G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra pt. 5 — Single-Carded (C1 W2-3, C2 W3)

More carded figures from The Rise of Cobra line of G.I. Joe toys. It’s amazing that in a 2-month period, 37 figures spread over 2 collections and 3 waves have been released. I have 34 of them and only missing Wallace “Ripcord” Weems v2 [Reactive Impact Armor], Conrad “Duke” Hauser v3 [Delta-6 Accelerator Suit] and Storm Shadow v3 [Arctic Threat]. This gallery finishes off the remainder of Collection 1 Wave 2, Collection 2 Wave 3 and introduces 4 of the 7 figures available from Collection 1 Wave 3.

Collection 1 Wave 2
• Snake Eyes v2 [Paris Pursuit]
• Storm Shadow v2 [Paris Pursuit]

Collection 1 Wave 3
• Baroness v2 [Paris Pursuit]
• Para-Viper [Cobra Paratrooper]
• Rex “The Doctor” Lewis [Chief Experimental Doctor]
• Snake Eyes v3 [Arctic Assault]

Collection 2 Wave 3
• General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit]
• G.I. Joe Pit Commando A [Covert Military Force]
•  G.I. Joe Pit Commando B [Covert Military Force]

Snake Eyes v2 — Carded Front

Snake Eyes v2 — Carded Close Up

Timber [grey] — Carded Close Up

Snake Eyes v2 — Carded Back

Storm Shadow v3 — Carded Front

Storm Shadow v3 — Carded Close Up

Storm Shadow v3 — Carded Back

Baroness v2 — Carded Front

Baroness v2 — Carded Close Up

Baroness v2 — Carded Back

Para-Viper — Carded Front

Para-Viper — Carded Close Up

Para-Viper — Carded Back

Rex “The Doctor” Lewis — Carded Front

Rex “The Doctor” Lewis — Carded Close Up

Rex “The Doctor” Lewis — Carded Back

Snake Eyes v3 — Carded Front

Snake Eyes v3 — Carded Close Up

Snake Eyes v3 — Carded Back

General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy — Carded Front

General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy — Carded Close Up

General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy — Carded Back

G.I. Joe Pit Commando A — Carded Front

G.I. Joe Pit Commando B — Carded Front

G.I. Joe Pit Commando A — Carded Close Up

G.I. Joe Pit Commando B — Carded Close Up

G.I. Joe Pit Commando — Carded Back

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra pt.2 — Single-Carded

Hoo boy. Here is a gallery of more carded RoC toys. These things are popping up like crazy and look great!

Collection 1 Wave 2
• Cobra Commander {no holes in armor}
• Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 [Reactive Impact Armor]
• Ice-Viper
• Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 [Desert Ambush]

Collection 2 Wave 2
• Heavy Duty v2 [Reactive Impact Armor]
• Elite-Viper [Elite Regiment Officer].

Collection 2 Wave 3
• Agent Helix
• Anthony “Flash” Gambello
• Cobra Eel
• Crimson Neo-Viper.

Toys ‘R Us Headquarters for Heros
• Barbecue.

Heavy Duty v2 — Carded Front

Heavy Duty v2 — Carded Close Up

Heavy Duty v2 — Carded Back

Barbecue — Carded Front

Barbecue — Carded Close Up

Barbecue — Carded Back

Cobra Commander — Carded Front

Cobra Commander — Carded Close Up

Cobra Commander — Carded Back

Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 — Carded Front

Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 — Carded Close Up

Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 — Carded Back

Ice-Viper — Carded Front

Ice-Viper — Carded Close Up

Ice-Viper — Carded Back

Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 — Carded Front

Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 — Carded Close Up

Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 — Carded Back

Elite-Viper — Carded Front

Elite-Viper — Carded Close Up

Elite-Viper — Carded Back

Agent Helix — Carded Front

Agent Helix — Carded Close Up

Agent Helix — Carded Back

Anthony “Flash” Gambello — Carded Front

Anthony “Flash” Gambello — Carded Close Up

Anthony “Flash” Gambello — Carded Back

Cobra Eel — Carded Front

Cobra Eel — Carded Close Up

Cobra Eel — Carded Back

Crimson Neo-Viper — Carded Front

Crimson Neo-Viper — Carded Close Up

Crimson Neo-Viper — Carded Back

G.I. Joe: Assault On / Defense of Cobra Island 7-Packs

Hoo boy! Ever since pictures first surface many months ago the long wait is finally FINALLY over! The latest online exclusive 7-packs have arrived and these are straight from bigbadtoystore.com

These sets are amazing and offer 13 new characters!! The only repeat is a Cobra B.A.T., but who’s complaining? It’s the battle-damaged B.A.T. that initially only was available through the Hall of Heroes subset.

