First and foremost, this figure is just a rip-off of the Argentine Satan figure. Only, Satan was a vibrant shade of blood red and is actually superior in design to this figure. When I first saw the early pics of the Ninja Strike set, the only thing I could see was two unimaginative attempts to capitalize on superior foreign designs from 16 years earlier. As such, I didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for the set. While I do not personally own a Satan or Ninja Ku figure, they are both very common and easy to get. Granted, they will cost you a lot, but it's not like they aren't available. As such, I would have rather seen this figure in Cobra blue, a deep green, or a shadowy grey. Those would have been colors that fit the nature of the set and offered collectors something they could not get anywhere else. I am the type of collector who would rather see something completely new than see a cheaper version of something already done. I think that's why the more recent comic packs have been such disappointments to me. Basically, they are the same molds in the same colors as what was previously released. The one or two new parts aren't enough to get me interested in those figures over their original versions. Whereas, figures like Clutch and Steeler were somewhat interesting because they were completely new takes on the character. That's they way I think all the figures Hasbro releases should be done. But, I digress....
After I actually acquired a few of the sets, though, I did find myself warming up the Red Ninja. I had long wanted an army of red ninja figures and figured that, some day, I would be able to make a foray into Argentina and build my ninja forces that way. Now, though, I don't have to wait. This set did offer the best way for ARAH figure collectors to quickly accumulate the nameless, faceless Red Ninjas in army building numbers. So, I took advantage of that and built up a decent little force of the Red Ninjas with the thought that they would likely not ever be as cheap or easy to get as they were in this set. The figure itself is decent enough. The deep red hues and long sleeves make them different enough from Satan that they can stand apart from him. The figure does suffer from an overabundance of paint wipes, though. The entire figure is washed in dark paint that gives the uniforms a more worn look. Paint wipes are always an issue of strong opinion in the collecting world. In this case, I think they neither enhance nor hinder the figure. It would be a good figure without them and a is a good figure with them. The figure definitely has the look of the Red Ninja (even if the uniform is a deviation from their comic appearances) and is useful either as a stand alone character or an army builder.
In the early days of Joe collecting, there were a few staples among the customizers of the day. Everyone had their own take on the Oktober Guard, Dr. Venom, Kwinn and, the red ninja. The idea of the red ninja was ingrained from issue #21 and was one of the easiest repaints to do, especially when you consider that in the mid '90's you could easily find non-mint, discolored V1 Storm Shadow figures for ridiculously cheap prices. As such, there has long been fan demand for this figure and even the large supply of overstock Argentine Satan figures did little to sate it. As such, after some reflection, it is difficult to fault Hasbro too much for this choice. If anything, they should be faulted for the absolutely TERRIBLE Vypra figures that were forced into the set.
For some reason, the Ninja Strike sets suffered from spotty quality. Many sets featured brittle figures and poor paint masks. The Red Ninja Viper was especially susceptible to this and is the figure who is most often cited as breaking right out of the package. I can feel a noticeable difference in quality between the ninjas and the Desert Patrol which was released at the same time. It is unknown if the poor quality was the result of a cost cutting attempt or if the V1 Storm Shadow mold is just finally wearing out. But, if you do purchase after market Red Ninja Vipers, be aware their original quality was poor and you need to be on the lookout for the better samples.
The other area where the Ninja Strike set failed was with the accessories. While it did include a few swords and knives, it also included an M-16, a front bar and an arrow for a crossbow (without the actual crossbow) and a duffel bag. In an of themselves, some of the superfluous weapons aren't bad. But, most really didn't fit with the Ninja theme. Plus, when you see a V1 Storm Shadow mold, you expect V1 Storm Shadow accessories to accompany it. As this set did not include any of the original Storm Shadow's accessories, there was no way that any accessory complement could be anything other than a disappointment. The Red Ninja Vipers themselves included swords that at least made sense with the figures. But, they are very large sword molds that don't really seem to fit the scale of the V1 Storm Shadow mold. Unfortunately, V1 Storm Shadow accessories aren't exactly common or cheap on today's second hand market. So, if you army built this set at all, you are going to be hard pressed to find cheaply available quality accessories to re-outfit your figures with. What is especially infuriating, though, is that the reason for the lame accessories was the depth of paint masks used on the Vypra figures. Had the set included only one Vypra (rather than ruining her characterization by making her an army builder) and another Red Ninja Viper, then we might have actually seen quality accessories in the set as well. But, the design money was wasted on the Vypra paint masks and the entire set suffered for it.
While the Ninja Strike sets hung on the pegs during their release period: their overall time on the shelves was very short. The set was released just before Christmas and very few of them were left after the holiday shopping season was finished. As such, if you took a few months off, it's likely you missed the set at retail. However, as collectors had plenty of advance notice on the set and it wasn't the type of set that was hoarded by army builders, if you went looking for it in November and December of 2004, you were going to find it. Hasbro produced roughly 20,000 of these sets (compared to about 16,000 Desert sets) and that number, except in the case of the Cobra Infantry, has historically proven to sell out without being scarce at retail. This pretty much sated collector demand for the set and now you can buy sets on the second hand market for just slightly above the original retail price. Of the figures in the set, though, the Red Ninjas are the most popular. Individually, they will set you back about $8 each. As such, if you are looking to army build then, I'd just buy full sets, keep the red and black ninjas and sell off the Vypras and Stormshadow. You'll save a little money in the long run. Personally, I have found the idea of having an army of Red Ninjas to have been more exciting than actually having one. The lack of decent accessories and the frantic number of other figure releases that were sandwiched around this figure has pretty much dropped these guys from my collection. They are cool to have around and do come in handy once in a while. But, for the most part, they stay packed away. I have a feeling that, in a few years, I might have more appreciation for this figure. Until then, I'll just sit on my small army of ninjas and use them in the rare cases where their specialty is required.
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