2022 Cobra Officer - Around The Web

It was great to get an updated Cobra Officer in 2022.  But, the figure really had some problems.  Aside from wonky eyes, the figure's knee won't bend all the way.  It's a sad fate for a figure that should have been a solid contender for one of the best updates of the Pulse era.  Today, you don't see this figure as often as you'd think.  You're still more likely to see a vintage Cobra Officer in various photos than you are this newer version.  Even today, you can buy all of these figures that you want for less than original retail.  It's one of those things you'd have never guessed: especially if you lived through the army builder craze of the early 2000's.  So, stop by and check out those who do use the 2022 Cobra Officer.

2022 Cobra Officer Profile

2022 Cobra Officer by gen_liederkranz

2022 Cobra Officer by atwooddan

2022 Cobra Officer by dashiellrfairborne

2022 Cobra Officer by viperwilson

2022 Cobra Officer at ToyHabits.com

2022 Cobra Officer by offc0ur5e

2022 Cobra Officer by viperwilson

2022 Cobra Officer by gijoe_guy

2022 Cobra Officer by viper_space

2022 Cobra Officer by toysorceress

Rarities - The 2023 Unproduced Lot - Mickey Mouse Cobra Trooper and Officer

In late 2023, a random Ebay lot appeared.  In it were loose versions of the unproduced alternate head Zap, Short Fuse and Breaker figures.  The figures had been played with.  But, the molds matched the known, existing samples of those three figures.  Also in the lot, though, were two other figures that had never before appeared publically: an alternate logo Cobra Trooper and Cobra Officer.

These figures feature the "Mickey Mouse" Cobra logo that appeared on  the early run Mickey Mouse Cobra Commander figure.  Up until this point, these logos had never been seen on either a Trooper or an Officer (in public).  And, the collecting community quickly went into overdrive to authenticate the figures.  

It certainly helped that the figures were found along with loose samples of the alternate head 1983 figures.  That gave them a  provenance boost since there were other items in similar condition that indicated a pre-production find.  And, those other items featured mold changes rather than the more easily faked paint differences.  The fact that the items had play wear meant that the original owner had no idea that they had anything special.

At the end  of the day, these figures aren't all that interesting.  We've seen the logo before.  And, the figure molds are the same as production releases.  Seeing the two together is notable when you put together a timeline of the design process.  The Mickey Mouse Cobra Commander, though, already gave us that information.  But, really, the Mickey Mouse Cobra logo sucks.  The logo that they went with for production is drastically superior.  So, Hasbro made the right choice with the change.  But, seeing production figures like these tells you how close this logo was to being the definitive symbol of everyone's favorite evil terrorist organization.  

The value on these figures is likely in the thousands of dollars.  Even if more of them appear (as happened with the alternate head 1983 figures after the first samples were discovered), it won't be enough to sate the high dollar demand.  Items like this don't appear all that often.  And, it's been a while since legit pre-production variants had been found on vintage Joe items.  

The fact that things like this still exist speak to the sheer volume of product that the Joe line encompasses and the fact that many people who had access to these items may not have really cared, or even noticed, that they had  something materially different from the full production items in  their possession.  It's great that there are still  finds to be made out in the world.  But, they are far more likely to be made by professional resellers who buy out old toy designer's closets and basement than actual collectors.  

Which means items like this will remain the domain  of well heeled collectors.  We can just hope that the original sales of the items continue to be in public forums so that the items in question don't get to just disappear into private collections with no documentation of their existence.  (Like the pre-existing samples of these did.  Yeah, other copies of these exist and are kept hidden for...reasons.)  So, at least we now know these figures exist: even if they aren't all that cool.

1989 Python Patrol Trooper

I've had this profile scheduled for months.  It was just the way it fit into the schedule with various other figures and the fact that this profile was mostly done.  Then, Hasbro dropped the Classified Python Patrol Cobra Officer release last week.  So, now it looks like this is a response to that.  But, hey, I'll take the weird kismet and roll with it.  

I don't much care for the Cobra Officer.  I have always been a Cobra Trooper fan and found the Officer to pale in comparison to the much more detailed Trooper.  But, the Officer included an AK-47.  And, to a kid of the '80's, this weapon was the symbol of the bad guys and tied Cobra's imagery to the two greatest evils of the era.  So, the figure was imperative, even if it wasn't my preferred Cobra army builder.  As a kid, I bought a Trooper at a Kohl's store.  But, I don't recall the Officer mattering very much to me.  He was in our collection as my parts bin still as some Officer pieces in it.  But, the Cobra Trooper was always my preferred Cobra and the Officer was, to me, a lesser figure that wasn't really worthwhile when the superior Trooper was available.

For some reason, Hasbro switched the names on the Python Officer and Trooper.  It's not quite a 4-LOM/Zuckuss level screw up.  But, it has lead to decades of confusion.  Personally, I always felt the Officer mold was better suited to be a trooper since it was bland and included the assault rifle.  But, the notion of this mold being an Officer over the Troopers is so ingrained from the original blues, that the name bungling can't prevent me from still seeing this figure as the Officer and the other figure as the Trooper.  I have just this one Officer.  But, I have quite a few Troopers and even some Factory Custom troopers to supplement them.  So, I still see this figure as the officer, even if the official name is that of a trooper.

The upside to this Python Trooper is that the colors and python pattern are excellently done.  Green Cobras were all but non-existent in the vintage line.  (At least, outside of 1989!)  So, the fact that this Python Trooper sports a green shirt makes him stand out.  Oddly, grey was also a sparsely used color among vintage figures and this Trooper also features grey accents that highlight the mold's details.  The bottom of the figure is cast in black with grey highlights to tie the top to the bottom.  In short, the figure isn't a color combo that appears very often and it allows for this figure to be a standout.

