Note: This is not a full review. This simply a more in-depth look at the figures I profiled in my Russian Funskool GI Joe Jamboree post, and is intended as a resource for fans and collectors.

Updated 9/15/22: According to an interview with man behind the Russian Funskool GI Joe line, the entire Russian run of figures was released in 1998. The company who paid for and distributed this release, Two Beetles (see their logo on the card back below), had a connection at Funskool. Aside from Chuckles, all Russian Funskool figures are nearly identical to their Indian counterparts– only the card backs were changed. Though these were reportedly only produced for a year, they can still be found in former USSR territories. As a fun side note, “beetle” is Russian slang for “swindler.”

Russian Funskool GI Joe Storm Shadow and Accessories

The Russian Funskool GI Joe Storm Shadow was produced in 1998, and is largely identical to the Indian Funskool release of the figure. The figure is based on Hasbro’s Storm Shadow version 2 from 1988, and uses all of that toy’s parts and accessories.

As with all Funskool figures, the paint and plastic quality is slightly different from what Hasbro used.

The carded figure:

The card:

The card back (note the Russian text for the filecard and for the character names on the cross sells):

The front of the Russian Funskool GI Joe cards are identical to the cards released in India, but the back uses Russian text instead of English. That’s the biggest major change between Indian and Russian Funskool releases.

Storm Shadow’s card back features an interesting abnormality, though– the file card text for Storm Shadow and Beach Head was swapped around entirely, meaning that Storm Shadow is described as a bad-smelling Army Ranger. To be fair, though, Tommy probably doesn’t smell great either, most of the time.

The material on the card itself is thinner and more papery than the cardstock used for domestic GI Joe figures.

The figure:

The Russian Funskool GI Joe Storm Shadow figure is cast in white plastic and features grey and flesh-tone paint applications. The overall color layout and look is very similar to the Hasbro 1988 Storm Shadow figure, and they’re very hard to tell apart at a glance. You can check out the comparison photos later on in this article for reference.

Some of the plastic on my copy of the toy is noticeably yellowing a bit, especially in the legs. That’s strange because I opened this figure new from the card, haven’t handled it much, haven’t displayed it at all, and have kept it stored in a cool place inside its own little plastic bag (with a couple of holes poked in it). It could just be that the plastic used on this Russian run of figures is prone to slight discoloration.

The figure’s sides:

You’ll note that the Funskool version retains the Hasbro version’s Arashikage tattoo on the right forearm, and it looks pretty sharp.

The figure’s back:

The figure’s date stamp is not on its butt and I did not photograph the inner leg. Sorry about that (but not really).

The figure’s accessories:

Russian Funskool Storm Shadow includes a red backpack with notches to sheathe the sword, a red sword, a black compound bow, and a black claw.

These are the same accessories the Hasbro version comes with, and they are all cast in very similar colors to what we saw with the domestic release.

The figure All Geared Up:

Russian Funskool Storm Shadow retains all of the articulation, features, and accessories as the Hasbro version.

Other than some slight plastic discoloration (which may not happen on all copies), this is a nice, sturdy figure with decent paint. It looks good and its accessories work just as intended.

There aren’t many differences between this one and the Hasbro version, as you’ll see below, but it’s a solid version of this mold without any glaring issues.

Russian Funskool GI Joe Storm Shadow Compared to 1988 Hasbro Storm Shadow

The Russian Funskool GI Joe Storm Shadow and Hasbro 1998 Storm Shadow are largely identical. They’re both cast in white plastic and feature all of the same paint applications.

The biggest difference is that the camo shapes on the Funskool version are much thicker, especially on the mask and hood.

The figures from the front (L – Russian Funskool, R – Hasbro):

The camo on the Funskool version seems a bit sloppier and perhaps “over-sprayed,” but it still looks pretty good and natural. I have no problems with it.

From the side:

The Russian Funskool version has one sloppily-applied, barely there camo stripe on its right shoulder. This is probably just a feature of my individual figure, and not every Russian Storm Shadow that was ever made.

From the back:

Accessory comparison:

Russian Funskool Storm Shadow comes with the same accessories as the Hasbro version.

The biggest difference I can see is that Hasbro Storm Shadow’s backpack and sword use a slightly darker red plastic.

The two figures All Geared Up:

Overall, this figure is probably only for people who love international releases, Storm Shadow fanatics, and completists. It’s so similar to the Hasbro version that you can barely tell the difference. That also means it’s a very worthy substitute for the Hasbro version if you find one for cheap, as it’s a very good figure that retains everything good about the original.

Just for fun, here’s another comparison shot.

From Left to Right: Russian Funskool, 1988 Hasbro, 2005 Red Ninja Viper, 2004 Storm Shadow v16:

Also, I want to give a shout out to my friend Eric of Toys and Tomfoolery, who just fixed up a Storm Shadow v2 with a stripped screw he’d had sitting around forever. All it took was a little bit of drilling and a lot of courage.

 

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