I’m happy to say “No way!”Spy Troops Wave 5 (Wave 8) - Pit Viper
So far Wave 8 has been a mixed bag…for me, anyway. I’m not sure if I’ll be posting this in the same order that I’m writing them, but so far I’ve reviewed Gung Ho, Zartan, Agent Faces, and Duke…all okay figures, but nothing that stands out for sure. Either repaints or somewhat substandard new sculpt figures that I can’t really get my head around…is this what Wave 8 is destined to be?
I’m happy to say “No way!”
There are very few purposes and objectives that they did not make a COBRA trooper for back in the day, and “Infiltration” is one of them. Sure the Python Patrol was designed to be a radar resistant strike force, but not for the sole purpose of diving deep within enemy lines and striking from within…that’s what Pit Viper is all about and I think he does his job very, VERY well.
Hasbro really seemed to turn it up a notch with this particular figure mold. Giving him an incredibly interesting and dynamic head sculpt, yet still maintaining a sense of anonymity was but the first step, and it just got better from there. Those sleek, blue metallic sunglasses/infrared goggles…the cool COBRA logo on his forehead. That awesome open mouth mask design made famous by the comic books and perfectly incorporated here…it’s all here and it looks great.
They topped off the cool and different head sculpt with something not often seen…a turtleneck torso design. This really works well, sculpted with some nice, realistic wrinkles, this tiny little touch gives the figure a world of character…really brings him alive. His proportions seem much more on track compared with the rest of the Wave so far, with a broad, but not overly so, chest and shoulders only slightly bulged. His torso is flat, but solid, and this solid look and feel runs throughout the rest of the figure.
He has an obvious bodysuit of a kind, designed (according to his filecard) to be radar resistant and heat dampening. But along with this bodysuit, he’s got the ever-present patterned pads which add a lot of nice flair to the figure and really bring out some strong detail points. One of the coolest features about the figure’s mold, I think, are those really neat and different kneepads…designed almost like twin blades, they have a really interesting design scheme and the flash of silver is a great compliment to his other colors.
Speaking of colors…this guy has a lot of them, and I really like ‘em! The dark gray base color is a nice different shade for a COBRA troop…yet Hasbro wasn’t afraid to add a little zip with his brighter color padding. Sure, they went with an almost yellow shade, but it’s more deeper and darker than that…more like a bronze, and it’s really not as bright as it seems. He’s got black in all the right places, on his gloves, belt, boots and other trimming, and these little differences in color bring the figure to life the same way that Hasbro worked their magic with the terrific Sand Viper in Wave 6…this figure really steals the show!
Just about the only downside to the figure I can think of is a lack of new accessories. He’s got that very cool molded-on belt that’s removable, but looks very cool on him…but besides that, he only comes with a pair of Chief Torpedo machine guns. They’re not bad weapons per se, but I just wish we could see some new ones as we did in Waves 4-6…that was a great treat that I really wish would become the norm.
The Pit Viper has had an odd, questionable trait about him since he was first revealed…what is his purpose? Is he a single character or trooper? What does he do? Well, all of these questions were answered here, and I think answered very well. Pit Viper is a terrific figure and a great new Trooper class, and I really think he will end up filling a lot of folks’ armies, including mine!
