Rarities - Funskool Maltova Red Toxo Viper

 A few years ago, I looked at the Funskool Maltova promotional figures.  In that write up, I had pictures of 6 different releases.  But, I mentioned that I had no idea how many more there might be.  Well, here's another one.  And, it's a doozy.  Funskool produced an all red Toxo Viper for the Maltova series.  Like the other figures, though, he has the super crappy straight arms that all but nullify his collectiblity.  

The red really works for the Toxo Viper character, though.  The hazardous nature of their job would make something like a bright red necessary for some members of the Leaky Suit Brigade.  So, in that regard, the figure has tremendous value.  

A-Man noted in the comments below that this figure actually has Red Dog legs.  I hadn't even looked at them and just assumed they were the same as the 1988 Toxo Viper.  But, the additional parts change just makes an already odd figure that much more unique.

The figure also included accessories.  This sample does not have a helmet.  But, I do not know if that is true of all of them.  The gear, though, seems to the standard gear included with a Funskool Toxo Viper.  So, there's no coloring exclusive to this figure as far as gear goes.

Of course, this figure is stupidly expensive.  And, if it had swivel arms, I'd be inclined to pay it.  But, the straight arms save me from that type of purchase.  So, I'm somewhat grateful for that.  It's a travesty that this color scheme didn't get a wide release with proper arms on a Funskool card.  I know I'd have bought a few had they been available.  

1988 Toxo Viper - Around the Web

The 1988 Toxo Viper was Cobra's first foray into biological warfare.  While the figure has its oddities, it has also endured as a classic design of the Cobra army.  The removable helmet and interesting pack/weapon combo are a perfect array of accessories for a well designed sculpt.  Despite collector sentiment against anything Eco Warriors adjacent, there is a strong amount of content available on the Toxo Viper.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

1988 Toxo Viper Profile

Toxo Viper by Golden Cobra 79

Toxo Viper at 3DJoes.com

Toxo Viper by JDoubleBigApe

Toxo Viper Pre Production at YoJoe.com

Toxo Viper by DreadnokDread

Toxo Viper Video Review by HCC788

Toxo Viper Photo Feature at Joe A Day

Toxo Viper by thedustinmccoy

Diorama - Swamp Base

At my old house in Indiana, there was a ditch behind the fence that would pool water after rainstorms.  In the early spring, one of the rains left a nice puddle of clear water.  It was there for a couple of days, so the grass got waterlogged and the leftover fall leaves gave the whole scene a swampy look.  I went out for a pretty elaborate set up.  But, it was very cold that day.  My fingers froze in the cold water as I set up the figures.

I had plans for this to be the beginning of a dio story.  But, I didn't get all the photos I wanted due to the temperature and I never had another chance to get out before I moved that fall.  This was one of the few times that I was able to get the Mega and Cyber Viper out and into dios.  The focal point was supposed to be the Bronze Bombers Firebomb figure (a Secto Viper repaint) but I ended up looking at the Secto Viper instead.

This General shell was really beat up.  I ended up throwing it into the trash rather than moving it.  I did strip all the pieces, which I still have.  I kind of wish I had kept the body.  But, it was massive and broken in ways that couldn't be fixed.  The Moray in the pics below got pretty beat up through my various moves and is in nowhere as good of condition as you see below.  In all, it was a fun setup with lots of obscure and bright Cobras.

Diorama - Secret of the Ooze

In the fall of 2001, I took these pics out in the yard.  I hadn't really brought out the Toxo Vipers in over a year and I wanted to showcase them more.  Plus, it was always good to use Cesspool.  I had the idea of finding the Toxo Zombie as a deceased Toxo Viper and it gave me chance to finally get some photos of that figure, too.

This was the first real fall I'd seen in 4 years and it re-affirmed that season as my favorite.  These pics are 15 years old, now.  The entire vintage Joe line could have been released with room to spare in that time.  Sadly, these figures are all gone from my collection.  At the time, no one cared about them and you could get them cheap.  Now, they are much harder to find.

