Grunt isn't a character that's ever resonated with me. He entered our home on the first day we ever had any G.I. Joe figures when we got him on my younger brother's 1982 birthday. I immediately took his backpack and gave it to Clutch. I never really paid any attention to Grunt. And, as the line matured, Grunt was even less important.
That carried over to the 1997 releases. I never took Grunt out of the drawer for many, many years. Even then, it was just for a profile. But, as the years have progressed, the figure has grown on me. The intricate cammo pattern and deep green pants are a great look. He's a great complement to Zap, Short Fuse and Stalker. So, while the character still doesn't matter, this figure has grown on me.
This isn't to say it's without problems. The helmet doesn't fit. He comes with the antithesis of his classic M-16: an AK-47. It's weird. And, the 1997 figure quality isn't the best. All of that has added up to a figure who doesn't appear frequently. Here's a bit of content on him from around the web.
I like the Grunt figure in theory, but there has never been one that works well enough outside of strictly 1982 set ups.
ReplyDeleteThis one is nice enough, but the black hair and the Snake Eyes legs drop him down a few notches.
That’s why I don’t look upon RLA stuff very fondly, because the parts to do a good Grunt and a good Rock N Roll and a good Breaker were all there, he just wasted the assets on stuff like a Brazilian Backblast and Gristle tributes
I love the camo design on this figure. I do get tempted every now and then to buy the 1997 Stars and Stripes when I see it come up for a halfway decent price on ebay.
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