While I prepare a more in-depth review, I offer this gallery of the boxed sets to whet the appetite.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Toys

With the upcoming release of the G.I. Joe movie (which, to me, does not look all that great), we get the release of the toyline in advance to drum up interest and support. Initially, upon seeing the figures being discussed on the internet, I was reluctant to buy into the toys because I am a fervent supporter of the 25th Anniversary/Modern Era line and would rather see more updates of classic figures. The movie line of toys effectively killed or put that notion on hold (with the exception of the incredible online exclusive Cobra Island 7-packs coming soon).

And so I was not looking forward to the movie toys and was actually glad that perhaps I could save money this Summer. Boy, was I wrong!

I think my desire for anything new from G.I. Joe was channeled into getting the toys; that and the constant updates and sightings on forums such as Hisstank and The Terrordrome fuelled my excitement.

Overall, I think the figures are successful. The Joes suffer from some bland looks and the Cobra forces look great. They come with many accessories, the most notable (and most unfortunate) are the spring-loaded weapons that are HUGE and ungainly. They DO NOT belong in any toyline! They do provide playability and when I was a kid, I loved spring-loaded weapons. So kids may love ‘em. I do not.

The following gallery is not a complete collection, but they are the ones I bought that I thought looked pretty cool. Enjoy!

G.I. Joe: RoC — Baroness [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Baroness [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Cobra Viper Commando

G.I. Joe: RoC — Cobra Viper Commando (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Courtney “Covergirl” Krieger

G.I. Joe: RoC — Courtney “Covergirl” Krieger (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Destro

G.I. Joe: RoC — Destro (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Duke [Desert Ambush]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Duke [Desert Ambush] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Heavy Duty

G.I. Joe: RoC — Heavy Duty (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Neo-Viper [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Neo-Viper [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Sgt. Stone

G.I. Joe: RoC — Sgt. Stone (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara [Covert Ops]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara [Covert Ops] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shipwreck

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shipwreck (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Eyes [Ninja Commando]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Eyes [Ninja Commando] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Storm Shadow [Ninja Mercenary]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Storm Shadow [Ninja Mercenary] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Night Raven (front)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Air-Viper (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Night Raven (character art)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Night Raven (back)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Trax ATV (front)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Scrap-Iron (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Trax ATV (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Trax ATV (back)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Steel Crusher APV (front)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Nitro-Viper (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Steel Crusher APV (back)

G.I. Joe Hall of Heroes

Oh yeah. I resisted these guys when the news 1st broke that these repacks would be coming out. But once again, packaging wins out!

These figures are worth it for the display quality alone, but in addition to the gold foil goodness, each figure has subtle paint improvements and comes with many accessories. I’m glad I gave in to my weakness and ordered this set. Though at this time I am still awaiting the arrival of Storm Shadow (HoH:4).

Hall of Heroes Set

Hall of Heroes — Boxed Back

HoH:1 — Snake Eyes v1 w/Timber

HoH:1 — Snake Eyes v1 (CU)

HoH:1 — Timber (CU)

HoH:2 — Firefly

HoH:2 — Firefly (CU)

HoH:2 — Firefly Accessories (CU)

HoH:3 — Cobra B.A.T.

HoH:3 — Cobra B.A.T. (CU)

HoH:3 — Cobra B.A.T. Accessories (CU)

HoH:5 — Beachhead

HoH:5 — Beachhead (CU)

HoH:6 — Cobra Viper

HoH:6 — Cobra Viper (CU)

HoH:7 — Crimson Guard

HoH:7 — Crimson Guard (CU)

HoH:8 — Flint v1

HoH:8 — Flint v1 (CU)

HoH:9 — Zartan v2

HoH:9 — Zartan v2 (CU)

HoH:10 — Snake Eyes v2

HoH:10 — Snake Eyes v2 (CU)

G.I. Joe — Wave 10 (pt.2: review)

So, within a month of Wave 9’s release comes Wave 10 of this excellent line. Hasbro keeps offering interesting character selections; here they keep things fresh by including a mix of some fan favorites along with some new characters. What follows will be a review of the figures that came in this wave, with the exception of Tiger Force Duke. **UPDATE** See Tiger Force Duke review at the end of this post.

1) Mutt & Junkyard — K-9 Officer & Attack Dog

• Head/Forearms/Lower Body — New
• Torso/Biceps/Waist — Cobra Viper (w7)

One of my favorites from the original line comes back to life with this great likeness. The detail is great, even down to the scar on his face. The only issue I have with this version is that his face mask looks a little too bulky and doesn’t cover his mouth and nose convincingly. It’s a small gripe to this overall excellent figure. ***1/2

… Wherever There’s Trouble… (pt.2) — Arctic Assault Squad Review

EXTREME CONDITIONS PACK (2 of 2): COBRA ARCTIC ASSAULT SQUAD

This review covers the figures found in the second set of the online exclusive multipacks. In my opinion, this is the better set of the two mainly because it contains the debut of Scrap-Iron, albeit in winter-blue tones; also, I find the Snow Serpents and Vipers more visually interesting than the Crimson Guards and Cobra Troopers of the Desert Assault Squad. Finally, they come with a ton of cool accessories which elevates these figures from just being re-packaged and repainted toys (I’m looking at you Star Wars and Transformers!).

