Toys "R" Us "Attack on the Pit"

A funny thing happens when there's a movie or cartoon that gets the action figure treatment...figures that are pretty basic repaints end up really exciting because they represent certain scenes that were in the movie or animated feature. Generally I couldn't care less about a Ripcord figure in spandex and camouflage pants, it's a pretty basic, dull look, and compared to the incredibly awesome Jungle Assault Ripcord he's pretty darn dull. But because Ripcord showed up in the film in this exact same look, suddenly the figure becomes desirable...not just desirable, but part of a 5-pack set that is one of the best values on retail shelves right now.

Duke

We first saw this figure on eBay with some paint app errors on the arms, and honestly the corrected arms make a really big difference. The figure obviously looked ridiculous with the short sleeves painted part flesh, but with the right paint masks it's a much better look, even though the figure as a whole doesn't offer a whole lot of thrills and chills. Like the aforementioned Ripcord, though, this figure at least resembles the version of Duke that we saw during the Pit attack in the film, so automatically there's at least some sort of appeal.

This version of Duke wears the spandex bodysuit of Breaker and Ripcord, only in brown instead of black. He appears to have the much-maligned Duke arms, though at least this time they're the fixed versions which look much better aesthetically, though the hand position is still frustratingly contorted into positions that have very limited uses. Still, I suppose in a way it's better than the obvious slitted wrists that the fandom detested so much. But you know, I'm actually surprised at how much I like this version of Duke, even though it's a pretty basic repaint. I had absolutely zero desire to own it when I first saw it, but in the context of this set, and appearing as he did in the film, I really enjoy this Duke a lot, and think he fits in well here. People will complain endlessly about how many different versions of certain characters we get, and in a lot of ways, I completely agree with the sentiment, but from a dio-story perspective, it's really nice to have some flexibility for different environments. I can pop off Duke's head, or simply pick and choose different versions, and with a consistent head sculpt, the figure can assume several different personalities and in some ways, it's really cool.

Duke really doesn't have much in the way of gear. It's pretty much just the familiar F2000 submachine gun, the tactical pistol, and the removable desert themed vest (which is a repaint of the vest Breaker came with originally). But honestly, much more gear might be overkill. I would have loved it if he came with a nice heavy tactical shotgun similar to the one he used in the movie (as he blasted the Neo-Viper down the elevator shaft) but as it is, this works fine as well.

I scoffed out loud at this Duke when early shots appeared on eBay, but against my better judgement, considering how he looked in these scenes in the movie, I find myself liking this figure a bit more. The arms aren't perfect, the body is fairly non-descript, and there really isn't anything to write home about, but it's a decent "at rest" version of Duke and it fits this scene in the film, which, for whatever reason, does make a difference to me. Add that to the fact that this set gets you so damn much bang for your buck, it's tough to nickle and dime too much.

GRADE:

Ripcord

Sharing the same body as the Desert Duke, only in the more familiar black bodysuit look, Ripcord looks as he looked in several shots in the film. During his different training sequences, Ripcord ran around in this exact look, and I'm happy to see an action figure representation of it. It's nothing extremely special, and really, it breaks down to basically being a Breaker with Ripcord's head and Sgt. Stone's vest, but it still works, and works well. The slim body style offers some fantastic articulation and range of motion, and even for a figure that's really not fully equipped, this figure looks really nice and fits this scene well.

Like Duke, Ripcord comes very basically equipped with the same submachine gun and pistol, but he comes with Sgt. Stone's vest in a slightly different color scheme. Like the Duke, he's not stacked with weaponry, but what he comes with makes sense and he can hold the weapons nearly flawlessly as well. Not much to complain about at all here either.

Ripcord looks pretty movie authentic, has good articulation and comes with some nicely serviceable weapons…as an $8.00 single pack, this would be an insult, but as a part of a very price conscious multi-pack exclusive, it’s a great touch.

GRADE:

Pit Trooper

I mentioned in my initial review for the Pit Commando that I was never big on the whole Joe “army builder” Greenshirt concept, but for some reason my opinion changed in the Rise of Cobra universe. Whether it was just the reboot, or the nature of the new universe, but I really got acclimated to the idea of a large scale support staff and “cannon fodder”. Of course it helped that the Pit Commando figures were pretty damn good.

To be honest, this figure doesn’t quite match up to those, but he’s got his own appeal. Most of the figure is the version 1 Zartan disguised as the MP, but they decided to work in the Sgt. Stone arms, which was a great move, I think. Even though the arms are large, they retain a great level of articulation, and blend with the rest of the figure very nicely, too. If there's any downside to the figure's movement, it's the fact that the tough plastic "skirt" hampers leg movement a little bit, which is a shame.

If I have any issues, it’s with the paint scheme. I do like the jungle camouflage look, but this trooper doesn’t really blend with the rest of the Commandos very well, being green camouflage instead if the gray urban style. I understand they probably didn’t want to make this figure look too much like Zartan from series 1, but he kind of stands out like a sore thumb amongst all the other urban styled commandos.

