I bought a Retaliator, I have been interested in increasing my GIJoe teams mobility, and while the purchase was a tad on the impulsive side, I'm going to give this bird a try. (I like helicopters quite a bit, too!)
The Retaliator is one of those rarely discussed vehicles, or at least it seems that way to me. The Tomahawk and Dragonfly seem to reign supreme in discussions. And justly, they are both great. The Tomahawk actually being what could be considered the very core vehicle of my GIJoe team. With it's twin rotors, the Tomahawk has great lift capability. But, there is only one Tomahawk, and I feel like it needs a wing-mate.
Searching the internet, the images that "sold" me on the wanting (sort of impulse buy...) of this helicopter were among these forever-awesome pictures (the Retaliator) found here. There is something about that front view angle shot that really appeals to me. GIJoe Portugal also has a very nice head-on picture of the Retaliator, as well as an open canopy picture that reveals some intricate interior detail. (areas often neglected in toy design, among others....)
But what also helped "sell" me on the Retaliator was a picture here showcasing the potential versatility and utility of this helicopter.
Here is a link to coroflot showcasing a gray model of the Retaliator . (Also view the other work at coroflot, too, good stuff!)
Let's take a walk around this craft, it is a good sized helicopter. The Retaliator is from 1990, and you can read about more on this aspect of the history at YOJOE.coms Retaliator page.
I've had Updraft for some time now, originally I really wanted him since I was short on pilots back when I had a lot, lot, lot more vehicles. Since then, updraft has become a member of my own small GIJoe team and begun to stand out more to me. Next to the Retaliator, one can see that the Retaliator has some size to it as Updraft poses at the side.
I was slightly surprised to find seat belts in the Retaliator. If I recall, many 1988 and 1989 series vehicles had these, where 1990 series vehicles seemed to use the seat clips more. Is the Retaliator the only 1990 vehicle to have seat belts?
Inside is a fairly detailed cockpit, for sure. The only detail that isn't there is a cyclic, but I'm happy with the rest of the cockpit. The rear seat sits higher up, just like in a modern helicopter gunship, leaving the front seat for the co-pilot/ gunner. The canopy is also very contoured, a very cool and complex shape, indeed.
The rotor hub may be the most detailed GIJOE helicopter rotor hub out there. Just compare to the "real" higher detail of this 1/18th scale KIOWA:
Above you can see one of my favorite aspects of this rotor, the folding ability! I did not know the Retaliator had this after years of looking at pictures of this craft, but so far, I think this should almost be the standard to which GIJOE helicopter rotors should aim for. I think we can all agree that this would be a good feature on the Tomahawk?
Another thing that was never apparent in pictures is that the big side vents here are turning knobs to spin those rotors. Definitely a cleverly hidden button design for an action feature.
There are no removable engine covers, though (a favorite vehicle feature of mine). There is a fairly big engine detail available, however, just aft of the hub.
And this power heads back to a two big tail rotors, one on each side, which freely spin with easy hand activation via the 'nosecone' like edges. (Another cleverly hidden action gimmick control knob!)
What's a gunship without an armament, though? Well, the Retaliator may not be all gunship, as it comes fairly light on the weapons side. Two dual rocket pods flank each side with some refined looking rockets.
The rockets are fairly well sized, and I think the detail piece on the "built-in" pod really adds character to this unique helicopter.
There is also a chin gun. In the picture below, it shows my Retaliator sitting on a flat surface. One can see the back of the chin gun doing most of the supporting of the Retaliator here, the skids doing more balancing, if anything.
Unlike the Dragonfly or Tomahawk, the Retaliators chin gun does not pivot. There is plenty of up and down range, though, and the gun is a great size. I kind of would like that pivot ability, though, so the gunner can operate more independently and effectively. So, this is definitely a drawback for me here.
Perhaps this was never intended to be a dedicated gunship, though, perhaps it is more of a bomber gunship? The Retaliator has a neat action feature weapon just aft of the chin gun, the bomb slide! Unlike many of the more modern vehicle designs that leave bottoms of the toys with flat, screw-exposed surfaces, this bomb slide has all sorts of details on it.
Open it up and there are nine bombs ready to slide out.
A little gravity activates this simply play feature, remember this is 1990, before the spring-fired action gimmicks really took off, and I think this simple method of bombing Cobra works just fine. (although there are several spring-fire features on vehicles I really like a lot)
The tail section has the biggest action feature, though, and this is the one that always was apparent from pictures I've looked at over the years. There is the single cable hook that can be "thumb-wheeled" from the rear, it is a similar sized hook to what the Dragonfly or Tomahawk have.
The Retaliator brings its own grappling crane claw, though. This is the one thing that helped dissuade my interest over the years, but it isn't too obtrusive and rather effectively hides in the tail section.
The claw swings down, and this is where play and reality start to fight in mind, mostly due to the visual weight vs. perceived lift issue. Then again, this helicopter may be using a super light weight material in that whole tail section that makes that issue null and void?
Even with "grown-up" sized hands, this is actually very comfortable to hold, and the "upside down" rudder on the tail actually makes the Retaliator fun to "fly." The other hand is free to spin the rotors using those large, easy to grasp rotor spinners, as well as activating the bomb slide!
Compared to the AH74 Apache, and the Night Attack Chopper, I think this handle is more fun, and much better designed than either of those two helicopters.
This next picture is possibly the last time you will see this particular Retaliator do this:
This is one movement that I don't get. I guess I can see if one wanted to extend the range of the claw, but there's no good spot to hold both hands on to to make this a seamless play movement. One had to hold it like it is going to be a "snap" in half, and then there's two loose parts on a joint left over, if you know what I mean?
Nose to nose, I'm going to be spending some time with the Retaliator. Will it hold up?
Next to the Tomahawk, it will never replace it, but as a companion craft, we'll see!
Surprisingly, the Locust carries more people with 1/8th the size. ;)
