Review – G.I. Joe Firebat Jet with A.V.A.C.

Line: G.I. Joe * Manufacturer: Hasbro * Year: 2008 * Ages: 5+

“Blasting from a vertical silo in the Terror Drome, the Firebat Jet streaks into the air on a mission of destruction. As its wings unfold, the A.V.A.C. (Air Viper, Advanced Class) pilot heads for his target: a G.I. Joe ship heading for Cobra Island. The ship launches its own fighter, and an aerial dogfight rages in the sky!”
— from the back of the box

Before I even start talking about the toy I have to take a minute to make a complaint about the packaging. Despite the fact that the back cover text gets it right and describes the Firebat as launching from a vertical silo, the artwork inside the window display shows rows of Firebats parked in a horizontal position. Now maybe I’m forgetting something but, if I remember right, in the comic book the Firebat was stowed in a vertical position. (I’m specifically thinking of the issue in which Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow attack Cobra Island and an unconscious Ripcord, who was disguised as Zartan, is loaded into a Firebat . . . you know what, this isn’t important to the toy. For those of you who care, this was in issue 45 which was collected in 2002, though the collection is demanding more than it’s worth these days. Moving on.)

As you can see in the image at right, the Firebat is a sleek, beautiful, futuristic jet fighter that’s actually quite tiny in comparison to other GI Joe jets (like the Cobra Rattler and the Conquest X-30). When landed, the small wings fold up, giving the jet a very small footprint (which was necessary when it was originally released as part of the Cobra Terror Drome playset). The included pilot, A.V.A.C., sits comfortably in the cockpit and, in my opinion, this is the best position to display the Firebat in. (Mine’s sitting on the shelf, in this exact position, nestled between a Cobra H.I.S.S. and a Bumblebee toy.)

From the view at left you can see the underside of the Firebat in launch position; look at all of those missiles and bombs! For such a tiny jet, the Firebat comes ready for battle. In addition to the missiles and bombs the Firebat also carries two cannons. From this angle you can also see more stickers — the Firebat, for such a small jet, has a large number of stickers that you’ll have to apply yourself. But, to be honest, this side of the Firebat isn’t all that exciting so let’s take a look at . . .

. . . the Firebat with its wings extended! It’s in this position that the you can really get a look at just how sleek and beautiful this tiny jet is. Here we see the A.V.A.C. inside the jet again but, if you like, the cockpit snaps open easily and you can let any other figure fly the Firebat. Hell, you might even decide to throw a non-Cobra figure in there (though I don’t know why you would do such a silly thing since, obviously, Cobra troops have the best uniforms). When extended, the Firebat has a wingspan of about 10″ — I said it was a tiny jet!

And finally we take a look at the A.V.A.C. (Air Viper, Advanced Class) figure that’s included with the Firebat. In a review at www.popculturezoo.com the reviewer, C.J. Stunkard, writes:

“The helmet is just downright bulky, ugly and awkward. I feel that Hasbro could have really put effort into improving on the goofy original design with a few slight alterations. They didn’t and the result is a less than stellar pack-in figure.”

I disagree. Sure, the A.V.A.C.’s helmet is unusual looking, but it’s also got that perfect touch of weirdness and the sci-fi element that helps keep the G.I. Joe line from being nothing more than military toys for kids. If anything, I find the A.V.A.C. to be one of my favorite of the Cobra pilot figures; and that’s because of the helmet! To complete the figure, he comes with a knife (careful, though, because it’s tiny and you can easily miss it when you’re unboxing the Firebat) and a display stand.

Closing Thoughts

While not one of the best toys on the market, the Firebat is an excellent addition to the G.I. Joe line and an inexpensive jet to add to anyone’s Cobra air fleet. If I had to find anything to complain about I would have to say that the file cards on the box — instead of packaged inside the box — is annoying but that’s really a minor complaint that doesn’t affect the toy’s playability at all. This isn’t a must own piece, but it’s a fun one and perfect if, like me, you never owned a Terror Drome when you were a child.

Philip Reed never owned a Firebat as a child (since, back in his day, the only way to get one was to buy a Terror Drome). He was fortunate to have a friend who owned a Firebat, though, so he managed to play with it whenever they combined toys and then chose up sides. This is a cool-looking jet!