Gung Ho (2009)

My feelings about GI Joe Resolute cartoon can be best summed up by quoting the late, great comedian Mitch Hedberg’s observation about eating pancakes, “..all exciting at first, but by the end you’re sick of them.” When we first caught a glimpse of the cartoon’s footage, it looked promising. For me, Resolute as a whole ended up being less than the sum of its parts: good animation, adult storyline and modern iterations of classic characters. But it all added up to a pretty hollow experience in the end.

Released as part of the Wal Mart exclusive movie two-packs, Gung Ho is a passable representation of his animated Resolute counterpart, considering the parts that were available. The Flint arms aren’t the greatest, with their inability to bend past 90 degrees, and the 25th anniversary style Gung Ho head always reminded a little too much of Sgt. Slaughter. The use of the Resolute Cobra Trooper’s vest is a nice touch, and also makes for potential custom fodder. It can be combined with the Resolute Firefly body to easily make the base for an urban combat Resolute Cobra trooper.

As much as I was underwhelmed by the cartoon, the Resolute character designs were very well done. While it was nice to get another Resolute figure in the midst of the movie line, what we ended up with was a diminutive version of the team’s hulking Marine. Oh, and Gung Ho, was that a Spy Troops era rifle you were sporting in 2009? For shame!

10 comments

  • Gung-Ho was such a popular character back in the vintage era that there was always a figure of him on the shelves from 1983 through 1989. (Original Gung-Ho from 1983-1986 and the Dress Blues version from 1987-1989, spanning the decade.) That said, I was hugely disappointed by the 25th Anniversary update and it’s horrible noggin. Everything from the Slaughter-like jawline to the upturned and incorrect cap proved to be a major fail. Reusing the head on Cutter and Leatherneck ended up ruining two more great characters as well! This guy here might work for Renegades, but I hope that head is finally put to rest after all the awesomeness of 2011.

  • 1) massive kudos for referencing Mitch “You could cut off all my digits and I’ll still type just as fast” Hedberg. About 12 or so years ago I was a bouncer at a comedy club. Mitch wasn’t even performing when he came by and spent the whole weekend just hanging out with a couple of his friends, who were performing, and the staff. He was a really cool cat and will be missed for a very long time by me.

    2) Other than the larger chin, I never fully understood the references to this head sculpt resembling Sgt. Slaughter. Aside from said chin, I just don’t see it. I did hate that this was the head they used for Cutter, but I thought is was near perfect for Leatherneck. I do agree that they could have done so much better for Gung Ho, though.

    3) Couldn’t agree with you more with regards to Resolute. So overrated, especially when you think about how it had all the ingredients to make it so much closer to what some people seem to think it is. Sad, really.

  • Nice job referencing one of the greatest comedians…RIP, Mitch. I also agree you about the Resolute toon. Because this isn’t an ARAH figure, I totally missed out on it.
    And what’s with all the Joe Marines having 70’s era porn ‘staches?

  • Better then 25th Gung Ho…

  • It’s a nice mold for sure, but Gung-Ho without a visible chest tattoo doesn’t cut it for me.

  • That head is in fact brutal. For such amain characterthey have failed at all attempts to repackage him.

    I’m glad someone else felt the same about Resolute. It left me feeling empty. I want to watch it again now and see how I feel.

  • This figure fails spectacularly as Gung Ho, but I really like the body for customs. I have two, and I’d like a third and a fourth. I hate the hands, though.

    Gung Ho is the character most desperately in need of an updated figure… now that they replaced that horrid Anniversary Spirit.

  • I skipped this set for more Shockblast vs Night Creeper sets.

    So glad I did. They haven’t made a good modern Era Gung-Ho yet… speaking of which, you know who needs a 30th or slipped into the Movie 2 line? Gung-Ho.

Leave a Reply to Jogunwarrior Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.