Flint '01
Flint is a cornerstone in G.I. Joe history. Without a doubt one of the most popular characters in the line, with the only possible exceptions of Snake Eyes and Duke. Yet, for whatever reason, Flint figures are relatively sparse compared to the other two. At most recent count, there are five total. The 1985, and consummate version of this great character, 1989 Tiger Force version, 1992 Eco Warriors version, 1994 Battle Corps, and this most current one, the 2001 Desert Striker driver. Certainly he deserved better attention than that!
Regardless, though, the figures of Flint as a whole have been pretty darn good. The original was quite simply a classic. The Eco Warriors version wasn’t too bad either, with the exception of the bright colors. The Battle Corps one was quite excellent in it’s own right as well. Which brings us to the ’01 version.
First of all, I really need to say, that I have a hard time with Flint without his beret. I know most of his figures did NOT have a beret, but still, that is an integral part of Flint to me, and without his beret, he just doesn’t look…right. As a result, I have never found much use for the other versions of Flint (except as cannon fodder (see Power Struggle Episode One for an example) and so they have been somewhat neglected. However, it may appear that the 2001 version will indeed change my mind!
Something about this figure just screams Flint to me. That slight cocky grin on his face speaks volumes for the character itself. It was tough to rationalize on the Eco Warriors version, simply because it didn’t fit. Here, though, as a desert paratrooper, it completely fits! I can see him parachuting into enemy territory, busting some caps and coming in, taking off his helmet and flashing that cocky grin. This figure definitely epitomizes Flint to me.
Now, add on to this, the excellent mold that they chose. Hasbro had the unique ability of taking some excellent molds and completely driving them in the toilet with their neon colors. For a perfect example of this, Click Here. Eco-Force was no different. We had really nicely done molds like Flint, Sludge Viper, (who has also finally been given better treatment! Check out Sub Viper.) Toxo Viper, and Cesspool. But they took those great molds and pretty much crapped them out with neon colors and obnoxious water-shooting gimmicks. This was a big bonus to me about Hasbro sticking with the repaint plan, in that there was the possibility that we could see so many more horrendously bright figures being brought into greatness by mere color changes.
Back to the subject, though, this figure is another great figure in the 2000-2001 line and fits in perfectly with the Desert Striker vehicle. Kudos to Hasbro for another job well done and another great version of a classic character!
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