Rarities - Forca Electronica Figures - Brazilian Exclusives

Estrela produced around 150 unique figures for its Comandos Em Acao line.  Those range from completely new characters and figure combinations to straight up matches of American released figures.  The Forca Electronica subset of figures featured one brand new character in Letal, a repaint of a European exclusive Tiger Force Outback as Forasteiro as well as minor Brazilian repaints the HEAT Viper, Muskrat, Repeater and the Toxo Viper.

The Forca Electronica set featured 6 initial members:

Letal:

This neon green Frag Viper repaint is the most famous member of the set.  His striking appearance and general rarity have lead him to become very popular among collectors.  His golden weapons only add to the figure's mystique.  Letal is the most expensive, but also most often found member of the set.  His popularity makes him available, but his pricing remains consistently high.

Retaguarda:

This darker version of Repeater is one of the rarer members of the Forca Electronica series.  He was not publicly shown until the early 2000's.  Even today, the figure is very hard to find and you will pay a premium for him.  The darker colors are a cool take on the mold, though.  And, they bring something new to the Repeater character.

Forasteiro:

Really, this is the oddest figure of the bunch.  Forasteiro is slightly brighter version of the European exclusive Tiger Force Outback figure.  How this paint mask ended up in Brazil is a mystery.  But, it means that the most common appearance of the Outback mold is a paint application that was never released in the U.S.  We all know Outback's tend to be brittle.  The easier to snap Brazilian plastic exacerbates this and finding mint Forasteiro's is not easy.  Again, you pay a premium for an unbroken figure with no paint wear.

Estilhaco:

Estilhaco is a straight and slight repaint of the 1989 HEAT Viper figure.  The purple is a bit brighter.  He's the cheapest of the 6 figures in the set, mostly due to the fact that he was fairly common in the 1990's and he only has slight differences from a very common and rather unpopular American figure.

Explorador:

This slightly brighter green Muskrat exclusive is fairly elusive.  While he doesn't really offer anything you don't get in either the highly common American or Funskool versions of the figures, he's still different enough to drive you mad.  The fact that he's fairly rare props up the price, too.

Maligno:

This brighter purple Toxo Viper repaint is the bright end of the spectrum for this mold.  The American figure is a base purple color.  The Funskool version is a few shades darker than the American.  Maligno is a few shades brighter than the American.  He also features the golden weapons that increase his eye catching properties.  Again, Maligno isn't easy to find and high quality, complete versions fetch decent prices.

The Forca Electronica figures have gotten expensive.  While both Letal and Estilhaco were relatively easy to find in the late 1990's and early 2000's, the other figures were, basically, impossible to find and a few of them had never been seen until the early 2000's.  Today, all of the figures in the subset go for a premium.  They are extremely well done repaints and the rarity has lead collectors to appreciate them more than many, more interesting Brazilian subsets.

Estrela released a 2nd series of the Forca Electronica with 2 figures: General Ataque (a Scoop repaint) and Annihilator.  These two figures were released later, and on their own.  They are MUCH easier to find than the first series and are nowhere near as expensive.

Collectors long ignored the Brazilian figures that were similar to their American counterparts.  The last decade, though, has seen this trend reverse.  Subsets like Forca Electronica show that even the slight repaints can be interesting and have merit.  Unfortunately, so many have discovered this that the figure are not nearly as cheap as they used to be.

1988 Toxo Viper

In 1982, the original series of Joes that were introduced were solidly planted in military realism.  While this certainly was a linchpin in their initial success, it was the deviation from the traditional military in the subsequent years that allowed for greater characterization that really drove the line's immortality.  While there were bizarre concepts like Zartan and the Crimson Twins, though, Joe still maintained strong military ties.  The Joes themselves were splashed with more color, but they didn't stray too far from the core concept.  As the years progressed, though, the line moved more and away from it's traditional roots in military realism.

While it's easy to see the progression from 1982 through 1994, it is the year of 1987 that really stands as the line of demarcation between military and fantasy.  It is likely the G.I. Joe animated movie was the catalyst for the change.  But, 1986's Serpentor had laid the groundwork for Cobra La.  1988, though, was a bit truer to Joe's roots.  The Joes were (mostly) solidly colored, military specialists.  Gone from Cobra were the mutants and clones.  Destro's Iron Grenadiers were introduced as well, bringing back a traditional villain, but one who was rooted in military avant garde technology.  There were just six Cobra characters released in 1988: one Dreadnok and five new army builders.  The new troops in Cobra's ranks were all highly specialized and on the forefront of technology as well.  They featured two astronauts (Astro Viper and Star Viper), two underwater specialists (Hydro Viper and Secto Viper) and the subject of this profile: the 1988 Toxo Viper.

