Could the Collectors Club have worked this out any more perfectly? Really, it’s almost as if it were meant to be.
When I first discovered the online G.I. Joe community in the late 1990’s, YoJoe became my home away from home as it did for nearly everyone. The website and the mailing list quickly drew me in and what completely fascinated me was this concept of foreign figures that I had absolutely no idea even existed.
Back in my childhood days, I was the resident G.I. Joe expert. If my friends wanted to sell their Joes, they called me. If they found a pile of discarded weapons and didn’t know who they went with, they called me. I knew it all. But when I discovered this whole world of South American (and European for that matter) G.I. Joe and COBRA characters that I didn’t know about, I was instantly captivated, and especially captivated by Abutre
Negro and Escorpaio Voador. We’ll talk more about Flying Scorpion later, but what was so intriguing about these figures was that in Brazil, they actually mixed and matched some parts and created this whole new person. They weren’t just paint variations or the same characters with different file names, these were completely new creations and I loved that.
I have no doubt these guys have been on top of many collector surveys for many years now, and considering Black Vulture was a Sky Patrol figure down in Brazil, including him here lines up perfectly.
Not to mention the fact that one of the COBRA Air Commandos is Night Vulture, and this character’s name translates as Black Vulture. Again, it’s almost like it was meant to be.
So not only did the Club make a genius call with the character, but the execution is spectacular. His head is from the Renegades COBRA Trooper, which works pretty well, and they went with one of the Rise of COBRA Accelerator Suits for the torso, with the paint applied just right to approximate the look of the raised COBRA logo on the chest. Beyond that distinct pattern of red, the rest of the figure is a striking contrast of black and silver, all applied to expertly developed parts. G.I. Joe: Retaliation Snake Eyes arms are great, and I always support the use of Pursuit of COBRA Beachhead legs. The filecard developed writes Black Vulture as some kind of next generation computer hacker, so the technology strapped to the leg makes sense as well. From head to toe, Black Vulture is terrific. If I had any complaints it would be that the black and silver color scheme doesn’t necessarily jive with the Night Vulture, who this guy is supposed to be the leader of, but to be honest, I’m thrilled that they just maintained the classic color scheme rather than try to work in purple or orange somewhere that would look way out of place.
If I had to dig around for a complaint, it would just be that the sloped back of the torso does keep the jetpack from sliding down the post all the way, which can cause it to fall off somewhat easily. This is a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things, but it should be noted.
Accessories
The Club hit a home run with pretty much every accessory compliment for the COBRA A.D.D.E.R.S. and Black Vulture is no exception. He has that wonderful jetpack that was initially released with the Pursuit of COBRA Skydive, a nice, different look from the wingsuits of the other Air Commandos.The color scheme of this jetpack matches him very nicely and he has the winged COBRA logo on each wing.
Along with the jetpack and removable bombs he’s got a great, jagged blade knife and machine gun which he can hold to perfection.
Black Vulture was an early infatuation of mine when I discovered the online International world of G.I. Joe and I’m thrilled that the Collectors Club has given him a modern update. Not just a modern update, but a fantastic modern update. Excellent all around.
To check out a video review of the COBRA ADDERS half of the Convention set, watch below!
Cobra Black Vulture
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.8
Summary
This is precisely what I envision when I picture items the Collectors Club should be focusing on. Taking international exclusives, updating them to the modern format while retaining the look and feel of the old school versions. Not only that, but managing to dovetail the character with an existing American subteam and into their ongoing G.I. Joe universe. A grand slam home run all the way around on this one.
As much as we all complain about it now, in the late 80s and early 90s, ninjas were freaking awesome. I still remember going to my local video store and renting Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and countless other ninja films all interspersed with the Hand in Daredevil, the Foot in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and of course Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Back then ninjas were pretty awesome.
It was for that reason that the Night Vulture held an immediate appeal. Many folks seem to think this figure is based off Snake Eyes with the skintight mask, commando goggles, quilted vest and martial arts weapons scattered throughout. I think that’s certainly possible, but all I knew as a younger collector was that in spite of his resemblance to Snake Eyes, Night Vulture was a completely new entity and he was pretty damn great.
