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

Never let it be said that Cobra (or Hasbro) is afraid to milk a good thing. The B.A.T. was one of the early standout army builders so Hasbro has kept finding ways to roll it back out to collectors. This time we get the Crimson B.A.T.

Just like any other company it’s not hard to imagine Extensive Enterprise ripping off from both its competition and colleagues. Or maybe Tomax and Xamot hired Mindbender to whip up a test model for them?

I’m not sure if the B.A.T. concept can ever jump the shark though I wonder how many more B.A.T. variants are all that necessary.

Big shout out to Lyles Figure Files friend Badgerwulf Prime for providing this figure for review.

Package:  The big difference here from the original B.A.T. and Python Patrol B.A.T. packaging is this features the windowless setup. The art that was used on the side of previous versions now takes the entire front. That’s nice in the sense we get a fuller view of the fantastic art. Less so in terms of making sure the figure is intact.

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 back, we get a few more images of the Crimson B.A.T. and its accessories.

The skills are still the same: ranking a two in energy weapons, hand-to-hand combat and sieges. 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:  Well, there’s not much to say about this mold, which remains unchanged from the first version.

I still love how the 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.

The Crimson B.A.T. features rolled-up sleeves to better showcase Hasbro’s sculptors excellent work showing 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.

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Paint:  With this larger expansion into the Crimson Strike Team era in the Classified Series, Hasbro gets to play around with how to pull off the color scheme.

Fittingly, most of the figure is cast in crimson. It’s not as shiny crimson as the…Crimson Guard, but I think that’s due to the texturing of the Crimson B.A.T. not being as smooth. There’s also a darker crimson for some of the areas like the shoulders, cuffs and outer thigh.

It’s also got CG accent colors of grey, silver and black. I kinda wish more of the B.A.T. had silver accents namely the boots and the arms to help it pop more.

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

Articulation: Since this is the exact same mold as the original, I didn’t anticipate any issues with the movement and poseability.

You can get all kinds of fun poses out of the BAT. I found this one to be not as tight as the others so I won’t be as worried of this one breaking without some assistance.

Crimson 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: Crimson B.A.T. gets the standard accessory rollout with one new addition.

Unlike the PP BAT, this one retains the awesome alternate battle-damaged head sculpt with shattered face plate and the cracked torso plate.

He also gets another one with an undamaged chest plate with paint detailing indicating this is Model No. 3 VR-2022. Mighty nice to label the model year too.

The other accessories are intact including the small pistol, backpack and three alternate hand attachments. There’s the claw with one side having a serrated edge, a machine gun and a blowtorch.

Worth It?  The Crimson B.A.T. retailed for around $24. The worth will largely depend on if you wanted a crimson variant of the outstanding B.A.T. to add to your collection.

Rating: 10 out of 10

I didn’t need the Crimson B.A.T. but in hand, it’s a pretty cool variant to further help overwhelm the Joes.

Where to Get It? The Crimson B.A.T. is long gone from retail, but you can still grab them at Amazon or Entertainment Earth.

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