As a concept, the Toxo Viper is quite strong.  A series of biological warfare troops capable of delivering a chemical attack anywhere at any time is quite frightening.  As a design, though, the figure is nothing short of bizarre.  In the late 1980's, the Joe line had some people working on it with a very different sense of creation.  They introduced many of the more "out there" concepts to Joe.  Their influence zenith was 1987 and 1988 and the lines of those two years.  You can see the different ideas in designs like this Toxo Viper.  While the figure's head is somewhat rooted in reality with the internal breathing mask, the helmet that covers it is nothing short of outlandish.  The color combo of brown, yellow, aqua blue and red just adds to the bizarreness that is the Toxo Viper.

This brief segue away from realism, though, was an infusion of concepts that might not have otherwise been released.  This Toxo viper laid the groundwork for Eco Warriors.  And, while you can argue that Eco Warriors are a bad thing, collectors did get some solid figure designs from the subset.  But, Toxo Vipers also helped Cobra appear more deadly.  Sure, the comic showed Cobra's military might with them taking over entire countries.  But, the reality is that such an endeavor would be expensive and wasteful.  Toxo Vipers allowed Cobra to terrorize the masses and launch full scale attacks with minimal personnel.  With just half a dozen Toxo Vipers, Cobra could take out an entire US military installation.  The toxins could be neurological or biological.  But, they would be effective and allow a small organization like Cobra to take on much larger opponents.

The Toxo Viper mold appeared three times.  The first, obviously, was for this figure who was released in 1988 and 1989.  In the early 1990's, Hasbro sent the mold to Brazil.  Estrela then released it in a brighter color of purple in the Forca Electronica series.  This figure was named Maligno and is actually quite hard to find.  The mold then made its way to India.  Funskool released a darker purple version of the Toxo Viper for many years.  The Funskool figure is probably the best version of the figure and was widely available from American dealers in the early 2000's.  Funskool ceased production on the Toxo Viper in 2004 when they started returning molds to Hasbro.  The Toxo Viper was not among the first 18 molds returned.  But, he may have been part of subsequent returns to Hasbro.  The mold, though, was not used by Hasbro and has not seen production since the last Funskool runs.  This leaves collectors with two easy to acquire versions and one very hard to get version: all of which are slight variances of the same color scheme.  While it would have been nice to see something outlandish on this mold from Funskool for a final variant, I'm content with the three versions.

Mint and complete Toxo Vipers aren't that hard to find.  While the backpack prongs are brittle and prone to breakage and the figure's nose is susceptible to paint wear, the number of unbroken, mint specimens out there is vast.  The figure's relative lack of popularity hurts it and the bizarre color scheme keeps collectors from really army building them en masse.  These days, mint and complete with filecard figures run around $8.  You can get them as low as $6 if you forego the filecard and if you will take a broken pack or rubbed nose, they get even cheaper.  At the price, they are a good acquisition.  But, after you have 6 or 7, the figure's value diminishes greatly.  Unlike the classic army builders who are often amassed in multiples of 10, these more specialized Cobra troopers work better in small doses.  The result is a solid figure that's affordable.  The line needs more of those.

Funskool Toxo Viper

As the Joe line progressed, Cobra slowly moved away from their traditional terrorist organization roots and morphed into a more technologically savvy foe. With this transition, though, the figure concepts slowly moved away from staid, uniform look of the original old blues and started to diversify into more defined specialties with corresponding uniforms. This metamorphoses produced a wide array of highly popular figure concepts and sculpts. But, as Hasbro took the idea to the more extreme edge of reality, the entire notion of Cobra was changed. While some of the ideas proffered forth were well thought out, others were really half-baked, even if the explanation was plausible enough for the idea to catch on among the kids of the day. In 1988 Cobra took a big step forward in the technological sense with the introduction of their own space troopers and the subject of this profile: the Toxo-Viper.

