Destro '02
First and foremost for all of these 2002 reviews, I am going to streamline a little bit. If you want basic information and pics of filecards, packaged figures and what weapons came with whom, go check out YoJoe. Eugene has all of the basic pictures up and they’re great as usual! He’s got the necessary information. Me, I’m just gonna tell you what I think of ‘em!
Here is Destro:
The classic Cobra arms dealer returns in a big way. Now more battle ready and suited for action, the Scottish leader of M.A.R.S. enters the 21st century.
I really love pleasant surprises. I was not expecting much when I bought this particular 2 pack. From all the reports I’d heard and reviews I’d seen, Gung Ho and Destro were the worst of the bunch of 2002 releases. As such I was not too excited to open this pack. Once I did, though, my opinion drastically changed. First of all, yes, Destro’s helmet does suck somewhat. The over the ears design is actually kind of cool to me, but the permanent angry sneer and odd armor plating really don’t work so well. In any Joe medium, Destro’s never been a blindly evil guy, and this scowl really does not match the character very well.
But that is just a small complaint in an otherwise decent figure. Perhaps I wouldn’t be so excited about this figure if my hopes hadn’t been dimmed so much by previous reports. But this Destro really isn’t half bad, and is a heck of a lot better than the 2001 Version.
His mold is a nice blend of technology and harkening back to Destro’s classic roots. He’s got the enlarged collar and black based uniform. The blue does not really match, unfortunately. However, the Destro that comes with his Dominator vehicle should match more closely with the immortal black and red.
Still, though, despite the blue hue, this Destro does work for me. His limbs are in a good, neutral position and his armor plating works really well. I love the metallic gauntlets with the cool black Cobra Symbol on each.
Destro also comes equipped with a nice assortment of weaponry. The radio is always a nice accessory as is Firefly’s automatic. The laser rifle is pretty good as well, and is a staple with Destro. All in all, this is a good version of the well known Cobra.
But is he perfect? Nope. His shoulders are unfortunately somewhat bulky, which limits his arm movement, further hampered by his unnaturally large biceps. His arms are larger around than his legs (seriously!) and this makes the figure look unnatural. But if this figure was done in the classic construction style, it would be a keeper. As it is, he does blend somewhat well with the original style figures, looking as imposing as he should.
Destro strikes back!
Surrounded by his troops.
Here is the very cool new Destro logo on Destro’s leg:
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