Today we’re looking at something that came out a year ago and is not in any way a Hasbro product. So it’s not in my usual wheelhouse. It is, however, directly related to 1990s GI Joe. In fact, it’s probably the biggest bone 90s Joe fans have been thrown in the last 10 years or so.

I’ve had this Minimates box set sitting around for a little while now– I preordered it the second it became available, but it didn’t get around to opening it until a couple weeks ago. My intent was always to review it for this website.

I am a huge Ninja Force fan, after all.

If you’re not into Minimates, don’t worry too much. I’ll be giving you a quick primer on what they are and how they function. And if you’re not interested at all, that’s okay– I’ll be returning to more traditional plastic dolls next week.

And for all three of you who are actually interested in this review, I hope you enjoy it.

The Basics on Minimates

Feel free to skip down to the review if you’re already an expert on Minimates. If not, then this section is for you.

This 2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates (NYCC Exclusive) box set was made by Diamond Select Toys. Minimates were first released in 2002 by Art Asylum, but DST has been in charge for most of the brand’s lifespan. Minimates were originally all 3″ figures, but have existed as the more iconic 2″ figures since 2003.

Basically, these are “block figures” with 14 points of articulation, meaning they’re much more poseable than what you usually associate with the concept of building block-compatible minifigures.

They’re about as articulated as a vintage ARAH GI Joe figure. They feature:

• Ball joint neck
• Ball joint shoulders
• Ball joint hips
• Hinge elbows
• Hinge knees
• Swivel wrists
• Swivel waist
• Swivel feet

I’ve been a fan of these figures since around 2003, and I’ve always preferred the Marvel Minimates toy line. The character selection is incredible and they come with a wide range of interchangeable parts, accessories, stands, and effects pieces. I understand that the aesthetic isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I think they’re incredibly fun and versatile toys.

In fact, every Minimate can exchange parts with any other Minimate, which upholds the whole “block figure” concept nicely.

Here’s a comparison with a Kre-O Copperhead figure, a Lego minifigure, and a modern Mega Construx Evil-Lyn, just so you can get a handle on their shape and size.

All Minimates are built on the same base body. Most figures use various add-on pieces to achieve the desired look for the character, but the underlying body remains the same. They’re much like Lego minifigures in that way.

Spider-Man 2099 represents the base body. He has no add-on parts. Cassie Hack, to the right, features an added skirt and hairpiece. Finally we have The Blob, who features a ton of overlay parts to showcase the character’s large, bulbous physique. These are just a few examples of what can be done with the Minimates format, but I hope they help you get the picture.

Additionally, Minimates have peg holes on the bottoms of their feet. These holes are loosely compatible with Lego/Kre-O/Mega Construx (and other competing brands) studs, but “loose” is the key word. The modern figures won’t snap snugly onto a Lego plate or brick, but will rest on one without much issue.

The genesis of these peg holes came about in 2004 with the Minimates C3 line. Before that, Minimates all featured different style feet and were not compatible with other block toy lines.

Here’s a quick summary from Wikipedia:

In 2004, Art Asylum and Play Along launched their Minimate-based C3 (“Create Construct Customize”) construction sets, which could be used to build vehicles and playsets from the DC Comics universe. Focusing mainly on Batman and the Justice League, the Lego-esque line was moderately successful, but the license terms limited the selling of the 2″ DC Minimates to the construction sets, and the line failed to gain a foothold in the market.

C3 was a very fun toy line, by the way. I miss it.

Okay, I think that’s all you need to know. On with the review!

2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates (NYCC Exclusive) Box and Contents

This set was released as an NYCC Exclusive in 2022 to promote DST’s acquisition of the GI Joe brand, which mostly consists of four packs of more recognizable versions of our favorite ARAH characters. As an exclusive, Diamond Select Toys could do something a little bit more fun and obscure with this set– something weirdos like me would love, but general Joe or Minimates fans may not consider to be an essential part of their collections.

