In the discussions of the newly released Renegades Wave 3 Figures people have mention how the new Storm Shadow seems to be an companion for the PoC SE54 "Ultimate" Snake Eyes. Which made me think of the speculation that the Ultimate SE was inspired by the Sideshow figure, which made me look at the other Sideshow figures and wonder about "Ultimate" versions of other figures.

So 2 questions:

1. Are there other Ultimate versions of Joes out there? I'm thinking of figures like the upcoming Sci-Fi and I wonder about Airtight.


2. Will we see other Ultimate versions of Joes in the future? Given the rising costs of accessories etc? I still don't think we've had a definitive Beachhead, Duke, Flint, Scarlett or Falcon. (Not that there hasn't been great versions of Duke, Flint and Beachhead, just not an "ultimate" version)

Your thoughts?

For me, PoC Snake Eyes (the commando-sweater version) and Low-Light are as "ultimate" as figures get.

Don't have him in hand yet, but Stormy, while a great-looking figure, would need alternate bare arms to qualify in my book. Similarly, the most recent Stalker was exactly one non-dredlocked-head-with-removable-beret away from meeting my "ultimate" standards. And the PoC/30th Cobra Trooper just needed new web gear to get there.

Don't get me wrong. These were all great figures, but for me an "ultimate" would be one I don't feel the need to modify. By that definition, the comic-pack Beachhead certainly qualified for me. As did the PoC Alley Viper. I'd also include the SDCC Slaughter and Zarana in this category.

As for future prospects, Airtight and Sci-Fi have real potential. I will need to hold Law in hand to see how I feel about him (exact color matches and 100% faithfulness to the original design aren't essential components of an ultimate version for me). If we ever get a repaint of the Hazard-Viper (in original Toxo-Viper colors) or the forthcoming Slaughter's Marauders Falcon in his '86 deco, those could be ultimates. But beyond those figures, I really don't see Hasbro taking the line in a direction that would lend itself to more ultimate versions.

Now the Club has recently shown that they are capable of hitting my ultimate mark. Big Boa and Jinx both do it for me (and for different reasons). So it's possible that they could turn out some ultimates in the future. Footloose might, too. But their track record/ratio of half-arsed approximations to ultimate versions really doesn't give me buckets of hope.

Well said Spin.

POC Snow Job - though I never actually got one myself - seemed to be pretty damned ultimate there too.

You are right on how many other figures came oh-so-close. POC started off lukewarm for me but really hit its stride, and I hope the style of those figures remains the future of Joe, even if the theme of the line changes going forward.

On comic pack Beachhead, at the time I would have agreed with you, but I'm not sure it has held up as an ultimate caliber figure. Give that one POC styled gear and a better base body (if anyone deserved the sweater treatment from the SE/Stalker mold it's him), and you're on to something for sure.

I like the POC Beachhead figure, just not as Beachhead.

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I agree, its a good figure, but not a good representation of the character. You just can't slap a balaclava on a fig and say "Beachhead".
I guess that's what part of making the "ultimate" version of figure means.

Spin's right, Lowlight is an excellent example of an "Ultimate" figure. Its not just the ton of accessories, it captures the essence of the character. And yet the base body is the same as Beachhead's.

Going back to the 25th, I think Lt. Torpedo is an Ultimate version. It says combat diver. It updates the classic ARAH, yet it doesn't look out of place with PoC.
Now the Roc Deep Six isn't an Ultimate version, even though its an excellent re-color of the Torpedo body, its not Deep Six.

Now what about the 2009 5 pack Baroness,, is that the Ultimate Baroness?

Good point. I retract my comic-pack Beahhead endorsement and suggest repainting that commando sweater PoC body one more time for him. I think it could work with the comic-pack gear and alternate head, though.

Personally, I repurposed PoC Beachhead as Wreckage.

I think this is the key, for me at least. Look at the Wave 3 Snake Eyes from POC. He's not an exact representation of the original, he takes the spirit of the figure (or how he looked in my mind's eye) and combined with great sculpting, articulation, and weapons really creates a figure that is hard to top.

An ultimate Beachhead, to me, wouldn't look like the comic pack version, but would be more updated (similar to the POC version, but the vest was a bit too bulky and restricted movement and the hands were a little wacky as well.)

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Ha! That's what I did. I agree I think the SE54 body with the BH comic pack heads and gear would work.

you guys are right as to the comic pack vest for an ultimate BH. Not a fan of the POC vest at all (though the hood is great for customs if you don't mind chopping it up, lol). Wonder if it looks good on the Stalker torso?

But I do like the rest of the POC BH gear.

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You know, 25th Bazooka was a set of double-hinged knees away from being ultimate. And I'd argue the PoC Iron Grenadier was a paint job and a different head away from being a wicked (if not ultimate) SAW-Viper.

I think the basic elements to create a lot of ultimate character representations are out there, but we probably won't see them until well after the movie line and I'd bet we won't see them from Hasbro directly.

I agree Spin, which is what makes the clubs offerings soooo disappointing.

25th SnowJob worked great for me as the "ultimate"
Quinn looks pretty Ultimate too me too.

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WHAT?!!?!??! Nothing beats that comic pack version. NOTHING.

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I honestly disagree. They used a bulky muscle torso for him when even in the fiction he was no beefier than the average member of the team. I just thought it made him look off-model.

For me, it'd be a proper modern update to V15 Cobra Commander, which was already basically perfect at the time it came out. Throw in 2 spare heads- hooded and Marvel unmasked(or go deluxe ultimate and give him Marvel, Sunbow, and vintage toy unmasked heads).

I've yet to find any out of the box that I didn't alter. Both 25th Shipwrecks come close but 07 had the fist and 09 I had to re-accessorize. Baroness I swapped parts of both. 09 box set Lady Jaye is very close but has those green ankle discs. The basic 25th CC mold? The dark hooded one I swapped head with an SDCC CC and the DVD set with CLAW looks better if you swap the chromed head with a Resolute head. Tpmax and Xamot have a head that's off-model. It looks more like ED2 era Bruce Campbell than it does their animation model.

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For sure, when that figure came out he really was the definitive Cobra Commander. Love the holster too.

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The best part is, they'd need to make maybe 1 or 2 new pieces for a basic version. Use the ROC Destro body with a basic CC head with an added half-cape and rope harness.

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I always thought V1 Repeater was unbeatable. Yet to see a better version.

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