Sideshow is... average quality stuff

[diosoth]

Hmm, so some time back I bought a Sideshow Toys Cobra Commander, one of their earlier GI Joe figures. I didn't care for the updated navy blue suit with odd black coat so I swapped it out for an old classic-style Hasbro CC suit and retrofitted some Hasbro heads to fit a modern neck.

But I have to say, if this is average for Sideshow's quality I'm not impressed enough to buy more of their stuff.

The first problem is, and I know this is an older figure, but the body is pretty bad. I absolutely can not remove the neck from it- I mean where the neck piece attaches to the body, not where the head meets neck. It's supposed to pop off the ball but this won't budge, despite the joint moving freely. The left forearm pops off quite easily- a bad thing considering the hands are meant to be swapped out- and to retain some articulation, there are HUGE gaps in the legs, along the back, where they meet the body(which is just for a thigh swivel joint). Much any pants put on this body will sink into those gaps and I had to stuff them with something.

Second, quality of materials. The plastic used for accessories and such feels a bit cheap. It's not a problem with the solid piece classic laser, but the other guns feel like they used a weaker grade plastic, and the small clips for the holster pouches also feel a bit flimsy. I broke the latch on his decorative belt the second time I ever opened it- the belt I eventually replaced with a generic one(of a better quality material with a metal buckle) and cut the emblem buckle from the belt itself. Then just last night, while latching one of the leg holsters shut, the piece suddenly comes loose! It turns out the stitching that holds the latch's thin loop to the actual flap came untied at the knot. To fix this I had to figure out how the other latches are sewn on and mimic that with a thin needle and black thread, only I made several loops through and tied a few knots.

I don't know what modern Sideshow figures are like, but if this is an indication I'd not buy any more. They make display pieces. For this price I'd not expect better quality, but flat out demand it. Look, Monster High dolls, signature, are $20 each. I feel their clothing and plastic quality is much better than what Sideshow used for this figure and these are meant to be expensive "high end collectibles". Even the outfits Hasbro made for their 12" line in the early 90s is of a better overall quality(shame I can't say for their junk waste of a doll body). To use junk quality with stitching and knots that come undone by simple handling... and if you must get one of their figures I'd really suggest a replacement body. The TTL 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 bodies(each has a different neck type and other minor changes) can be had for $20 shipped and I think it's a better body.

I was annoyed with the arm. Disappointed with the cracked belt. But having to sew a part back on because of shoddy build just bugs me.

[Inhibitor]

I absolutely hear you on Cobra Commander! The head is too big, the suit color doesn't match up with the hood, cheap boots... but they've made some substantial advancements since then. It has been 4 years afterall! Stiffer joints, better forearms, better clothing materials, sturdier build overall. Ratchet knees obviously improve standing positions, but takes away from flexibility of posing. I'll site the latest Zartan, Black Ninja and General Hawk figures. Standby for the debut of Destro and Baroness at SDCC!! Stick with it!

[diosoth]

My only real gripe is that the plastic quality doesn't hold up to the needs. I paid $60 shipped for it(and sold off the unwanted suit and such for about half that) but if I'd paid eBay average of over $100 I'd have been rather upset.

But it could be worse... Hasbro could be making the 12" Joe line. Problem is, they're no good at the 1:6 scale. The only good body they ever used was the one from the 60s and 70s.



The one on the left is an "out of the box" 1992 CC. The body's not that bad for display, except for having terrible hands. The real problem is, it's a doll body. As I understand, Hasbro had planned a new doll line to come out in 1990, this one a more direct clone of Barbie. It got canned early in development but "Rob" made it to prototype stage(I've seen a pic, generic blond guy type Ken ripoff) and the body was used to bring back 12" Joes. It has 7 POAs and the elbows and knees ratchet, with rubber coating on the limbs. But even the more poseable "classic" body they came up with in the late 90s(which they use don last year's 12" stuff) isn't much better. Hasbro's 12" stuff doesn't compare to other 1:6 scale bodies- they're of limited mobility and not at all modular.

The middle one is my repurposed Sideshow CC with the old Hasbro suit. The original suit I had was a bit worn despite the fact I'd got it from a MIB copy- the blue is a bit faded and the emblem has a huge missing paint spot. But I found another boxed one locally at a new comic book shop, for only $13 and the suit was in much nicer shape so I bought it for the clothes. The worn suit I may use later... for now I put it onto the old body.

The suit fits a bit loose normally, so I wrapped the body up in spare fabric to pad it out. The small belt I used to attach the Sideshow pouches, with my new generic belt on top to hold the holster pouch. Granted, while Hasbro's bodies are junk, the suit they made for the old early 90s Joe figures were rather decent.

The one on the right is my Caleb custom on a TTL 3.0 body, which is a bit taller than the Hasbro and Sideshow bodies. Most people use "12 inch" to refer to 1:6 but the Hasbro and Sideshow bodies come out to right at 11" tall. Caleb is more 11.5".

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

When it comes to SSC it's hit or miss IMO. Sometimes they do great stuff like Storm Shadow or Zartan. But they have the occasional dud. I hope the Baroness that they showed pics of turns out to be a winner.

I bought all of the Hall of Fame Joes in the early 90's, even the Target exclusive Duke. The outfits were great but, like diosoth said, the bodies were junk. Like rejects from the Jem line. I love how the 1992 COBRA Commander outfit looks on a modern day 1/6 body. There may be some hope yet.

[diosoth]

The body is bulky with rubber feet and hands. Each elbow and knee ratchets one click from straight, and they can bend the wrong way too. However, even MIB those old 12" Joes go for dirt cheap because no one much wants them. The suits are generally decent, and the boots compare easily to modern pairs. Not to say they're perfect- they use a lot of velcro and cheap, bulky plastic snaps- but the velcro is useful and snaps can be cut off. You will have to pad a modern body with wrapping though to compensate for the loose fit. Toss most of the weapons though, the guns just are no good and won't fit in most hands.

But compare the cost of loose clothing and boots on eBay and the useful parts you can salvage make them a decent bargain. It'd have cost me $10 for a comparable pair of boots. Plus I wanted a replacement shirt due to the paint scratch in the emblem, and I can use the extra clothes to make my "Old Snake" Cobra Commander. I may get a pair of cheapo bodies on eBay(since a Sideshow prometheus body would cost about $50 and the cheapo bodies are only $20 each- and probably better). Then all I need is a gray coat and gray hat. I already have a helmeted head.

[Staff Of Ka]

I have gotten a few SS figures over the years and the range from Superb to "meh'.

The outsized head issue was most prominent for me when I got Lando.....Talk about 'Gonk'!

[diosoth]

CC's head is... the detail on the edges of the eyes makes it look as if the mask is paper thin on the head, plus it hangs in a really odd way and is so round and tight, he must be bald under there. I wouldn't say it's too large. It's no bigger than most other heads I've seen in this scale. But the odd way the hood is molded makes it look too big. That Hasbro head with rubber hood is bigger, yet looks better, as the hood is thicker and just hangs more like a real piece would.

[FAKER II]

I have a bunch of the early 90's 12" GI*JOE's and the late 90's 12" Star Wars figures. I had a blast collecting them at the time and I am still quite fond of them. I know they are extremely outdated but they will always be my default 12" GI*JOE and Star Wars figures.