The Python Patrol used a color scheme that was consistent across figures.  So, this Trooper features the same green that you find on the Python Officer's straps.  What is really nice, though, is that the green also matches with the Brazilian Exclusive Python Patrol figures.  Gatilho is a nice match for the Officer.  And, you can easily mesh the exclusive Brazilian characters with the Hasbro army builders to create a larger, more cohesive team.  And, if you pair them up with the Sears Dreadnok Ground Assault, you get a cool little cadre of Cobras that can be used in some specific scenarios.

And, it is in that vein that I use the Python Patrol to this day.  I missed them when I was a kid.  And, even my brothers were pretty much done with Joe in 1989.  So, Python Patrol was solely a subset that entered into my consciousness when I was a collector.  It wasn't one that really resonated with me beyond the Viper.  But, in 2008 or so, Hasbro released an anniversary sculpt Python Trooper.  At the same time, there was a Hiss Tank available at retail.  I liked the combo and thought about how awesome it would have been to have had a vintage style Hiss and Python Trooper available at retail just a few years before.  But, at the time, Python Patrol figures were dirt cheap.  So, I stocked up on some Python Officers and built an army that remains the bulk of my Python Patrol collection today.

The Python Trooper has an accessory variant.  His AK-47 can be a glossy black or a light grey.  It is imperative to not confuse the light grey weapon of this figure with the white AK-47 from one of the Battle Gear packs.  You'll also often see the original, charcoal colored AK-47 from the 1982/1983 Officer with these figures, too, as they are actually easier to find than the black rifle from the Python figure.  You can see both variants in the photos below.  Neither of the variants appear to be more common than the other.  But, these days, it's far more common to see Python Troopers sold with incorrect weapons that it is to find them marked with specific variants of the rifle.

It is a ridiculous travesty that the 2022 Cobra Trooper/Cobra Officer set hasn't been repainted into Python Patrol figures.  Hasbro could drop a 6 pack of 4 Troopers and 2 Officers in a white box and baggies (like they do with Star Wars army builders) and sell them without too much difficulty.  They took the time to make these new molds and we have yet to see them reused outside of a last minute addition to the Skystriker.  Maybe we'll see them someday.  But, at this point, I don't hold my breath.  It's far more likely we'll see a repainted Trooper or Officer included with a $120 Transformer before we see a real army building pack that's themed and directed at collectors.  It would really be hard for Hasbro to have bungled the vintage Joe homages any more than they did.

The Cobra Officer mold wasn't used all that much.  The straight arm figure was sold in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.  The swivel arm Cobra Officer was sold in various countries and was available as a mail away for years and years.  In fact, bagged Cobra Officers were available as late as 1999 from Hasbro Canada.  The mold was used for the 1984 Stinger Driver.  Then, Python Officers were sold in 1989.  But, they were also available in things such as the Chuck-E-Cheese promos.  Hasbro remade the Officer mold in 2004.  But, they then found the old mold that same year.  It was used in a Toys R Us set, a Comic Pack and the Night Watch set from the DTC line.  Then, we got the 2022 Officer and it's repaint on the Stinger Driver.  Factory Custom makers have done an Officer mold.  So, you can find the proper color variants that Hasbro should have done in that realm.

Way, way too many Python Troopers sell in the $50-$70 range.  And, that's not just dealer sales.  You'll see the market push that high, too.  You can get mint and complete figures in the $40 range.  But, even incomplete figures sell in the $30 area.  As the crotch is brittle, it's much easier to find broken figures.  But, even they will command premiums at times.  Python Patrol was once considered less desirable than standard paint job figures.  But, those days are gone as collectors have realized that the Python Patrol exists in far lower numbers than their contemporaries.  So, pricing now reflects that.  

2022 Cobra Officer

We were introduced to these new Cobra Officers in late February of 2022.  Four months and change later, the figures are now showing up in mailboxes all over North America.  The general sentiment on the figures is that they're good enough.  They are solid homages with good paint, proper colors and hands that don't turn to dust when you affix a weapon to them.  Beyond the softer plastic, though, they don't offer anything that we haven't had for the past 39 years.  But, in terms of the basic blue Cobra army builders, that's OK.  The originals are fragile and prone to discoloration.  So, having a chance at some new figures in brilliant, out the package blue is a fantastic opportunity.  In the past 12 years, we've had tons of factory custom Cobra Troopers.  So, this new Cobra Officer is more interesting to me since he's not a figure that's ever played a serious role in my collection and there hasn't been a solid influx of high quality Officers since Hasbro Canada in 1999.

For me, though, the Officer isn't a figure that has a huge childhood connection.  While we had one, he never got much use.  It was the Cobra Trooper who was the faceless legion of Cobra cannon fodder.  And, for many years, I just considered the two figures to be interchangeable.  As I moved towards being a collector, I managed to get a perfect Cobra Officer early in my acquisition phase.  With him in hand, I never really sought out too many more.  I'd take then when they came with a large lot.  But, usually, the figures featured broken thumbs, broken crotches or, most often, damaged silver Cobra sigils.  As we know from the Viper Pilot and Hiss Driver, silver Cobra logos in the vintage line were notoriously difficult to keep mint.  Just storing a silver logo figure loose with other figures could seriously damage it.  So, when it was time to downsize, all my Officers sans the perfect one were let go.  I kept most of my Cobra Troopers as I prefer that mold.  And, the Officer fell to the wayside once again.

With this new release, I'm still unsure of the impact this new Officer will have on my collection.  It's amazing to see the bright, vibrant Cobra blue on the figure.  The paint masks are crisp.  And, the silver logo is factory fresh.  I'll have to store this figure in such a way that the logo stays that way, though!  So, it's possible that you might see the Officer more and more.  As I don't have to worry about broken thumbs, it opens up a realm of posability options that I don't have with my vintage figure.  

