G.I. Joe Classified Series Craig ‘Rock N Roll’ McConnell review (No. 71)
While subsequent series have far flashier characters, I’ve got a massive soft spot for the Original 13 (14) G.I. Joes. These were the characters that roped me into comic books and their camaraderie sucked me into a fandom I’ve never left. Rock N Roll was my fifth Joe after Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Stalker and Flash. I liked the unique looking Joes and with the crisscross bullet straps, Rock N Roll definitely stood out.
I’m thrilled Hasbro isn’t ignoring the original Joes in favor of some of the more colorful Joes. It doesn’t hurt that putting that Classified Series treatment to them makes every Joe look great regardless of the year they were originally released.
Let’s see if this update rocks or gets rolled over with a needless makeover.
Package: We’re still in the windowless packaging era but at least the Joe team puts some effort into the presentation. We get an action scene of Rock N’ Roll outside of what I’m assuming is Kennedy Space Center in an homage to G.I. Joe #8. The portrait art is great with a closeup shot of Rock N Roll rocking out.
It’s more effort to find the Joes’ skill sets now as the QR code doesn’t actually link directly to Rock N Roll’s profile on Hasbro pulse and the icons are soooo small on the package.
Rock N’ Roll gets a 1-star rating in Vanguard and Artillery and a 2-star in Heavy Weapons and Strength. Hasbro started working mini-bios onto the character page at Hasbropulse.com.
Whether he’s surfing waves on the beaches of Malibu, playing his bass, or charging headfirst into oncoming fire, Rock ’N Roll is ready to cut loose.
Likeness: Hasbro has been very deliberate with the Original Joes in not drastically changing their classic looks — focusing more on slight changes that preserve the original look. I love that approach and how it’s implemented with Rock N’ Roll.
His head sculpt is outstanding with impressive detailing on the hair and the beard. It’s so much more complex than the standard at this scale.
Rock N’ Roll retains the ribbed collar that was a signature aspect of all the original Joes. He’s also got the higher rolled up short sleeves.
What helps to distinguish the Joes even those with similar outfits is how they’re geared up. Rock N’ Roll has enough elements to show he’s the Joe to hold things down when the team needs some instant firepower to even the odds. His signature X-belt of bullets across his chest is nice and snug.
He’s wearing small wristbands on both arms while on the left one he added an ammo wrap with bullets I’ll assume is for his handgun.
I’m digging how the Hasbro team makes sculpted elements of the old Real American Hero designs and make them separate pieces. The left leg pad pocket is a standalone piece and he’s got a holster for his right leg.
The inclusion of the knee pads makes sense for a guy who would likely be in the dirt firing away from a high position to blast at Cobras.
Rock N’ Roll also has a new belt with ammo packs and a canteen for those longer than expected missions.
Paint: This is the biggest difference from the original figure. Hasbro went with a two-tone look for Rock N’ Roll. I guess I can write it off as a shout-out to his love of surfing as this gives me a vibe of a surfer wetsuit.
The split starts just above his pecs and carries along to his sleeves. I’ve considered using an extra Grunt figure to swap the upper half with, but I don’t find myself disliking the look in hand as much as I thought I might.
Some of the shoulder section can be a bit fuzzy although it’s not so bad that you’ll be instantly screaming for the windowed packaging again.
Playing up the RAH colors, Rock N’ Roll has plenty of brown accents from his belt, wrist bands, holster, leg wrap, kneepads and boots. There’s a lot of brown here, but it’s not too distracting.
Hasbro gave Rock N’ Roll a nice subtle brown wash in his hair to help make the details pop. The shade of yellow used for his hair is a nice realistic tone and doesn’t have that toy-ish bright canary yellow. Just as impressive, Hasbro even added some shading to give Rock N’ Roll a tan to play up on him enjoying the sun whenever possible.
To modernize him up a bit, Hasbro also have Rock N’ Roll some tattoos along his forearms and left hand.
Craig definitely seems like he’d be one of the OG Joes who would be rocking tattoos so this checks out.
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Scale: Rock N’ Roll is about the same height as Stalker placing both of them taller than Breaker. That seems about right and I like the idea that not all the Joes are all looking eye to eye.
Articulation: You know what to expect at this point from the Classified Series and Rock N’ Roll hits all the expected poses.
He’s fun to have in stationary gunner positions as well as leading the charge with his machine gun or finishing off the last few Cobras with his handgun.
He’s probably the most physical of the original Joes save for maybe Steeler so he can brawl just fine if needed as well.
Rock N’ Roll 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: With the Classified Series line, I never feel like I’m getting ripped off on the accessory front. Rock N Roll was the Joe’s original machine gunner so naturally he comes with a sizable machine gun. It’s a nice adaptation of his RAH machine and comes with a bipod stand that flips up into the machine gun.
He also has a small ammo box, which must have some very tightly coiled bullet rounds or it’s not gonna last him long. Fortunately, he has a much longer extra clip that feeds into the machine gun to help him mow down Cobra Troopers.
Rock N’ Roll has the new modern style helmet that’s the default version we’ve seen with Breaker and Roadblock. For the smaller holster, he’s got a handgun.
That’s a nice inclusion allowing him to fight in close combat situations. He also has a walky talky to stay in touch with Breaker when situations start going sideways.
Finally, he’s got swappable hands. One is a right fist — always useful in the fight against Cobra — and devil horns left hand for more of a Jared Leto Joker expression.
Worth It? The standard price for Joe Classified figures is now $24.99, but Walmart is charging slightly less at $21.99. Of course, you have to actually find a Walmart that keeps their figure aisle stocked at which point the gas expended might not make it worthwhile.
Like most Classified Series figures, Rock N Roll does have enough to make him worth the full price.
Rating: 10 out of 10
I don’t care as much about the two-tone colors that I thought and all the updated elements make sense. He brings some nice character to the OG13 group and helps pad out an important element of any Joe display.
Where to Get It? This current wave is all over from Target, Walmart and GameStop. You can also get Rock N Roll from Amazon or Entertainment Earth.
As an Amazon Associate and Entertainment Earth affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.