Dominusdjinn just pasted by my place last night to show off his new acquisition: The Invasion of COBRA Island Seven-packs. We had fun opening the sets and setting them loose, so I decided to take some shots of this elusive collection and to come out with a review. So here it goes:
DR. MINDBENDER
The Great - The doctor's back meaner than ever before. His physical attributes has improved, better looking abdominals and pecs, better looking head, detailed webgear and new set of arms. Years certainly passed compared to the original vintage series. He also has an impressive looking cape to match.
The Not so Great - In proportion to his body, the recolored crimson guard legs look puny against his muscular torso. This makes him those stereotype body builders that forget workout their lower limbs. The choice of accessories too is quite disappointing, since he is still armed with that original cattle prong he is so known to have (and honestly I dont know what it is).
The Sucky - they could have chosen a better figure version to base Dr. Mindbender updated 25th series release. Sure the outfit is iconic, but Hasbro should had thought twice how a demented dentist turned insane mastermind would dress up for today's modern battle.
The Recommendation: If you plan to army build, your stuck with this repetitive figure in your collection. For the 1st set it would be fine, then the 2nd set you could probably trade it off to someone else, and the 3rd set you would probably customize. By the Nth set you would be screaming how to get rid of him. They could had released a non-unique figure for his set.
My personal rating is 6/10. Not too shabby for the evil doctor.
COBRA LAMPREY
The Great - For me this is great revamp of the older Cobra driver of the COBRA MORAY. The outfit is updated, you have a nifty helmet that has a removable face plate, tubes behind the helmet gives it a realistic touch, and has a modern look all in all.
The Good - The figure doesn't look too much like its 80's counterpart and Hasbro has successfully updated the figure to a considerable realistic dimension, even if it has to balance with some of those advanced gear like the helmet, breathing apparatus and its unidentified weapon.
The Not so Bad - Hasbro giving out aquatic troopers is quite nice, and this is the only 25th figure that I observed that didn't have have swim gear and fins to match. Maybe because of its amphibious functions, the Lamprey is what I see a versatile trooper, though its choice of bright colors over it dull grey does makes it a wee bit off.
The Recommendation - The Lamprey has some recycled parts from existing figures, which now Hasbro is pretty popular giving us new figs by just introducing a recolored collection of assorted body parts. For the Lamprey it does has little effect, and because of its fancy accessories it does look acceptable in an average collector's standards.
A good fair 6.5 for me. I just hope if ever the MORAY is released, the Lamprey gets a better paint job.
COBRA AIR VIPER
The Good - The Air Viper is a handsome figure of COBRA colors and gear. For a viper suited for aerial missions, this figure punches a good hit of what an organized and well funded enemy pilot would look like. I love the little paint details and its color composition for this Cobra figure.
The Sucky - For all the innovations done on the 25th line, Hasbro could had worked its legs a little to give that holster on his chest gear some purpose rather than being some rubbery prop. Now you cant figure out how to handle the handgun when you dont need it, and there's no nifty place to hide it. And what's the name? Air viper? Isnt it supposed to be Stratoviper? Did the license expire again?
The Recommendation - For display purposes, here is a vintage accurate figure for your collection. Yes it might be too tall for your vintage night raven, but the Air Viper a good display pilot to stand right next to it.
A nice 7.5 / 1o in my book.
THE NIGHT CREEPER
The Great - Finally an Iron Grenadier addition to Destro's combat guild! I am glad to see that we have a good old ninja figure close to our heart apart from all the COBRA ninja figures that has been on the market. The figure is nicely painted with its preppy purple and crimsonness, all with the camo detail marks to boot.
The Better - The painted crossbow really rocks! I love the little accessories that come with painted flavor. A unique chest armor not found on other figures is also good.
The Lacking - more weapons could have worked out. For all the intricate painting, the backpack seems to0 bland. Plus looking at the ankles, the figure seems to suffer some limited articulation. Shucks! Say bye-bye to cool ninja dramatic poses with this fella.
The Recommendation - though its color combo is quite questionable for this ninja to exercise subterfuge when its all bright with maroon and its limited poseability, the Creeper is still a nice addition to COBRA armies, ahem...DESTRO armies I mean. Overall it is a cool figure to have, though the ROC two-pack version is much better buy with its green color scheme.
My personal rating is 6.5/10.
