1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper - Around The Web

I like the 1993 Night Creeper mold.  I think it's just a weird, fun look that translates well into a toy.  They are great foils for Ninja Force Joes and remain one of my preferred enemies in photos of '90's Joes.  The 1994 Shadow Ninja repaint is also a strong figure.  Sadly, it is made of extremely brittle plastic and is nearly impossible to use without breaking the thumbs.  In addition, the plastic discolors very easily and most of the loose figures you see have a yellow tinge to them that doesn't go away when you try to refresh the colors in ice water.

Because of this, it's tough to put together a nice army of the 1994 versions.  They've also kind of disappeared as the ubiquitous lots of cheap Shadow Ninjas that used to sit unsold on Ebay for a couple of bucks per figure are long gone.  The upside is that army building is somewhat passe, these days.  But, that doesn't sate my desire to have a few more of these Shadow Ninja Night Creepers as an alternate look for the character.

I do wish we'd gotten at least one more repaint of this mold.  The sculpt's proximity to the Flak Viper kind of makes me want one in 1992 Flak Viper colors.  I think that would be fun.  That will never happen.  And, even the resurgence of Ninja Force as a marketing focus for Hasbro and Super7 is unlikely to result in a solidly repainted version of this figure in 3 3/4" form.

So, enjoy some of the content on this figure that you can find around the web.  I found more on this guy than I have on more popular figures.  But, I dug pretty deep to find everything I could about this guy.  So, the results are more a function of effort than the figure's actual popularity.

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper Profile

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper Toys R Us Advertisement

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by thedustinmccoy

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by gen_liederkranz

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by nightforcetunnelrat

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper at Mike's Collection

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by thedustinmccoy

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by tiffstasfigas

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by gen_liederkranz

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by viper_space

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by toy_haven_aka_patch

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper by Gen _Liederkranz

2004 Urban Assault Night Creeper - Random Photos of the Day

Time has been very kind to the 2004 Urban Assault set.  The blue,  black and silver figures have held up overtly well.  They seem more an example of how Hasbro could get it "right" back in the early 2000's.  Sure, the Stormshadow is still one of the worst versions of the character.  But, every other figure in the set seems to be appreciated, today.

While the Nullifier remains my favorite figure from the set, the Night Creeper has always fascinated me.  My introduction to the Night Creeper was in the comic.  And, it was years later before I acquired the 1990 figure on which the comic character was based.  The figure didn't quite live up to the comic portrayal.  But, it was really close.  In 1998, the Polar Assault version of the Night Creeper showed me more of what the mold could be.  But, the environmentally specific paint job limited him...especially as I lived in a desert at the time.

But, this 2004 Night Creeper might be the best of all.  It is a near perfect Cobra coloring with enough flair to stand apart from other figures of his era.  The cammo can be overkill.  But, it also adds depth that the figure utilizes well.  His gear was the weak spot.  But, it still made sense for a ninja.  Despite my enjoyment of the design, though, I don't use this guy all that often.  I was surprised to find, though, that I had a ton of unpublished photos of him.  Some of these are 8 years old.  It turns out he is a figure I use with a bit of frequency.  But, I never think of when it's time to write something up.

So, take a look at the photos below where I attempt to showcase my appreciate of the figure.  There's still something about him that makes him cooler than I can ever properly capture in a photo.  And, I  like to use him as something more than a simple ninja who bridges the classic '80's ninjas and the more elaborate Ninja Force of the line's final years.  

Rarities - 1993 Night Creeper Unproduced Weapons

The 1993 Night Creeper figure is the only Ninja Force figure that I actually bought at retail.  I didn't, though, buy him for his weapons.  I just bought him because I was desperate to add something to my collection after several failed trips to Toys R Us.  And, he looked the most palatable of all the bad options.

What I did not notice, though, was that the weapons on his card artwork did not match the weapon tree that was included with the figure.  Instead, the Night Creeper is drawn with weapons that ultimately released with the 1993 Slice figure.  No real mention of this change is made.  In fact, both weapons are called out on the Night Creeper's filecard.  Oddly, there is also a cape mentioned.  Meaning, this figure had a cape pretty far into his design process.  But, it was eliminated even before his Toy Fair debut.

Below you will see photos from the 1993 Toy Fair catalog and the 1993 Ninja Force toy commercial that featured the upcoming Ninja Force figures.  The Night Creeper is clearly photographed holding the light blue versions of the Slice accessories.  They match the two in his hands on the card artwork.  It is notable because the tree that included these weapons was fairly uncommon.  So, you don't often see these weapons used with Ninja Force figures even though they are among the best accessories that sub-line produced.

