G.I. Joe Classified Series Cobra Shadow Tracker review

Shadow Tracker cuts the line significantly in getting his debut G.I. Joe Classified Series figure ahead of some longer-term established characters. The temptation to get to him faster is obvious.

He was introduced in the Pursuit of Cobra line when Hasbro was making some major strides in terms of innovation and design for the 3.75 G.I. Joe line. And Shadow Tracker stood out for being an original character with such a fantastic design.

Let’s put on our hunting shoes and find out if it’s worth pursuing Shadow Tracker.

Package:  I’m loving the artwork for the package with the rendered dynamic art and the comic style drawing of the character. The rendering art has him on the prowl ready to take out a target. There’s some Dark Energon on the ground and in the background it appears to be the temple Major Bludd invaded in Revenge of Cobra.

There’s a clean breakdown of the accessories courtesy of the white stripe along the top right.

The side features a larger portrait of Shadow Tracker and his skill stats. Over on the back we get the larger skull sets and the figure with a wider look at the accessories.

Shadow Tracker’s skills are pretty proficient as he ranks a 3 in environmental specialist, stealth and environmental specialist: jungle as well as a 2 in arrow weapons.

His bio on Hasbro Pulse states:

Shadow Tracker works for Cobra as a wilderness hunter and guide. He tracks his prey using primal instinct: he hears the dark whispers of the jungle, senses distant footfalls in the earth, and tastes his victim’s fear in the wind. When his quarry sets foot in the jungle, Shadow Tracker instantly knows and starts the hunt.

Likeness:  As with most Joes and Cobras that get added to the line now, the Hasbro Joe team takes some aspects of the original figure and maxes it out with a greater level of detail and dedicated sculpted pieces. He mostly uses the Zartan mold with some new elements.

Shadow Tracker’s original figure had a wild tangle of dreadlocks like the Rastafarian influenced version of Joker in The Batman. This time, ST has them more under control largely tied behind his head. One lock is still along the front though.

His head sculpt is intense as he’s rocking a cybernetic-style skeletal mask. It gives a serious creepy and intimidating vibe. He’s got ear plugs. They’re not overly large, but a neat extra detail to include.

Shadow Tracker’s CS figure is very true to the original. He’s got a vest with various pouches with solid texturing and detailing. On the back there’s a crocodile type pattern.

A new addition is a necklace with teeth and a small skeletal head. Another new piece is a right shoulder pad with a mix of fur and a skeleton head to just further that creepy factor.

He’s got gauntlets on both wrists with fur lining. Shadow Tracker clearly believes in using what he hunts. On the right forearm, the gauntlet also has three bones he uses as shivs. This is a cool idea for a weapon, and I wish Hasbro set up for one of them to be removable.

Along his waist he’s got rope with a skeletal claw and a leopard print waist wrap. The wrap can be moved around his waist so if you like it to the side instead of behind him that’s an option. His right leg has a holster.

The original just had camouflage pants, but ST has the modern setup with armor plating along his thighs and kneepads. We get a bit of a throwback with the shin armor. His boots have a unique design with sculpted flames along the tops.

Paint:  Shadow Tracker’s original color scheme was dark green and black with yellow accents. Hasbro added more paint apps this time.

The mask is a sea green with a very nicely implemented black wash. It gives the mask a deeper set look along with the silver eyes. ST’s vest, gloves and boots are cast in a muddy brown, which makes sense for him to blend in his environment. The vest yellow is much more subdued though the rope has a bit more of a golden hue.

Like the mask, the shoulder skull has a great brown wash and a dark black. The olive green pants contrast nicely with the black armor. Some of the lighter colors like the yellow and bone white are a little faint allowing for some bleeding and a little slop/overspray.

His hair has a slight touch of grey to suggest he’s a little experienced with some red and olive green wraps in his dreads.

Scale: Shadow Tracker is a regular height guy so he’s eye to eye with a standard figure and looking up at the taller characters.

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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.

Shadow Tracker’s big bulky vest seemed like it was going to cause some articulation problems, but it doesn’t hinder the butterfly shoulders range.

The right shoulder pad is made of a flexible material so it rises up when the right arm is raised so it doesn’t restrict articulation at all. And the forward and back range of the torso seems fairly consistent with most CS figures.

It seemed like the left side skirt piece could be an issue since it’s made of a thicker plastic, but the curve of the fabric fold was smartly done so it’s out of the way. Shadow Tracker can hit a full straight kick without it getting in the way.

Ironically, the only tricky articulation spot is the head thanks to the thick dread sculpt. His neck isn’t provided much helpful back and forth range. The necklace does have a pesky problem of riding up over the collar piece as well.

Shadow Tracker 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: Shadow Tracker is a unique Cobra agent as he doesn’t come with a gun. He’s strictly and edged and projectile combatant. That shows the confidence he’s got in his skills.

First up he’s got a jagged knife, which looks like it cause some major damage if ST gets a stab in. Next up is a hatchet. It spots an ornate blade and nicely detailed hilt that should ensure he maintains a good grip.

His main weapon, like the Pursuit of Cobra figure is his compact bow. It’s elaborately detailed and comes with a stabilizer to plug into,

Shadow Tracker also has a quiver with three arrows sculpted into it. Hasbro didn’t cheat us of the arrow loading aspect as he does have a separate arrow. And you can load it into the loop on the bowstring, which ST can grasp with his right hand for some reasonable aiming shots.

He also comes with two alternate masks. The first is the translucent neon green figure. This is a little odd as the package artwork makes it more of an opaque piece while the production shot has it more accurate like the figure. Mine had a tab at the top and I’m leery of breaking a piece I need for it to stay connected.

The alternate mask features the skull of the same type of animal Shadow Track sports on his right shoulder pad. It looks appropriately intimidating and frightening to definitely convey that stalker vibe.

It has a great dingy paint wash and strong detail work around the eyes, nose and teeth.

Worth It?  Shadow Tracker is the standard $24.99. He’s got a good amount of accessories and display options making him a good value for the price point.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Shadow Tracker gets an outstanding update. Really the only thing holding him back is the head articulation.

Where to Get It?  Shadow Tracker is one of those shared exclusives between Walmart and Hasbro Pulse. Pulse is sold out but you can still get him from Walmart.com.