COBRA Urban Strike Team
Page 2
Toy
name: COBRA Strike Team: Urban Division
Assortment: N/A
Price: MSRP $19.99
Availability: August, 2004-
Toys "R" Us Exclusive
So
there seems to be a recurring theme so far to this review...a potentially cool
set knocked down a number of pegs by some unfortunately repetetive mold and
character choices, which is something that unfortunately makes me quite bitter.
Hopefully it doesn't show through too much. ;)
First of all, I will give anyone a thousand dollars to go to China and find the '89 Alley-Viper mold, bring it back with them, and then destroy the '92 mold, then cast the parts into the ocean. And it's a shame, too, because I really, really like the mold for the '92 Alley-Viper...or I did...when it was whole, and when it only came out once a year. :/
Hasbro could do one simple thing for this figure that would actually help it immensely. For the love of God, please find some different legs!!! The Duke legs just are not working. For the '98 release, I can see how they lost the molds and wanted to find a substitute that might work okay for the time being...sure, that's fine. But here it is 6 years later and still we're getting this figure released with legs that lack detail, are way too skinny, and don't even STAND STRAIGHT. Nearly every Alley-Viper I own is at a funky hip-shifted stance, because for whatever reason the Duke legs and A-V waist piece just are not a match made in heaven, and it's starting to get on my nerves.
Oh, hey, by the way...when you're in China, please take the mold for the Twins' laser pistol and burn it. Thanks.
Again, it's a shame. I really did like the 90's mold. Heck, I still enjoyed the mold when it was released in Wave 1.5 two years ago...but as I spent a few hours trying to set up my A-V's on my window frame, it became quickly apparent that their legs just do not work well, and why they're continued to be produced this way kind of confuses me.
And the reason all of this really bothers me so much, is because that this figure has some great potential...but it is potential that is wasted because we've gotten several Alley-Viper releases over the past few years and there is little new at this point that can be done with the mold.
But let's focus on this particular version of Alley-Viper...
Well, it's very odd, because this Alley-Viper seems to be designed to work in an Urban environment, but doesn't seem to be decoed as such. He seems designed much more as a night operative than an urban trooper. That's not to say that this version of A-V is necessarily bad...that's almost the shame of it. The simple, straight-forward paint apps actually work remarkably well for this figure. I mean you don't get much more straight forward than a black base with brown straps, holsters and pouches, and the occasional silver grenade. It actually looks pretty nice, but would look even nicer on a figure that I don't already own 18 versions of.
Not only that, but as far as the team aspect goes, this figure is pretty much a sore thumb...he just sticks out. The only other figure with a straight up black paint app is Scrap Iron, but the red on him doesn't match up with any sort of trim on the Alley-Viper, so they don't look very similar at all. It almost seems like the six-pack is split up into three teams of two, even though the pairs of figures don't even resemble each other that much.
Now, this sounds pretty negative, doesn't it? I've been kind of crapping on every figure in the set so far...I really don't mean to, I like most of the figures' paint apps, it's just the overexposed molds and non-team aspect to the paint apps that bother me. But we definitely have some highlights here, and I've saved them for last.
Okay,
now we're talking. It's unfortunate that you have to dive four figures deep
into this six pack before we find a figure that really, really hits the mark
on all levels...or most levels, any way. Yet another undiscovered mold from
the 90's, the Flak-Viper has been a long time favorite of mine. In fact, those
of you who remember back to my Angelfire days will remember that before these
new figures were hitting, I stole a page from Mike T's book and did profiles
of older action figures. The Flak-Viper was among the first ones that I did,
and he deserves every bit of praise he can get.
The Flak-Viper mold is the epitomy of what made the 90's molds cool. He is intimidation, pure and simple. Built on a massive frame, the Flak-Viper is large and rock solid, built like a weight lifter, yet not so much that it limits his articulation. His uniform is very nicely designed with what appears to be some sort of rubberized suit underneath a protective sheath, a combination of substances that makes sense given the fact that he uses explosives and anti-aircraft artillary. He has a hint of the comic-book type detailing that literally litters the figures these days, but still maintains enough realism to blend right in and mix flawlessly with his former COBRA troopers. He is big and dangerous, whether shooting down planes, or whether or not you're unfortunate enough to face one down directly on the battlefield. In fact, that's something I was hoping Hasbro would change along with his name...I was hoping a new specialty would emerge for this terrific figure, something that perhaps would lend itself better to ground combat and not something so specific. I enjoy using these guys so much, I'd like to have some other avenues for them in battle.
