2026 Deep Six - Super7

Back in March of 2025, I wrote about G.I. Joe #36 that had been released 40 years prior.  If you look back at that profile, you'll see two separate scans from the comic that feature Deep Six in his "duty" gear.  The Deep Six character had been introduced in issue #25 and was a staple of Larry Hama's stories for the entirety of 1984 and into 1985.  He rarely, though, appeared in  his bulky, deep sea diver suit.  Instead, he wore a bucket hat, life preserver and a lined shirt.  This outfit was Deep Six's default look and allowed him to be used in more situations than his full dive gear.  Despite this canonical appearance, Deep Six was never released as a figure with this alternate look.  It took until 2026, 42 years after the character's debut for Super7 to surprise the collecting world with a useful Deep Six.

If you go back to the mid 1990's, Joe customizers followed some basic formulas.  They'd start with easy repaints like a red Stormshadow and a dark blue Cobra Commander.  From there, they'd advance to tackling the Oktober Guard and Snake Eyes' LRRP team.  After that, you'd see them attempt figures like Kwinn, the Soft Master and, yes, Deep Six with his bucket hat.  As the parts library was more limited back then, you'd often see Muskrat's head used since his had was the closest approximation of Deep Six's comic book appearance.  As the century turned, Hasbro released a hat on a version of Luke Skywalker that some customizers were able to morph into a removable hat Deep Six.  Then, in the early 2000's, Hasbro released some figures with removable hats and some other pieces became available in various military knock off lines that proliferated during that time.  And, with those bits, even better Deep Six figures were made.  The prevailing theme, though, was that comic Deep Six was a character who resonated with collectors of a certain age who came aboard during that 1984-1985 comic run.

As customizing skills began to incorporate more advanced sculpting methods and greater alteration of existing parts, though, Deep Six began to fade away.  You'd still see a custom, every now and then.  But, a younger crop of customizers who upped the game also lacked the youthful connection to an alternate look for Deep Six.  So, the prickly diver fell out of favor.  And, there was rarely a clamour for his more classic appearance to be commemorated in a figure.  Hasbro had so many other characters to consider that Deep Six wasn't really on the radar any longer.

Which, makes his appearance in the Super7 line somewhat baffling.  Super7 doesn't do that many comic book figures.  Their focus is 100% on the cartoon and ensuring that roster of the first two mini-series is completed.  So, getting this Deep Six was quite a surprise.  But, it was a welcome one.  While Deep Six would not have made my list of top 20 comic book looks to make, he would have made the list.  I even mention back in  that #36 write up that I'd buy a Super7 version of him.  And, I followed through on that statement.  

As a figure, Deep Six doesn't really break any new ground.  He's orange, blue and tan.  You can find similar colors to his on Cutter and Topside.  Though, he is substantially more muted than the orange colors that define those figures.  It's not about the palette, though.  Deep Six somewhat defined this look for a Joe.  He just didn't get a figure to cement it.  What this Super7 figure accomplishes is a solid homage to those comic book designs.  You can look at this and instantly know it's Deep Six from the mid 1980's.  Super7 does excel in this type of approach.  They are making a deliberate homage.  And, they tend to get it right.  This figure isn't going to win any awards for creativity.  But, it perfectly matches the intended purpose of the release: to give collectors a figure in a uniform that was never before offered in plastic.

I don't associate this Deep Six with either the SHARC or the USS Flagg.  I align him mostly with the ill-fated G.I. Jane.  This was the Joe ship introduced in 1984 that would be conveniently destroyed in #36 so that the Flagg could be introduced.  But, I also remember Deep Six as a member of the WHALE crew of issues #28 and #29.  These were my 2nd and 3rd G.I. Joe comics.  So, they were read hundreds of times and were very formative in my development of both Joe characters and my personal mythos.  As a kid, I always wanted a useful Deep Six who could man the gunner station on the WHALE.  That never came to be.  But, now, I finally assemble a crew of Cutter, Deep Six, Duke and Roadblock to match up with that early comic run.

