Review – G.I. Joe Crime Boss Destro (8-inch)

Another figure from the post-Sigma 6 era of 8-inch G.I. Joe action figures, Crime Boss Destro really plays up the “Adventure Team”-like nature of some of these releases. The accessories are a blast, the look is remarkable, and I may have to settle on saying that this Crime Boss Destro action figure is the best of all of the Sigma 6 (Amazon.com search*) that I’ve reviewed to date.

A New Weapon Case

Like the Sigma 6 Zartan (review here), Crime Boss Destro* is packed with the plastic weapon case that gives you somewhere to store all of the accessories that come with the toy. This packaging was a genius move on Hasbro’s part and what I find even more amazing is that the red cases are a completely different sculpt than the earlier case design. Hasbro sunk a lot of cash into these packages and I’m hoping we see this trick used again in the future.

Sculpt

Crime Boss Destro*, according to the review at Sigma 6 Central, is a repaint of the earlier Sigma 6 Destro action figure with new accessories. Well, since I don’t own that earlier Destro action figure this guy is all new to me, and the design is awesome. I love that Crime Boss Destro* is a hulking, Frankenstein monster-like figure with a broad design and standing over eight inches tall. When I had Destro and Snake Eyes (review here) standing together it really demonstrated the difference in size between the two toys.

Paint

Maybe I’m just blinded by obsession, but Crime Boss Destro* has only a few paint apps, and even though most of the coloring comes from the plastic the color design is great. Those gray, beefy arms and that silver head help give the figure an inhuman quality, and the addition of the cloth pants gives the figure more color and adds depth to the design that would have been missing if Hasbro had simply used the plastic legs. Truly fantastic work. But again, keep in mind that I appear to be obsessed.

Accessories

The Sigma 6 series continues to spoil us as Crime Boss Destro* comes with far more gear than he could ever use at once. And outfitted as a bank robber, it’s fitting that the figure come with some goodies to steal.

• ET1000 Bolo Launcher – The spring-loaded missile launcher shown in the photo, below. The packaging says the fired bolos shock targets, but I’ll leave this in the weapon case and instead outfit Destro with his pistol and submachine gun.
  
• Cloth Pants – The plastic knee guards fastened to the pants are a nice touch, and the bit of velcro on back seems to hold everything in place just fine. I know a number of people dislike cloth on their action figures, but I think it works wonderfully hear; just compare the pics of Destro with and without his pants (yeah, it felt weird to write that) and I think you’ll agree that the pants improve the design.
  
• Gas Mask – Hey, if you’re gonna rob a bank then you need a gas mask. A bit of elastic holds it in place, and removing the gas mask is very simple.

• Tac Vest – Slides right into place and locks in with tabs. There are sockets on the vest where you can store some of the figure’s gear.
  
• Grenades – Crime Boss Destro* comes with two grenades. He doesn’t hold them well at all, but they look good on his vest. WARNING: The grenades seem to not fit perfectly in the vest and keep falling out on me.
  
• Pistol/Submachine Gun – Two more guns. Hey, Destro can’t carry that spring-loaded missile launcher everywhere!

• Vault and Goodies – A plastic vault that slides open, four wads of cash, and four gold bars all give Crime Boss Destro* something to steal. The cash and bars were a fantastic touch and the play value of this figure skyrocketed with just the addition of this entire batch of accessories. Too bad there wasn’t a mini-comic to set the stage.

Crime Boss Destro* really shows how much Hasbro was putting into the line. The weapon case is needed to carry all of the great stuff that the designers packed with the figure.

Closing Thoughts

I was a little excited before I opened Crime Boss Destro* — between the Sigma 6 Central review and all of the photos I saw online I was expecting a great toy — but it wasn’t until I opened and started playing with the toy that I realized just how amazing of a design this is. The larger size, all of that wonderful gear, and the durability of the figure make me wish that Hasbro had found success with the line when it was in stores. This figure is truly a work of art and it’s a shame the line didn’t continue past this year (2007).

There are many more Sigma 6 action figures that I haven’t looked at, but they’re all going to have a tough time being cooler than the Crime Boss Destro* action figure. This guy’s also fun to photograph; posing him with his gear makes me wish I had a little bank diorama for him to break into and steal the gold and cash.

Recommended to anyone who likes the pics they see here; the pics do not give you an understanding of just how remarkable the toy is and how much love the designers at Hasbro poured into this series.