The set contains Ninja Force versions of Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Scarlett. It also includes Dr. Biggles-Jones, a character who was featured prominently in both the GI Joe and Transformers: Generation 2 comics from Marvel in the 90s. This is only her second time getting an action figure of any sort.

Here’s the box:

Convention exclusives often feature cool, elaborate packaging. This is one of the best examples I’ve ever seen. It’s shaped and styled after a VHS tape, but it’s also a very fun homage to the cover of Marvel’s GI Joe #135. Not only is this an iconic cover for people my age, but it’s an issue that prominently features all of the included characters– even Dr. Biggles-Jones!

That VHS look continues to be great from the side and the pink-to-black gradient is a great not to the old Ninja Force toy packaging.

The back shows the control art for each included character and gives a nice summary of how they were involved with one another.

Then you remove the slipcase and are greeted by the actual figures and their accessories. There’s a lot of stuff here!

The VHS motif continues around the other sides of the inner box, too. Clearly the designers at DST had a blast with the 2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates (NYCC Exclusive) packaging and it shows. I was delighted with every little bit of it.

Finally, here’s the inner plastic tray by itself. As you can see, this set is absolutely loaded with weapons and accessories. This is the only pure “accessory photo” I took, so you may want to take another look. I will showcase all of the weapons each figure comes with below, but this is the only shot of the unequipped accessories.

Onto the figures!

2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Dr. Biggles-Jones Review

Since it’s hard to choose favorites for this box set, I’m just going in alphabetical order by character name. That means we’re starting with Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones, a Cobra scientist from the Marvel GI Joe/Transformers continuity.

Before this toy, she only had one other figure. In 2017, the GI Joe Collectors’ Club released a joint box set with the Transformers Collectors’ Club. It contained a late-Marvel comics Cobra Commander (which looked very much like every other Modern Era Cobra Commander), a reasonably-okay looking Ninja Force Scarlett, a clear green redeco of 2013 Legends Class Megatron in “holographic” G2 colors,  a redeco of 2014’s Masterpeice Ratbat, along with “accessory figures” of Black Cat and Toaster (whoever the fuck they are).

Image Courtesy of YoJoe.com

Oh, it also included Dr. Biggles-Jones, who featured a terrible new head sculpt and a comically oversized lab coat, which was originally RoC Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes’ trenchcoat.

Gaze upon it in despair.

Anyway, here’s our Dr. Biggles-Jones, who looks much nicer than her GIJCC counterpart, despite the stylization inherent to Minimates.

She’s decked out in her blue bodysuit, brown leggings, black boots, and a long white lab coat. The lab coat and her hair piece are her only add-on pieces.

Her face design is very nice, as is the Cobra logo on the left side of her bodysuit. She has a normal amount of printed body detail for a Minimate and overall I think it looks just about right– it gets the point across without being too “busy” or “hyper-detailed.” These are simple, fun figures after all.

The figure is admittedly pretty plain from the side, but lab coats aren’t really known for being flashy. The texture on the hair is great, too.

The coat does have some nice textures and details on the back.

Since the lab coat is a separate piece, you can remove it if you want a better look at her torso and leg print.

The back of the body is entirely blank, but chances are you’re not going to use her without her lab coat, anyway.

2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Dr. Biggles-Jones only comes with one real accessory. Each of the figures in this set comes with a clear display stand, which is much appreciated, but almost all modern Minimates include these bases. Sidney here only includes the portable version of her rail gun from the comics, but it’s a great inclusion.

The gun isn’t 100% comic accurate, but it definitely evokes her famous weapon and get the job done. I’m not sure if it’s reused from a prior Minimates release, but if it is, then DST picked an excellent piece to reuse. This is one of the coolest accessories in the entire box set and shows that DST was really paying attention to the source material.

The only other thing I wish the Good Doctor included are a couple of alternate blue arms. She sometimes took off her lab coat in the comics, so it would be nice to achieve that look, too. But that’s just a nitpick and/or pipe dream.

