FSS 5.0 Viper

I really wasn't planning on opening this figure. My plan was to bring the carded figure to Joelanta in March and make a few bucks. 

Fred and Chris over at joebattlelines.com did their reviews of the first two figures from the FSS 5.0 and I went ahead and read their review of the Viper. 

Dang it... I decided to open him up. 

He's kind of a decent figure. Viper? No way. The butt of a hoard of jokes from his fellow Cobra troopers? Absolutely! 

"No... just no..."

"Guys.... seriously... this is the new Viper uniform."

"Not on my watch."
"You look like a damn Sea Slug."

"This must be Mindbender's design. He's got that weird purple fetish."

"Put the tools down and go away!"

"Aw, c'mon guys!"

Ridicule awaits for the Battlecorp Viper...

FSS 5.0: Cobra Viper & Charbroil

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

The first two figures from the GI Joe Collector's Club FSS 5.0 have been shipped!

If you don't know which figures have been released, you obviously aren't very active in any of the GI Joe pages on Facebook. Besides, what's the big surprise? Two of the previously announced figures have arrived in your mailbox. I suppose the only surprise is the order in which the figures come out and the identity of #13.

Oh, wait... I gave it away in the title of the this post... Dang it...

First up, I'll take a quick look at the Cobra Viper. Once again, the Club went with a troop builder as one of the FSS figures. I can't really blame them because named specific characters are much fewer on the Cobra side versus all of the individuals on the GI Joe team.

Honestly, when the o-ring figure that this troop is based on came out back in 1994, I wasn't very impressed. I've always been a Viper fan, but a fan of the original Viper from 1986. They rocked! I had about a dozen of those guys and I've got a dozen or so of their modern PoC/30th updates.

 

I'm afraid that I just don't like this guy enough to keep him. There always seems to be a few figures from each FSS that just don't get to stay. FSS 5.0 may only have this guy and one more; we'll see how Guacho turns out. Basically, I'm just not impressed with this Viper. I'm usually a strong supporter of the Club's efforts, but they don't always hit the mark. This troop misses the mark for me. Off to the secondary market; somebody out there is going to want to troop build this figure.

Next up is Charbroil. The Club previously released Charbroil as a part of the 2013 Nocturnal Fire convention set. All of the other Joes from this set were released in prior FSS sets. Charbroil finally makes it out in his original colors.

I'm quite pleased with how Charbroil turned out. He's pretty much a straight reuse of the figure that the Club came up with for the convention set, with one exception. His head.

In terms of the original o-ring figures, I was more of a fan of Blowtorch than Charbroil. Blowtorch just seemed to work better with all of his bits of gear. Charbroil just didn't work for me. The head sculpt was goofy looking, and the gear was just clumsy to me. Now with the modern figures, they've switched places. I like what the Club did to come up with Charbroil over what Hasbro did to recreate Blowtorch in the modern format. 

The Club used the Retaliation GI Joe trooper body as the base with the same web gear. The flame projection unit comes from a Torch figure from 2005. I think that was the first use of that weapon. I was away from GI Joe for a few years back then.

I suppose the drawback to this version of Charbroil is his head sculpt, or the lack of his head sculpt. The Club chose to go with the head originally used for the Para-Viper figure rather than the head sculpt they used with the Nocturnal Fire version. Damn you , Club!!! Why you no?!?!?

I have no idea why they went this route, I'm guessing it may have had to do with what parts were available, or maybe even a cost factor. I would image that a full face sculpt might cost a little more to produce over a masked head sculpt. Few paint apps needed?

I don't really care that much about this masked head. I think it looks pretty cool with the uniform. Here's a guy with tanks of jellied gasoline on his back and he wears a flame retardant hood under his helmet. Makes sense to me.

This flame projection unit is so much more superior to Blowtorch's clunky gear.