And, it's here that I found the most value in Deep Six.  As a kid, his personality was off-putting.  But, that was the point.  After his introduction in #25, though, Deep Six was less of an in your face asshole and more of a sardonic side character whose prickliness was supposed to be endearing because it was, generally, harmless.  But, the idea of a Joe who didn't really get along with people while still being so good at his job that you had to have him around was intriguing.  And,  in the days when the Joe roster was pretty limited, losing a figure to the catastrophe that was the 1984 Deep Six figure was more impactful.  So, Deep Six always seemed like a character that would have been fun to have around but was just not available.  One of the reasons I was so keen on acquiring a 1989 Deep Six upon my return to collecting was because it gave the character a useful toy.  By the time of my acquisition, though, the notion of using Deep Six as his character was gone.  

So, really, I'm left with this figure as a scene filler or a display item on a shelf.  If I ever get around to exhibiting my WHALE, this Deep Six will be among the crew.  Until then, he'll be a guy who will find some use when I get heavy rains or take figures down to the creek.  He works very well in photos.  But, it's tough to find ways to really showcase this figure as the focal point of a scene unless you're recreating one of his early comic appearances.  And, once those are done, there's far less to do with the figure.  But, that's OK.  Some of the best figures in the line were guys like Alpine or Blowtorch: figures who had niche purposes and were background players.  This Deep Six continues that legacy and will be one of those guys who really helps to make a photo interesting, even though he's not really the subject on which the photo centers.  

Deep Six includes two accessories.  The first is the standard cartoon rifle that is based on Snow Job's XMLR.  It's weird to see a comic book figure include a cartoon weapon.  But, it works since the design aesthetic fits the time period of both character designs.  The second accessory is more esoteric.  In my #36 write up, I showcased a photo where Deep Six chops open a crate containing the MMS.  He uses a red axe to cut the ropes.  And, that red axe is included with this figure.  It's a very specific choice.  But, as an add on, it's great since it's such a specific comic book reference.  I used the image in my write up because it was memorable to me.  You can extrapolate that the image resonated with many readers of that comic and one of those grew up to design G.I. Joe figures for Super7.  So, its inclusion is a nice nod to an obscure bit of Joe gallimaufry.  

Deep Six's long term prognosis is probably pretty insignificant.  While the figure was welcomed by collectors and seems to have joined many collections, he hasn't made the splash that the Super7 Ninja Force figures have.  He is readily available and can be purchased from pretty much anyone who stocks the Super7 line.  For guys who hit the sweet spot to consume 1984 media, this figure is a must have.  But, for others, he's more of a novelty.  We'll see how he plays out over time.  For now, he joins my collection to fill a hole that's been open since 1984.  He's even got me considering an unboxing of WHALE that's been locked up since 2011.  If that appears in the photos below, you'll know that he was enough of a motivation to spur me to action.  Even if it doesn't appear here, though, I'll get him into the WHALE at some point.  He's just a figure who scratches that nostalgic itch enough for me to relive some childhood dreams.

Fuego - Plastirama Ripcord (Argentina) - Around The Web

Swivel arm Plastirama figures from Argentina are very common.  Thousands of cases of them were imported to the U.S.and sold be dealers from around 1999 through 2006.  Many of the figures are so common that they used to be sold in lots for a couple of bucks per figure and still no one would buy them.  One of those figures is Fuego: the Argentina version or Ripcord.

Back when these figures first appeared, most collectors considered Fuego to be too similar to the Hasbro Ripcord to be worth a purchase.  The lower quality and general ubiquity of the 1984 Ripcord really prevented Fuego from finding a niche in the Joe world. 

As more and more collectors completed their Hasbro collections, though, they started to look at the more ignored Plastirama figures in a new light.  With this, they found that figures like Fuego were, actually, pretty different from their North American counterparts.  The colors were distinct and the accessories could be quite different.  So, in the twenty years since the Plastirama figures started selling out, figures like Fuego have found more appreciation and are parts of many collections.

Despite that, you don't see the figure used all that often.  There's little reason to since the Hasbro Ripcord is, probably, better and is also very easy to find.  So, guys like Fuego still are a bit under the radar.  They are definitely worth checking out, though, since you can still find them for acceptable prices, from time to time.  So, see how the creators below used Fuego and appreciate the things that make him distinct from the Hasbro Ripcord figure.

