 Dark Reapers
Shock Troop Infantry
Operation: Recall Wave 1 Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F003 No. Y1W1F2
Manufacturer: Locomotion Media Group
Includes: Polybolos Modular Assault Weapon (M.A.W.,) MX-446 Operator Sidearm, Figure Display Stand, Art Poster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $30.00 Kickstarter, $25.00 on web store
Availability: December 2025
Other: Ex-Hasbro guys and superfans made what amounts to Year #44 of A Real American Hero
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From a concept by fan Chris Scott, Operation Recall Dark Reapers are pretty close to how I would imagine a modern-age terrorist army stooge might dress. They're a little bit like the Range-Vipers of 1990, but the skull face with sunglasses feels like it could be right out of next week. Adding in the mostly desaturated colors which seem to be the fashion of clothing and cars for a lot of people these days. According to the brand's YouTube channel, future Dark Reaper officers will have more gold on them as they "rank up." It's interesting, as toys can sometimes reflect what's going on in the world and there are certainly things you can say about the fashion choices of these guys.
According to the aforementioned YouTube channel there are at least two more flavors being considered - one is in blue and yellow "Range-Viper"-esque colors, and hidden in plain sight are some official photos of this very figure with a gold gun, a gold pistol in the holster, and a gold mask. If you're looking to build armies and are also a completist, keep in mind that many options may be available to you in the coming years.
Click here to check availability at eBay.
Operation Recall was proud to use and modify the ideas from Hasbro's old buck, which means we now have different hands with rotating wrists and figures of variable height. That's good - and bad. While playing around with this guy, I discovered that his fully-realized holster makes his leg too wide to fit in some older G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vehicles. Hasbro retooled the cockpits for some 2007 (and later) releases, so your mileage may vary but I found he can't sit everywhere. He can, however, sit well thanks to the o-ring construction and the unrestricted knees. The legs swing forward well, but the o-ring keeps things a little tight. I found all the joints to be functional and as long as the seat was wide enough, he had no problems sitting in most vehicles that I had around.
The sculpt looks very modern, like a military shooter game got a customized figure. The red is candylike, and really pops thanks to a black wash and what I assume is a clearcoat over the entire figure. The clear is a bit of overkill, but it photographs very nicely. The figure has all-over camo on the front and back, plus painted pouches, and three red painted Orthrus skulls, and tons of little highlights on so many sculpted details. On the back of the figure's head and back are several small buttons, which Hasbro would've left unpainted - there's a budget. These guys painted the red, blue, and gray buttons. The screen is blank, but some of the straps around the shoulders have black buckles. The blue screen on his chest is painted, the holsters are painted, the boots (and their sculpted soles) are painted, even the bone mask is colored in. I would estimate this figure has at least triple the paint of some Hasbro releases from the 1980s or 1990s, and that's no knock against the originals - they got those things out cheap and well. This is a more expensive figure, and you can see they put a lot more work in making sure the gloves were separate elements and that there are separately molded canisters on the wrist and a full holster on the thigh. It's unfortunate that there may be scenarios where you can't put these in old vehicles, but also, it's a new figure line. I guess it isn't fair to put it against its inspiration.
The pistol fits in his hands perfectly, and the color helps bring out the detail even in low light. I assume it's painted, due to how the silver looks. The rifle is similarly colored, and huge. It has an enclosed grip in the giant trigger guard thing, which means Transformers that sometimes pop apart or hands that "reject" their accessories. If I was a kid, I'd just want things to work - and if they didn't, I'd get frustrated and play with something else. (Playmobil and LEGO are flawless in this regard.)
I would love to see them release a mass-market Dark Reaper with unpainted weapons, no gloss, and fewer paint apps so the normies could army-build this one. It really is impressive to see what they can deliver at the price, with seemingly few compromises but I'm a toy guy. I fell in love with this hobby because someone figured out how to give a mutant SCUBA diver a pet manta ray for under $3. The workmanship is impressive, if they could just dial in that gloss coat on the figure.
I would recommend this figure to anybody with an old-school G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero collection who likes the idea of other factions interacting with (or stealing parts from) their other toys. It really does feel like something Hasbro might have done, and there's something creepy about an evil organization's henchmen taking so many fashion cues from cars I see around town. Granted, I don't see spiky shin guards or Frankenstein-esque stitches or staples on some random guy's shirt, but you know what I mean. It's not flamboyant like COBRA, but it does feel like something that could be lurking in someone's closet. I'm looking forward to some of their wackier designs, like the Snakeheads.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
See more Locomotion Media items in Figure of the Day:
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Day 3,093: Locomotion Media Group Operation: Recall Dark Reapers Action Figure
See more Operation: Recall items in Figure of the Day:
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Day 3,093: Locomotion Media Group Operation: Recall Dark Reapers Action Figure