The Cobra Officer does have a major flaw.  For some reason, the pegs behind his knee are too large.  This means that the Officer can not bend his knees at right angles like we are accustomed to all Joe figures being able to do.  It's a pretty major design flaw.  You can fix it with a bit of shaving the plastic.  You'll remember the 2006 Viper Pit having a lot of problems with molded pieces not fitting correctly and requiring post acquisition fixes.  Those figures, though, cost less than $3.50 each at retail.  I paid $21 for this Cobra Officer.  And, for a premium price, I do want to see premium quality.  And, this one issue is enough to make this figure seem vastly overpriced.  I expect to see it corrected on the Stinger Driver that will be released later this year.  

The other oddity is the box art.  The artist swapped the weapons with the Trooper and Officer.  So, the silver logo-ed Officer is carrying the Dragunov sniper rifle instead of his iconic AK-47.  While it might make sense to make this switch, it's not carried over to the figures.  So, we now have the Snake Eyes/Stormshadow box art that features the 1985 Snake Eyes look while the figure is based on the 1982 and we have these swapped rifles on the Trooper/Officer.  It's a small thing.  And, I HATE all the extra cardboard involved in getting these figures shipped to my home and into my collection.  But, for a line that's squarely aimed at adult collectors, getting little things like that right helps solidify that the people behind the line take it seriously.

This two figure set also included a bundle of extra weapons in addition to the rifles that are individually carded with the figures.  These are welcome additions to help grow an arsenal, especially as vintage accessories now command exorbitant prices.  There are two bundles packed in the extra box section below the main box.  (There's a lot of boxes if you order this set.)  One includes a mortar, mortar bi-pod, bazooka and figure stand.  The other includes an M-16, M-32, Rock and Roll's M-60 and bi-pod, a figure stand and a new weapon that's the Officer's AK-47 but with the stock and barrel cut off.  It looks like a broken accessory and I'd have much preferred another full AK.  The bazooka is also missing the sight.  Again, this makes it look broken since so many bazookas left on the market have the sight broken off.  The interesting thing about this gear complement, though, is that each weapon was included with either a Trooper or Officer at some point or place during the 1980's.  The J.C. Penney 3 pack included a bazooka and mortar with the Trooper and Officer.  The M-32 was included with the Estrela Cobra Officer from Brazil.  The M-60 and M-16 was packaged with the Cobra Soldado in Brazil.  

We know of one coming repaint of this mold already: the upcoming Stinger Driver.  Maybe, there will be more.  I'd love a Crimson Stinger with a red driver.  But, honestly, the Officer mold isn't as tired out as the Trooper mold and still has some possibilities for repaints.  Just a red masked Cobra Officer would be enough to get me to buy a few more.  And, if we'd see a multi-colored army building pack, I'd get behind that.  My dream, of course, would be to finally see a real Scarface figure.  I'd love a set of him and Dr. Venom.  My only hope for that lies in the fact that Hasbro has made "retro" figures for Star Wars that are compatible with vintage Kenner figures.  The Joe line needs something new to accompany the homages that we're getting.  Otherwise, it's going to be the ARAHC or Comic Packs all over again.

Oddly, the Cobra Trooper/Officer set hasn't sold out.  So, you can buy it for $41.99 right now.  At $21 per figure, it's a tough pill to army build.  But, you can not get any high quality Cobra Officers with the silver logo anywhere near that these days.  So, if the Officer is a figure you care about, you can snag them from Hasbro.  I'd love an option to get some extra figures in baggies for a cheaper price so that army building is feasible.  But, right now, Hasbro seems content to focus on the younger collectors who really want boxed and carded toys instead of loose items for display.  I don't see that changing much.  Maybe we'll get an army builder set like they do for Star Wars.  But, those don't break down to under retail despite the packaging savings.  So, we're going to pay for new troops regardless of their sales strategy.  But, this Officer is an excellent replacement/upgrade for the vintage figure.  It's probably superior just due to the softer plastic.  So, I do recommend picking one up.

February 2022 Hasbro Pulse Reveals (Cobra Army Builders and the Baroness)

It's hard to believe that we now get some new G.I. Joe news about once per month.  Today revealed a whole bunch of new 6 inch figures.  But, those aren't anything in which I have interest.  So, instead, I'll focus on the meat of the new info today: the ARAH anniversary homages.

The first new reveal was additional images of the upcoming Cobra Trooper and Cobra Officer 2 pack.  There's really not much unexpected here.  It's the same Trooper and Officer we all know and love on the cardback inspired by their vintage design.  The set is now $41.99 and goes up for pre-order today.  The only real reveal is that they will include a mortar, stand and green bazooka so you can kind of recreate the JC Penny Cobra 3 pack that very few kids actually owned and few collectors actually care about.  

In this case, the homage part actually gets in the way of something useful.  The bazooka would be MUCH better in black or blue plastic.  In green, it just looks like you stole the bazooka from a Zap because you lost the Cobra Trooper's rifle.  The club used to do this type of stuff where they'd sacrifice quality so that something would be a "proper" homage.  I'd rather have a weapon that looks better and is more useful than something that references a release so obscure that it wasn't properly documented until like 2015.  Maybe we'll get lucky and get another darker green, A-1 bazooka, too.

Next up is the reveal of the filecard and code-name for Ace's co-pilot in the Skystriker.  The new character is named Fail-Safe.  As names go, it's better than what Hasbro cooked up in the early 2000's.  And, the filecard isn't bad as it's focused on his specialty.  It's more believable that someone is an expert in one aspect of training than also believing he's perfect at everything.  

The final reveal is the one I struggle with.  I don't really care for the Transformers.  But, they had a bunch of G.I. Joe crossovers, so I understand the fascination with them.  And, as Transformers is a much larger brand than G.I. Joe, combining the two helps bring in some additional fans to buy Joe toys.  But, in this case, if you want a brand new Baroness figure, you have to spend $89.99 and also get a transforming Megatron.  Sure, he turns into a full sized Hiss Tank that can hold figures.  But, it's not a toy in which I have interest.  And, you can be sure there are a ton of Transformers fans out there who have no interest in paying an additional $20 for a Baroness figure.  

