I bought a couple of Marauder, Inc. weapons, though, to try them out.
That late Friday afternoon or evening during the convention weekend, I posed the Iron Grenadier much like this picture below in the hotel room:
I was hooked. I went back the next day and bought enough to arm all my convention set Iron Grenadiers and Iron Anvils.
Since then, over the years, I've acquired many of the offerings from Marauder, Inc. I thought I would take a look at some of what I've got and share some thoughts on accessories and weapons that have become just about as much a part of my collection of GIJoe figures as the actual figures and original gear.
It all started with that pulse rifle in 2005 for me, really. At the 2005 convention, Marauder, Inc. demonstrated their use of "secondary" weapons at the 2005 show, too. The pump shotgun fit decently on the figures backpack, a concept of play I had not really considered myself. (however, I have not incorporated this style of play, still an interesting idea!)
One of the biggest selling points that won me over at the 2005 show was how the weapons were really designed to fit the classic GIJoe figures. As I spent money buying "new sculpt" figures mostly for weapons back in '04/'05, many of the newer Hasbro weapons didn't slip into a classic figures hands the most..., well, comfortably. I think the first wave of Marauder, Inc. really worked for fitting into good ergonomic design, more or less.
From the pickings that I got from the first series, I bought the 2nd series when that became available online. And from here, my purchases were pick and choose. As I share my gatherings with you, it will really be a mish mash of what I have today, encompassing what would be from the first five series of Marauder Inc. products (so, no "wave" or "series" ordering; a random showing is what you will see). The best spot for a series by series, accessory by accessory review from here would most likely be GeneralsJoes.com
In no particular order:
The M16 with grenade launcher.
A fairly basic rifle that really fits a classic figures hands well, this rifle has replaced the "leatherneck" rifle in my collection. Recoil has pretty much been issued one of these on a regular basis, and Duke often had one when I had in my collection.
I believe the H&K (left) and MP5 (right) of some sort are below. These weapons have very nice handles for figures with tighter hand grips, or hands you don't want to risk. They also have nice stock lengths to more or less "wedge" the weapon into a "straight" shooting pose. Big Boa ('87) often used the MP5 here. The H&K has a very nice thin and small grip that enhances fun posing, too.
.
Here is a weapon that I thought was more suited to Sci-Fi for now, being somewhat realistic, but just a touch of, well, "sci-fi."
While I haven't officially issued it to the Range Vipers, the 40mm grenade launcher is a really nice weapon. I could almost call it one of my favorite offerings so far from Marauder, Inc. This weapon has been getting passed around to many figures. It has a great handle system, and after watching a real 40mm grenade launcher in action, a very realistic and effective flavor.
Back in the day, pistols were no where near my favorite. Like Hawk's ('86) pistol, or even Low Light's ('86) uzi. Unlike the rifles with a stock that could "straighten" out a figures shooting pose, pistols always looked odd since the hand curved and the elbow would bump out. The uzi here has pretty much become part of my Snake Eyes official gear, mostly for that little short lower stock part at the rear.
I think this is an M4 with shotgun (before the Marauder, Inc. "modular" began). It just feels like it fits Snake Eyes with the shotgun (close quarters combat), but also gives Snake Eyes more of a "long arm" for general combat.
The "Megatron" pistol was a must. I bought two for Tomax and xamoT originally. I removed the trigger guards for better playability. Currently, Major Bludd has them both. The extended arm stock really helps make this gun more playable. Major Bludd looks good with them, I think.
Here is one of the first SAWs, which has been a general use weapon. Sometimes I've had Sgt. Slaughter slinging a pair of these, sometimes issuing a Viper one. Either way, no one figure has gotten issue of these. It's 5.56mm by my estimation, and an upgrade of the M16. A nice weapon, with removable ammo.
Of course, when I had my Oktober Guard, the natural armament was Soviet-style weaponry. All of them are really neat and the design lineage really carries through visually. The RPK was small let down when the drum kept falling out, but glue is always an option. I'm currently unsure if Cobra will get these, perhaps these will just be weapons randomly pulled out on a whim every so often.
A few other weapons that I like that haven't been officially given to any particular figures are the M60e3 (I think). The M60e3 really feels beefy and fits figures pretty good, the stock is thick and really feels like an M60. The pistols both have nice grips, the "socom" style pistol feels sort of espionage-like to me, it gets passed around. The machete is simply excellent. The 'machine pistol' is kinda out there, too, but it really fits figures hands well. While I'm not a fan of the rearward ammo clip on most weapons, this 'machine pistol' is really usable.
The pump shotgun has mostly been owned by my handful of Headhunters, while Headman keeps classy gangster with a tommy-gun, drum included. (ok, probably not my most "original" weapon issue.... ;) )
I was thinking of giving Headhunters the big assault shotguns, but the big shotguns work best with the modern figures I think. I'm hoping the AA12 in the newest series works for my Headhunters, too, but I have yet to sample that one as of now.
Cobra got one of the nicest rifles, and definitely what I would consider one of my favorite Marauder, Inc. products. The NVR:
This is a very cool rifle, and even with the "basic" modular model available, I think I prefer the original NVR the most.
Of course, since the 2005 convention, the NCM rifle came out. The "pulse rifle" has become a light weapon of sorts, and since Destro is at the forefront of battlefield technology, the NCM is now the standard long arm for my Iron Grenadiers.
Overall, great accessories for my GIJoe collection, and with the expansive offerings, Marauder, Inc. really becomes a collectible series by itself.
What you've seen me mention here is a bulk of weapons I've incorporated, and there's still a few others I didn't get a chance to dig out yet. I hope to be getting some more things sorted soon so I can get some more weapons, too.