Hooded Cobra Commander (25th Anniversary)

By KansasBrawler

When I was a kid, I never had that strong of a tie to the hooded Cobra Commander look. I grew up on the cartoon and I remember seeing the battle helmet a lot more. Plus, my first Cobra Commander was the awesome 1987 battle armor version, so the hooded look just really didn’t interest me all that much. However, that changed during the 25th Anniversary line. Though the first 25th Anniversary Cobra Commander figure started looking dated rather quickly, I was far more impressed with the hooded version released in the first wave of carded figures. Everything about it was just more striking and even if I did have to deal with the sheer terror of unsticking a joint for the first time, it was a great figure. Yes, like all the early 25th Anniversary figures, he has his share of problems, but it’s a lot more interesting figure than the helmeted version and it surprises me a little that I say that.

Like the rest of the first wave of carded figures, Cobra Commander is a simple head swap. Hasbro wasn’t really expecting the line to take off like it did, so they were caught a little flatfooted when it came to meeting the demand for the figures. The fastest way to get some additional product out was to give us stuff that were just simple head swaps since all that would need to be done is tool up a new head. That means this version of Cobra Commander shares his entire body with the first modern release. That means the legs are a bit too lanky and the angry fist leaves him with only one usable hand. However, it also means he’s got the nicely disguised midtorso joint. The only new piece is his head and I really do like the hooded Cobra Commander head a bit more than the battle helmet. Since you can actually see his eyes, you can see a bit more character from the figure. The hood is sculpted to look slightly dynamic, but I don’t see that as much of a problem. I prefer the basic drape that the Retaliation Ultimate Cobra Commander had, but it’s not distractingly dynamic like 25th Anniversary Baroness’ hair. The eyes are the only part of Cobra Commander’s face you can see, and if the eyes are the window to the soul, we get a look into the soul of a rather dark man. He has a very intense and angry stare and I like seeing that in Cobra Commander. Without being able to see his eyes, you don’t get that.

The other place this version of Cobra Commander beats the helmeted version is in the color scheme. Cobra Commander is still wearing blue, but it’s a very dark blue. It’s far more intimidating and really helps add to the figure’s air of menace. His gloves, shoes, and straps are black but the midtorso belt and the belt for his pants also have quite a bit of gold on them. It keeps the figure looking dark, but the gold is just a little more regal. The gold for the buttons is cleanly applied. Cobra Commander has a Cobra sigil on the left side of his chest, but the dark red does blend in rather well with the dark blue, so it’s a bit harder to notice. However, despite that issue, I think the dark blue Cobra Commander looks much, much better than baby blue version does.

Like the other 25th Anniversary version of Cobra Commander, this one only has one accessory. It’s the same modern version of the classic Cobra Commander pistol. The look has held up surprisingly well over the years and I still love that it can be stored on his back. I’m glad Hasbro made sure to reference this piece time and again with Cobra Commander. It’s really the only weapon that looks right in his hand.

This figure may be a simple head swap, but I find it to be much more interesting than the standard battle helmeted version. The hood is just so much simpler and more effective at conveying Cobra Commander’s menace than the battle helmet. The dark blue looks more striking than the light blue and the added gold makes him look more legal. It’s just a much more effective look and considering how I prefer my Cobras to look a little more fanciful, I’m honestly still a little surprised at how much I like the hooded Cobra Commander.