COBRA VIPER

G.I. JOE: CLASSIFIED SERIES (HASBRO)

Do you ever have one of those days that just feels like it goes on forever?  Or, like, more specifically, about seven years?  Is that more specifically a me thing?  See, cuz I got this day, I call it the Day of the Vipers, and every time I *think* it’s over….it’s not.  So…for my 11th entry in the seventh year of the ill-named “Day of the Vipers” we’re going back to the beginning.  I mean, like, not really, but sort of homaging, maybe?  Yeah, that’s the ticket.  So, what’s the in depth deal on this guy?  Well, when Hasbro launched Classified Series, it was meant to be a more thorough modernization of the Joe line, rather than just a recreation of what came before, but at a larger size.  As such, a number of the designs from the early run were similar to the vintage ones, but tweaked to better fit the new aesthetic Hasbro was aiming for.  As the line has progressed it has, like pretty much every Real American Hero throwback before it, shifted into just the straight updates territory, and to offset that, Hasbro’s going back and redoing older figures to retrofit them.  The Viper’s taken a bit longer than others, but it’s here, so let’s see how it is!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Cobra Viper is part of the Retro line-up for G.I. Joe: Classified Series.  He hit mid-summer this year, alongside Mindbender and Rock n’ Roll.  This is the seventh version of the Viper under the Classified imprint, but the first not to be build from the exact same bank of parts.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  At this point, if you know the Classified articulation scheme, you won’t really be surprised by any of the figures as the come out.  It’s effectively the same every time.  It works, and also Joes have a tendency to stick to the formula, so it all makes sense.  This one does notably add pinless joints to the mix, which is a first for the Viper, and a nice change-up.  The Viper shares his head sculpt and goggles with the prior versions of the character at this scale.  It’s a firm case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so it makes a lot of sense.  The rest of the sculpt is all-new.  Apart from the very different configuration of the roll of the sleeves, it’s not drastically different than the prior sculpt, at least in a broad strokes sense.  Everything is sort of moved around and tweaked to be a more direct translation of the original ’86 mold.  It’s a very sharp mold, and there’s no denying it’s a good match for the original…just, you know, bigger.  His color work is clean and bold.  The last few “standard” Vipers were a bit on the muted side, so I like the slightly brighter palette being in play for this one.  The exact layout is again mimicking the vintage figure, which is generally fine, but I do also kind of miss some of the more varied adjustments of more recent updates.  But, it certainly gets the job done.  The Viper is packed with three pairs of hands (fists, gripping, and a point/open gesture combo), two different styles of rifle, a pistol, a backpack, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve generally run my course on Classified Series, and I’d also kind of run my course on the original Viper mold for the line.  I didn’t mind the departure, but I was hoping to see some more adjustments to the mold as things progressed.  When those didn’t happen, got a bit bored, I guess.  This figure goes for a total rework, which in some ways works, but also, just feels like we’re retreading just to retread.  It’s kind of the doomed fate of any post-ARAH line, I guess.  They just all become retreads.  Where does that leave this guy?  He’s a good figure from a technical standpoint, for sure, and a good recreation of the classic figure.  And, for me, I think he’s a good send-off to Classified Series, closing off on the figure I thought I really wanted, but maybe I didn’t?  Could be worse.

Shoutout to my friends at All Time Toys, from whom I purchased this figure for review!  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.