But, there's lots of interest in stuff like this.  While I don't, personally, care for it.  This will sell a lot better than a Baroness and a Retro Hiss Tank mold for $50.  And, I ended up buying one.  You'll note that Baroness will come carded in the box.  So, you'll have to get one for a full carded collection.  This isn't scheduled to ship until January of 2023.  Maybe it will come earlier.  But, it will be a while before we see it in hand.  

2006 Gas Mask Trooper

2006 was not a good time to be a Joe fan.  In a lot of ways, it was like 1995.  A great run of toys had pitifully ended at retail while the product that comprised the late years was actually quite good.  There was little hope on the horizon for the line and the interest in the property was quickly fading away.  The thing is, the few releases that are actually considered 2006 items are quite good.  In many cases, they are step above the insufficient 2005 retail toys and bring some nice additions to a collection.  In a few cases, Hasbro trotted out some tired, recently used molds.  But, with minor adjustments, they created a solid update to something that could have been bland.  A perfect example is the 2006 Gas Mask Trooper.

Hasbro made a lot of weird decisions in the 2000's.  They would not remake a highly requested figure like the 1985 Snake Eyes or 1983 Cobra Commander.  Yet, they had the budget to make Mutt and recast parts for Scrap Iron.  They also, somehow, had budget to make a new Lady Jaye mold, even though the original had been proved useful as recently as 2003.  But, mostly, Hasbro liked to make new heads.  They were cheaper than other parts.  But, most of Hasbro's attempts at new heads left much to be desired.  Finally, in 2006, a new head appeared on an army builder.  With no face to sculpt, the result was pretty decent.  And, this Gas Mask Trooper can now easily integrate into many Cobra armies.

The origin of this figure is just a single panel in issue #44 of the Marvel Comic.  It seems disingenuous that the issue that introduced Airtight, the Mauler, Dr. Mindbender and the BATs would pick a character from one panel to become a figure.  But, this was all about cost.  And, the figure's body was available, had already been recently released in the base color and was going to be packed two per pack to further reduce the overall expense in making the pack.  Plus, the other molds were long gone and Hasbro didn't spend any money or time looking for molds when the line was at its peak.  So, there was no chance of any of the newly introduced characters joining Lady Jaye in the pack.  

Collectors began demanding a new Cobra Trooper in 2000.  It seemed an obvious choice for a fledgling line.  The chorus grew louder in 2001 as Hasbro ignored the whims of army builders.  It was not until 2004 that a Cobra Trooper and Officer based on the original look finally appeared.  Collectors assumed Hasbro would repaint the molds ad naseum.  But, that didn't happen.  A few months after the release of the 2004 Infantry Pack, the Cobra Trooper (now sporting his original head and crappy arms) appeared in a comic pack.  The Officer appeared in the next wave.  The molds would only appear once again, in the Night Watch set.  I never liked the Comic Pack Cobra Trooper.  His poor gear and flesh colored hands never did anything for me.  However, I really liked the 2004 Comic Pack Cobra Officer.  While he's basically the same color as the Trooper, the included Red Star AK-47 and gloved hands made all the difference.  I picked up a few of them on clearance and had them as a backup army when I wanted something different for a photo.  When these Gas Mask Troopers were released, I found they were exact matches for the Comic Pack Officer in color.  And, they also included the AK-47.  So, I quickly supplemented my Officers with Gas Mask Troopers and had a formidable force with relatively little effort.  While the Gas Mask Trooper lacks the painted gloves of the Officer, he does not have flesh colored hands and that makes all the difference to me with this mold.  

While the Gas Mask Trooper was never repainted, his legacy was continued.  In 2007, Hasbro released an anniversary figure named the Cobra Air Trooper.  At his core, this was a repainted Cobra Trooper.  But, he included a jet pack blatantly ripped off from the JUMP.  The additional headgear given to this figure to protect his brain was a dead ringer for the Gas Mask Trooper.  In the early 2010's, a design based on this head began to appear on Black Major factory custom figures.  Sadly, this head was mostly used on straight arm Grand Slam bodies to make armies for the Cobra De Aco.  The designs are great and the figures look amazing.  But, without swivel arms, the figures are very limited.  While these figures have dried up from their release, you can still find many of them for about their original price since they have not proven as desirable as the early Cobra Trooper and Crimson Guard repaints from the same timeframe.  A few of the heads have appeared on later factory customs.  So, the head being out there means there are options for you and you can get it an variety of colors, now, for customizing needs.

The Gas Mask Trooper's accessories were good and bad.  The bad was yet another Baroness rifle at a time when collectors had, literally, hundreds of them lying around.  The good, though, was the inclusion of the Red Star AK-47.  This weapon hearkened back to the original Cobra Officer and is a weapon I associate with Cobra.  With the figure's helmet, though, I also like to outfit him with various other gear that was included with other releases of that time.  My favorite combo is the black version of the 1991 Sci Fi's weapons that were first included with the 2001 Laser Viper.  Those accessories look good with the Gas Mask Trooper.  The bulkier head is really accented well when the figure wears a pack.  So, I go out of my way to find decent looking ones for my extra Gas Mask Troopers.

At the time, this pack was a dud.  You wonder how a set with a new Lady Jaye (the first hatless version!) and two classically inspired army builders could collect dust.  But, Joe fans pretty much abandoned the brand in 2005.  A series of bad decisions by Hasbro and the club left the small fan base fractured and beaten down.  And, with that, most of the new collectors who onboarded in 2000 through 2002 were gone.  So, the little product that got to retail sat and sat.  Eventually, this comic pack was heavily discounted.  I picked up a few for $5 or $6 each after shipping.  A lot of collectors bought some clearance packs to get extra Lady Jayes for parts.  And, they were then able to sell off the Gas Mask Troopers for a couple bucks each to cover their costs.  If that weren't enough, overstock Gas Mask Troopers were available in large lots from Asian Joe sellers.  All this added up to surplus figures that not even massive army builders could absorb.  

