Another great review of an iconic character in Joe mythos!
And I agree, as a toy, Spirit figures are as brittle as they come - even his pet eagle Freedom suffers from brittle plastic. Right now my Freedom's back half of his talons is barely hanging on by the stress marks in the plastic. One more accidental drop and Freedom's talons are gone
Finding a mint Spirit is definitely a challenge. I think what makes this figure so successful is not only his unique look when compared to his other joes, but also his accessories. Freedom, his gun, backpack, and tribal loin cloth add so much value to the figure. Even down to his hair sculpt and the sterotypical pig tails.
I'm definitely looking forward to the 25A Spirit even though I personally thing the face sculpt is off. His accessories (rounds of darts especially) and his amazing cardart is what's winning me over.
I tend to view the trend going in much the way that pluv has described although I dont see people necessarily dumping their ARAH figures in favour for 25A. I think most collectors are just going to keep their ARAH untouched and on display while they enjoy the updated looks of what 25A offers.
I think we're probably looking at the next major evolution of the G.I. Joe toyline if Hasbro continues their investment into the product. For all intents and purposes you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks '82 Torpedo is better than 25A Torpedo for example. Spirit's no different and I'm glad he's being released in 2008. I'd even go out on a limb and say that 2008 is the next big golden year along the lines of what 1985 was to most of us - iconic characters, amazing figures, inspiring both kids and adults.