The Cobra Mortal has quite a reputation among international releases. The silver and red version is highly prized, and the even rarer primarily white figure from Venezuela is something of an international grail for collectors. The Collectors Club covered both versions in convention sets, and based them on classic o-ring and modern construction Snake Eyes figures. Custom figure purveyor Black
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By Past Nastification Munita was a delayed figure that ended up being released as a Direct to Consumer figure through the GI Joe Collectors’ Club. Maybe because of the delay, or maybe because Hasbro had moved on to the 25th Anniversary style figures at retail, Munitia just didn’t catch on. The character was intended to be a ruthless bounty hunter,
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Here’s a mash-up I never would have imagined until I saw it–the Plague Invasor. It’s the sort of idea at which Black Major excels. Adapting the International exclusive Cobra Invasor concept to the 2000s era Plague sub-team is a brilliant step. When I first spotted this figure I assumed it was a Desert Scorpion type trooper, but the insignia tells
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By KansasBrawler While some folks may not have liked the movie, the Rise of Cobra line was very effective at what it did—getting screen-accurate action figures out quite quickly. However, some of my favorite pieces were the repaints. Without even trying, I amassed a pretty impressive army of Neo-Vipers and I’m fine with that. I really liked the movie’s take
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You know what I love most about Desert Scorpion? Is it the amazing weapon complement? The unique uniform design? The cool, Snake Eyes-Esque mask? I appreciate all those great elements, but my favorite part of the figure is Unexplained Giant Scorpion. The accessory list printed next to the card bubble calls it a pet scorpion, but I prefer my name.
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By KansasBrawler While I’ve always loved Destro, I never felt the need to track down the original Destro. I thought the 1988 Iron Grenadiers version was perfect. However, it does make sense that when Hasbro started the 25th Anniversary line, they gave us the original Destro first. It’s an iconic look and while it’s not my cup of tea, I
Read moreIt’s time to blast back to one of the first figures I covered when I started this craziness back in 2011. Back then, I was just grabbing whatever figure struck my fancy and setting up photos in front of my old Missile Command HQ. Such an innocent time. Nowadays of course I have a much more sophisticated method, wherein I
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By KansasBrawler Communications has always been an integral part of warfare. The G.I. Joe line understood that from day one, with Breaker being part of the original the team. In 1985, Cobra decided to get into the communications game with the Tele-Viper and the following year the Joes gave Breaker a little support in the form of Dial-Tone. I’m not
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By Past Nastification GI Joe in alternate formats, like the Combat Heroes or even the 12” figures, usually doesn’t catch my interest. The Micro Force figures were an exception. An exception with a twisted arm. Several years ago a friend bought them for me for Christmas. He knew damned well that I’d get a kick out them and then “collect
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When the initial 25th Anniversary five-pack sets made their way to toy shelves, I believe we all assumed Hasbro was simply going to revisit the most popular characters in a limited commemorative run intended for collectors. As such, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope that the toys would be as playable or as popular as their forebears. Both
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