The change in accessories kind of makes sense.  While I'd have loved for the Night Creeper to include the Slice weapons, this is a function of the fact that I army build the figure and the Slice gear looks better in photos.  Upon their introduction in 1990, the Night Creeper were sold as archers.  The original figure included an awesome crossbow.  So, switching the Night Creeper over to a weapon tree with a bow to match their original release at least makes some kind of sense.  

In the Toy Fair catalog, Ninja Force is noted as including 7 figures in the wave.  The photo, though, only shows 6.  A seventh, Stormshadow, appears atop the Ninja Lightning motorcycle...likely as a placeholder for the T'Gin Tzu that  would use his mold.  The missing figure is Slice.  So, it's probable that Slice was the final addition to the 1993 Ninja Force lineup.  (He is numbered 7 in the set and the only repaint released in the 1993 carded series.)  And, when looking for something to make Slice more memorable, giving him the more distinctive weapon tree made some logical sense.  

It's pretty likely that someone out there has copies of the unproduced Night  Creeper weapon trees.  There may even be some people who picked up Hasbro overstock who have a bunch of alternate trees sitting in a box in their basement: not realizing what's actually there.  But, they are a fairly lost element of the late run line.  

1992 Flak Viper vs. 1993 Night Creeper - Brothers in Design

A few years ago, I was cataloging some new acquisitions.  I spread the figures out on a white plastic lid and take pictures to document them before they join the rest of my figures in various drawers that are segregated by year and affiliation.  Two figures in the bunch, though, drew my eye.  I happened to place one above the other.  At first, I noticed how their accessories were the same color.  But, upon closer inspection I found that these two figures shared more than just common hues of their gear.  At first glance, the 1992 Flak Viper and the 1993 Night Creeper could not be more different figures.  But, they share quite a bit of common design.

One of the hallmarks of the Joe line is compatibility.  Not only were things like accessories and vehicles designed to work with any figure, but the figures themselves were designed to complement each other in terms of the colors chosen.  This is why you'll see instances where figures released years apart use plastic of exactly the same color.  This trend started with the line's initial release year and carried over through 1994.  Most collectors lose sight of this compatibility as the line progressed.  But, it's still there.  And, the similarities between the Flak Viper and Night Creeper showcase that the designers reused color combos and sculpting elements that worked well.

The most visual clue to the figure's similarities is the blue base used for each.  The blue color is identical.  The color matches on the figures as well as on the accessories.  As such, you can interchange their weapons and still retain the same visual appeal.  Each incorporates the blue into the main figure coloring, too.  In fact, the blue forms the accent color for both figures.  Really, the only difference in color between the figures is the green on the Flak Viper and the purple on the Night Creeper.  

Going deeper than the blue, though, you see that both figures utilize the same shade of grey as well.  While it's more prevalent on the Flak Viper, the same hue is used to mute the Night Creeper's purple and blue.  The crazy part, though, is the Night Creepers lower arms.  The grey there is broken up by lines.  These lines perfectly match those used on the Flak Vipers vest.  Were is possible to swap the Night Creeper's lower arms with those of the Flak Viper, the Flak Viper would appear as if he were designed with the Night Creeper's arms.

There are a few other design similarities as well.  First, both figures feature a massive chest that is crossed by a strap.  For the Flak Viper, it's his overalls.  For the Night Creeper, it's a bandolier.  But, both start at the bottom right and cover the left shoulder.  Both of their arms feature short sleeves over a grey undershirt.  And, both have elaborate gloves on their hands.

In addition, you will note that both figures feature details on the upper arm, right above the swivel joint.  These adornments are unnecessary.  But, help to hide the joint and give both figures more bulk in their arms.  The construction of the arms on both figures is remarkably similar.  It makes both figures appear more bulky and adds details to break up the mold and make it appear more substantial.

The final point of similarity is in the helmets.  While this one is a bit more far fetched, both helmets are blue with a visor of a different color.  (Black for the Flak Viper, red for the Night Creeper.)  Each helmet has a design in the center with smoother lines on both sides of it.  While the helmets are definitely different.  You see some of the same design elements on each.  Hasbro knew how to make an action figure look cool.  And, they could incorporate artistic creativity inside standard templates that they knew would translate to a toy kids would love.  

Having noticed these similarities, I now want a Flak Viper in 1993 Night Creeper colors and a Night Creeper in 1992 Flak Viper colors.  Both would make for excellent toys and would complement each other very well.  I'm probably the only person who would want this.  But, the fact that these figures are so similarly colored really makes me want to see each figure in the other's color scheme.  

I'm sure there are more examples in the line of figures who, at first sight, appear totally different but who are, actually, very similar in their design.  It was a bit of kismet that lead me to see these two figures and how similar they were.  So, if you have some other examples (The Interrogator and Sonic Dial Tone are another.), please post them up in the comments.

