| Cobra Island packs; -great sets | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 1 2009, 02:08 PM (44 Views) | |
| Dominic Guglieme | Sep 1 2009, 02:08 PM Post #1 |
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the human MICROscope!!
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Normally, I do not review toys that I bought for customizing. However, these are good enough that they warrant me posting my thoughts. The Cobra Island 7 packs consist of 2 sets of 7 figures each, 1 for GI Joe, the other for Cobra. The premise behind the sets is that the Joes are attacking Cobra Island, placing the normally aggressive Cobra Forces in the role of defenders. The contents of, and on the back of, both boxes look like the beginnings of a gaming scenario, with each "player" getting 7 pieces to either take or defend a position. Most of the figures in both sets would make sense for a "take and hold" or "defend" type scenario, thougt a few are definitely out of place. (At some point, I may write a detailed scenario, and give stats to the figures. But, that is contingent on me having time and energy to do so.) The figures themselves are mostly good to excellent, with only one that I would really avoid if it were single packed. The molding is a mixture of recolored 25A parts, some re-used parts from ~20 years ago, and some newly molded bits. (I really do not feel like doing the research to break down exactly what parts are from where. But, anybody who is that interested could easily do it themselves, likely using their own collections as reference.) It strikes me how well some of the older parts have aged over the years, not looking terribly out of place on newer figures. Most likely, the new molding that is in these sets is a result of cancelled 25A and/or "Reolute" waves. (It is very unlikely that Hasbro would make new tooling for internet-only box sets.) Both sets have a few figures I intend to keep. The rest are mostly custom and trade fodder. But, unlike most of custom and trade fodder in my collection, I am not keeping these separate from my main collection. (If I never get around to customizing or trading them, I am happy to keep these figures in my collection, ya know?) The Joes: Ripcord/SPC Altitude: The figure clearly evokes the original Ripcord figure. But, the name on the package is "SPC Altitude", likely to avoid confusion with the Ripcord character from the movie. A recent "GI Joe" sourcebook, (that I plan to review soonish), uses the original Ripcord character model, but uses "Wallace Weems" as the file name. Weems is the name of the movie character. The file card included with the toy uses the name "Philip Arndt". The only other sourcebook I have handy is the Devil's Due "Battle Files" from 2002, which does not have an entry for Ripcord, so I cannot check the file names against each other. I am assuming this figure is intended to represent the original Ripcord figure. The figure itself is one of the more lackluster offerings, with an air-hose running from his mask....to no apparent connection. (Trading this one.) Still, it is fairly easy to come up with a purpose for Ripcord being part of an attack on Cobra Island, as parachuting would be a good way to land troops. Zap: Zap is one of the original 13 Joes from 1982, meaning there are plenty of collectors that will want this figure. He is a bazooka/anti-armour trooper. It is not completely out of order to have one of these guys along for an attack raid, but he is the most out of place Joe in the set. Between the fact I have no special attachment to Zap as a character, and the toy being a lack-luster effort (with a painted, rather than moulded, mustache), I am willing to trade this one. Not a bad toy, but nothing I am going of of my way to keep. Hit and Run: Somebody at Hasbro much like this character, as I am pretty sure that there is not real fan demand behind this figure being made. Still, a mountain trooper does make sense for this set. And, the figure is one of the more interesting. I definitely like it more than I thought I would. Still, I have no attachment to it, and would be wiling to trade it if somebody asked. Recondo: This is one of the figures that I plan to keep. Recondo is one of those characters that I have always liked, but I never really had any toys off beyond a "Tiger Force" recolor from the late 80s. My interest in the character is largely due to the fact he made a couple of strong showings in the comics, (including a good turn in DDP's "World War III"), and appeared several times in episodes of the cartoon I recall liking as a kid. Aside from having a painted mustache, the figure itself is pretty good. And, a jungle trooper makes perfect sense for a raid on Cobra Island, which has consistently been shown to have jungles over the years. Wetsuit: Aside from some re-used, (if slightly remolded), parts from the original, this figure is mostly a straight recolor of 25A Torpedo and movie Deep-Six. If I can get ahold of the parts, I might try to customize it a bit to make Wetsuit more distinctive from the other divers. But, as it stands now, this is a good representation of the character. And, a Navy SeAL makes sense for an attack on an island. Chuckles: I am loathe to like this one. I like the character. I like the toy. And, I do not want to. Ya see, Chuckles is a minor enough character that has appeared in a few good stories, with a few bad (though not quite ruinous) appearances as well. My (inclination towards) distaste for the character stems from the tantrum many fans pitched when Chuckles got killed off during the DDP run of the comic. (Considering that Chuckles came out in 1987, it is suprising so many of the hard-core fans like the character as much as they do, as their unhealthy attachments tend to be for characters released in 1986 or earlier.) Objectively, this should not bother me. But, it does. I plan to keep this figure all the same. Given that Chuckles is packaged with a (presumably stolen) MARS briefcase, it is likely that the Joes are attacking to cover his escape from Cobra Island. Outback: Damn, this is a good figure. Outback being a survivalist makes him a good fit for this set, not wholly unlike Recondo. Either Outback has been hiding out on Cobra Island for some time, or the Joes are planning to leave him behind to harass Cobra forces for the long-term. Grade (for the set): B Over-all, this is a good set. Even the weakest figures are objecively good, if not great. And, most on-line dealers are selling this set for quite a bit less than the cost of 7 figures at retail, which makes this a more attractive prospect. Cobra: Doctor Mindbender: Mindbender is an old favorite of mine, and a character that I have consistently liked. There are