I'm quite pleased with how Charbroil turned out. The Club earned a solid hit with me for this guy. Not so much for the Viper. But here's the big question and it really goes back to Hasbro. Why have flame projection specialists? The U.S. Department of Defense pulled the flame thrower from its arsenal back in 1978. The argument that it was not as effective a weapon on the modern battlefield was one issue. With more conflicts being televised, this weapon would cause quite a bit of terror in the public eye.

I suppose Hasbro included it with several of their troops was because that, regardless of the carnage it caused, shooting out massive amounts of flame towards the enemy is pretty bad ass. 

Besides...

...those zombie vipers aren't going to burn themselves! Light 'em up, Charbroil!

Woo Hoo!! FSS 5.0 has begun!! Gimmee' moar figures!!!

More FSS 5.0 reviews headed your way!

Sinister Allies/Zombie Patrol Review

Time for a look at the two troop builder two packs from Hasbro. Just a reminder, I've passed on the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow two pack. Great figures, but I really don't need them. If I happen to be out at a Toys R Us and spot the set, I'll probably grab it, but it isn't a high priority.

First up is the Zombie Viper two pack. These guys are basically just the same figure from a few years ago with just some minor paint app differences. The picture above is an original zombie on the left and the new zombie on the right. The easiest difference to spot is the right knee; the new version has a paint app that makes the zombie look like his knee is exposed.
This is a great two pack; great for the guys who missed out on the zombies when they were first released. I was lucky and was able to score quite a few before the prices jumped on the secondary market. I've got six of the originals and have now added four of the new zombies. Still awesome.

Next up is the Sinister Allies two pack with the Iron Grenadier and the Cobra Viper. Personally, I would have liked a two pack of the Viper.

The Iron Grenadier was a great figure when they first appeared as Destro's soldiers. I remember buying quite a few, but they're all gone now. I was initially excited by the prospect of a new modern version of the Iron Grenadiers but I' a little disappointed by the result. The body just doesn't work well enough for me to do some serious troop building. 

The Cobra Viper? Hasbro did a hell of a job. The initial 25th anniversary figure was pretty crappy, but the Pursuit of Cobra/30th Anniversary figure turned out great. I kinda went a little nuts about them and wound up with about sixteen of them. I got lucky and even snagged two of the blue gauntlet versions.
There's really no difference between the 30th and this year's version. Just one significant difference. Instead of a chrome faceplate, Hasbro chose to go with a clean silver paint job. This new paint job actually works quite well. I think I'll wind up switching out the lower arms with these two new Vipers with the blue gauntlet Vipers. I suppose that when I make that switch, they'll be my Viper officers.

Well, that's about it for Hasbro's GI Joe offerings for me for this year. I'm glad that GI Joe is still alive. Somewhat... 

Hopefully, Hasbro has some decent plans for the future of GI Joe. I don't know if it will involve their huge crossover event with Rom, MASK, the Micronauts, and the Visionaries, but it should be interesting. I hope it resonates with kids.

New GI Joe in November!

New figures on the way! The Hasbro panel at this year's GI Joe Convention offered up a few treats for fans this year. It looks like five two-packs and two three-packs. No vehicles this year. As long as GI Joe is out there in the marketplace somewhere, that works for me.

Random thoughts ahead.

Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. This is a great two-pack that actually makes sense. These two have always been in conflict with each other, so why not? Hasbro pulled out two of the best versions of these iconic characters. The awesome PoC Snake Eyes (v54) and the Renegades Storm Shadow. 
While this is awesome, it would be one of my least desirable sets. I've got loads of this version of Snake Eyes and I've got this Storm Shadow as well. I can think of two reasons to get this two-pack; one to just keep unopened just because it's cool to have these two together and another just for the custom potential. This Snake Eyes, with a simple head swap, becomes a great GI Joe covert ops team member. I've got the "ultimate" Storm Shadow from late in the Retaliation line and he really is the best Stormy. With another "white" ninja, could they be two ninjas working directly with Storm Shadow?

