G.I. Joe Classified Series Airborne review
Airborne was one of the 1983 series G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero that really stood out to me. His design looked like the next step from the Original 13 to a more distinct look. And I liked that he was a Navajo that didn’t play into many stereotypes of Native Americans.
G.I. Joe #31 cemented Airborne as one of my early favorites as he and Spirit Iron-Knife were sent to aid Snake Eyes from an ambush by Destro, Firefly and Crimson Guard Fred.
Hasbro has shown a lot of love for the ’83 team knocking out the single card lineup with this latest wave of Classified Series.
With the HasLab Dragonfly coming later this year, I appreciate getting the helicopter assault trooper in advance. Let’s see if Airborne is ready to hit the skies or gets his chute tangled.
Packaging: I suppose I’m used to this new packaging now. I do appreciate the return of the big plastic window to show off all the accessories and any paint flaws on the figure.
I do dig the large side portrait and that the action shot render is still intact. This one features a very cool Easter Egg with the Easter Island statues in the background. That’s a nod to the episode Operation: Mind Menace (check it out on Amazon) when Cobra kidnapped folks with psychic abilities including Airborne’s brother. It’s awesome when the team behind the line is just as huge a fan of the brand.
On the left side is the small skill stats. He’s got 3 stars in skydiving and vanguard and a 2 star in light weapons and a 1 star in infiltration.
His bio is largely the same from the original figure: Airborne’s parents are affluent Navajos serving on the Tribal Council who indulged their son with sky-diving lessons. Talltree also studied law and passed Arizona State Bar exams. He joined the military and opted for airborne training, commenting: ‘I’d rather jump out of airplanes than write legal briefs.’ His exemplary service record drew the attention of G.I. Joe recruiters.
Likeness: Airborne has a fantastic head sculpt. He looks heroically determined and focused like a classic hero. The hair sculpt is nicely cropped as well.
The Classified Series team didn’t skew far from the RAH design. He’s rocking a vest with a rounded collar, a sheathe for his knife crossing his chest and various straps and harnesses for his rappelling gear.
And he’s got the darker elbow pads and knee pads, a signature aspect of his outfit.
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Paint: With his RAH and 25th Anniversary figures, Airborne had a turquoise vest to break up the light tan outfit with an olive green sheathe and strap. For the CS version, Hasbro opted to tone the colors down making the vest more of a sky-blue shade. He also gets darker brown for the straps, harness, pads and boots.
Smaller details like his patch are very well done. I do also like that Airborne has a darker skin tone to reflect that he’s a Navaho and doesn’t just have a great tan.
Scale: Airborne is standard height so he’s looking eye to eye with Torpedo and Doc. Gung-Ho and Snow Job are just a tad taller than him.
Articulation: Airborne is used to rappelling down into dangerous situations providing immediate firefight support to help clear out Cobras. His figure hits the standards of the average Joe (hmmn) with no significant limitations with his range.
My initial concern was his vest was going to be too restrictive and seriously hinder his movements. That wasn’t the case as Airborne could still hit a solid ab crunch pose even with the vest.
Airborne has:
- head
- neck
- shoulders (butterfly)
- elbow (double-jointed)
- gauntlets
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- mid-torso
- torso
- waist
- hips (ball-jointed)
- drop down hips
- knees (double-jointed)
- ankles
Accessories: Airborne has a great allotment of accessories even though he’s missing his signature weapon.
The RAH figure came with an XM-16 attack rifle, which the Classified Series team already designed for the Crimson Guard. And I quickly donated one from a CG to Airborne.
So it was a little weird that the CS team gave Airborne the Firefly weapons of the sub machine gun and pistol along with the suppressor and removable magazine.
Airborne also gets his helmet. It’s done in the style of the Classified Series standard Joe helmets with the addition of a brown chinstrap to break up the green.
He’s also got a set of night vision goggles with four lenses. That’s a sensible inclusion for a character who might have to drop down for a rescue in the middle of the night.
The CS team didn’t abandon the classic look as he also has his goggles. In a cool tweak they gave him goggle covers that reflect the look of the RAH figure.
Additionally, to match the vintage card art, Airborne gets his silver goggles.
He’s got the Duke backpack, which is ironic since Airborne had it first in the RAH line. It’s dark brown to match the harness straps with a black shovel. Annoyingly, it doesn’t stay on that strongly. Backpacks not being snug and pegging securely into the figures remain a problem for the Classified Series line.
Finally, the knife that was permanently affixed in his vest is now a separate piece. It’s the slender one and lacks the serrated edges that would probably be helpful in cutting a rappelling line.
Worth It? Airborne is the typical price of $24.99. Again, with the Classified Series line that doesn’t feel like the rip off it might for some other lines. Hasbro tries to give us our money’s worth with this line.
Rating: 9.7 out of 10
As the main infantryman of the 83 series I’ve really been anticipating Airborne’s arrival. He gets a very slight dinge for not having his classic rifle, but a quick swap fixed that problem. He’s a fantastic figure and a great addition to my ’83 lineup.
Where to Get It? Airborne is available right now on Amazon and Entertainment Earth.
As an Amazon Associate and Entertainment Earth affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.