Today, the figure remains relatively unloved and you can get mint and complete versions for about $6.  Dealers will sell the figures for $15...which is ridiculous since you can get a MOC pack with two Troopers and Lady Jaye for around $20.  But, like most of the 2000's era army builders, this guy is not nearly as ubiquitous as he used to be and it might take you a year or more to finally build a large army.  I still find him one of the better figures just because he was something slightly different.  I'm glad I was able to build up an army of them as they are a great supplement to 2000's era Cobra forces.  They are not perfect figures.  But, few releases from their era are.  In this day and age where there, again, is no prospect of retail Joe figures on the horizon, I'm reminded of 12 years prior, as the line died again in front of collectors' eyes, with nothing they could do to stop it.  Those memories that are associated with this figure keep him more prominent than many of his contemporaries for me.  The fact that he's a good design is just icing on the cake.

2016 Female Cobra Officer

I do not collect anniversary style G.I. Joe figures.  (I consider there to be three styles of Joes: ARAH style: beginning in 1982, Joe Vs. Cobra style: beginning in 2002 and Anniversary style: which began in 2007.  Each has improvements that occurred through their runs.  But, each style has a visual and engineering similarity and pedigree that binds like figures together and separates the different designs.)  Back in 2007, I thought they just looked terrible.  At the time, this was not a popular opinion and a very small but vocal segment of collectors made the community in general very unpleasant in their blind support of these figures.  Now, those guys are mostly gone and collectors that are left consider those early anniversary figures to be generally, terrible as newer releases from the 2010's surpassed those early figures in quality.  To me, though, the style of those early figures remains.  The sculpting and design of the Hasbro releases in the past few years are vastly improved from those early days.  But, they are still not the type of thing that holds any interest to me.  You will the last anniversary item on this site is from 2008 and it was a vehicle.

But, if you are a collector of this figure style, you actually have more to collect than those of us who only focus on vintage figures.  Among Hasbro's intent to appease collectors, offer vintage homages from different eras, promote their movies and spread their offerings into new areas, collectors of the vintage style have a far greater variety of solid items from which to choose than us vintage guys.  Of this, I am extremely jealous.  Had Hasbro put anywhere near the amount of thought they dropped into the anniversary line into the relaunch of vintage Joes in 2000, that line would have been substantially more successful.  I'm not sure it would have lasted longer than it did.  But, we would certainly have fonder memories of that era and far more product.  But, as the 2010's wind down, Hasbro's ability to get Joes to retail has been substantially restricted.  The brand's faltering after the movies has diluted the G.I. Joe name and prevented any sustained retail presence.  But, that hasn't stopped Hasbro from getting some fan favorites out and into the marketplace.  At the end of 2016, Toys R Us carried a second year of exclusive figures offerings.  Included in this short line of only figures were quite a few rehashes.  But, also, quite a few new items that greatly appealed to collectors.  One of them was the highly anticipated female Cobra Officer.

Joe collectors have been clamoring for female Cobras troopers since the early 2000's.  But, Hasbro never came through.  The closest items were the terrible 2007 Night Stalker figures that were only available as a convention exclusive item.  Hasbro did get a lot of female characters into the line: both hero and villain.  But, plain Jane, generic soldiers were a no go.  So, collectors were quite taken when Hasbro first showed this figure at the 2016 G.I. Joe Convention.  It had all the modern sculpting collectors wanted, a great deal of gear and would be sold in a 3 pack with two other decently done army builders.  There was a flaw, though, the figure's open face.

I, among others, inquired about this odd feature.  Cobra legions have, traditionally, covered their faces.  It is the hallmark of Cobra.  The Hasbro answer was that they wanted everyone to know this was a female.  That was just bunk.  The figure obviously has a female body.  And, the long, flowing blonde pony tail made it evident to anyone that this was a female figure.  The more likely answer was the sculptor wanted to showcase his skills on a female face and add that to his portfolio.  There's nothing wrong with that and a truthful answer would have been appreciated.  You could say that Hasbro didn't want to spoil the club's exclusive 3 pack of figures using this body with masked faces and different hair colors that would be revealed the next day.  But, even a response of "You'll understand tomorrow" would have been more ingenuous than the flippant and condescending answer we received.

However, the unmasked face actually kind of works when you take this figure in context with the Cobra Troopers from the club.  She is an officer.  And, you could see her being one step away from becoming a named Cobra.  As such, having an uncovered face would be a mark of rank and power.  Really, if they had gone with that angle, the face would be a much better feature of the figure.  But, the sculpting on the Officer's face is top notch.  She looks mean without being exaggerated.  Her eyes are intense and stern.  In general, she looks like a bad guy: which is very rare to see on a female sculpted face.

When I took this figure out the package to do this profile, it was the first time I've handled an Anniversary figure in 9 years.  I don't encounter them in the wild and ignore them.  I had my impressions of the designs from back then, but wanted to start afresh.  Hasbro had a lot of time to make improvements.  And, in that time, I've owned lots of Star Wars figures that at least share some functionality and design elements as Joes.  My first impression of the figure is that she's spindly.  I felt I was going to pull her apart just removing her from the package.  I thought this might be a function of the smaller arms and torso of the figure. But, the other army builders in the pack felt the same.  The softer plastic and abundant joints create lots of failure points.  If you're taking her out of the package for display or to put away in other baggie or case forever, this isn't much of an issue.  But, if you gave this to your young kids, they'd tear it apart in a few days, if not faster.  For the price, that's an issue.  Fortunately, these were marketed for collectors and even Toys R Us stocked them in the "collector" section of their stores.  But, any parent who drops money on a toy their kid tears apart will never buy that brand again.

The other massive flaw with this figure is the head.  While the sculpting is great and the ponytail is a strong design, the head only looks down.  (Note the pony tail is designed in such a way as to not interfere with the figure's backpack which is a nice bit of foresight.)  It's a major problem since it completely limits the ways in which the figure can be posed.  I'm not sure how such a limitation passed muster with Hasbro.  As such, it's tough to pose the figure since she's always staring at her shoes.  I'm not sure if this is a phenomenon that's unique to this figure in the anniversary sculpting style.  But, it's a major disappointment for a figure that's supposed to be the pinnacle of action figure design.

