G.I. Joe: Sky Striker XP-21F Combat Jet

Presenting the G.I. Joe SkyStriker XP-21F Combat Jet. Note that it I did not refer to it as the Pursuit of Cobra or Rise of Cobra SkyStriker as the packaging that this came with no longer refers to either toy-line and as you can see below, the piping of the box has changed.

On to the obvious: Critics of the new SkyStriker XP-21F point to the fact that the original SkyStriker XP-14F - inspired by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat - seats two; a pilot and a weapons officer. The SkyStriker XP-21F seats only one. But when you think about it, can you name a G.I. Joe cartoon episode where the SkyStriker XP-14F was depicted with two people in the cockpit instead of one? Because I can't, which makes the SkyStriker XP-21F a better representation of what was used in the cartoons.

The ironic part though about the use of a SkyStriker XP-21F by America's elite forces is that, as mentioned, it is based upon the Grumman F-14 Tomcat which is no longer in use by the United States of America - despite having become an iconic poster boy for the American Navy after Top Gun came out - having been retired from active service in 2006, AND; the only army currently deploying Grumman F-14 Tomcats is the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. Further, the SkyStriker XP-14F gives tribute to the F-14 in it's name. Assuming that the SkyStriker XP-21F does the same, then it's a tribute to an F-21 Kfir (Lion Cub) primarily used by the Israeli Air Force.


The blister card of the SkyStriker XP-21F reads "For speed, precision and sheer aggression, nothing beats the Sky Striker XP-21F combat jet. this fighter aircraft has variable-sweep wings that adjust for high-speed flights and tight maneuvers. This long-range strike-fighter thunders into the sky for another combat mission!" 


I never had the SkyStriker XP-14F though I wanted one and one of my best friends who passed away had one so I got to play with one when I was a kid - and, therefore 25 years later, you can understand why it honestly feels smaller than the original to me and given the pilot cut to the cockpit, it probably is.

The SkyStriker XP-21F comes disassembled as shown here but assembling it is easy enough for even children to do it. Everything simply slides and locks into place - though the cockpit and rear tail-fins tend to pop-off easily with rough handling. There are no sharp parts that need to concern parents, but the missiles do look appetizing and are choking hazards, so if you're giving this to a youngster, you might as well help assemble it.

Here are some photographs of the assembled SkyStriker XP-21F

What's to like about the SkyStriker XP-21F?

It's a SkyStriker! Why aren't you screaming like a little girl yet?

One of the nice things about the SkyStriker XP-21F is it's custom-ability.  If you own the SkyStriker XP-21F there are a few choice decisions you have to make. First of is which piping should you use? The traditional Black,  Red, White and Blue? Or, as in my case (Because Capt. Ace is... an Ace), Gold and Black?

After that the questions become: "Do I use the G.I. Joe Gold Star? Or the traditional US Stars and Stripes?" and "What do I do with the spare stickers?"

But the biggest question that SkyStriker XP-21F owners have to ask themselves is "Who do I want to pilot my SkyStriker?" The SkyStriker XP-21F has stickers for five pilots, namely:

• Captain J. Brad "Ace" Armbruster 
• Sgt. Conrad "Duke" Hauser
• Dashiell "Flint" Faireborn
• Snake-Eyes (Really? Does he have to be everywhere?)
• Hector "Shipwreck" Delgado - which is also kinda weird since he's a sailor, but I suppose since the SkyStriker XP-21F is based upon the US Navy used F-14, he'll do. 

And we're not just talking about having their billings for the cock-pits, the SkyStriker XP-21F also has personalized logos for each pilot. 

Then of course you're definitely free to play with the existing decals. The SkyStriker XP-21F Eagle on a red-disc is iconic for SkyStrikers so I put it. Ideally you're supposed to choose between either the pilot's personalized signature or the Eagle-disc, but in this case I placed both.  

Let's take the moment to note the color change of the tail of the SkyStriker XP-21F. Just like in the cartoons, the SkyStriker XP-21F bears black tails. The tails of the SkyStriker XP-14F are Gull Gray like the rest of the plane. 

So clearly the level of freedom that you have with the SkyStriker XP-21F design is pretty huge. It kinda makes you want to buy twelve of them so that you can have a squadron and five of those SkyStriker XP-21Fs would be distinct. 