I don’t have the 2017 Dr. Biggles-Jones figure (thank god) for a comparison shot, but I did want to do one quick comparison. In the comics, Dr. Biggles-Jones was famous for upgrading Megatron into his tank form, including installing a rail gun into his body. She interacted with him a lot.

The toy pictured above isn’t the original G2 Megatron or the recent homage from Generations Selects, but it is a repaint of G2 Hero Megatron that has mostly the same design. I don’t own the original G2 Megatron and was too lazy to dig out the Combat Hero version, so you get the RID Bludgeon repaint instead.

Anyway, I think she scales pretty nicely with him in robot mode (not so much in tank mode) and would likely scale even better with the larger G2 Megatron or a modern update.

My point is that I eventually plan on displaying the figures from this box set with my G2 Transformers collection, as I think they’ll fit in very nicely.

Overall: This is the best figure Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones has ever had. It’s likely the best figure she will ever have. If you’re a big fan of the late-run Marvel GI Joe or Transformers Generation 2 comics, she’s Highly Recommended. If you’re just a fan of GI Joe but not especially into Minimates, she’s Mildly Recommended.

2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Scarlett Review

I will go on record saying that I’ve always loved the Ninja Force Scarlett design, even if the articulation on the 1993 figure is less than ideal. It’s still a cool costume with great colors. Sure, it goes in a more “superhero” direction than Shana’s original leotard did, but I think it’s an iconic outfit in its own right.

Other than that original figure and the GIJCC figure from 2017, this is the only other toy anyone has made of that design. I hope it comes to Classified at some point so those of you with good taste can buy a cool toy and those of you with bad taste can cry about it on the internet.

Here’s 2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Scarlett! When you account for the overall Minimates style, this figure 100% nails the design. The details are all there, and they are all crisp and perfect. Scarlett features hair, wrist bracers, and a sash at her waist for add-on pieces. They get the job done nicely.

I really like her determined facial expression and I’m delighted at the line work on her shoulder, upper arm, and shin armor.

From the side you get a much better look at all those nice little armor details. That gold paint sure is nice, too.

The designers even included the throwing knives the original figure had sheathed on her back, which is a very welcome surprise.

Though the original figure wore her hair in a ponytail, Scarlett often wore her hair down in the comics when she was using this costume. DST included another long, flowing hair piece so you can display her with either look. I personally prefer the ponytail but it’s nice to have options.

Scarlett includes many, many more accessories than Dr. Biggles-Jones does. She of course comes with her stand and alternate hair piece, but the rest is astonishing. Scarlett comes with a piece representing almost every single weapon her 1993 figure came with– nearly the entire weapons tree is included here. Again, I’m blown away.

Sure, the weapons are cast in gold plastic instead of bright yellow, but you can’t win ’em all.

Let’s start with Scarlett’s knife. Like most weapons in this set, it’s reused from earlier figures. It is also included with Snake Eyes (more on that later), but it’s a great little piece on its own. She holds the weapon well and looks great wielding it.

Next up, Scarlett comes with two claws– just like her vintage figure! You have to remove Scarlett’s hand, place her wrist peg through the claw, and then reattach the hand to use the weapon. Due to her wrist bracers, the claw is a little bit loose. It just can’t get a good enough grip to stay in position. You may be able to either push her bracers up or remove them, but mine seem to be painted in place and completely stuck. But that’s not unheard of with Minimates. Though I like the idea here and appreciate the weapon’s inclusion, it’s probably the weakest of the set.

Just as her vintage figure did, Minimates Ninja Force Scarlett also includes one pair of nunchuks. These are all one sculpted piece, but they’re made of flexible plastic and she holds them well. No complaints here. Again, these are reused from earlier Minimates figures. I know I have them from one version of Iron Fist, at the very least.

Finally, Scarlett comes with two identical swords. Again, these are reused pieces but they’re nicely sculpted katanas and she holds them perfectly. I do wish she included one katana and one scimitar instead of two of the same swords, but that is a very small quibble.

