When I first saw the packaging for Retaliation, and its focus on ninja themes, I was more than a little concerned. Even the back of the package, which mentioned the GI Joe team having top-secret ninja training, made me wince in anticipation of what that could mean for the movie. Would Roadblock really be a ninja commando? Would Snake Eyes
Read moreAs my area is beset with an unseasonably hot month of September, my mind goes back to the beginning of this year, to a day when 12 inches of snow was on the ground, and I brought out many of my arctic figures for an impromptu photo shoot. Among them was a figure I’m surprised I haven’t covered yet, 1985’s
Read moreI’ve gone Kra-Z for Kre-O! Okay, sorry for the lame joke, but I’m really excited by these little guys. More so for the mini-figs than for most of the actual building sets. However, some of the vehicles are pretty nicely done, even though most aren’t based totally on existing GI Joe equipment. The figures, however, continue to be great little
Read moreThe SNAKE armor has come in quite a few different flavors over the years. Aside from the original white, there’s a Cobra blue version, as well as an interesting red recolor from across the pond. With the Rise of Cobra tie-in toys came this black number, perfect for all your formal Cobra world domination events. All that’s missing is a
Read moreI loved the Sunbow homage figures. The animated universe, especially the first mini-series, had so many interesting filler and background characters populating the show. It’s only natural, since the animated mini-series was limited to the first two years of the action figure line. The Cobra troops in particular needed a bit of fleshing out. The Cobra Diver’s first claim to
Read moreThe Rock Viper’s repaint into Python Patrol has already been covered here, but the original figure still holds some interest thanks to a sensible color scheme, a functioning climbing backpack, and a bit of facial hair. I’m disappointed that these more specialized Cobra troops were released after I had finished my childhood collecting. I’m sure I would have picked this
Read moreSince the second series of Kre-O blind bag figures are apparently out, I thought I’d cover one that hadn’t gotten coverage from me a few months ago. It’s a lovely little bit of sweet orange plastic. Hasbro really has to get props for making such an effective product using mostly existing parts. I’m amazed how well some of the Battleship
Read moreYesterday’s post echoes many of my thoughts on this figure. I can sum up most of my thoughts quickly. This is the Cobra Commander we should have gotten back in the days of the 25th anniversary. Scale, proportion and poseability are all greatly improved from earlier modern styled figures. For all the attention to detail given this figure, I am
Read moreWhen I first saw pictures of a new Storm Shadow, more closely based on the classic 1984 design than we’d seen in the recent modern releases, I was really jazzed. The Renegades figure is amazing, but isn’t an exacting recreation of the memorable look of the old version. I don’t want to say this is the Storm Shadow I’ve always
Read moreThe Renegades Storm Shadow released a couple of years ago was one of the most impressely articulated and accessorized versions of the classic Cobra ninja. It featured all the articulation improvements of the modern line, along with incredibly detailed and intricate accessories. If you thought that figure just had too much of both, then I’ve got the perfect figure for
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