toydejour - Toy Reviews Daily(ish): TDJ005 - Red Ninja, G.I. Joe figure by Hasbro

Red Ninjas! Comin' after you!
Red Ninjas! Whatcha gonna do?!
Not blue, not pink, not yellow, not white -
They're Red Ninjas!

There's a lot more to that song, but I've broken a lot of rules just by writing even that much down for others to read. So I'll just talk about the figure instead. This is yet another piece that ToydeJour.com acquired from the holiday season. (Thanks to Andrew and Missy!) The Red Ninja is part of the third wave of 25th anniversary figures that are now being released in the G.I. Joe toy line. This newest line of figures has seemed to mimic the new style of figure that has been seen in the newer Star Wars 3-inch figures. The Joes have lost the classic o-ring construction that has been the staple of the figure's line since the first series debuted in 1982. Now, 25 years later, the body style has changed but the spirit of the line is alive and well.

The Red Ninjas once were a part of the Arashikage clan, that also boasts members such as Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. Their first appearance was in G.I. Joe #21; the silent issue. However they never received a figure until 1993, and not a proper figure until now.

This figure comes with an impressive array of weapons/accessories; two katanas, a small dagger (that fits into his belt!), a bow, a backpack with a quiver & arrows, a custom stand that features his code name and a large silver staff with two ends that curve in towards one another to form what seems to be some sort of restraint. Apparently that accessory is NOT some sort of device for getting pizzas out of the red hot oven. I'm still not convinced...

The figure is just slightly taller than the classic figures but does a good job to keep the same build as it's predecessors, not getting too bulky in the new figure style. There are about 20 points of articulation, rather impressive for such a small scale figure. I actually found two I didn't know about until checking the figure out for the number of articulation points. That much movement in a small figure means that the poses are almost endless and display for this figure is really going to bring out a lot of creativity on the owner's part. Be warned though, that many points of articulation also means there's that many joints that could become very loose after time and result in the figure actually loosing it's posture. The head is connected on a ball joint, as "Dr. deJour" has so kindly pointed out in the pictures below. This design point has become more and more common among G.I. Joe figures recently.

Little known facts about Red Ninjas:
Red Ninjas like video games, but will only play in arcades after hours. They don't consider ice cream a desert. Red Ninjas tend to drive just under the speed limit, and they can often be found holding down office jobs.

This is an amazing figure though. I've since purchased a second figure in order to be able to open one and still keep the sealed figure with the rest of this line that I've decided not to open. This is actually the first figure from the line that I felt that I really needed to open. There's something about a red masked ninja, a throw back to Jinx from 1987, that really does it for me. I still have a strong memory of having my sister just stop off at a K-mart while I ran in to look for some Joes on the way to spending the weekend at her house. I came back with Jinx and Law & Order. The original Jinx figure, while very simple in design held so much in the way of character. I think the same stands true for the Red Ninja - a very basic design that still holds an immense amount of personality.

It should also be noted that the body sculpt is taken entirely from the 25th anniversary line's Storm Shadow figure, repainted for the Red Ninjas, but the head was made specifically for this character with those cute little ninja ears that the Red Ninjas are famous for. Both of his hands are molded in a grip that looks really awesome when holding any of his weapons. They also make it easy for them to recite the "Ninja Oath". The weapons, excluding the pizza retrieval stick are also from the Storm Shadow figure.

The card art for this figure is also a rehash of another, it's based off of the original card art for the Argentinian figure, Satan. Satan was again a straight repaint of the Storm Shadow mold and exclusive to Argentina. The figure art actually matches the original artwork more than the new figure it's supposed to be depicting. Most notably on the gold wrist wraps that the artwork shows but the figure does not have. I'm done, I'm going to go throw this figure at my cats while yelling "hiiiiiii-yaaaa!"

Find the Red Ninja for sale here and here and for auction here.
Also, there's another review here, that has much better pictures.

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Liz: The red ninja and I first met in college. We sat next to each other in airbrushing class. He was easy to talk to. Good listener. He told me all about himself, his family, and the "ninjastry." We went out on a few dates, and I really thought we were headed toward a serious relationship. One night, after one too many apple martinis, I made the decision to give him my virginity. Afterwards, he went to the kitchen to get a glass of water... and never came back. He ninjaed. Imagine my surprise when he and Sam walk through our front door together, seven years later.

Wow I can't believe I just told you all of that. Sam doesn't even know. Please don't tell him , it would just ruin his new friendship with his little red pal. Oh yeah, the review.

I give red ninja a D... for douche-bag.
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