Next up is the fact that the SkyStriker XP-21F can do almost everything it's older brother could do. It is a variable sweep-wing plane and just like the SkyStriker XP-14F, moving a slide on the back of the SkyStriker XP-21F will open or close the wings. The downside to this is that, as again with it's older brother, opening the wings also lowers the landing gear - which is sad because there is a practical combat reason for why pilots would spread the wings of a variable sweep-wing fighter that does not call for landing-gear.  

Next up is that the SkyStriker XP-21F is just as armed as it's older brother. On hardpoints mounted under the SkyStriker XP-21F, you will find a pair of AIM-9 "Sidewinder" heat-seeking air-to-air missiles; a pair of AIM-7 "Sparrow" Radar-guided air-to-air missiles; and a pair of what looks to me like AIM-54 Pheonix Long Range Radar-guided air-to-air missiles. There's also an extended range disposable fuel pod attached on the underside - not that anyone really cares.

The SkyStriker XP-21F comes with a smaller cockpit than its older brother but it is still decently detailed. There's a blueflap inside that goes up and down. For the life of me I have no idea what it's for. 

I particularly love the detail of the ejection seat and how Captain Ace can reach back there - unfortunately, no, there is no "ejection" action and unlike the original Skystriker XP-14F, the SkyStriker XP-21F does not come with a working parachute.

Speaking of Captain Ace, he may be nothing more than a rebuild/repaint of G.I. Joe POC Skydive but he does come with a better sculpt and some very intriguing gear. 

Captain Ace's blister card reads: "Capt. Ace would rather fly than do anything else. He was a civilian pilot in Alaska then worked as a stunt pilot before joining the Air Force to become a combat pilot. He has an intuitive knack with any kind of aircraft and an equally uncanny gift as a poker player. He can coax the most out of any plane and almost always holds the winning hand in a game , without even cheating."

I'm personally not sure what to make of that really, really weird helmet, but I love how it actually comes with detailing, particularly the oxygen canister and what I do believe is a communication antenna at the back.

What's not to like about the SkyStriker XP-21F?

First off is that cockpit and Captain Ace. Getting Captain Ace to grip the controls is an exercise in frustration. Most likely you'll just do what I do which is put Captain Ace in the cockpit and forget about getting him to grip the controls. The several times that I've tried to get Captain Ace to grip the SkyStriker XP-21F's controls, ended up with his hands preferring to pop out of their sockets.

The second problem is that after the SkyStriker XP-21F - despite declaring itself to be a long-range combat fighter - does not have a secondary weapon. Once it fires off all it's missiles the SkyStriker XP-21F had better tuck its wings and hightail it back to the Flagg because it would be a sitting duck. Unlike the Grumman F-14 whose M-61 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannon is clearly marked on its body, the SkyStriker XP-21F has no such cannon slots. 

The last problem that I have with the SkyStriker XP-21F is the severe lack of detail - which is both a boon and a blessing at the same time. When I mean it lacks detail, you can look down the intakes and see nothing. Remove the engine covers and the engines are gull-gray - detailed, but of the same color as the body - hell look down the exhaust nozzles at the back and you see gull-gray.

As I said this is both a boon and a bane. While constructing the SkyStriker XP-21F, I felt like I was putting together a model and I do believe that we will be seeing a hell of a lot of custom painted/designed SkyStriker XP-21Fs in the near future. There is a ton of painting possibilities that can be done or explored here. If I had the time and equipment, I'd even do it myself. 

This particular SkyStriker XP-21F was purchased from Big Boys Toy Store in Greenhills for PhP 2,295 (Roughly US$ 53.77). I'd contact him first on Facebook if you're interested in this as he claims to have limited stock. The SkyStriker XP-21F was available in another store in Greenhills for PhP 2,299 and, strangely, at another store near Big Boys Toy Store for a whopping PhP 4,200. The SkyStriker XP-21F is available on Amazon for US$ 44.03 plus shipping. The SkyStriker XP-21F is one of the most iconic toys in the G.I. Joe Universe and this cartoon accurate model is definite must have as part of a collection or as part of a special creative project.

Our parting words:

No. You can't join Rogue Squadron