1994 Shadow Ninja Night Creeper

Shadow Ninjas are one of those ideas that seems great in a marketing room.  As a design challenge, it was probably a lot of fun to work on.  But, as an end product, the final result is a toy that's fun for about 5 minutes before you break it.  And, that's not a recipe for success.  And, collectors have responded to the Shadow Ninjas concept in kind.  As all other 1994 G.I. Joe figures see a strong uptick in popularity through the years, Shadow Ninjas remain the forgotten stepchild of the genre.  There is little content on them out there and the figures almost never appear in photos or dioramas.  Their backstory allows for some story telling.  But, it has never caught on with the community, even as concepts like Ninja Force have found more acceptance.  Of the figures in the subset, the Shadow Ninja Night Creeper probably makes the most sense.  

The 1993 Night Creeper sculpt is pretty solid.  It's a look that didn't really exist in the Cobra world prior to his appearance.  I have a soft spot for the 1993 debut of this figure.  I'll tell that story when I profile him.  This Shadow Ninja version, has less going for him.  But, the gimmick that gives the Shadow Ninja name is also the detail the deprives the 1994 release of the vibrant colors that spark the joy like the 1993 figure.  Still, the overall colors on the 1994 figure aren't terrible.  The purplish/pink torso and arms are bright.  But, they fit with the motif of the figure.  And, they are not too far removed from the 1993 colors and that allows a bit of cohesion between them.  The greyish-white pants can make the figure look dirty or discolored.  But, when in the right state, they are a nice complement for the torso.

The real issue with the Shadow Ninja figures is that they are overly brittle.  The figures' thumbs might as well be made of glass for how easily they will snap off.  All of the Shadow Ninjas suffer from this.  And, as their accessories are also made of incredibly hard plastic, it's even easier to snap a thumb just by putting the first accessory into the figure's hands.  It's becoming harder and harder to find unbroken, loose Shadow Ninja figures.  You'll often find nicely conditioned and complete figures, but with broken thumbs.  (Look carefully at the thumbs, too, as even intact pieces usually have cracks already forming due to accessory use.)  It's an affliction that's caused by the design and materials used to make the figures.  So, the only real solution is extreme care or simply not using accessories at all.

The main gimmick of the Shadow Ninjas is that they will turn color in heat and cold.  This was the selling point for the figures and justified the higher than normal price tag.  Today, the gimmick still works on most figures.  You will see large quantities of Shadow Ninjas, though, that are very white or a dull grey.  You'll even see it on carded figures.  You can often recharge the color by putting the figure in the freezer for a while.  But, even this tends to be fleeting.  (Note that the figure's elbows and shoulder joints will remain white, a function of them being designed for stress  when the figure moves.  All of these parts are meant to be white and are not discolored.)  Zartan's color changing as driven by the sun is a better gimmick.  And, it's likely the color change plastic that's the cause of the brittleness in the figures.  But, the differently colored figures you see out there aren't variants.  They're just figures stuck in various phases of their color change.

In speaking to the gimmick, though, the color changing schtick wasn't widely loved.  The Shadow Ninjas were among the last figures from the vintage run that you could find at retail: lasting well into 1996 in most areas.  The high price point wasn't enough to really justify the gimmick.  And, kids and parents bought up the alternate Joe choices long before the Shadow Ninjas were considered.  As the Shadow Ninjas hit clearance prices, many of the early toy store scalpers started buying them: hoping for future riches.  This is how you'd find large lots of them for nearly nothing at various comic book stores and scalp kiosks at the flea market during the 2000's.  Even then, though, collectors mostly ignored them and it took decades for the stock to finally be absorbed in any significant way.

Speaking of accessories, the Night Creeper is well equipped.  He includes the same weapons tree from 1993 figure.  It's a large complement of weapons, far more than he can hold.  But, all the weapons are well done.  The Shadow Ninja weapons are all made of a super brittle translucent plastic.  So, fine details like those on the Night Creeper's bow will snap with just a bit of pressure.  All told, the Night Creeper includes two swords, two knives, the aforementioned bow, a sickle and a stand.  It's good gear that works with the figure.  (If you look at the 1993 Night Creeper card art, though, it seems he was originally intended to include the accessory tree from the 1993 Slice.)  The swords work nicely without being too big and the Night Creeper's bow is a good call back to the debut of the character in 1990.  You can tie a string to the sickle.  I've done that with a 1993 version and used it like that since I acquired it back in the mid 1990's.

