Pursuit of Cobra Steel Marauder

I remember when the Steel Marauder and the Cobra Deviant came out at regular retail. I thought that they looked pretty cool, but didn't really want to drop $19.99 for each of them. All I needed was a little patience!
After last Christmas, i went by one of the local Walmart stores and they still had a couple of the mechs - one of each. A quick test scan - $9.99 each! Sold!
A few days ago, actually on Father's Day, I stopped by the nearest Ross store and spotted both at the low price of $7.99 each. I didn't really want another Deviant - weapon arms are a bit lame, so I picked up another Steel Marauder.

The GI Joe mech is a decent toy. Hasbro used the mech from the small Sigma 6 line amd upgraded the cockpit to allow the bigger Joes to fit inside. With the claw arm and the multiple missle launcher, this thing is much more formidable than the Cobra mech

The driver, Kickstart, is pretty decent. Another Franken-Joe from Hasbro. I didn't realize that Kickstart actually makes use of Airborne's head. Great job by Hasbro with the reuse.

The mech looks formidable and ready for a fight. One interesting element of both mechs is that the arms are interchangeable. You can switch out the arms with the Cobra Deviant mech or, in the case of multiple mechs, arm them with specific weapon arms.

Here is a close-up shot of the cockpit of the Steel Marauder. Very detailed and a great use of the control arms. The Deviant mech is the same.

Both of my Joe mechs together. If you notice that the one on the right is missing a missile, I have it -somewhere. I remember seeing it in an odd place amongst all of my Joe storage - I'll find it eventually.
With both arms switched to the missile launchers, this mech can pack a serious punch!

The two claw arms together looks pretty cool as well. Much better than the Deviant mech!

Now this is a bit much. Just a little too excessive! The arms start to sag at the connection points and I'm sure that there would eventually be too much strain on the conncetors. Okay for one picture, but don't leave them like this!

I have always been a fan of mech suits, even back to the days of Playmate's Exo-Squad line. Playmates did an outstanding job with those mechs, smaller scale with even more articulation. Hasbro did a decent job with their two mechs. Perhaps Hasbro will revisit this vehicle with the new movie line?

Pursuit of Cobra Cobra Trooper

When they original Cobra trooper came out way, way back in 1982, I was okay with the figure. But once the various specialist versions of Cobra soldiers - vipers, eels, snow serpents, Crimson Guard, range vipers, etc - the standard Cobra soldier was sort of left behind. Abandoned because the newer specialists looked much better.

Along comes the 25th Anniversary line with a new version of the stalwart Cobra soldier in 2008. Improved, but still a little off. The figure suffered from many of the flaws from the early 25th line. Wobbly legs, arm articulation a little off. Just didn't really work for me, so I never got into them too much and only bought a few. I wound up trading most of them to Wess.

Here comes 2011 and Hasbro gives us this guy. Damn! A much improved version of the Cobra soldier. Using design elements of the Pursuit of Cobra line, Hasbro has really created an excellent version of this trooper. Almost...

So here is the trooper out of package with all of his gear. An RPG, a sniper rifle, a knife, two silenced pistols, helmet, web gear and a roll of barbed wire. Really? Barbed wire? A dumb accessory when it came with Dusty, just as bad with this guy. Hasbro did a great job with the figure, but the gear should have been kicked up a few notches.

Two silenced pistols! Very cool, but the pistols are so thin that one is too loose in his holster. Be careful with those silencers, kids, you might and probably will lose them!

The figure is another Hasbro "Franken-joe" and that's just fine. It looks like Hasbro used the Shock Trooper arms and torso, Snake Eyes' legs, and a Resoulte Trooper head. The helmet seems new, very similar to the Resolute trooper helmet. The web gear comes from the original 25th soldier. A great combination of parts that just really works well together.

Here's the trooper holding his two weapons that are included. Not bad, but he needs more weapons!
From left to right - the AK-47 from the Jungle BAT, a standard Viper rifle and a Marauder NVR (?).
Trying out a couple different options for goggles on the helmet. Left - Para-Viper goggles, right - Desert Viper goggles. Both seem to work pretty well for the trooper, but the Shock Trooper goggles really work the best. (Pictures later!) The goggles for the Shock Trooper just don't seem to work for that figure, too loose on the helmet.

A quick comparison of the original 25 th version with his upgraded counterpart. No contest.

Another comparison between the original 25th, the POC upgrade and the Resolute trooper. I am definitely planning on troop building the new Cobra trooper. I just don't know the amount that I'll stop at. Of all of the assorted Cobra soldiers, the largest quantities are as follows - 9 Elite Vipers (ROC), 10 Resolute troopers and 20+ BATs. I think I may go up to around 9 or 10 of these guys, I'm at 3 right now. Twenty BATs is a bit out of control. But if sometime in the future, these guys show up at discount retailers, I know I will get out of control and load up. The Cobra soldier finally gets a respectable figure.

