2001 Tripwire
I was recently reminded when I read this post on Forgotten Figures that the ARAHC line turned 20 this year, which is curious to think about. As a kid, I pretty much passed over these entirely, so it was fun to collect them later in the 2000‘s when 25th Anniversary was the only thing anyone cared about. A lot of these were some pretty good repaints, that really fell short just by way of their extremely drab colors and the repetition of certain mold choices. Of course, Tripwire here is only 19 years old, but it’s the same line and more importantly: I wanted to write about him.
Tripwire is mostly similar to his ‘83 figure, and at a glance you might mistake him for that release when used in a photo. The only real difference is that the colors here are much, much darker than on the ‘83 figure. The green is now a dark olive, while gray is swapped for black. To me, it kind of seemed like a nice way to re-release a Tripwire figure that’s unique apart from the original, but still close enough that it works in lieu of that figure. It’s dark and a little boring, but also looks a little more realistic, so it’s a fair trade-off.
One thing I hate about the Tripwire mold is it’s penchant for “brown nosing”. You know, it’s the same problem the Televipers and Slipstream have. Because the face is painted onto plastic colored to match the rest of the uniform, as soon as something nicks his nose, there’s a huge dark spot left there. My ARAHC Tripwire has a boogered nose like this, because I got him in a lot with a bunch of other ARAHC figures all at once for a couple of dollars. It was a deal too good to pass up, but it’s still always bugged me. I think I’ll repaint it soon.
As for accessories, Tripwire comes equipped with the entirety of his original loadout. You get his mine detector, 3 mines and backpack just like always. Although exploring Tripwire’s secondary specialty of demolitions would seem interesting, I’m glad they managed to keep him with his original parts.
I’ve really enjoyed this figure in my collection over the years- to the point I’ve yet to acquire a V1 Tripwire. Objectively speaking, it’s a drab Tripwire repaint in a line that featured too many drab repaints. However, on his own it’s a workable figure that does well to represent a classic character. I suppose another way of saying that, is that the only thing that holds this figure back is the line he’s associated with.
You can get this Tripwire around $7, and he’s commonly in lots with the Big Brawler he came packaged with, as well as other ARAHC figures. ARAHC lots are common and usually don’t go for much still, so if you aren’t offended by the overall drabness of the line, you can usually get figures like this one with a few extras for a lot less. They are good toys in all honesty, they really just suffer from bad marketing choices.
The Viper Pit 