After years of producing GI Joe figures in the iconic 3.75 inch scale, Hasbro launched the Classified Collection in 2020 - a new line of 6 inch collector scale figures from the GI Joe franchise. The first wave hit stores in Summer 2020 with 5 figures in total - Duke, Snake Eyes, Destro, Roadblock and Scarlet.
Packaging 4/5
The GI Joe Classified packaging follows the window box design that Hasbro use for the rest of their collector focused lines. The colours on the box are specific to the faction with GI Joe characters in blue and Cobra in red. The bottom rail of the box front carries the GI Joe logo and the character name. Above this and wrapping the right hand spine is character specific artwork, in the case of Destro this is a red, black and silver stylised image by Oliver Barrett.
The other spine carries the numbering for the line - Destro being number 03. This left hand spine is part of the window with the coloured design with the numbering being part of the cardback piece behind the clear plastic of the window.
The back of the box features a montage of GI Joe characters and the usual legal and safety text. What is a shame is the lack of any background info on the box for each character. The old cut out Command Files (Stat Cards) were a staple of the classic GI Joe line and a modern equivalent would have finished off the box nicely.
The box opens via the top flap and the figure slides out wrapped on the back and side by the backing card. For Destro this is in a red design with Cobra logo. The figure sits into a plastic tray surrounded by weaponry. There are no twist ties, the shape of the inner tray keeps Destro and his weapons in place.
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
Hasbro have kept the look of their 6 inch Destro pretty accurate to the original 1980's villain. The head is well sculpted and then cast in a very bright reflective silver with a clear face. The head sits on a flesh coloured chest piece which is framed by Destro's chain and red stone. This necklace is an individual piece and can ride up around the head - but is not quite big enough to remove over the head.
The costume starts with the iconic red flared collar, mimicking the Cobra logo. Destro is then wearing a black combat suit, complete with armoured panels around the shoulders, chest, wrists and knees. The suit is cast in black gloss with gunmetal dull grey used on the armour. Red is used on the right wrist where Destro is equipped with wrist rockets.
Red is also used on the belt and holster. Like the necklace this is an individual piece that moves with the articulation. The belt is silver with three re panels - and these are not painted all to well with bleed of the silver into the red. A red holter then attaches down to the right thigh. This is plain red and while it has sculpted details, none of the details have been painted.
The GI Joe Classified line is a 6 inch collectors line from Hasbro. It comes in at a larger scale to the Star Wars Black series, and is comparable to Marvel Legends at roughly 6.5 inches for human male characters.
Accessories 5/5
Destro is armed with two weapons. The first is a scoped handgun with very good level of detail in the sculpt and with paint apps added in red down the barrel and on the side. It slots into either hand, both hands coming with a trigger finger. The hands are quite stiff and take some teasing to get the weapon posed in place. When the gun is not in use it slides into the working holster.
The second weapon is a smaller golden handgun, more bling for Destro. This carries quite a bit of crisp detail too despite the size, and is painted in bright gold. Again, it fits into either hand. Cleverly, this fits into the same holster - albeit not at the same time as the other weapon.
Destro's third accessory is a briefcase. This is well detailed also with an embossed Cobra logo on the front and back - the front being painted in red. The case opens to reveal bundles of cash in the upper part - green US dollars with yellow note wrappers. The other part of the case contain a computer with keyboard, screen and another Cobra logo. There still remains enough space in between the two for the smaller gun or other accessories that may come out in the future. The briefcase also fits into either hand, with some teasing.
It is worth covering at this point that like all GI Joe figures, Destro has the peg hole in his middle back but comes with no accessories that fit into it. It looks like Hasbro will be going down the same route as the original figures with this, with a universal peg size so other accessories and weapons can be worn by all figures. The hole on Destro can be used for example to carry Snake Eyes backpack or to mount a weapon with a corresponding peg.
Articulation 4/5
Destro has a total of 21 points of articulation in total. On par with Marvel Legends and making Destro extremely poseable.
Head : neck ball joint
Body : T-joint chest pivot, waist swivel
Arms : ball joint shoulder, butterfly shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
The neck doesn't get the double joint on both ends, but the head still works fine in the confines of the costume collar. The arms are fully poseable, supported with the butterfly shoulders so that a number of weapons poses are possible, including two handed grips.
Destro's legs allow kneeling and sitting, with the holster and belt moving in conjunction with the joints rather than restricting them.
Destro does suffer a little with loose joints, the same as Snake Eyes and similar to issues we get with Marvel Legends on ratcheted joints. The torso is one area of looseness, as are the hips which do see Destro sliding over in some poses. Arms and lower legs are - on the contrary - secure and stiff and if you pose him right to keep the hips in check then Destro stands perfectly on his own - with or without the case or weapons.
Summary
Destro is very much a figure that is sympathetic to his original looks, with some modern tweaks rather than a full overhaul. This means he scored highly on the nostalgia radar. He is also a wonderful figure with a great sculpt, good articulation - ignoring the loose hips and chest - and good accessories that fit the character perfectly and that work really well.
Destro has also sold me on the box design, having now seen the two versions with contrasting red and blue depending on the faction. The lack of any detail on the reverse is the only disappointment and the addition of a stat card or character background would finish it off perfectly.
With only a handful of flaws, I score Destro a 4 out of 5.
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, GI Joe, G.I. Joe, Classified, Hasbro, Cobra, Destro