Hasbro had offered the fourth G.I. Joe/Transformers box set as part of an ongoing crossover series exclusively available at San Diego Comic-Con. This years box set Autobot Powerglide as a Rattler Jet repainted red, Scarlet of G.I. Joe, Soundwave as a 2005 Hisstank, and Zartan of Cobra. Both franchises have had crossover comic book series (including an upcoming one from IDW), crossover events on the animated series, and crossover toys since the 1980’s when both were created.
Thank you to Hasbro for providing their San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Exclusive Hasbro G.I. Joe/Transformers Crossover Box Set for review.
Official Product Description:
G.I. JOE AND THE TRANSFORMERS Set
(Ages 5 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $99.99/ Available at HasbroToyShop.com on August 9)
The battle between good and evil is renewed! This G.I. JOE AND THE TRANSFORMERS Set is the continuation of a successful trilogy of convention exclusives. The collection features SCARLETT and ZARTAN action figures as well as AUTOBOT POWERGLIDE and SOUNDWAVE figures in an epic showdown. A master of make-up and disguise, the ZARTAN figure comes with three additional faces but he’s no match for SCARLETT’S counter intelligence prowess and of course, her included XK-1 power crossbow. Fans can duke it out and envision SOUNDWAVE attempting to jam the transmission of AUTOBOT POWERGLIDE as he takes to the skies in an imagined dog-fighting maneuver to evade his enemy.
Availability: July 20th-24th San Diego Comic-Con 2016; HasbroToyShop.com August 9th
The Rattler was first released in 1985 and over the years has been repainted and reissued half a dozen times or so. This repaint represents the Autobot Powerglide in red and silver deco. The plane is based on the look of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and features missile attachments on the bottom, opening cockpit for Scarlett, opening cockpit for gunner, and comes with a sticker sheet with Cobra and Autobot stickers.
For our purposes, we used the Autobot stickers and did not add on most of the included stickers. The plane is capable of holding two figures, a pilot, and a gunner. The colors have an excellent likeness to Powerglide, and the fact that Hasbro gave people the option for Cobra and Autobot stickers is a nice touch.
Scarlett is the pilot of the Rattler and is sculpted in a grey and yellow flight suit. Her head sculpt has a vintage G.I. Joe?Transformers comic book look to it from the 1980’s. She also was give a chest harness that is removable, and comes with a backpack, a crossbow, and a figure stand. The cross bow comes in two pieces, the the piece that connects in front falls off easily.
The Hisstank is a retool from the 2005 Hisstank release and is repainted to look like the Decepticon Soundwave. Soundwave has his own sticker sheet, and all of the labels have been put on here. This Hisstank is best known for extra seating in the back, which can seat up to 7 figures, plus the driver. This Hisstank also features mounted missiles that looks like Soundwave’s shoulder mounted missiles on top of the torrent, two missile launchers on the sides, two guns in front, an opening cockpit, and a Decepticon logo in front.
Soundwave is missing his cassettes, and considering there is a transport station in the back, there is plenty of room to store cassettes even if Hasbro were to reissue a Ravage and Laserbeak from other G.I. Joe and Transformers sets. Other than that small observation, the colors do a great job and match Soundwave very well.
Zartan is the driver or gunner for Soundwave and includes three sets of interchangeable head sculpts, two machine guns, taser, a sheath, and a long and short sword. The head sculpts also included are Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and a generic head sculpt. The Storm Shadow and generic head sculpts have a red translucent piece on top of the head, and when light hits it, the eyes light up making him look like a robotic humanoid. This is an exceptional job here as it not only gives fans something new, but also is just a really neat feature. Zartan also comes with removable armor, as well as a chest harness with a hood (that we used for the generic head sculpt in the gallery below).
Overall:
Whenever Hasbro offers a G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover set it is always a popular item among collectors. This set for 2016 is no exception and Hasbro has done an incredible job with character selections, paint apps, and labels. This is definitely a must buy for fans of either franchise, or both.
Highly Recommended.
Purchase:
