G.I. Joe Classified Series Arctic B.A.T. review

Before Joe fans get too fired up over yet another BAT joining the Classified Series, Hasbro released one of the sweeter variants with the Arctic B.A.T.

Pun fully intended, this is one of the coolest BATs we’ve gotten in the line. Let’s see if this BAT warms up up to the idea of more variations or cools me off on the idea of growing the BAT army.

Package:  The artwork for the package is very cool. It features the Arctic B.A.T. on a mountainside with what looks like a crashed Rattler maybe? And way off in the distance Snow Job is seeing where this death machine is heading. I love the stories told with the package art.

On the right side, we get the skill sets while the left side continues the front artwork. That shows just how much was being cut off in the original presentation. Over on the rear portion, we get a few more images of the Crimson B.A.T. and its accessories.

The skills sets are different since the ABs are a specialty variant. They rank a 3 in environmental specialist: arctic and two in hand-to-hand combat, long-range weapons and arctic combat. The highest ranking comes in environmental specialist at three.

They’re not on Pulse so I’ll just assume the bio for the others is intact:

Cobra BATS are relentless humanoid robots developed by Dr. Mindbender. They are equipped with a variety of advanced weapon systems and can adapt instantly to overcome any resistance they encounter. Autonomous and virtually indestructible, these mindless machines of destruction carry out the cold, calculated ambitions of Cobra.

Likeness:  Most of the elements from the usual BAT setup are intact — the rolled-up sleeves with mechanical gear arms showing, the visible chest plate, grenade and tucked in boots.

Hasbro did refresh the look enough to make the Arctic B.A.T. stand out further.

The BAT gets a very different cybernetic head with an even more sinister robotic face than usual. It features a center eye with sculpted points surrounding it. This is slightly raised above the rest of the face section, which has additional symmetrical plating. It’s a wicked visual and looks properly imposing.

Another new element include additional armor at the shoulders, which somewhat have a snake design. Like most of these separate sculpted parts, you might want to super glue the straps on the upper arm to prevent them from riding up.

There’s also a new waist/belt piece. I can’t quite figure out the purpose for the new setup beyond distinguishing the Arctic BAT from the other variants, which is a nice touch.

The last new piece are armor pads on both thighs. I can’t recall if another Joe/Cobra shares these parts, but I know it’s a first for the BATs. The right on has a holster to store the traditional pistol.

I still love how the basic head turned out with that fin and silver faceplate, a subtle kissing-up nod from Dr. Mindbender to Cobra Commander? The helmet piece has more details with grooves and paneling to show more aspects of the construction.

Legacy design holdovers like the rolled-up sleeves showcase Hasbro’s sculptors excellent work with the intricate details like the gears and pistons. All of the other details like the shoulder pauldrons and harness with two grenades, belt buckle with holster and buckles, right leg ammo strap are intact.

Paint:  The Arctic BAT veers away from the traditionally darker B.A.T. color scheme. It’s got more of an eggshell white for the base color with a starker white for the chest plate and helmet.

The neckpiece, lower arms and boot plates retain the consistent silver gunmetal. It’s also got some black for the armored shoulder pads and collar as well as smatterings along the belt and thigh piece. The belt and thigh pads are cast in a tan plastic.

What really stands out with the base head is a polarized faceplate as if it’s reflecting the sunlight. There’s actually lettering to helpfully state it’s arctic polarized. The open chest circuitry has a vibrant arctic blue color, which gives the BAT a real pop of color. This is almost as colorful as the Python Patrol B.A.T. just with a more subdued color scheme. All of it looks crisp with no slop or runoff on any of the parts.

Scale: The Arctic B.A.T.s retain their height of course so they match up fine with their regular and Python Patrol brothers.

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Articulation: As this is basically the exact same mold as the original with some new gear, I knew what to expect articulation-wise. The shoulder pads just need to get maneuvered to get the full range of shoulder movement depending on your pose.

The B.A.T. base is pretty sturdy and allows for some nice shot-up robot still advancing forward poses. Unlike my Python Patrol B.A.T., this one was a bit stiffer in the joints, so I’ll need to apply a little hot water to free up some of the knee joint articulation. Still, that’s much better than being too loose.

Arctic B.A.T. 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: Arctic B.A.T. gets a nice array of the standard BAT accessory roll out as well as some new gear.

It’s probably easier to break down the carryover gear first. Despite the new holster setup, the AB still has the traditional B.A.T. pistol. It’s cast in a slightly lighter grey this time.

The AB also gets the cracked chest plate, which looks just as cool in stark white. For the undamaged chest cover, the Cobra logo is prominently painted in black.

I’ve already mentioned the base B.A.T. head sculpt. And it’s got the traditional B.A.T. backpack for the extra gear.

Now it’s time for the new gear.

While the backpack is intact, the AB lacks the standard swappable attachments so there’s no machine gun, claw and what would be very useful for snow, flame thrower. You can still attach them on, but there’s a noticeable shift in the color since the standard B.A.T. had more of a dark grey than silver.

What the AB gets instead is a massive, well-detailed chainsaw. That’s just a wild inclusion and a nice extra that gives the AB a more ferocious touch than the other models.

Another chest protection option is included with a padded, waffle pattern attachment with what I assume are ammo packs. This is also cast in the dark grey/tan color scheme.

For extra firepower, AB gets a pulse rifle with a bipod and strap. The strap is cast in a thick plastic seemingly for slung over the shoulder poses.

It tends to look weird in any other kind of poses. There’s also what I assume is a silencer piece that can be attached as well. I like the white paint added to break up the all black rifle.

Worth It?  The Arctic B.A.T. retailed for around $24.99. Given the impressive amount of customization options thanks to the plethora of accessories and new sculpted elements, it’s worth the regular price.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Given all of the new design elements, there’s definitely a need to army build this B.A.T. variant and it’s one of the more fun B.A.T.s Hasbro has produced.

Where to Get It?  The Arctic B.A.T. is an online exclusive. Currently, it’s just available from secondary sellers on Amazon. You can still make a pre-order over on Entertainment Earth.

As an Amazon and Entertainment Earth associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.