Ever since 2004, mechanized suits have kind of become an integral part of the G.I. Joe universe. The Valor Vs. Venom 3 3/4" line introduced the Defense Mech and Pulverizor, and response seemed to be very positive. Sigma 6 takes this concept and continues it as well, in cartoon and toy form. Within the first two waves of 2.5" Sigma 6 toys we already have 3 different Mechs, with others on the horizon. This particular Mech (named the Atlas Mech) is strongly based on the 3 3/4" Defense Mech, but takes it in a few nice different directions, resulting in a pretty neat toy, that does unfortunately get saddled with some negative playability in parts.

PACKAGING/PRESENTATION

The packaging is great as usual, with nice dramatic art on the closed box toy, just like the Winged Fury and Street Razor. I really like how the art looks here and the overall presentation is fantastic. Of course, the trusty Mission Manuals are here as well:

I love the blueprints and the mission description of this set...very "real world" and really neat overall.

The Toy

Immediately visible the minute you open up the package is that the Atlas Mech is a LOT smaller than you might think. With a 2.5" figure built within (no Duke is not removable), the mech itself only ends up being 3.5-3.75" tall. However, I think Hasbro manages to work a lot of great playability into the mech in general, giving you something that might be small, but is still a ton of fun.

The Atlas Mech comes with four separate attachments:

You can see the handles above connected to the two launchers, but those handles can detach and hook into the others as well. I love that little feature, it adds some realism to the Mech suit, leaving no one to question just how the pilot drives the thing. Each of the four attachments are very nicely sculpted and designed, each one adding a very useful functionality and play value to the Atlas Mech. From a simple double-barreled cannon to a full on quad-missile launcher, this mech is designed to do whatever you want to do. Each weapon is designed for a unique purpose, but each weapon is also fantastically sculpted and well executed. All four of them are extremely nicely done.

Of course the attachments are only as good as the central Mech itself, and in this, the Atlas Mech is fairly successful, but not necessarily a home run. First of all, while Duke is amazingly well sculpted for being a 2.5" figure, the fact remains that he is sculpted INTO the mech itself. That's right, Duke is NOT removable, which does limit some functionality to the mech, but actually not as much as you might normally think.

Even though Duke is afixed to his mechanical weapon, though, he is sculpted in such a way that he looks removable...he looks as if he is "strapped in", and that makes a big difference. He has working shoulder joints and his face sculpt looks surprisingly great.

The Atlas Mech itself is fairly nicely poseable as well, though it could have been a bit better. It's got pseudo ball-joint shoulders which allow for some great arm movement, and the elbow joints are nice as well. I really love the hydrolics they have incorporated into the double-barreled gun arm, it was a nice touch that I loved in Exo Squad toys, and it looks great here, too. Overall, the sculpting and detail on the Atlas mech is fantastic. From the layered panelling to the vent intakes, oversized animated-styling, and even the sticker design, the mech ends up looking REALLY cool.

I do have some minor issues with the leg articulation. I wish there had been some sort of knee articulation worked into the figure to give the mech a bit more versatility in that way. As it is, this vehicle has nicely jointed hips and ankles, so there is still some flexibility to the toy, but not quite as much as they could have.

Lastly, the colors are also pretty nicely done here, too. Going with a more brown shade over the more familiar green, the Atlas Mech still looks pretty vibrant and colorful even with a somewhat bland pallet. The bright stickers end up bringing some life to it, and all in all, the whole package ends up pretty successful.

Another nice feature is the pretty well-equipped dropcage that comes with this set. With a fold down front panel, plenty of spots for the additional weapons, and a nicely mechanized design scheme, I really love how the cage looks overall. It secures underneath the Dragonhawk very neatly (with no weapons needing to be removed) and the dark steel gray color is very nice as well.

From the double barreled cannon to the claw arm (which only has one functional finger, unfortunately) the default weapons allotment for the Atlas Mech looks pretty effective. The cannon makes for a great default offensive weapon (and looks really cool as well) and the arm adds some functionality to the vehicle, too. There is some spring-action features in the right arm, too, which make the finger clamp down. Overall, this is kind of the default configuration, and I think it works remarkably well for your basic mech functions.

Of course every mech needs offensive weaponry as well...the heavier the better.

These two powerful missile launchers add a ton of potency to the Atlas Mech, and I love how they're designed. The flip up launch-bay on the right arm is a great feature, and the rockets fit seamlessly into that launcher as well. The left arm is more of a "chain gun" type of setup, and looks terrific.

Both arms are little more than rocket launchers on pegs, but it works. When COBRA is tossing hundreds of BAT's and Firebats down the Joes' throats, I can see a few of these Atlas Mechs unloading with a barrage of missiles to take them out. For that purpose, these two attachments are perfect.

All in all, even with a permenantly encased Duke figure inside the Mech, this vehicle is for the most part an excellently designed and executed miniature vehicle. It has a very dramatic animated style to it, great presentation, fantastic weapons...it just looks awesome and is a great addition to the 2.5" world.

3 3/4" Compatibility

Well, it just isn't going to happen from what I can see. The Atlas Mech itself is a lot smaller than I thought it might be originally, and in fact the vehicle itself is just barely 3 3/4" tall. I suppose if you dremel the heck out of it you might be able to cobble something together as some sort of armored suit, but honestly I don't think it'll be worth the trouble.

Overview

Head to toe, the Atlas Mech is a terrific little toy at a very reasonable price point. General retail price is around $6.99, I believe, and this mini vehicle packs some nice punch for the price. It joints the Street Razor and Winged Fury as a trio of VERY cool little vehicles for the second wave of the 2.5" line.

It fits into the Sigma 6 universe very nicely and even with the sculpted-in figure I like it quite a bit. Worth a purchase if you're into the 2.5" stuff, for sure.