1990 Laser Viper

I have not looked at this figure in over two decades.  Back in 2000, I wrote a quickie, crappy profile on this figure.  And, then, he disappeared.  I took one really small picture in 2007 or so.  But, that's it.  In my time updating photos, doing follow up features and obsessing over little details, I neglected the 1990 Laser Viper through all of it.  So, I felt it was time to make amends and pull out an obscure figure from a pretty solid year and understand why this figure fails to resonate with me.  

On the surface, a Laser Viper should be pretty cool.  Cobra always had advanced technology.  So, Cobras running around with lasers on their backs isn't really much of a stretch.  The figure that was released is a solid combo of near Cobra blue, silver and very dark grey.  In short, he has the classic colors collectors tend to love.  (He's a nice match for Interrogator, too.)  You might observe that his helmet is a pretty close cousin of the Astro Viper's.  But, that's about the only figure with any great similarity.  Really, there's nothing about the Laser Viper that's anything other than slam dunk Cobra figure design.  The sculpting's solid, the colors are amazing and he's got some heavy gear.  So, why have I never bothered to track down any additional figures in what's fast becoming 3 decades of collecting?

The real purpose of Laser Vipers isn't to be a Star Wars like blaster.  Instead, they are spotters for Cobra artillery.  They "light up" a target and let the HEAT Vipers hone in and destroy it.  While it's an incredibly practical role, it doesn't make for a fun toy.  Here's a guy who holds an incredibly important job and wears a cool uniform.  But, he doesn't actually blow anything up or shoot at anyone.  He just makes it easier for other, equally cool figures to do their jobs.  Were the Laser Viper a better color match with some of the Cobra heavy weapons figures, I might be more inclined to take him along for photo shoots.  But, the solid colors on the Laser Viper are a sharp contrast to his on the battlefield dependents.  So, it's tough to really set him up with some HEAT Vipers.

And, that's the crux of why this figure doesn't really resonate.  He's...fine.  But, that's it.  And, you don't really need him around for anything.  There's no reason to co-opt him for space duty.  So, there's not much you can really come up for the figure to do.  Really, the sculpt is kind of plain.  There's almost no adornment on the figure aside from the weird chest harness.  So, you it's difficult to make him into something more.  Sans helmet, the figure is even more bland.  There's just not a lot that's going on.  So, once you have one, you don't really need any others.  

The other thing about the Laser Viper is that he's very similar to the Astro Viper.  From the helmet design to the backpack, the entire figure just seems like an Astro Viper rip off.  I'll even posit to say that the Astro Viper is a better design with a superior helmet fit.  The Laser Viper has a backpack with two lasers on top.  There are two hoses to connect to various parts of the pack.  And, the pack has one arm that can be used as a trigger for the rig.  That's basically the same gear that's included with the Astro Viper.  The whole design works, of course.  Which is probably why Hasbro returned to the basic premise just two years after it debuted.  

The Laser Viper saw the single release in the vintage line.  In 2003, Hasbro surprised collectors with an updated Laser Viper in the Toys R Us exclusive Python Patrol set.  This version even included all of the original version's accessories.  But, that was the end of the Laser Viper.  Despite the possibilities that his parts held for kitbashing, we never saw him again.  Though, this probably isn't a bad thing.  The original is nearly perfect.  And, the Python Patrol version was a solid release that tied him to Cobra's main repaint subset.  There isn't much need for a Laser Viper beyond these two uses.  And, the fact hat neither really resonates as anything other than collection filler certainly cements that limited use was probably for the best.

Laser Viper pricing is odd.  Dealers still try to get $30 or more for a complete version.  It seems that the market, though, for the same figure is around $20.  You can get them as low as $12 or so if you're patient.  There's not a ton of supply, though, mostly because you can't really guarantee you'll get the high or the low end.  We'll see how this plays out in the next 18 to 24 months.  But, for me, I don't have the compunction to find any more of the figure.  In fact, I don't really use the one I have.  It's been over 4 years since I last got him out for photos.  Yeah, this profile has been sitting in drafts for 4 years.  That's how hard it's been to come up with something to write about this figure.  That seems unfair.  The Laser Viper is good.  Despite that, though, he just doesn't grab or hold my attention.  Hopefully, he's more impactful to you.