G.I. Joe: ARAHC - Cobra Commander

Well, welcome to the profiles for the 2000 G.I. Joe Two Packs. The way I figured I would do it is to start with my least favorite of the figures and move up to the one I liked the most. So if the first few reviews seem luke warm, that's because I'm just building to the good ones!! 

Now, the things I said about Chameleon in her profile can definitely be attributed to Cobra Commander as well, however I think the slight color change adds an insane greatness to an already fantastic figure!! Despite what some pictures may look like, Cobra Commander is NOT black...he is a deep, dark, almost black blue. A beautiful color. Absolutely perfectly regal for His Majesty. This mold is by far my favorite mold for Cobra Commander in the history of G.I. Joe and this new rendition outshines all others. It is quite similar to the '92 black uniform version, but it just has some other quality to it. The darker blue uniform, the Cobra symbol on the hood...it just stands out. Quite nicely!

It has been said that this mold "beefs up" Cobra Commander too much. I disagree. With his barrel chest and defiant glare, this is the ultimate Commander. A proud, regal man, with that strong hint of insanity behind the cold steel eyes. A strong leader and capable dictator, but with a mean streak that would put Saddam to shame!

The detailing of this figure is mostly a testament to the fact that in the early 90's, Hasbro was still capable of making some real nice toys. However, this new version takes it a step further, similar to the way Law's new figure did. The Cobra symbol on the hood is a small addition, but adds SO much. The silver trimming is pretty much identical to the '92 version, but against the dark blue, is too effective to deride Hasbro for reusing it. My only gripe, and a minor one, is that his back is still the back from the Talking Battle Commander. Similar to (Toma)Hawk's in that it is flat so the backpack can fit on, but there is only the one large screw hole in the back.

Plastic quality is great, and zero problems with O-Rings. Accessories are really cool, I think. That laser rifle suits him well and the little seen, but really neat twin missile launcher adds a crazy bit of overkill to the nutty Cobra leader.