The Toxo-Viper is actually a rather chilling concept: especially in light of world events of the past several years. And, as such, the figure is worth another look. Toxo-Vipers are Cobra's hazardous materials troopers. It is implied they handle everything from toxic waste to radioactive materials to high tech nerve toxins to the trash in Cobra Commander's bathroom. It is also stated that the Toxo-Viper duty is considered the lowest of the low in the Cobra hierarchy because the suits that Cobra provided those unlucky enough to be demoted to Toxo-Viper status were made by the lowest bidder and "leaky". In some respects, this is an interesting idea. It makes the Toxo-Vipers more motivated since they don't want to stay in a unit where they will be exposed to toxic substances for very long.

In more modern times, though, I just can't see that being Cobra's stance. The notion of radioactive or germ warfare is just too great a potential threat for Cobra to waste their troops by giving them poor gear.  As such, I no longer see Toxo-Viper duty as lowly within Cobra. Instead, Toxo-Vipers are Cobra's front line scientists. They are the ones who push Cobra's nuclear technology, develop powerful new strains of virii for germ warfare and create new chemicals that are capable of incapacitating an entire geographical region. They are among the most dangerous Cobras as what they are working on could, potentially, destroy all of Cobra Island should they make just one mistake.

As such, Cobra Commander no longer allows the laboratories where Toxo-Vipers work to be placed on Cobra Island. While this gives him less direct control, it also insulates the Island against a mistake that would render all the land uninhabitable for thousands of generations. The figure gets use, though, when Cobra wants to test their new contaminants on the world. Toxo-Vipers are highly trained in the handling of volatile chemicals and they are given new, highly protective suits that save the wearer from the effects of their cargo. Often times, though, these tests are conducted in out of the way places (Usually somewhere in the midst of the Amazon jungle in Brazil. Thus, the importance of the South American operations to Cobra these days.) so it rare for the Joes to come into contact with actual Toxo-Vipers in combat situations. Once Cobra is able to reliably manufacture and sell condensed toxins, it is likely that Toxo-Vipers would become the only front line Cobra troops as they would simply appear in an area, spray it with whatever horrible creation their scientist brethren had developed and leave as the carnage unfolded. Fortunately, at this point, Cobra is not interested in leaving land unusable as Cobra's strategy is to take land for themselves. However, this isn't the goal of all of Cobra's customers and it is possible that the output of the Toxo-Vipers could one day be unleashed.

While the American version of the Toxo-Viper is the same mold, I feel that the Funskool version of the figure is actually a rare case of superior coloring on the foreign design. The Funskool figure uses a darker purple base and features a black helmet as opposed to the lighter purple of the American release. The figure's gloves are also a blood red that really jumps out. This gives the figure a more useful appearance as he isn't too bright, yet he still retains the design elements that allow for you to easily intersperse a few American Toxo-Vipers among the Funskool armies. As such, my personal Toxo-Viper army is mostly Funskool versions of the figure. Of course, the blue on the figure's chest still doesn't quite work and his backpack is bright green and that keeps this figure from being one of my most often used. But, when I need Toxo-Vipers, it is the Funskool version I seek.

The Toxo-Viper mold was released on 3 continents. After the American figure was released, the mold was sent down to Brazil where it was released as Maligno. From there, it went on to India where Funskool used it for many years producing this version. (Maligno is a much brighter shade of purple than the American figure while the Funskool version is substantially darker purple than the American version. So, you can acquire this mold in the whole spectrum of purple. If you don't like purple, well, then there isn't much to look for in this mold around the world.) Now, the mold is likely back in the hands of Hasbro. But, if I had to wager, I'd bet that the likelihood of Hasbro bringing this mold back are fairly slim. Not that it's a bad mold, its just that there are still so many other molds that Hasbro could use to fill their small slate of ARAH offerings that would be much more popular than a new Toxo-Viper. So, while I'd welcome a new Toxo-Viper version, I'm not going to anticipate one in the near future.

