Storm Shadow is quite obviously a soldier class figure compared to some others. While the first wave of Soldier figures had a lot of gear and seemed to push the limit of the lower price point, this Storm Shadow seems to be a more obvious soldier selection. Still, his assortment of cool bladed weapons is a nice addition.

The bladed gauntlets, while being Shredder-like, are still an interesting weapon selection and add some danger to the figure and character. I really love those black and silver oversized blades...they look far deadlier, and are a big departure from the more "Shredder-like" smaller blades in red and gold.

The quiver is a very nice, understated accessory compliment. With ample room for Stormy's trick arrows, it also has a terrific thin little sheath there for the Daito blade he comes with. The quiver is nice and streamlined, too, not being overly bulky and combersome like Spirit's kind of is.

But of course, it's the Crossbow that is the main selling point apparently (since it's used in the name of the toy itself), and Hasbro did a pretty great job giving it an old school Oriental flair. The way the rope actually cocks back when you lock the arrow in place really rocks, too, and the spring-loaded launcher does a decent job of firing it. It doesn't go real far, but you get the point, anyway.

From his firing crossbow to his curved sword and blade gauntlets, this soldier version of Storm Shadow has some neat accessories, which are meant to be the focus of these re-issues. While I don't think these weapons will have nearly the impact that the vast number of blades he came with in the Commando assortment did, these are still some very interesting and unique weapons and I really like them.

Whether you want the up close and personal bladed weapons mounted on his arms, the sword in his backpack, or the long range power of the trick-arrow loaded Crossbow, this figure has it all. The weapons are a lot stranger than the more typical ones that came with the Commando version, but in some ways I think they're a lot more fun. Fun enough to warrant an additional $10.00 purchase? Not necessarily. I still like this figure and his gear quite a bit, but ultimately, it's not a "must buy" by a long shot.