G.I. Joe Classified Series Leatherneck review (No. 148)

Leatherneck was one of the more memorable Joes on the second season of A Real American Hero. I loved his gruff nature and his friendship with Wet-Suit. The 1986 Joes are still lacking representation compared to the nearly completed 84 and 85 lineups so it was good to get one of the squad’s heavy hitters with this release.

He got a pretty sweet update in the Real American Hero 30th anniversary wave that ended up being one of my favorites from that series. Let’s see if Hasbro can top that one at this larger scale.

Packaging: Leatherneck has the basic black modern packaging with the Joe blue accent colors. The left side features the very slim skill stats while the right side features a cool drawing of an intense Leatherneck ready for action.

Over on the rear, the render image shows him and fellow wave-mate Dial-Tone examining a crashed Cobra ship. I love the little story elements thrown in like that with the packaging.

Leatherneck’s stat skills are a 3 in environmental specialist: jungle and two in environmental specialist, light weapons and strength.

Likeness:  Leatherneck is a solidly put together figure with all the classic elements of his RAH figure. 

His RAH bio and every portrayal of the characters has cast him as a largely unlikable dude with a bad attitude. Leatherneck’s head sculpt really does a fantastic job of conveying that prickly demeanor with his expression that looks like he’s taking in what someone’s said to him before going off. This could have been tricky as it could have easily tipped into making him look like he’s ready to take a nap.

His cover (the hat) is removable this time out so we can see the thinning hair, which also seems on brand for him. Leatherneck’s RAH figure had a longer hair sculpt with hair draping down from under it. As a marine, the shorter haircut looks more appropriate especially for a by-the-books jarhead.

The hair is the biggest change from the RAH look. Leatherneck sports a tactical vest complete with the ribbed paneled top portion, a pair of grenades and a sheathe. It’s a separate piece naturally.

 

His sleeves are rolled up and he’s got his silver bracelet on his right wrist and his watch on his left wrist. Leatherneck has a belt that rests askew on his hips with a holster and a walkie talkie on his left leg. This is all spot-on the RAH figure including the longer pants covering most of his boots.

Scale: Leatherneck was typically drawn in the comics and cartoon as a regular height guy. Of course, so was Bazooka and Gung-Ho, which probably explains my surprise that Leatherneck didn’t get a similar sized up figure. He’s a little too short compared to some other regular size figures.

Again, Leatherneck was never really portrayed as a bruiser especially since he came out in a wave with both Roadblock and Sgt. Slaughter, but he lacks a little stature from my head cannon on how he should measure up with his fellow Joes and definitely looks tiny compared to Gung-Ho.

Paint:  The paint apps throughout are very sharp. His nine o’clock shadow looks excellent and there seems to be a little faint darkness around his eyes. Leatherneck does not seem like the kind of Joe who would get a lot of sleep so that makes sense.

I’m glad he’s making his debut in the CS line now that the team has gotten a better handle on making the camouflage stand out stronger. It’s prominent and certainly not as faint as say the original Beach Head and Flint figures.

Detailed paintwork like the grenades and the lining around his kneepad are solid though there are a few stray marks on my figure’s vest and left kneepad. Hasbro also retained the red patch with the crossbones from the RAH figure in a nice touch.

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Articulation: Leatherneck is a well-rounded soldier as he can fight from a distance or get up close and personal to take out targets. Like Gung-Ho, I envision Leatherneck going into some precarious situations on his own when Gen. Hawk needs a situation with dubious odds handled.

He’s not as sneaky as Beach Head, but he’s got no problem efficiently taking out a Cobra squad on his own either.

He’s got the usual articulation scheme, which allows him to strike a variety of poses with little trouble even with the tactical vest.

Leatherneck 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: Leatherneck has a ton of new gear to match up to his original figure and some fun new additions as well.

His cover is removable and also sports the Joe-verse Marines symbol used for Gung-Ho for some consistency among the Classified Series brand. The watch and bracelet are removable so if you needed another Joe to tell time, it’s an available option. Leatherneck being a stickler for time and griping when fellow Joes arrive at the landing zone seems more fitting.

The knife has silver paint on the blade to avoid the ‘toy knife’ visual. It’s a basic knife and lacks any kind of fun detail like other figures have, which again works for Leatherneck.

He does get his backpack reused from Recondo with the bed roll painted green to stand out against the otherwise brown pack. Not surprisingly the RAH figure pack was all green.

Again, he’s got the Classified Series take on Leatherneck’s M-16/203 rifle with some nice detail on it including a removable magazine. A new addition is a pair of shooting glasses. They are a great fit and aren’t flying off every five seconds like some of the Dreadnoks. They also have a cool tint so you’ve gotta look closer to see his eyes.

For tighter combat, he’s got a pistol similar to the one that came with Gung-Ho though now with an optical sight added.

Another nice bonus is he’s got swappable fists for those moments when the only weapons available are a knuckle sandwich.

Worth It?  I was able to get Leatherneck for $18.75 thanks to a sale at my local comic book store. That was good enough for me especially for a new Joe figure. The value for Classified Series figures is still there at $25, but anytime I can get one for under $20 it’s a big win.

Rating: 9 out of 10

I really like how Leatherneck turned out. All the aspects of his outfit are spot-on, and he’s got a perfect expression. I just wish he were a bit taller.

Where to Get It?  You can still get Leatherneck on Amazon. He is also available for pre-order over at Entertainment Earth.

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