1989 introduced G.I.Joe fans to new Cobra Troopers that until this day, remain fan favorites. One of those characters is the Cobra Night Viper. Sadly enough, this awesome troop builder only saw three versions, with two of those incarnations coming directly from the G.I.Joe Collectors Club (Although many would argue that the Pursuit of Cobra Jungle Viper is indeed the 4th)…well, that is, until now.
The final wave of G.I.Joe Retaliation figures brings this iconic character back in to the hands of collectors. Sporting his classic Night Vision Helmet and Sniper rifle, this figure is sure to make a lot of fans happy.
Our own jinx723 has completed an in-depth review of Night Viper and does a great job of covering every base possible. We’ve mirrored his images here on the front page, so make sure to check them out after the jump. Are you planning on owning this figure or are you skipping it all together? Check out the review then sound off here on the Hisstank Forums.
Jinx723 says
From card back "dossier":
Night Vipers stalk their prey in the dead of night. They specialize in nighttime fighting and blend into the shadows until it's time to strike. They use high tech night-vision optics to see clearly in no-light conditions, and they can hit their target even in total darkness.
Finally one of my favorite Cobra's the Night Viper is now in ME form. A figure that has been in many Collector's want list since the 25th/ME era. Hard to believe that it has been six years since we first saw those two 5 Packs. Though the new Night Viper isn't an exact ARAH update like the Alley Viper. I think Hasbro did a great job with the parts they used. Let's take a look,
Head: Jungle Viper v3
Torso, Arms, & Hands: Shock Trooper v1
Upper legs & feet: Skydive v2
Lower legs: Night Creeper v11
Accessories is the one thing Hasbro did not hold back with these newer figures. Night Viper comes with plenty of accessories for his missions.
Backpack: Elite Viperv1
Webgear: MARS Industries Officer v1
Satchel: Beachhead v11
Machete: Duke v42
Flashlight: Duke v42
Pistol: Duke v42
Rifle: Zartan v19
2nd Rifle: Duke v42
Shotgun: Joe Colton v1
Helmet, Visor & scope are all new sculpts.
Like any other figure it has it's flaws. It takes patience to get him to hold the 'sniper' rifle, but that's due to the handle design. The 'dog tag' battle stand is pretty useless. The hole on the Night Vipers feet are not shallow enough to secure the figure in place. Peg diameter is smaller than that of the hole on the feet. The figure tends to just fall over. Maybe it's just my figure. But if you have the patience to get certain poses without the stand, it's do-able. Overall the Retaliation Night Viper is a great figure. The three piece helmet and visor design is perfect, very reminiscent of the ARAH figure. He even has his arm patch from the ARAH version. Hasbro did a great job with the new updated Night Viper. The only thing that'll make it perfect in my eyes is having his ARAH backpack and rifle, which I'll be casting for my squad of Night Vipers.
Additional images mirrored here: http://www.hisstank.com/gi-joe-news/...-review-12457/
CrimsonGuard101 says
Wish he had his vintage gun and the stand offs on his leg to hold it like the vintage...other then that hes perfect! Just like a I remember him...wish they would do more simple updates of the vipers like this...there's only a few more to make!
Dragasses says
that's an hawesome review, there jinxy.
clevelandhags says
IMO - a thing of beauty. Great looking figure, great review.
rdodger says
Great review. Now if we can only find these guys in abundance it would be awesome.
turner says
Konigstiger says
Actually like the vintage one better. Something just didn't translate to the ME. Some questionable weapon choices, too. Zartan's IR scoped VSS should have been the go-to for this one.
Ah, well, It's a good thing I got me some customizing "skillz".
poddie says
It's just too bad Hasbro is crippling distribution on this one by only including one each of the three new figures with wave 4, ensuring that almost nobody will actually see them.
This one is all on Hasbro... damn.
Let's hope they will carry through a few army builders to whatever wave 1 of the next line is, like they did with the Viper and Trooper in the 30th line.
Xerofall says
Yeah, there's gonna be a rush to get that vintage rifle, much better than what he came with.
CrimsonGuard101 says
Keep reading: 2013 Retaliation Night Viper - Page 2
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