Tag Archives: Cobra BAT

#3939: Cobra B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

COBRA B.A.T.

G.I. JOE: SPY TROOPS (HASBRO)

When you want to promote a toyline based on warfare to children, but you don’t want to think too hard about the moral quandaries of having your heroes gun down actual people, you gotta bring in the robots!  G.I. Joe’s 3 3/4-inch incarnation would first do that in 1986, with the Battle Android Trooper, a concept they’ve revisited a number of times since.  They were notably revisited in the relaunch of the scale in the early ‘00s, becoming a major plot fixture in both the “Sound Attack” and “Spy Troops” themes, and even getting a major role in the Spy Troops animated movie.  As a toyline first and foremost, there were also plenty of toys to be had, and I’m looking at one of those today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

This Cobra B.A.T. was released alongside a re-decoed Cobra Commander figure in 2003 as part of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe: Spy Troops line.  This was the fifth version of the B.A.T. at this scale, and the third under the re-launch.  The figure stands just shy of 4 inches tall and has 12 points of articulation.  The figures had returned to the o-ring construction at this point in the line, though the actual builds of the characters remained consistent with how the earlier solid construction figures were built.  They were all notably broader across the shoulders, had smaller heads, and were thinner at the waists, so they didn’t quite slot in with the vintage stuff.  The B.A.T. sculpt seen here was first introduced at the tail end of the G.I. Joe vs Cobra line’s “Sound Attack” imprint, and was presented here with some slight modifications.  It’s presented as a slight update on the original B.A.T. design, and it does that pretty well.  It feels consistent with the original, while also feeling rather modern to the time of the release.  This second version of the mold replaces the standard right hand of the prior version with one designed for swappable attachments, much like the original figure had.  It also features a removable chest plate, so that it can be more armored, or show off some of its inner workings, which are now more of an Iron Man-style arc reactor type set-up.  This figure returns the B.A.T. to a color scheme very similar to its original incarnation, which works very well with this sculpt.  The B.A.T. is packed with three different attachments, a sword, a rifle, and a flamethrower, as well as a backpack to put them on when not in use, and a cloth ghillie suit, which is missing from my figure.  Notably omitted is any sort of standard hand for the right side, so it’s just always going to be battle mode for this guy.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In 2003, I was pretty into this line, and it was also really cheap and affordable, which made it pretty perfect for being that sort of “hey, can I grab this two-pack while we’re out buying something else?” kind of purchase.  I was going to a Halloween party at my cousin’s, and my dad and I had to stop and get something, and they had this pack, so I got it.  Never cared much about the Cobra Commander, so he’s long gone at this point, but I’ve had most of this guy for a while.  A couple of months ago, Max was chatting with me about some figures he’d gotten from this era of the line, which got me to sort through what remained of my originals, at which point I found I had a lot more of this guy than I’d realized, which made me quite happy.  He’s a very fun figure, and certainly amongst the best of this era of the line.

