Vibora - Brazilian Exclusive Python Cobra Trooper

Two decades ago, Hasbro managed to convince the collecting community that most of the classic Joe molds were "lost".  Usually, the culprit was that they were not returned from Brazil or India.  In most cases, this excuse was pure bullshit designed to shut collectors up and get us to stop demanding figures that would have required Hasbro to spend extra effort to find and produce.  One such case was the classic Cobra Trooper.  It was, simply put, the most requested army builder from the turn of the century collector base.  Hasbro, though, was able to put collectors off by saying the mold was gone.  And, the blame for that went to the Brazilian Vibora figure.

The reason is that Vibora was a 1993 release in Brazil.  And, Hasbro's line was that they had never gotten the molds back.  So, collectors went without a Cobra Trooper and watched as Ebay prices for the (arguably) most desirable army builder of the time climbed higher and higher.  In 2004, Hasbro remade the Cobra Trooper body and released it in a Toys R Us exclusive set that was amazingly received even though the weapons just sucked.  Then, later in the year, Hasbro miraculously found the original Cobra Trooper mold and used it for the Comic Pack and Night Watch figures.  Turns out, the molds were in Hasbro's possession but they just never looked for them.  So, collectors didn't get repaints of Vibora's contemporaries like the 1987 Gung Ho, Voltar, Rampart and Hit and Run.  Looking back, knowing the extent of the mold library that Hasbro actually did have, the collector themed releases of the era seem even more like antagonistic ploys that were meant to drive away adult collectors who demanded products that the Hasbro team of the time simply didn't want to make for what was later revealed to be rather selfish reasons.

All of this leads us to Vibora.  At his core, this figure is the 1989 Python Officer.  Only, he has slightly brighter paint and more brittle construction.  Toss in some different accessories and you have a figure that's not really different enough from the Hasbro version to be a necessary addition to your collection.  But, we know I'm a sucker for barely repaints that were released outside the U.S.  So, Vibora was a quick target for me to add to my collection.

Back in the mid 2000's, carded Viboras were everywhere.  So, I picked up a cheap one (a carded Vibora cost less than a mint and complete Python Officer) and promptly opened him up.  In hand, the small differences between Vibora and the Python Officer became even less significant.  The two figures were, basically, the same.  And, as Python Officers were slowly becoming a more common army builder in my collection, I lost any real desire to develop Vibora as a stand alone character.  So, the figure went into a plastic container and has rarely ventured out for any significant usage.

In the late 1990's and into the early 2000's, I was hell bent on creating new Cobra characters.  This stemmed for a boring afternoon at work in the summer of 1994 where I dreamed up a new crop of Cobra leaders and wrote their info down on some index cards.  As the 2000's turned to the 2010's, though, I had lost much of this zeal.  My Joes had gone from a relic of childhood and turned into a full fledged collectible.  I was less interested in retconning a figure into something of my design than I was just enjoying owning something foreign, bizarre or rare.  Vibora fell into that time trap.  He was among the last Brazilian exclusives to enter into my collection.  I really wanted to do something with his character, though.  I needed some figures that could represent very early Cobra operatives (like the bald or eye patch wearing Cobras from the first issues of the Marvel Comic) and Vibora was of the proper construction do fit that motif.

With the figure in hand, though, I simply couldn't come up with anything interesting for the character.  I had little use for a figure who was the same as one of my preferred army builders.  So, the development of Vibora's character was dropped and the figure just because a piece in my Brazilian trays of figures.  It was a sad fate for him.  But, he really didn't even get used with Gatilho and Relampago who were also early mold exclusives from Brazil.  While he matched up with them, I preferred to use those figures with an army of Python Officers.

So, Vibora was lost for about a decade.  In 2018, though, the character popped back up.  Red Laser Army made a Vibora figure that was colored like this Brazilian release, but used the body mold from the classic 1983 Joe.  This slight difference allowed Vibora to stand out as more of a character and he could be used to lead the Python Officers.  I anxiously awaited the arrival of my Vibora so I could flesh out this character.  When I got the figure, though, he had two right arms....rendering the figure useless.  For whatever reason, Vibora is not meant to be in my collection.  And, to this day, the character has not evolved because I can't seen to get a figure for him that works.