The rest of the sculpting and articulation is pretty strong.  I'm still not a fan of the torso having articulation but the waist not being able to move.  But, in general, the figure has a lot of joints.  Some are pretty small, though, so the figure can be tough to move.  Some of the gear also impedes movement.  I find that overly annoying since it makes no sense to me to create articulation that is then precluded by sculpting details.  Star Wars figures suffer from it, too.  So, it seems it's just commonplace in the world of modern action figures.

Like most of the Anniversary figure, this Cobra Officer includes a ton of gear.  Aside from her rifle and helmet, she also includes a bazooka and a backpack.  The backpack is odd.  It is hollow inside with a flap which allows a view through it.  But, I can not figure out how to open the pack.  (I'm assuming it doesn't open.)  It's nice that the pack has less heft as it allows for greater posability.  She also has a ton of other accessories such as mines, a pistol and sight in her holster, a boot knife, web gear and another detachable bomb on her left leg.  It's great to get so much gear with a figure and it helps the perceived value when the toys cost over $10 each.

In the end, I found that my bias against the anniversary style figures remains.  I've seen lots of interesting photos using them and many of the releases are the type of repaint I'd have loved in vintage Joe construction.  But, I simply don't like this style of figure.  I think that's heavily derived from the fact that they don't feel like sturdy toys.  Vintage Joes could take a beating.  Older Star Wars figures could, too.  But, Star Wars figures from the 2000's morphed from toy to collectible.  And, while the sculpting and design improved exponentially, the play value died.  This was OK, though, as Star Wars has always been about display for me.  Joe is not.  So, these figures are not for me.

The Female Cobra Officers are a bit hard to price out right now.  As now one's really sure if more of these will show up at discount outlets, we've seen some pricing fluctuations.  Before the summer of 2017, this was pretty much a $15 to $20 figure.  And, even now, you'll see a lot of them sell from dealers in the $16 range.  However, at the same time, you can get a carded 3 pack for around $25.  Seeing how both the BAT and SAW Viper with whom she shares her 3-pack have value, that's far and away the route to take.  Long term, who knows?  The club figures using this mold are far more expensive than this release due to their lower production numbers and higher initial cost.  It's still possible that thousands of these sets will show up at Ross and TJ Maxx for Christmas.   This mold could show up in the next Hasbro line.  It's also possible that these are all done at retail and we'll never see this mold used ever, ever again.

All of that leads into the future of the Joe line.  We know that Joe is, basically, dead at retail.  We also know, though, that Hasbro considers G.I. Joe the second linchpin in their grand Hasbro Shared Universe behind the Transformers.  As such, it is all but certain that we will see G.I. Joe again once Hasbro figures out how to weave all the various properties into a story that will sell.  I, for one, am skeptical of their ability to do this.  Joe is in an odd place.  If you want military realism, there are far better properties out there in movies and video games for that.  If you want super heroes, there are far better offerings from Marvel and DC in their multi-media empires.  Joe, always treading the middle between military and super hero doesn't fit into either.  And, that hybrid of the two doesn't really have a market these days.  So, where does Joe go from here?

From a toy perspective, it's an almost certainty that any future toys will be in anniversary style.  (The reduction to 5 points of articulation in the Star Wars line has been a failure and Hasbro will be abandoning it after The Last Jedi merchandise become clearance fodder across the nation.)  But, the theme of the new Joe will be different.  I don't have a lot of faith that Hasbro will come up with something that will take ahold of the pop culture market the way Joe did in the '80's.  But, there are some things I think they could do.  The most radical, for me, would be to eliminate Snake Eyes.  I don't mean kill him.  I mean to simply retcon him out and have him not exist.  That solves the inherent problem of a silent hero in a visual world.  It also removes ninjas from the Joe mythos.  This would free Hasbro to make a ninja movie about the ninjas  (Something of which there aren't a lot, though the few that have come out in recent years have been flops.) if they wanted Snake Eyes.  But, not tie their hands for any Joe adventures due to a mute lead character and love interest.

I could get behind Joe returning to it's adventurer roots.  The problem here is that the team would be small.  And, you'd basically have a cross between the A-Team and Indiana Jones.  But, it could make for some fun toys.  The other angle would be to eliminate Cobra and have Joe be the bad guys for a while.  I could see the Mask franchise teaming up and becoming the "drivers" of Transformers who would then fight against the "government" that would be represented by Joe.  You then, also, set up the great Joe face-turn when Cobra and Decepticons appear about five years into the reboot.  It would be a new direction for the franchise.  It would be dangerous.  So, that's probably out.

The other option would be to go the other way.  For the past 30 years, the prevailing theme in entertainment has been to take the children's properties of the current adult generation and turn them "serious and gritty" to appeal to now-adults.  It's been done with everything and is now cliched.  I'd like Hasbro to go the other way and make Joe a campy, self reflective parody of itself.  I'm talking full blown characters breaking the 4th wall to say "Knowing is half the battle", Serpentor raging in full Serpentor mode and massive amounts of gunfire with no one ever dying.  The catch is that the actors, movie and audience all need to be in on the joke.  It's incredibly hard to do right and will most likely backfire.  But, it could also re-invigorate the Joe brand since they would be the only ones doing something like that.  It would take a perfect cast and script.  But, by the time it was successful, the super popular sequel would likely get out before any imitators.  And, since a success for Hasbro likely has a far lower bar than a similar success for, say, Disney, it is more likely they could pull it off.  But, I'm sure we'll get a super complicated story about Cobra and Joe that's super gritty with lots of black uniforms and technology that looks like every other movie that comes out in the summertime because, well, it's Hasbro.

