GOING B.A.T.-TTTTTYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

Let me preface this by saying there are few things that really excite me when it comes to GI Joe. I mean, I'll look forward to a figure or vehicle release, or a show or convention, and sometimes getting a nice new piece of art or a prototype for my collection certainly gets the blood pumping, but in truth, I have seen a lot. I've read a lot. I know fair amount. Certainly not everything, I wouldn't profess that, and I am always eager to learn, but in truth, after 30+ years of buying Joes, I am a little jaded. Plus, my attention span isn't what it used to be. I get bored easily. And distracted even more easily....

Sorry, TV was talking....

All that said, these are AWESOME.

They are BATs, Cobra's Battle Android Troopers. The original Cobra BAT was released in 1986 in the classic yellow and black color scheme, and had several remakes over the last 27 years, but the original mold was never revisited in its entirety. Until now.

I should mention, these are not made by Hasbro. They are made by a "third party", a catch all term that has been used often in the last few years to categorize items made for use with GI Joe, like accessories or upgraded parts, and sometimes for bootlegs and knockoffs, that are not authorized by Hasbro. It is mostly used for the Transformers line, but applies to GI Joe for custom cast parts, figures, and these. Since they are not endorsed by Hasbro, and Hasbro doesn't make any money from the use of their trademarks...they are...kind of...basically...not...legal.  


BUT they are awesome, legality be damned.


And who IS this evil...Person? Or persons? Or....Company? They who would defy, infringe on trademarks and laugh in the face of a multimillion dollar company like the great big H? Some Asian super factory pumping out midnight bootlegs in mass quantity? A global criminal organization bent on world domination?  I don't know. Seriously, I don't know. I've never met them. So if you want some, you need to find them yourselves. (Hint: Check eBay.) 

Overall, the quality is great. Paint applications and deco selection are top notch, using a little seen BAT logo as an optional chest decal (dubbed a HUB chest symbol) as well as replacing the classic Cobra sleeve emblem. The chest logos are not lenticular, like the vintage BAT, but the original chest image is reproduced well in a flat image. The construction is quite good for a third party project, there are some issues with a few loose joints here and there, and the backpacks are a bit brittle, but given the scope of the project, arm attachments, etc, I think a few small flaws are easily forgiven. But, I wouldn't give one to your 5 year old nephew to chew on.

Regardless, the figures are AWESOME (did I say that twice already?). BATs in different colors to reflect a troop affiliation or environmental conditions? Again, AWESOME. The same manufacturer has done several other figures, including the classic Cobra Infantry Trooper and Crimson Guard, and given them a similar treatment for environmental and troop colors, so for someone who has been following and picking up these items for a while, they make for a nice display.

The following pics are from my collection, and feature a mixture of custom figures and vehicles with standard Hasbro figures.

Green for a jungle or forest environment.

Red/Orange, which I think were originally intended to be Crimson Guard oriented BATs, but they are more orange in color. They are darker than the classic Alley Viper, but could probably be used with them. Personally, I have had a major hard-on for the Hazard Vipers, and the whole Compound Z storyline, so I put them in my Z-Lab dio.

White for, obviously, arctic battles.

Black and silver for....Well, nothing in particular, but they look pretty cool...

A sandy yellow-tan for desert operations.

A classic Cobra Blue to match the standard Infantry troopers.

And finally, a reproduction of the original black and yellow BAT from 1986. I have posted photos of him next to a regular vintage BAT to illustrate the differences, in the event some buyers might be intimidated by the prospect of someone passing off the modern reproductions as vintage originals.

The reproduction is on the left, the original is on the right, in every picture.

At a glance, you can see that the chest is not painted silver behind the chest emblem. Also, the different arm symbol, reflecting the BAT logo, is used on the sleeve.

The lenticular chest emblem is obviously different from the flat repro decal image.

On the backs, the hole to attach the backpack is much larger, as is the corresponding peg on the backpack. Also, there is no "Made in Hong Kong" stamp on the rear end.

And finally, and possibly most importantly, the attachment point for the arms is wider on the reproduction, so the repro accessories can not be passed off as vintage because they just won't fit.

I can't tell you how happy I was tearing into these figures. I have been hoping the manufacturer would tackle this figure, and the wait was well worth it. Some minor flaws aside, I think any vintage army builder would love these, so if the chance to grab them comes along, do it. They won't last long.