G.I. Joe: The Pursuit of Cobra "Desert Battle" Snake Eyes

Come on. Are you serious? This marks like the 54th version of the immortal G.I. Joe commando/ninja. How the heck can this possibly still be a viable character or viable figure? It would seem impossible, wouldn't it? Yeah, one would think...but one would also think you couldn't possibly cram this much detail into a 3 3/4" action figure. Yet, here we are.

This is how you do it. Look at this figure. How can anyone consider this NOT a viable character or viable figure? Good grief. Just when you think that Hasbro's gotta run out of ideas for Snake Eyes sooner or later, they come up with something that totally turns the fandom on its ear, and regardless of the fact that this is a character we've seen fifty-plus times already, it's a figure that everyone continues to clamor for. Amazing.

There isn't a whole lot I can say about Snake Eyes here that I haven't said in the few dozen reviews of Snake Eyes figures that I've done since 2000. Except that unlike many of the others, this figure epitomizes nearly every single thing that is cool about the G.I. Joe commando, and while the Resolute/"City Strike" version successfully embraced many of the great fantasy elements of the character, this version clings tightly to the realistic side and doesn't let go.

In the package, he sports the traditional version 1 Commando head sculpt that works so well with his miltiary sweater, elabrate webgear, and multiple machine guns. This is old school ass-kicking Snake Eyes with knives, his Uzi, and taking out multiple Cobra Troopers without breaking a sweat.

Like the Cobra Shock Trooper, from the waist down, the figure is nice and bulky, but not overly bulky. He's got flawless detail sculpted throughout, but with no limit to his articulation or poseability. Tight joints, great balance, this is pure G.I. Joe action figure perfection regardless of what character the figure represents. His top half is very sleek, yet also retains the same range of motion as the lower body. This is one greatly detailed figure from head to toe.

And for those folks who prefer their Snake Eyes less traditional commando and more familiar, the extra head that comes with it sports his familiar visor, and yes, we've seen this head design so many times, yet just the intricate sculpting of the seams on his head, the wrinkled brow...it's just all translated perfectly.

And far be it from me to forget to mention the added wrist articulation...I almost forgot all about it, that's how lost it gets within the surge of awesome detail in this figure. Both of Snake Eyes' wrists tilt forward, which allows the figure to grip his sword with two hands, and get in all sorts of other cool weapon firing or holding poses.

Hell, part of me wishes that if Hasbro were ever to do some "generic" style Joes they use this figure as a base and just do some different colors and webgear to represent a very traditional "real world" military team. This figure is good enough to work as a template for many other characters.

The color scheme here is pretty much what you'd expect from Snake Eyes. Basically he's black with various shades of gray throughout, which is what you'd expect from the Joe commando. There's nothing amazing, nothing really different about the figure, but he works excellently.

Of course, the trademark of the Pursuit of Cobra is definitely the accessories...and Snake Eyes absolutely does not disappoint. Along with the aforementioned additional head, you have his webgear. Snake Eyes' webgear... wooow. Twin shoulder straps, awesomely detailed pouches, and real elastic leg straps give us very realistic looking commando gear and some great aesthetic not seen before in this scale. Shells on the left shoulder strap, a working knife sheath on the right, I've examined this webgear so deeply, and still manage to find something new.

Of course the webgear is based strongly off of the Sideshow Collectibles version, it's just amazing how well it translates to such a small scale. But that's not even all. There are some great pouches on his left legs, and a holster on his right. Have I even mentioned the removable silencers? One fits on one of the pistols, the other fits on the Uzi. And the holster even holds the silencer. Yes, it holds the silencer. What an awesome little detail. Crazy. Truly crazy. Plus the Uzi. Plus the FN SCAR assault rifle that originally came with City Strike Beachhead.

Pulling in an obvious Sideshow Collectibles element, Snake Eyes also comes with a great looking curved sword, reminiscent of his '85 version. The satchel charge is strongly based on the version 1...and he's got two other swords besides. Snake Eyes is STACKED. If I had any complaints at all, and trust me, I really don't, it's that he doesn't have a sheath for his curved sword. But ultimately, that's a pretty minor complaint in the grand scheme of things here.

Yes, this is another Snake Eyes. But it is another freaking fantastic Snake Eyes. Regardless of who this character is, I simply can't, in good conscious, NOT recommend this figure. If you avoid the figure simply because it's Snake Eyes, you are doing yourself a severe disservice. This figure is that good.

GRADE:

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