Toy
name: COBRA Imperial Procession Assortment: N/A Price: MSRP $19.99 Availability: June, 2005 -
Toys "R" Us Exclusive
Inconsistancy,
thy name is "Toys R Us Exclusive"...or something like that.
The TRU exclusives have always
been kind of fun that way, as long as you don't let yourself get too mad about
it...it's kind of a crapshoot as to which you're going to get in any given assortment.
Will it be a killer COBRA strike force like the Python Patrol or Infantry Set?
Will it be a bizarre amalgamation of common Joes in weird paint schemes like
the Desert Patrol or Anti-Venom sets? Or will it be all of the above? Well,
maybe I shouldn't use the word "inconsistent"...these latest two 6-packs
seem to follow the above pattern perfectly.
Fortunately, being the COBRA
fan that I am, I'm happy to report that the Imperial Procession definitely works
for me as a new nasty strike force for COBRA...I'm a big, big fan of this set
already, even though there are some shortcomings.
Hypothesis' ran rampant when
this set was first announced...there was speculation of a Serpentor-themed set,
and even word that it was meant to be a Star Wars set simply given the word
"Imperial" in the title...of course it didn't help that it's always
been listed (and still is) in Amazon as a "Ninja Strike Team". Well,
I'm pretty happy to report that this set is none of the above, and while it
really isn't perfect, I do think it works pretty well, and best of all, Hasbro
has gotten some figure parts together that are something new and interesting,
and really mesh for the purpose they're meant to serve. Unfortunately we do
get a couple of named COBRA's in a certain look that I don't think I'll be using,
but the tradeoff for 4 kick-ass looking bodyguards is well worth it, in my opinion.
Let's start with the bad.
And you know, it's not really all that bad...just nothing incredible.
Baroness
is the first figure out of the gate. Really nothing new or exciting here, especially
if you already have the Crimson Strike Team version from a few years ago. The
only major difference is the use of the comic pack head, which I'm pretty happy
to see, honestly. It's a new and different look, and even though she has those
pesky coke bottle glasses, the new head is a step in the right direction compared
to her old look, which was becoming somewhat dated. The sculpt of the swept
back hair looks great and realistic, and her facial sculpt is as nice as it
was back in the original comic pack. The glasses are hit or miss, but Hasbro
did a nice job at least slimming them up for this figure, and they really do
look more realistic here than in the previous incarnation.
The overall mold of the figure
is the same as it always has been, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The
Baroness always seemed to have the most authentic female mold from back in the
day, and even if the look does seem a little out of date, the figure still works
and it's still The Baroness' iconic look from the whole run of G.I. Joe figures.
All in all, the figure mold blends nicely as it has always done. When I took
the comparison shots between this one and the Crimson Strike Team version, I
was pretty surprised to see the mold is a little smaller almost. I'm not really
sure why, but the older figure definitely looks somewhat taller.
The color scheme is another
nice aspect of the figure, even if it's not exactly really original, and even
though I most likely won't use it as a figure. The red is a deep, rich shade
of crimson, which has, by default, become the new "COBRA Blue". I
do like that they are at least using the color this time around to invoke an
"elite" or "imperial" theme, which is how it was always
meant to be, and that makes a big difference. I was kind of taken aback at first
at the red tone that is used throughout this set. Hasbro has foregone the normal
glossy, sharp, crisp red, and has given us a pretty dull, muted, almost "blood
red". There's nothing wrong with this color at all, it's actually a little
different than we're used to, which is rarely a bad thing. The hints of silver
on the snake symbols on her forearms and the thigh-high boots look very nice,
and break up the overall red shade quite nicely. The boots are actually a very
cool touch with this figure...they are colored an almost dull copperish black,
looking more metallic and somewhat different from the straight-up black color
of the CST Baroness. This is definitely a good thing, considering they do look
somewhat similar in a lot of other aspects.
I like the golden COBRA symbol
on her chest, too...it is a tad hard to see against the red base color, but
it mixes well with the Crimson Guard Force CG's and really makes them exist
as part of the same unit. This goes along with the elite theme and blends the
figures together pretty nicely.
Accessories for The Baroness
are a joke, really. Hasbro looks to have spent their weapons budget on flags
and a mini-throne (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) so The Baroness gets
Ambush's old grenade launcher as her only weapon.
COBRA
Commander is next in line...and he fares a little worse than the Baroness, unfortunately.
The good part is definitely
the mold of the figure. My favorite RAH rendition of good ole CC has always
been his Talking Battle Commander look...from that baby blue figure in the 90's,
to the black & silver of '93/'94, all the way to the Real American Hero
Collection and the first comic pack, this figure really works as COBRA's Commander.
When they issued a nice, dramatic new head sculpt to the comic pack version,
I thought it couldn't get any better. Well, I was quite right...apparently,
though, it can get worse.
While the mold holds up,
the color pallet for this figure pretty is really a toss up...not even the pallet
per se, but the paint applications. The red uniform looks striking as the Baroness
did, but CC just is not suited for a red look. I've never seen the appeal for
a crimson-hued COBRA Commander, it just doesn't work in my mind, and this figure
pretty much proves it to me. Hasbro does it's best...like I said, the red looks
nice and striking...and it's combination with the black on the trim looks awesome.
But the bizarre decision of having his entire forearms black just boggles my
mind. There must be something production-wise that requires this color change
(especially considering the completely senseless Ambush forearm fiasco in the
Desert Set) but whatever the reason, I don't get it. Even if Hasbro had just
left CC's gloves black and forearms red, I probably wouldn't have as much of
a problem with it. But with these strange black arms, it just does not look
right. It's a shame, too, because, with the red and black trim, this figure
would mesh almost perfectly with the new Crimson Guards (who also have a nice
assortment of black trim). But, in this current state, even the great mold cannot
quite "sell me" on this figure. It's the weakest point of the set.