The real question is what do you do with Shadow Ninja figures?  For me, most of them are gimmicks.  But, the Night Creeper works within the context of the stealth idea.  I see Night Creepers exactly as advertised in terms of being an independent group who works for Cobra.  I though, see them as joining with Cobra Commander much earlier in the Cobra timeline.  Cobra likely started in the mid to late '70's in order to grow into the organization we were introduced to in 1982.  In the early days, Cobra Commander had to work with hired mercenaries.  But, he could not yet afford the best.  We saw some of these anonymous early Cobras in the first issues of the comic.  I also see, though, foreign characters like the Cobra De Aco and Cobra Mortal being part of these early days.  As Cobra grew and had greater resources, Cobra Commander could afford the services of Destro, Firefly, Zartan and others.  But, he had the problem of the early leaders who were still around.

As noted in the comic, it's likely that more than a few of these other Cobra leaders eliminated themselves through battlefield ineptitude as the Joe team got more involved.  But, as they were early members of the Cobra command, they likely had access to highly sensitive information about Cobra operations, funding and personnel.  So, the Commander had to have them all killed.  This is where I see the early incarnations of the Night Creepers coming aboard.  They would have been among those the Commander hired to take out some of the hangers-on from the organizations earliest days.  I see the Night Creepers of that era being pre-cursors to Zartan who possessed some advanced stealth technology.  The 1994 Night Creeper is the result.  And, with their suits obscuring them, they were able to specifically kill the Cobra Mortal.  

From here, I'm open to interpretation.  I could see the Commander hiring a young Zartan to take out the Night Creepers and this is where he got his holographic technology.  This would then leave open the possibility that the Night Creepers the Commander sought out nearly a decade later were a different group.  Perhaps one that found the remnants of the original group, re-organized it and turned it into something far bigger and more powerful.  Of course, this reeks of the over dependence upon a single event that revolves around the Snake Eyes story.  So, at some point, I'll have to refine the story down into something less derivative.  But, the notion of these Night Creepers disposing of the Cobra Mortal is one aspect I want to keep.  Someone had to kill all those early Cobra leaders who never appeared again.  These Night Creepers are as good as anyone to be responsible.

This Night Creeper sculpt debuted in 1993 and got the Shadow Ninja repaint in 1994.  It then permanently disappeared.  While many other Ninja Force parts returned in both the Street Fighter Movie and Mortal Kombat Movie lines, Night Creeper was not among them.  There are some foreign carded variants where you can get unique card art for the Shadow Ninja Night Creeper.  (The Shadow Ninjas are the only time that generic card art was used in the US and specific card art was used in other countries.  1993 Star Brigade got generic card artwork, but never got a foreign upgrade.)  In the 2000's, Hasbro dusted off the Ninja Force Stormshadow and Slice molds.  It would have been nice to see a repainted Night Creeper, too.  Done in original colors or some other design, the mold might have been well received.  But, the 1990 Night Creeper was a better choice and Hasbro only repainted it in 1998 and 2004.  So, you can't really fault them for the decision to go that route.

For years, Shadow Ninjas could be purchased in bulk.  Lots of 4-10 MOC figures would sell for a couple of bucks per figure.  You'd get random samplings and figures like Night Creeper were pretty easy to find.  Slowly, though, the dealers who bought those lots split them into single offerings.  The collectors who bought them sold off the doubles in either smaller lots or as individuals.  Even in 2016, you could buy most of the Shadow Ninjas for under $20 MOC and could find them with ease.  But, in the post 2018 Joe world, even carded Shadow Ninjas have started to disappear.  And, with them, the few high quality loose samples have followed.  The upside is that, when you find them, you'll pay about the same for a carded figure as a loose, mint and complete figure.  At around $25 for each, that's not a small outlay for a gimmick figure.  Left to open pricing, though, loose Shadow Ninja Night Creepers will sell for $12 or so.  But, it might take months before you see one that isn't discolored or broken.  

Like all 1993 and 1994 figures, the vast loose quantities of figures that sat unsold on Ebay for years are mostly gone.  If you're a completist, the hunt might be a challenge to keep you interested for a while.  As a collector, one Shadow Ninja is really all you need to understand the gimmick.  In this case, the 1993 Night Creeper is superior to the Shadow Ninja version.  But, the translucent figure has a bit of charm that is fun to mix with the original release.  In that vein, the figure has some value.  I'm far more forgiving of figures like this now than I was back when they were on retail pegs.  A big part of that is that, back then, they were all I had available to buy.  Now, as something different from the thousands of other Joe figures that have been released and are readily available, the Shadow Ninjas are a fun diversion.  Your mileage may vary.  But, I recommend looking into at least one of the figures for something to break the monotony of the standard Ninja Force designs.

Rarities - Clear Shadow Ninja Prototypes

A great many collectors hate the Shadow Ninjas.  Actually, that's probably not overly accurate.  It's more correct to state that most collectors are indifferent to the existence of the Shadow Ninjas.  They may own a couple that were acquired in lots of better figures.  But, few people actually collect them and fewer still consider them an integral part of the Joe line.

