G.I. Joe Classified Series Dr. Mindbender review

Can you imagine the look on Dr. Mindbender’s face when he saw this job listing:

Wanted: ex-dentist with penchant for never skipping arms and pecs day, brainwashing and light “mad” scientist experiments. Experience with DNA recombining a plus. Benefits include a 24/7 gym, 10% discount on cape dry cleaning and endless supply of test subjects. Complete and utter loyalty for one’s commander preferred.

Minus that last requirement, this is the dude’s dream gig. Dr. Venom was far too reserved to last long in Cobra, but Dr. Mindbender? This guy proved so memorable and popular that even as a latecomer, he became arguably the final essential member of Cobra’s High Command. As such he’s been a highly demanded Cobra for the Classified Series line.

He was a little harder to get than a lot of collectors would like thanks to a feeding frenzy on Hasbro Pulse resulting in two quick sellouts. I was able to get him in the first round. Hopefully, Hasbro will re-release him as he’s definitely a figure that needs to be in every Classified Series collector’s collection.

Packaging: While not quite the full deluxe SDCC style presentation, this is another great packaging.

Again, I’d like to request that Dave Rapoza handle the box art from now on since he incorporates key moments from the comic book in the packaging. I do wish Hasbro included a bio card and updated the character file website.

Dr. Mindbender gets a special pull-out box with a gatefold opening showing off the figure and the various accessories.

This is really nicely done and adds to Mindbender’s creep factor especially well. Also, how cool is the Cobra symbol set up like a DNA helix.

Likeness: Dr. Mindbender boasts one of my absolute favorite insane Cobra designs and I’m glad Hasbro didn’t feel the need to modernize it up by making him look more sensible.

We need the curiously buff visible torso with flared cape around the neck and shoulders connected to silver suspenders, the gaudy gauntlets and thigh high boots. How could he not be a Cobra?!?

The head sculpt is also amazing. It’s got a focused expression with the glorious handlebar mustache and monocle over the right eye just in case you weren’t convinced Mindbender is a bad guy.

As usual, Hasbro’s sculptors added a ton of detail with superb texturing on the pants, a well-defined musculature and exquisitely precise work on the gauntlet adornment. The boots really look like they are made of leather and the buckle is a nice addition.

My biggest gripe is the cape/cloak. It’s positioned around his shoulders in a way that is true to the original figure, but the cape looks like it could use some more tailoring as it has some frayed edges.

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Scale: I don’t consider Mindbender especially tall maybe somewhere around Destro’s height, but definitely not taller than him or Zartan. He’s around the same height as Destro, who I’m more feeling is too short.

Paint: I really like the deep shade of purple used. Sometimes companies use too light a shade of purple, but this is nice and dark making for a better contrast with Mindbender’s black and silver armor.

As usual the paintwork is crisp without and slop or stray marks around the mustache or armored sections. He does have a new issue with the cape dye bleeding onto his shoulders.

That seems like an unavoidable problem whether Hasbro packed the cape as a separate piece or not. Still for a deluxe figure you’d want that not to be the case.

Articulation: Mindbender absolutely is not a fighter. He’s a lab rat that might occasionally fire a gun but won’t be in the middle of any battle.

Regardless, like every other Classified Series figure, Mindbender has superior articulation and can strike some exciting, dynamic poses ideal for taunting his captive Joe prisoners as he prepares to experiment on them.

My figure was very tight at the hips, the normal stress point of most of the Classified Series line. That’s better than overly floppy joints.

Dr. Mindbender has:

• head
• neck
• shoulders (butterfly)
• elbow (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• mid-torso
• torso
• waist
• hips (ball-jointed)
• drop down hips
• knees (double-jointed)
• ankles

Accessories: Dr. Mindbender comes with a decent amount of accessories.

First up is a small injector, which he can use to plant some virus into Joes or extract a sample of their DNA. It’s got nice detail for its size.

Next up are two translucent red vials. These are different sizes so you can include any of the various specimen bits from the small brain, what appears to be a Zombie-Viper hand and possibly a ninja viper head?

I love the detail on all of these as it really goes a long way in amping up the creep factor of Mindbender.

Additionally, he’s got four small vials.

Finally, he also has his cattle prod homage to his classic figure. I couldn’t quite figure out what it is supposed to attach to, but it’s a nice throwback. The modernized version of the cattle prod is cooler and can also be connected to the tube and power pack.

I like the idea here of Mindbender just going nuts collecting specimen and DNA while on the run. This can be detached from the hose and canister to be Mindbender’s standalone weapon as well.

Worth It? At $41.99, Dr. Mindbender cost more than a normal figure and the deluxe figures with a larger pet sidekick. The packaging could account for some of that price, but the accessories don’t make up for the higher price tag.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Mindbender is a very solid figure. The cape could have been implemented better and I hate to see dye bleeding onto a figure. And of course, I’d love for more people to be able to get him outside of the exclusive window.

Where to Get It? As a Pulse exclusive, Dr. Mindbender is hard to pin down now as he’s sold out twice. Hopefully, Hasbro issues another release for everyone who wants him can grab him.