I’m repeating myself, but this is an amazing assortment of accessories and I’m floored that Diamond Select Toys stuck so closely to the original figure’s weapon loadout. Fantastic work all around.

Finally, here’s a comparison with the original 1993 Ninja Force Scarlett so you can confirm that DST absolutely nailed the look in every way possible.

Overall: I admit that I already loved this design going in, but holy cow this figure managed to surprise and impress me beyond that. If you’re a Minimates collector or just a Ninja Force Scarlett fanatic, it’s Highly Recommended. For the more general GI Joe fan, it’s still Mildly Recommended.

2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Snake Eyes Review

I feel much the same about Snake Eyes’ Ninja Force design as I do about Scarlett’s. It’s a great look but the original figure’s reduced articulation is disappointing. There is a Hall of Fame version of the costume that’s articulated a bit better, but it doesn’t quite hit the same aesthetic notes as the ARAH figure since it’s missing the bright blue highlights and whited-out eyes.

But then we come to this version, which pretty much nails it. If you don’t like the general look and style of Minimates, you may not be as impressed as I am. But,, unfortunately for you, I’m the one writing the review here and I do love the general Minimates look and style.

This figure isn’t quite as spot-on to the 1993 ARAH figure as the Scarlett in this set is, but it comes pretty close. Instead of a bright, electric blue it uses a slightly more subdued metallic blue. It still looks nice. And, instead of two straps across his chest, he only has one. That’s because this bandolier was reused from the other Minimates Snake Eyes, which is based on the 1985 design. It still gets the overall point across very nicely, though. There’s no mistaking this for anything other than Ninja Force Snake Eyes.

The subtle white (or light blue?) highlights for the figure’s musculature is very impressive.

For add-ons, 2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Snake Eyes includes two arm guards, an arm strap with grenade, his bandolier, a pistol holster, and a knife sheath. It’s amazing that none of it looks awkward or bulky! Note that the arm guards and arm grenade are turned the “wrong way” in some of these shots and note my half-hearted apology to you, the person who’s reading this for free.

That’s some great detail on those arm guards, boy howdy.

From the back, you’ll notice the bandolier features a little loop where you can sheath one of Snake Eyes’ swords. That’s something the original toy could never do, but who are we to complain about extra weapon storage?

Snake Eyes largely includes the same accessories as Scarlett, which makes sense as they used the same weapons tree in 1993. He also includes a figure stand like everyone in this set.

But let’s start with Snake Eyes’ unique pieces! First, he includes a simple pistol. This is a reused piece, but it represents the pistol sculpted onto the original figure’s leg and looks quite nice with the toy. It can also be securely holstered on his leg, which is incredible for a toy of this size. Also, I think Snake Eyes should always have a gun, so I’m glad this was included.

Next, Snake Eyes includes a small dagger that fits in the sheath on his other leg. It looks good and stays securely either in his hand or in place in its holster. Pretty dang cool.

Now we’re getting into the same pieces Scarlett has. Next, Snake Eyes includes a larger knife cast in metallic blue plastic.

He also has the same pair of claws. He’s only pictured with one here. These seem to work a little bit better with him than they do with Scarlett, though they’re still a bit fiddly.

Nunchuks! Banned in the UK and the same as Scarlett’s.

Snake Eyes also has two identical swords. Again, I do wish he had one scimitar and one katana, but it’s difficult to complain when this much stuff is included. You can sheath one of the swords in his bandolier.

And here’s a comparison with the original figure. Again, they nailed it.

Overall: Snake Eyes has even more accessories than Scarlett and is pretty much a dead-on version of the 1993 Ninja Force design. I don’t think he is quite as cool or inspiring as Scarlett or Dr. Biggles-Jones, but he’s still very nice. He’s Recommended for people who love both Ninja Force and Minimates, and Mildly Recommended otherwise.

2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Storm Shadow Review

It’s been well established at this point that 1992 Ninja Force Storm Shadow is one of my all time favorite GI Joe figures. That means I’m delighted to get that costume design in any form, which includes this little Minimate.

