Cobra De Hielo - Argentine Exclusive Ice Cobra

At some point in the mid to late 1980's, the Plastirama toy company in Argentina released a triumvirate of exclusive Cobra Ninjas in their native country.  The first two members of this highly desired group of figures are the famous Satan and Ninja-Ku characters.  Satan is a blood red repaint of the iconic 1984 Stormshadow mold.  Ninja-Ku is repainted in all black, and given an African skin tone to boot.  There is a third repaint of the Stormshadow mold, though, that is less popular than these more striking variants.  It has become the largely forgotten member of the Argentine ninja family.  But, the Cobra De Hielo, or Ice Cobra, is equally as interesting as the more popular variants and is a figure well worth examining.

Initially, this figure appears to simply be an international version of Stormshadow.  However, a quick read of the filecard shows that this is a completely new character.  Here is a filecard translation:

A martial arts expert, Ninja is a super expert in scaling huge ice walls with equipment.  Equipped with incredible strength, he overcomes the toughest weather conditions without flinching.  To fulfill his sinister task of destroying Comado, he will cross Antarctica.  Thanks to the Ninja's clothes, he is easily confused with the white landscape and it is almost impossible for the Comandos to discover his movements.

So, this is not Stormshadow, but a winter espionage character who blends into the ice and snow to wreak havoc on unsuspecting Joes.  What is equally interesting, though, is that the Brazilian version of Stormshadow (The Cobra Do Gelo) is a similar, Ice Cobra, character.  Do Gelo's filecard, when translated from Portuguese, is basically the same as the Plastirama version.  It is likely that the Brazilian version came first and that Estrela toys actually created the character who was then adopted for the Argentine market.

As a figure, Cobra De Hielo is almost identical to the American Stormshadow figure.  He features the same paint masks as Stormshadow and the same color applications.  The main difference is that the Cobra De Hielo has brown eyes and eyebrows as opposed to the black versions on the American figure.  The overall paint mask quality, though, is substantially poorer than the Hasbro made figure.  The figure in the photos below was taken straight off the card.  So, the paint wear was from the factory rather than use.  The main attraction of this figure, though, is that the white plastic of the Cobra De Hielo figure doesn't yellow like the plastic used on the American Stormshadow tends to.  So, even after sitting a South American warehouse for over a decade, the Cobra De Hielo figures retain their white hue.  This alone makes the figure useful to collectors who otherwise have a high quality, V1 Stormshadow figure since they can use De Hielo as a the classic ninja without worrying about discoloration if the figure is left out on display.

Like most Plastirama figures of his era, the Cobra De Hielo has a few accessory variants.  In general, the figure seems to always include silver versions of the V1 Stormshaow's gear.  How much of that gear is required for the figure to be complete, though, varies by carded sample.  Many Cobra De Hielo's include the full complement of Stormshadow gear: including the backpack, long sword, short sword, nunchucks and bow.  However, it is also common to find the figure packaged with no backpack.  These versions might include the long sword, short sword, bow and nunchuks or two short swords, bow and nunchucks or a single short sword, bow and nunchuks.  In the end, each collector will need to determine if a figure is acceptably complete based on their own criteria.  But, since the full range of silver weapons are out there, that is the perfect figure should you have a choice.

For me, the value of this figure is just that: his accessories.  The silver swords and gear offer a visual break from the more often seen, black, American accessories.  It's fun to have a slightly different take on Stormshadow as part of displays.  And, when paired with the full set of swivel arm Plastirama figures, Cobra De Hielo fits right in.  Beyond that, though, this figure offers nothing that I didn't get in October of 1984 when the first Stormshadow figure entered my collection.  It's likely that the V1 Stormshadow mold is the most iconic figure from the vintage Joe line.  (Even if you don't agree, you'd be hard pressed to make any argument that doesn't have him in the top three.)  As such, seeing it in colors close to vintage automatically associates the release with the Stormshadow character.  It would have been cool to see the Ice Cobra character revisited through an amalgamated figure mold during the 2000's.  But, it was more important to get 6 versions of Firefly instead....

