I don’t know how they did it…I don’t know how they took Destro, one of the most revered and instrumental characters in the G.I. Joe mythos and made him a “bank robber”.  I have absolutely no clue how they took this character, made him a “bank robber”, and yet managed to make the figure so damn cool.  Somehow, as they always seem to do with these figures, they just found the perfect combination of new gear, new duds, and a new concept, put it all together, and you get a terrific new figure out of the deal.

As you can see, Crime Boss Destro is an exact reproduction of the original Destro, from the head to the toes, with the addition of the Kung Fu Grip on a Destro hand for better weapon grip.  Where the original Destro was done up in silver/grays and blues, this version is pretty much straight black, with some highlights of copper or bronze here and there throughout the figure.  A lot of folks had complaints about the molded pants with the original, I honestly didn’t mind a whole lot, and I actually think Crime Boss looks pretty darn cool just as is.

The differences for these two Destro’s start at the head, with this version of the Enemy Weapons Supplier only having a middle “stripe” of chrome as opposed to the entire head being vac-metallized in the original.  Honestly I think it’s a pretty neat look!  I’m not sure how the process was done, but it ends up looking pretty neat all told, and kind of makes him a bit different.

From there out, it’s mostly in the gear.  He’s got a rubber chest harness loaded with ammo rounds and plenty of Sigma port holes to hold various weapons with.  It gives a little bit of life to the figure without a whole cloth-goods jacket being involved.  He’s also got a pair of red pants which serve a couple of purposes.  First of all, they integrate him very well with the Iron Grenadier troops, really giving him a “Field Commander” feel.  It also proves to be a very nice homage to the Spy Troops Destro figure, which sported a black sweatshirt and dark red pants.  These red pants fall about calf-length and have permanently attached kneepads.  I use the term “kneepads” lightly though, because being sewn into the pants, they rarely actually fall to the knee, and seem more like thigh pads, which I’m not wild about.  I don’t mind the kneepads, but I’d like them better if they were separate pieces that could be oriented with more flexibility.  The pants overall, though, are very well constructed, thick and nicely made cloth goods that end up looking pretty nice.

Then we come to the weapons…. Ohhhh man, the weapons.  Destro, as a weapons supplier, comes with an awesome assortment of great, GREAT weapons.  The bola launcher itself doesn’t knock me out, but once you take that bola out, the weapon is a great nice looking somewhat futuristic combat shotgun that looks like it packs some punch.  That pales in comparison to the incredible Desert Eagle pistol and scope…this is one of the cooler weapons I’ve seen in the 8” line to date, no lie.  It’s a small little pistol but with the detail, the style, and the overall impact of this gun just makes it the ultimate combat pistol I’ve seen.  It’s exceptionally realistic, yet suits Destro perfectly.  Awesome. His miniature Uzi is almost as cool, but not quite…still, though it’s a great submachine gun, and the best thing is, Destro’s Kung Fu Grip holds both weapons to near perfection.  The trigger finger slides right in and both weapons look completely natural.

Topping off his accessories are his scaled down (but very cool) gas mask, and his safe deposit box filled with various currencies.  The gold bars are actually done very nicely, and the cash is a pretty nice touch, all told.  Not sure how much of it will be eagerly gobbled up by collectors, though.

I’m not the least bit a fan of Destro as a “bank robber”.  It’s not his MO, it’s not in his basic personality, it’s pretty much the opposite of who the Destro character has been for the past twenty-five years.  Yet, from an execution point of view, the figure is a blast, head to toe.  A cool new look from the same mold, but lots of awesome new accessories, great uniform compliments, and an overall VERY nice look for an updated Field Commander Destro.  We knew so little about this figure before it hit, and he has been nothing but an exceptionally pleasant surprise for me so far.  Awesome figure.