One of the great things about the 1982 Cobra Troopers and Officers was that they were completely compatible with all the Cobra vehicles of the era. You could drop one into the FANG, HISS, Stinger or Rattler and the figure would look perfectly in place in whatever position you chose to use the figure. They were the everyman of the enemy line. As figure designs progressed, though, more specialization was introduced. And, in just a few years, Cobra was a highly diversified army with figure and vehicle pairings that were less general and more specific. (To be fair, the Joe side of the equation was similar.) As kids of the '80's turned into adult collectors, though, there was a demand for more of the simpler offerings. And, while Hasbro was able to deliver some Cobra Troopers and Officers, more support staff in their vein didn't actually come around until 2023. Where Hasbro failed, though, factory custom makers thrived. And, during the 2010's, we saw every color of Cobra Trooper imaginable from Black Major. Red Laser Army, though, took the next step. And, offered not only some basic Troopers in different uniforms, but also a few specialty Troopers who could fill in gaps from the vintage line. This Cobra Trooper Driver might be the most useful of the designs.
The design aspect that makes this figure a driver is the introduction of the 1982 Clutch torso. Clutch had one of the most memorable torsos among the original 13 Joes. (He's tied with Steeler with just the single use for his parts.) And, Hasbro never reused it for other characters. That ties the chest piece to the driver specialty and allows collectors to instantly associate this figure with being a driver. One on hand, the selling point of the original Cobras was that they didn't reuse Joe parts. But, for 30 years influential custom makers have been putting Cobra heads on original 13 Joe bodies to great effect. So, the Hasbro precedent was usurped by the fan community's ingenuity. And, it carried over to the 2018 Red Laser releases of this driver and the machine gunner Trooper who used the classic Rock and Roll torso.
The figure's coloring is vibrant. The blue is much brighter and more powerful than the drabber Hasbro colors. So, that makes these figures pop in photos. The blue is offset by an equally powerful silver that's used on the accents. I'm not sure why a driver needs a bomb on his leg (the legs were originally those for the the original Snake Eyes) but it gives the figure a much needed swath of color on his legs. The grey and black on the torso are reminiscent of the Stinger Driver and help tie this figure to the first Cobra driver from 1984. The short sleeves are also a Clutch homage. They feature a relatively faint Cobra logo on the right arm. (It tends to float up onto the rivet.) The face is highlighted by a red mask. Red mask Cobras appeared in the comic and were a stark difference from the black masked toys. Most collectors have assumed the red masks as a classic, though. And, the red also provides some strong color to the figure. The one downside is that the entire lower leg is cast in black. This was surely done as a cost savings. For this figure, the look is acceptable and less ostentatious than on other figures. But, it is something that can drive some collectors batty and is worth noting.
The blue color of the Red Laser Cobra Troopers has upside and downside. The good thing is that the 2017 and 2018 Troopers that Red Laser produced match with each other. So, you can get a nice squad of specialty Troopers that all blend together very nicely. The downside, though, is that the blue color doesn't match any other early Cobra figures. So, these figs are not a great complement to early Cobras. Together, they look great. But, when you try to mix and match them with classic Cobra blues, the lighter color really stands out. The brighter blue color, though, is still a great complement to the classic black and red vehicles from Cobra's earliest years. So, these drivers look right at home in a Stinger.
During the repaint era (1997-2010ish), Hasbro never resculpted the Clutch torso. They made lots of other parts, often parts that were already existing. So, the choice to not bring back a sparsely used fan favorite is bizarre. One thing they did have, though, was the 1984 Thunder mold. The Cobra Trooper or Officer head would have looked great atop the Thunder body. And, repainted in Cobra blue, it would have made for an amazing updated Cobra Trooper that could have served as a vehicle driver. Just one of these in the 2004 Cobra Infantry set would have been a great replacement for one of the Cobra Officers. But, it was not to be. Seeing the Clutch torso used for a driver, I do think that Thunder would have been a better choice for a new amalgamation.
Which brings me to the final judgment of these figures. And, it really comes down to the fact that the idea of a Cobra Driver using the Clutch torso seems like a better figure than it actually makes. Despite being excited to own these guys, I've found that I rarely use them. Each time I look at them, I just feel like they should offer something...more than they do. I mean, the design is fine and the figure is pretty much perfect for it's intended usage. Despite that, it's not a default choice for me, even when I'm yanking the Stinger out for a photo. It could be that this torso was used on so many different Red Laser Army figures in the 2018 series that it lost some of its impact. It could be that I'm just getting old and finally getting a figure I'd wanted for 20 years was somewhat of a letdown. At its core, this is a very good figure. It just doesn't inspire me like I had hoped it would.
This figure included two accessories. Both were originally seen on the 1984 Firefly. The driver included a grey walkie/talkie and a grey sub machine gun. The colors are unique. But, also very light. I don't find the rifle to be a great fit for this figure. (The walkie/talkie does make some sense, though.) But, truthfully, the Firefly weapon was kind of ruined by its constant appearances in the 1998-2005 Joe repaint line. Here, the rifle was used ad naseum and I'm still burned out on it. I've found that Red Laser Army's grey Uzis based on the 1982 Snake Eyes weapon or the grey Mac-11 based on the 1984 Mutt's pistol to be much better fits for these drivers. Red Laser Army accessories remain cheap and available to this day, too. So, you can get some more fitting weapons for the Driver should you come across one.
Red Laser Army upped their figure quality quite a bit in 2018. Gone were the loose upper arm seals and the hands that couldn't hold weapons. This Driver is closer to a vintage Joe than many other factory customs of the day. He can hold his accessories and poses. The joints are tight and the paint masks are crisp. If you were hesitant to acquire any 2018 figures because of the issues with the 2017 series, that's not a feeling you should indulge. The flaws were fixed and these figures work extremely well in any collection.
It's not terribly easy, these days, to find these figures. All the original resellers of Red Laser products are long sold out of their extra stock. And, few collectors are liquidating their extras these days. You can find the figures for sale by dealers for around $30. But, they don't sell. So, this is, more likely, a $20 figure or so. But, it will take you a while to track one down. Which is both a shame and, kind of, OK. It's a neat figure to own. But, it's also not essential. The Driver is a fun way to expand a collection and bring some visual diversity to your army. But, he doesn't fill a role that isn't already taken up by a vintage design. When these guys were $12, you could take a flyer on one and not have risked too much if you didn't end up liking it. If $20 or more is an amount you're comfortable with, then, it makes sense to pick one of these guys up and see if it's more appealing to you.
Wow very shiny helmets!
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