Jinx

Looks like someone owes someone a Coke. A highly trained and highly skilled warrior known for her sheer force of will, Jinx helps write the modern legend of the Arashikage ninja clan. Jinx grew up with a natural talent for martial arts and mastered three forms by the time she graduated college. She learned later that she is part of the legendary Arashikage clan and a cousin to Tommy Arashikage (aka Storm Shadow). She was officially initiated into the clan and trained with the Arashikage masters, often training blindfolded to develop the ability to fight without sight. Jinx also apprenticed with Snake-Eyes, who ultimately helped bring her to the GI Joe team. (Old website bio, not current marketing bio, because it's better written and more interesting. On with the review.) I always liked the old Jinx figure as a kid, but I was annoyed that her appearance in the movie (the animated movie, not the semi-recent live action one) insisted on only showing her without a mask. Like, the toy wore a mask; why does the cartoon not have a mask? Sure she's cute, but that's not the point. We don't see Beachhead without his mask, why's Jinx spending so much time showing off her cheekbones? No matter which version of Jinx you prefer, this toy is ready to cater! Paul Harding, America's ultimate secret weapon, not only sculpted her bare head, he did a masked version, too. Everybody wins! The heads pop on and off with no hassle, though we do admit to being at least a little sad that Hasbro didn't include a "loose mask" accessory the figure could hold when she's got it off. Jinx has gotten the all-too-rare honor of an updated design. No longer is she simply wearing her red silk jammies, she's got an actual ninja suit now. Once again, she's wearing baggy pants like Akiko/​Vypra, but they're new, not that same mold. Unexpected. Her arms are bare, which is a first for the character, but she does have her hand and forearms taped up pretty thoroughly. You'll want to be careful when swapping her heads: she wears a small choker necklace, which normally you'd think would be part of the sculpt, but is instead here a separate piece that might fall off the neck and get lost; Hasbro must have plans to reuse this mold in the future, and don't want to be locked in to having any specific neck-jewelry. Having no sleeves means we get to see another of the new designs created for her, a large and winding tattoo that goes all the way up her right arm. What is it with Classified and giving characters tattoos? We're not saying it doesn't make sense, we're just saying it happens a lot. This design appears to be lots of flowers and spirals, so I'm going to say... cherry blossoms floating on the surface of still water? The red chosen for the figure is a great shade, not looking toyish or plasticky, and it's accented by some darker, nearly brown areas on her sides. The problem of the knee joints not matching the rest of the plastic persists, sadly, but the black panels on her boots match her belt, forearm wraps, and the classic dragon logo on her chest. Jinx is 6¼" tall - just a bit taller than Lady Jaye. Back when Hasbro had a website, it listed her height as 5'7" - just a bit shorter than Lady Jaye. So technically this figure should be closer to 5⅝" if it was going to be accurate. She moves with swivel/hinge ankles, swivel shins, double-hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljoint/​hinge hips, balljointed chest and waist, swivel/​hinge wrists, double-hinged elbows, swivel/​hinge shoulders, pectoral hinges, a balljointed neck, and a barbell head. The ties on her black belt hang down in front of the left leg, so you'll need to pose around it, lest it stick out weirdly. Her accessories include a simple katana and a sheath that plugs into her back (designed in such a way as to indicate she fights left-handed), plus a new version of that weird, double-ended spear/axe thing she came with in the '80s. It's not a naginata, no matter what the 1987 packaging claimed; it's like a pugil stick that's been given blades instead of clubs, or a very short polearm. There's also a blindfold that can slip over her eyes. Or be worn as a headband, I guess. That "blind fighting" thing was something the movie came up with, not the comics, but it's been adopted into later incarnations of the character. Her stats are Intelligence 3, Bladed Weapons 3, Infiltration 3, Ninjutsu 3. Jinx is a return to what GI Joe Classofoed should be: a design that unmistakably homages the original toy, without being a direct copy of it. More of this, Hasbro; do more of this. -- 09/27/24

Tweet