1987 Worms

In 1987, Hasbro came out with an awesome mobile artillery weapon for Cobra named the Maggot. It was a fantastic toy that split into three parts that were all as much fun as the whole. The Maggot is my favorite Cobra vehicle, even outpacing the Hiss tank. Part of what made it great was the driver, Worms. This guy rocks. He was incredibly original figure that perfectly fit the genre of the Maggot. Like the Decimator, the Worms is a regal looking figure that does not deserve to be among the rank and file Cobra troops. I often had the Motor Viper drive the Maggot, a Techno Viper man the turret, and the Worms directing the whole show. He was an officer in my armies. His uniform is such that he really can't be anything less. The medals and decorations just scream for more respect than any other figure, except for the original Hooded Cobra Commander, that was available when the Worms was first released. His cool belt buckle also spoke of achievement beyond what his characterization would imply.

I thought the Worms awesome from the first moment I had him. I have always been a sucker for vehicle drivers, but it always seemed that they were superior to many of the regularly available carded figures. This is too bad, as we collectors are the ones now left scrambling to find multiples of many of these harder to find figures. I know I would have loved to have a Motor Viper driving all my Cobra vehicles. It is now easier to do so, but it would have been much easier had some of the cooler vehicle drivers been available someplace other than with their vehicle or by expensive mail order. (The primary reason I didn't take advantage of Hasbro Direct was that figures were terrible expensive. I remember having to send flag points, plus way more than one figure cost in the store. On top of that, you had shipping and handling charges to add to the price. It just wasn't a good deal. In retrospect, though, is a different story....) The Worms continued the trend of great drivers and quickly found himself often used because of it. I still seem to flock to vehicle drivers. You will notice that many of the figures I profile are such. They just don't get the attention of the regularly carded figures, deserving though they may be.

I didn't like the characterization from the Worms file card. I did like the background they gave about the Maggot. My figure, however, was much more exciting. I liked the officer idea but later made this guy the highest ranking enlisted man in the Cobra army. Since I couldn't have an army of Worms, I had to make him more important than the other rank and file Vipers that I used for the crew on his vehicle. As such, this guy still finds his way into many of my current adventures. While I don't have the Maggot here in Arizona, I still find ways for this guy to make an appearance. He's the type of character that is needed to keep my hordes of 1998 Vipers in line. I still use the Decimator as a equal ranked Cobra, but this guy was the first who laid the groundwork for many of my later incarnations of Cobra hierarchies.

Worms possess one of the tougher accessories to find. His antenna is almost universally missing except from the best kept pieces. I lost mine shortly after I got him. It blended perfectly with my mother's brown carpet. As such, this guy is very hard to find mint and complete. You can get him with his helmet (the pistol is an accessory I added and is not original) without too much trouble, but that damned antenna is a problem. If you don't mind that minor detail, though, this guy is cheap. Even with the antenna, he isn't too expensive. For some reason, this guy is totally forgotten and has no real hype about him. As such, they are quite a steal. Many of this guy's contemporaries cost way more than they are worth. This guy was only ever released with his vehicle. He gets no press. Hopefully, little diatribes like this can help raise this guy out of the collecting mire in which he is trapped.

I need the Worms antenna. If you can help, email me.

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