Yes, the figure was sprinkled with healthy amounts of purple and orange, and as such would never be able to sneak around steathily at night as a ninja should, but with the nunchuks on his legs and the all around excellent figure design, I could get past that. As one might expect, based on what we got with the Air Devil, this update is executed to near perfection as well.
The base figure here is the 25th Anniversary ’89 Snake Eyes update which is probably one of my favorite 25th Anniversary figures, which is why I don’t mind that the somewhat dated parts are being used here. The head sculpt, I believe, is from the Steel Brigade Delta figure, which looks sort of like a Snake Eyes update, but not exactly, which makes it the perfect use here, as we get a head that looks reminiscent of the goggled commando, but not like any actual Snake Eyes release we’ve seen to date. It’s a very nice update to the Night Vulture original.
Over the purple base body we have an orange version of the MARS Trooper vest, which honestly I’m not a huge fan of. This vest is thinner and less detailed than many more modern vests, but considering the skin tight nature of the vintage version, it’s a look that works. Not only that, but with it being so thin, the double trench knives fit nicely over it. The purple color is dark and muted and meshes nicely with the black, and even where
the orange sparks things up a bit, I don’t mind.
As a whole, the Night Vulture is a quality update to the vintage version. There are some differences, of course, but those differences work.
Accessories
As I mentioned, Night Vulture comes with a removable vest and the twin trench knives, which is a great touch. Like the Air Devil, he has the Resolute wingsuit, and he also comes with a crossbow. I do kind of wish he came with some kind of firearm, but I know the classic version only came with a crossbow, so I understand why they did it that way. The accessories are all well chosen and make sense.
Night Vulture was a favorite of mine back in the 90s, and this update does nearly everything right. Even using the 25th Anniversary parts gives us a figure with decent range of motion, a really nice paint deco and just the right amount of new flair. I’m not sure I like this guy quite as much as the Air Devil, but he’s a quality addition to any JoeCon collection, and I’m ecstatic to get him in modern style.
To check out a video review of the COBRA ADDERS half of the Convention set, watch below!
Cobra Night Vulture
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
3.7
Summary
With a terrific vintage template to build from, the updated COBRA Night Vulture works in just about every way possible. A good selection of parts, some nice updates to the vintage color scheme, and kick ass removable trench knives add a lot of fun to the base figure. I do wish he came with some other weapons, but the wingsuit is great and the figure is a great representation of the character.
Even back in the old days (if one can consider 2000 – 2002 the “old days”) I was infatuated with 90s COBRA army builders, and the Air Devil was near the top of that list. The Air Devil was that rare breed of COBRA trooper in the 1990s that had a great design as well as quality colors, decked out in classic black and red, a color pallet that was appealing to G.I. Joe fans of all era’s. In a year when many of his fellow COBRA operatives were roaming around in purple, pink, and yellow, the Air Devil stuck with the classic black and red, and as such became a big favorite of mine. As I’ve said many times, my love for the 90s figures isn’t necessarily because of their bright colors, but in spite of it. I didn’t have to worry about that with Air Devil.
Now, obviously with such a love for the classic figure, I was a little hesitant when I heard the Club was revisiting these soldiers, because I was worried that these modern versions wouldn’t be able to live up to the classics.
Well, I’m happy to say I was wrong. The Collectors Club took all of the cool elements of the Air Devil and brought them forward in intriguing ways, but also managed to inject some of their new style, and it all comes together pretty spectacularly. The majority of the Air Devil is made up of the fantastic Pursuit of COBRA Jungle Viper, which has that unique quilted style uniform that looks like a great update to the vintage COBRA Air Commando.
The splits of red and black are perfect, and the silver pouches are a great link back to the grenades that the classic sported on his thick quilted chest. The arms here are the Pursuit of COBRA Alley-Viper which are great, and I never get tired of the removable knife on the wrist.
Where the original Air Devil had a clear plastic mask that flipped down over a mostly exposed face, the new version goes completely covered, which was an excellent idea, especially considering the goggles of the alternate Ultimate Duke head are a good match for the classic. Joints are nicely poseable and the figure feels exceedingly well put together. All of the great colors and design aesthetics of the original are represented here with some excellent updates, and this feels like a true evolution of the original rather than just a carbon copy.