#3746: Cobra B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

COBRA B.A.T. — COMIC VERSION

G.I. JOE: REACTION+

Last week, I took a look at the first of Super 7’s latest venture with the G.I. Joe license, ReAction+, a new line of vintage-style O-Ring construction figures. I kicked things off with Snake Eyes, who’s a good mark for the Joes. For my second entry, I’m switching to the opposing team with the B.A.T., a robot dude that’s there for robot dude stuff. So, let’s look at that robot dude and said robot dude stuff.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Cobra B.A.T. is, much like Snake Eyes, part of the four figure line-up that launched Super 7’s G.I. Joe: ReAction+. All of the figures thus far are comics based, which actually means a little bit more for the B.A.T. The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and has 16 points of articulation. He gets the same basic articulation set-up as others of this style, plus additional swivels at the forearms. The hips are notably less restricted here than on Snake Eyes, which is a definite plus.  The B.A.T.’s sculpt is a respectable one, and honestly a bit better than the work we saw on Snake Eyes.  It’s certainly more involved, with the more detailed outfit, and all of the intricacies of the robotic arms.  His torso plate is actually sculpted, rather than a lenticular piece like the original, and the comic styled, generally boxier head is really sharply sculpted, and also rather unique.  I also quite dig that both arms get the swappable forearms, as opposed to just the right on the vintage.  It’s an extra layer of versatility that kicks him up a notch.  His colors again lean into the comic styling, going for blue in place of the usual black sections.  It’s a nice shade, and makes him once more a little different from prior B.A.T.s.  Actual paint application is all quite clean and crisp, with minimal bleed over, and no slop to speak of.  The B.A.T. is packed with the usual three arm attachments (gripper, laser, and torch), a backpack to store them in, and a rifle.  That’s one more accessory than his vintage counterpart got, which gives him a leg up on Snake Eyes, who was down by one.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew going into this line that I wanted Snake Eyes, but wasn’t sold beyond that.  This guy looked pretty cool, but it wasn’t until I saw him in person that I realized how cool.  He really did wow me in-hand, and that was enough to give him a try.  I’m glad I did, because he’s honestly a better figure than the Snake Eyes was, and feels like an all-around more solid product from Super 7.  Still not certain about the direction of this line, but if they can do more figures like this, maybe it might have some legs.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3342: Sky B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

SKY B.A.T.

G.I. JOE: SIGMA 6 (HASBRO)

“COBRA Sky B.A.T. troops convert to different modes for multiple attack capabilities. Smart technology gives them the ability to automatically make the conversions themselves. Vertical Assault Packs attach to their backs and interface with their central processors to achieve complex aerial maneuvers. Armed with concussion bombs stored on their wings, they can launch devastating attacks from the air. In ground assault mode, their arms convert to powerful grenade launchers. With the addition of ionic gas canisters, they can enhance their strength and move at accelerated speed. To combat this robotic force, the Sigma 6 team has developed specialized weapons designed to disable computerized systems.”

I don’t discuss Sigma 6 enough here on the site.  In fact, I think most websites don’t discuss Sigma 6 enough.  Most people don’t discuss Sigma 6 enough.  It’s just a whole thing, honestly.  Whatever the case, the line was genuinely a delight, and an inventive refresh to the franchise.  I kind of miss it, in some ways.  In my brief rundown of the line, I’ve thus far only focused on the Joes side of things, but today, I’m moving over to the Cobra side.  In order to keep things a bit more Saturday morning friendly, the majority of the Cobra forces for the Sigma 6 reboot were variants of the B.A.T., and today, I’m taking a look at the Sky B.A.T.!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Sky B.A.T. was part of the first Soldier wave of the 2006 Sigma 6 line-up, which was the second Soldier wave overall, after the line’s end of 2005 debut.  This assortment was a pretty small one, since it was really more of a revision, so it was just the Sky B.A.T. and a variant of Storm Shadow.  This was the second B.A.T. in the line, following the Ninja B.A.T. in the 2005 Solider wave.  Though titled as a Sky B.A.T. officially, this figure was designed to served not only as a Sky B.A.T., but also as a standard issue B.A.T. as seen in the tie-in cartoon.  The figure stands about 8 inches tall and he has 25 points of articulation.  While the Joes were largely built around very similar structures and the more uniform Sigma suit design, the Cobra offerings were a bit different, and that’s especially evident with the Sky B.A.T.  His articulation layout is pretty similar to the Joes, though the shoulders and mid-torso are a little more unique here.  While the sculpts for this line generally went just a touch more realistic than the show designs (though still quite stylized), the Sky B.A.T. is one of the figures that stuck the closest to the animation models.  It translated really well, and made for a particularly cool looking toy.  The only real downside to this figure is the the arm canisters.  They’re articulated, and they’re cool in theory, but the plastic used of them is unfortunately prone to becoming very brittle over time, making them likely to shatter at the joints…as happened with one of mine.  They can at the very least be removed (carefully, of course), so if one breaks, you’re at least not stuck with an imbalanced figure.  The Sky B.A.T.’s color scheme is pretty classic Cobra fare, with lots of blues and reds.  It generally works well, although it’s another victim of time not being the kindest, since the torso yellows a little bit faster than the other blue plastic.  Thankfully, it’s pretty minor, and the overall appearance is still pretty consistent.  The Sky B.A.T. is packed with a pretty impressive wing pack, complete with articulated wings, and four removable missiles.  He also includes a rifle, which is a fun piece, which has a launching missile on the lower section.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I always wanted one of these when they were new, but I wasn’t ever able to track one down at retail.  I had a particularly good run of finding Sigma 6 figures back in 2018, and this guy was part of it, picked up from the New Jersey-based House of Fun, along with a few others.  He’s really one of the line’s star pieces, and I’m glad I was able to finally get one.  It’s a cool robot.  It’s a cool G.I. Joe toy.  It’s just a cool action figure.  Small issues with longevity of the figure aside, he’s a total win.