THE RANGE VIPER
The Best - I feel in love with this figure the 1st time I saw it. Being a COBRA unit really rocks if you're a Range viper, having a kick-ass grenade launcher, a heavy machine gun and a scary mask makes it all worth it. You might find some recycled parts but hey it blends in pretty nicely.
The Good - well a unique head mold would do, but yes Hasbro is guilty to have Beachheads skull right underneath that menacing mask of his. Again it would have been swell to have a unique head, but hey I cant complain, at least its not just another Firefly or Stormshadow recolored head.
The Recommendation - he is too me one of the factors that make the seven pack set worth getting. Not only you get a mean Cobra figure with a lot of firepower, but you also get a quality figure with overall good blend of aesthetic design. One might debate that yellow accessories can give you away in the heat of battle, it works well for the Range Viper. I just hope this figure does show up in single packs in the not so distant future.
A 9.0 out of 10. And don't ask me why...its so obvious.
COBRA B.A.T
The Overlooked - What another BAT? We already had the single pack one, the Hall of Heroes version, the DVD pack one and even the Black Resolute version, so whats new with this? The HOH has the battle damaged version, and this version doesn't have a backpack of interchangeable gear, but hey for a fraction of the price the HOH version demands, this little robot is an affordable alternate. You have the little spores in the canister, the replacement head and chest plate, a machine gun and the purple plant that comes with this figure. Quite a haul for a package price.
The Recommendation - You can never get enough of BATS in your collection whatever it may be, battledamaged or not it is still quite a find and a good substitute over those sold pricey by toy hoarders. I like the sense yes it has it all less the backpack of goodies. Its not *B.A.D to get another BAT.
A good 7.5 in my book, could have been a solid 8.0 if it came with the backpack and weapons.
* - Battle Android Destroyed
THE ALLEY VIPER
The BEST -This to my observation and I guess everyone who has the set agree the best figure in the whole pack. The array of weapons it came with, its attention to the bright yet vintage urban camo, its improved detachable helmet, riot shield with hidden nightstick and almost all new body parts makes the Alley Viper a very desirable asset into any Gi joe collection.
The Improvement - the only improvement I can spot would be the lousy snap-on of the grappling gun to the backpack, which is too loose to hold. A minor setback though for a figure so awesome to describe.
DR. MINDBENDER
The Great - The doctor's back meaner than ever before. His physical attributes has improved, better looking abdominals and pecs, better looking head, detailed webgear and new set of arms. Years certainly passed compared to the original vintage series. He also has an impressive looking cape to match.
The Not so Great - In proportion to his body, the recolored crimson guard legs look puny against his muscular torso. This makes him those stereotype body builders that forget workout their lower limbs. The choice of accessories too is quite disappointing, since he is still armed with that original cattle prong he is so known to have (and honestly I dont know what it is).
The Sucky - they could have chosen a better figure version to base Dr. Mindbender updated 25th series release. Sure the outfit is iconic, but Hasbro should had thought twice how a demented dentist turned insane mastermind would dress up for today's modern battle.
The Recommendation: If you plan to army build, your stuck with this repetitive figure in your collection. For the 1st set it would be fine, then the 2nd set you could probably trade it off to someone else, and the 3rd set you would probably customize. By the Nth set you would be screaming how to get rid of him. They could had released a non-unique figure for his set.
My personal rating is 6/10. Not too shabby for the evil doctor.
COBRA LAMPREY
The Great - For me this is great revamp of the older Cobra driver of the COBRA MORAY. The outfit is updated, you have a nifty helmet that has a removable face plate, tubes behind the helmet gives it a realistic touch, and has a modern look all in all.
The Good - The figure doesn't look too much like its 80's counterpart and Hasbro has successfully updated the figure to a considerable realistic dimension, even if it has to balance with some of those advanced gear like the helmet, breathing apparatus and its unidentified weapon.
The Not so Bad - Hasbro giving out aquatic troopers is quite nice, and this is the only 25th figure that I observed that didn't have have swim gear and fins to match. Maybe because of its amphibious functions, the Lamprey is what I see a versatile trooper, though its choice of bright colors over it dull grey does makes it a wee bit off.
The Recommendation - The Lamprey has some recycled parts from existing figures, which now Hasbro is pretty popular giving us new figs by just introducing a recolored collection of assorted body parts. For the Lamprey it does has little effect, and because of its fancy accessories it does look acceptable in an average collector's standards.
