Welcome to another Dan's ToyBox review. As I continue to grow the G.I. Joe collection, when he was announced, I immediately dropped a pre-order for Quick Kick. He was kind of goofy the way they portrayed him in the cartoons, but the comic always depicted a more serious side of the character. Regardless, Quick Kick is a fun addition to the Joe team and a welcome figure in the Classified line.
Real Name: MacArthur S. Ito
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Rank: Corporal (E-4)
Primary Military Specialty: Infantry
Secondary Military Specialty: Intelligence
Quick Kick is of Japanese Korean descent and grew up in Los Angeles. He was named after General Douglas MacArthur, reflecting his parents' hope for a strong and distinguished future. Before joining the military, Quick Kick worked as a stuntman in Hollywood, which honed his agility, strength, and combat skills. His expertise in various martial arts styles, including karate, kung fu, and judo, made him an exceptional candidate for the G.I. Joe team.
Quick Kick made his debut in "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" #45 (March 1986). His inaugural mission was to assist Flint, Alpine, and Spirit in rescuing Ripcord from Cobra Island, where he had parachuted without authorization to find his girlfriend, Candy Appel.
Quick Kick, alongside Stalker, Outback, and Snow Job, embarked on a mission to Borovia, only to be trapped by the corrupt local military. Ordered to flee, Outback reluctantly complied, while the others were detained for months in a Borovian prison, later freed by an unofficial G.I. Joe rescue team. The former captives bore no resentment towards Outback for his escape.
In a subsequent incident, Quick Kick and Outback found themselves besieged by terrorists while aboard a bus with Mexican tourists. The attack was thwarted, but not without the loss of two tourists.
Quick Kick's last appearance occurred in issue #109. He, along with other Joes, was apprehended by Cobra in Trucial-Abysmia. A miscommunication led the Crimson Twins to believe they were required to execute the Joes. A S.A.W.-Viper eagerly undertook the grim task, first eliminating the medic 'Doc', then firing upon the restrained Joes, killing Thunder and Heavy Metal. The remaining Joes managed to escape and commandeered a Cobra Rage tank but were ultimately slain when Cobra forces obliterated the tank, resulting in the deaths of Quick-Kick, Breaker, and Crazylegs.
Let's discuss the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified #116: Quick Kick Action Figure!
Accessories: 8/10
Quick Kick comes with some solid accessories. Given his mastery of martial arts, he doesn't carry any firearms, though he is fully qualified in the use of most NATO small arms. Instead, he has two swords, two pair of nunchakus (which aren't pictured above because I FORGOT to remove them from the back of his belt, you'll see them in upcoming photos.) A backpack, a candy bar, a throwing star with motion effect, one pair of fists, one pair of item holding hands (which are really trigger finger hands), and one pair of flat/karate chop hands. He also has two head sculpts, one with a calm expression, the other with a more expressive look, and windswept hair. Though he is pictured on a figure stand above, that actually came with Recondo, who I'll be talking about another time. While I like the throwing star effect, it doesn't quite look right in his hands... the curved design just kind of looks awkward coming from between his fingers. The swords fit nicely in the build in sheathes on his backpack, which plugs into the hole in his back nicely. The candy bar is a nice touch as it plays to his whimsical nature in the cartoons. The nunchaku are very soft and pliable, which is both helpful when putting them in either his hands or the loops on the back of his belt. The only problem that I can see is that bending them too much could lead to some warping. Take care when putting them in their spots. Hasbro has done a solid job upgrading and modernizing this figure from his original 1985 3.75" version.
Appearance: 9.5/10
I will admit to being a bit biased, only because this is really the closest classified design to the original that I've seen. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the more modern look, updating G.I. Joe to 2024, but there is some great nostalgia built inherently to this figure. Quick Kick was always kind of funny to me, given that he wore Gi style pants, wrist bands, his head band and a sash around his chest. No shirt, no shoes/boots, no other protective covering. In fact, I remember when he first appeared in the cartoon, he was in the Arctic, looking exactly like this. I'm going to just say that all of his martial arts training taught him to now allow physical discomfort to hinder him... but c'mon, barefoot in arctic temperature snow?!? That being said though, it's really cool to have another Martial Artist figure to add to the Joe team. As far as general aesthetics are concerned, I'm very pleased with the detail on the figure. It doesn't seem like much, but the differences in facial expression are well crafted, the paint applications are very clean and even the small details, like the red sun on his bandanna and the gray patterned area on his pants are rendered with care. I was very surprised to note the smallest amount of silver paint on his belt buckle. That caught me off guard as I expected the whole thing to be gray. The one, consistent, I keep seeing on the G.I. Joe line is the attention to fine detail, whether it be seams on the clothing, stitching, or buckles/snaps/buttons, these figures are loaded and that makes them even more enjoyable.
Articulation: 7.5/10
Articulation was kind of a tough category for me to grade this time. In spite of the engineering, Quick Kick needed a few hot water baths and there are still some issues. Up top, his head will turn side to side with ease, and can look down reasonably well. The hair sculpt does limit his ability to look up though. There is little tilt available and even though the neck looks like it is on a peg too, mine will NOT move at all. The arms can raise to a very nice T pose, even slightly beyond and will easily rotate the full 360. I'm disappointed with the butterfly joints. I've heated mine a few times, but they will not move much at all. I can get the smallest amount of forward/backward swing, but nothing like we generally see on the Joe Classified line. The bicep cuts work fine, and the double-jointed elbows bend in easily and deep. The wrists are on disc pegs and can hinge and rotate without concern. The upper torso hinge bends forward very well and can also lean back to a relatively nice degree. The waist swivel also increases the range of forward crunch and back bend, while also allowing limited side tilt. I did notice that it can be a bit "gappy" when tilted to far in any direction. The hips have the drop-down feature and can nearly do a full split, while also allowing for high forward kicks. The upper thigh cuts work as they should, although the design on the pants looks odd when these are used. The knees are also double jointed and can bend very well, though the design of his pants doesn't allow the heel to back side range. There is no boot cut, but the legs can rotate where the shins plug into his pants and the ankles have fantastic hinge and pivot range. If the butterfly joints worked better and he had a bit more range in his head motion, this score could have easily been a 9.
Affordability: 8/10
I had originally pre-ordered this on BBTS, but when I sat waiting and waiting, then found it available on Amazon, I jumped over there... and saved a couple of bucks. Quick Kick retails for $24.99 and thanks to Amazon Points, I was able to save a few dollars and, in the end, paid just a bit over $23 (tax included) for the figure. I do feel that there is more value packaged with the G.I. Joe line because of the number of accessories the figures come with and so, don't mind paying the $24/$25 range for these characters.
Overall, Quick Kick is just a fun action figure to have. He's going to be starring in a stop motion movie with the Jada Toys Street Fighter II Fei Long action figure... as soon as I have time to actually make it. Kind of fitting given that both characters started as movie actors anyhow. Even with the relatively few concerns I have with the figure, Quick Kick still gets a very respectable:
8.75 out of 10 ToyBoxes
If you're a Joe fan or a fan of martial arts figures, Quick Kick is going to be a great addition to your collection. Thank you for stopping by Dan's ToyBox and as always, until next time... GEEK OUT!!!