This outfit has made appearances both in Classified (which seems to be a very hard figure to get) and in the Modern Era, which was exclusive to Dollar General and other similar stores. I have that one and it’s pretty decent, even though it’s much more of a loose homage than this one is. It also got a Hall of Fame release, which was pretty nice by almost every metric.

This 2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Storm Shadow is as accurate to the source material as possible.

This small figure absolutely nails my favorite Storm Shadow design. Within the confines of the format, it’s basically perfect. DST went above and beyond when it comes to accuracy, and all of the little details are amazing. The camo splotches, the grenades, and the throwing stars are all there. Even the leg wraps look fantastic.

For add-ons, Stormy includes a hood, a waist sash, and a knife sheath on each leg.

You can see the camo and leg wrap details continue onto the sides of the figure, where they continue to be impressive.

The camo and the gold shoulder mantle continue around to the back of the figure. There’s even some nice texture on the hood and the belt.

Speaking of the hood, this is what Storm Shadow looks like when you remove it. I’ll always be keeping the hood on, but I know some of you wanted a closer look.

Storm Shadow includes fewer accessories than Snake Eyes and Scarlett, but that seems correct to me. The original 1992 figure only had two weapons, after all– he came before the age of weapons trees.

In case you were wondering, the answer is yes. 2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates Storm Shadow does include a clear figure stand like the others.

Storm Shadow includes two small daggers, which use the same mold as Snake Eyes’ smaller knife. They look great with him and can easily be sheathed on either leg. DST didn’t have to include these, so they’re a great extra that give Stormy some more versatile ways to stab and slash his way across the world.

Storm Shadow also includes a single sai, which surprised me. This isn’t something the character is really known for using (and especially not in this costume) but I’m not mad about him including another extra weapon. Again, this is a weapon that previously came with other figures but that’s not an issue at all.

Storm Shadow also includes his trademark katana and sickle. These are iconic weapons for Ninja Force Storm Shadow and I would have been extremely disappointed if either one was not included. These are reused from Marvel figures (I know the Hand Ninja includes the sickle), but they get the job done. I do wish the sickle had a longer handle, but if Diamond Select had to reuse an older weapon then this was a good choice. Storm Shadow holds these well and they look very good in his hands.

Here’s a comparison with the original 1992 figure. Looking at them side by side, I’m thrilled at how the Minimate turned out. It’s plain to see how much effort DST put into replicating the original design, and I am extremely thankful for their hard work. It’s not often you get a cool, novel update of one of your favorite childhood toys.

Overall: I love Ninja Force Storm Shadow. I love this Ninja Force Storm Shadow. DST really pulled out all the stops with this one and went harder than they needed to. If you like Ninja Force and Minimates, this is Highly Recommended. And even if you just like GI Joe, it’s still Recommended.

Closing Thoughts on 2022 GI Joe Ninja Force Minimates (NYCC Exclusive)

If you couldn’t tell, I really enjoyed this little box set. I’ve had a blast posing them around with my Marvel Minimates and making all sorts of fun crossover scenarios happen. Scarlett has stabbed MODOK in the forehead at least twice and Taskmaster has successfully copied both Storm Shadow’s “Screaming Whirlwind” and Snake Eyes’ “Basami Slice” attacks.

I think this set has inspired me to check out both of DST’s other GI Joe box sets, and there’s another one on the way, too. They won’t contain the same amount of 1990s mayhem, but I bet they’ll be fun anyway.

If you’re interested in any of these, Luke’s Toy Store (who I vouch for unconditionally) has both this set and the first Minimates GI Joe box set on sale for $18, as of this writing. That is one hell of a deal. This isn’t sponsored at all, by the way, I’m just trying to help you out if it’s something you might like to buy.

Anyway, thanks for joining me! Back to more familiar roads next week.

Do you enjoy Minimates? Should I review the other GI Joe Minimates sets? What’s your favorite Ninja Force design? Let me know in the comments!