Snake Eyes (2008 DVD Battle)

While I have find memories of the first GI Joe mini-series, the MASS Device, I hold its follow-up, the Revenge of Cobra, in higher esteem. As a kid, I had taped the initial airing (on Beta, no less) abd had it on a regular viewing schedule for at least a year. As such, I think I have its dialogue as well committed to memory as I do the Empire Strikes Back. Being that the show was taped via less than a high fidelity source from a terrestrial antenna based television, the picture wasn’t as pristine as what’s been released on DVD, or even old VHS tapes. I remember the scenes with Snake Eyes being particularly troublesome, because I couldn’t make out any detail in his uniform. He simply looked like a black mass. It wasn’t until seeing the mini-series years later that I finally saw the slightly contrasting colors of his visor, belts and straps.

This figure represents those quite well, and it was and exciting figure to get at the time, considering I was a huge fan of the TV show. The 25th anniversary line had attempted a 1985 style Snake Eyes, but I found it lacking. This one gives us that figure, run through a Sunbow filter. I love it. Even if there isn’t a Timber, or a signature Uzi included (which Snakes didn’t use in the animation anyway), I still think it’s pretty great. Of all the 25th style figures, this is one that seems more toylike and playable to me. Maybe that’s down to the animated look. Whatever the case, this figure still brings a smile on my face, and brings back an afternoon watching the cartoon on an old Beta tape.

 

6 comments

  • For some reasons the first 5 miniseries plus the 1987 movie have never been released on DvD down here. I hadnt seen them for years. I had fond memories of hiring the first 2 Vhs adventures and watched them on Youtube as i couldnt view them any other way. Though these days the padding in them irritates me but then again, I’m a 28 year old watching a “kids” cartoon.
    I finally got around to seiing Pyramids of Darkness a couple of years ago via youtube too and in my honest opinion, Pyramid of darkness is even sillier then some of Dic’s episodes.

    When i was a kid, the only two Hasbro cartoons i had on tape were the 1987 Goldenbooks release of Megatron makes movies and Laser in the light. I could quote both of them backwards.

    As for Snake eyes i remeber the main reason my little brother and sister liked him was beacuse he had a wolf. They always used to fight over who got to be Junkyard when we were playing with our figures.

  • I was pleased with this figure as well. I like the head sculpt a lot better than the one used on the most recent Ultimate version, although that one did give us a nicely updated Timber.

    My family bought a VCR in the early 80’s around the time that VHS had trumped Beta in the home video wars, so I never got to partake in the Beta experience, much like I had gone from LPs to cassettes without ever knowing what an an 8-track looked like.

    I remember being excited about The MASS Device in 1983 but disappointed when Duke showed up as Scarlett’s romantic interest instead of Snake Eyes. The following year, I was left wondering who Flint, Lady Jaye, and Shipwreck were after watching The Revenge of Cobra. (At the time, I thought they were going to be cartoon-only characters much like Sparks was, but their figures showed up on the back of the early Dreadnok cards around Christmas of ’84 and that settled that.) In retrospect, TROC is the best of the five Sunbow miniseries, even though it had become painfully obvious by then that a mute character such as Snake Eyes didn’t work as well on TV as he did on the printed page.

  • I made a mistake it was meant to be “First 3 miniseries” and “Hoist goes Hollywood” [“Megatron makes movies” was the title the episode was given down here]

  • I remember having a Betamax as a kid. Nice machine, really. Even though Beta had the better picture, the VHS had more tape, so you could fit more on a VHS than the Beta. I wish I could be a ghost and experience 1982-89 in one continuous loop over and over again like the movie Groundhog Day.

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