I must say, after buying it and opening it up, I ended up liking it more than I thought. The Destro figure is odd to say the least, but he almost works as an arctic version (if you imagine those cramp-ons are some funky ice shoe). The worst part of the Destro is the transition between the upper and lower leg; the upper half is really thick compared to the lower half.

Shockwave is pretty cool, but will need a donor machine gun for my display. I don’t mind the lack of a backpack that much; I don’t see SWAT guys carrying packs that often.

The comic was interesting, but did appear somewhat contrived having Shockwave in there. The introduction of Nitro Dude was strange, as he was already dead (I love how Joes can avoid getting shot in a hail of bullets, but fall victim to a snake bite). I felt bad for you, Justin; I know how much you love new characters.

Going back and reading this review, I’d say your observations were very accurate. Sad to know this really was the last hurrah for the 25th line.

Not sure about what hands you work better in that situation, though. Only the mediocre Cobra Trooper hands half the cuff of the original figure.