Soldier of Fortune Review: Baroness 25th Anniversary Black Suit

  In the world of comics and toys its hard to argue that there is a hotter female character than Cobra's very own Baroness. This European goddess was as cold blooded as she was beautiful. I am sure she is a favorite character for alot of fans. Now everyone knows that her number one main squeeze and partner in crime was Destro. These two pretty much were at the top of Cobra's forces only behind the Commander himself. That alone was pretty cool for fans of G.I. Joe having such a strong female counterpart to the good guys.
Baroness can be considered a spoiled brat by some but it doesnt mean she wont dirty her own hands. She has taken her licks as much as any character on the television series while leading Cobra's troopers when needed. She is easily my favorite female character in G.I. Joe and I would consider her in my top 5 Joe characters overall.
    As a kid I never owned a Baroness figure and too be honest that made for some pretty good stories for my Destro figure. Destro was always on a rampage waging war on my Joe facilities demanding the release of his beloved. Now if I could have found a Baroness I would have snatched her up and played out there reunion but im sure other adolescent boys had the same ideas as well. Too be honest it was probably best that I never owned a Baroness figure because the fate of all of my female figures was never too good. I have always been a sucker for recuse missions that end in tragedy and her fate would have been sealed im sure.
   When it came time to start my first draft/recruitment process of my 25th Anniversary figures Baroness shot to the top of my list. I was sure I had to have her this go around. When I seen the carded blue version I got to say I wasnt too fast on the purchase trigger. There was something a little off about her, Where was the black skin suit and glasses that I knew and loved? I was truly conflicted because I wanted all of my new   G.I. Joe figures to be mint on card so I could open them myself. As I filled my cart with other figures and was getting down to the end my initial purchase I had to make a decision. Do I buy the blue version that I care little for just to open it or do I buy a loose figure from the Cobra five pack? Well im sure you know how this ended as im reviewing the Cobra five pack version with the glasses and black skin suit.

Art and Filecard

 
  Since I didnt have a cardback to take snap shots of I used a little google fu to bring up some original card art that should have been included with a moc version. Now if there is one thing that I have always loved about G.I. Joe is the card art. The explosion with the character gets me everytime and the Baroness is no exception. Machine Gun in one hand and a knife in the other whats not too love? Maybe I always had a soft spot for her because she wore glasses and was badass. I wear glasses and like to think of myself as pretty cool so there you have it. Lol... I digress.
 

 Now her file card says that she is the offspring of wealthy European  aristocrats and was a college radical. So she went from the picket lines and kicked it up to honest to god terrorism? Man sometimes rich girls do just want to be bad. Another fun fact is that she had extensive plastic surgery after a Cobra night attack that left her burned. Now what I want to know is if she was a 7 before the plastic surgery and kicked it up to a 10 after or if she was always a knockout? Questions for another day I guess. Also she likes to play Destro and C.C. against each other. She also knows Destro's true identity! Well shit im pretty sure anyone would tell her anything she wanted to know if given a chance.

Sculpt

  Starting with the head sculpt I like to say that I wasnt too impressed when I was looking at it online. After I had her in my hands though I started to like it alot. I like the way her hair is sort of swooping over her right shoulder and backpack. Her face I thought could have used just a little more detail but they did have to get glasses on there as well. The glasses are the first thing that draw my attention about this figure being that they were sculpted onto her face.Is this better than having a separate accessory?  I dont think so but it still works since her head is pretty small anyway. Her face could have been a little more striking but im sure since she was early in the line it was live and learn.

    The rest of her body is pretty cool considering the entirety of it consists of blacks and gray. The little Cobra emblem on her chest is cool and I really like her holstered pistol. I wish it was a useable holster instead of a mold but whatever its still pretty cool. Theres nothing too crazy about this figure and I really like that. It looks like she has some chest armor over her jumpsuit with painted buckles that make it all pop pretty nice.The different black paint apps also give this figure a nice layered effect.

  As for her articulation I would like to say its pretty good. I kinda felt like she was a little hunched over due to the ab crunch when I first got her. After messing around a bit I found some poses that I liked and got over it. What I didnt like is how thin this figure felt. I get that she is a female in a 3 3/4 in line but I just dont like the feeling of nearly breaking a toy when I bend its arm. Maybe its just me and im being a little too nervous about the whole thing but I just dont feel the durability that I want. I dont know what they would do different or if it has improved over time but I still like the look of the figure.

Accessories
  The Baroness comes equipped with a machine gun, knife and a cobra emblem backpack. Her machine gun is pretty cool and gives you a couple of options for the way she can hold it. Im happy that she has a knife but its not much to look at. Its a round pig sticker that is just kinda boring.Now her backpack looks like it got a little more love from the designer.

When it comes down to it her bases are covered for equipment. In a perfect world she would have a pistol, briefcase and a alt disguise head(maybe Lady Jaye) but for a five pack fig im happy. I might make her a magic sirens conch like the Sunbow episode next time I feel crafty.

Is she fun?
I think the Baroness figure is really fun and playable. I would have killed to  have this figure as a kid. Hell im excited to have her now and cant wait to open my Destro even though thats still a ways off for me. Im sure ill find a fun spot on my shelf for her regardless.
Could a couple things been different? Yes, but whats impressive to me is how early in the line she was and still really a good toy.

Cobra Coins

8 Cobra Coins out of 10.
The Baroness just brings the goods. For a line that only has a handful of female characters the ones that are in better be good. She is good and I would recommend her for any Joe fans collection.
Roberto