Funskool Toxo-Vipers are fairly easy to find. They were readily available from American dealers in the $4 price range for more than half a decade. Now, they have started to sell through, so you might see secondary market prices climb as high as $7 or $8 for a MOC specimen. The reality, though, is that thousands upon thousands of Funskool Toxo-Vipers were imported to the US over the years, so this figure is unlikely to ever become hard to find or considerably appreciate in price on the second hand market. That's a good thing, though, as late-to-the-party collectors can still affordably army build this figure and have a low cost opportunity to enjoy the superior Funskool color scheme.

1991 Toxo Viper

Eco Warriors. UGH! That is the most basic response whenever you mention the subgroup every Joe collector loves to hate. The Eco Warriors line is almost universally despised. Some don't agree with the Captain Planet type message. Others consider these guys to be the harbingers of the neon to come. Me, I like them. I've made it known that I don't mind neon figures, if the neon fits the figure's purpose. In the Eco Warriors line, it almost always did. All of the 1992 Eco Warriors figures are of the very highest quality. Flint has become one of my most used pilot figures. Clean Sweep makes an army of my airport firefighters. Ozone is my experimental pilot. Cesspool is one of the highest ranking pilots in the Cobra army. The Toxo Viper, well, he's my Cobra deep sea diver.

When I profiled Deep Six, I showcased an area where Joe was under represented; deep sea warfare. Deep Six is the perfect Joe for deep water missions, but Cobra never got a suitable counterpart. The Toxo Viper fills that void nicely. He has a bulky sculpt that makes up for a pressure suit, air hoses sculpted on a cool helmet, and a pack that has tanks on it. This guy just screams to be used under water. The reason I profiled this figure here is just for that reason. When I got my first Toxo Viper about a year and a half ago, I thought he would make an excellent deep sea diver. At that time I was more into other aspects of Joedom, though, and didn't really use the figure. Last weekend, I took my first Joes out in the pool. I grabbed two '93 Star Brigade Roadblocks and one Toxo Viper. The minute I got this guy in the water, I was floored by how cool he is. He just looks good whether he is floating on the surface or walking across the bottom. I think I'll use them as Cobra underwater technicians as well. He looked very cool attached to the mouth of my "Creepy Crawly" that sweeps the bottom of the pool.

This figure is very aesthetically pleasing. The subtle purple and greens are very easy on the eyes. They are also colors that would work underwater. The red mask is also kind of menacing and gives this figure the type of mean look you would want to convey in the deep sea. His accessories are very nice. The pack has toxic leakage molded onto it. It is a nice feature, but not noticeable enough to preclude the other uses I've prescribed him. His gun is also futuristic enough to look good underwater. Since it isn't based on any weapon I know of, you can do just about anything you want with it. Sure, the accessories are purple, but they work with this figure since the color scheme is so nice. The original Toxo Viper was a very cool figure. His helmet was neat. This guy, though, takes the playability factor into account. The original Toxo Viper looks better than he plays. With this guy, you have no such dilemma. He is very nice to look at, but is also great fun to actually use. I've given thought to also using this guy as a astronaut as well. I think he would work in that environment and would be a perfect enemy for my Star Brigade masses.

The Toxo-Viper mold was never used again. The mold inspired the Toxo-Zombie and the figure's legs were used on the 1994 Major Bludd figure. Since then, the figure has been MIA. Hasbro dusted off the figure's contemporary the Sludge Viper, but the Toxo Viper mold has not appeared since. The figure was not sent anywhere else in the world that we can discern so it is possible that Hasbro would have access to the mold. It would be a solid candidate for either a Convention figure or another, exclusive release. In better colors, this figure could easily be useful for many collectors.

Toxo Vipers are kind of a pain to find. The Eco Warriors were more desirable to younger children than the serious collector. As such, you can often find non-mint, incomplete Eco Warriors figs, but mint complete specimens can be a bit elusive. The Eco Joes appear very often, but the Cobras are especially troublesome. I've managed to track down two Toxo Vipers and one Cesspool, but have never even seen a Toxo Zombie. Fortunately, collectors as a group disdain these figures. They don't even give good figures like the the Toxo Viper a chance. As such, when you find these guys, they won't hurt to old pocketbook like most of the other '91 Cobras will. If you can find them, they make excellent army builders. If you have any inclinations to take your Joes under water, I consider the Toxo Viper an essential part of any Cobra underwater attack force.

I like this guy and would like about 6 of them. If you have any available, email me.