G.i. Joe Classified # 193 David “Red Dog” Taputapu & Varujan “Taurus” Ayvazyan
David “Red Dog” Taputapu
A former football quarterback that could’ve gone “Pro”, Red Dog was suspended for excessive roughness when he smashed a defensive lineman’s helmet, along with his head, after the latter accidentally stepped on the former’s big toe. He would eventually be recruited to join the Renegades.
Do note that the bracelets on his left arm aren’t sculpted on, so be careful when swapping his hands, you might lose the bracelets.
Red Dog’s pistol and silencer can be holstered on his right thigh.
Personally, I find the silencer and odd choice for this big Samoan, as his main function on the team seems to be just going in hard and crushing any opposition, as opposed to the silent approach.
He also has a knife that can be sheathed on the small of his back.
Red Dog comes with his backpack; too bad it can’t open up and store his guns inside though.
He apparently also loves using Samoan clubs to hammer his opponents into submission, as he comes with a pair of really big Samoan clubs.
For heavier firepower, he comes with a rifle.
Removable ammo clip.
Of course, the best accessory in the pack – a football complete with a holder base!
I love that Red Dog can hold this kicking pose!
Varujan “Taurus” Ayvazyan
A former circus strongman who occasionally did undercover work for Interpol, Varujan Ayvazyan was recruited into the G.i. Joe Renegades program by Sergeant Slaughter himself. An expert at explosives and mountaineering, Taurus is also fluent in over a dozen languages.
I really love the headsculpt on this guy!
Since he’s from Istanbul, Turkey, he comes with a unique dagger and pistol.
If that isn’t enough, he also has a trusty modern sidearm to work with.
His gun and pistol can be holstered on his vest and on his right side.
Taurus’ left side has a sheathe for this dagger and his scimitar can be stowed onto a clip on his left hip
He looks really menacing with his scimitar.
To keep up with his “the guy on the team with a thing for blades” theme, he also comes with an axe.
Naturally, who brings just a knife to a gunfight? So Taurus brings along his trusty shotgun as well.
A shame he doesn’t come with a backpack like his vintage toy.
The other half of the Slaughter’s Renegades crew!
The duo also come with closed right fists, which seems to be an ongoing trend now with the line. I guess it’s so they can all do the “Yo, Joe!” battle cry poses? I’m glad we have this option.
Another ongoing theme with this duo is that they love to use their respective melee weapons aside from firearms when in combat (it’s a concept from the vintage toyline).
With Mercer from the 2-pack with Sarge.
The Renegades!
Since I’m too lazy to dig out the proper Sgt. Slaughter, the 2-pack version will have to do for now. I’ll probably revisit this page later on and update it with a proper Renegades group photo.
Overall, I love it! The set comes with a whole bunch of weapons and gear for these two, just like with the Mercer 2-pack. I am so glad we finally have the OG Renegades complete! My only complaint would be the lack of extra heads for this set (Mercer came with an alternate head). I guess Hasbro had to cut costs somewhere.
I’m still on the fence as to whether I’m going to go after the Renegades redecos of Low Light and the others, as the DIC era toons weren’t really a high point for me. Time will tell.
Gold