Fuego Profile

Fuego by hobieshinobi

Fuego by Hit and Run

Fuego by kbzonecustomtoys

Fuego by hobieshinobi

Fuego by 334inch_figure_collector

Fuego by hobieshinobi

Fuego by brasil_gijoe

Fuego by viper_space

Fuego by hobieshinonbi

2009 Undertow

In 2005, the club had their first real "hit" with a convention set.  Even today, the Iron Grenadier set from that year receives high marks and is one of the most popular themes that was ever done.  So, it made sense that the club would try to cash in on that success with other figures in the updated Iron Grenadier color scheme.  Unfortunately, the mold they ultimately chose for that update didn't really make a lot of sense to appear in the Iron Grenadiers colors.  Sure, the original Undertow was "Destro's Frogman".  But, that figure was done in colors to match their specialty.  Seeing a diver done in the red, gold and black seemed a bit out of place.  But, the figure was a perfect match for the 2005 convention set.  Timing is everything, though.  And, in 2009, collectors weren't feeling all that nostalgic and the figure's flaws outweighed his value.  This alone, though, makes the 2009 Undertow worth another look.

The 1990 Undertow is a solid figure.  I'd argue that he's not as good as the 1985 Eel.  But, the original Eel is also a near perfect figure.  So, that's a high bar.  Undertow, though, stole coloring elements from the 1985 Eel figure.  And, even on the second usage, the colors worked.  The 2000 and 2002 uses of the Undertow mold were done in mostly solid colors.  They worked for what they were intended to be.  The club took the basis of previous Undertows and added some additional colors to call attention to the sculpt's details.  This 2009 release shows that, sometimes, less is more.  The overabundance of colors seems like overkill.  While the overall paint apps aren't bad, the colors chosen seem like a lot.   And, the figure doesn't make much sense as a diver in these colors.  But, this figure wasn't meant as an army builder or, even, a figure you'd take outside for photos.  It was always meant as a companion display piece to the 2005 convention set.  And, in that regard, it succeeds spectacularly.

I quit playing with G.I. Joe in 1987.  I was aware of the introduction of Destro's Iron Grenadiers in 1988 as my younger brother had the original Iron Grenadier figure and I was still an avid reader of the comic book.  I liked the idea of Destro having his own army.  But, it was never a concept that carried over to my collection.  I liked Destro as a character who pulled strings behind the scenes.  He was brave in battle.  But, he wasn't a guy who put himself out at the forefront.  So, the idea of the Iron Grenadiers as a separate and nearly equal faction to Cobra was never something that manifested in my toy collection.  

Seeing the 2005 convention set of all Iron Grenadiers didn't really move me all that much.  I thought the execution of the Iron Anvils and the overall color palette was top notch.  It was great to see some molds that hadn't appeared anywhere else get some use.  But, Iron Grenadiers were not a concept that mattered to me.  Had the set been Eco Warriors or Star Brigade, I'd have jumped all over it.  Instead, I was cool to the theme.  The figures were neat.  And, I picked up most of them.  But, I then sold almost all of them shortly thereafter.  I didn't use them and had no desire to ever develop them.  I kept a couple of Iron Anvils due to my love of the 1994 Viper mold.  But, Iron Grenadiers were just one of those concepts with whose absence I was fine.

This is, 100%, a result of timing.  IG's came out when I had outgrown Joe.  And, they were gone by the time I returned to Joe in the early '90's.  Those early '90's days were full of wonder for all I'd missed.  And, the IG's didn't match that description because we had owned one of the figures and they came during my period of malaise that had culminated from my leaving toys behind.  I fully appreciate the quality of the Iron Grenadier concept as well as the execution of the figures and vehicles.  In a different world, they would be the centerpiece of my childhood storyline.  But, I was a year or two too early for that to manifest.

All of which is a long way of saying that I want to really like the 2005 Iron Grenadier color scheme.  I want to have this Undertow be the missing piece to a fully formed enemy faction.  But, it simply doesn't happen for me.  I appreciate this Undertow for what he succeeds in doing.  But, it doesn't make for a figure that captures my attention.  It's not this figure's fault, though.  Instead, it's due to my personal timing and the manner in which Iron Grenadiers entered into the Joe mythos.  For most other collectors, the 2005 Iron Grenadier coloring is among the highlights of the repaint era and remains their overall favorite convention set.

