ItsAllTrueReview: G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Helix & the Pit Commando

JoeWeek keeps on rolling! In the bevy of movie Joes, two in particular caught a lot of folks attention, one for being unique and the other for being generic: Helix, a new Joe created as an unlockable character for the video game, and the Pit Commando, an army building Joe that comes packaged with 13 accessories including multiple guns, different headgear, and still more accessories.


Helix debuted to the world as an eBay leak and was immediately combined with another rumor, that the Dial-Tone name was being switched to a female character. Well, fans sort of got it right. Dial-Tone was made into a female character, but this figure wasn’t her. Helix originates from the ROC game developer, Double Helix Games (aren’t they sly?). Her back story is still largely unrevealed. In the game, she’s unlockable with little information given. Her “fame” has escalated to her own one-shot IDW comic, but it mostly features Duke and his first meeting with her. We do learn that she’s more or less an ochlophobic weapons savant. Basically, she doesn’t do well the more people she’s around, but despite her social quirks she can kill you with just about anything handy. Personally, I’d like to see her up against Snake Eyes or Storm Shadow, and I imagine we will soon.

We know even less about the Pit Commando, cause well, he’s nobody. The good guys don’t generally get Troopbuilders because none of the Joes are generic enough to be duplicated over and over. Plus, most Joes are unmasked which creates problems. I appreciated the 25th Greenshirts, but they were still visibly other Joes with bad dye jobs. The Pit Commando shares a similar problem. He’s Dusty from head-to-toe. So, all the Pit Commandos you buy will also be Dusty, but the good thing here is that he sports five different pieces of headgear and most of them cover his face.


Helix features an all-new sculpt and has the standard ROC articulation. She has a ton of details, straps, rings, zippers, and buttons. The best part is nearly all the details are painted. It gives her figure a lot of life. Her head sculpt is one of the better looking female figures even if the expression is a little blank. Giving her origin though, she might stare at you and make you uncomfortable, so maybe the expression works this way. Strangely, there’s an unpainted band-aid on her right wrist. I’m not sure why that’s there

As I said above, the Pit Commando is Dusty. There’s not much to see here, but the standard articulation is present and all the painted areas are crisp.

In the package, Helix has the cool satellite dish accessory and when you get it open, you’re immediately disappointed. It’s not for anything exciting. It clips on to the missile from the launcher. I’m not sure what it does there, but whatever. Her other accessories include a rifle, two pistols, and a machete. The two pistols appear to be her trademark, but her right hand has a little trouble holding the pistol convincingly, so I’ve opted to keep her with the machete. Something about it just looks right. Vault pointed out that Helix was holding the machete to the one of the vipers in the display at JoeCon, so I must be channeling that memory.

Okay, it’s the accessory section, so it’s time for the Pit Commando to shine. He comes with four guns, an assault vest, body armor, a backpack, a riot shield, a hat, a helmet (with visor or night goggle attachments), a gas mask, and a full-mask helmet. The last one is what got me. It may be all black, but it’s a Steel Brigade helmet. I wasn’t sure if I needed a Pit Commando until I saw that. Hopefully, we’ll see that helmet again when some 25th Anniversary figures start working their way back into the line. Anyway, lots of accessories. You would need tons of Pit Commandos before you could exhaust all the possible combinations! And the best part, out of all the accessories? None of them are a giant missile launcher!

The Pit Commando, without his stuff, is pretty bland. But that stuff makes him awesome. I recommend this figure for anyone that like military figures. If nothing else, you can change have him on your desk, change his gear every couple of days, and get plenty of mileage out of him. If you want to army build with him, the different gear will make that easy. I want to buy more because he has a ton of play value, but I’m just trying to be good. He may not be a great figure, but he’s definitely a cool toy.

Out of the Joes I’ve recommended so far, these are some of the best yet. Helix is just a great figure of what could be an interesting character. If you’re just into 25th stuff, Helix can blend in with those figures and I like that about her too. Even the hair is a little bit eighties! If you’re not into the hair, her head is being reused to make that rumored girl Dial-Tone figure in an upcoming desert 5-pack. Still, I like the figure, hair and all. She’s one of my favorite ROC figures so far, a title she’ll probably hold until some of that POC stuff starts shipping. She just looks a little scary and I like it.


16 thoughts on “ItsAllTrueReview: G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Helix & the Pit Commando

  1. That hair is too much. I know that military standards are lacking in the JoeVerse, but Helix is more Dreadnok than Joe.

    The Pit Commando is indeed a good figure. I picked one up simply because of all the accessories. I thought on mine the Commando was holding the shield in the package though.

    1. hank, I think there is a packaging variant for the commando in which he is indeed holding his shield.

    2. If it helps, Helix isn’t officially in the military because she doesn’t officially exist. She’s basically an assassin for the government, and when Duke discovers her, she is working undercover in Cobra already.

      I think that’s probably why they didn’t give her a traditional military look. That, and they wanted her to look bad ass and hot 😛

  2. I bought one not realizing it was Dusty, so I was a little disappointed. He’s just ROC Dusty to me now.

  3. I army built the heck out of the Pit Commando when I could find it. He’s been out awhile though.

    Any chance you’ve got newer figures to review?

  4. Poor Pit Commando. He might have the biggest backpack of the line, AND he has to carry all that extra sh!t.

    AND you said twice that he’s dusty. Why don’t you clean him off?

  5. The Pit Commando is my favorite ROC Joe. I love all that gear. If he were just in green, he’d be perfect.

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