The Stormshadow mold has been the world over.  After the figure's long retail run in the United States, the mold was sent to Brazil where the Cobra Do Gelo was born.  It then went to Argentina for use on the three ninja variants.  The mold appeared again in the U.S. in 1992 as the Ninja Viper mail away and then was part of the Chinese exclusive figures that were manufactured sometime in 1994.  The mold, with the full accessory complement, had a triumphant return in the 1997 Toys R Us exclusives.  But, it was then not used again until the highly derivative Ninja Strike set in late 2004.  It's final appearance was in a 2005 comic pack, only with new arms.  Collectors are fortunate that Plastirama created the variants for the figure as Hasbro, for whatever reason, really dropped the ball with their repaints between 1997 and 2005.  We never got a Cobra Blue Stormshadow.  And, that's a glaring omission that no one has been able to correct.

In late 2000, the first waves of imported Plastirama figures from a warehouse find in Argentina began to permeate the U.S. collectors market. Through the first half of 2001, carded Cobra De Hielo figures could be purchased for around $15.  While the Satan and Ninja-Ku figures slowly sold out and started to get more expensive, the Ice Cobra lagged behind, usually more expensive than Sokerk, but slightly less expensive than TNT.  Over the next decade and a half, though, the supply of Cobra De Hielo figures has dried up.  Many savvy collectors realized that acquiring a carded vintage Stormshadow with the standard art for under $25 was likely not going to last and they bought them up.  While Satan, Ninja-Ku and Cobra De Hielo were all shipped in equal numbers in the same case, though, the Ice Cobra is substantially easier to find now than the two characters with whom he shares a mold.  While carded Satan figures routinely sell in the $300 range, Cobra De Hielo figures can still be acquired in the $60 - $75 range.  (Usually the higher amounts are reserved for figures with the full range of Stormshadow gear.)  If you can find a loose version, it will sell for substantially less.  But, few collectors of the early 2000's opened these figures.  So, loose samples can be a tough find.

Pristine, white American Stormshadow figures are now more expensive than carded Cobra De Hielo figures.  So, if you're in the market for an excellent Stormshadow figure, the Plastirama version is a nice alternative.  You don't have to worry about the figure yellowing and it includes the alternate, silver accessories which are a great upgrade from the black, American swords.  The fact that this is a different character is a neat conversation point.  But, the overall similarity to the iconic Stormshadow prevents the Ice Cobra character from really taking off.  But, as a figure, the Cobra De Hielo is a worthwhile acquisition.  He's a different take on the Stormshadow mold and is a nice complement to both Satan and Ninja-Ku: two foreign figures who have become staples of any American collection.  Personally, I wish I had been in a position to acquire many more of these figures back when they were cheap and plentiful.  But, I have enough now and enjoy the figure for what it is.  If you have a nice, American Stormshadow, the Cobra De Hielo is certainly not an essential part of a collection.  But, he's a neat way to expand the classic ninja molds and characters.

2003 Major Storm - Convention Exclusive

In 2002, Master Collector shocked the collecting world with an exclusive set available to convention attendees.  (Sure, you could order it even if you didn't go, but you were, essentially, still paying for a convention ticket in the cost of the set.)  It was an amazing blend of figures that caught the collecting world by storm.  A crimson Baroness and Tomax and Xamot along with a full dozen crimson Cobra Vipers was exactly what pretty much every collector of the time wanted.  The sets sold out, saw great after market appreciation and a phenomena was born.  As such, collector anticipation for the 2003 set was very high.  With nearly a full year of waiting, collectors worked themselves into a tizzy with the possibilities of what the 2003 set would have in store for the collecting world.  When the set debuted, though, it was very different from the 2002 offering.  Instead of one, iconic, Cobra army builder with sensical commanders, the set included 10 army builders and 5 character figures: 3 of whom were Joes.

The army building figures (the aspect of the set that was most appealing to collectors of that era) were not great.  The Viper was a beloved mold that, at the time, could not appear enough times.  2003, though, saw the use of the highly obscure Mega Viper mold along with an amalgamation of the 1988 Ferret and 1988 Star Viper figures.  Collectors were underwhelmed.  The 5 characters were a bit better.  The new Black Dragon Ninja was somewhat forced, but interesting.  Cobra Commander was visually stunning, but the mold had limitations.  Falcon had not been seen since the vintage days, so his inclusion was welcomed, even if his original legs and accessories were gone.  Lady Jaye hadn't been seen in 6 years, so her inclusion was greatly cheered.  The final figure, though, was the most odd.  Sitting in the middle of the set was the ridiculously obscure Major Storm.