Vibora's gear is drastically different from any Cobra Trooper.  He included a Hit and Run rifle.  This seems like a great choice for Vibora.  But, the handle will snap the brittle Brazilian plastic thumb and is, essentially, useless with the figure.  He also includes the 1990 Range Viper grenade launcher.  He did not include the grenade, though.  So, the launcher is meant to represent a pistol of some sort.  (You can see this on the card artwork.)  Sadly, the thinner handle on this piece makes it somewhat useful for Vibora.  He can hold it with no fear of thumb breakage.  The final piece with Vibora was a repainted 1992 Destro disk launcher.  The fact that this appeared in Brazil in 1993 is odd.  Destro was one of the few figures from 1992 that didn't get a repaint in 1993.  His launcher being sent to Brazil could mean his mold was, too.  But, the entire figure and launcher was released in 1997.  So, it seems more likely that there were multiple launcher molds with one going to Brazil and the other staying with the figure mold that would appear just 4 years after Vibora was released.

In the early 2000's, Vibora figures were very common.  Many dealers had imported massive stock of them and could not move them for even $15 for a MOC figure.  Then, even more stock was found and collectors were able to acquire cases of them for ridiculously cheap prices.  Today, carded Viboras can be had cheaply.  While you'll see some figures priced at $250 and even higher, you can buy carded figures for about $70 and even less if you pick up a couple of other figures with him.  Loose figures, though, sell for around the same price just because they're harder to find than the carded samples.  For the price, pick up a Red Laser Vibora and an extra Python Officer.  You get the best of both worlds and will spend less.

1989 Python Patrol Trooper

I've had this profile scheduled for months.  It was just the way it fit into the schedule with various other figures and the fact that this profile was mostly done.  Then, Hasbro dropped the Classified Python Patrol Cobra Officer release last week.  So, now it looks like this is a response to that.  But, hey, I'll take the weird kismet and roll with it.  

I don't much care for the Cobra Officer.  I have always been a Cobra Trooper fan and found the Officer to pale in comparison to the much more detailed Trooper.  But, the Officer included an AK-47.  And, to a kid of the '80's, this weapon was the symbol of the bad guys and tied Cobra's imagery to the two greatest evils of the era.  So, the figure was imperative, even if it wasn't my preferred Cobra army builder.  As a kid, I bought a Trooper at a Kohl's store.  But, I don't recall the Officer mattering very much to me.  He was in our collection as my parts bin still as some Officer pieces in it.  But, the Cobra Trooper was always my preferred Cobra and the Officer was, to me, a lesser figure that wasn't really worthwhile when the superior Trooper was available.

For some reason, Hasbro switched the names on the Python Officer and Trooper.  It's not quite a 4-LOM/Zuckuss level screw up.  But, it has lead to decades of confusion.  Personally, I always felt the Officer mold was better suited to be a trooper since it was bland and included the assault rifle.  But, the notion of this mold being an Officer over the Troopers is so ingrained from the original blues, that the name bungling can't prevent me from still seeing this figure as the Officer and the other figure as the Trooper.  I have just this one Officer.  But, I have quite a few Troopers and even some Factory Custom troopers to supplement them.  So, I still see this figure as the officer, even if the official name is that of a trooper.

The upside to this Python Trooper is that the colors and python pattern are excellently done.  Green Cobras were all but non-existent in the vintage line.  (At least, outside of 1989!)  So, the fact that this Python Trooper sports a green shirt makes him stand out.  Oddly, grey was also a sparsely used color among vintage figures and this Trooper also features grey accents that highlight the mold's details.  The bottom of the figure is cast in black with grey highlights to tie the top to the bottom.  In short, the figure isn't a color combo that appears very often and it allows for this figure to be a standout.

The Python Patrol used a color scheme that was consistent across figures.  So, this Trooper features the same green that you find on the Python Officer's straps.  What is really nice, though, is that the green also matches with the Brazilian Exclusive Python Patrol figures.  Gatilho is a nice match for the Officer.  And, you can easily mesh the exclusive Brazilian characters with the Hasbro army builders to create a larger, more cohesive team.  And, if you pair them up with the Sears Dreadnok Ground Assault, you get a cool little cadre of Cobras that can be used in some specific scenarios.

