Cobra Viper - Hall of Heroes (Figure 6 of 10)
The utter and complete disappointment of the original Cobra Viper was nearly bottomless in the G.I. Joe fandom. By and large, nearly every Joe fan collecting figures back then was absolutely dying for an Anniversary Cobra Viper, and the figure we received was quite simply a travesty. Goggles that wouldn't stay on, a goofy looking head sculpt, immobile ankle joints, and wrists contorted into some strange twisted position that looked effective doing only one thing completely and utterly ruined the figure for most folks (myself included).
Hasbro obviously realized their mistake, and promised to fix things for a future release, and near the end of the 25th Anniversary line, we got the Cobra Battle Pack and the Hall of Heroes assortment, both of which contained Cobra Vipers improved in nearly every way. In fact, both figures are nearly identical to each other, which (when you're talking about army builders) isn't a bad thing.
The first thing Hasbro fixed was the plain gray facemask and gave it a really nice vac-metallized finish. Along with that, they permanently attached the goggles, and fixed those freaking wrists. I tend to sometimes continue to have issues with the ankle joints, though they do seem better than they were.
The fact that it took Hasbro two tries to give fans the Viper homage they wanted was a bit disappointing (though kind of par for the course with the Anniversary line) but the end result was worth it. The Viper is an iconic Cobra Trooper, and this Hall of Heroes version resonates in every possible way. The stark coolness of his facemask, the understated bulk of the figure tooling, along with the great arms that now look cool in a multitude of poses. The deep, dark shades of blue and red are nearly perfect...darker than the original, but a perfect muted shade for the modern update.
All this being said, I still have to admit I think I like the upcoming Pursuit of Cobra Viper better, but for an Anniversary vintage homage, this one is pretty damned nice.
From an accessory perspective, the Viper comes with just the basics, but the basics are really all he needs. As a simple infantry trooper, a backpack and rifle will let him do his job fine, and the gold stand just finishes the package nicely.
Yes, it took Hasbro a couple of tries to do it, and yes, we already got a well improved Viper with the Cobra Battle Pack, but a trooper is a trooper, and with recently discounted prices on the Hall of Heroes figures, this guy is the one folks should be looking for. Anyone who is an Anniversary fan needs a healthy helping of these.
GRADE: 
