Tag Archives: Spy Troops

#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.

#1821: Cobra Viper

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

COBRA VIPER

G.I. JOE: SPY TROOPS (HASBRO)

“Ripping up the roads on their COBRA VENOM CYCLE vehicles, COBRA VIPER members like to think of themselves as a biker gang with the most technologically advanced hogs on the planet”

Here we are at the finish line.  Just one more entry in my insane 6-in-1 Day of the Vipers reviews!  Oh yeah, I did it!

In 2003, the G.I. Joe line once again rebranded, taking on the heading “Spy Troops.”  Joes and Cobras were given infiltration gear and disguises, and it was all very spy-y.  Well, it was mostly spy-y.  Some of it was not at all spy-y at all.  The the Viper’s one release during the line’s run fell into that non-spy area.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Cobra Viper was released as a pack-in figure with the Cobra Venom Cycle, a small-scale vehicle from the Spy Troops line.  The cycle was undoubtedly the selling point, but I don’t have it, I just have the Viper.  For I am a mad man.  He’s the same basic figure I’ve looked at three previous times today, the tweaked V5 Viper mold that Hasbro would continue to use for another three years after this.  Hey, they had a good formula down, right?  The big difference, of course, was the paint scheme.  He’s got this olive sort of thing going on, which is right in line with the overall look of most of the Spy Troops figures.  At first glance, he looks a little bit like the Turquoise Viper from ’02, but if he’d been left out in the sun.  That being said, I do actually quite like this color scheme, and have generally found myself kind of drawn to this figure.  Since he was just a pack-in with a vehicle, the Viper didn’t come with any accessories of his own.  Maybe he’s like the pacifist of the group, or something?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This was the last figure I dug out of the collection at All Time.  I had just about called it on getting any more Vipers, and I looked down and saw this guy staring at me.  With no accessories of his own, he was an easier grab than some of the others, and I’ll admit, I was just thoroughly broken at that point.  There’s not really anything to distinguish him from the rest, but he’s a Viper, and a kinda neat one at that.  He rounds out the set nicely.

So, there you have it: nine new Vipers, courtesy of my friends at All Time Toys.  If you’re looking for old Joes (provided that you don’t want Vipers, because seriously, I’ve cleaned them out) or if you’re looking for other cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay Store.

#0675: Recondo

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

RECONDO

G.I. JOE: SPY TROOPS

Recondo1

You can’t really run an effective action figure review site if you don’t occasionally touch on the original action figure, G.I. Joe. It’s been a fair few months since I last looked at anything Joe-related, so their probably overdue for another review, don’t you think? I’ll be taking another gander at the early 2000s re-launch of the line, which is really what got me hooked. Let’s look at Recondo, who was one of my favorites.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Recondo2Recondo was released in the first series of G.I. Joe vs Cobra following the line’s re-branding under the G.I. Joe: Spy Troops heading in 2003. He was originally released in a two-pack with an Iron Grenadier, but he was also released as one of the Mission Disk single-pack figures, which is how I got mine. Recondo is one of the taller vs Cobra Joes, coming in at just shy of 4 inches tall. He featured 18 points of articulation, which was pretty impressive at the time (and still kind of is now!) Recondo got an all-new design for Spy Troops, which was a pretty radical departure from his vintage design. Now, I never owned the vintage Recondo, so this was my first exposure to the character. Due to that, I find myself liking this particular design a fair bit more than the original. That said, this design is a little more generic, and does ditch some of the original’s charm, so I can certainly see why people might have wanted a return to the classic design. The figure’s sculpt is very nicely handled, regardless of which design it represents. The proportions are some of the best the 00s line had to offer and his uniform has a ton of awesome little details put into it, especially on the torso, which houses a pistol, grenade, and several pouches for ammo. The paintwork is also pretty great on Recondo. Aside from a minor issue with his sleeves being fleshtoned at the elbows, everything is nice and clean and where it’s supposed to be. And, none of the things on the torso have been left unpainted, which is always a nice thing to see! Recondo was packed with a rifle, knife, and backpack, as well as the Mission Disk, which featured two episodes of the 80s cartoon and a few games.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When the first series of Spy Troops two-packs were first announced, I knew I wanted the Recondo set. He just looked really cool. But, for whatever reason, I never got him (I got several of the other sets, though), and then he had mostly disappeared from stores. However, while on a mall outing with my Grandmother, I found Recondo and Wild Bill in their single-pack form at KB Toys. Man do I miss that place. Anyway, Recondo went on to be one of my favorite figures. I’m happy to see he’s held up pretty well!

#0109: Night Creeper

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

NIGHT CREEPER

GI JOE: SPY TROOPS

Today, I’ll be taking a look at an entry in the original Action Figure toyline, G.I. Joe!  Like my last G.I. Joe review, this figure hails from the Real American Hero incarnation of the line.  In the early 2000s, Hasbro attempted to bring this incarnation back after a few years of hiatus.  The reinvented line started as a simple “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra” idea, but quickly moved from gimmick to gimmick to keep things fresh.  One of those gimmicks was called “Spy Troops” and revolved around certain figures featuring special gear that would allow them to blend in with their enemies.  This time around, I’ll be looking at one of the Cobra forces from the line, the Night Creeper.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Night Creeper was released as part of the 2003 wave of Spy Troops figures.  He was paired in a two pack with Kamukura, one of the many G.I. Joe ninjas.  The Night Creepers were one of Cobras many ninja armies, so the pairing makes sense.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and features 20 points of articulation.  The sculpt on the figure is a bit dated now, with an odd kind of “v” shape to the body and long arms, but at the time, it was actually quite good.  Viewed through that lens, it’s pretty good, if not perfect.  There’s lots of cool little details present, which give the figure a lot of character.  The paint on the figure is minimal, with most of the figure being molded in the appropriate shade of blue, but the small amounts of paint present are all nice and clean.  The Night Creeper was actually very well accessorized, with a sword for his basic look, plus a dive mask, re-breather, flippers, and a harpoon gun to allow the Creeper to masquerade as G.I. Joe Wetsuit.  I’ve lost the Wetsuit pieces, but they did the job quite convincingly, and actually made for a slightly better figure than the official Wetsuit release.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I actually bought Night Creeper solely for the Kamukura figure that was packed with him, but I quickly grew to like the Night Creeper a bit more.  The early 2000s G.I. Joe line was far from perfect, and was even downright bad at times, but the Night Creeper was one of the better figures.