Which is why it's somewhat odd that this Undertow is not only forgotten today, but was completely unappreciated in his time.  The figure landed with a thud when it was announced.  Not because it was bad.  But, collectors just weren't interested.  2009 was a very different time in the Joe world.  Hasbro had burned many collector bridges with the way the line was handled as it was cancelled at retail in 2005.  The switch the anniversary style in 2007 also spurned many of the vintage collectors.  And, the influx of new action figure collectors further drove many of the remaining casual vintage collectors from the hobby.  On top of that, the times were making collecting more of a luxury.  And, forums were filled with guys who were desperate to get whatever they could for a collection that, just two or three years earlier, would have been in a contentious bidding war.  It didn't help that this Undertow was released as the "Membership Figure" for 2009.  Previously, membership figures had heavily been JvC style figures that collectors tossed aside.  By 2009, club membership was skewing towards anniversary style collectors who found an o-ring Joe to be passe.  

All of this added up to this Undertow going a bit under the radar.  The people who were still serious about vintage Joes were aware of it.  But, the figure didn't end up as a popular subject of the Joe photographers of the era.  He didn't end up as a brag worthy army builder for guys who were wont to buy up expensive figures for clout.  Instead, he mostly ended up on Ebay, selling for $10 or less for a bagged figure.  While the reviews from that time about this Undertow were laudatory, it didn't translate into actual popularity among the collecting community.  Undertow was swept away and remains a figure whose existence is often a surprise to newer collectors.  

The only reason I own this figure is because I happened across one at a local shop back in 2019 or so.  He was in a bin of unloved figures and I bought him for a song.  Had he been even slightly more expensive, I wouldn't own him.  The only real reason I was compelled to pick him up was because it was such an oddity to find him in this box that was full of figures from the 1980's with Undertow being the lone representative of the repaint era.  I got him home, appreciated the design and, promptly stuck him in a container where he's rarely moved from in the years since.  I see him all the time when I'm getting other figures from their slots in the containers.  But, I never have any idea of how to use him and you'll see the photography for the figure in this profile doesn't really do much to showcase his abilities.  I have plenty of water available and still never think to get this figure out into it.  Nothing encapsulates the collecting sentiment on this 2009 Undertow better than that.

One level, the quality of this figure is top notch.  On another level, though, it has some flaws that should be noted.  Just in terms of paint applications, the figure is great.  Convention level figures featured intricate paint masks that were few and far between on retail figures.  The plastic quality is the same as the other figures of the era.  So, it's a bit softer and less susceptible to broken thumbs and crotches.  The issue with the softer plastic, though, is that paint can rub off.  And, as this Undertow has painted hands, the softness of the paint and plastic are a deadly combination.  Any tight fitting accessories will rub the grey glove paint off the figure's hands.  But, this figure was meant to be kept in the baggie.  And, even loose, he'd only hold a small, smooth handled spear.  So, you can see why the paint doesn't bother too many collectors...they simply never had occasion for it to be an issue.  

Undertow includes the gear from the original figure.  He's got a red mask with gold paint.  This is a solid match for the 2002 Undertow.  But, too scarce for anyone to really consider it as an option.  He has the underwater sled with a gold missile, hose, flippers and barracuda.  His weapon is the bizarre spear from the original version.  The tip is painted gold.  It's one of those things that looks great.  And, for collectors, works, since you won't be taking this figure down to the creek.  The gear, though, is limiting.  That's an artifact from the original design as Undertow's gear never lived up to that of the Eel.  So, while the accessories included with this 2009 version are perfect, they inherit the issues from their origin and make for a figure where the idea of the gear is much better than the practical application of it.