#3338: Cobra B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

COBRA B.A.T.

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

When G.I. Joe was adapted to animation in 1983, the standards for cartoons wouldn’t allow for any actual on-screen injuries.  This made for a rather difficult time on a show that was depicting warfare, as it meant that the Joes could never do much to Cobra’s human forces.  There was a lot of bad aim and parachuting to safety.  Thankfully, by the show’s second season, Cobra’s forces had gained the Battle Android Troopers, whose robotic nature made them exempt from the censors.  As such, they got a fair bit of play in the show following their introduction, and that makes them a pretty natural choice for Super 7’s first Ultimates army builder.

THE FIGRUE ITSELF

The Cobra B.A.T. is the third of the four figures that make up the first assortment of G.I. Joe: Ultimates (the fourth being Cobra Commander, who I opted not to pick up).  Thus far, all of the assortments are a 50/50 split between Joes and Cobras, and this guy is obviously from the latter grouping.  The figure stands 7 1/2 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  The B.A.T.’s articulation is honestly better than I’d expected.  His elbows in particular are the best of the three figures I’ve looked at so far, and and the neck joint is on par with Snake Eyes.  He lacks the mid-torso joint, for design reasons, but he does alright even without it.  We got a preview of most of the B.A.T. sculpt on the exclusive comic version late last year.  It’s a really clean offering, which just really, really works.  It’s true to the animation models, while also sticking to the V1 figure’s look.  The head sculpt is unique to this release, and it’s appropriately sleek and polished.  The whole sculpt is just really well put together, which is honestly impressive given how cobbled together the B.A.T. design actually is, when you really get down to it.  The only drawback to my figure is that the glue on the softer rubber parts on the bandolier and holster doesn’t quite hold the way it’s supposed to.  Thankfully, those are both very easily fixed.  The B.A.T.’s paint work is quite striking.  The mix of bright red and yellow with black and silver really gives hims some serious pop.  The application is largely pretty clean; there are some messier spots on the shoulders and belt, and one spot of black on his right forearm, but he’s otherwise solid.  The B.A.T. is quite well accessorized, featuring three sets of standard hands (in fists, trigger grip, and open gesture), drill, claw, and gun hand attachments, a back pack for the hand attachments, a pistol, a rifle, an alternate damaged head, a decapitated neck stump, a damaged left arm piece, and an effect piece for his chest.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When these figures were announced, the Classified B.A.T. still hadn’t been confirmed, so I was totally in for this one.  Then the Classified figure was announced and released before this guy finally came along.  At that point, I was planning to pass on this one, and focus purely on the Joes, but…well, as you can see, I caved.  I could blame Max, who got one first and let me mess with it, but I was honestly always a lost cause on this one.  Snake Eyes remains my favorite of the three, but this guy’s still really, really nice.  I continue to really enjoy this line.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3037: B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

B.A.T.

