Who else has picked up the new AWE Striker here? I feel like they just threw in a handful of extra stuff to make up for the lack of action feature. Mine came with the vehicle and driver, obviously, Night Fox's hat, a helmet with flip-up goggles, two pistols, a SPAS12 with stock, and a belt fed machinegun complete with tripod, ammo belt, and ammo backpack. Also, Night Fox has a belt with holster that messes up his web gear from hanging properly on his body.

If throwing in a bunch of accessories is their way of making up for lack of action features, then I hope I get more accessories with all vehicles. As IT stands, all the newer vehicles always have some spring loaded, noisy, or light up gimmick. The vintage vehicles rarely had this stuff because they didn't need it. Their gimmicks were functional parts. The suspension on the AWE Striker is great. Also the removable engine cover and rotating gun, all functional. We don't need no stinking shooting missiles.

If throwing in a bunch of accessories is their way of making up for lack of action features, then I hope I get more accessories with all vehicles. As is stands, all the newer vehicles always have some spring loaded, noisy, or light up gimmick. The vintage vehicles rarely had this stuff because they didn't need it. Their gimmicks were functional parts. The suspension on the AWE Striker is great. Also the removable engine cover and rotating gun, all functional. We don't need no stinking shooting missiles.


But what happens when cobra commander is standing on a tower of very light plastic blocks? That shooting blaster could be invaluable at shooting at the base of it and knocking him and the blocks down :)

I really like the new AWE Striker. Having never had one (any of them) before, I found myself having to get 2. The extra gear is really cool, but with the pistols and crappy belt holster I found myself wishing they had given the figure Shockblast's legs. Either way, I snipped the gun belt off both that I have. He looks cooler with his vest sitting properly.

I don't usually like the spring loaded gimmick, but I have to admit the Wolf Hound got it right. I could also see the AWE having a working cannon and not being any bigger than it already is and I wouldn't have a problem with that. It's just when a figure is packed with something that's twice as big as them just so it can launch a crappy missile is when it's bad. Transformers had smaller guns that could launch a missile too and they weren't huge over sized crap to throw in the garbage or annoy a pet with, and that was in the 80's.

Here how I did to improve mine...

I disassembled it:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_npwBvbSHlec/TZcgLJHpSTI/AAAAAAAADeo/tV_EDwnmq-o/s912/2011-03-26-5257.JPG

Then repackaged it:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_npwBvbSHlec/TZcgMTs9taI/AAAAAAAADe0/F1hLw2uOcNU/s720/2011-03-26-5262.JPG


Voilą!

Martin

Martin, is that the 25th AWE on the left? The one that came with Leatherneck?

Those do look good. But the one on the left looks identical to the tan version that came with Leatherneck in 2008. The one on the right looks identical to the the one from 2001 that came with Pathfinder.

Martin, is that the 25th AWE on the left? The one that came with Leatherneck?

Yes, I mixed the tan AWE that came with Leatherneck and the most recent black AWE that came with Night fox.

Martin

Those do look good. But the one on the left looks identical to the tan version that came with Leatherneck in 2008. The one on the right looks identical to the the one from 2001 that came with Pathfinder.

Not totally true...

The one on the left is no longer black and tan like the original:

http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/08/awestriker2/awestriker_title.jpg

And the one at the right is different from the 2001 on this:


Doesn't have the little white snow/dust covering it (and I'm not talking about my dirty house... the 2001 version really has some white dot on it), my new 2011 doesn't. It's plain black.
The peg are "25th ann." friendly while the 2001 was made for the original Joes...

See, my new jeep are different! :p

Here is both original jeep side by side:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_npwBvbSHlec/TaeuXNUZVuI/AAAAAAAADf8/7gy4jE1cgzs/awe-side-by-side.jpg

The black and tan accessories were switched. I put all those parts back to make a 100% tan and a 100% black AWE.

Martin