Dollar General Storm Shadow
by KansasBrawler
The Dollar General wave of Joes really made me pretty happy. They provided me with a lot of figures in decos I either have fond memories of as a kid playing with Joes or as a teenager rediscovering (and playing with) Joes. Had you told me when the 25th Anniversary line started wrapping up that I would have a Snake Eyes based on the 1991 version, a Shipwreck based around the Devil’s Due look and a Storm Shadow based on his Ninja Force garb, I would have been shocked. While all these figures had an impact on my childhood (and teenage-hood), I also had to acknowledge that they weren’t necessarily iconic enough to warrant inclusion in a Joe line that was focusing for the most part on nostalgia from the classic days of the line. However, in one stop (after many, many checks) at my local Dollar General, I added all these great designs to my collection. While they may not all be exact copies of the original looks, they definitely pass the quick glance test—and Storm Shadow is probably the glanciest of the bunch.
This version of Storm Shadow is based on the very solid, hard to find Renegades Storm Shadow mold. From the neck down, it’s all that figure and I’m really glad that it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg to add the mold to my figure. However, I do have a slight gripe with the hands on this figure. While they were excellently designed for holding the accessories that came with Renegades Storm Shadow, they really don’t work well with the accessories given to him in this iteration. The bow fits his right hand pretty well, but the sword is kind of loose in his left. That being said, body is nicely detailed and it’s really a testament to how far this modern line has come since 2007. Above the neck, the Hasbro design team did something different from Storm Shadow. When I saw the first pictures, I just assumed that he would be using the standard hooded Storm Shadow head we’ve had since the first single carded Storm Shadow in the 25th Anniversary line. That was not the case and while I’m not sure the way they did it works as well, I appreciate the design team going outside the box and shaking things up a little. The Resolute comic pack version of Storm Shadow loans his head out and Resolute Zartan gives up his hood and presto, you have a new look for a hooded Storm Shadow. While I still prefer the one piece look from earlier, it’s different yet gets the point across that this is a hooded Storm Shadow and I think it does add a little variety to what could otherwise be just another version Storm Shadow.
I’ve already touched on the accessories a little bit, but I’ll delve into them a bit more here and look at the other pieces that are attached to Storm Shadow’s body. First of all, Storm Shadow comes with a bow—in this case the really cool, modern bow from Shadow Tracker/PoC Spirit. I’ve always liked this bow and I’m glad to see Storm Shadow actually packing it for a change. Don’t get me wrong, Storm Shadow with an old style bow is classic, but I do like the idea of him upgrading his gear. His sword, though, is somewhat forgettable. I believe it’s the same mold that came with some of the Retaliation Red Ninjas, but I’m not sure. Regardless, I’m not a huge fan of the square blade guard—it just makes the sword look clunky and honestly, I think it throws off the balance of the accessory in Storm Shadow’s hand. When it’s not a good fit to begin with, having it somewhat off balance just makes it a little worse. He also comes wearing the belt and bandolier from the Renegades Storm Shadow. They really complete the look even if they are a little off model from the 1992 Ninja Force version. Also, it’s a little surprising that they left the quiver off the backpack. I’d not actually realized the quiver from the Renegades Storm Shadow was removable, but considering they gave this version a bow, it would have been beneficial to have a quiver on his back to complete the ensemble. Honestly, I also wish they would have given him an arrow from Shadow Tracker or even Renegades Storm Shadow instead of the sword since this version’s hands can hold arrows realistically. I realize that would have left him with only one weapon, but I’d rather have one pair of weapons that go together than a bow with no arrows and a sword that doesn’t
really work well with a figure’s hands. Alternately, since the original Ninja Force Storm Shadow came with a sickle, why not recycle that accessory from the Firefly/Storm Shadow comic pack. The final thing he comes with is a figure stand, which I wouldn’t normally mention, but it’s a Cobra figure stand which is a little odd since Storm Shadow as a Joe when he wore this uniform. I understand why they made him a Cobra for this wave, but I would have liked to see a Joe stand for the Joe Ninja Force Storm Shadow.