Like Ripcord and Duke, the Pit Trooper comes with a pretty basic load out, just coming with the familiar submachine gun and pistol. No vest, or anything else of real interest. Still, it’s a weapon assortment that makes sense.

Not a bad figure. A decent jungle inspired Trooper that meshes with the rest of the figures fairly well. I’m pretty surprised he didn’t look more like the character in the film, but this is still a decent figure, and I love the fact that they used Stone’s arms. It makes the figure look unique and gives him some different character. A decent addition to this set.

GRADE:

Neo-Viper

Honestly, there isn’t much new to talk about here. This Neo-Viper is, more or less, the same as most of the other Neo-Viper releases we've gotten, though there are some subtle, nice differences. Previous versions of the Neo-Viper had some paint wear on their silver gloves and other trimming, but had fairly clean armor. This particular version has nice clean gloves and silver trim, but a lot more dark paint wash over the body armor that adds some nice detail. It looks a lot like the originals, but there are enough minor differences that separate it, albeit slightly.

The end result is a fairly similar figure to the original Neo-Vipers, so it fits in fairly seamlessly, yet has the added detail of the "dirty" wash all over the torso armor, which gives him a bit more of a "heavy use" appearence.

The accessory outline will look familiar to most folks who have these figures already. It's just more of the same. Decent looking pulse weapons, but I've got a ton of these already, and didn't feel any burning desire to own more.

All told, the Neo-Viper is just another added value to the set. It's not an amazing figure, it's nothing you can't find elsewhere, but it's an additional figure worked into a set that's already very affordible.

GRADE:

Neo-Viper Officer

Out of the box and without the gear, this figure looks remarkably like many of the other Neo-Vipers out there. Black with silver highlights, only these silver highlights are a lot brighter and cleaner than ones we've seen elsewhere. His shoulders are trimmed in bright silver as well, rather than the black of the previous renditions.

The base figure here is just the same old, same old, which holds it back some (especially wit those flakey knee joints that I love so much) but once fully equipped, there are some things to really like with this figure...in fact, it almost totally saves it.

The first thing folks notice is the MARS Officer webgear, which is a terrific addition to this Neo-Viper. First of all, it ties it nicely into the Officer class, makes him immediately stand out from his "turtle shell" brethren, and gives him a cool removable pistol and holster on his chest.

If he were just wearing the webgear, though, it would look a bit off...so Hasbro also includes a really nice neck scarf that improves this figure a hundred fold. Instantly the scrawny, over-long neck is covered, and the figure just looks really cool. Sure, he's got a lot of the same blacks and silvers, but working with the rest of the standard Neo-Vipers, he's a really cool character and a nice variation on the standard Neo-Viper corps of troops. I like it a lot.

As I mentioned, this figure came with much the same gear as the MARS Officer. A nice pulse pistol, great webgear, a very cool scarf, and one of my favorite submachine guns. Basic, and low key, but very cool standard gear. I dig it.

GRADE:

COBRA Mole Pod

Along with a whopping five figures, this set also comes with a black and silver Cobra Mole Pod, too, but to be honest, I couldn't really care less. When I first saw this vehicle, I had zero desire to own one, yet somehow I now have two of them, and I almost resent it.

It's really the same small, somewhat crappy little drill-turning vehicle that we already got in the Alpha class vehicle line (and were slated to get again in Alpha Wave 3 before it was supposedly cancelled). Rather than the original dark blue and chrome drill, this one is black with a more dull silver drill, which is fine, but like the original, nothing special.

So, here's the real question. None of the figures get rave reviews, the vehicle is nothing special, and there isn't a whole lot of new goodness...yet I love this set. How does that work?

Well, first of all, it's a great representation of a particular scene in the Rise of Cobra film, and gives us a few very nice movie-accurate figures that we hadn't yet received. The desert Duke and spandex Ripcord are both very cool additions to the movie collection and fit well into their respective movie looks. The Neo-Viper Officer is a great addition as well, and I always love filling out my Pit Commando ranks with more cannon fodder.

Along with all of this, the box for the set contains an awesome diorama scene with elaborate cardboard accoutrement, very cool background design, and tons of interactive detail. That alone adds a lot of value to an already neat enough boxed set. But then we get to the price... I've seen countless comments on the pricing for the Rise of Cobra toys, and in every instance, it's justified complaints over price increases. Then we get a set like this, which has five figures, a great diorama set, and a Cobra Mole Pod, all for $25.00! Yeah, that's right, twenty-five bucks. That seems incredible.

No, none of the figures absolutely blow me out of the water, though they are still nice additions to the Rise of Cobra universe. But add everything together, and this set is an amazing value that everyone should consider grabbing, even if only for a load of custom fodder or background noise. Each single piece doesn't necessarily offer a ton, but all together you get a great set with lots of potential and lots of fun.