A two-pack of zombie vipers! Hell yeah! I've currently got six zombies and wouldn't mind having a few more. Maybe two more sets?

Next up is Duke and a new Cobra character, Tombstone. The Duke build is interesting and looks like it has potential. I think I would switch out the vest for the more muted green vest from a Steel Brigade figure and switch out the head for a Renegades Duke (my favorite Duke head sculpt).
Tombstone is interesting. An unmasked Cobra operative and non-white.That's very bold of Hasbro to go with a black enemy soldier. That's been a rare occurrence in the history of GI Joe. I'm looking forward to this set.

Next up is basically a brand new set of figures; Heavy Duty and Stiletto. While Heavy Duty is not a new character and not really a new figure, I'm glad to see him get a modern update. Last seen, embarrassingly, during the Rise of Cobra line, this version is more in line with the character from the new sculpt era. Hasbro is using the larger "Rock" body for him and he looks pretty cool!
Stiletto is a fan-chosen figure from the GI Joe Kindle Worlds series of fan fiction. I don't recall her full story right now, but I believe she's a Cobra agent. Hasbro finally resurrected the Helix body and is using it for Stiletto; at least the torso. The arms and legs are from other female figures. Of course, she has a brand new head sculpt. Another great two-pack from Hasbro.

This last two-pack is a troop builder that includes an Iron Grenadier and a Cobra Viper. Excellent set, but do I really want it? I never really got into troop building Destro's soldiers. I do have quite o few of the IG heavy gunners that came with the Steel Brigade figure, but none of these particular versions of the Iron Grenadier soldiers. I do like them, even though Hasbro is using the more dated 25th anniversary figure. I just don't know if I'll actively pursue this two-pack, primarily because of the Viper.

"But, Tom, you frikkin' love the Viper!" True, very true, but I've got 14 of them! Seriously, how many more do I need? EVERY OTHER ONE I SEE! No, not really, 14 is more than enough. I've even got one still minty fresh on the card because the Viper is so awesome! I may just pass on this set.

Next up is one of the three-packs. This set looks like it includes a covert ops team, since they are all dressed in black gear. The first two, Falcon and Outback, look great and would be welcome additions to my collection. Outback seems a little off though. Hasbro is using the 25th anniversary head sculpt on a modern body. That combination makes his head look a little too small.

Another female character from Hasbro? And she's black? What? This is Shooter, the 14th original GI Joe character. Way, way back in the the very first issue of the Marvel GI Joe comic, there was a picture of a computer screen with the original 13 team members listed as well as one more character, Shooter. No picture of Shooter was shown at the time and the name came out as a nod to then Marvel editor Jim Shooter.

Many years later, Larry Hama revisits that origin story of GI Joe and fleshes out the Shooter character. She was an operative that was dropped in alongside, but unknown to, the original team in their mission to rescue Dr. Burkhart. It seemed like she was KIA at the end of the issue, but that doesn't matter that much in terms of making a figure of the character. I definitely want this set!

The last three-pack is another troop builder set and it is a winner! A SAW Viper, a Cobra Officer, and a BAT. The SAW Viper is great, and while similar to the Club version from last year's convention set, it is different enough to keep the Club version unique. 

The Cobra Officer is... female? What is going on at Hasbro? So many awesome changes with these figures! A female Cobra officer! How very cool! I'm ready for her to be a part of my collection and have her kick some Blueshirt trooper butt! Plus the Club is working with Hasbro on this set and is making their own three-pack of all female Cobra soldiers, each with a mask and different hair color. Excellent collaboration!

The third figure in this set is another BAT using the same exact mold from the 25th version. Who cares? That mold works so well and has held its own against any of the modern era of GI Joe figures. I can always use more BATs. I'll take at least three of these sets please!

That's the lineup for the new figures due at Toys R Us this November. Crap, I'll be up in Pickens County well before then. I'm going to need to find the nearest Toys R Us!

