G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Cobra Slice

When I first saw the picture of this guy, I was a little taken aback.  His colors seemed very…wrong.  He appeared kind of pink and the different color schemes they had running through a single figure just didn’t seem to work too well together.  But now that I have the figure in my hands, it seems to work a little better than the first fuzzy pictures may have indicated.

The red shades of the figure are a tad on the bright side…they flirt very near the pink shade, but do not quite cross the line and are actually a pretty cool, different color.  Add to that, the very cool dull gray color of his vest and pants, and the colors really come together very nicely!  I was quite pleasantly surprised.   Even the very bright white of the gloves and boot trim didn’t stand out too much on the figure, and added a nice somewhat bright flair.

His colors, though, do seem a little bright for a ninja, however, I can see where Hasbro was coming from on this.  Slice has always been a little more flamboyant than your standard ninja.  He would forsake stealth and silence if he thought he could rub in exactly who it was that had taken you down.  He wanted his victims to know who had struck them and how vulnerable they indeed were.

Which brings me to my next point…is this Slice?  It would definitely appear that way from the filecard.  He is quite clearly labeled as a single character in the card, labeled “Cobra Supreme Swordsman”.  However, in my world, the Cobra Slices are what the Red Ninjas used to be in the classic comic series.  They are led by the original Slice, one of the last surviving members of the Cobra branch of Ninja Force, but they are the original Red Ninjas, only reoutfitted to more resemble their sensei.  I think these new versions really work as a new version of these Ninja troopers, and they look different enough from the original Slice to work as subordinates.  I plan on getting a handful of these to use alongside my Night Creepers as Cobra’s martial arts branch.

Unlike a good number of the Wave 1.5 figures, Cobra Slice actually comes with some cool weapons which seem to match with his personality.  The large silver sword and slim little dagger fit him well and this is one of the few Wave 1.5 figures that will retain their original accessories.