On the one hand, Snake Eyes' absence from Night Force in non-sensical. Of any Joe, Snake Eyes seems the singular, logical choice to either lead the team or at least be part of it. I can only imagine what the pricing would be today had the 1985 Snake Eyes mold gotten its only repaint in the 1988 or 1989 Toys R Us exclusive Night Force sets. But, his omission has more to do with the peculiarities of his release years and their lack of overlap with the TRU sets. I actually have to give Hasbro credit for not including Snake Eyes in the 2004 Night Force set since Snake Eyes was overused at the time. Though, the 1989 Snake Eyes mold in 2004 Night Force green might have been pretty cool.
The 1985 Snake Eyes holds a prominent place in my collection. In 1985, I was reading the Joe comic and was well versed in Snake Eyes being the most prominent character. His new figure personified everything that kids of that era wanted Snake Eyes to be. He was still a commando at heart. But, now had a ninja element, too, so he could battle the best Cobra figure ever released in the 1984 Stormshadow. As such, to me, the 1985 sculpt is Snake Eyes. Even moreso than his 1982 original design. The placement of this figure at such a prominent point of my childhood blinded me to the obvious weaknesses in the figure's design, though.
As Black Major repainted the mold in a variety of colors, my blinders to the sculpt began to fade away. I would now see that the head is a little bizarre, with the sculpted mouth. The figure also has a little pooch in his stomach. These flaws, though, were offset by finally seeing the mold painted in a way that accentuated the details that made us all fall in love with the figure back in 1985. So, I still hold 1985 Snake Eyes repaints in higher regard than they might deserve. There's something about this mold that remains magical due to its prominent placement during my childhood. It's helpful to understand those old feelings and how they shape my view of toys based on the classic figure. And, it's why I try to stay out of very valid debates about how good this figure actually is. To me, I can't have a rational debate over a toy that was so central in my formative years.
It's interesting to me that I've owned a version of the 1985 Snake Eyes for 40 years, now. Despite that, I still don't feel I've ever adequately appreciated the figure. It always seems like I can not do anything that lives up to the greatness of this mold. Photos don't do it justice. Paint jobs make it better, but it still seems like there's more to be done. This is legacy that is hanging on from childhood. The result of these inadequacies is that I don't use 1985 Snake Eyes figures as often as I should. He'd work great in many photos. But, I end up taking one of the repaint era figures based on the 1991 or 1983 Snake Eyes instead. With those figures, I never worry about capturing the essence of the figure in a perfect way. With the 1985 mold, I want to do that. And, I've scrapped many photos and writings about the 1985 mold for that very reason.
This Night Force version of the figure got a bit of use for a while. I loved the added colors on the character. But, since then, the figure has stagnated. I haven't taken a photo of him in years. Other Snake Eyes colorings have grabbed my attention and are more likely to be used. And, I'm not sure why that is. I still really enjoy this color scheme on the mold. But, it suffers from the general malaise that I feel towards using this classic look for Snake Eyes. I'll choose other Snake Eyes costumes long before I turn to the '85. In some ways, I should rectify that. The '85 is still my preferred look for Snake Eyes. And, using some of these older Black Major colors does give photos more flair. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Maybe, I'll take this figure down to the creek and try to find a cool spot for a showcase.
Aside from one detail, this Snake Eyes uses colors that are callbacks to the vintage Night Force figures. The black base and grey pants match up with the standard motif of the vintage era. And, the green highlights hearken back to the Toys R Us figures using that color, too. None of the colors on the Snake Eyes are an exact match for the vintage figures, though. He's one of those guys who looks good on his own. But, if you posed him with the '88 or '89 figures, you'd notice that his coloring is off. The main difference, though, is the red visor. The red is somewhat of an homage to the red highlights used on Night Force vehicles and isn't a feature of the vintage figures. It actually kind of works for me, though. It gives the Snake Eyes more visual distinction from his other figures. And, it also allows you to use this as an alternate look for Snake Eyes rather than just a Night Force addition.
My favorite element of this Snake Eyes is his accessory color. While the figure includes the full complement of 1985 Snake Eyes gear (backpack, Uzi, sword and wolf), it is the base, brown color of the figure's gear that is most striking. The rich hue isn't often seen. And, while it may not make sense for a sword or firearm, it looks cool. I'm a sucker for oddball accessory colors. And, this Snake Eyes pulls it off with aplomb. (There's tons of Black Major Snake Eyes gear available in more standard colors, now, should you want to give the figure more traditional weapon colors.) The brown is a nice offset to the black and green base. It complements the figure's coloring and gives him even more pizazz.
The Night Force Snake Eyes is of decent quality. In 2020, the Snake Eyes mold began to wear out. And, some of the later paint jobs tend to have loose arms. But, that doesn't affect this Night Force version. The backpack mold, though, has a flaw that prevents the sword from fitting into the slots. It's annoying as it renders one of the better features of Snake Eyes' accessories moot. You can awkwardly slide it in, sideways. But, it's precarious, at best. Aside from this, though, the figure is solid and works very well with vintage figures.
When this figure was first released, he was only available to those who purchased an entire 9 figure set of Snake Eyes repaints. After that, a few select figures were raffled off. And, a few were sold on auction sites. Those figures started over $100 and continued to sell for $70+ for quite some time. By the fall of 2019, though, the figure had fallen in price and you could get one under $30 at online auction sites. As with all Black Major figures, future pricing is tough. Were there fewer Night Force Snake Eyes figures made than the other repaints that were released at the same time? Will collectors continue to want this particular paint job when there are, literally, at least 18* others to choose from? If you like the figure and find it at a price you like, snatch it up. The one constant is that after factory customs sell out, they get harder to find. So, even if the figure drops in price, tracking one down might be worth the extra bucks today.
When this figure was first released, he was only available to those who purchased an entire 9 figure set of Snake Eyes repaints. After that, a few select figures were raffled off. And, a few were sold on auction sites. Those figures started over $100 and continued to sell for $70+ for quite some time. By the fall of 2019, though, the figure had fallen in price and you could get one under $30 at online auction sites. As with all Black Major figures, future pricing is tough. Were there fewer Night Force Snake Eyes figures made than the other repaints that were released at the same time? Will collectors continue to want this particular paint job when there are, literally, at least 18* others to choose from? If you like the figure and find it at a price you like, snatch it up. The one constant is that after factory customs sell out, they get harder to find. So, even if the figure drops in price, tracking one down might be worth the extra bucks today.
*I started writing this profile in April of 2020. I just got around to finishing it, more than 5 years later. Now, there's dozens of '85 Snake Eyes repaints available. Some are great. Some are bad. And, some are weird. But, there's something for everyone. This Night Force version sits, unsold, at $40. And, his contemporaries seem to have settled in the $25-$30 range. That's a good starting point should you want to buy this Snake Eyes in 2025.
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