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Shortpacked!@TNI: Super-sized 100th TNI Shortpacked! spectactular!
Shortpacked!: She's Still Got The Look
"Amber's Got The Look," the original art from Friday's strip, is up for auction, and it ends in three days! Bid early and bid often.
Among the new sets of G.I. Joe vehicles is Serpentor and his Air Chariot. He comes packed with Steeler and some tank thing I don't care about. The point is, AIR CHARIOT. I had this thing when I was 7, and it was rad.
But it is now 2008, and it is simultaneously less and more rad. Let's start with the less rad part. As you can see in the photo on the right, it doesn't really accommodate Serpentor very well. The 25th Anniversary figures are bigger and taller than the originals, so he has to squat goofily if he wants any sort of chance at gripping his hands around the handlebars. It's either this or stand him up on it, ignoring the handlebars entirely. Which he might as well do, as his hands are sculpted counter to the purposes of getting his hands on them. His wrists are angled in a relaxed pose, but the handlebars are angled in the opposite direction. Like this:
Hands = /
Handlebars = \
It's just not gonna work very well.
But what IS rad is the entirely new snake head on the chariot. The old one was pretty dippy compared to this one. And the plus side is, it's ball-jointed at the neck and its mouth can hinge open. Why is it ball-jointed at the neck? Best I can tell, it's so he can mug for the camera. Look at him cocking his head and having a glorious time. He's freakin' Kermit the Frog, is what he is, 'cuz that's the trademarked Muppet Open-Mouth Smile. I like to imagine he has a mind of his own, crackin' bad jokes like Fozzie Bear as Serpentor leads the Cobra troops into battle.
And finally, the Serpentor from the set really got robbed by the paint fairy or somethin', compared to the single-carded one from last year. He looks pretty bare, but it doesn't bother me too much. I mean, I have the well-painted one already. The half-painted one's all ready to go to the local used toy shop as soon as I'm done typing this. But damn. He's still fun as a curiosity. Sure, all the paint is gone from his chest, legs, and arms, but he's still got those numerous and miniscule silver buttons lining his boots!
(Though, hey, they updated his crotch for improved hip movement. Sweet. I guess.)
So, yeah, there's definitely some problems, but I just can't see Serpentor without his Air Chariot, regardless of whether he can actually ride the damn thing. He'll just have to raise his arms in the air like he don't care while he's zoomin' that thing around overhead, barking out "THIS I COMMAND."
Shortpacked!: She's Still Got The Look
"Amber's Got The Look," the original art from Friday's strip, is up for auction, and it ends in three days! Bid early and bid often.
Among the new sets of G.I. Joe vehicles is Serpentor and his Air Chariot. He comes packed with Steeler and some tank thing I don't care about. The point is, AIR CHARIOT. I had this thing when I was 7, and it was rad.
But it is now 2008, and it is simultaneously less and more rad. Let's start with the less rad part. As you can see in the photo on the right, it doesn't really accommodate Serpentor very well. The 25th Anniversary figures are bigger and taller than the originals, so he has to squat goofily if he wants any sort of chance at gripping his hands around the handlebars. It's either this or stand him up on it, ignoring the handlebars entirely. Which he might as well do, as his hands are sculpted counter to the purposes of getting his hands on them. His wrists are angled in a relaxed pose, but the handlebars are angled in the opposite direction. Like this:
Hands = /
Handlebars = \
It's just not gonna work very well.
But what IS rad is the entirely new snake head on the chariot. The old one was pretty dippy compared to this one. And the plus side is, it's ball-jointed at the neck and its mouth can hinge open. Why is it ball-jointed at the neck? Best I can tell, it's so he can mug for the camera. Look at him cocking his head and having a glorious time. He's freakin' Kermit the Frog, is what he is, 'cuz that's the trademarked Muppet Open-Mouth Smile. I like to imagine he has a mind of his own, crackin' bad jokes like Fozzie Bear as Serpentor leads the Cobra troops into battle.
And finally, the Serpentor from the set really got robbed by the paint fairy or somethin', compared to the single-carded one from last year. He looks pretty bare, but it doesn't bother me too much. I mean, I have the well-painted one already. The half-painted one's all ready to go to the local used toy shop as soon as I'm done typing this. But damn. He's still fun as a curiosity. Sure, all the paint is gone from his chest, legs, and arms, but he's still got those numerous and miniscule silver buttons lining his boots!
(Though, hey, they updated his crotch for improved hip movement. Sweet. I guess.)
So, yeah, there's definitely some problems, but I just can't see Serpentor without his Air Chariot, regardless of whether he can actually ride the damn thing. He'll just have to raise his arms in the air like he don't care while he's zoomin' that thing around overhead, barking out "THIS I COMMAND."