Today's Toy Run

This past Monday, I lucked up and found my first new GI Joe figures in a while. I picked up a Jungle BAT, a Steel Brigade trooper and a Cobra trooper. I stopped by the same Walmart again today...


Oh yeah! I picked up 2 more Cobra Troopers, 2 more Steel Brigade troops, 2 General Hawks and 1 of the new versions of Cobra Commander. Sweet!!

I've seen pictures of the General Hawk figure used as a troop builder. I'm all for that. Looks pretty cool. Reviews to follow soon.

And I left the Jungle BATs on the pegs! Plus I passed on the new version of Blowtorch. Maybe when Hasbro redoes him in shades of green, I'll pick him up.

Pursuit of Cobra Steel Brigade

The vintage mail away offer of a personalized G.I. Joe gets a great update for the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Steel Brigade trooper was originally a combination of assorted Joe parts with a new head sculpt. No exception here. I don't think that there is anything new on this figure.
But Hasbro has done a great job in recreating the Steel Brigade trooper from an assortment of various sources.


I haven't done a side by side comparison, but I believe that the body of the Steel Brigade trooper matches the exact body of the Cobra Shock Trooper, including the web gear. The only changes, of course, are the colors. But it works. The Shock Trooper body is a great base for potentially any new character with only minor changes needed.


The Steel Brigade trooper is meant to be a "generic" soldier, sort of a G.I. Joe recruit. He is almost a full fledged G.I. Joe, but not quite. They can also act as support troops for the G.I. Joe team.


The figure comes equipped with a wide assortment of gear. Looks like a SMAW with a back pack of removable, lose-able shells. The widely used SCAR rifle, an M4A1 (?), and a heavy machine gun w/ tripod wrap up the firearms. He also comes with another back pack and the Steel Brigade helmet.




The figure also uses the Beach Head head sculpt used with both the Resolute and Pursuit of Cobra versions, plus the collar used with both Resolute Beach Head and Stalker.



I'm thrilled with Hasbro's execution with this character. Unfortunately, the guy is generic and therefore may become G.I. Joe cannon fodder. I do like the concept and definitely need a few more of these guys to create a little squad of these guys.

Pursuit of Cobra Jungle BAT

A Jungle BAT? Seriously?
Yeah, I guess so. Hell, he's got a machete, so why not?

But a Jungle BAT? Most of the latest releases from Hasbro for the Pursuit of Cobra line appear to be "Franken-Joes" - a combination of assorted parts used to make either a new character or an update of other characters. This new version of the BAT is no exception.

This version uses the entire mold from the 25th Anniversary Battle Android Trooper with just a new color palette and a new assortment of weapons. The original version kicked all sorts of ass and still remains as one of the best updates from the classic to the new style body construction.



The Jungle BAT comes with an assortment of goodies. Besides the standard BAT arm weapons, there are several different choices for arming your Jungle BAT. A machete, an AK-47, and a mini-gun w/ ammo belt and ammo backpack. Plus the BAT comes with the battle damaged head. That battle damaged head is really well done. plus the chest panel has taken a few hits as well. The BAT loaded up for some heavy-duty brush clearing in the jungle. A Jungle BAT?


I'm just not digging this color palette of this thing. The camo pattern, while cool, just doesn't work for me. And I'm not sure how well a complex electronic device is going to work in the hot, humid jungles.

Close-up of battle damage - nice job, Hasbro!
When the 25th Anniversary excess inventory arrived at discount retailers such as Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Ross and Family Dollar, I loaded up on BATs. I guess I got a little "BAT-sh!t" crazy. I bought nearly every BAT that I could find. I'm just not feeling it for these new versions. I think that I might buy one more of these Jungle BATs.


It's not like he's going to be lonely. He does have a few friends.

Now if Hasbro had redone the BAT in a more urban camo color palette? I might have again been hit by BAT fever and "needed" to load up on these rascals.

Awesome Stuff from Ross!

Yeah, I'm pretty much nuts.

Pursuit of Cobra Shock Trooper

During a quick stop at a local Walmart, I got lucky and found two Cobra Shock troopers from the Pursuit of Cobra line. It finally seems like the figures are making it out into retail.

As a Cobra troop builder, this figure is pretty cool. Loads of gear and decent sculpting. There does seem to be a mission overlap between the Shock Troopers and the Alley Vipers. Both seem to be a door-busting, head smacking assault troop, but what would be the mission need for two assault troops?

Perhaps the Shock Troopers could be the "pacification" level of assault, move in, bust some heads, kick ass, take names - that sort of thing. But if the local populace continues to be unruly and unaccepting of Cobra's kind "benevolence", then perhaps the Alley Vipers are called in for a more permanent type of control over those who fail to fall in line with Cobra's "security."

