As a child, Jake Rockwell was my favorite Centurion figure. Was it his cool accessory sets? Was it his interesting mustard/dark olive drab color combination? Was it his rugged good looks? No. It was because of something simpler than that. Ol’ Jake was the only Centurion figure that I had. When I was a kid, I was excellent at conning myself into believing that the figures I had were always the best that a particular toyline had to offer. Centurions was no exception. But now that I have a near-complete Centurions collection, I have to admit that Jake still ranks high among his holey-suited brethren.
For those who are unfamiliar with the line, the Centurions was an innovative toy series consisting primarily of three good guys (Jake, Ace McCloud, and Max Ray). Each figure came garbed in a futuristic suit of armor filled with holes. And what went in these holes? Why, weapons, of course! Each Centurion figure came packaged with a set of basic weapons. But the real meat of the line was the separate accessory sets that you could harass your parents into buying. These accessory sets featured larger, more detailed weaponry that could be attached to the figure. To make the figures even more enticing, certain features in the accessory sets could only be activated when the weapons were attached to the figures. Well, that’s not entirely true. But the features were a whole lot cooler when you used the figures as a go-between. For example, turning a gun attached to a figure’s backpack might shoot off a missile from his chest plate. You get the picture.
For those who are unfamiliar with the line, the Centurions was an innovative toy series consisting primarily of three good guys (Jake, Ace McCloud, and Max Ray). Each figure came garbed in a futuristic suit of armor filled with holes. And what went in these holes? Why, weapons, of course! Each Centurion figure came packaged with a set of basic weapons. But the real meat of the line was the separate accessory sets that you could harass your parents into buying. These accessory sets featured larger, more detailed weaponry that could be attached to the figure. To make the figures even more enticing, certain features in the accessory sets could only be activated when the weapons were attached to the figures. Well, that’s not entirely true. But the features were a whole lot cooler when you used the figures as a go-between. For example, turning a gun attached to a figure’s backpack might shoot off a missile from his chest plate. You get the picture.
Anyway, I digress. If you’re reading this, you probably know all about Centurions. As I mentioned, Jake came in a dark olive drab body suit covered in mustard-colored armor. For the sake of brevity, I’m going to refer to these colors as “green” and “yellow” for the rest of the review (you ever tried typing “dark olive drab” and “mustard-colored” over and over?). Jake also sported a nifty yellow and green (ahh, already quicker) helmet with a Centurions logo placed firmly on the front of his noggin. As the “land operations specialist”, Jake came packages with a basic accessory set dubbed “Fireforce”. Fireforce (or, as I call it, “the stuff Jake Rockwell came with”) included: a tan backpack, a 2-piece olive drab shoulder light, a double-barreled olive drab gun, another, more phallic gun with four barrels on the end, and a big honkin’ tan missile launcher with yellow missile (that actually fired).
So is Jake worth picking up these days? Definitely. Due to their somewhat larger size, (Centurions were about as tall as Mego figures), these guys stand out in a toy collection. They may not feature the type of articulation that modern collectors are used to, but Centurions are no slouches when it comes to moving that body (the three heroes could move their heads at two points, and featured additional articulation at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees). Centurions also had crisp, eye-catching paint applications. But the real visual treat is the detailed sculpting that went into each one of these guys (Jake included). Just looking over Jake’s armor, you can see all sorts of details. Plus, the modular weapon system is a can’t-miss feature.
Jake had four separate weapon systems available to buy (Hornet, Detonator, Wild Weasel, and Swingshot). With the exception of Swingshot, (which was admittedly kind of lame), all of Jake’s weapon systems were visually interesting and full of play value. If you’re just looking to get into the line, there’s no better place to start than old, reliable Jake Rockwell.
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