COBRA Viper Commando

Another "Carlos Special" this time around covering the COBRA Viper Commando (Desert Ambush). Another controversial Rise of COBRA army builder...

CARLOS: Here comes another R.O.C. Cobra Trooper. The Cobra Viper Commando brings up similar thoughts and feelings as the Neo Viper. A very odd futuristic looking Cobra trooper that leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth... or is that the eyes and hands? Is he just a Neo Viper with different gear and colors? Read on, you may be surprised by what this trooper brings.

CARLOS: Alright, lets get this started. As I said before, this is the standard R.O.C. Trooper body. Almost 100% the same as Neo Viper. I cant tell if the upper arms are the same or not but they have that shoulder armor glued on to them. Also he sports a new head. The main difference between Viper Commando and Neo Viper is that the Viper Commando has a more organic look to him due to his armor and even some in the headsculpt.

JUSTIN: You know, it's not even the head that bugs me about these troopers...it's mostly the arms and legs. I'm really not a big fan of that funky armor on his forearms, and the legs tend to have some really weird knee joints. The overall feel is just...not quite right. Add the clunky torso armor on top of it, and the figures just don't have that "flow" that I like. You can just move them and pose them without twisting things and loosening things. They're just not especially playable, which is an important aspect to me.

CARLOS: Im not sure how the armor plays out in the movie or if its even explained why it has such an organic look to it but I hope it does otherwise its hard to get used to. The head is alright. Looks like a skull and as someone mentioned at JBL, it resembles a snake's head. I can repeat my feelings as I had said with Neo Viper, the look feels off. It seems too 'out there', just not what we are used to for our classic terrorist group. Im sure seeing these guys in action in the movie will benefit the way I see the figure but for now its just a hard pill to swallow.

JUSTIN: I can see where folks are coming from. As I said, I love the head sculpt, I can see the resemblance to the snake, but I also agree it really doesn't fit the "COBRA" motif especially. Even with all their technical advantages, COBRA's always had a pretty basic and realistic look, and this figure is not that. The armor here is especially weird...at least with the Neo-Viper it looked heavily bulked up and protective...here it just looks a bit strange. Sure, it's probably meant to emulate a snake's belly, but it's a little too organic looking for my liking.

CARLOS: His accesories really do help with this figure. If not for these he'd be a subpar figure, IMO. He has the usual BFG spring loaded gun. He has his removable chest armor. It has a neat metallic looking purple to it which surprisingly goes well with the figure. He has a small hand pistol, the same as one of the Baroness's but without the peg. He has a removable belt that has a holster for the pistol. He then has a Pulse Rifle. The Pulse Rifle is the same one as Destro's breakapart rifle but this one is molded as one solid piece. He then has a small knife. Coolest part, though, is his really kickass backpack. That contains a working crank for his grapple hook and a place for his knife.

JUSTIN: I do like the weapons. That's something Hasbro is not skimping on...each figure has a ton of gear...how useful it all is is up to interpretation, but they've got it. I think that backpack grappling hook is actually really cool, and I'm always a fan of separate belts and such. The pulse pistol is the same one most other figures come with, but I really love that heavier duty rifle. Too bad it's so tough for him to hold in a realistic manner.

CARLOS: Let me talk about this backpack for a bit. This thing is plain awesome and one of coolest accesories that we have gotten in a long time. It is a bit hard to get the backpack to stay tight but if you attach it with the knife holder at the bottom it stays on well. The grappling hook rope is not tied to the crank but its easy to keep on. The hook can be stored on the backpack via a peg. The string is really long and thats good because you get more than enough to work with. As you turn the crank it will allow either slack or pull and with some imagination you'll soon have these guys climbing down some walls on your desk. One downside is the knife holder. Some how they made it with two consecutive pegs out and one in and it doesn't hold the knife in place well. During play it can come off easily. All these things really boost the fun factor for this figure, though.

CARLOS: The guns are a pretty low. The pistol is really small and looks best holstered. The rifle is too big and bulky and once again the trooper has a hard time holding his main weapon properly. I would say this armor is less cumberson and bothersome than on the Neo Viper but the Pulse Rifle's bulkiness and awkwardness hinders the Viper Commando from utilizing it in a cool way. Its a real shame. The shoulder padded armor is very flexible and does not hinder his articulation, thankfully.

JUSTIN: This is a big downside to me. I like the Joes and COBRA's to be able to hold their weapons realistically, so when something like this crops up, that's a big downside in my book.

CARLOS: Overall this figure is a step up from Neo Viper. Its funny because they are essentially the same but Viper Commando's accesories bring a much larger play value. The colors are more darker here. He is practicly all black with only his head and armor having that mettalic purple. The holster belt really helps break the bulky armor out and evens out the figure. I would recommend this one. If you want to try out one of these new troopers I would get this one. Hands down you will have some fun messing around with his grappling hook and backpack.

JUSTIN: Finally, something Carlos and I disagree on! I see where you're coming from with the accessories, and maybe it's just because I like the Neo-Vipers because they seem to be utilized more in the film than the Commandos, but I much prefer the overall look of the Neo-Viper over the Viper Commando. The armor seems more realistic and offers more protection, the weapons themselves are more streamlined and cooler looking, and I just like the figure more overall. The backpack is a big selling point for the Commando, but that's about where the advantages end, at least for me.

Buy this figure at Big Bad Toy Store!

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