Polar Assault Eel (2014 Kre-O)
I’ve not felt like really army building any of the Kre-O Cobras until this fellow came along. An odd thing to say, considering that Hasbro’s beautifully simple brick homage to the Real American Hero era figures has already brought several iconic Cobra troop types, from the standard “blueshirt” trooper to the Eels to the ever-popular Crimson Guard. Heck, I wasn’t even tempted to follow through on buying a squad of BATs last year. Maybe that’s mostly down to my particular financial situation, but it could also be due to my love for the figure that inspired this one: the 1985 Snow Serpent. The original Cobra cold weather specialists hold a special place in my collection.
The Kre-O interpretation does the Snow Serpent justice quite well, despite leaving out a couple of details. The Polar Assault Eel, which is an accurate name, considering that the Snow Serpents are the arctic branch of the Eel forces, has the overall 1985 look down pat. He is however missing a couple of key accessories. The backpack and snowshoes are not included, but since most of the line is made up of existing parts, I can’t be upset about their absence. As a nice bonus, the figure has a missile launcher and an alternate jacket piece that slips on over the head, giving the figure a new, more heavily protected look. Also, this is one of the few times when the Kre-O forearm cuff fits perfectly into the design, as it mimics the fur gauntlet of old. Yes, I’ve already bought four of these guys. Too bad there won’t be any more snow for a long time.
That jacket is really cool. They’re throwing in a lot more pieces that they didn’t let us see before release like that. As much as I loved Scrap Iron’s surprise missile launcher, that new jacket definitely takes the prize for coolest add on for Wave 3 of the Joe Kre-Os.
His head reminds me of the long forgotten Lego Spyrius droid. I loved Spyrius twenty years ago. A pity it didnt last long
Nice little guy!
Still can’t find this guy! I’ve gotten the other 11 wave three figs, but someone local to me must be buying this guy up.
Congrats! These are the first two to disappear from a newly opened box. I like them without the “coat”, but it’s cool they threw in a missile launcher.