The Cobra Urban specialist “Alley-Viper” has quickly become one of the default Cobra Troopers that Hasbro goes to when a new assortment is being considered. The funny thing is, the first version of the modern era Alley-Viper did not appear until 2009, but in the past four years since then, we’ve gotten three more. From 25th Anniversary to G.I. Joe: Resolute, Pursuit of Cobra, and even a Pursuit of Cobra vehicle driver there is now a veritable army of potential Alley-Vipers to choose from.
So how does the G.I. Joe: Retaliation version stack up? Check it out on the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Review Page, or the direct link below.
I almost grabbed him, but I realized I was simply excited at having spotted new product, so I left him and Snake eyes and Flint and some others on the pegs.
He is one of the new ones that I want to pick up. Unfortunately, I still haven’t seen any new ones on the shelves at the stores near me. Eventually, I’ll find one…
You keep saying “orange and purple”, but the guys on my shelf (and in your review link) are clearly orange and blue! 😀
Also, for those who would like this Alley-Viper to look more… traditional, the vest from Mercer color-matches this Alley-Viper perfectly.
Lookin’ forward to him! I agree though, just on the edge of being cool enough to move the previous one over, but doesn’t get there completely. I’ve got a few of the others as well, so this one will make a perfect commander! Which is fantastic, ’cause I always wanted one Alley Viper to act as a single character (I was hoping for an eventual black and yellow variant to reuse as my old one from back in the day, but no one wants to pay attention to that version…).
I would also love a black and yellow version. That is the only one I had as a kid so I will always love that color scheme.
I think I’ll be passing (or at least waiting for discount) on this one. I don’t know if it’s the webgear or the colour scheme, but he just doesn’t work for me. Same thing with the new Crimson Guard, actually – the construction is just a bit off from what it should be.
I picked up two of these guys. It’s probably my least favorite of the AV’s, but still very cool. Plus, more Alley Vipers can only be a good thing, right? I really hope Hasbro gets around to producing an AV that features a more traditional urban camo color scheme (gray/black/white).
Another idea for gear swapping: trade the new Alley Viper’s webgear with the AV driver’s black vest. Personally, I don’t mind the webgear on the new AV, mainly because the armor molded on the torso looks like it provides just as good protection, if not more, than the traditional flak vest.
Can’t hate an Alley-Viper, this guy would work as an Alley-viper Recon.
I was expecting this figure to let me down. But I was surprised. The fact that they colored the torso so much really does help the figure a lot. I think it may be the best use of that torso. And because Flint and Duke will be “replaced” by ultimate later versions, it leaves opportunity for AV to have this torso be unique to him on the shelf.
But really, the thing that sold me was that I started getting a Cobra Claws vibe when I took the webgear off. I think with a different head (or maybe just a different helmet), that could really work. And that would add a different trooper to the mix rather than just a new take on one we have had a few times.