And, it is in that vein that I use the Python Patrol to this day.  I missed them when I was a kid.  And, even my brothers were pretty much done with Joe in 1989.  So, Python Patrol was solely a subset that entered into my consciousness when I was a collector.  It wasn't one that really resonated with me beyond the Viper.  But, in 2008 or so, Hasbro released an anniversary sculpt Python Trooper.  At the same time, there was a Hiss Tank available at retail.  I liked the combo and thought about how awesome it would have been to have had a vintage style Hiss and Python Trooper available at retail just a few years before.  But, at the time, Python Patrol figures were dirt cheap.  So, I stocked up on some Python Officers and built an army that remains the bulk of my Python Patrol collection today.

The Python Trooper has an accessory variant.  His AK-47 can be a glossy black or a light grey.  It is imperative to not confuse the light grey weapon of this figure with the white AK-47 from one of the Battle Gear packs.  You'll also often see the original, charcoal colored AK-47 from the 1982/1983 Officer with these figures, too, as they are actually easier to find than the black rifle from the Python figure.  You can see both variants in the photos below.  Neither of the variants appear to be more common than the other.  But, these days, it's far more common to see Python Troopers sold with incorrect weapons that it is to find them marked with specific variants of the rifle.

It is a ridiculous travesty that the 2022 Cobra Trooper/Cobra Officer set hasn't been repainted into Python Patrol figures.  Hasbro could drop a 6 pack of 4 Troopers and 2 Officers in a white box and baggies (like they do with Star Wars army builders) and sell them without too much difficulty.  They took the time to make these new molds and we have yet to see them reused outside of a last minute addition to the Skystriker.  Maybe we'll see them someday.  But, at this point, I don't hold my breath.  It's far more likely we'll see a repainted Trooper or Officer included with a $120 Transformer before we see a real army building pack that's themed and directed at collectors.  It would really be hard for Hasbro to have bungled the vintage Joe homages any more than they did.

The Cobra Officer mold wasn't used all that much.  The straight arm figure was sold in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.  The swivel arm Cobra Officer was sold in various countries and was available as a mail away for years and years.  In fact, bagged Cobra Officers were available as late as 1999 from Hasbro Canada.  The mold was used for the 1984 Stinger Driver.  Then, Python Officers were sold in 1989.  But, they were also available in things such as the Chuck-E-Cheese promos.  Hasbro remade the Officer mold in 2004.  But, they then found the old mold that same year.  It was used in a Toys R Us set, a Comic Pack and the Night Watch set from the DTC line.  Then, we got the 2022 Officer and it's repaint on the Stinger Driver.  Factory Custom makers have done an Officer mold.  So, you can find the proper color variants that Hasbro should have done in that realm.

Way, way too many Python Troopers sell in the $50-$70 range.  And, that's not just dealer sales.  You'll see the market push that high, too.  You can get mint and complete figures in the $40 range.  But, even incomplete figures sell in the $30 area.  As the crotch is brittle, it's much easier to find broken figures.  But, even they will command premiums at times.  Python Patrol was once considered less desirable than standard paint job figures.  But, those days are gone as collectors have realized that the Python Patrol exists in far lower numbers than their contemporaries.  So, pricing now reflects that.  

1989 Python Patrol Officer

In the first half of the vintage line, repaints were relatively rare.  For the most part, Hasbro released new figures every year.  There were a few sparse examples here and there.  But, the line remained relatively unique for a long time.  As the '80's wound down, though, Hasbro discovered that repainting some older molds was a good way to expand the line without creating new molds.  It also was a way to keep some higher profile characters in the rotation at retail.  Rather than simply repaint a figure and insert it into the line, though, Hasbro came up with the notion of sub teams and themes as a means to pump repaints into the marketplace.  The results were surprisingly strong.  Night Force, Tiger Force, Mission to Brazil and the subject of this profile, Python Patrol are all figure subsets that are highly regarded by collectors today.  The Python Patrol Officer is no exception...even if he was the victim a misunderstanding.