It appears, though, that the Shadow Ninja concept morphed a bit in the design process.  Instead of the color changing plastic that was released at retail, Hasbro originally considered clear figures for the series.  A few samples of these clear version made it out into the world and you can see examples of Snake Eyes, Stormshadow and Night Creeper below.

While the idea of clear figures would have been novel at the time, the design would have run its course quickly.  Maybe if one of the figures in the set had been "invisible", it would have been a cool gimmick.  But, a whole series of them quickly showed the fad's limitations.  You can see the inner workings of the figures.  And, since these molds all had spring loaded features, there's a lot of guts to see.

There's no real info as to why this concept was abandoned for the color changing plastic.  We can speculate that the color changing gimmick was better received than the clear plastic.  But, we don't know for sure.  These figures are an interesting look into what might have been, though.

Please read the comments below.  These were engineering samples designed to showcase the inner workings of the figures.  They seem to exist for the Shadow Ninja line.  It seems there are several sets of them out there.

Night Creeper Unreleased Figure

Clear Snake Eyes Unreleased Figure

Clear Stormshadow Unreleased Figure

1994 Night Creeper Leader

In the mid 1990's, there were still some G.I. Joe figures hanging around at various retail outlets.  Most of them were the less desirable figures from the 1992 though 1994 assortments.  But, you could find gems from time to time.  During that era, I purchased pretty much every figure I found at retail.  Every now and then, though, there was a figure that was just too terrible for even me to buy.  These were mostly things like the Shadow Ninjas or Star Brigade Armor Tech or higher price point figures like the Mega Marines.  There was one standard carded figure, though, that I could not bring myself to every buy: the 1993 Night Creeper Leader.  This figure was just about everywhere.  But, the bare chested, tiger striped orange monstrosity simply never sat right with me.  I could not come up with any possible use for the figure.  So, I left him behind.  Years later, I found that the figure was repainted in 1994.  This purple and yellow incarnation wasn't much better than the Tigger the Tiger inspired 1993.  But, for some reason, I wanted him.

I spent several months searching for this figure, but could not find one anywhere.  No dealers had one, there were none posted on the online auction sites.  Basically, you couldn't find this figure.  I searched for months to no avail.  While it's hard to imagine now in the late 1990's, 1994 figures were difficult to track down in general and the repaints of 1993 characters were especially difficult to acquire.  That didn't mean the figure was expensive: far from it in most cases.  But, it was frustrating to track down.  I ended having to purchase a carded version of the figure from a seller in Asia.  He was selling Funskool figures (which, at that time, were only available from Asian sellers directly) as well as some obscure 1993 and 1994 figures.  Since I had spent a year unable to find one of these figures in the U.S., I bit the bullet and just ordered the figure from Asia.

Once I had the figure, though, he stayed carded for a few years.  I simply never got around to opening him as the figure was obtained for completion's sake rather than true desire to own.  In the early 2000's, I got around to opening the figure up and found his about as I had anticipated: mostly useless.  The sculpt and specialty didn't fit with my collecting goals at the time and the colors just didn't mesh even with the Night Creepers who still had a bit of home in my Joe world.  As time passed and my collection focus changed, it never came around to the Night Creeper Leader.  I don't really use ninjas at all in my collection and I mostly find the figures of them (especially those from the '90's) to be poor in relation to the contemporaries released at the time.  So, the Night Creeper Leader stays tucked in a bag, in a box, in a closet.  Some day, he may join a full display of 1994 Joes.  Until then, this is likely the last time he will escape from his baggie for a breath of fresh air.

At it's core, the figure is just purple and yellow with a splash of easily rubbed away gold paint on the top of the figure's head.  The mold details are fairly well sculpted.  But, the figure being bare chested really limits it's potential.  Had they sculpted or painted a shirt, the figure might be more useful.  Still, the straps on the figure's chest hold grenades (which don't seem like the most ninja weapon to me...), a knife and a throwing star.  They are actually painted a different color than the straps.  Granted, that color is purple, but it's more than other 1994 figures were treated to.  The figure features another knife and more grenades on his wrists.  (Really, he has more grenades than anything else.)  The pants feature no additional trappings.  But, the figure's face is sculpted into a hardened scowl.  The facial sculpting of the Joe line really progressed in the final years.  And, were it not for the mask with no eye slits, the Night Creeper Leader's head might be more preferred among customizers today due to the level of detail.

