Overview

The 25th Anniversary line's mission is primarily to bring back old favorite characters, and they brought back a popular hero with Flint. Even though he shares most of his body construction with Duke, the figure looks excellent and it isn't immediately obvious that the figure is about 85% recycled parts. This is a fine example of Hasbro getting the most out of its molds and making a good figure in the process.

As one of the more difficult figures to find in the line, he's already dried up in some markets-- more are hoped for, but you never know. The figure includes a green shotgun, a black pistol, and a personalized display stand. Also, the bullet suspenders are fully removable.

Figure

With a holster, loads of articulation, and just enough detail to make you swoon, there's a lot to like. Since some of that articulation wasn't as well-thought-out as it could have been, there's also a lot to complain about.

The original figure from 1985 was created quite nicely, and set the bar high for any new Flint figures to come. In some respects, the new release blows away the original with a more detailed likeness, extra knee articulation, and better hidden articulation. In other respects, it's not so great-- for example, it's impossible to get both arms to bend to a decent right angle, and getting him posed to hold a weapon with both hands is tricky. He also doesn't sit as well as his ancestor, which could be a problem if you ever decide New Flint has to drive a vehicle somewhere. If Hasbro could do something about the hip articulation and the elbow articulation, this would be a most excellent figure-- but as it stands, it's merely OK. It looks nice, and it has a decent range of motion, but not being able to do certain poses that a figure from 1985 could do is a good reason to be disappointed.

Much like most new Star Wars figures since 2003, the figure's head has a hole in the bottom and it pops onto a ball joint on top of the neck. He can look around, up and down, and generally look cool. The head is a little long in the face, and up close, may look a little strange-- but from a decent distance, he looks fine.

The pistol slips easily into a holster on his leg, and it comes out nicely. As I've had some trouble with weapon holsters in this line, it's always worth noting when they do work out well and fit perfectly. As few of the original Joes were concerned with weapon storage on their person, it's really stunning to see that most of this line features a way to store one or more accessories on the actual figure when not in use. Well done, Hasbro!

Accessories

A pistol, a rifle, and a display stand. The 1985 Flint came with a backpack, but the 2007 one does not-- as of yet, the figure doesn't even have a hole in his back for a backpack if you wanted to give him one.

Flint's green shotgun is very similar to his green shotgun from 1985-- but it's not the same one. It uses a different mold and as such, you won't be able to use this reproduction as a weapon for the original figure. Well, I guess you could, but it's not the same gun. The small black pistol is neat, but unremarkable-- so it gets the job done, and that's the important thing with a good accessory. There's no significant flaws in either weapon for what they aspire to be, as Flint can hold them both and neither seems to be damaging to the figure's hands.

The display stand is essentially the same size and shape as those used for Star Wars figures in 2006 (and again in 2008). The peg size is also smaller than other Joe toys, making these action figures compatible with modern Star Wars and not the previous two decades of Joe product.

Packaging

For the 25th Anniversary, got lazy and recycled the original card art, with some changes. Obviously the layout is different, but the changes to the actual artwork are somewhat minor, yet significant. For starters, all the firearms have been changed or moved slightly. The 1985 packaging has a big pocket on each leg, while the 2007 version only has a pocket on his right leg-- just like the 2007 figure. I find these minor changes fascinating, because some things-- like the fact the new figure doesn't wear gloves-- was left completely unchanged in the art. (You can check out the original figure and his packaging at YoJoe.com.)

It's not a straight remake, but it very closely follows the old design. The old white/yellow/red explosion is there, the old logo is there (but now it's foil), and even the old Hasbro logo is on the front of the package. It's a modern update of a classic, but retails enough of the original design where you won't be confused as to what Hasbro was going for here, nor will any collector with any sense mistake the new release for the old one.

Finally, it's worth noting that, like the rest of the line so far, there are no product photos anywhere on the package. All products are instead represented by artwork.

Only one Flint exists in the line, but it shares parts with Duke. Both have the same basic body, but unique heads, deco, and accessories.

From left to right: Flint (individually carded, 2007), Duke (5-pack, 2007). At press time there are no known significant Flint variations.

While no Flint figures were released to market with gloves, early photography did show a figure with dark green hands. It's unknown if these were a new sculpt or merely painted hands, but it is worth noting that there's a reason a lot of fans expected gloved hands-- because that's what we were shown.

There's a rumor going around that 2008 will see a "Tiger Force" redeco of Flint, so if you want a Flint and don't mind waiting for one with different pants, you may wish to hold out to see what future shipments will hold.

Fin

Five bucks for Flint? Why not? As military guys go, he's pretty well designed with a nifty hat, a somewhat smug/competent facial expression, and a nice gun. His articulation is somewhat limited, but he's a popular character from the old cartoon, so I was pretty excited to get mine. As he's somewhat difficult to get at press time, I'd suggest to buy it on sight and worry about keeping it later. It's not like there's another Flint planned for release that anybody knows about, and this one is pretty gosh darned great. (Well, I like it.)

Text and photos by Adam Pawlus
Review posted on November 1 2007
Sample purchased in July 2007 at Entertainment Earth [Check availability]