G.I. JOE: CLASSIFIED SERIES (HASBRO)

Alright, I gave some love one of Hasbro’s in-house properties, how about the other?  It’s been a little tricky to devote proper love to G.I. Joe in the last few years, what with the line essentially dying for a bit, and then its subsequent re-launch in 2020 being absurdly hard to get ahold of for the first two years of its run.  Perhaps 2022 is the year that things start to turn around?  That sure would be nice.  Something that does seem to be pointing to things being at least a little better is how they’re handling the army builders.  The line’s first few army builders were wonky, with the initial Cobra Trooper and Viper as really hard to get exclusives, and the Red Ninja being the short pack of its respective assortment.  This year, we’re getting two army builders, packed at heavier numbers, in standard assortments, right out of the gate.  The first of them is an update on 1986’s own Battle Android Trooper, better known as the B.A.T. for short!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The B.A.T. is figure 33 in the G.I. Joe: Classified Series line-up, hitting in the first assortment of 2022, alongside the Alley Viper and a re-pack of Gung-Ho.  The B.A.T. is the heaviest packed figure in the assortment, which certainly makes a lot of sense, and will hopefully help to keep the figure from being quite as prohibitively hard to find as some of the line’s earlier figures.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 36 points of articulation.  The articulation scheme more or less just follows what’s been previously established with the line, and I’m quite alright with that, really.  The B.A.T.’s sculpt is an all-new one, very clearly patterned on the original V1 version of the character.  As with the rest of the line, there’s certainly some updating and modernizing, but on this release in particular, it’s rather down-played.  This one feels much more like a rather direct update, as opposed to more of an overhaul.  I really enjoy just how much detailing goes into this particular look, from the mechanics of the arms, to the heavy texturing of the overlying uniform.  I also really love the in-depth sculpting on the torso panel; to think that used to just be a sticker on prior figures.  The color work on the figure largely follows the V1 set-up.  It’s fairly basic overall, but does what it needs to.  I’m not crazy about the molded plastic silver on the arms, thigh strap, and grenades, especially when all the other silver is painted, but it’s not the end of the world, and, at least on the arms, it’s true to the V1.  The B.A.T. is packed with a handgun, two removeable chest plates (one standard, one damaged), an alternate damaged head, a backpack, and three different alternate hand attachments, mimicking those seen on the original figure.  The chest plates being solid black is the one notable design change here, and while it’s not my first choice, it’s also not a terrible look either (plus there are third party clear plates out there, if you’re a stickler about it), and I love the damaged option.  The damaged alt head is really awesome, calling back to one of the best features of the 25th line, and just further expanding upon it.  The alternate hands are rather standard, and aside from maybe wishing the claw had gotten extra movement like on the 25th release, I’m quite happy with them.  In general, it’s just a really solid selection of extras here.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After the Viper, the B.A.T. is a very close runner-up for my favorite Cobra army builder.  I knew it wasn’t going to be long before we saw them, but I was still a little bit anxious to see them when we were early in the line.  Once we got the rumors, and then the eventual confirmation, I was very down for these figures.  No way was I gonna pass on a really cool B.A.T.  And that’s what this is: a really cool B.A.T.  I love how close they stuck to the original, while still giving him enough subtle changes to fit in with the rest of the line.  All of the extras here are fantastic, and I look forward to seeing what possible re-decos and such we might be able to see of this one.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#2723: Cobra B.A.T. V1.8

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

COBRA B.A.T. V1.8

G.I. JOE: COLLECTOR’S CLUB (HASBRO)

