoulder. He comes with: a small sub-machine gun, a larger rifle, a cobra headed staff(the same from earlier CC figures, though minus the sound attack tab). Definately my favorite figure of this wave.
Gung Ho vs Zarana:
This is the second version(or third if you count the Built to Rule Gung Ho) of Gung Ho for the G.I. Joe Vs Cobra line. At first I thought the BTR GH was just going to be a slightly modified version of Wave 8(or 7.5) GH, but it's not. The new GH is a completely new figure, from head-sculpt on down. Colors are mostly blues and greys, with some brown straps thrown in. Accessories include: a removable cap, M-4 w/ M-203 grenade launcher, a removable tactical harness, a knife and a pistol. There are two variations to this figure, with one sporting a blonde goatee and another sporting the correct brown goatee(as you can see, I have the blonde). Since I don't really care for the head-sculpt(and definately don't care for the hair color) I switched heads with the Wild Bill figure's old head(the bald one with sunglasses and goatee). I found this looks perfect.
Zarana, making her second appearance all time in figure form, has a very cool sculpt and paint application. Her hair is molded out away from her head, giving it a real look. A nice touch is the sunglasses on her head. Her body is not as over proportioned as the Lady Jaye figure, but her shoulders are a tad large. Her outfit is fairly simple, but still looks close to what Devil's Due has her wearing in the current Joe comic book. Her accessories include: a "saw gun"(which is the same the original Zarana came with), a removable(by taking the figure apart) belt, a ghile suit, and an Uzi.
Heavy Duty vs Heavy Water:
This is the second version of Heavy Duty for the G.I. Joe vs Cobra line, and ways better than his super bulky Wave 1 version. Though the resemblance to Roadblock is there, with the dew rag and goatee. Even his gun is the same: the Mini-gun. Spy Troops: The Movie establishes HD as Roadblock's cousin which could explain why he suddenly resembles RB. His file card does mention his "replacing" RB as not only heavy machine gunner, but as chef for the team. He is a simple figure, with a green top and dark grey legs. To facilitate his Spy Troops gear, his legs are molded with armor on to match the look of his removable disguise armor. His forearms are covered with big metal pads, also part of the costume. He comes with: the Mini-Gun, a pistol, and Nullifier helmet and chest armor.
Heavy Water is Cobra's new varient to the Toxo-Viper corps. His armor is designed to protect him in areas of heavy readiation. This is a great looking figure, though at first sight, one thinks Master Chief from the game Halo. His backpack has lots of clear green hoses that snake out from it, connecting to points on the armor. The hoses don't always stay in the holes to easily though, but a little glue and they'll be in to stay. His chest aparatus is removalbe as well, letting you show the figure sans any hoses. He comes with a small machine gun and a spear-type gun.
Switch Gears vs Cobra Commander.
Switch Gears is one of the new members of the Joe team, with a specialty in Armor. He has a nice sculpt, with small armor pads on his shoulders, arms and legs. A relatively simple figure, he's still fairly detailed. He comes with: a removable M1 helmet and an M-4 Master Key. His other accessories are relating to his Spy Troops disguise of Over-Kill. This includes: a helmet/mask combo, chest armor and a snap on arm gun.
The Best Figure of the Wave award goes to the new version of Cobra Commander. This figure is about as good as you can get. Clearly the best CC figure of all the CC figures made to date, in my opinion. This is a return to the battle helmet design that he sported in his first ever figure way back in 1982. A sharp mold is accentuated with a sharp paintjob. His uniform is a dark blue, with red cording giving him a regal look. He has a black belt with holster for a pistol and a removable half cape that attaches to his right shoulder. He comes with: a small sub-machine gun, a larger rifle, a cobra headed staff(the same from earlier CC figures, though minus the sound attack tab). Definately my favorite figure of this wave.