plenty of childhood favorites that I have either out-grown over the years, or that I simply like at a sentimental level. Mindbender is one of those characters that I appreciate as much now as I did then. The biggest problem with this toy is that his holster does not quite hold his pistol. This may or may not be a universal defect, but it is one I can fix easily enough. I might customize this figure to resemble Mindbender from "Return of Serpentor". I suppose Mindbender's role in the "defense" scenario is that he is the guy who happened to be on duty when the Joes attacked. Either way, I bought the set partly to get a Mindbender. Battle Android Trooper: This is the 4th iteration of the 25A BAT mould. This variant has some (uniquely molded) battle-damage to the head and chest. Instead of the standard back-pack with alternate armatures, this BAT includes a cannister back-pack, which the file-card explains holds seens for some sort of killer creeper-vines. (There is a vine accessory, recolored from the vines packed in the "Weather Dominator" boxed set a few years back, in this set.) The set also includes an alternate "un-damaged" head and chest-plate, making it possible to customize this as an un-damaged BAT. The undamaged head has a silver face-plate, similar to the single carded 25A BAT which used the comic book coloring. However, the single carded 25A BAT had dry brushed metallic paint on some areas, making it look dirty. The "Cobra Island Defense" BAT's metallic paint is not dry-brushed, looking cleaner, like the red faced (cartoon colors) BAT from the "Arise Serpentor, Arise" boxed set. Besides the fact that the dirty metal effect would have made more sense for a "battle damaged" BAT, this effectively creates a 4th iteration, (along side the single carded, "Arise Serpentor Arise", and "Resolute" variants), of what should actually be the most uniform of troop-builder figures. The BAT is listed on its file-card as being sent out to deploy the killer creeper vines as a trap for the Joes. Strato-Viper and Lamprey: I am lumping these two together as my thoughts on both are more or less the same. Both are very good figures in their own right. The problem is that the Strato-Viper is a pilot, and the Lamprey is a boat driver. While there were 25A released vehicles that either could be logically placed in, (the Rattler fo the Strato-Viper and the Water Mocassin for the Lamprey), neither can be placed in their "traditional" vehicles, (the Night Raven and Moray), unless one happens to have original copies of those toys. I suppose these guys could be "random Cobras reacting to the Joes attack" in a defense scenario. (For example, Wetsuit could kill the Lamprey at Cobra Island's dock or something, or vice versa. The Strato-Viper could be trapped on the ground after Zap cripples the air-field. Both are really solid figures on their own, and make me wonder if Hasbro intended to release more vehicles before the 25A series ended. Nightcreeper: Oh, bitter irony! I wanted this figure purely to customize. In theory, it should not bother be at all that this figure is the weakest of all the figures in both sets. (There is some really odd molding on the head, making it look like a post-hoc effort by Hasbro.) The problem is that the head is the piece I would most need for my planned custom, Incision from the Plague Regiment seen in "World War III". Ah well, at least I will not be tempted to keep this one intact. I suppose a ninja would be a good guy to have one your side while defending an island hide-out. Range Viper: This is a very nice figure. It took me several fiddles to realize that the mask/helmet piece come off. The fact that said mask comes off makes a custom I had been planning to do easier. The problem is that it now means there are two appealling custom projects I want to do with this figure, and I only have one. Needless to say, I plan to trade for another. (If I had the money, I would likely just buy another set.) Needless to say, I will be customizing this one, after long deliberation on exactly what I want to do with it. As far as defending Cobra Island goes, the Range Viper is a pretty obvious foil for Outback and/or Recondo. Alley Viper: Objectively, this is not a good toy. Besides the absurdity of an urban combat trooper dressing up in bright blue and orange armour, a design flaw on the figures helmet effectively blinds the trooper. (The flip down visor completely covers the Alley Viper's face, which is actually pretty funny when you consider how useful eyes would be in the kind of melee combat an Alley Viper would get stuck into.) But, darnit if I do not like this figure for completely idiosyncratic reasons. Years ago, I was a member of a forum named after this figure, (well, an earlier variant of it). The founder, (who took the name "Alley Viper" for himself), was clearly a fan. And, adding another level to the above mentioned absurdity of an urban combat trooper dressing in garish colors and charging into battle blind-folded, there is the first appearance of an Alley Viper in animation. In the "GI Joe: Operation Dragon Fire" series a Crimson Guard is promoted to the rank of Alley Viper. Yes, an elite trooper who is intended to double as a doctor, lawyer or accountant for Cobra, and is assumed to have years of experience and training, was "promoted" to being a guy who job it is to get into as much danger as possible in urban combat, the most grinding type of fighting a soldier is likely to face. This floored me as a kid, and I never quite recovered. As far as defending Cobra Island goes, the Alley Viper would likely be fighting in and around fortified buildings. Grade: B/C As good as some of the figures in this set are, the vehicle drivers are more than a bit out of place, at the cost of occupying two spaces that could have gone to other figures. Dom -spent wayyyy too much time typing this up. |
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| viper commander | Sep 6 2009, 06:29 AM Post #2 |
Mercenary, Assassin
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Good review Dom, it reinforced my decision not to get a denfense pack. I was dismayed by the inclusion of the BAT, Mindbender, and Strato viper |
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| Dominic Guglieme | Sep 9 2009, 06:41 PM Post #3 |
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the human MICROscope!!
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Really? I rather liked Mindbender myself. The BAT is not a bad toy, discounting my rather peevish complaints about it. I cannot defend the Strato-Viper, but it commits no sins the Lamprey does not either. Dom -needs to catch up on Joe customs. |
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