Sidetrack

Sidetrack. Oh, YEAH!!! Now, THIS is a Joe! Hasbro finds another gem in the often overlooked and ignored Ambush action figure. I can bet that Ambush will be a lot less overlooked now! I am definitely seeing a pattern in these figures that Hasbro is releasing. They're not on the top of a lot of folks' wish lists, and are based on versions not often talked about. Sidetrack/Ambush is the perfect example. In 1990, Joe went into a phase, which I call the "accessory phase", where pretty much every G.I. Joe and cobra figure that year came with a blister card bursting with accessories! Many of them very cool and useful. Ambush's netting was one of them. I am thrilled that Sidetrack comes with all of Ambush's necessities, it makes him the pick of the litter on the Joe side.

Now, this is a Joe that fans always clamour for. Realistic molds, military colors, and tons of cool, unique accessories! Sidetrack fits all these points and more. First of all, the mold is great, with the plain military uniform, highlighted by a black bandolier(sp?) and black sleeves which add the coolest touch to the figure. His pants have that same weird "swirly" action that Duke's have, but don't really appear to be paintwiped. It's a great touch, I think! All in all, the figure definitely works as a military survivalist, and the minute I saw him, I knew he would fit into my Joe universe just fine!

Now, the questionable parts: Should this be a new character? I say "heck yeah!". I think he looks different enough from Ambush to work as a separate character even though their faces are quite similar. Just use some imagination as we had to do back in '82 when Hasbro reused the same molds over and over to make twenty different figures. I see no major problems with it, and in my world, he is a different character. And really, that is the only question mark on this entire figure/character. The rest of him is flawless. His weapons/accessories are marvelous, and as a whole, he is a top shelf figure. But he's not at the top of my list, simply because there is one that looks even cooler...

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