Time for another look at the recent Cobra Island releases – this go round is for the Cobra Viper. To all my brothers and sisters still on the hunt, I salute you. As I’ve already stated, these come from eBay. Obtaining them normally was difficult, had no luck, and I don’t like waiting. You all know the deal, hopefully Hasbro and Target know the deal, and maybe next go around won’t be as bad. I won’t hold my breath though.
The Cobra Viper is another great release for the 6 inch Classified Series. Very classic vibes in both sculpt and paint. He’s got removable goggles, a neck scarf to differentiate rank, backpack, pistol and rifle (both sci-fi style). The vest is not naturally removable but can be done with a little effort. Colors are very OG, a navy blue, red and black palette. The iconic face shield is there and painted metallic silver using the same style as Cobra Commander from last year. As with all of Classified, articulation is significant and everywhere, leaving nothing to want.
In the 1/18th scale – I never preferred the Vipers. I always had some littered in, but I dug the Cobra Troopers more and focused on them for troop building. Here though, I think the Viper works a bit better than the Cobra Trooper, or at least ties it in overall cool factor. The bulky vest and helmet work better in the 6 inch scale I think, and this color combo really shines. It’s just a sharp figure with a good stance.
I hope they repaint him over time in multiple color combos, as I would be happy to build out sub divisions. That being said, this guy, just as he is here, needs to be more widely available at some point. For him and the Cobra Trooper – once Target’s exclusivity is up I hope they offer case packs, or even some white box versions like they did recently with the AIM troopers for Marvel Legends. Heck, toss 6 or 10 of them in a ziplock bag with a Hasbro Logo on it and I’m good.
Bottom line – another great figure made impossibly frustrating to get. Keep on the hunt, watch eBay for a price that works for you, and grab him when you can. Read on to check out our pics after the break!
ICYMI: You can view all our previous galleries for G.I. Joe Classified here. We also updated the HissTank Database today with recent reveals and our base shots for in-hand figures.
Update – HissTank forum members alerted us to a running change on the Viper. This copy does not use the left Duke arm. That Duke arm has a watch and elbow pad molded in. Copy in this gallery does not. So there are 2 different ones floating around out there.
On closer inspection, this copy may just have 2 right arms, and therefore no Duke watch. May just be a factory mishap rather than running change. We’ve added a pic of this after the break. Keep an eye out.
Tony_Bacala says
Kicking things off with the Scarlet Refresh.
Can see our previous sets here: HissTank's G.I. Joe Classified Galleries
G.I. Joe Classified Scarlett 2021 Refresh – In Hand Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Firefly In-Hand Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Cobra Viper In-Hand Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Zartan In-Hand Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Major Bludd Photo Shoot
G.I. Joe Classified Flint, Lady Jaye and Cobra Infantry Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Alpha Commandos Snake Eyes and Timber In-Hand Gallery
G.I. Joe Classified Snake Eyes Movie Wave 1 Gallery
GiveHimTheStick says
There's nothing Hasbro loves more than a good repaint to get you to buy the whole thing again.
Sean_C says
So why keep the red and yellow? I guess so they don't have to alter the package art at all?
Dolemite says
It might be an unpopular opinion, but I prefer the original, especially when it comes to the new paintjob on the face. Nu-Scarlett looks older and like she has a facial rash or something...she's not as cute anymore. And when they're side-by-side, the two figures look like mom and daughter now.
As for the uniform, I appreciate the attempt to tone the original down, but the color choices they went with are kinda drab. There have been really good repaints done by fans that tone the first figure down while evoking the original design more than this one did.
Dake says
It's strange that they go to the trouble of repainting and don't make it match her original color scheme more.
Even if they didn't follow the Retro version's paint job by faking a leotard, it seems like there were better options here. Add truthfully, it would've needed fewer paint apps over all so it might have saved a few pennies.
MFJayman says
They should have just painted it all black with red and grey accents.
But I still don't like the underlying design. No matter what color it is.
Firefly84 says
Nice! Now instead of being completely uninterested, I'm only uninterested from the neck down.
usernamedustin says
verzeihen says
Still a pass for me . Might buy the duke. Roadblock still a pass also .
DESTRO says
Let the hunt begin.
Keep reading: HissTank's G.I. Joe Classified 2021 Galleries - Page 2
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