I know absolutely nothing about Flint, but that's not necessarily a preemptive strike against his figure -- after all, I've gotten many toys that were so cool they actually compelled me to learn more about unfamiliar characters. Does Flint fall into that category, or is he destined to be relegated to the background of some grand 3.75" figure battle royale? I'd love to be able to add some kind of clever pun here, but soldiers and cavemen really don't mix. Astronauts, on the other hand...

Name: Flint (Warrant Officer)
Line: G.I. Joe Hall of Heroes; Figure 8 of 10
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2nd Quarter 2009
Price: Online: $10.99-$12.99
Scale: 3.75 in. (figure is 4.00 in. tall)
Accessories: Figure stand, pistol, shotgun, green shotgun, bullet suspenders (?), and backpack
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys-$9.95, Mike's Comics N' Stuff-$12.00,  

     As said, I know nothing about Flint -- but from what I've seen, this looks like a pretty good representation of him. On the other hand, that makes him a pretty good representation of a boring, generic soldier type. Even with all of the stitching, buttons, and slight wrinkling on his shirt; realistic facial features and fine details on the hair; slight muscles on the arms; pockets and wrinkles on the pants; and crazy detailed boots, there's very little that actually impresses about Flint's sculpt. He's just dullsville, man.
     Even so, I'd have scored Flint a point higher if it weren't for the typical 25th Joe flaws. He's got some fairly visible gaps on the seams between his two upper leg halves, and the fact that the legs are a dull green (as opposed to black) make them even more noticeable. There's also that odd torso articulation, which has always made the Joes look like they've got manboobs to me. If you've gotten used to and aren't bothered by these things, bump Flint's score as necessary. And although the backpack is just an accessory (and thus isn't really a factor in my score here), it's also lacking in the sculpt/looks department because it's hollow on the underside... which is incidentally the side you'll be most likely to glimpse unless you're displaying Flint posed far to the side or from behind.

Sculpt Score: 7 / 10

 

     There's not a ton of paint on Flint, but what's here is done pretty well -- especially for the scale. Flint's shirt is cast in black (with the exception of the sleeves, which are flesh and painted black), but the shoulder marks and the tiny buttons running down the front of the shirt are painted. For the naturally flesh-colored head, the eyebrows are painted brown, the eyelashes and pupils are painted black (one eye appears to have gotten a bit of blue as well), and the hair and beret (and a bit of Flint's forehead as well, unfortunately) are painted black -- with a dab of red in front for the tiny emblem. The molded green pants get a brown camouflage pattern that's workable but not incredibly convincing, and even the bullet suspenders and backpack get painted details here and there. Heck, they've even drybrushed Flint's boots! The base colors for the ankles and feet are different (the same green as the pants above the swivel and black for the feet themselves), but the paint gives the boots a unified worn and dirty look... which admittedly contrasts with the rest of his pristine (read: boring) outfit. Oh, Flint's gloves are painted brown and wristwatch/compass/communicator/whatever is painted green. And while there's minimal slop throughout the paint job, the guy's only 4" tall!
     Really, besides the slop -- for which I've taken off a point -- the only other strike against the paint job is the lack of ambition. The boots get cool drybrushing, but there aren't any washes or drybrushing elsewhere to match, and the bare plastic is a bit glossy. I keep wishing companies would spray their figures with Testors' Dullcote -- that stuff makes even unpainted plastic look so matte you could hide your housekeys beneath it. (Did that sound lame? If so, I blame Flint.)

Paint Score: 8 / 10

 

    Flint's packing standard 25th Joe articulation... which is useful, but again kinda makes it hard for me to write anything interesting here! The arm articulation works okay for posing him with two hands on a shotgun, or at least it would if his grip weren't oddly wide -- as it is, I had a hard time getting him to hang onto the guns without them slipping out. (Flint holds the wider parts of the guns better, but you'd only expect him to be using the shotgun as a club if he were out of ammo... which clearly isn't the case when he's wearing the bullet belt.) Flint's right elbow hinge is also really odd -- it's not entirely loose, but it does feel rubbery and malformed and has a tendency to droop. The elbow articulation on both arms is a little weird, actually, since their shape allows for a bit of double-jointedness. At first I even wondered if I had them positioned the right way!
    Everything else is pretty much as expected, and Flint is light enough that he can even take on one-legged poses with the aid of the included stand. I still wish this articulation model had swivel thighs and offered some sort of side-to-side ankle hinge, though.

Articulation Score: 8 / 10

     If you know and love Flint, you'll obviously think more highly of him here... but I think he's boring as bloody heck. He pretty much exemplifies the reason I never got into G.I. Joe as a kid -- here was a toyline that mostly consisted of generic soldier types, and we were supposed to choose it over lines with mutants and ninjas and caped crusaders? Even if the Joes did have Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, their battle for a spot under my bed was hopeless.
    Still, Flint has a few things to keep him from scoring below average in this department. The stand isn't super exciting, but it could make the figure more fun for collectors. He comes with two shotguns -- one unpainted green one that's kinda lame, but another with a pumping cartridge that can look pretty neat  in poses (once you get him holding it properly, anyway). The handgun is a standard but decent accessory, and it stores well in his holster. And I'm not really a fan of the bullet suspenders or the backpack, but they're removable and offer additional play/display options. Finally, that wonky right elbow and the wide grasp of the hands notwithstanding, Flint's a well-made and decent-looking toy -- which keeps him from being decidedly unfun.

Fun Score: 5 / 10

 

     Wait, this guy costs $10+? Seriously?! I'm choking on the $8+ they want for the movie figures, and Hall of Heroes Flint is even more expensive than them... and apparently this isn't even a unique sculpt, as HoH Flint is pretty much a repaint of an earlier figure. With the Hall of Heroes Joes, it seems like you're really paying for the cool display-style packaging -- but since you have to damage it to remove the figure, the price is totally not worth it unless you just plan to leave the figure carded on the shelf. If you want a Flint to have out of the packaging, I'd recommend tracking down one of the earlier versions.

Value Score: 4 / 10 

7 / 10 - Boring but serviceable; marred by standard 25th Joe flaws.

8 / 10 - Great considering the scale; tiny details receive attention; minimal slop; kinda boring except for drybrushed boots.

8 / 10 - Standard 25th Joe fare; right elbow is wonky; would benefit from swivel thighs and side ankle articulation.

5 / 10 - Generic soldiers are boring, but the toy itself is decent and has enough accessories to keep it from being totally lacking in play value.

4 / 10 - $10+ for a 3.75" figure? Unless you just want the display-style packaging and don't plan to open it, that's pretty weak.

 

64 / 100 - This is an Okay Toy

Besides the size, paint, articulation, and accessories, Flint's a lot like one of those generic green army men you can get in multipacks for a dollar. He's not a bad toy at all -- but unless the character means something to you, he's nowhere close to being an exciting one.

-Wes

 

 

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