First, I have to confess that my determination to pass on the ROC figures melted once I saw the images of them. Fantastic figures for the most part. Taking the figures in a different direction seems to have caused the sculptors/designers to bring out their best work. I have no will power, it seems.

It's refreshing to see versions of Duke (even if it's not the comic/cartoon continuity) that aren't endless variations on the tan shirt, green trousers look. So far, the actual Storm Shadow costume, with its white leather and "is that supposed to be suit?" appearance, hasn't won me with the live action images. However, the figures look sharp and don't seem as silly as the live action images do. Even the Snake-Eyes figures look different enough from the previous 50 or so versions to justify purchase.

Terra Viper, Viper Commando, Breaker (Abel Shaz- not Alvin Kibbey), Elite Viper, and others are new characters. Long overdue. If there's one thing that the 25A line is guilty of, it's not producing new characters. Whether they fit into previous continuities or not, these are characters we haven't seen before.

Most of the ROC weapons don't have trigger guards. Technically, this makes the guns look less realistic. However, on the 1:18th scale, I prefer it because it allows for the figures to hold the weapons using the full handle/grip. A spattering of 25A figures and NS figures have separated trigger fingers, allowing them to hold weapons with trigger guards more naturally. Almost no ARAH figures do (GI Joe is the only one that comes to mind). It's a small detail, but it really warms me to the line.

I can respect your opinions on that, but I can't say I share the same enthusiasm. I was holding out on making any kind of judgement until I had these guys in-hand, and I did buy a few over the weekend but I'm pretty ambivolent atm.

The Joe designs far surpass the Cobras in the first two waves, they are just visually more appealling. Marlon and Chase Tatum/Tatum O'Niel/Tatum Channing/whatever head sculpts are spot on. Even Adabezie from OZ looks good, although I'm not buying the fat guy body since he's a pretty lean guy. On the other hand, the women, Shipwreck and that dude that starred in Taken are too skinny and frail. And I don't know who the frak is Sgt. Stone, to me he's Lt. Falcon.

The Cobras were so unimpressive. Yes they are "new" characters, but seriously, they look more like Destro's troops than Cobra. So much so that when I was going through all the pegs of single figures, I kept getting mixed up with Destro and the Neo Vipers Elites etc. because they look so similiar.

I don't get it, maybe it's an age thing. My wife's 9 year old nephew LOVED Transformers 2, and the thing is, I grew up with Transformers and couldn't make out any of the secondary characters during the film. Likewise, I can't differentiate from these new Cobra troops, it's so weird. I must be getting old.

I like how the ROC figures hold their weapons (especially desert Duke), but the spring-loaded projectiles are a bit ridiculous. But who knows, kids in the 90s rejected spring-loaded, maybe kids of today will accepted them.

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It's not really the target market, but my 2 year old can't get enough of the spring loaded missles. At some point, I'll get him some green army men, and they can serve as his heavy artillery. lol

I agree that as legit accessories, they suck. But the good news is that even if you take them out, the figures are still coming as fully equipped (or more) as any 25A fig.

On the main point raised by PN - I agree. The figures are all pretty cool. I still have a strong preference for what I've seen of the Resolute line (and I hope those prototypes get produced), both for giving more of a nod to the original looks, but also staying a tad more realistic than the movie figs. But even so, the new parts are, in my mind, a customizer's dream. And even if not customizing them, look at it this way - if these were all "new" characters made the exact same way and introduced into the existing Joe mythos, I think even hardcore old school people would be going nuts for them.

Only drawback I really see so far is that I haven't really had the urge to paint over the blue camo yet on any of the figs I got. So I think I'm making a small unit of its own to fit into my verse based on that look.

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I like the ROC Joe figures for the same reason I like the 25th Cobra figures.
With the 25th line I got a chance to rebuild a small Cobra army made up of various Blueshirts (including a squad of Night Watch guys and some Jetpack guys), some Crimson Guards and some "classic" Cobra vehicles. To me, that is what Cobra is all about and it gives them the feel of being a real army (which in my Joeverse they are the army for the United Cobra Alliance made up of several former Soviet, Eastern European nations). As a kid I only ever had one of all the Viper types so to me they were the Cobra special forces and with the removable gear that the 25th line introduced I may try to custom up a new Viper team built off the Blueshirt style body to add to my Cobra forces.
And now along comes the ROC figures and the potential to build up a new Joe team the way I like them in a scale that will match up with the 25th styled Cobras. The ROC Joe figures in their combinations of black and gray camo to me are perfect. They give the group a unifying look while still leaving room for individuality with different gear or combinations of parts mixed and matched from ROC and 25th like the Original 13 were. I also like the new logo as it looks much better than having the old G.I.Joe stars and stripes logo painted up the side of a figures leg or on their shirts. And the price point the new ROC figures are at helps me keep my Joe team as a small tactical squad instead of a large army with tanks, planes and boats.

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I really like them because at least to me they strike a really great balance of being new while at the same time not being radically different.

Call me weird but I really like the Joes new camo pattern and the reactive armor isn't really any sort of distraction so I could mix in most of my Joes in with my 25th or Resolute figures without the movie figures looking like they stand out. The excitement of a new look without that feeling that I have start a whole new collection I can just work them into the collection I already have.

Cobra is a little more of a mixed bag. Characters like Destro fit in well with the rest of my collection and some of the troops like the Ice Vipers fit right in as well. The Vipers right now aren't fitting in as well. I haven't given up on them yet, but so far they just sort of stick out like they don't fit. Of course I haven't seen the movie yet so my feelings could change once I've had the chance to see the Vipers in action and then I might warm up to the look.

Considering the other movie lines I've seen this year I'd say I'm way happier with the ROC than any other movie line this year. I can just work the ROC stuff right in with everything else so it doesn't even feel like there is any sort of break between what we were getting before and what we are getting now. It's like the coolness of when they worked comic book Deadpool into the Wolverine line only GI Joe has manage to work lots and lots of good figures into their movie line up.

Actually, i'm very happy with what has come so far. The body types have been very refreshing and have a new feel to them rather than a ton of rehashed molds and parts that have been used to death by the 25th line. It got to the point that it seemed like I had a dozen different characters that pretty much looked the same. I got really bored very quick. It's nice to see some new looks in the line and the new Baroness looks great with the last 5 pack Baroness head on it! I'm not loving most of the headsculpts, but the bodies have been great. I even love the new Joe camo pattern and love the unified feel they now have.