Of course, what really makes or breaks this version of Storm Shadow is the paint scheme. The Ninja Force version of Storm Shadow had a unique black and white color scheme. While it was more detailed on the original, the paint team at Hasbro really did a pretty good job of replicating the placement and style of the original “Chameleon camouflage battle uniform.” However, at least on my sample, the paint lines on the jagged areas are a little blurry. From the shots I’ve seen online, this is a pretty common issue. I kind of wish the paint lines were a little crisper, but for a dollar store exclusive wave, the fact that we got anything like the jagged look of the original is pretty impressive. The only other real deviation from the original Ninja Force look is that his hands here are ungloved. Beyond that, they did a passable job of making him look like the 1992 Ninja Force Storm Shadow. It’s not a perfect likeness, but even at a quick glance, it’s clear what version of Storm Shadow this one is meant to represent.
The 1992 Ninja Force version of Storm Shadow was the first Ninja Force figure my brother bought. I went with Slice because my 1989 Storm Shadow was still in good shape and I didn’t see a need to replace him. However, I thought the version my brother picked up that day was really cool. He saw a lot of use in our play for a while, though 1989 Storm Shadow still won out because he had better poseability. But if we didn’t really need Storm Shadow to do a lot of ninja action, the cool black and white version saw plenty of use too. While it wasn’t the most iconic version of Storm Shadow ever made, it still has a nostalgic value to me and I’m glad that Hasbro made a modern iteration of this unique version of Storm Shadow.
I have two of the original ninja force stormies and, though the figure itse is fine, the way he is assembled makes him really hard to fix. I had to pry one open with a knife just to fix the o-ring. The spring was so badly rusted i took it out and threw it away.
On the subject of ninja force, my Dad was really concerned about my little brother when he took him [at the age of 4] to pick out his first GI JOE and he chose Banzai over Captain gridiron or the shelf warming crystal ball. My brother turned out fine, our Dad was just stuck in the past.
Wow, and strangely, I had both Banzai and Captain Gridiron. I never really noticed Banzai was wearing hot pink until I was a lot older, either. Let’s be fair, Banzai was pretty colorful and a lot more eye-catching to a four-year-old like your brother than Gridiron probably was.
Banzai is pretty eye catching to this 40 year old too. If it gets a modern version, I’m all over it, especially if they work in pink splatter paint.
I don’t find anything wrong with Banzai’s color scheme. I like to think of it evoking a “lotus” style of fighting.
Great paint scheme!
@Kansas brawler
I think Banzai [and lots of other guys from the period] were painted neon colours to appeal top kids. My little brother was also really impressed with how “tough” Banzai looked.
On a simmilar note, when my Mother took me Joe shopping one day, i instantly picked up Gridiron as he came with so much stuff. My Mother scowled at him and i got D.E.F Muskrat instead.
I hope Hasbro does more of the ninja force guys
Yeah, I don’t remember how exactly Banzai ended up in my collection. I don’t remember seeing him on the store shelves, but I got him as a birthday present. I was kind of thinking along the same lines as your brother apparently. I thought the mask and all the gear on his chest made him look pretty tough. It was only as a cynical teenager that I realized I had a hot-pink ninja in my collection, not that I didn’t like him any less after that, I just went “Hmm…he’s hot pink.” Also, I’m pretty sure the reason I latched onto Gridiron was because he came with so much stuff as well. I was never that interested in football as a kid, but I do remember when I played with him, much like DIC, I used just about every football reference I’d picked up via osmosis over the years.
@KansasBrawler
Most of my distaste from sport comes from being forced to play it when i was a kid.
On a simmilar note, one night when i was at my drama club [about 12 years ago] i had to do a drunken football fan skit. Not knowing the difference between Australain football and Gridiron [ha], i shouted out “Defence…touchdown” i was then smacked over the back of the head by someone saying “Thats American football you idiot” i replied “Whats the differance?”
Great figure, great colors, great mold!