Cobra Commander - Dollar Store Exclusive

NOTE - I am in the midst of moving, so unfortunately most of my figures are packed away. As a result, comparison shots are not available. YoJoe.com has been kind enough to allow me to mirror some of their images to show some comparisons. Be sure to check out their very nicely revamped action figure archive for full G.I. Joe figure goodness!

In the hey day of the 25th Anniversary line it sometimes felt like I was the only guy swimming against the tide. While scores of fans celebrated the figures being released that looked almost exactly like figures that were already released two decades prior, I always enjoyed the newer elements.

When the original version of this Cobra Commander emerged with the comic packs, I thought it was a pretty cool addition, even though he looked fairly different. When that figure was released again in a strange 4-Pack, I loved the fact that he came with those great padded lower legs, which only served to make the figure stand out even more.

Now at first when we saw pictures of this figure I thought it would merely be a black repaint of either one of those two figures, but it ended up being quite a new thing entirely. While the original figure from the comic pack was pretty much a Crimson Guard repaint with a new head, this particular figure uses the Crimson Guard torso, the same new head, but the arms and legs are from other figures, which is a great improvement. As nice as the Crimson Guard figure looked in 2008, his knees and elbows were a bit restrictive, and the additions of these different limbs on the figures here makes a world of difference. We have with this figure, the Renegades Cobra Commander arms, Cobra Commander upper legs, and Red Star lower legs, which maintains a nice and regal look, yet with some very much improved articulation (including the new wrist joints).

Where Cobra Commander does suffer just a bit is the utter lack of paint applications, but again, as a budgetary restriction, it's tough to complain. The figure is pretty much all black with silver "webgear", but no Cobra symbols to be found on the torso, with just a small one on the hood on his head.

For weapons, there aren't many separate guns or anything that this figure comes with, but he does have the sword and pistol that fits in his holster, which was a great choice. Cobra Commander does not need a wealth of machine guns at his disposal, a pistol and Cobra themed sword work perfectly. Like the Cobra Trooper, he also comes with a nice battle stand, which is more then even the Retaliation figures can boast about.

I do feel the need to talk a bit about this pistol. Every once in a while I see a weapon that I just love for no real specific reason. This pistol looks fairly basic and generic, but the thick barrel and the sight that runs all along it just give it a certain "punch" that I like a lot. I can see Cobra Commander doing some serious damage with this thing.

While I loved the concept behind this Cobra Commander figure when it came out in a comic pack a couple of years ago, the restricted elbows and knees left a little to be desired. This figure fixes both of those problems amazingly well, and I find even with a lack of paint apps or Cobra sigil's, this is one great Cobra Commander update. It's amazing how some simple changes can have such a great effect. As a "budget" figure especially, this one is nice.

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