As a character, the Night Creeper Leader is basically no one.  He appeared in one issue of the comic as a foil to Snake Eyes who was defeated soundly.  Really, he is still a blank slate.  I suppose he could be used as Aleph, the leader of the Night Creepers in the comic.  But, Aleph had a cool design.  This guy does not.  The biggest characterization he was given is that the character covers his eyes.  You will notice his eye mask has not holes through which he can see.  These would be unnecessary for a blind man.  I suppose this was Hasbro's way of incorporating some of Larry Hama's ninja mystique into the line.  I get what they were going at.  But, it all just seems a little much.  Leaving him as the leader of a cool sub faction of Cobra would have been good enough.  The "I'm so such an awesome ninja that I don't need to see!" seems a bit forced.  But, if not for that, this guy would be just another member of the ninja overkill that saturated the final 3 years of the vintage line.

For accessories, the Night Creeper Leader is actually decked out nicely...especially when you consider that he doesn't have an original weapon in the lot.  His golden tree included 2 well done ninja swords that form the backbone of his arsenal.  Also included is the wrist crossbow from Road Pig.  It's not the greatest accessory in the world.  But, at it least it fits within the ninja context.  He also includes a golden version of the classic Night Creeper crossbow.  This at least gives him some continuity within his ranks and allows him to be identified with the Night Creepers...even if his mold does not.  He is completed with a spiked arm shield and a wicked "lightning" knife.  All told, it's a well thought out complement to the figure that fits his specialty.  The golden color even works for the swords.  (Though the pads and crossbow are a bit of a stretch.)

The Night Creeper Leader mold was rarely used.  While the pants and waist are from the 1990 Night Creeper that was used 3 times in the U.S., the rest of the figure is new.  But, being a late release, the new parts never appeared again in the U.S. or any other part of the world.  It is likely that Hasbro had access to the mold during the repaint era.  But, collector disinterest in the mold likely never made it a viable candidate for re-release.  Still, the mold has potential and could have been used in the Convention Dreadnok Set.  Beyond that, though, there is really no reason to see this mold return.

Today, 1994 Night Creeper Leaders aren't difficult to track down.  The supply that was locked away 15 years ago has come out and is readily available.  Carded, this figure can be purchased for under $10 each.  For that price, there's no reason to not acquire a sample.  Even if the figure isn't great, he is worth that type of cheap price.  I'm glad I picked this guy up all those years ago.  He's not the abomination that defines his original, orange version.  But, he's not great, either.  Interspersed with a full display of the 1994 figures, though, the Night Creeper Leader does fit right in.  (And, that's not an insult!)  For what it costs to acquire him today, this limited use is still worth the outlay.

2004 Urban Assault Night Creeper

It is known that Hasbro has a wealth of ARAH molds at their disposal. Unfortunately, they have chosen to ignore a large part of their library and focus on the same molds over and over again. Every now and then, though, they dust off one of the lesser used molds and accidentally create a figure for the ages. It has been a rare occurrence since 1997 but has happened enough to keep collectors around. When they do produce a gem, though, there are usually circumstances in the collecting world that cause the figure to be overlooked or quickly forgotten. Such is the case with the subject of this profile: the 2004 Urban Strike Night Creeper.

Night Creepers are an odd duck in the Joe world. They, technically, are not Cobras. Instead, they are independent contractors retained by Cobra Commander. As such, many collectors have fewer uses for Night Creepers than they do other, officially Cobra ninjas. From their first appearance in the comic, though, I was enthralled by the Night Creepers. I didn't, necessarily, like their origins and characterization. But, I did enjoy how they were used: ninjas who were also soldiers. They were not the ritualistic ninjas to which I had become numb from their overuse in the comics. They were more like ninja Major Bludds. That aspect I did like. The fact that the figure was really nice just helped them become more important in my collection.

The original Night Creeper figure is well done but very purple. The Snow Creeper is perfect for the arctic but the white color isn't that useful in other climates. This urban version is the best paint job released for the Night Creeper. The black, blue and white combined with the urban cammo paint job make this figure useful in many more environments than the previous releases. The dark colors are reminiscent of the traditional Cobra appearance but different enough that the figures don't blend into the multitude of Cobra blue figures who have been released. The judicious use of brown really brings out the small straps and details that hold the figure's chest armour in place. (The leather-brown is really well used on the Urban Firefly, too. The detail on that figure is near convention quality.) The overall look of the figure is dark and menacing and is more in line with the characterization of the Night Creepers that we saw in the comics.

In my collection, these Night Creepers are Cobra's initial strike force. They are the commando units who are sent into an area first to undertake "softening" missions like destroying power plants or damaging infrastructure. They may also be used for on the spot intelligence. They are not full blown combat troops. In fact, if they are caught in an all out fire fight, they call for backup or retreat. Their edged weapons are a function of their purpose. These Night Creepers are not supposed to be seen. Any unfortunate soul who does come across them is quickly...and quietly eliminated. The Night Creepers will perform their work and coordinate their explosions with the arrival of the Cobra combat forces. Their targets never knew the Night Creepers were there until something explodes and a target goes dark. By that time, the full Cobra combat force is arriving and the Night Creepers are never noticed as they slip away. This makes them the type of figure that does not get used for long stretches of time. (Which is how they dropped from my collecting radar.) but then start to appear as major parts of intricate story lines. I find myself using my Night Creeper team as a pre-cursor to Cobra's targets in South America and Africa. In this setting, a successful mission means a more deadly strike is coming while an unsuccessful mission means that a target is spared...for now. It is a nice niche for the Night Creeper as it allows me to use the figure enough to keep it interesting but not so much that I never want to see another version again.

