Discount Store/Dollar Store Snake Eyes (Running Change)

You start to suspect that the folks at Hasbro who design these things are really fans of the brand as the homages get more and more obscure throughout the line. Granted, at first glance, it's tough to pick out any clear inspiration for this Snake Eyes repaint, but when you dig back through the archives a bit and find the Toys "R" Us Exclusive Heavy Assault Set version of this figure, you start to connect the dots a little bit.

That's not to say that this figure is a perfect representation of that one...not at all. Considering the budget the design team has to work with for these figures, that would be pretty much impossible. But the truth is, this particular version of Snake Eyes didn't have a whole lot of repaints back in the day, so I suspect the designers took what they could get. The result is a green and black version of the G.I. Joe Ninja Commando that looks pretty neat, even without a neo-classic homage wrapped inside.

Now as you can see, the colors don't precisely match up, but considering the paint application templates need to match the original figure, I can see why the differences exist.

Like the previous version of this figure, the parts are all reused from other figures. Mostly the 25th Anniversary Wave 3 Snake Eyes, with some Pursuit of Cobra Storm Shadow thrown in there for good measure. The original version of this figure was a remarkably accurate '91 modernization that was a very pleasant surprise. This one is a departure from that, but still looks decent. Articulation is about what you'd expect for your typical 25th Anniversary parts, though I'll say those Storm Shadow arms don't bend nearly as much as I'd prefer. They also look just a little bit short. But when you're going for a figure to have some vintage inspiration, sometimes looks trump functionality. Obviously with this being a running change version of the original, they stick with the same parts formula, and those parts worked remarkably well for the '91 Snake Eyes.

The real differences here are with the green additions to the figure, which I will admit look a little strange. Definitely not your traditional army green colors, but then again, when has G.I. Joe been? The light green is the tie-in to the old school Toys "R" Us HAS 6-Pack set, and looks fine here on this figure, though certainly not very "night operations" friendly.

ACCESSORIES

Not much to speak about here. Just the battle stand and a single sword, but again for these budget figures, you take what you can get. Many fans are just happy the stands are included (even without names on them). That is currently more than the G.I. Joe: Retaliation figures can claim.

He does have the fantastic webgear from Night Fox which is carried over from the previous version, but regardless is a fantastic addition.

Keeping in mind the budget allowed for these figures, the fact that we're getting them at all is pretty remarkable. The parts use is excellent here, if you're looking for a vintage homage, and the colors, while few and far between, work well. Considering the price, this is a good figure, to be sure. Not the best in this running change wave, but still fun. From a functionality standpoint, better arms would have been nice, but the decision is understood.

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