The Viper, one of the most popular Cobra troopers, has had a storied history throughout the various incarnations of the 3 3/4 inch Joe line. It seems like almost every version released since the original in 1986 has started out with some sort of issue, whether it’s articulation or colors. When the 1997 Toys R Us exclusive line appeared, the
Read moreCobra has always had a history of making messes. What more would you expect from a terrorist organization? Bake sales? From the first Toxo-Vipers in 1988 to an entire force of environmentally unfriendly operatives in the 90’s, they’ve been at the forefront of bio warfare. The most recent line is no different, as we now have the Hazard Viper spreading
Read moreThe Pursuit of Cobra line has been a source of both joy and frustration for me. When I first saw the prototypes at the 2009 Joecon in Kansas City, I was excited by the designs that built upon the articulation improvements of the movie line, yet paid homage to classic designs. Overall, the series has been great, and I think
Read moreThe last year of the Joe line was a strange affair. Hasbro tried changing a few thing up a bit, like the card design, but it was ultimately too late. The toy world at that point had moved beyond the small Joes. Hasbro just couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle again, no matter how many concepts and tweaks they tried
Read moreWhoa! What’s going on here? Is this another Funskool figure? No, its Snake Eyes’ irradiated version from the MASS device mini-series DVD pack. In the first GI Joe cartoon mini-series, the Joes were searching for catalytic elements to power their own version of Cobra’s transportation device. One of the elements was highly radioactive. Snake Eyes made an apparent sacrifice to
Read moreReleased in 2008 as part of the internet exclusive Cobra Desert Assault Squad Extreme Conditions Pack (what a mouthful!) this figure is a mash-up of Joe and Cobra parts. Those two sets, which also included an arctic assault pack, were not wildly popular. I guess it could be attributed to the special environments. If these had been done as generic
Read moreI bought my first GI Joe vehicle back in 1983, the Falcon glider with Grunt. It was basically a foam glider that was counterweighted by attaching the figure to the harness. Naturally it was fragile and quickly broke, but it did fly well, and it was a fun toy while it lasted. Fast forward to 1991 and Hasbro’s release of
Read more“There’s never a cop around when you need one. When this one’s around, all you need is one.” The 1992 film starring Jackie Chan was originally released as Police Story III—wait, wrong blog. This is Funskool’s Super Cop, and he’s, well, a cop. Is he super? He’s got Sgt. Slaughter’s head, and he was pretty super. That should count for
Read moreSome Joe fans have a love-hate relationship with the team’s First Sergeant. In the cartoon, he was the de-facto leader until Hawk came around in the second season. In the comic, Hawk was the Joe honcho from the beginning, and Duke was a Johnny Come Lately second in command two years into the series run. Since his first figure appearance
Read moreThe Ice Viper, driver of the Cobra WOLF is an interesting figure for the time, considering the accessories included: a helmet and two sais, extra acessories that set him apart from the usually weaponless drivers. I never really understood why he came with tradtionally martial arts weapons. Maybe he uses them as ice picks. The WOLF was a fast attack
Read more