This Night Creeper's accessories are passable. Unfortunately, the two most distinctive Night Creeper weapons (the crossbow and the pronged stick) are missing from this version. The signature curved sword is also MIA. However, the 2 included swords with the figure do work and are acceptable. Not distinctive, but ok when taken in light of most of the other, contemporary accessory choices Hasbro dropped into the Toys R Us 6 figure sets. The nice thing is that you can take the uzi from the urban Storm Shadow and give it to the Night Creeper to make him more of a commando than a swordsman. The Night Creeper mold has only been used for Hasbro based releases. After the original figure appeared in 1990, the mold did not show up again until the rather interesting Snow Creeper in 1998. Hasbro didn't use them mold again for 6 years, though, and this Urban Night Creeper remains only the 3rd time this mold has seen production. The unexplained gaps in release dates for this figure are an oddity for Hasbro who seems to like to repaint molds ad naseum. But, in this case, it works well as it leaves the Night Creeper mold as one that is nice to see from time to time but not...at least not yet...overused.

One thing of note in regards to the Urban set: there is a complete variant color scheme for the figures. They were not, officially, released. But, Asian Joe sellers offered a set of urban Cobras who featured different paint masks and red highlights. You can see the alternate Night Creeper in the photos below. The origin and purpose of these figures is unknown. It is likely, as some figures featured unused paint masks, that the figures were the original plan for the Urban Strike set. For whatever reason, the colors were not approved and the entire set was redesigned with the white highlights. The alternate urban figures are relatively cheap on the second hand market and are one of the more unique ways to expand your urban Cobra armies.

The Urban Strike set probably had a production run of ~20,000 units. Even with a run that low, it hung around at retail for a while. In most markets, it was mostly sold through by the late 4th Quarter with the Christmas season finally taking them off the pegs. Collectors really didn't warm to the set even though it featured two army builders (this Night Creeper and the Flak Viper mold) in their best ever color schemes, a high quality Alley Viper repaint (though the Alley Viper is a bit overdone), the first Scrap Iron figure in 20 years and offered what is still the most detailed paint job for a V1 Firefly that we have seen. (Until the '05 Comic Pack Firefly, the Urban version was probably the best overall Firefly Hasbro had ever released.) The Storm Shadow figure is a bad mold in acceptable colors with decent accessories. As such, it really made little sense why this set got such a bad rap among collectors when it was so well done. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that collectors were still on the high from the '04 Infantry Team and saw anything with less than 6 classic army builders as a complete let down. It was really an unfair comparison but one that has left these Urban figure affordable even while other, lesser figures have appreciated.

Urban Night Creepers are cheap. Mint and complete, you can get one for about 7 bucks. You can buy an entire Urban Strike set for about $30 if you want one right now and can get them cheaper if you have a little patience. The reality of the Joe world is that collectors do not reward ingenuity by Hasbo in terms of figure releases. We fawn over repaint after repaint of the Viper yet let high quality repaints of great, later molds go unsung. Since the Night Creeper is not the Cobra Trooper/Officer, Crimson Guard, Viper or BAT mold, collectors largely don't care about it. This is nice as this urban version remains incredibly cheap and available and is easy to aquire in multiples. For a figure of this quality, that is a rare combination. As the collecting world matures, we might see more figures like this become appreciated. Until then, I'll take advantage of hidden gems like this Night Creeper and quietly build my collection.

1990 Night Creeper

Around 1995 or so, I was just getting into buying second hand Joes. Some friends of mine and I went to Trader's World flea market near Dayton, Ohio. We were mostly looking for other things, but I happened upon a toy dealer who had a bunch of Joe figures for great prices. I dug through his box but found that most of the figures he had were ones that were already a part of my collection. Now, at the time, I was relatively new to collecting. As such, I passed on the CG, Eel and just about every other cool Cobra army builder from the first 5 years of the line since I already had at least one of those figures and was more interested in getting a figure that was new to me rather than one I already owned. In this mix of almost exclusively pre-'87 figures, though, I found one lone example from the line's later years. It was the figure that I recognized from his appearance in the comic and thought might have been a cool toy: the 1990 Night Creeper.

