Air-Viper

I am consistenly amazed at just how much mileage Hasbro gets from tooling they've already used, and these two seven packs are perfect examples of that. Sure, there are some new parts mixed in here and there, but by and large every figure in these two sets uses mostly existing tooling, and we're still able to get fourteen figures out of it without much complaints with how they look. Functionality is another story, but still, for the most part, every one of these figures is one you can look at and instantly recognize, even if the name is different.

Air-Viper by name, Strato-Viper by nature, this figure uses mostly reused base parts, yet looks remarkably like the COBRA pilot we all know and love. From neck to knees, the Air-Viper is Wild Bill/Ace, which works very nicely as a base flightsuit underneath the COBRA trappings. He does sport new lower legs, and I believe the arms are new, too, though don't quote me on that. With such minor changes, you still get a figure that's immediately recognizable. A lot of that, of course, is the head sculpt as well, with the very unique Strato-Viper style flight helmet that is very faithfully represented here.

Paint applications also go a long way in the presentation of these figures, and the Air-Viper does it perfectly. His dull, somewhat dark gray flightsuit is a perfect match for the original, with the familiar red tunic and just the right amount of black trim. Even with somewhat non-accurate base parts, slapping the right paint and the right head on gives us a perfectly good solution.

From the accessories department, there isn't much to talk about. He's got his removable vest that looks fantastic, but has a non-functional holster. He's got a silver pistol that might conceivably fit in there, but no actual place to put it. Besides that, there's really nothing at all.

Of course, he's the Night Raven pilot, what does he need for gear?

Stepping back and looking at the figure, it came out really, really nicely. The enthusiasm for this guy goes down a bit due to him being released with the Crimson CLAW just a couple of months ago, especially since there's no obvious differences between the two besides a slightly different shade of red. Still, it's a nice addition to COBRA's trooper ranks, and fills out 1986 nicely, too. Like the Lamprey, there's nothing here that compels you to buy the set, but he's a nice addition all the same. Doesn't wow me quite like the Lamprey, but he does his job okay.

Buy this set at Big Bad Toy Store!

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