Though they have so far been absent from the most recent incarnation of G.I. Joe (well, the toys, anyway; the video game is a slightly different story), Cobra’s robot forces, the Battle Android Troopers, have been a ready fixture in the franchise since their introduction in 1986.  They’re generally quite privy to adjustment tweaks over the years, under the guise of “upgrades.”  The 25th style figures generally just focused on re-interpreting the classic BAT for a new generation, but there are plenty of different Cobra BAT designs to choose from, and we did *just* manage to get one of those before Hasbro put 3 3/4 Joes on hiatus a few years back.  I’m taking a look at that figure today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Cobra BAT V1.8 was released as part of the “Force of Battle 2000” boxed set, which was a Collector’s Club-exclusive set offered up at the International G.I.Joe Convention in 2017.  There were actually eight of this guy packaged in the set, alongside a commander and the Battleforce 2000 contingent of G.I. Joe.  I’ve just got the one, though.  The figure stands about 4 inches tall and he has 22 points of articulation.  This BAT serves as an update of the V2 BAT from 1991.  That figure was a completely unique sculpt from its predecessor, where as this guy actually relies pretty heavily on parts from the V1-inspired 25th Anniversary figure.  Given the common features between the two designs, it’s not the worst call, and it helps that the 25th BAT is probably the nicest sculpt of that era.  There’s just a lot of depth to it, especially what’s visible of the inner workings of the torso (actually sculpted, as opposed to the lenticular of the older BATs), and how you can make out the robotic frame beneath the uniform.  To bring the sculpt more in line with the V2 design, the figure gets a new head, which is a pretty spot-on recreation of the original toy, and also ditches the 25th figure’s shoulder strap with grenade.  It makes for a respectable approximation, although there do still remain some elements that don’t quite match, such as the thigh holster, and the slightly more robotic lower arms.  Ultimately, I find the design works a touch better in this incarnation, and I don’t mind the changes, but your mileage may vary.  Since the V2 BAT was a ’90s Joe, he had a ’90s-esque color scheme to match, which this figure replicates.  He’s very bright and obnoxious, and I love it.  I do wish we had maybe seen a little bit of accenting on the mechanical sections, as we did on earlier uses of this mold, but in their defense on this one, I don’t know how that would have mixed with the orange.  The BAT V1.8 has an impressive selection of extras, including the standard hands for both sides, a flamethrower hand, a blaster hand, a claw hand, and a sword hand.  He’s also got the V1-style backpack to hold a few of them, a gun, a display stand, and the standard and damaged torso plates that later versions of the 25th mold sported.  You’ve got a lot of options for those eight figures that came packed into this set.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While I was pretty heavily into the 25th through 30th lines, I fell out of Joes during all of the Retalliation tie-ins, and was completely gone for all of the club-exclusive stuff, so I didn’t get this guy new. However, he came into All Time last summer as part of a rather large, rather spread out collection, and I’ve always liked BATs, especially on this mold, so I was a pretty easy mark for this one.  He’s a pricey boy these days, but that doesn’t make him any less of a cool figure, especially with all the extra pieces.  If they weren’t so darn expensive, I wouldn’t mind having a few more.  Alas, not for now.

#2060: Cobra B.A.T.s Army Building Set

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

COBRA B.A.T.S ARMY BUILDING SET

G.I. JOE VS COBRA (HASBRO)

1986 was a good year for G.I. Joe, if you’re me at least.  Not only was my all time favorite army builder, the Cobra Viper, introduced that year, but so was my second all time favorite army builder, the Cobra Battle Android Trooper, better known as the Cobra B.A.T.  After two variants in the vintage line, the B.A.T.s disappeared from G.I. Joe for over a decade, but would return triumphantly in 2002, as the backbone of Cobra’s forces during the “Sound Attack” iteration.  They got a brand-new sculpt in the main line, as well as an online-exclusive rerelease of some old molds, designed expressly for army building.  I’ll be looking at the latter today.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The Cobra B.A.T.s Army Building set was available exclusively through online retailers in 2003.  The line-up was not quite the one seen here, as it actually had one less standard B.A.T., one more Inferno B.A.T., and the commanding officer Overkill.  They were, however, all sold sealed in little baggies, which means that getting them after the fact is pretty much always going to involve buying a bunch of loose figures.