Rarities - JC Penny Cobra 3 Figure Pack

When G.I. Joe debuted, the retail landscape was vastly different from what we know today.  Regional retailers held large sway and local toy shops were still a large part of the sales model.  Pretty much any retail store that was not a specialist would sell toys near the holiday season.  And, giant catalog retailers like JC Penny's and Sears were juggernauts able to negotiate exclusive products from toy manufacturers.  In the Joe line, Sears was a preferred retail partner of Hasbro through 1986.  Penny's didn't wield Sears' buying prowess.  But, it was able to hold its own and obtained some exclusive items that were offered in its catalog.  The most famous of these is the Cobra Figure 3 Pack from 1982.

The Cobra Trooper and Cobra Officer were late additions to the Joe line.  They were not among the initial releases of figures and appeared in later months as the brand gained a foothold.  They were early enough to be released with straight arms: but, late enough that they featured the improved, thinner crotch piece that was less prone to breakage.  JC Penny's had the idea to package two Cobra Troopers and one Cobra Officer into a three figure pack that was then equivalent to the 3 different 3 packs of Joes they offered as well.

The real change to this figure three pack was the accessories.  The Cobra Officer included his standard AK-47 rifle.  But, he was also given a version of Short Fuse's mortar.  While the catalog pictured the earlier, full handled mortar, the actual figure came with the half handled mortar that was being used at the time.  The Cobra Troopers, though, did not include their original gear.  Instead of the Dragonuv sniper that define the character, the two figures included Zap's bazooka.  This wouldn't be great as '82 Zap bazookas are fragile and tend to break.  However, Hasbro did future collectors one better by making both the bazookas an exclusive color or an exclusive production stamp.  This now helps differentiate these figures from someone trying to boost the price of a Cobra with a leftover Zap bazooka.  But, it also makes finding a complete version of these figures nearly impossible.

The other change to the set was the filecards.  The Cobra Trooper now denotes that is an expert with a mortar and a bazooka in order to match up with the included accessories.

Identifying the bazookas is troublesome.  But, it can be done.  The 1997 Zap bazooka is a close color match for the Penny's darker green bazooka.  But, they are not the same and can be easily identified.  The Penny's bazooka has an A 1 on the handle.

The second Cobra Trooper includes a bazooka that is nearly identical to Zap's in terms of coloring.  However, there is still a difference.  Zap's light green bazooka has a B 2 on the handle.  The correct bazooka from the Penny's pack has a B 1 on the handle.  Finding this variant is just as frustrating as the dark green bazooka.  But, it's a small, important detail to ensure all the parts are correct to the set.  (It should be noted that the Zap figure that was available from JC Penney in the same catalog also could include either a B 2 or a B 1 bazooka.  So, the B 1 is an Penney's exclusive, but could have come from two separate figures.)

These figures are pricey.  A complete Cobra Trooper with the correct, variant bazooka will fetch upwards of $150.  Since the Officer lacks an exclusive weapon, it's rare to see a price increase on him unless he includes the filecard.  On their own, though, the filecards can be equally expensive.  Sets of three will sell around $50 - $60 each.  Again, though, as the Cobra Trooper's card features exclusive text, you will see it get a slight premium on the officer card.  But, the unique outline of the exclusive bubble that denotes it as Penny's Officer helps keep in the same ballpark.  Intact bubble samples are very rare and are among the most expensive exclusives out there.  Even 15 years ago, they were a $1,000 item.  Today, they remain a four digit purchase.

For me, the expense is extreme.  But, being released in my childhood wheelhouse for Joe also makes them somewhat desirable to me.  While I don't really want to pay $150 for, essentially, a slight color variant bazooka, I can see myself doing it at some point just because it's another piece of the early line that caused me to continue collecting these toys for 35+ years.

Diorama - Chopper Base

In the fall of 2001, I got out a Mamba and took these pics.  I've never been a huge Mamba fan, even though it was the last toy I got as a kid.  Sadly, I still have this Mamba and a companion.  But, both have been pretty much destroyed since these photos.  The Mamba's large size makes it difficult to box up and move, especially when you're in a hurry.  But, the fact they aren't worth much and aren't much fun also makes me less careful with them than I would be with something I liked more.

Diorama - Colton in the Woods

Back in the spring of 2002, I took these photos out in my yard.  That was 4 houses and two states ago.  But, here's another look back at a different time in the Joe world.

2004 Unproduced Comic Pack Hawk - Custom Figure Skeres

The summer of 2004 began a weird time in Joe history.  As 2003 wound down, a large volume of figures in unproduced color schemes began to appear from Asia.  The first were items like the cancelled Wal Mart exclusives and a few alternate color schemes for convention figures.  As 2004 passed by, hundreds of these alternate figures began to appear.  Almost every Toys R Us exclusive set released in 2004 also had an unreleased counterpart in an alternate color scheme.  Some were drastic.  Others were minor.  But, collectors had a steady stream of unproduced figures available to them.  The prices would fluctuate wildly.  Some figures would sell for $100 one week and $15 the next.  Some figures disappeared after only a few appearances while others seemed to have a never ending supply.  As a collector who likes oddball items, a few of these alternate figures caught my eye.  The one that really got me going on the unproduced bandwagon, though, was an alternate set of the 2004 Comic Pack #3 figures.

Comic Pack #3 included Clutch, Hawk and Stalker.  Originally planned to be part of the first case of comic packs, it was initially pulled from the first case assortments and didn't appear at retail until a few weeks later.  Frankly, of the first three comic packs, this was the one collectors were least excited about.  So, the fact that it was delayed helped to foster some interest.  Asian sellers, though, had a different version of the 3 pack.  It included the same three figures with three major differences:

1.  Clutch's head was different.  The alternate version was smaller than the production figures.
2.  Stalker's face had Caucasian skin.
3.  Hawk had an African-American skin tone.

