G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Rip Attack Tiger Snake w/ Street-Viper

Well, if that isn't a freaking mouthful.

Sometimes being a compulsive completist really sucks. Well... maybe that's not entirely fair. Look, we all know during a movie year there are going to be all sorts of types of G.I. Joe merchandise, and it's not all going to be stuff that adult collectors are into. Some of these items are purely for the younger crowd, which is clearly what the Rip Attack vehicles are designed for.

But, amazingly enough, they're not all bad.

Well, let me rephrase that. At original retail prices, which were, I believe $14.99, yes, these vehicles are bad. They're solid hunks of plastic with rehashed figures that might zoom along pretty impressively thanks to some ripcord action, but they are emphatically NOT worth fifteen bones.

I managed to get these both on clearance for around $5.00, and didn't feel too abused by doing so.

The Tiger Snake vehicle itself is a small, compact car-like ground craft with a nasty looking spiked bumper on the front, a closing cockpit, and an impressive, if non-descript, assault cannon on the side. It has a large rubber wheel in the back and a wheel in the front, and actually is pretty damn cool for the younger kids. My five year old absolutely loves yanking the trigger and shooting this thing across the kitchen floor. Of course, this little trick does no favors to my hyperactive dog, but that's a story for another day.

And, in all honesty, as an urban assault compliment to the H.I.S.S., the Tiger Snake ain't all that shabby. Picture a H.I.S.S. rolling down a sprawling cityscape...the Joes come rushing in to ambush, when all of a sudden, they're beseiged by these screaming Tiger Snakes that come whipping out of alleyways and all these dark corners. They're not powerful, but they're low to the ground, noisy, and really damn fast. I can kind of see that working.

Street-Viper

No, your eyes do not deceive you. That is indeed merely an Elite-Viper. I can see absolutely no paint differences, no deco differences, nothing. Just an Elite-Viper being called a Street-Viper.

Normally something like this might piss me off, but I love the Elite-Viper. He's by far my favorite army builder in the entire Rise of Cobra line, so getting another one is no skin off my nose, even if they did change his name.

Kinda sucks that he comes with no accessories, though.

No, you should not run out and buy this thing right now. However, if you're perusing the closeout stores (and really, who doesn't?) and you stumble upon some of these at rock bottom prices, they're not too bad. If you're feeding for a Joe purchase, give them a try.

They might even scare your dog.

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