Accessories
COBRA Air Devil is a terrific figure and he comes with great accessories. To mimic the look of the original, he has the head piece with clear facemask, along with the Retaliation Snake Eyes firearm that I love. He also has the removable pistol and knife from his ankle holster and wrist sheath.
But obviously the focal point accessory here is the wingsuit. Originally released with G.I. Joe: Resolute Snake Eyes, the Collectors Club repurposes here for their COBRA Air Commandos, and it is wonderful. Each wingsuit is color matched to the requisite COBRA air trooper, and the appropriate COBRA logo is decoed on the cloth surface of the wings. Air Devil’s wingsuit has the unique Air Devil logo with the COBRA and arrow tail, and it’s a great look. I absolutely love the concept of this wingsuit, and they executed it spectacularly well.
Air Devil is a fantastic introduction to the COBRA A.D.D.E.R. team. Great colors, excellent figure build and nearly flawless accessories bring this figure into the 21st Century with plenty of vintage throwbacks, but a nice helping of modern twists. Great, great stuff.
To check out a video review of the COBRA ADDERS half of the Convention set, watch below!
Cobra Air Devil
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.6
Summary
A great figure build surrounded by good accessories and a nicely updated color scheme gives us another excellent modern interpretation of a 1990s classic. The Air Devil was one of my favorites back in the day and now this version slots in as one of my favorites of the modern era. A great, GREAT update.
Doing these Con Set reviews is always a bit of a mixed blessing. I generally love the convention sets, but at the same time I’m still trying to do nearly 20 reviews simultaneously which is exhausting. I’ve lost track of how many hours I spend each year putting these together, but that’s why they pay me the big bucks, right?
Wait… I don’t get paid for this crap?
Ah, well. Good thing I enjoy it, eh? So, the 2016 “Project: Downfall” Convention Set hit my hands a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been spending nearly all of my free time behind a camera, behind Photoshop, or behind Microsoft Word writing up the reviews! Today I am starting the week of right, with SIX, count ’em SIX of the reviews hitting today alone! The entirety of Sky Patrol is being reviewed today with the rest of the set sprinkling out throughout the week.
It’s with quite a few mixed feelings that I tackle the 2016 G.I. Joe Convention set this year, mainly because this year was one of the few years that I haven’t been able to make the show, and believe it or not, quite a bit of my joy and embracing of a particular year’s convention set is a direct result of feeding off my peers and sharing thoughts and opinions with them throughout the weekend. You might think that a more segregated, impartial look after the fact represents a more accurate review, but I’m not sure. In many ways, collecting and fandom is about how the target of your fandom brings people together and creates bonds (at least it should be, anyway) and that, in my opinion, must be a factor of any review of collector oriented product.
However, even though I did lack that person-to-person contact this year that I’ve had in years past, I’ve had a few weeks to share opinions with many of my friends and peers, and by and large this Convention set appears to be very well received. I agree with this opinion, for the most part.
Standing back and looking at the set as a whole, it’s amazing to see just how many of my own personal high points are hit all at once. I’m a big fan of Sky Patrol, using them as a liaison of sorts to my offshoot “Renegades” team in my dio-stories. Along with that, I’ve always loved the crazy 90s greatness of the Air Commandos, and we have plenty of that mixed in here, too. As if that wasn’t enough, by far, two of my favorite foreign character variants are also included here in the form of Black Vulture and Flying Scorpion, two very intriguing combinations that were only available as exclusives in Brazil before now.
As I go through all of the figures in the set (and yes, vehicles, too) I’ve been quite pleased at the more modern selection of parts and the intricacies of much of the deco. There are some decisions that I’m not a huge fan of (no removable helmets on the new heads? Booooo), but as a whole this set seems to pay homage to the classics, while also bringing plenty of new stuff to the table, which is about all you can hope for as a modern collector.
Not everything is a home run, of course, but there’s a lot to enjoy here, and putting this complex, elaborate review together has been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun, as it is every year. I hope you enjoy it.
