Spirit was released in the summer of 2010 as part of an exclusive wave of figures--available through Toys R Us--in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth. As part of the Jungle Assault mission theme, a team led by Duke discovers a heavily fortified Cobra fortress, the Terror Drome, in a remote jungle.
Some of the figures comprising the Jungle Assault mission theme are loosely stylized after characters from the 1987 science fiction / action film Predator. Spirit is the G.I. Joe team's equivalent to Billy Sole, a Native American tracker played by actor Sonny Landham.
Release Date: 2010
Figure Number: Exclusive
Retail Price: $7.99
Accessories: vest, quiver, arrow, compound bow, hatchet, machete, snake (2), assault rifle, display stand with G.I. Joe logo (SPIRIT IRON-KNIFE)
Did You Know? Although Spirit's trusty eagle Freedom was not included with this iteration of the character, the 2005, 8-inch, Sigma 6 figure included a falcon named Billy. Billy's name was never confirmed as being a reference to Predator, but the Sigma 6 Spirit figure is credited as being the first version of Spirit to portray the character in a modern light; often noted as resembling Predator's Billy Sole character.
Spirit Iron-Knife
Name: Charlie Iron-Knife
Serial Number: 492-89-RP21
Grade: E-5 (Sergeant)
Mission Equipment: RTS-Remote Terrain Survival Backpack
Spirit Iron-Knife is a wilderness tracker on the G.I. Joe team. He uses a combination of innate ability, skills learned from his Native American elders, and military training to find and follow signs in any environment. He uses his skills in the jungle to track the movements of Cobra troopers concealed in the dense tropical forest.
Name: Charlie Iron-KnifeSerial Number: 492-89-RP21
Grade: E-5 (Sergeant)
Mission Equipment: RTS-Remote Terrain Survival Backpack
Spirit Iron-Knife is a wilderness tracker on the G.I. Joe team. He uses a combination of innate ability, skills learned from his Native American elders, and military training to find and follow signs in any environment. He uses his skills in the jungle to track the movements of Cobra troopers concealed in the dense tropical forest.
3 comments:
This figure IS Billy, not Spirit. I don't understand why Hasbro couldn't just release a full set of the human characters unless copyrights to the film were a concern because there's no doubt as to who this is. I imagine not being able to deliver an accurate Dutch also had something to do with it.
I love this figure better than the 25th one. This has a better head sculp and better gears too. I just hope that the colors isn't a reminder of the bad nightmare that was the eco-warriors.
This is totally Billy, but it was more of a gimmick to spur interest in and grow the G.I. Joe brand by using pop culture references, than an attempt to recreate the Predator team. I also don't know if Hasbro would be able to get the rights to use Sonny Landham's likeness if they wanted to. Hot Toys did a 1/6-scale Predator Billy Sole and the likeness was close, but not exact, which usually means the actors rights are either too expensive or not available. Great figure, either way, even if I don't understand the camouflage pattern choice.
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