G.I. Joe ReAction Greenshirt

By Hervé St-Louis
February 3, 2022 - 19:20

In the G.I Joe cartoon series, support troopers, known as the greenshirts were plentiful, especially when introduced in the first mini-series and unofficially in the comics in issue #9. They never got names but were essential for the missions of the Joes and garnishing their ranks. In the Real American Hero cartoon series, they appeared in the second episode of the second mini-series, The Revenge of Cobra where they helped Scarlett, Doc, and Gung Ho protect Washington DC with reflective mirrors.

Although the greenshirts are known as the generic support troops of the G.I. Joe team, the original 13 Joes, of which Breaker, Grunt, Hawk, Rock n’ Roll, Shortfuze, and Zap were the main green shirt characters. But these greenshirts were members of the first G.I. Joe team and less exuberant in their suits. Following the success of this first generation of Joe figures, Hasbro took more risks in the design of its characters and stray from the greenshirt look.

While has been greenshirts in the 2005 Infantry Division and the Heavy Assault lines at 3.75” inches and the 2007 25th Anniversary Infantry pack with Firefly at 4 inches, there has not been any new releases in years. Boutique toymaker Super7 released three greenshirts, one pink, one tan, and one brown to cover diversity in the ranks of the Joes.

Likeness

At the core, the cartoon greenshirts were based off Grunt, the team’s original infantry soldier. The difference was that they were coloured with a light green shirt, a light green helmet, and dark green pants, unlike Grunt’s grey trunks in the cartoon. But these G.I. Joe ReAction greenshirts are virtual clones of their cartoon counterparts. This is the whole point of Super7’s ReAction line. They are meant to look as close as possible to the cartoon characters. They have the same brown boots and brown belts. There are the same.

There were no tan nor brown greenshirts in the cartoon series. This is a sensitive addition to the G.I. Joe mythos that also allows for more variants as well as diversity.

Sculpt

The sculpt features a stocky face which differs from the youthful look that most of the greenshirts had in the cartoon. The face does not work for the brown greenshirt as it is modelled for a Caucasian character. The helmet looks like the same one used for the arctic Bazooka but it’s not. Bazooka’s appears to have folds. The helmet is glued on the figure’s head. The scale of the head is a bit better than the Cobra troopers’ whose heads were too large.

Paint

The paint is not well applied. The figures have many spills and paint accumulation in parts of the face. For the price, the paint application should be much better. The skin is painted on each figure. The base colour seems to be the darker green used in the pants. I think that everything is has been painted.

Scale

The greenshirts are the same size as classic 3 ¾ G.I. Joe figures and thus, a bit smaller than the four inch 25th anniversary figures and the Retro ones. You may find them too small, but they will look great O-ring G.I. Joe figures. The figures can fit in some of the old G.I. Joe vehicles, such as the AWE Striker. The greenshirts’ legs cannot move much so you’ll have to wiggle the figure around to make it fit the seat. But once there, it looks great.

Stability

The greenshirts are stable but do have peg holes in their heels that are not compatible with other action figure stands.

Articulations

The greenshirts have five points of articulations at the neck, the shoulders, and the hips. The neck is a 360 degrees swivel. The shoulders can also rotate up and down 360 degrees. The hips allow the figures to raise their legs to about 90 degrees.

Plastic

The plastic is tough and not soft nor pliable. The hands do stretch a bit after carrying the riffles for a week, so I exchange them frequently. I don’t like that. Hands should not become loose after just one week and drop the weapons.

Props

Each greenshirt comes with the standard G.I. Joe cartoon laser gun in grey colour. It looks like a riffle. I wish that there had been more variety with the riffles, much like what was done with the Cobra troopers.

Packaging

Each greenshirt is on a classic-looking card inside of a plastic bubble that mimics the 1980s G.I. Joe A Real American Hero packaging with the character jumping from a bursting background. The art is original by artist Jason Edmiston. The back of the card has a filecard with a generic description and profile picture taken from a cartoon cel.

Cost

At $23 CAD and $18 USD, the G.I. Joe greenshirts are pricey for what accounts to a simple toy with limited poseability and articulations. It is a Kenner action figure from the 1970s. Other toys in the same range pack more value for the price, even when the producer has to account for the cost of licensing.

Now, all ReAction figures are priced around $18 USD but that does not mean that it is the right strategy. In the past many of these figures were priced this way because of their limited distribution. However, Super7 has managed to have them distributed at major retailers such as Target and Walgreens. It feels like an easy cash grab to dip into the current craze for G.I Joe stuff. Buyers beware (and I should heed my own advice).

Availability

The greenshirst are available at many large retail chains in the United States, comic book stores, and collectible and comic stores, online or local. Other specialty gift stores may also have them in stock. You can also find them online through auction sites, however, some auctioneers mark them up even higher than their base price. Don’t buy them from those guys as the greenshirts are not rare not hard to find. In Canada, you can find the greenshirts at comic book stores and some online toy retailers. Not all stores carry Super7 products.

These greenshirts are cool. I would have liked a few more variants with different hair colour and skin, such as blond or red hair, or more Asian to increase their numbers. At three variants, they are not as varied as the upcoming G.I. Joe sailors (or blushirts) from the ReAction line. These figures are not for everyone. I like them as background characters for mêlée shots of similar scale characters with vehicles. They are army builders and the ultimate green army soldiers.

Rating: 6.5 /10

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Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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