G.I. Joe: ARAHC - Lamprey

Well, I must say it is a complete pleasure to do this particular profile. I was actually going to do the original Lamprey in one of my first profiles, but once I learned of the new version coming out, I decided to hold off and use that one instead. I am glad that I did.

I will start off by saying that this Lamprey is not a whole lot different than it's 1985 predecessor. The color scheme is pretty similar and the design is of course identical. This brings the common phrase to mind: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!". The original Lamprey was an excellent figure, and this one follows closely in its footsteps. Actually, in some ways, I PREFER the new version of Lamprey to the older one. First of all, the blue is a much more dull and subdued color, which works remarkably well. It also perfectly matches Undertow's blue wet suit, showing a great unity among Cobra's water troops. The silver is very nice as well. The paint wipes on the one I got add perfectly to the figure without making it "muddy" and give a very nice authentic "metallic" kind of look. It looks like an actual silver uniform. Very, very nice.

There are also some new touches to this version of Lamprey. First of all, the helmet colors are reversed, which I think works extremely well. Also, a new, thick blue strap has been added to both legs which adds some nice variety as well. The boots and gloves have been altered from low to knee highs and long forearm covers. For the boots, I think the effect is great. For the arms, it is not so hot simply because there is a definate glove line there which the color ignores. From a distance, though, these additions add a lot of color and zest to the figure. The last and most lasting improvement is the Cobra symbol on the helmet. YES! Nicely done. I would not complain if every Cobra figure ended up having the sigil somewhere, as in the later years of Joe, it became harder and harder to locate on the toys that came out. It is a welcome addition and a sign to me that Hasbro is pulling out some stops on these new releases.

One word of warning...be cautious when picking out your Man O War/Lamprey. I had to sift through quite a few that were quite muddied up from paint wipes. For the most part, it doesn't bother me, but when the black was caked to the visor, that was where I drew the line. Fortunately I found a nice one without too much trouble, and I hope everyone else can too.