A great set of gear for these guys -

• Large machine gun
• Small machine gun
• Riot shield
• Pistol
• Shotgun
• Sledge Hammer
• Helmet w/ gas mask and goggles
• Radio
• some sort of two-handled attached stick thingy - electric prods for crowd control?

The goggles are pretty useless without the helmet, Best bet is to glue them to the helmet to avoid loss. The radio has a peg on the back, can't figure out where it goes.

The neck seems a bit long, especially without the web gear. I think a couple millimeters could have shaved out of the length of the neck and he would have been perfect. The flare of the hood at the base of the neck needs to stay above the web gear, but the neck length could have been just a little less. Minor point, still a damn cool figure!

Plus the troop has the enhanced wrist articulation. Hasbro really scored big with this new feature. Very nice!

He looks pretty cool all loaded up. More pictures soon when I have a little more time. I need to set up some "action" shots.

I highly recommend this troop. Build up an army of Shock Troopers to keep your local 3 3/4" toy population in line. Just don't go too crazy, I still want a few more!

G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Low-Light

A long-time fan favorite, Low-Light final gets an update in the Pursuit of Cobra line. Missed during the 25th Anniversary series, Low-Light has been requested by every GI Joe fan-boy out there - including me!
The original 1986 version was well done for the time and had a well-developed character based on his file card. He also played a key role in one particular episode of the animated series that looked at his character bio. We'll not discuss the black-haired version or the Dino-Hunters set. Low-Light prefers not to discuss those periods in his career.

This new version is an amazing update on the classic character, very similar yet skillfully redone. The attention to detail in this figure, as with most POC figures is stellar. And the gear that he comes with? Amazing! Using the BeachHead torso as a base and what appears to be new sculpt parts for the rest of him, he is an excellent figure.

Plus he has the new wrist articulation - up and down w/ swivel on right hand and side-to-side and swivel on left hand. Very cool!

When Low-Light gets you in his sights, pray to whatever god you believe in.

Night spotter? No, he's a sniper!

A quick run-down of the included gear-

• Sniper rifle with extending stock, removable silencer, bipod, and removable scope. (The scope can also store on his leg.)
• Spotter's scope w/ stand
• Radio with removable antenna and hand piece
• A partial box of bullets w/ one loose bullet. (A 1/18th scale bullet? That's crazy!)
• An Uzi
• A cellphone/GPS?
• Rifle case that can hold the rifle, stock, and scope.
• Backpack that can hold everything else!
• and the classic red goggles!

Low-Light can pretty much carry all his gear as well. He's loaded down, but he can handle it!

Oh yeah, he has a knife in a thigh scabbard also.

My main issue with Low-Light is his ability to easily hold his sniper rifle. It's kind of a tough pose and the bulk of the arms makes it difficult. I am also checking out several different sniper rifles to see how Low-Light can handle them.

Right now, this is one of the HOT GI Joe figures out there - tough to find, but he's out there! Get him soon!

I did attempt a 1/6th version of Low-Light that turned out pretty well - check it out for yourself right here!

Cobra HISS Tank

Cobra's iconic battle tank gets a make-over for the Pursuit of Cobra line. The classic look of the HISS tank is basically preserved with angle of the treads and the jet black body. This thing is pretty surprising with it's size, especially being packed into a relatively small box.

The side profile highlights the sleek styling of the hull, reminiscent of a high tech flying craft. While it makes for a great toy, with loads of play value, a 1/1 scaled version would be a bit impractical - much like most GI Joe/Cobra vehicles. I think that it looks just fine all hunkered down and ready to fight.

A push of a button on the top allows for the main body to pop up for a higher firing elevation. Cool feature, but a couple grenades tossed in by some Joes will slow the HISS down a little!

The driver? Crap. Using the HISS driver head and Armored Cobra Commander's body and minimal paint apps, the driver is just weak. He is also molded with softer plastic and just doesn't have the feel of a single-carded GI Joe figure.

I redid the driver, using the helmet on a red Resolute Cobra trooper. Looks better to me!

I rarely saw the HISS tank at the regular big box retailer and when I did, I was hesitant, not wanting to pay that price. Apparently that was a sentiment shared by many Joe collectors. The big box chains were still suffering from the curse of Rise of Cobra toys, some stores carrying inventory long after the DVD of the movie had been released.

Secondary retail stores such as Ross, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, even Family Dollar, picked up inventory at a discounted rate and passed the savings along to Joe fans everywhere. Rise of Cobra figures and vehicles could be found at deep discounts. 25th anniversary figures were $3.00 - $4.00. Fun times for GI Joe fans!

I was fortunate enough to pick up this HISS tank and the new VAMP from Ross for the low price of $11.99 each. Plus there have been unreleased big box store exclusives that are only showing up at the retail discounters. I don't know what that means from the whole retail sales and profit model, but it's pretty dang cool for toy fans.

Oh yeah, it has a sheet-load of stickers, too! Definitely need the reading glasses for this mission!