I've been trying to get my head around exactly what it is about Sigma 6 that I find myself so intrigued with. So many of my long time collector comrades just seem so ambivilent towards this new concept, what is it about it that has grabbed me so much? Honestly, I haven't quite put my finger on it, but I'm starting to get some idea here and there. This figure is a perfect example of part of the reason why I've become so interested in this new look at our favorite mythos.

The key word is "new". After twenty-five years, how revolutionary can things become? Characters like Destro already have a twenty-five year history...at what point do you run into roadblocks of things that have been done a dozen times before, or things that will directly contradict what has happened in the past? At what point do things get stale and uninteresting? I'm still deeply involved with the 3 3/4" mythos. I always will be, there will simply be no getting around that. But there's something about this fresh look to these classic characters that is just so...refreshing. The story is so important to me...the character backgrounds, the history...it's all an important part of what makes that character who he is. Timeless characters like Destro sometimes can really flourish under a new microscope.

This Destro, however, is immediately a whole new universe to explore...a whole new character. He's obviously a large, hulking, imposing, and intelligent man. He's an arms dealer and COBRA Commander's right hand man, but without twenty-five years of baggage to go along with it. Now, also Destro seems to have some sort of mysterious powers tied to circuitry running through his body. In the normal G.I. Joe universe, this would be rediculous...but in this new, pseudo futuristic/fantasy G.I. Joe universe it works, I think, and adds a neat "super hero" flare. Readers of my Valor Vs. Venom reviews will immediately remember how fond I was of the more super hero feel of that series. Well, Sigma 6 is the same thing, to a whole new level. Sigma 6 allows them to do things that would just be silly in the more straight-laced G.I. Joe world.

So now...Destro, who is such an important part of the COBRA mythos makes his appearence in plastic for the first time in the Sigma 6 line. How did they do?

Well, let's face it. Destro is far and away one of the most iconic and popular characters in the entire G.I. Joe mythos, quite possibly even rivalling COBRA Commander himself. The distinctive metal facemask, European dictator appearence...they're all cornerstones of Destro's personality, and I am actually excited to report that everything you want in a Destro figure, and everything you love about the character is represented in full form here!

First, you'll notice that Destro is...well...humongous. The original Destro figure way back in '83 pretty much towered over the other figures released around the same time. He was immediately imposing in a time when most of the figures were fairly scrawny. Well, that characteristic is carried over here to this new G.I. Joe mythos. This Destro simply towers over everyone, with the exception of the overly huge Heavy Duty. Destro is much slimmer than the Sigma 6 heavy weapons specialist, but he is nearly as tall, and as such, he just seems to impose his will on all around him. It is immediately his most distinctive feature, and I love it, because Destro has always been an intimidating character, and he continues to be here.

After you get over just how large this figure is, the first thing you'll notice is that Destro's trademark metal mask is here in full form as well, and I am very happy to report that it is in full chrome mode! Vac Metallized chrome completely covers Destro's head, and with a figure of this size that looks very, very cool. The style of the mask is great, too, with a nicely animated look, but a stern, mean glare and red eyes. His broad shoulders give him a nice, solid bulk, and he's got the typical "animated" proportions, which mean he doesn't look like a "normal human", but he manages to fit right in with the rest of the Sigma 6 figure line.

His legs are somewhat skinny, which gives him a little bit of a "topheavy" look to him, and the sculpted pants are an interesting departure, but frankly I think they work fine.

With a huge chest, striking profile, large arms, and long, but skinny legs, Destro has a cartoonish look, but it fits right in with the Sigma 6 style. He's a huge figure and an imposing character, just as he should be, and on first look, I cannot find a single thing to complain about here. Destro is one terrific figure from the first impression you get. Even little details like the leather gloves strapped over his massive hands add some great details to this figure.

Another thing some folks have been complaining about with Destro are the colors. Since day one, Destro has primarilly made his presence known in jet black uniforms with red highlights, and that's really become a trademark of the character. For reasons unknown to me, Hasbro and Gonzo went with a more gray/blue look. I imagine it's because the cartoon was first being conceived while the Valor Vs. Venom Wave 3 Destro was in full release, and he sported a gray European jackboot look. It seems as if perhaps that was a at least somewhat of an inspiration, but they ran with it, making him even more blue than gray.

Regardless of the reasons for it, I find the blue look on Destro to be surprisingly cool and a fun change in direction for the character. I know throughout the years he's been black, but why not a different take on the character now? It makes sense to me, I'm not sure what the issue is. As long as the figure looks good (which this one definitely does) I personally have little issue with some color or theme changes here and there. I do find the brushed metal silver paint on his chest a little odd, but I'd say that's meant to be covered up by his jacket, and even if not, it doesn't look too outrageous. It's actually kind of a neat pattern and shade on his large barrel-sized chest.

Speaking of the jacket, Destro sports a nice assortment of accessories to go along with this mammoth figure. The most obvious one is the aforementioned jacket, a broad shouldered fieldcoat in a nice shade of blue. It's very cool to see a nice elaborate red collar, which has become another trademark of the character ever since the original Sunbow toon took his slightly collared jacket and overexaggerated it. I think Hasbro did a fantastic job working this collared look into the coat here and it gives Destro some of his classic personality and appearence. This collar is also nicely stuffed and stiched to pretty much hold it's collar shape, which is great, and something that just couldn't really be done at a smaller scale.

Along with the jacket, Destro comes with a pretty large shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. Now, I'm growing just as tired of all of these spring-loaded weapons as everyone else on the planet...but I cannot deny that this rocket launcher looks GREAT. It's sharply angled, interestingly designed, and I love the twin-handle/scope combination. It's an interesting way for him to hold the weapon, and it just really makes the launcher look incredible. I really, really love it, which believe me, really surprises me, because I'm normally not a "spring-loaded" launcher kinda guy.

Alongside this launcher is one of the coolest accessories to come to the line yet. It's very simple, very basic, but such a great idea and executed perfectly. From the outside it's a nice metallic COBRA-themed briefcase, but on the inside it's crammed full of awesome details. Not only do we have dollar bills (something that makes a ton of sense for an arms dealer) but we've also got Euros (which also makes a lot of sense with Destro's European heritage). There's also a nice computerized schematic of the Firebat, a built in computer, and of course his machine gun! This hidden weapon pops up out of the top of the case, and in a second, the harmless business man becomes a death dealer...very, very cool. I was extremely happy to see that the machine gun is fully removable as well. You have to pry off some extra stuff, but none of it is on very securely, and within seconds, Destro is fully armed with an Uzi-type machine gun.

From soup to nuts, Destro is one of the coolest Sigma 6 toys we've gotten to date. A new evil character...a chrome metal helmet...a HUGE body style, oversized red collared blue jacket, and a ton of terrific accessories. Destro just flat out rocks and is a perfect compliment to the rest of the COBRA hierarchy. We've got COBRA Commander and Storm Shadow...and now in the next 4-5 months we're getting Zartan, and the COBRA themed Firefly. Before too long COBRA will really be filling in it's individual ranks, and if they're all as great as Destro (which, based on appearence, they very likely will be (or better) !) we'll be having some kicking COBRA teams before you know it. Awesome figure in an awesome wave, and things just look like they keep getting better from here. Rock on, Hasbro!