Undertow got a lot of use.  In the vintage line, there's just the one coloring that debuted in 1990.  There is a European exclusive accessory variant, though.  In 2000, Hasbro reused the mold for the first time.  This blue figure was hugely popular at the time of his release.  About half way through the production run of the 2000 figures, Hasbro altered the mold.  The peg used to affix the air hose to the figure's chest was removed and replaced by a hold into which you forced the tube.  There's really no reason why the change was made.  2000 Undertows are about 50/50 on peg or hole.  In 2002, the mold was used again in the BJ's exclusive set.  This figure was colored all red and didn't include any accessories that matched to the frogman specialty.  (He included a chainsaw!)  There is an unproduced BJ's figure that is white with a pinkish hue.  It's rare.  The final use was this 2009 figure.  All of the Undertows work in specific formats.  None of them are bad paint jobs.  But, the original is the best with the 2000 following closely behind.  Hasbro got their money out of this mold and collectors have a small subset of nice figures to collect.

Pricing on this figure is tough.  Even just five years ago, you could get bagged figures for under $25 without too much trouble.  Now, the dealer class tries to cash in on low availability and charges upwards of seven times that amount.  Those figures don't sell, though and there is plenty of stock available.  Which really proves out this figure's lack of popularity among the collecting community.  For a low production run, high quality figure that is relatively obscure and has little collector cachet, though, $40 is probably the sweet spot if you want to buy one.  Less is better.  But, any more and you're overpaying for something that collectors generally passed by.  For me, the value in the figure is as a companion to the 2005 Convention set.  But, as that set holds little value for me, personally, the figure is more of a novelty and not something I ever consider when it comes time to select aquatic Cobras for a photo shoot.  Had I not gotten him when I stumbled upon a super cheap version, he'd not only be absent from my collection, but I'd also have no compunction to ever track him down.

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage - Around The Web

Today, $20 doesn't even  buy you a G.I. Joe figure.  Super7 can be close.  But, all the kickstarter figures are well over that amount.  Hasbro sold figures for $20 and that was almost 5 years ago, now.  But, back in 2004, $20 got you three figures, a Hiss Tank and an ASP.  Such a set would be hovering close to $100 these days.  But, back in '04, things were good.  KB Toys had these stacked to the ceiling in some locations.  Though, others got 1 case, if that.  But, in general, if you were active during the Christmas season in 2004, you could have found an Operation Crimson Sabotage and added one of Hasbro's better sets to your collection.

The sheer notion of a classic vehicle, a towed set piece and three figures all in a box that was sold at regular retail with no collector tax is unfathomable.  But, it was also 22 years ago.  Which...also seems unfathomable.  But, the Operation Crimson Sabotage has withstood the test of time.  It was a good product in 2004 and remains a solid release, today.  The colors were good.  The figures were fine.  The quality was in line with the era.  And, the price was right.  It's sad that those combos don't really exist in the toy world of today.  

As a set, the Sabotage crew delivers.  The ASP is the only alternate coloring of the mold.  Red Hiss tanks have become passe.  But, it was nice to get a cheap version at retail.  Hasbro's reuse of the Crimson Guard mold in January of 2005 for a Toys R Us Crimson Guard Set also helped temper army builders since they knew they'd get their share of figures just a couple of months later.  So, the set was good.

Today, you see it less often.  In 2005, the Sabotage set was usually the centerpiece of the retail army builder's Cobra mobile legions.  Now, you'll see the set from time to time.  But, it's mostly faded into history: like a lot of the vehicle releases of the early to mid 2000's.  I did find some content on it, though.  So, click through the links below and let the creators know you appreciate their work.

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage Profile

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage by littlegreenmentoyz

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage by gen_liederkranz

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage at JoeBattleLines.com

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage by slipstream80

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage by gvilla74

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage by slipstream80

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage at Generals Joes Reborn

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage by atwooddan

2004 Operation Crimson Sabotage by littlegreenmentoyz

2000 Cobra Commander

There are, as of the end of 2019, 56 different versions of Cobra Commander that were released by Hasbro.  There's a handful of international versions, too.  In short, Cobra Commander is one of the most popular characters who is represented by action figures in the history of the Joe line.  (And, likely, any toy line.)  

Yes, I started writing this profile in 2019.  It's sat in drafts for 8 years.  In that time, I can't imagine how many more Cobra Commanders have been released.  Hasbro gave us two o-ring versions in 2022 and 2023.  The Super7 ReAction line had a ton.  Classified has produced countless Commander variants.  Factory Custom makers got into the Cobra Commander business and made at least 50 versions themselves.  The, the ReAction+ line has also fallen in love with the character and released an overabundance of Cobra Commander designs.  We're almost at a point where just a Cobra Commander collection would be an entire shelving unit of display space.  And, yet, we don't seem to tire of the character.

