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G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary COBRA Commander

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One of the best, if not the best, version of Cobra Commander ever released, the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Ultimate Cobra Commander did pretty much everything right.  I think the only complaint I really have is the shallow holes in the feet and rocker ankles that don’t allow him to stand on display very well.  

Beyond that, the figure was perfectly sculpted, excellently detailed, and amazingly well articulated, giving us quite simply the best classic version of the Cobra Commander we’ve seen.  Pretty exceptional.

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For this 50th Anniversary re-release, they chose that figure as a base, and who can fault them for that?  It’s pretty much the perfect choice, and ever since the mid 90’s, repainting Cobra Commander in black has been a staple deco choice.  For this particular release, they went to black and red, and it’s an aesthetic I actually really enjoy.  I loved the colors of the repaint G.I. Joe vs. Cobra Cobra Commander, even if the t-crotch figure itself was lacking a little in execution.  Black and red is a great color scheme for him, in my opinion.  The only real question I have is with the red boots.  I’m not sure what the thought process for that choice was, to be honest.  I love the red hood, the red gloves, and the red shoulder cape, but I’m not too sure about the red boots, mostly because they kind of look like red spats with the pants and shoes combination.

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The look I enjoy most is probably the red cape with the battle helmet, it’s got a great split of black and red and looks good, plus it pays a neat homage to the Spy Troops era, in which a Shipwreck figure came with a Cobra Commander disguise.

Accessories

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Cobra Commander doesn’t come with a whole lot.  He’s got the two heads (black helmet and red hood), shoulder cape, two canisters of a mysterious red liquid, his pistol, and a Rise of Cobra pulse rifle.  It’s an interesting combination of weaponry, but is pretty fun and actually brings some new stuff to the table here.

I could see the red liquid being some kind of power source for his futuristic rifle…that’s the thought process I’m going with.

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Cobra Commander is a decent enough update to the more familiar blue suited original from the G.I. Joe: Retaliation line.  I’m not sure it was a figure that folks were clamoring for, but it’s a nice update and I find myself liking the black and red paint scheme (minus the weird color breaks for the boots).  He’s got some fun gear, and the whole “battle in a box” concept works well here, too.

50th Anniversary COBRA Commander
  • Character
  • Sculpt
  • Articulation
  • Paint Deco
  • Accessories
3.2

Summary

Not sure if we really need yet another COBRA Commander figure, but he’s been sporting black ever since the 90’s, and it’s tough to turn down any uses of the excellent G.I. Joe: Retaliation Ultimate COBRA Commander tooling. It’s a great base figure, and the black is striking, though the red trim is a little hit or miss in its placement and application.

Pros

1 – COBRA Commander in his most immaculately sculpted figure ever
2 – Great inclusion of both the battle helmet and hooded heads
3 – “Battle in a Box” concept works well here, and I like the red liquid canister bombs

Cons

1 – Red boots don’t work especially well and look more like bright red shoes
2 – As with the previous figure, the rocker ankles hurt the depth of the peg holes in the feet and make the figure hard to stand
3 – The red trim in general would work better as a compliment rather than a predominant color on the hood, cape, and gloves. The color breaks don’t look especially natural

GeneralsJoes Reviews discount store “running change” Cobra Commander

First of all, a big thanks to Chief over at JoeCustoms.com for the Cobra Commander hook up!  I was running towards the end of this daily review trend leading up to G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and this figure arrived just in the nick of time!  Then my hands were so jittery from the excitement of seeing G.I. Joe: Retaliation tonight I could barely type.

Oh, the humanity!

Regardless, the review is done and posted in the 30th Anniversary section, or you can hit the direct link below.  Thus wraps up my Discount Store “Running Change” versions of these figures.  NEXT!

Characters I’m most looking forward to seeing in G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Larry Hama has always established that G.I. Joe isn’t necessarily about war, action, ninjas, or gun battle…at its core, it is about the characters.  It is the personality of the characters that keeps them alive and keeps them viable throughout the years.

I would maintain that this remains true in Hollywood as well, and that the translation of these characters into film is equally important for the movie to remain timeless.  After all, we don’t all remember the fantastic Aliens movie because of the gun fights, right?  We remember it because of characters like Hicks, Ripley, and Hudson.  THEY are what made that film, not splattering acid blood all over the place.

So now that things are starting to take shape around G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which characters am I most looking forward to seeing in action?  Let’s break it down after the jump:

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GeneralsJoes reviews G.I. Joe Kre-O Battle Platform and Thunderwave Jet Boat

The two largest G.I. Joe Kre-O sets from the first series caused some mixed reactions with me…some very positive, but some not so much.  You’ll have to check out the reviews to see which was which.  G.I. Joe Kre-O week continues on GeneralsJoes on my G.I. Joe Kre-O Review Page, or the direct links below!

Only we can help Cobra Commander rebuild Cobra Island

Now, come on… if Veronica Mars can take in $47 million dollars or some ridiculous amount like that, certainly Cobra Commander can get some love from the people of the World?

That’s right, after G.I. Joe’s latest operation destroyed Cobra Island, Cobra Commander is taking a different approach to rebuilding.  No more pyramid schemes….no more ransom demands with weather control devices.  This is straight up crowd-funding.

Cobra Commander has gone to Kickstarter.

I dunno… I think I’m in for about 90 grand.  How about you?  Thanks to Kevin for the heads up!