There have been a few characters over the years that somewhat baffled me by their popularity, and way up high on that list is Shipwreck. I can sort of understand where the Shipwreck "love" comes from as he was always a very vocal, central componant to the cartoon universe, but quite honestly I was just never a fan. His slacker mentality was the total antithesis of a "highly trained special missions force" and he just didn't fit the team at all. I understand the cartoon looked at things a slightly different way, but to me, a guy in his bright blue sailor suit just didn't have a place on my team. When he made his next appearence in a wet suit being trained as a Navy SEAL nine years later, that didn't help matters any, since it was very tough to see how anyone with his attitude could become a SEAL. It was obvious that he was thrown in that capacity simply because he was a water-based character. Well, that really didn't work for me.

That being said, no matter what my own personal issues are, I can appreciate that people do like the character, so I can see why Hasbro might work him into the toyline, and personally, in the slightly more outrageous Sigma 6 universe, I think he ends up fitting in a lot better.

Being a more non-realistic take on the G.I. Joe mythos, I don't really have an issue with Shipwreck being a central character on the team, and in fact, I kind of welcome his inclusion as a new character. He has yet to appear on the cartoon (and from what I hear likely will NOT appear on the cartoon) so he's kind of got a fresh, clean slate to write whatever characterization you want. For his overall figure design, Hasbro went much more with the Devils' Due look, opting for an appearence that, while naval, was not a "sailor" type of look, and I love that they did. I'm not real sure how a Shipwreck figure in a white sailor hat would have fit in with these other more cutting edge "espionage" type of designs. Thankfully I don't have to worry about it, because this figure does fit in remarkably well.

First, you can't help but appreciate his head sculpt. Shipwreck is giving the knit cap that he was when he made his big resurgance in the Devils' Due comic books a few years ago, and he still wears it well. His full beard fits the look, and I really love his open mouth look. The fact that Hasbro designed him to be able to hold a knife between his teeth is almost hilarious, yet really seems to fit the character and fit this new nautical mentality.

From the neck down, Shipwreck just exudes personality. Something that you might not be aware of, just by looking at photographs, is that Shipwreck is remarkably short and stocky, being not a whole lot taller than Tunnel Rat. He's obviously a lot broader and stockier than Tunnel Rat, but his shortness really surprised me, but it adds a lot of quirkiness and nastiness to the character. Shipwreck as a stumpy little fireplug really seems to fit and I love it. One issue I do find about Shipwreck is that his joints seem somewhat loose...I'm not sure why, or if it's a widescale problem, but my Shipwreck at least, is quite loose in the joints. It doesn't impact anything terribly, so it's no big deal, just something to mention. One other small gripe is that his hands are a bit too large to hold his sword or knife well, which is somewhat disappointing. With some adjusting you can get his blades to sit in his hands okay, but it takes a little work.

Shipwreck seems to follow Grand Slam's precedant of sort of gearing away from the Sigma Suit look a little bit as well. Like Grand Slam, Shipwreck has the Sigma Suit top, but being all one color, it doesn't necessarily resemble the suit that much. It's the same shade of dark blue as the knit sweater that Shipwreck has rolled up to his forearms and it looks surprisingly cool, even though it's not the traditional Sigma look. His arms are sculpted terrifically, really looking like cloth rolled up on his arms and revealing those amazing tattoos underneath.

His legs are a more traditional Sigma Suit sculpt with shin-high boots and kneepads, but like his shirt, it's all one color, so it's tough to tell. From a tooling standpoint, Shipwreck is new sculpt from head to toe, and Hasbro utilizes this new tooling perfectly. He's short, he's stocky, and he's an all around tough guy with attitude. He IS Shipwreck, plain and simple, in Sigma 6 form.

His paint apps all around are not all that exciting, going with pretty monotone blues and blacks everywhere. But any of the monotone stuff is offset by the incredible tattoos he has on his arms. These things are pure gold, and they seem just like something Shipwreck would have. The art is intricate and amazingly well-detailed and brings a ton of character to this figure.

If there is any downside to this figure, it probably has to be with his accessory selection. First of all, this is a Soldier figure, so you have to figure that he isn't going to be loaded with gear anyway, but I would have liked it if he even came with one offensive weapon besides a silly looking harpoon launcher. I do love his sword, his knife, his belt, and yes, even his monkey (which I think suits him VERY well), but I also wish that maybe he had come with a more standard gun of some kind, I just don't see harpoon launcher doing much against an army of Sky B.A.T.s.

Speaking of the monkey, though, this has been kind of a hot button amongst Joe collectors (which says something about us right there, you gotta admit... ;) ). Personally, I dig it. I'd think a monkey could be infinitely more entertaining than a parrot that just sits there shooting his mouth off. I'm all for the monkey, and it makes a neat little sidekick here, in my opinion. One slight downside to his "accessories" (if it can even be called that) is his blue belt. It just does not stay on that well at all. The belt slips out of it's "hook" just by looking at it, but again, a somewhat minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.

All in all, this is a great figure and a very nice addition to any Sigma 6 crew. The figure is loaded with character and loaded with fun, with a great mixture of unique sculpting and amazing detail. Pick him up, especially for the Soldier price point...you will NOT be disappointed.