As the titular villain in the G.I.Joe saga, though, that makes sense.  You can't really have a story without the main bad guy.  So, always having a figure of him available is just good practice.  The fact that the character's main design happens to be pretty cool certainly helps.  The Commander is a classic mix of comic book super villain and military strongman.  He has a dressy uniform that's topped by the battle helmet or classic hood.  You need only look at him to know he's the bad guy.  And, for a kid's toy line, that visual reference was all that was needed to create an iconic image.

When Hasbro looked to bring the G.I. Joe line back to full retail in 2000, Cobra Commander was a mandatory member of the initial wave.  Unfortunately, back in 1997, Hasbro had learned that the near perfect 1983 Cobra Commander figure mold was no longer viable.  Back then, they scrambled and released the Battle Armor version to get the character into the Toys R Us exclusive line.  Wanting a more classic look for the Commander for a fuller retail launch, though, left Hasbro with few options.  The 1991 mold was enjoying a great life in India.  The 1987 had just been used.  This left Hasbro with just the Talking Battle Commander/1993 Cobra Commander mold.  But, that happens to be an amazing sculpt for the character that hearkens back to his original designs.  So, it became the mold of choice to represent the Commander at the retail relaunch.

Packed with a 1984 Baroness figure that was now named Chameleon, Cobra Commander was shipped 3 to a case in the first wave...making him very abundant.  Hasbro assumed that collectors would go ga-ga over the new Baroness while also appreciating the Cobra Commander.  And, they weren't really wrong.  While the two pack did back up at retail in late 2000 and was often the last pack available on the shelves, it was all gone from retail by early 2001.  Despite collector reticence at post 1990 molds, the community generally accepted the new version of the Commander.  The appreciated the color and found the mold good enough, especially when used among later figures.  

Where this figure shines is the paint applications.  The 2000 ARAHC releases featured paint masks that would come to be considered Convention quality.  Hasbro spent money to paint the figures up correctly.  And, that quality allows the figures to have more resonance, today.  Hasbro started skimping on retail paint applications in 2002.  But, figures released before that, like this Commander, retain many of the trappings of vintage Hasbro releases.  The body is cast in a Cobra blue and features silver and red highlights.  It's a definite improvement over the 1993 paint masks.  And it allows you to see all the sculpted details that Hasbro baked into the figure.  The result is a visual treat that looks like a vintage figure but has the coloring of a collector themed release.  You'll even see a great little detail where the Commander's neck is painted red.  A small, unnecessary touch that adds to much depth to the figure.  It could be argued that this is the best Cobra Commander figure Hasbro ever did...except for one horrible design choice.

The 1992 Talking Battle Commander figures all featured flat backs.  This was done to accommodate the screwed on, oversized sonic backpacks.  In 1993, though, Hasbro sculpted a proper back piece for the Cobra Commander so that he could be a standard carded figure.  For some reason, though, the 2000 figure features the flat, 1992 back instead of the proper 1993.  The result is that the figure is out of sorts with his contemporaries.  From the front, he's fine.  But, as soon as even a small portion of the back becomes visible, you realize that something is drastically amiss.  No explanation was ever given by Hasbro as to why this back was used in 2000 and continued to be used through the figure's final appearance in 2005.  At least the 2003 convention release and the 2005 Processional figures had capes to hide the mis-shapen piece.  But, it's a glaring miss on an otherwise impeccable figure that takes it from one of the best figures of the repaint era to just another figure that you can probably skip over.

The rest of the figure is solid.  There are some who don't like the shorter hood.  But, the later Comic Pack release showed that even a longer hood wasn't a guaranteed improvement.  But, the sculpting bears strong resemblance to the Cobra Commander's first appearance in the comic in 1982.  He's a dead ringer for the Cobra Commander who appears on the cover of G.I. Joe #100.  In short, he's about as iconic a look as you can get for Cobra Commander.  But, that kind of makes sense, given his 1992 release date.  1992 was a reboot year for Joe with many classic characters returning to the line.  Gung Ho, Wild Bill, Destro, Cutter and Spirit were just some examples of classic characters who were designed for a 1992 release and who got figures very true to their characters.  So, the Commander being among was Hasbro's way of keeping him as the main bad guy for a new generation of kids.

