One of the best, if not the best, version of Cobra Commander ever released, the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Ultimate Cobra Commander did pretty much everything right. I think the only complaint I really have is the shallow holes in the feet and rocker ankles that don’t allow him to stand on display very well.
Beyond that, the figure was perfectly sculpted, excellently detailed, and amazingly well articulated, giving us quite simply the best classic version of the Cobra Commander we’ve seen. Pretty exceptional.
For this 50th Anniversary re-release, they chose that figure as a base, and who can fault them for that? It’s pretty much the perfect choice, and ever since the mid 90’s, repainting Cobra Commander in black has been a staple deco choice. For this particular release, they went to black and red, and it’s an aesthetic I actually really enjoy. I loved the colors of the repaint G.I. Joe vs. Cobra Cobra Commander, even if the t-crotch figure itself was lacking a little in execution. Black and red is a great color scheme for him, in my opinion. The only real question I have is with the red boots. I’m not sure what the thought process for that choice was, to be honest. I love the red hood, the red gloves, and the red shoulder cape, but I’m not too sure about the red boots, mostly because they kind of look like red spats with the pants and shoes combination.
The look I enjoy most is probably the red cape with the battle helmet, it’s got a great split of black and red and looks good, plus it pays a neat homage to the Spy Troops era, in which a Shipwreck figure came with a Cobra Commander disguise.
Accessories
Cobra Commander doesn’t come with a whole lot. He’s got the two heads (black helmet and red hood), shoulder cape, two canisters of a mysterious red liquid, his pistol, and a Rise of Cobra pulse rifle. It’s an interesting combination of weaponry, but is pretty fun and actually brings some new stuff to the table here.
I could see the red liquid being some kind of power source for his futuristic rifle…that’s the thought process I’m going with.
Cobra Commander is a decent enough update to the more familiar blue suited original from the G.I. Joe: Retaliation line. I’m not sure it was a figure that folks were clamoring for, but it’s a nice update and I find myself liking the black and red paint scheme (minus the weird color breaks for the boots). He’s got some fun gear, and the whole “battle in a box” concept works well here, too.
50th Anniversary COBRA Commander
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Character
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Sculpt
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Articulation
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Paint Deco
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Accessories
Summary
Not sure if we really need yet another COBRA Commander figure, but he’s been sporting black ever since the 90’s, and it’s tough to turn down any uses of the excellent G.I. Joe: Retaliation Ultimate COBRA Commander tooling. It’s a great base figure, and the black is striking, though the red trim is a little hit or miss in its placement and application.
Pros
1 – COBRA Commander in his most immaculately sculpted figure ever
2 – Great inclusion of both the battle helmet and hooded heads
3 – “Battle in a Box” concept works well here, and I like the red liquid canister bombs
Cons
1 – Red boots don’t work especially well and look more like bright red shoes
2 – As with the previous figure, the rocker ankles hurt the depth of the peg holes in the feet and make the figure hard to stand
3 – The red trim in general would work better as a compliment rather than a predominant color on the hood, cape, and gloves. The color breaks don’t look especially natural
I think a baggier lower pant leg would’ve looked better. I like the red boots a lot. Pair him up with Pimp Daddy Destro and the two look like they’re ready to go out on the town.
If they were going for that, the should have went full on gaudy. Instead, this seems like a big misfire. I think a little red goes a long way.
I want him, but mostly so I can get a little sink and have him wash dishes with his sleek red rubber gloves. Cobra Commander strikes me as the kinda guy who would have a uniform specifically for dish washing.
Dishpan Hands Cobra Commander. xD
I like him a lot.
Not one of those WW2 Nazi-fetishist, but he does remind me a lot of that type of ceremonial dress, and the coloring really slams that propaganda home.