Monday, 9 November 2020

Toybox REVIEW: G.I. Joe Classified Series "Special Missions: Cobra Island" Cobra Trooper

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Release Date: August 2020
RRP: $19.99/£19.99

We’re only two waves into the new G.I. Joe Classified Series line and already Hasbro have extended it with a store-exclusive sub-range, which in hindsight hasn’t gone down all that well with collectors given the ever-increasing popularity (and as a result, scarcity) of these figures. The Special Missions: Cobra Island range is already confirmed to run across multiple assortments and is being released exclusively at Target in the US, whilst in the UK the first assortment came as standard releases (it’s looking unlikely we’ll receive the second). Whilst this range also includes popular characters like Roadblock and the Baroness, it also inexplicably features army builder characters such as the Cobra Trooper. Naturally a lot of collectors are going to want to fill up the ranks of their ruthless terrorist organisation with these figures, so making it a hard to find is exclusive is a little strange. 

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The Cobra Island range comes in packaging that’s mostly identical to the main Classified Series, however it also features a unique “Cobra Island” logo on the front as well as an all-new image on the back. Whereas the main series has artwork of key G.I. Joe characters, these boxes have a map of the titular Cobra Island - with close up views of various points of interest. There’s some fantastic artwork of the Cobra Trooper on the front and spine of the box, whilst the other spine denotes this as the 12th release in the series. It’s a little odd that the Cobra Island releases are being included in the main numbering, but obviously that means Hasbro considers them just as important despite their exclusivity. Open it up and you’ll find the Trooper and accessories neatly laid across a moulded plastic tray, up against a striking backing card showing off Cobra’s arsenal.

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While the Classified Series may be updating the instantly recognisable designs of the G.I. Joe cast, it has a lot more leeway than other Hasbro lines - there’s no accompanying cartoon so screen-accuracy isn’t a concern, the only thing it needs to match is the box art (which this figure does save for a few unpainted Cobra symbols on the gloves). The Cobra Trooper is a fairly standard soldier figure, decked out in tactical gear and a full face balaclava sporting a Mortal Kombat ninja-esque mask with only the eyes seen underneath. Even with minimal human features to sculpt, Hasbro did a great job on those eyes. Over the torso is a soft plastic combat vest, sporting a number of pouches, a moulded belt and various other bits of detail. The thick knife pouch on the breast looks a little ridiculous (not to mention impractical), but it’s a really good-looking design that looks right at home here. The body itself as also covered in all sorts of moulded detailing - the blue sections are all textured like fabric, whilst the boots and gloves have a glossier finish that suggests being made of a harder material. While its fairly minimal on paint apps (which makes sense given its re-release potential and the amount of stuff they packed in with it), the trooper does at the very least have a vibrant red Cobra emblem right in the middle of his chest. You really can’t fault all the moulded detail on him though, as even the smaller Cobra emblems on the gloves look perfect. Despite just being a generic trooper design the figure just oozes badassery, immediately making you feel like you want more. Most people aren’t going to get more due to their scarcity, but at least the sentiment is there?

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The Classified Series body is one of the best Hasbro is putting out at the moment, so even though the Cobra Trooper has a fair bit of torso obstruction from his combat vest there’s still plenty to love about this figure. Altogether it has;
- Ball jointed head, lower neck and waist
- Hinged upper neck and ab crunch
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Butterfly joint shoulders/pecs
- “Pull down” ball jointed hips
- Double hinge elbows and knees
- Bicep, thigh and boot swivels
As previously stated all of that torso articulation is tucked away under that soft plastic vest, so not only is it not really usable but you can’t see any of it either. You can get a little wiggle out of the waist, but if you want to make the most of it that vest is definitely going to have come off though. It stands to reason that a heavy combat vest would probably restrict you a fair bit in reality too though, so it works well enough here. The rest of the articulation is an absolute joy though, and it’s an absolute tragedy Hasbro can’t just use it across all their lines. The ball jointed lower neck and drop down hips are highlights, giving the figure an extra range of movement that you tend to just not expect from a Hasbro release. Hasbro really is pushing the envelope on the Classified Series, and when even the generic army builder characters are turning out this good it’s hard not to have high expectations for all of them.

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The Cobra Trooper might be a no-name character but Hasbro have definitely made this purchase worthwhile, with the figure boasting one of the most extensive accessory counts I’ve seen across all of their lines (at this price point) in a long while. Altogether the trooper comes with a knife, two handguns, two different assault rifles, helmet, goggles and a red arm band than can be slipped onto the figure (without having to remove the arm) and denote it as the “leader” of a platoon - an absolutely essential piece for anyone looking to army build these guys. All the weapons are cast in black plastic with no paint apps, but have their own uniquely moulded details so really the only piece where the colours don’t work is the knife. The knife and handguns all have their own holsters on the figure itself, whilst the two rifles can peg onto the back of the figure in their own slots just underneath the stand port. The goggles are the smallest piece in the accessory count but easily the coolest, as they have snake eye lenses that instantly give the figure are far more sinister and inhuman look. When you pop them onto the head they will cover most of the exposed skin, but if there’s still a bit poking out that helmet will cover it up instantly. What really makes these accessories work isn’t just the choice of weapons, it’s the amount of choice you have on how you display the figure. Are you going to put both the goggles and helmet on, one or the other or neither? It means you could buy multiples of the figure and up to a point they’d all look different. Hasbro really knew what they were doing with this figure - it’s a design they can tweak and reissue repeatedly, so they can afford to include as many accessories as possible. It doesn’t even need extra hands because everything it comes with are so perfectly suited to the ones it has.

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If you told me at the beginning of the year that a generic army troop builder would be one of be my favourite figures of 2020 I’d have laughed at you, but then again I don’t think anyone expected the G.I. Joe Classified Series to turn out quite as incredibly as it has. The "Cobra Island" Cobra Trooper is a veritable Swiss Army knife of a figure - combing the advanced articulation Hasbro are putting into this line with an accessory count that outclasses pretty much everything else the company is doing elsewhere. It’s a little strange that a figure meant for army building has been placed in an exclusive range like Cobra Island, but at least Hasbro are putting out a more bare bones version in the main range as well. If you’re planning to amass a number of Cobra Troopers you definitely need this one as the leader, and even if you’re not this figure is the perfect example of just how impressive this line is turning out to be.

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