Cobra Commander's gear is terrible.  Really, really terrible.  All of the gear is recycled from the 1992 Talking Battle Commanders figure.  And, you can see what they were attempting to do back then.  The missile launcher has removable missiles and even features a blast shield (realism that could be missing from some Joe toys) to protect the shooter.  But, the practicality of the design is lost and the weapon doesn't really look good at a 3 3/4" scale toy level.  The other rifle is, again, too large.  It's a big, bulky weapon that is difficult for the figure to hold and looks out of place.  Were it scaled smaller or even included a stock, the weapon might have merit.  But, you really need a spare 1987 Cobra Commander pistol to make this figure work.  (The 1983 "hairdryer" accessory is really too small for this bulkier 1992 sculpt.)  I'm more lenient on poor gear for a figure like the Commander since he's not someone who's out on the front lines.  But, if a figure is going to include gear, at least make it something worthwhile.

The upside is that there is a nice amount of 2000's era Cobra Commander accessories to supplement this figure.  The classic hair-dryer gun was released with several different figures in the repaint era.  The 1987 Cobra Commander pistol also saw release in a nice silver color.  Both are good alternate accessories for this 2000 version.  And, if you want to hide the flat back (and, you do!), the cape from the 2005 Imperial Processional Cobra Commander works perfectly for this blue version, too.  With that gear, the figure really stands out and looks like the Commander should.

I see this figure as the logical placeholder/replacement for the 1984 Hooded Cobra Commander figure.  When I'm using figures that were released prior to 1986, the Hooded Cobra Commander is a perfect companion piece.  He's skinny, frail and in proportion to the figures of that era.  But, when I want to use figures from later in the line, it is this sculpt of the Commander that is my go-to.  The bulkier sculpt is more in line with later figures...but keeps the classic Commander look.  So, you can have a standard Cobra army, just using later figures.  It's a fun way to keep some consistency within Cobra and gives me a nice, alternate look for the faction.  I've long loved the 1993 Cobra Commander and have made a case that it's the best Cobra Commander figure.  If this 2000 figure had the proper back, though, he would be the undisputed king of the character's figures.  Even with the poor back piece, he's in the running for the best since he does photograph well.

This mold was used a lot.  The initial, flat back release occurred in 1992 with the Talking Battle Commanders.  In 1993, Hasbro fixed the back and gave a black version a full retail release.  It's one of the highlights of the 1993 line.  Sadly, the flat back returned in 2000 and remained with the figure's releases.  In 2003, a version of this Commander was released in the Convention set.  It's a solid figure.  And, it was given a cape to hide the poor back piece.  In 2004, the body mold was used in the first Comic Pack.  But, that figure got a new head.  The new head and 1992 body then appeared in the 2005 Imperial Processional pack and then again as a clear "holographic" figure in a DTC Comic Pack.  (There is an alternate Imperial Processional Cobra Commander, too.  It's extremely rare, though and wasn't ever really available from Asian sellers.  You'll see it in a Rarities post next June.)  That was the end of Hasbro releases.  However, in 2020 or so, Black Major resurrected the head for inclusion with his Worms figures.  The head made for some fun new takes on the Commander before being retired.  

This Cobra Commander is, simply put, not popular.  The figure was overpacked in Wave I of the ARAHC cases at 3 sets per case.  This lead to oversupply in 2000 that still manifests itself 20+ years later.  While Cobra Commander was discontinued after Wave I, the huge oversupply kept him available for a long time.  Even when the Baroness mold was hard to get, this figure remained cheap.  Today, loose mint and complete figures sell for a couple of bucks.  Dealers charge $5-$7 just because it's not worth their time to deal with them for any less.  You can get carded versions with Chameleon for $10 and even less if you are patient.  This is a pittance for two figures of the quality of this Cobra Commander and Chameleon.  This version does have limitations.  But, those are easy to forgive for a dollar or two.