Wrong Neighborhood

"May I ask why you three gentlemen are in this part of town?" 

"Just passing through. We had a couple brews at O'Malley's and we decided to try a shortcut."

"You should stick to safer areas of town, gentlemen." 

"Can I ask why there are five armed Vipers in the neighborhood?" 

"No. Move along."

Tragedy Averted

What normal GI Joe collector doesn't carry around at least a couple figures with him at all times? Seriously, if you don't, then I question your loyalty!

I'm a huge fan of the modern update of the Cobra Viper and have amassed a pretty decent collection. I think I'm at around 14. Well, I've had one on display in my office at work and recently brought him back home.

Just a gentle twist of the head, and SNAP! Off came the head!

Modern GI Joe figures have a simple ball and socket construction for the neck and head. A post with a ball rises out of the shoulders and the ball snuggly fits into the socket in the head. This also allows for some easy customization.

With this particular Viper, the ball snapped off and remained secure in the head socket. My initial thoughts were that this guy was going to get his head permanently super glued back onto the neck, with no chance of ever looking to the right or the left.

I gave it a shot. A very slight dab of superglue onto the exposed neck post, let it dry, and hope for the best.

After letting it dry overnight, I checked the head and it was secure. Just a very gentle twist and the head actually moved a little from left to right! What?! Bonus!

At this point, I'm very pleased. I've got some minor side to side movement and I'm happy. Off I go, about my day and the Viper resumes some semblance of active duty as a guest in my coat pocket.

Another day goes by and I figure I'll give the neck another try. Surprisingly and quite pleasantly, the head now freely turns completely around on the repaired neck post.

Yeah, I'm really pleased with myself right now. he next step on checking the repair would be to pull the head off and see if the post survives. Yeah... No... I'm okay with the current status of this troop. No more tests needed. I should probably mark this guy somehow in case I want to try some custom work with a Viper or two.

Who am I kidding? I've sacrificed one Viper for a custom Zombie Viper custom (still in progress, because I am lazy). No more Vipers will be sacrificed to custom ideas.

I suppose I should tag him in some way. If finances ever become desperate and I need some cash, these Vipers could earn me a pretty penny. 
Nah, screw that. I sold my vintage Vipers years ago. I'm not doing that again.

Cobra Troop Dynamics

• Examining the roles of the various troops, primarily the DG Blackshirts, Blueshirts, 30th darker Blueshirts, the Resolute troopers. (Just my opinions, of course.)

I see the DG Blueshirts as your tier 1 Cobra trooper. These guys are fresh out of boot camp or whatever training Cobra has. Cannon fodder, FNG's, whatever. Almost disposable.

After serving a few tours in the entry-level Blues, they graduate upward into the darker Blues. These are the troops with some serious combat experience. At this point, any skills that may have started to show at the entry level are encouraged and sought out. After a few tours with the dark blues, there are different options ahead.

I need a new name for the Resolute trooper because I se these guys as more than just regular troops with different uniforms or a different interpretation. These troops I consider as Cobra Special Forces. Very tough, extremely loyal, and just general bad ass soldiers. This biggest drawback to these troops are the physical size differences between the Resolute and 30th/DG figures. I'll get over it though.

The Viper is one of the most common career paths for your average Cobra soldier. These guys are seriously tough troopers. Earning your Viper helmet isn't easy, but it's worth it.

Beyond the Viper level, there are all of the various different branches of "Vipers." Some promotions are skills based, some aren't promotions at all.

So what about the Blackshirts? These troopers are a very special breed. Extreme loyalty, often found as body guards for top brass. If Blackshirts come drag your buddy out of his rack one night, you'll never see him again. Covert ops, special missions, hit squads, whatever dirty work Cobra Commander needs, the Blackshirts are the ones he calls.

What are your thoughts about Cobra troop dynamics? Leave a comment.

and of course, Vipers...

The 30th anniversary Vipers kick serious amounts of ass.

More attention is required for them. Stay tuned!