The Wolf has an argument as the best Cobra vehicle ever created. I'll explore that statement sometime next winter when I profile my childhood version. But, it's just a great toy. Along with its release by Hasbro, the mold was given to Estrela where they released it in Brazil. We think of Brazil as a tropical, coastal country. But, there are mountainous highlands where snowfall is common. When you have a toy like the Wolf, though, the quality of the toy will overcome environmental constraints.
The toy itself isn't that different from the Hasbro version. Without inspecting the COO stamps on the underside, you'd be unlikely to determine the difference between the two. The real fun is on the Brazilian box. You'll note the driver is Blizzard. In Brazil, Blizzard was released as a Cobra. Croc Master takes the second chair. And, for added nonsense, you have a fully geared up Hydro Viper on the side rail.
Estrela released a full roster of vehicles in Brazil. Most are so similar to the Hasbro versions that collectors ignored them for decades. Increased supply has made them more accessible. But, documentation is still sparse and Brazilian dealers tend to ask for princely sums for any high quality vehicle samples. The overall inventory of Brazilian vehicles is another of those great collecting holes that can be fulfilling to explore. And, seeing classics with weird box art characters is always fun.
An interesting box art variant indeed. Note the positioning of all the emblems on the body work / stickers - which on the actual toy were made with cheaper paper / non vinyl stickers. It is interesting to note how different licencees repurposed characters and their allegiances, that, and how they amended or re-did the artwork to incorporate the range of toys they were selling at that time - for example, Blizzard is the driver and Hydro Viper a passenger compared to the US / UK / EU box art with Techno Viper and Ice Viper. That all said, the Cobra WOLF has always been a favourite of mine since Christmas 1989 when I received one that year. In the UK, the WOLF was only released some two or more years after the US.
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