G.I. Joe Classified Series Zandar review (No. 146)

Zandar might possibly not be anyone’s favorite Dreadnok, but that doesn’t mean Zarana’s twin and Zartan’s little brother doesn’t deserve respect. With the 86 series, the Dreadnoks doubled in size, and he had a really cool look that helped set him apart as the faction’s long-range arrow launching sniper. And Larry Hama wrote him in the comics with a fun gag that no one remembered him.

Let’s see if this Classified Series version is unforgettable or best left forgotten.

Package:  Zandar is in the modern black package with a relatively wide-open window to showcase the figure and all of his accessories. With so many members now, I do kinda wish Hasbro used the Dreadnoks logo instead of the basic Cobra one.

Along the right side there’s a cool portrait of Zandar with his bladed weapons at the ready. The left side shows his skill stats and the QR code leading to nowhere. On the back we get Zandar outside the Dreadnok garage.

On the skill chart code, Zandar earned 3s in mercenary, stealth and infiltration and a 2 in arrow weapons.

Likeness: Zandar has some noticeable tweaks from his Real American Hero design. I like most of them and am a bit torn about one.

Fittingly, he uses his brother’s torso and arms. That’s it for the reuse though as his pants are all-new with some welcome new folds and patterns. His RAH kneepad design is incorporated into the sculpt and he’s got the taller boots to match up with Zarana.

To lean further into the CS Dreadnoks theme of skulls, Zandar gets plenty worked into his gear. Both of his shoulder pads have an oni skull on the end. The left shoulder pad has some chainmail sneaking out over the shelled layers. His right shoulder pad just sports the shelled layer.

Again, his left arm gets a bit more love. The RAH figure had a bracelet around his wrist. For the CS version, Hasbro gave it some length and made it more of a leathery gauntlet. Zandar’s right hand is covered by a smaller glove that stays true to the RAH look. His belt features a skull buckle and a chain link along the left side.

On his right leg, he’s got a sheath for his larger knife. He’s got another on the back of his belt. His boots retain the RAH look with the wraps along the sides. The left boot looks like it has some sort of brass attachment for some low-key extra damage.

Now for the bigger changes. His original figure had shorter hair that matched up with Zarana’s shorter punk hairstyle. With the CS look, the Hasbro sculptors opted to give him a longer hair style that leans more into 80s glam rock style.

Zandar hasn’t lost his headband that’s positioned over his forehead. In a fun new modern detail, he’s got ear plugs instead of basic earrings. While Zandar has a smile, his eyes give him a sneaky sinister look.

I love the idea that his scarf is part of Zarana’s jacket she tore off so her twin could have something of hers even when they’re apart.

Finally, he’s got a protective vest with a holster on the left breastplate. I miss the lightning strikes on his chest since they matched up with the marks on his face.

They are included with the figure though you’d have to do some serious work to remove the vest to show them. You can see Zandar has a nasty looking scar around this throat. Maybe that affected his voice so he’s not as chatty as his siblings?

Paint: Zandar has an intricate paint scheme with so many various colors at play and the CS figure does a good job of marrying them all to a cohesive look.

His hair is bright orange red. It’s got far less two-tone action going compared to Zarana, but you can see it’s similar. The red face paint looks really good with its sharp intensity. He’s got some haziness around his eyes that suggests more connection with Zartan and his eye black.

The gold of his skulls, the chainmail and bracelets on his boots is all done very cleanly with just the right amount of sheen to them.

Zandar’s RAH figure featured a lighter grey color for the pants. These are painted more like jeans with a grey acid-tone to them.

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Scale:  Zandar stands eye to eye with Zartan. That’s not a big deal of course since Zartan was never some towering giant over his Dreadnoks. That means Zandar is noticeably taller than Zarana and will be looking eye to eye with the rest of the ‘Noks save Gnawgahyde.

Articulation: Zandar has the usual Classified Series articulation points, but a few problematic areas hinder it somewhat.

First up of course is that tactical vest. The CS team makes these look great, but they end up restricting too much movement particularly in crouching poses. His shoulder pads also limit some of his arm raising ability for poses. Dreadnoks don’t surrender so maybe it’s just as well?

Beyond those areas, Zandar can hit the other baselines lunges and weapon aiming poses you’d expect from the line.

Zandar 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: Zandar is loaded up with a ton of gear.

First up is his handgun. This is a pretty sizable pistol with a good amount of detail. It’s a nice snug fit into the holster.

Zandar also has a backpack that matches up seamlessly with his vest color-wise. This has some nice, quilted detailing and either side has bolts in silos for his harpoon arrow launcher.

Similar to his lone RAH weapon, Zandar’s update on that looks pretty formidable with a scope to further help him aim and take out his targets. It’s all black despite some areas for some paint apps.

Zandar is also very formidable with edged weapons. He’s got a smaller dagger that matches up pretty well with Zarana’s smaller blade. These twins are so tight they even shop at the same knife shop.

Finally, he’s got a curved blade axe. This certainly seems like a Dreadnok weapon of destruction that’s intended just to wreck some major property damage. It’s a cool looking weapon and perfect for Zandar’s sneaky approach to conflict.

I wouldn’t have minded a separate portrait with shorter hair or an option like Hasbro included with Zarana for an alternate hair sculpt with the closer cropped-style.

Worth It?  Zandar was $24.99, the standard price for a Classified Series figure. I certainly don’t feel like that was an unfair price given all the gear Zandar has and the new, dedicated sculpting.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Zandar effectively completes the Dreadnok family unit and does his siblings proud with a terrific looking figure only held back by the shoulder pads.

Where to Get It?  Zandar is available right now on Amazon and Entertainment Earth.

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