Not too long ago, an eBay auction featuring a strangely repainted Volcano Viper got some folks wondering what was up. Well, as is the case with nearly every unproduced item out there, Gyre Viper got his hands on one as well (though a different one from the eBay auction) and has posted a very nice gallery of the item on HissTank.com.
It is currently unknown exactly where this figure would have fallen into place, or whether or not it will even be released. If I had to guess, I’d say this was probably a planned Rise of Cobra/early Pursuit of Cobra item that is now in the junk pile. I may be wrong, but I have strong doubts that we’ll ever see this thing at retail. A very interesting item, and likely a fireman or flame thrower trooper of some sort. Amazing how nicely Hasbro can reuse these parts into totally different functions. Having a figure start off as an Arctic Trooper and then successfully make the transition to toxic trooper/heat trooper/fireman is a pretty impressive migration.
Check out the mirrored images below.
no images were found
Perhaps a 2011 re-paint? The base figure, the Volcano Viper, has never been released at retail in the USA and it would stand to reason that the tooling should become (more) profitable if released to the retail buying public.
I’m going to throw my hat into the ring that suggests that the Toys R Us exclusive carded figures (Headquarters for Heroes) will continue, and that this may be a 2011 release for TRU stores. Just a guess, but a sensible one 😉
Looks cool, just as long as Hasbro doesn’t scratch of the Cobra emblems, and try to pass this off as finally giving fans an Airtight figure.
Hasbro never likes to see tooling go to waste on a figure like this, so I’d definitely be surprised if we never saw this figure. TRU is a good guess for release. I could imagine this as a vehicle driver down the road, a standard release with some accessories, or even as part of a multipack of unreleased figures. (Like Cobra Island and Resolute.)
Am I the only one seeing Ice Cream Soldier here?
Paint him Purple, label him Toxo-Viper, and I’ll buy a dozen.
What Pat said! POC Toxo-Viper for the win!
Cobra Flame-Viper. Give him a killer, retooled flamethrower and I’d gladly get one. I liked the old colors, though this is much more…flamboyant? Get it?
Aw man, Ice Cream Soldier colors! Awesome! Though, honestly, I’d like to actually see Ice Cream Soldier, but this is still cool.
if they could chrome it out in these colours… rrwwwoooowwwr.
Justin Beiber Viper?
Bulkiness aside, the color scheme and headgear appearance screams Bruce Sato from M.A.S.K. to me.
@blitz… I drew the same comparison. heheheh. it’s totally Sato.
PoC Incinerators? Maybe give it a flaming thrower gun and you’ve got a viper prepared for Folsom street fair.