G.I. Joe: Resolute - Alley-Viper

Are you kidding me? Is this what you're telling me?

We're finally getting the awesome Resolute-inspired Alley-Viper to clutch in our greedy little collector hands, but it's part of a $45 7-Pack, and we only get ONE of 'em? ARGH.

I know, I know...we're lucky to be getting the Resolute boxed sets anyway, so I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, just part of me wishes Resolute had hit it bigger and had warranted its own real estate with an army builder pack. It just seems like such a shame that we get stuff like the Cobra Legions set, yet these Alley-Vipers will be so hard to come by. Come on, Hasbro... Arctic Scarlett, two Ice-Vipers, and 3 Alley-Vipers. You'd be printing money!

Anyway... now that that's over with. Is the figure worth all that complaining?

Yeah, I think it is. If you're trying to compare it with a more mainstream, "real world" Alley-Viper, it comes up short, but as a plastic representation of the character we get in the Resolute cartoon, I think it's pretty awesome.

Alley-Viper obviously uses a healthy portion of the Resolute Cobra Trooper as a base, but with some bits of Training Storm Shadow and a new head to significantly differentiate this heavy operations trooper from the more standard cannon fodder. The result is...well... awesome. This little tweak and combination of parts makes a world of difference, and you end up with a figure that obviously has a base in the Cobra Trooper corps, yet is a lot more fully equipped and more ready for heavy combat.

The new head sculpt also does wonders to embolden these troopers, giving them aggressive metallic facemasks (also now utilized on the Pursuit of Cobra Alley-Vipers). The color scheme used on these guys is also very similar to the regular foot troopers, which is another nice unifying touch.

Like much of the Resolute fare, the Alley-Viper uses accessories to really set itself apart from the other figures. Wearing a full body chest protector, a familiar angled helmet and a nice set of removable goggles, he definitely takes on the look of the animated version.

The Alley-Viper also comes equipped with the familiar submachine gun of the standard trooper, as well as the heavier grenade launcher, but that's really it. No other new gear to speak of, not that he really needs any. After all, in the cartoon, all he does is shoot that submachine gun and catch grenades in his face.

One nice touch are the red goggles that he comes with, which should have come equipped with the original Cobra Troopers, but it does help separate the Alley-Vipers a bit more.

I think there are some important distinctions that need to be made when considering how good these Resolute figures are, this Alley-Viper in particular. Are you looking for something to fit into your mainstream Joe collection alongside the Pursuit of Cobra? Well, I don't think that's what this is designed for.

These sets are for fans of G.I. Joe: Resolute who want toys that match the animated characters they watch on screen. I think from that perspective, this figure is great, and these sets are all great as well. Hasbro takes the spirit and feeling of the animated characters and translates them effectively into slightly more "realistic" looking action figures. If you want to work them into your Pursuit of Cobra collection, I think you can...just a figure like this isn't necessarily going to vibe with the more heavily armored and detailed Pursuit of Cobra Alley-Viper. But I still think he's a fantastic figure and should be a part of anyone's collection, especially someone like me who loves their animated-accurate toys.

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