It was the Hawk figure that made the pack a must buy for me.  Here was the chiseled Hawk from the comic, with his blazing blonde hair, but set in a completely different racial release.  As soon as I saw the figure, I knew that I had found the perfect head for a new Cobra.  I spent the ~$30 to get the figures from Asia and added this alternate Hawk to my collection.

I didn't, though, know what to do with him.  Switching the Caucasian Stalker head onto the Caucasian Hawk body was a decent match.  For a while, I saw that creation as Manleh.  But, in time, the bright green didn't feel right for the character and that figure faded away.  The African American Hawk head on the African American Stalker body was OK.  But, the small head didn't look right on the body.  And, Stalker's color scheme was pretty weak.  So, I took the head off and left it sitting in a box.  In the first week of 2005, though, my local Wal Mart clearanced all their #4 and #5 Comic Pack sets for half price.  Through this, I was able to acquire a large number of Comic Pack Cobra Officers from the #5 pack.  For some reason, I liked this version of the figure.  It was then that I realized the variant Hawk head would be a perfect fit on one of these Officer bodies.  I made the switch and Skeres was born.

Anthony Burgess (Of A Clockwork Orange fame) wrote a novel titled Dead Man in Deptford.  In the book, there is a character named Skeres who is introduced as a filthy man with no taste for hygiene.  His profession is described as "cutter".  As in, good with a knife and will cut you, cutter.  I thought the name was perfect and the specialty was a natural fit for the background of a new villain to add to my collection.  For years, I had this character in the background, but could never find a figure that fit him.  Enter this Hawk head.  When placed on the Officer body, I had something so visually distinctive, but at the same time grounded in Cobra lore, that I needed a character for the creation.  The marriage of Skeres and this custom was a perfect bit of kismet.

From the get go, this figure has featured prominently in my photos, dioramas and profiles.  He is a mesh of classic pre 1985 Cobra that will mingle with those figures while also being "modern" and fitting with figures from post 1984 release years.  So, I've long used him whenever my Cobra hierarchy meets.  He's such a different animal than you usually see with Joe figures that he always stirs conversation.  Plus, his visible face is part of my new Cobra mentality where the new, younger, dynamic leaders don't hide behind masks or helmets as they do not fear the repercussions of their actions.  They are so confident in their abilities that they don't retain a secret identity that allows them to hide in defeat.  It sends a clear message to the new Cobra troops and has helped turn Cobra into a more dynamic enemy since they are no longer content to slink away for another day.

I have an entire backstory for Skeres that I wrote up nearly a decade ago when I first posted the figure:

A native Algerian, Skeres was orphaned at a young age and left to fend for himself on the streets of Barcelona. He quickly learned the value of being good with a blade and earned a reputation among the homeless squatters of that city as a dangerous man to cross. This reputation brought him to the attention of the Basque separatists who recruited him for terrorist activities in the city. Skeres was taught demolitions and explosives and was turned loose on the unsuspecting city. He destroyed several vacant buildings that had become homes to the street urchins he had recently considered peers. However, Skeres grew disillusioned with the Basque's motives and sneaked out of Spain having pocketed a substantial sum of the Basque's money.

Over the next several years, Skeres roamed the world's hot spots in Africa and Eastern Europe. Here, he honed his skills as a mercenary and soldier. As Cobra looked to move their operations into Africa, Skeres name appeared again and again as a possible recruit to lead operations in the area.

Skeres was approached by Cobra operatives several times about joining them. However, he was never fully convinced they had a viable plan. Finally, though, the leader of Cobra's South American Operation (Ramen) was able to bring Skeres aboard. He was quickly dispatched to South America where he distinguished himself as a field commander. Those who served under Skeres would follow him to their deaths without hesitation. He is a rare commander who earns the respect of his troops through skill, loyalty and sheer ability.

When Cobra was finally ready to move into Africa, Skeres was the first choice to lead the 1st Afrikaaner Division. This unit is comprised of many of Cobra's most battle hardened troops. In the division, there are no ranks. An officer may report to a sergeant depending upon the situation. It is a unique arrangement and one that has drawn great ire from the more established Cobra regimens. (Most notably, the Crimson Guard.) The men who comprise the Afrikaaner Division, though, look to Skeres and his dealings with the Cobra aristocracy. Skeres is the buffer between the bureaucracy and the field troops. His men know he will not betray them or lead them astray. The reward him in turn with fierce loyalty and ruthless drive to complete their goals.

As Cobra expands their operations, Skeres looks to become a prime player inside of Cobra. His affiliation with Ramen is troublesome to the Commander, but no one on Cobra Island can argue with the results that either of them have achieved.

Skeres remains one of the most dangerous knife fighters in the world. While his recent laurels have been earned as a field commander, he is known to still effectively practice the skill that first earned him his name.

The reality is that this figure is very difficult to find.  While there were a good number of these sets available in 2004, the variant comic pack dried up fairly quickly.  In the ensuing decade, all of the unproduced figures have become scarce.  But, with the scarcity has also come obscurity.  While all of these figures are rare, only the most desirable variants (Tiger Force Steel Brigade, Night Force Tracker, Dark Blue Anti-Venom figures) have retained extremely high prices.  Many of the others can be had for more reasonable prices...though they may still run anywhere from $40 to $80 depending on the character and who's in the market.  The problem is that you may wait for years before you see a specific figure.  You might be the only person who's interested when you do find it.  But, you have to be in the game for the long haul to track down all of these figures now.

I was fortunate to be collecting when these figures were available from the source.  It allowed me to add them to my collection with cheap ease.  As those days are gone, it's unlikely that figures like this variant Hawk would be part of my collection were I new to the collecting world.  But, I'm grateful for figures like this.  So much of the ARAH style figures that were released in the 2000's was bad and bland that items like this that were completely different and a little hard to find were fun.  The speculation that the figures were "illegal" or "stolen" only added to the mystique.  This Skeres is a figure that has simply become part of my collection.  He is no longer an oddity or a rarity.  He just "is".  I like that.  It gives me a fun character that's different.