First off, while this figure is named the Python Patrol Officer, the mold is the classic Cobra Trooper.  The Cobra Officer mold was also released in Python Patrol as the Python Trooper.  It is a classic mix-up that causes confusion to this day.  As a kid, I always felt the Cobra Trooper would be the more elite of the Cobras since he had the more detailed uniform and the more specialized weapon.  But, since I like the Trooper mold much more than I do the Officer, this is something I got over as I wanted to have many more Troopers in my collection than I did the Officers.

The Cobra Trooper mold is one of my favorites in the entire line.  If my entire collection was reduced to 5 figures, a vintage Cobra Trooper would be one of those select keepers.  The figure follows the design of the original Joes with the web gear on the chest.  But, in lieu of a molded knife, the figure has a machine pistol.  The mold is covered in minor details, down to the piano wire on the arm.  Unfortunately, the Python Officer does not take full advantage of these details as many are unpainted.  These repaints were meant to be cheap to produce and the cammo likely ate up much of the budget.  But, since the figure's base is black, you can somewhat forgive the missing paint applications.

Python Patrol has retained some popularity among the collecting world.  The reality is that of the original figures, the Crimson Guard and Tele-Viper are not good.  The Officer, Trooper and Viper, though, are extremely well done.  The green, grey and black combination actually looks like something that Cobra could use.  They could be night fighters, forest patrols or jungle recon units.  Mixing them with the Python vehicles is a bit more difficult.  But, Python Troopers and Officers are a perfect match for the SEARS exclusive Dreadnok Stinger and RAM.  The green meshes well with the figures' coloring and is a nice companion piece to any Python Patrol display.

I never really liked the story behind Python Patrol.  But, it did give us some nice figures.  I have found these Python Officers to be a great addition to a Cobra army since they are something a little different, but hearken back to the original blues.  In that regard, I have found a use for them.  Having the Brazilian exclusive Gatilho and Relampago figures helps, though.  These figures mesh well with the Python Officers and give the foreign characters a similarly clad army at their disposal.  They are a more specialized unit, but I see them as more of a forest/jungle patrol on Cobra Island than any other, specific, combat duty.  It is a somewhat limited role, but does work with the figures since they stand out when displayed with non Python Patrol Cobras.

The Cobra Trooper mold was used all over the world.  The straight arm figure was released in the US, Brazil and Argentina.  Hasbro produced the swivel arm version for the US, Europe and Japan.  The swivel arm figure then showed up in Brazil where it was released by Estrela as Vibora in colors very similar to the Python Officer.  In 2004, Hasbro resculpted the Troopers chest and legs for release in the Cobra Infantry set.  But, later that year, they found the original mold and used the chest and head for the comic pack Trooper and again in 2005 as the body for the Night Watch Troopers.  Unfortunately, Hasbro did not properly capitalize on the mold's popularity and left several obvious repaints unproduced.  Enterprising bootleggers have filled this gap and produced Troopers in all colors of the rainbow.  It would have been great for Hasbro to better utilize these molds.  But, they didn't.  At least we can enjoy the figures that were released.

In the mid to late '90's, subsets like Python Patrol and Tiger Force were considered scarcer than the figures from whom the members were repainted.  In those days, you were likely to pay more for a Tiger Force or Python Patrol figure than you were for the original.  As the collecting world moved online, though, inequities like these were ironed out.  Slowly, the original figures became more desirable and expensive while the repaints fell in price.  But, as the '00's wound down, those early perceptions were proved at least somewhat correct.  Python Patrol and Tiger Force were only released in one production year in lieu of the standard two.  So, they are scarcer than the original figures.  Today, it is much harder to find a mint, complete Python Officer than it is a mint, complete Cobra Trooper.  But, the reality is that the popularity of the originals still trumps the repaints.  So, despite being harder to find, Python Officers can be purchased for $11-$14.  Getting an army of them may take some time, but they aren't as expensive as they once were.  For what this figure offers, it's a pretty good price.