FOE Striker (2015)

The AWE Striker is a vehicle mold that’s been used time and time again since its first release. The off-road ride has done duty in many a GI Joe series, from the Real American Hero era to the Retaliation movie. It’s been the go to transport for the Eco Warriors, had a Sound Attack version, and even traveled to an alien world via a remold into the Stargate movie line. I’ve said before that maybe it’s time to put the Striker out to pasture, but when I saw the photos of this new iteration, I was intrigued. Would it stand out or be just another re-hash?

FOE Striker (2015)

The most notable new element of the FOE Striker for me initially was the soft goods cover. This is something I hadn’t expected to see in the line. It’s such a unique addition, and brings not only extra play but the perception of extra value. In the end, the feature was the reason I sat up to take note of an item I’d seen many times before. The way it stores and deploys works just as advertised in the instructions, with very little fuss, aside from the natural issue of rolling the cover back up to stow it away. Until I had it in hand, I was wondering how all this extra structure would integrate into the vehicle, and the final result was fairly ingenious. I’m reminded of a few of the Fisher-Price Adventure People sets that incorporated soft goods with the usual plastic elements. If the Joe team ever needs to hang out on the weekends, they can certainly put this vehicle to use in a civilian setting. Which reminds me, I could see this repainted in Adventure Team yellow and put to good use yet again. You never know when Joe might need to go on safari again. Of course, you’d want to exchange the weapons for cameras.

Aside from the forward observer outpost, the FOE also features a new snap-on armor/storage element for the hood. The piece adds some interesting detail, and dresses up the AWE mold just a little more. It’s a simple attachment, but one that again adds a lot of value. I’m just as impressed as I was back when the VAMP got its roof and door additions. This is a lot of bang for Hasbro’s buck. Brilliant work.

Hasbro has certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of a decades-old design, but with just a few additions, has made it very relevant and useful. I was pleasantly surprised when the AWE became the Retaliation Ninja Commando 4×4, and I’ve again found a reason to be impressed with the Hasbro team’s ingenuity. I hope there’s more to come.

7 comments

  • Before they release a repainted vehicle, Hasbro should apply the creativity that went into this! Not 100% sold on the name change (it’s still basically an All Weather & Environment vehicle), but the added bits make it feel more than a repackaged dune buggy like the 25th AWEs became. Sure the fuel tanks on the hood are stetchy and how would you carry the 20mm cannon to put it on the ground, but this is a fun toy and it looks pretty good.

    • That’s why you make sure Roadblock is always riding shotgun. I’m sure a guy who can use a Ma-Deuce as a personal weapon can pop that sucker off with ease. 😉 All kidding aside though, I was so excited when this showed up in the mail on Friday (a good 4-7 days ahead of TRU’s scheduled delivery according to the email they sent me). I had a blast putting this set together and I’ve been having fun finding Joes that look good on it to crew it.

  • And I still haven’t added any iteration of the mold to my collection yet…

  • Dont forget, Dialtone and Lowlight also once used an AWE striker as a moving van

  • I love the AWE Striker and all its iterations, so when I saw this set revealed at Con I was intrigued. Doesn’t disappoint that’s for sure, all the good of the old standard AWE with a few new bits and bobs for added value/playability? Yes thank you Hasbro!

  • I will say that this beats the half-assed job they did with the Ninja Commando! That had such great potential and they stripped most of the parts out so that it fell apart if you looked at it funny.

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