Spy Troops Wave 2 (Wave 7) - COBRA Coils
Having reviewed this figure in my previous review of the COBRA Treadfire I didn't think there would be much more to cover once this version came around, but I was quickly proven wrong. A little addition of some color and weapons makes this already cool figure heads and shoulders better even than the version that came with the small COBRA vehicle.
While I didn't focus primarilly on the figure in that review, I mentioned the awesome sleek look of the figure and the greatly detailed leather bodysuit. But as neat as it was in a silver gray/blue paint scheme, it looks just plain amazing in black and orange!
But first, I need to find a use for this figure...labelled as the COBRA motorcycle specialist, that denomination kind of limits what can be done with this figure. I'd much rather just leave him as a "fast attack" trooper. A COBRA trooper designed to strike quickly and disappear, whether riding motorcycles, Treadfires or even Trubble Bubbles. This is a figure that is simply too cool to limit to motorcycles.
I can see them as transport drivers for Alley Viper squads. Roaring into an urban environment on high speed transports (ohhh...like the Ringneck...my thoughts are going wild here) they pilot these vehicles, but also provide support fire for the troopers that unload. They get right in the mix and are not at all afraid to exchange fire. But they're also known to tear through the streets on fast attack craft and fire from the seats, then vanish into the alleys. The design of the figure is such that it offers many different possibilities, which is something I love with my Joe figures.
But back to the figure itself. As I said earlier, he has a great sleek mold, making him slim and well-proportioned. The siney leather bodysuit looks even more killer in black than it did in silver/gray and really brings this figure out of a crowd. There are a wide assormetnt of nicely colored COBRA troopers, but it's rare that you see one dressed all in pitch black, and as such, Coils definitely stands out.
But all black would be boring without some flairs of design here and there to bring out the detail. The ribbed padding on his forearms and legs is just what I'm talking about. It is a great detail and adds so much to the figure, especially with the color choice. Orange is not a color often seen on figures and I think it looks very neat here...while some may consider this a "Halloween" trooper of a sort, I think he looks fantastic in these colors and it works perfectly.
Add this to the greatly colored brown belts and straps and those little touches of silver buckles (even the zipper!!) the little touches are crucial to this figure's success. The pistol is a nice added detail, and those metal pads on his gloves are fantastic.
Then of course, we've got the accessories...Hasbro must have been reading my mind when I wrote the last review commenting on how perfect this figure would be with Sand Viper's machine gun...because that's exactly what he comes with, and it works PERFECTLY. Add this great selection to his great motorcycle helmet and you've got a terrific assortment of accessories which work perfectly and add some great details to what is already a neat figure.
All in all, the COBRA Coils, while definitely not a wide-use COBRA trooper, works perfectly for what he does. Fast attack trooper or urban fire support, this is definitely a trooper you need to pick up and add to your armies!
