Welcome! Well,
we're trying a somewhat different format with this review...a little more factual
information about the toys being reviewed and a little more organized layout.
I'd like to give some big thanks to Sentinel from Joe
Sightings for pitching in this month and getting these reviews done for
me! He whipped up a fantastic format for these items, and has some pretty good
opinions as well.
Don't worry,
though, I'll be getting my .02 in, too. ;)
Toy
name: COBRA Pulverizer w/ Ghost Bear Assortment: Valor vs. Venom
Alpha Vehicle Price: MSRP $9.99 Availability: February 2004
Key Features
- Electronic
light and weapon sounds (auto laser, pulse laser, and pulse charge)
- Movable arms and legs
- Missile launcher with missile
- Removable arms can be interchanged with the G.I. Joe Defense Mech
- Canopy opens
- Comes with Ghost Bear figure and accessory (knife)
COBRA’s
forces have always appeared to be on the forefront of technological innovation.
From the advanced H.I.S.S. (High Speed Sentry) tanks to the spacefaring Stellar
Stilettos, COBRA’s troops and weapons have pushed the limits of modern
science, invention, ethics, and, at times, believability. In 2004, COBRA (well,
Hasbro, actually—they are toys after all) has broken new ground and stirred
new controversy with the creation of biomechanical vehicles that combine animal
genetics with advanced technology to create “dangerously superior battle
system[s].” The first of these vehicles is the scorpion DNA-enhanced COBRA
Pulverizer.
Design and Playability
As with the
G.I. Joe Defense Mech (see separate review), the COBRA Pulverizer is a 6-inch-tall
power suit with an electronic “laser” weapon and missile launcher.
The vehicle is molded and/or painted in gray with orange highlights. Unlike
the Defense Mech, however, the Pulverizer appears less mechanical and more organic—which
is fitting considering the Valor vs. Venom theme. It also features fewer details—those
it does have include cables, wires, molded hydraulics, organic “bumps,”
a serrated “claw,” and a mechanical “spine.” The vehicle’s
canopy can be opened to place a figure in the cockpit (which includes a clip
to hold the figure in place), and shields on the legs can be slid up to better
protect the driver. In addition, the Pulverizer’s arms can be popped off
and swapped with the arms from the Defense Mech.
The COBRA Pulverizer
also has fewer points of articulation than the Defense Mech—motion is
limited to the shoulders and upper legs. Although it could be viewed as a negative,
it also makes the Pulverizer a more solid toy and less prone to breakage (the
canopy is still a potential weak point, however).
Electronic Features
Like most recent
vehicles, the COBRA Pulverizer is a battery-operated electronic toy. A button
located on the mech’s right arm opens its “claw” and activates
a red LED light and battle sounds. The sounds, which include two “laser”
weapon settings and a pulse charge, are futuristic and fit the overall feel
of the vehicle perfectly.
Figure and Accessories
The Pulverizer
comes with a new COBRA mercenary named Ghost Bear. Fans of the original G.I.
Joe comic from Marvel will recognize Ghost Bear’s father as Kwinn, the
Eskimo mercenary who was betrayed by COBRA and killed by Dr. Venom (see G.I.
Joe, volume 1, numbers 2 and 19 for the first and last appearances of Kwinn).
According to his file card, Ghost Bear holds a grudge against the G.I. Joe team
(especially Snake Eyes) for his father’s death. It’ll be interesting
to see whether this story is played out in any of the upcoming mini-comics or
videos.
As with the
Pulverizer, Ghost Bear is predominantly gray with orange highlights, and his
straps, belts, pouches, gloves, and boots are mostly black. His face is masked
and his eyes are protected by silver goggles with red lenses. His hair is orange
and spiky, almost anime in style. Some collectors may complain about an Eskimo
having orange hair, but is it really that far-fetched that he’d color
and spike it? I think it adds a little personality to his otherwise mysterious
appearance. My only complaint, however, is that his hair looks too much like
the top of a pineapple—I’m not sure whether it’s due to the
sculpting or whether the paint application makes the hair look bulkier than
it actually is.
Ghost Bear comes
with removable straps and a gray knife. The knife is very small and could be
lost easily. Overall, both the figure and his accessories are well sculpted.
Final Comments
Although not
quite as cool as the Defense Mech, the COBRA Pulverizer w/ Ghost Bear is still
a solid, fun toy that’s cheap and easy to army build. Look for it on store
shelves now. --Sentinel
Now here are
some pics that Sentinel took for the review as well:
Now, what are
my thoughts?
I think Sentinel
hit on most of the asthetic points with his review- the comparison between the
Defense Mech's strict mechanical look and the Pulverizer's more organic mold,
is probably the most glaring difference. Articulation is a slight negative for
me, too. The Pulverizer ends up feeling somewhat large and clunky, and just
not like a real offensive weapon for COBRA. It feels like it would be slow and
clumsy, and pretty vulnerable to faster moving mini-vehicles. The mech itself
leaves me a little flat.
But--this is
all made up for by the figure! When I first heard that Ghost Bear was set to
be Kwinn's son, I was quite excited, even though he didn't really have the "look"
of an Eskimo offspring. However, I can easily see how a strict father-son relationship
would melt away once the father figure is taken out of the picture. The son
rebels- does things his father wouldn't have approved of, and then takes up
what he thinks was Kwinn's battle. It works for me.
The mold itself
is terrific as well, nice and in proportion with a lot of cool details and nice
color combinations. The mold and colors actually led me to integrate Ghost Bear
into the COBRA organization much more easily. When he approaches the Commander
for a job with COBRA ,he's originally turned down, with COBRA Commander afraid
that his father's unwavering sense of honor might have passed down to his son.
But Firefly sees some potential, and takes him under his wing. He flourishes,
and is now Firefly's proteje, and incredibly skilled sabatour and assassin,
using his marksmanship skills to their utmost. I find myself liking this character
a lot.
But Sentinel
said most of it for me...so I'll just leave the review with some of my pictures.
COBRA’s
forces have always appeared to be on the forefront of technological innovation.
From the advanced H.I.S.S. (High Speed Sentry) tanks to the spacefaring Stellar
Stilettos, COBRA’s troops and weapons have pushed the limits of modern
science, invention, ethics, and, at times, believability. In 2004, COBRA (well,
Hasbro, actually—they are toys after all) has broken new ground and stirred
new controversy with the creation of biomechanical vehicles that combine animal
genetics with advanced technology to create “dangerously superior battle
system[s].” The first of these vehicles is the scorpion DNA-enhanced COBRA
Pulverizer.