1) Cobra Viper — Heavy Weapons Trooper

• Head: Cobra Viper (w7)
• Upper Body: Roadblock (w8)
• Lower Body: Copperhead (cp w4)
• Weapons: Snow Serpent (w9) / Roadblock (w8) / Copperhead (cp w4)

An interesting re-use of parts combining the upper half of a G.I. Joe member with the lower half and head of Cobra figures, the Heavy Weapons Trooper makes for a visually stunning toy. The color scheme here really works in favor of the Cobra trooper. This guy also comes with a bunch of weapons to choose from, though I prefer to keep him mobile without the machine gun. The only perceptible flaw is that he inherits the wide hands of Roadblock, has difficulty holding weapons, and has shirt sleeves that are painted on rather than molded. ***

He’ll Fight For Freedom… (pt.2) — Desert Assault Squad Review

EXTREME CONDITIONS PACK (1 of 2): COBRA DESERT ASSAULT SQUAD

This review covers the first of two online exclusive multipacks both of which have hostile environment themes. The figures are mostly an amalgamation of parts from previously released figures, and many of the combinations are very creative. In my review of these figures, I will break down as much as possible where the re-used parts come from before giving my thoughts on the pros and cons of the figure as a whole.

1) Cobra Trooper — Flamethrower Specialist

• Head: Cobra Viper (w7)
• Body: Barbecue (w9)
• Flamethrower/Gas Tank: Dreadnok Torch (cp w2)
• Rifle: Cobra Officer (w2)

A great looking figure with an imaginative use of accessories. The only flaw is that the flamethrower’s cord makes it difficult to be placed in the figure’s hand, which is molded too wide to begin with so he really can’t get a firm grip on the weapon’s handle. He also looks slightly weird without the Viper’s goggles, but they wouldn’t makes sense here. And finally, he also has difficulty holding onto his rifle; I wonder if Hasbro could have used the Cobra Officer hands instead. ***

… Wherever There’s Trouble… (pt.1)

Cobra Extreme Conditions multipacks have arrived! This is the second set — the Arctic Assault Squad. Figure reviews to come in a follow-up post.

Extreme Conditions Pack (2of 2) — Cobra Arctic Assault (front)

Extreme Conditions Pack (2of 2) — Cobra Arctic Assault Set (back)

Heavy Weapons Trooper — Cobra Viper (art detail)

Heavy Weapons Trooper — Cobra Viper

Polar Assault Officer — Snow Serpent Officer (art detail)

Polar Assault Officer — Snow Serpent Officer

Polar Combat Specialist — Snow Serpent Trooper (art detail)

Polar Combat Specialist — Snow Serpent Trooper

Anti-Armor Specialist — Scrap-Iron (art detail)

Anti-Armor Specialist — Scrap-Iron

Polar Heavy Weapons Specialist — Snow Serpent Trooper (art detail)

Polar Heavy Weapons Specialist — Snow Serpent Trooper

Arctic Trooper — Cobra Viper (art detail)

Arctic Trooper — Cobra Viper

Arctic Communications Specialist — Tele-Viper (art detail)

Arctic Communications Specialist — Tele-Viper

I Can See Those Fighter Planes

For the past month and a half, I’ve been anticipating the arrival of the new Target exclusive G.I. Joe vehicle assortment of the Rattler and the Conquest. Back in the day I’ve always wanted but never had the Rattler so I was fairly excited for that, and I never had the Conquest but always dug its swept-forward wing design.

When the online pre-order was first announced back in July, I immediately placed my order. As far as I know, I placed it on the very first day they were made available for pre-order. And so with less than two months wait, my anticipation grew. My feelings reached fever pitch when late August/early September rolled around and the first reports of sightings/email notifications started hitting the boards at HissTank.com. And you know how frenzied online news can put a bee up anyone’s backside.

I was one of the lucky few to get a positive email notice, stating I would get shipment the Friday of the products’ release date. Yeah!

So imagine my disappointment when the ship date came and went, and no final notice of products shipping. Now imagine my surprise and anger when I got another email notification stating a delay in shipment until November! Yeahbuhwha–!? “Alright,” I told myself, “I can weather this out. Besides, I’m low on funds. I should wait.” But then another thought popped into my head. What if there is no second release, then I’m screwed.

Until this morning that is.

Thank goodness for the HissTank boards. A lot of posts about visiting the Target.com site and checking availability on the two exclusives. I followed the links, discovered availability in two local Targets and went to the one I’ve never been to before because it’s out of the way, and I’m sure to never see my nemesis this other unshaven collector (more on him another day). So I walked in, grabbed the only set on the shelf, paid and walked out. Spoils for the vigilant collector!

In any case, to keep this post medium-ish, I will post reviews and pics in a separate entry. I just wanted to vent on the nerve-wracking experience of being an addict a collector.