Now, I don't think there's many doubters out there who don't like the Flak-Viper's mold. Like many other 90's figures that were once lamented, but are now applauded (like the once virtually unknown Headhunter Stormtrooper which now sells for $25-30 apiece on eBay), the Flak-Viper has gained a new appreciation among fans for the mold, although there is no doubt that his colors have always bordered on gross. The strange bright green uniform base combined with a funky bright blue was a tad obnoxious, although on the first version it was nicely toned down by the gray trim and explosive protection suit draped over it. The second version, though, with this nice (but funky) blue replaced by a nearly blindingly bright orange really made the figure less desirable. Well, were both of these originals suffered in the color department, the Nullifier shines.
I really can't think of a much more perfect color scheme for this figure. A trooper with an intimidating frame, but laughable uniform choice is now intimidating on all levels, wearing a very, VERY cool deep, dark COBRA blue. I love this shade completely...there is just something about this level of royal blue which screams COBRA, and which really makes me smile. A terrific choice for his base uniform color. Then to keep things dark, they added black trim to his second layer, which looks awesome on his tall boots and massive padded gloves. But they also add in that great brown color I've been talking so much about, giving him a nice leather shoulder pad and thigh strap w/ pouch. A great little touch that adds some awesome detail to this figure.
Hasbro even did pretty good on the accessory choices, too, even though they make no sense as an anti-aircraft trooper. He has no missile launchers, just a machine gun/shotgun combo and a pistol...but both of these guns are very cool and make me happy, if only to give credence to the fact that his guy could serve as a ground-pounder if the time comes. I'd hate to see his snarling grimace underneath his visor inside that great helmet staring me down in a dark alley. Hasbro gets an "A" for this one. They've inspired me with this figure to the point that I'm re-working a division of my COBRA troopers. The COBRA "Nullifiers" are now a combination of the FLAK-Vipers and Iron Grenadier Nullifiers, separated as a division of shock troops. They all work remarkably well together, being large, armored, muscular figures, and I'm looking forward to using them all together at some point.
Well,
if Nullifier gives Hasbro an "A", Night Creeper gives them a very
enthusiastic "A+". I cannot think of much that would improve the look
of this awesome 90's figure redone the right way.
I have very recently become a big fan of the '90 Night Creeper mold. It happened
during my photo shoot for my dio-story "Bitter Cold" where I used
the '98 version as the main antagonist. Using that figure for a six hour shoot
really enamored him to me and I decided right there that I was quickly becoming
a big fan of the 1990 Night Creeper. As too many figures that came out in the
90's, though, the colors definitely left something to be desired. Even with
the great gray tiger-stripe camouflage pants, you can't quite get over the "so
purple it's almost pink" shirt and mask...even so, I've managed to stockpile
almost a dozen of the 1990 Night Creepers to integrate into my almost official
"third faction", and am always looking for more cheap troops to add.
Imagine my pleasure when I heard that there would be a Night Creeper figure
available in this set...and imagine my pleasure again when I found out it was
going to be the '90 mold (thank goodness...the world is not ready for another
rendition of the dreaded Ninja Force Night Creeper (and that means you, too,
Sandidge...)). Well, as happy as this all made me, I became even happier when
I quickly discovered that the Night Creeper in this set was the single best
figure of the set. He could have easily gotten the "Gray StormShadow"
technique...or even the "black Alley-Viper" paint apps (come to think
of it, neither would have been that bad), but as luck would have it he got the
"kick ass COBRA camouflage Firefly" treatment. Rock rock on.