A good fair 6.5 for me. I just hope if ever the MORAY is released, the Lamprey gets a better paint job.
COBRA AIR VIPER
The Good - The Air Viper is a handsome figure of COBRA colors and gear. For a viper suited for aerial missions, this figure punches a good hit of what an organized and well funded enemy pilot would look like. I love the little paint details and its color composition for this Cobra figure.
The Sucky - For all the innovations done on the 25th line, Hasbro could had worked its legs a little to give that holster on his chest gear some purpose rather than being some rubbery prop. Now you cant figure out how to handle the handgun when you dont need it, and there's no nifty place to hide it. And what's the name? Air viper? Isnt it supposed to be Stratoviper? Did the license expire again?
The Recommendation - For display purposes, here is a vintage accurate figure for your collection. Yes it might be too tall for your vintage night raven, but the Air Viper a good display pilot to stand right next to it.
A nice 7.5 / 1o in my book.
THE NIGHT CREEPER
The Great - Finally an Iron Grenadier addition to Destro's combat guild! I am glad to see that we have a good old ninja figure close to our heart apart from all the COBRA ninja figures that has been on the market. The figure is nicely painted with its preppy purple and crimsonness, all with the camo detail marks to boot.
The Better - The painted crossbow really rocks! I love the little accessories that come with painted flavor. A unique chest armor not found on other figures is also good.
The Lacking - more weapons could have worked out. For all the intricate painting, the backpack seems to0 bland. Plus looking at the ankles, the figure seems to suffer some limited articulation. Shucks! Say bye-bye to cool ninja dramatic poses with this fella.
The Recommendation - though its color combo is quite questionable for this ninja to exercise subterfuge when its all bright with maroon and its limited poseability, the Creeper is still a nice addition to COBRA armies, ahem...DESTRO armies I mean. Overall it is a cool figure to have, though the ROC two-pack version is much better buy with its green color scheme.
My personal rating is 6.5/10.
THE RANGE VIPER
The Best - I feel in love with this figure the 1st time I saw it. Being a COBRA unit really rocks if you're a Range viper, having a kick-ass grenade launcher, a heavy machine gun and a scary mask makes it all worth it. You might find some recycled parts but hey it blends in pretty nicely.
The Good - well a unique head mold would do, but yes Hasbro is guilty to have Beachheads skull right underneath that menacing mask of his. Again it would have been swell to have a unique head, but hey I cant complain, at least its not just another Firefly or Stormshadow recolored head.
The Recommendation - he is too me one of the factors that make the seven pack set worth getting. Not only you get a mean Cobra figure with a lot of firepower, but you also get a quality figure with overall good blend of aesthetic design. One might debate that yellow accessories can give you away in the heat of battle, it works well for the Range Viper. I just hope this figure does show up in single packs in the not so distant future.
A 9.0 out of 10. And don't ask me why...its so obvious.
COBRA B.A.T
The Overlooked - What another BAT? We already had the single pack one, the Hall of Heroes version, the DVD pack one and even the Black Resolute version, so whats new with this? The HOH has the battle damaged version, and this version doesn't have a backpack of interchangeable gear, but hey for a fraction of the price the HOH version demands, this little robot is an affordable alternate. You have the little spores in the canister, the replacement head and chest plate, a machine gun and the purple plant that comes with this figure. Quite a haul for a package price.
The Recommendation - You can never get enough of BATS in your collection whatever it may be, battledamaged or not it is still quite a find and a good substitute over those sold pricey by toy hoarders. I like the sense yes it has it all less the backpack of goodies. Its not *B.A.D to get another BAT.
A good 7.5 in my book, could have been a solid 8.0 if it came with the backpack and weapons.
* - Battle Android Destroyed
THE ALLEY VIPER
The BEST -This to my observation and I guess everyone who has the set agree the best figure in the whole pack. The array of weapons it came with, its attention to the bright yet vintage urban camo, its improved detachable helmet, riot shield with hidden nightstick and almost all new body parts makes the Alley Viper a very desirable asset into any Gi joe collection.
The Improvement - the only improvement I can spot would be the lousy snap-on of the grappling gun to the backpack, which is too loose to hold. A minor setback though for a figure so awesome to describe.
The Recommendation - Keep one and in all your luck get more! I just hope it comes out in urban grey and blue too!
9.5/10 in my Joe bible.
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