As a guy who really embraces the funky whacked out colors of the 1990’s, the COBRA Heli-Viper is a figure that should be right up my alley, but honestly, it really isn’t. It’s not necessarily the brightness of the colors that gets to me, it’s the placement of the colors and the fact that the purple/red combination is so all encompassing without any decent detail breaks or interesting trim colors.
Believe me, I wish I knew why some figures appealed to me, but others don’t. Why can I wholeheartedly love the crazy yellow and pink Mega-Viper, yet the classic Heli-Viper, for some reason, just doesn’t float my boat?
I don’t have an answer.
One thing I can say, though is that the Collectors Club did a decent job taking the framework of the classic Heli-Viper and bringing it forward into a modern format. It wasn’t anything extraordinarily complicated, after all, Hasbro already did their version of the Night Viper and their version of the Snow Serpent. the Club just had to take those two figures and mesh them together with the right paint scheme. In that way, the figure isn’t especially inventive, but it is well executed. The articulation from the relatively recently released Night Viper works well, and though I’m not a huge fan of the MARS Officer webgear, it’s the same that was used for the Night Viper(s) so it makes sense to use it here, too.
Accessories
Where the Heli-Viper truly excels is with his accessory compliment. Although the webgear is somewhat lackluster, he does come with a cool pistol for the holster, a great machine gun, and the same phenomenal helicopter backpack that Ultimate COBRA Commander did back in the Retaliation line. I love the sheer size and aesthetic of the helicopter (with its removable bombs and everything) and I am ecstatic that the Club included it with this figure. A very cool touch. It even fits!
Heli-Viper has never resonated with me in spite of the fact that I usually embrace loud colors in later generation figures, and the updated version isn’t necessarily my cup of tea either. This three pack is almost saved, however, by some terrific accessories and the mere fact that we’ve now got these guys in a modern format.
Cobra Heli-Viper
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3
Summary
This wasn’t my favorite vintage figure, and as such I’m likely not going to fall in love with the modern update either, but given what they had to work with I think the Club did a good job. They manage to salvage the character nicely with some terrific accessories.
For the third year running, G.I. Joe cosplay group Cobra’s 1st Legion is doing a toy drive to support Oakland Children’s Hospital, and they’d love your support! The Toy Drive goes from now until December 21st, and you can drop off new, packaged items, including toys, books, gift cards, and personal hygiene products at the sponsors you see in the poster below. If you live in the Oakland, California area and want to support the Oakland Children’s Hospital, consider contributing to the Cobra 1st Legion Toy Drive!
Check out the poster below for the list of the sponsors.
Continuing the GeneralsJoes “G.I. Joe Kre-O Week” we have just one review today, featuring the Cobra Armored Assault set. I suspect that most fans, myself included, picked up this set primarily for Flint, but they may find some other things to love here, too. Check it out at my Kre-O Review Page, or the direct link below.
We’ve broken the top 20! Yes, even on a Saturday, Twitziller is at the keyboard pumping these things out, and today he’s got control of a Cobra superweapon!
#20:
From the MASS Device to the Weather Dominator and everything in between, Cobra has always been all about the super weapon. Some piece of futuristic technology that separates them from their peers and helps drive them towards world conquest. For a film, obviously they want to stick closer to reality than some of the more outlandish animated series plots. No Fatal Fluffies here. The choice of a satellite that launches a space-bound weapon is truly inspired. Obviously based heavily on the long-rumored Tungsten Rod Cannon, this is the type of “10 minutes in the future” technology that G.I. Joe and Cobra have been built around for the past thirty years, and is a great choice for Cobra’s weapon of mass destruction.
Using this powerful instrument, Cobra not only places a secret agent in the White House, but effectively brings the entire United Nations to their knees. In other words, this is Cobra at their most sinister. I love it.
Keep following Twitziller on Twitter for the latest updates, and GeneralsJoes is going to keep posting these, too. The countdown is hurtling forwards and I for one cannot wait!
Thanks to artist Antonio Fuso for letting me know that he is currently selling some of his original art (including some of his terrific work on the IDW Cobra title). This artwork can be viewed on his Tumblr page right here. Over the past few years, the G.I. Joe: Cobra title has been one of the most unique, engaging, and entertaining comics I’ve read in a very long time, and much of that is due to the atmosphere and vision that Fuso brings to the table with his very unique artistic style.
Check out his Tumblr page for more details and to see if there’s something you like.