This figure was made for this paint scheme...it just looks incredible on him. These techno-ninjas have a very cool history, and a great look about them, from the sleek, stylized masked heads, to the nicely adorned three-section chest plates. Their legs are plain, allowing for great freedom of movement, and the wrapped-bandage "boots" look just plain awesome. Like the Nullifier/Flak Viper, they benefit from the 90's Joe muscle-tone, but are much slimmer than the others, looking more the "ninja" part and fitting in well. Their uniforms definitely look technological, but not so much that it interferes with their stealthy appearance, and the Night Creepers are happily among the most freely articulated figures on the market. A lot of even the classic figures had joints too tight, shoulder construction, or other maladies that made them not quite as poseable as some of their counterparts, but thankfully, the Night Creeper has never had that problem, which make them an absolute blast to pose, take pictures of, and yes, even play with.
And this great mold is only amplified by this fresh, fantastic paint deco. The wildly intricate and detailed camouflage pattern that also adorns Firefly looks right in place on the Night Creeper and brings him together with the other member of the Urban Strike Team flawlessly. But as cool as the camouflage is, the overall paint deco is made even better by the other touches. The silver cap, goggles, and chestplate bring a nice bright color to the figure, but the really cool part is the brown, again. He's got those brown gloves, and even the chestplate straps are colored with that great leather shade. His bandaged boots are all black, and the overall look of the figure is dark, camouflaged and very, very cool. Easily my favorite figure of the set.
Personally, I'm really not that much of a ninja fan, though, so the Night Creepers have always just been very highly trained assassins, who sometimes use martial arts, sometimes use edged weapons, and sometimes use firearms...whatever the case may be, their technological gear and crazy training makes them some of the most invaluable killers on the market...and now their ranks are really growing.
So, how does the set work as a whole, you might ask?
Well, to be brutally honest, as a whole 6-pack unit, the set really does not work. There are a lot of cool figures in here...but really, it looks almost like a 6-pack with four different teams in it than one cohesive Urban unit. You've got Firefly and Night Creeper with the great urban camouflage... you've got Scrap Iron and Alley-Viper with the black and browns/reds...then you've got Nullifier in a terrific paint scheme, but something completely different than anyone else (and not particularly urban...), and of course, you have ole Stormy kinda standing off to the side, looking rejected because he's the only figure that stinks.
The point of these six-packs, or so I gathered, was to get a cohesive, uniform feel to them. To create squads of Joes or COBRAs that look similar and form up a group. We had it with Python Patrol, the COBRA Infantry, and Night Force, but with Tiger Force and with this set, we get a number of similar figures tossed together with no real unifying theme. There are barely any colors that bring these figures together...sure, we've got blues, blacks, and browns sprinkled throughout, but no real shade or pattern that makes these figures all stand out as part of one Urban Division of anything. As much as I would have LOVED to have seen all of the figures rendered in the great camouflage we got Firefly and NC in, I accept the fact that it probably was not in the budget. Still, I'd like to think there could have been some other way to make these figures blend together in a better fashion.
But, you can always just do what I'm going to do, and take the figures and scatter them to their respective groups. Sure, I won't have an official COBRA Urban Division, but I do end up getting some pretty neat figures to fill in the ranks. But again, this is a spot where the set falls a little short. We don't have many figures to fill the ranks, because we only get half troopers in this whole set.
I really don't know where Hasbro was coming from as far as that goes. We love army builders and they know this. They had the perfect opportunity to really give us some great urban troopers, but seem to have completley missed the boat, instead releasing three unique characters and three troopers. Not only that, but two of these unique characters use molds that have been used so many times over the past few years that it's very hard to get excited about them, even with the new kicking paint apps that Firefly has.
To me, ultimately, I think the set is worth the price though, believe it or not. I like the Nullifier and Night Creeper so much, that just both of these figures are worth the price of admission for me. The rest of the figures that come with the set can be sold off to recoup some costs, or used as fodder if necessary. As such, I'll probably be buying a few of these sets, although for people who are not as big a fan of these two figures as I am may want to save their pennies for a REAL troop-building set (like the Crimson K-B Toys exclusive...).
Ratings (out of 10)
Characters:
6
Molds: 6.5
Paint Apps: 9
Value: 7.5
Overall score (not an average): 7
