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Sigma 6 Tunnel Rat w/ Demolition Gear
Guest Review by: Mysterious Stranger
Review:
This wave of Soldier figures met with some groans from fans as it was nothing but repaints and carry forwards. I have to say I was a bit disappointed when I saw the assortment here too but if we had to have repaints at least they were decent. We've seen most all of the characters issued so far in their Sigma suits so its only natural that Hasbro would start making some mission specific figures. Tunnel Rat with Demolitions Gear is definitely a mission specific figure but his gear fits his character perfectly. I'll get to the accessories in the Tech Specs section but know that they make this figure. The assortment while not complete in my opinion is exactly what you'd expect for an infiltration and demolitions specialist.
Okay so how's the figure? Well its the same mold we saw in version 1 figure with just a new paint scheme. The Tunnel Rat mold is unique in that its the smallest figure of the line. His whole body is thin but strong with lanky arms and slightly oversized hands. His legs are thin and muscular and his feet are scaled well to the rest of his body. Nothing too far out of proportion and the sculpting is top notch. I don't think I noticed this on his first figure, but Tunnel Rats head looks as though he's got a slight grin from certain angles and his eyes have a mischievious glint to them that suits the character perfectly. I did notice that his hands are slightly too big to hold the Blast Cutter but with the second handgrip he can hold it well.
Tunnel Rat Demo's body is molded in a green that almost matches Jungle Snake-Eyes but is just a bit lighter. His accents are an orange color that actually compliments the green well. He's got flat black boots and his gloves are a glossy black as is his Sigma wrist communicator, a difference I've yet to see in a figure. His watch cap is flat black and his hair appears to be a reddish brown color almost like clay, a significant difference from his first figure which had brown hair. I like the color scheme though I'd prefer to see him in a brown with the orange accents but that's a personal issue. I will say the paint applications are tight and clean, something that hasn't been a problem with this line (except for v.1 Kamakura). Tunnel Rat Demo also has black eye makeup on his cheeks just below the eyes, a great little touch for this digger.
As for accessories he comes with his big Blast Cutter with 3 attachment heads, 2 suction cup grenades, 1 detonator, a belt, a large back mounted container for his polytherm compound and of course the polytherm compound. I'd like to see him with an offensive weapon like a pistol or small rifle (like his first figure) but for a mission specific figure you don't get any better than this.
Overall, I'd have to say that its a tie for my favorite figure of this wave between Tunnel Rat Demo and Temple Spirit. Tunnel Rat has some great accessories and a nice color scheme and even though he's lacking in offensive weapons his gear is perfectly suited to his character and it all looks good. This is the great example of what a Soldier figure should be. Nice sculpt, a few great accessories and a nice theme. Tunnel Rat with Demolitions Gear is good. Not great but good. If you don't have a Tunnel Rat figure go find the first version as it a better all around figure. If you're a Tunnel Rat fan this one you'll like. I can't recommend him as a first figure but if you like mission specific figures then you'll enjoy Tunnel Rat with Demolition Gear.
Tech Specs:
Well this is the reason you buy this figure. The mold is nothing new and the color scheme is nice but not really outstanding so the accessories are what's gonna sell this guy and he's got some good ones.
Tunnel Rat Demo's main accessory is his Blast Cutter. It has three different heads that snap on the end and fit well. The "spring loaded" action is nice and works without dominating the accessory. The smaller heads don't work well but the big bit spins nicely. The sculpt is simple and clean with nice details. The hand grip is a bit too small to fit in his hand but the second hand grip helps him hold it and he looks good with it. The Blast Cutter isn't too big (which I like as a lot of the newer weapons are getting bigger and more gimmicky) and it looks good with all the heads.
The three heads are cool and I like the big tunnel buster (the big round cutter) the best. It looks like a drill and I can totally see Tunnel Rat using this to drill a tunnel to infiltrate underneath a Cobra installation. The auger bit is nice too but it doesn't spin well on the Blast Cutter. The third head is a riveter and what some people are confusing for some kind of explosive pack. I will use the riveter as just that as it doesn't really work well on the Cutter. All three are sculpted well though and the tunnel buster is my favorite of the three with teeth around the blade and small cutter heads in the center. The auger bit has that old school spiral look with a few smaller teeth on the end for gripping as the drilling starts. And the riveter... well it looks like an explosive pack and looks good like that.
Tunnel Rat Demo's other big accessory is his polytherm compound. The container it comes in is sealed up with plastic right out of the package and that's the way mine is staying. I just don't like the idea of playdoh for some reason and I'm not going to risk it drying out by opening the seal. But having said that there is lots of play potential here. The container has pegs so Tunnel Rat can carry it on his back though its a bit big and looks awkward. But its nice to have something to put the playdoh in when not using it to blow stuff up.
His other accessories are made to work with the playdoh. His two suction cup grenades look great even if they do have suction cups on them. The bright yellow cannisters really stand out agains the black suction cups and handles and the green accents just make them pop even more. They each have small pegs on the bottom for wrapping the playdoh around if that's what you choose to do and they also plug into his belt holes and suit ports though they stick out at an odd angle if you do that. The last little accessory is a detonator that I guess you would stick into the playdoh. It reminds me of those thermometer things they put in turkeys that pop up when the turkey is done only this doesn't pop up. It does however spin. The top has a dial built in that can be spun around to show either red or gray in the window of the dial. A very nice little touch that just adds that much more to the figure.
Finally Tunnel Rat Demo has his belt from the first figure. Notice I said "belt" and not harness. That's because the shoulder and chest straps from the first harness have been cut off and just the belt is used here. But they didn't cut off the tabs that held the cloth straps to the belt so they stick up and look odd. Still its better than not getting the belt at all.
The lack of any offensive weapons is pretty obvious. A pistol or small rifle would be nice, but what we have here is great and fits the character and figures mission extremely well