But the one good thing about the figure is definitely his cape. Even a strange
lack of offensive weaponry doesn't hurt me so much, considering the neat stuff
that it comes with. CC's cape is a definite plus (especially since I can put
it on whatever version of CC I choose instead of this one).
And really, the red could
be a lot worse...if we were going to get a red CC, this shade suits him fairly
well. As with the Baroness, it's a dull, flat red instead of your typical glossy,
shiney red, which is great, actually. It's a nice color, just not necessarily
on COBRA Commander. To break up the red a little bit, he has some yellow/gold
trim on his legs, too, which does a nice job of adding some color, but still...the
whole figure just doesn't look as cool as it does in blue or black.
COBRA Commander finally gets
a Hasbro-produced throne in this figure set, too...but it really falls pretty
short, looking more like a booster seat than any kind of throne at all. I do
love the flags that the Imperial Guards can tote around...but the throne? Bleh.
Folks have mentioned that
the seat would work pretty well as a chair that gets carried around (like C-3PO
on his little seat in Return of the Jedi... ;) ) and I gotta agree, that seems
more like what a "throne" of this type would be used for. But there
doesn't seem to be any way for it to be lifted, carried or anything like that.
Plus I don't really see CC as being that type of Commander...I'd rather have
him on the ground, walking like a normal guy.
Now,
how about the good stuff? The Imperial Troopers? Rock and ROLL. Anyone who has
read my reviews knows that I'm a big fan of being surprised...something new
and different. While I love having 8 CG's, I was slightly dismayed by the Crimson
set(S) simply because it was the same old thing. Nothing new or interesting
about it. This set is completely different. Even if the figures aren't awesome,
they are something NEW. Which is great to me!
I've always loved the Range
Viper (and especially the Rock-Viper that came later) although I've never had
an appreciation for the Battle Armored COBRA Commander. However, seeing them
mesh together in this fashion really, REALLY works. Range-Viper's skull-mask
look is just intimidation personified...the perfect visage for a guard of the
immortal COBRA Commander. Cladding them in COBRA Commander body armor really
looks awesome as well, and makes perfect sense for a couple of guards that might
require bullet-stopping abilities and the increased strength of the mechanical-powered
gauntlets.
And surprisingly, the parts
all really, really work well together. The Range-viper heads and waist/legs
combo all look just great when combined with the body armor torso and arms...I'm
quite surprised. If someone had merely described this combination to me, I would
have thought it would have never worked...but seeing it in person, and in these
colors, I'm convinced that even some strange-sounding combinations can be made
to work well
in execution.
The colors only improve on
the figure as well. I've never been a fan of the overabundance of the Crimson
hue in COBRA's ranks...it should be relegated to the Elite...that's their calling
card, after all. But these Imperial Troopers ARE the Elite. They are CC's personal
body guards, and I can completely see them being culled from the ranks of the
Crimson Guard. The overall red shade of the figure is just as nice and vibrant
as the other figures in this set, but the addition of the black and gold trim
just looks awesome. It all blends together with seamlessness and really looks
striking, and better, it looks downright intimidating. The dark red colors,
regal trim, and deadly looking head sculpts all combine together to create an
awesome imperial guard to protect the Commander from his would-be assailants.
The only real complaint I
might have, and it's something pretty minor, is that...well...how many darn
bodyguards does COBRA Commander NEED anyway? It's been established that the
Crimson Guard Immortals are his personal bodyguards...Storm Shadow had always
been his personal bodyguard...in the Spy Troops line, the Tele-Vipers were trained
to be his bodyguards. And now we've got the "Imperial Troopers"? WOW.
I think COBRA Commander's the safest guy on the planet...you gotta weed through
like a hundred bodyguards just to get to 'im! But, in all reality, that's more
of a little quirk, and not really a legitimate gripe.
All in all, this set is really
pretty impressive I think. Sure, there are some potentially useless named characters,
but I really dig the four bodyguards. The missing weapons could pose a potential
problem, but the snakehead staff flags are terrific, and I love CC's cape. The
"throne" is hit or miss, but the overall package is quite successful.
I have no qualms about endorsing this product personally...I really find myself
pleasently surprised with both this set and the Winter Operations set...I can
wholeheartedly recommend them both.
I've always thought the Shock-Vipers made for some great
bodyguards...especially the blue and red ones. Now it almost looks like the
other Shock-Vipers can blend in nicely with these Imperial Guards. Pretty cool,
I think.
Baroness
is the first figure out of the gate. Really nothing new or exciting here, especially
if you already have the Crimson Strike Team version from a few years ago. The
only major difference is the use of the comic pack head, which I'm pretty happy
to see, honestly. It's a new and different look, and even though she has those
pesky coke bottle glasses, the new head is a step in the right direction compared
to her old look, which was becoming somewhat dated. The sculpt of the swept
back hair looks great and realistic, and her facial sculpt is as nice as it
was back in the original comic pack. The glasses are hit or miss, but Hasbro
did a nice job at least slimming them up for this figure, and they really do
look more realistic here than in the previous incarnation.
COBRA
Commander is next in line...and he fares a little worse than the Baroness, unfortunately.
Now,
how about the good stuff? The Imperial Troopers? Rock and ROLL. Anyone who has
read my reviews knows that I'm a big fan of being surprised...something new
and different. While I love having 8 CG's, I was slightly dismayed by the Crimson
set(S) simply because it was the same old thing. Nothing new or interesting
about it. This set is completely different. Even if the figures aren't awesome,
they are something NEW. Which is great to me!
