During one fine brain-storming session at Hasbro Headquarters, someone decided that people (guys) like chicks with cool hair and corsets. So they made the greatest thing to happen to toys since Swivel-Hinges and Elvira dolls: Agent Helix. There is nothing about this figure that's blatantly screaming "Buy me, I'm Sexy!", like a recent bare-chested version of Lady Jaye, the attraction to Helix comes from the attitude this figure oozes from every plastic pore... that and the fine-looking real-life model on the packaging! Wowza! I'll agree, "Helix" is a silly name for any agent not featured in an anime cartoon. Now, I'm like any beer-chugging ruggedly-handsome male, I like X's in the names and titles of all my, er, uh, things, but the name feels forced in this case. Is "Helix" her real name? Did they name her after her favorite attack of "whirlwind kicks and gunfire"? No clue, but I would have been fine with a simple name like Sandy or Kristie or Contessa Ravenhoff the Third...what?
Name: Agent Helix
Line: GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Retail: $6.99-$7.99, Online: $7.99-$14.99
If it weren't for the hands that don't hold the weapons securely, this figure would have gotten a perfect score. And it's not so much that the hands are too wide, it's that the grips on the weapons are too narrow. Honestly, the pistols looks like bootlegs, they're wafer-thin so it seems like the largest projectiles they can fire are needles. But that's not such a bad idea either, you could coat those needles in poison and have yourself a light-weight, high-capacity weapon that can pierce body-armor. Doesn't Nick Fury have one of these? That's all you need to know, these bootleg guns are awesome.
The figure's sculpt is suitably feminine, her female-ness becomes more pronounced because the strap across her chest makes her breasts bulge. Now that's attention to detail!...sorry ladies, lol. If you've ever tried to sculpt buttons, the rows of studs on the corset seem that much more impressive, those things are pain in the arse to make uniformly. The straps are all sculpted, even the transition of gray to yellow on the chest, that alone gives the figure some visual pop! The belt is flexible enough so that it doesn't limit any leg-motion, and I'm not sure what she needs all those cases for (ammo?), but at least they aren't bulky. I like how shapely the hips are.
The dollars spent making the BFG would have been better spent on making holsters for the weapons. The hole in her back is wasted with nothing to fill it with. Wait, what? Oh, right, holsters! Helix needs a way to store her weapons, a backpack or simple strap-harnesses would have been appreciated instead of that crazy big satellite/missile launcher. She even has the sculpted straps over her chest and rings on her shoulder-blades to attach things, so why not make those details useful? Speaking of details, there is what looks like a bandage on the right wrist, that's cute, but wouldn't a watch be more appropriate?
Sculpt Score: 9 / 10
Painting is crisp for the most part, there's only an issue if you don't like the difference in matte/gloss among the parts. The arms are yellow with gray paint and the torso is gray with yellow paint, but the color-matching is well-done, not raw or medium-rare. The silver on the belt is sloppy at the edges, but easily fixable. The weapons aren't painted and it's a shame because all their intricacies go unnoticed. The face is neat, I love the muted lips. I wish her eyes weren't blue, I think she'd look better with amber, something orange-ish.
It's odd that all the tiny studs on the front of the corset are painted, but the ones on the back aren't. Even the tiny zippers and rings are painted, but for whatever reason, the studs in back were too much, go figure! The hair a little disappointing, I like the scheme but it needs some refinement.
Paint Score: 8 / 10
Standard-issue G.I. Joe articulation is present and it's mostly well-integrated into the figure's sculpt. I still have a problem with the pivot in the upper-body because it doesn't tilt in all directions. It can swivel, tilt forward, and click a little to the sides, but it can't tilt back, and that limits certain poses, especially the ones needed to display Helix's whirlwind-kicking gun-toting antics. Lol, I can't stop making fun of that, it's just so insane! When people are trying to kill you, you don't put on a performance to dazzle them, you fire back, preferably into something vital. I so desperately wish I had gotten a Microman Chun Li, oh the comics that would have ensued...
The elbows bend more than usual so you get that many more natural poses. I keep reading people's posts about GI Joe figures having rocking ankles, despite me not seeing them anywhere. Do only certain figs have them? The ankles on my Joe figures have all been simple Swivel-Hinges so far.
Articulation Score: 8 / 10
There's only so much fun you can have when you're constantly worrying about losing small accessories. The lack of holsters is a major drawback, especially because there are 4 weapons to deal with. The figure looks more streamlined without the added baggage, maybe removable holsters/harness would work here, an interchangeable belt?
I recommend you play with G.I. Joes, I mean, telling your kids to play with these figures on a single-colored surface. They usually come with many accessories that are easily unseen. Firefly has some accessories that look like bits of broken plastic, they only look like actual tools when you look at them up-close. Distracted moms with vacuums are a Joe's worst enemy.
I mean HELIX, looks like a spunky character, I'd replace any character that appeared in the ROC movie, except Scarlett <3, with this chick, if only to see her trademark whirlwin- okay, enough of that! This is one fine figure.
Fun Score: 8 / 10
Not much stuff in the package for $8, but at $5 because of the TRU sale, this is a great buy. Really, any of the figures are a great buy at $5 because these are quality toys. Aside from weapons, you get the mandatory stand and paper advertisement insert with a mini-poster on one side. The poster is crinkled because it's all folded-up, print them from your computer instead if you really want to have these things hanging on your wall. There's satellite-dish attachment for the giant missile-launcher to convert it into a *gasp* satellite, or rather, a satellite signal receiver, I don't think Helix can toss a satelite into space. Maybe if she used her patented whirl- *is stuffed in a sack*
Value Score: 7 / 10
9 / 10 - She's so prettyyyy ^___^
8 / 10 - Needs some refinement, but generally good.
8 / 10 - Slightly better than average for a G.I. Joe figure.
8 / 10 - It's fun to juggle 5 weapons!
7 / 10 - A little kid cried when I got this figure before him, what are a child's tears worth to you?
80 / 100 - This is a Great Toy
Craftsmanship and character-design have a lot to do with why modern G.I. Joes are great toys.
-DrNightmare
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