COBRA B.A.T.S

This was the fourth version of the basic B.A.T. to grace the line.  He stands 3 3/4 inches tall and has 15 points of articulation (again including an extra joint on the right forearm).  Since (most of) the original B.A.T. tooling was lost prior to the line’s re-launch in 1997 (part of the reason there was such a gap on B.A.T. figures), this figure instead is built on the body of the V2 B.A.T.  It’s not the same, and really just not as strong a design as the original, but the original was gone, and this is far from the worst substitute.  It’s overall a slightly bulked up B.A.T., apart from the head, which is actually quite a bit pared down from the usual B.A.T. design.  It’s definitely a lot less of a melding of sci-fi and military, falling more firmly on the sci-fi side.  While it results on a figure that’s more internally consistent, it does also remove some of the more definitive flair of the original concept.  This one could really be any sci-fi-robo-henchman.  The main thing that this figure does to the V2 is try and give it the V2 colors, which is an interesting experiment.  I’m not sure how I feel about a ’90s Joe sculpt that’s not done up in its proper neon.  It’s not an displeasing look at all, but it’s definitely different.  Like his predecessors, he’s got the lenticular in his torso, detailing his robotic innards, and I will say that this one is designed to stay more firmly in place than the original, which is certainly a plus.  The B.A.T.s each included an alternate gun-arm attachment, as well as a black display stand.

COBRA INFERNO B.A.T.

Not content to just give us a bunch of standard B.A.T.s, Hasbro also created a new style of B.A.T. for this set, the Inferno B.A.T.  Designed as more independently operating troops, they also had a gimmick where they were always overheating, which gave them the distinctive design we see here.  The body is the same as the standard-issue trooper, but now it’s molded in a translucent red.  It’s actually a pretty solid look, and the brighter palette just feels “right” on this sculpt.  He had the same stand as his fellow troops, but swaps out the black gun-arm for a bright red one.  I dig it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I passed on these when they were new because I was upset that they weren’t the V1 mold.  I was a picky child.  I didn’t get them until a decade after their original release, when I fished these five out of the loose Joes bin at Yesterday’s Fun.  They didn’t have a second Inferno B.A.T. or an Overkill, so I just had to make due with what I got.  They’re not my favorite versions of the B.A.T., but they’ve grown on me, and I can definitely appreciate them for what they are.

#0753: B.A.T.

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

B.A.T.

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO

BATVint1

After being a fairly straightforward military-based line of toys, and then a mostly down to earth adventure series for the first 20 years of its life, in the 80s, G.I. Joe gave up on that whole real world thing and threw caution to the wind. Okay, that’s not true. The first year of the 3 ¾ inch line was actually pretty modest. Then 1983 added Destro and Gung-Ho to the line and all bets were off. Prepare for the neon colors, the wacky specialists, and even the Battle Android Troopers!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

BATVint2The B.A.T. was released in the 1986 series of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (which, as I noted in my Lifeline review, was a pretty good year for the line). The figure is 3 ¾ inches tall and has 15 points of articulation. That’s one more point than most of the line! Structurally, the figure was all new at the time, though his pieces would get used for a few other figures (though, none of them were B.A.T.s. It depicts the B.A.T. in its Cobra uniform, but there are actually some nice hints at it being a robot under the clothes, rather than just a normal person. The details are generally pretty sharp, at least for a figure of the time, and the mechanical arms in particular are very nicely detailed. The B.A.T. definitely looks unique from the other Cobra forces, while still fitting in great stylistically. The figure originally had a lenticular piece in the middle of the torso, detailing some of the B.A.T.’s internal mechanics. Sadly, my figure does not have this piece. The paint on the B.A.T. is decent, though not the greatest thing ever. The orange/yellow bits are a bit on the sloppy side, especially around the edges. That said, the overall look is pretty good. The Bat is pretty well accessorized, with four different right hand attachments (normal hand, claw, flame thrower, and gun), as well as a backpack to hold the extra attachments. Also, my figure has a small pistol thrown in, but that isn’t from the original figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up the B.A.T. loose from local toy store All Time Toys this past summer. I’ve always loved the B.A.T. design, and I’ve had several of the figures over the years, but I never had the original. Now I do! He’s a pretty nifty little figure, though I do think he’s been surpassed by a few of his successors.

BATVint3