Back in 1990, I had been out of Joe collecting for a year or so. I hadn't bought the comic book in a while and was pretty much out of anything Joe related. However, after about a year's or so absence, I decided to start buying the comic book again. Some of the first issues released after my return featured an interesting new sub-set of villains. The Night Creepers were a mysterious additional faction that was added to the Joe world when Cobra Commander hired them. They were corporate ninjas: a very post-Reagan take on the whole '80's ninja fad. However, this approach worked for me. I had never been too strong on ninjas, but these guys were clever enough creations that I wanted to see more of them. Even now, the issues that featured the Night Creepers are among my favorites. How this interest did not pass down to the figure, though, remains an enigma to me.

As a figure, the Night Creeper is very well done. His mold uses a different type of simplicity that masquerades as strong detail. Upon examination, you realize the Night Creeper is a very basic sculpt. However, the use of daring color to accentuate what details exist gives the mold some depth not indicative of the mold. The deep purple juxtaposed against silver and black give the Night Creeper a strong look without carrying him over into the ridiculous color schemes that plagued later ninja figures. His head gear is really what makes the figure as it melds classic, old world ninja style with modern technology. It makes the Night Creeper a more dangerous enemy without sacrificing the overall throwback look. His accessories are also decent, though unspectacular. The Night Creepers included a re-colored 1989 Snake Eyes backpack that was capable of holding the figure's curved sword. The Night Creeper also included a barbed stick that, while projecting menace, really did not work all that well with the figure as the handle was a bit too short. The figure also included a large crossbow that looked very nice. It is, though, a bit large and does tend to break the thumbs of vintage Night Creeper figures if you are not careful.

I've never really used the Night Creeper figure. From time to time, I'll pull them out as combatants for Snake Eyes or Storm Shadow. I've toyed with using them as Cobra Commander's bodyguards, but haven't found them as useful in that capacity. For some reason, I've actually sold off more Night Creeper figures than I actually have. Way back when, I got rid of almost every Night Creeper that came into my collection. It wasn't so much that I disliked the figure as it was that he didn't fit into what I was doing with my collection at the time. (The same is true of several Rock Vipers. I wish I had those guys back!) Going forward, I see the Night Creeper getting a bit more use. I really like the mold and want to find a way to better incorporate these guys into my Joe mythos. I can eventually see them as Cobra assassins. I've had a long running story that Cobra trained a group of elite assassins about 15 years ago. The pupils were young and of diverse backgrounds. They were cloistered away from society where they could learn their deadly art in solitude. (And away from the Cobra hierarchy!) While tucked away, though, something happened. Cobra lost touch with the school. When they finally reached it, they discovered most of the students and all the teachers were dead. The records had been destroyed and there were a few highly dangerous and, possibly, mentally unstable trained killers on the loose. As that origin is a bit dated, though, I can see the Night Creepers becoming the second generation of Cobra trained assassins. However, this time, the students are taught in the open and are carefully monitored so no one can become unbalanced without drawing the attention of the better trained staff. From here, I think the Night Creeper's role in my collection could grow.

After this mold's original appearance, it went dormant. The Night Creeper character was revived in 1993 and given a new, shall we say, interesting mold. In 1998, the Night Creeper mold was dusted off and used in a peculiar way when he appeared as the now referred to Snow Creeper in the Cobra Polar Assault figure pack. Aside from that, the mold has not seen any major releases outside of the United States. Going forward, though, I think the Night Creeper an excellent candidate for a repaint. This figure could be done up one more time in a theme that either better tied the mold to Cobra or made them appear closer to their name. As Night Creepers could be molded into a number of different story lines, they would make for a nice repaint figure. With the character's appearance in Wave 7, the Night Creeper could attain enough popularity that something like this could be feasible.

**12/18/07 Update

Hasbro did come through with the Night Creeper one more time in 2004. The incredibly done Urban Assault Night Creeper is probably the definitive take on the mold. As such, if the Night Creeper never appears again, then there is at least one nearly perfect figure available to collectors.

***

Night Creepers really aren't that tough to find. Until recently, they never really seemed to click with the collecting world. This made them not only highly available, but also cheap to buy. Even now that there has been a slight upturn in the Night Creeper's popularity, the figures are still out there. Most collectors are not after these figures in large quantities and are content to own just a few. This leaves the Night Creeper as a relatively affordable army builder, especially when you consider how well done the figure is. I like these figures even though I don't use them that often. Had I a few more, I could see them becoming something akin to the Red Ninjas from the comic. In the meantime, I can still use the Night Creeper in a variety of different settings and have him bring some diversity to my Joe ranks. Should you add one to your collection, I think you'll find him useful as well.

I'm well set for vintage Nightcreeper figures. Are you anticipating the new Nightcreeper figure that will be coming with Wave 7? Let me know.