Major Storm first appeared in 1990 as the driver of the mighty General vehicle.  In 2003, a large population of the collecting world did not own a General and many were not even familiar with Major Storm.  Master Collector's rationale for his inclusion in the set was that he was a "rare" figure and this would give collectors a chance to get one.  It isn't terrible reasoning.  But, in 2003, there were hosts of "rare" figures that collectors would have salivated over.  Major Storm was not one of them.  At the time, the vintage figures, while somewhat hard to find, were not overly expensive.  You could get one for less than a mint and complete Cobra Trooper, Officer, Crimson Guard or Viper would cost you.  Plus, he was not a character that had taken on any secondary life in any of the comics or popular dio-stories of the time.  So, there was no real demand for the figure at all.

But, in retrospect, that is actually a good thing.  In 2003, the line was still full of hope of expectation that collectors would get tons of awesome new figures.  So, seeing a figure like Major Storm was a disappointment as everyone wanted something that was closer to pre 1988 vintage or just repainted army builders.  The reality is that had it not been for this release, there would never have been a Major Storm repaint offered.  Some might say, "Who cares?  He's a crappy figure anyways." and they are not incorrect.  But, the Joe line of the 2000's was mostly a sea of banality and sameness with recurring characters and molds that were seen again and again and again.  Major Storm is, at least, something different.  He is a figure and character that had no place being released in that era when more popular characters and molds were ignored.

As figures go, though, Major Storm isn't great.  The camo pattern designed for the 2003 convention Joes was supposedly Tiger Force inspired while not being Tiger Force.  The result is figures that don't fit into Tiger Force and are not painted well enough to really be integrated into any other group, either.  The vintage versions of Falcon and Lady Jaye are better than the convention paint jobs and Major Storm is too obscure a character to really base anything around.  The figure's base is a solid, olive based green.  The brown highlights are a bit too bright, though, and somewhat clash with the overall look.  The camo pattern and details, though, are the typical convention level quality.  So, that helps.  The biggest detriment is the figure's sunburned skin tone.  The large head makes this color more pronounced.  The color used for Major Storm's hair, eyes and eyebrows blends into the pinking flesh and gives the head the appearance that it was left undetailed.  It's somewhat creepy.  But, the helmet does help to obscure some of the issues.

The nice thing about the Convention sets was that they often included either a figure's original accessories or facsimiles close enough that they were more than acceptable alternatives.  Major Storm was the former as he included both his overly large gold pistol and his comically oversized helmet.  It was always nice to see figures released with their full complement of vintage weapons, so this was a nice way for Major Storm to be released.  But, Major Storm's weapons kind of suck.  They always have.  So, sure, you get the vintage look.  But, the helmet still looks awkward and figure and the pistol just isn't that interesting.

For me, Major Storm is nothing more than a placeholder.  I have never used the figure nor character in any meaningful way.  If you search the thousands of images on this site, you might see the character appear once or twice.  He just isn't someone in whom I have any interest.  Years ago, I acquired a beat up old General in a lot.  But, the frame was broken.  So, I stripped it of parts and left the carcass in the garage attic of an old house.  The vehicle was not that interesting to me, so it's doubtful that I'll ever track another one down.  So, that further limits Major Storm's relevance to my collection.  As an oddity of the time, this figure is a solid reminder of the collecting world circa 2003.  At the time, it was hard to imagine feeling nostalgic for that collecting era.  But, in retrospect, it was a much better time to be a collector than 2015.  But, this Major Storm is also a reminder that many of the issues that have slowly choked off the collecting community had their roots in the early online days and we are, basically, a product of the decisions made years ago.

Major Storm was, basically, an amalgamation of previously used parts.  The 1990 figure featured a new head.  But, the chest and arms were from the 1989 Windchill figure and the waist and legs were from the 1985 Crankcase figure.  This makes sense as it would have driven down the cost for a figure that was included with a high price point, low production run vehicle.  The 2003 figure uses the same parts combination.  The fault is that the head is large and the chest is small.  So, the figure looks unbalanced and the effect is only magnified when Major Storm is wearing his helmet.  The existence of the 1990 Major Storm is likely the reason that Crankcase never materialized in the repaint era.  (He was at least considered as the driver for the 2004 AWE Striker repaint that included Dialtone instead.)  And, since Crankcase is one of my preferred figures, I hold that against Major Storm even moreso than I do his odd proportions.  The Windchill parts would later make appearances on other Convention figures.  But, this was the last time major Storm ever appeared again.

Major Storm, like many of the 2003 Convention figures, quickly fell into obscurity.  Most collectors who wanted one at the time, just bought a convention set.  In the years that followed, all of the figures fell by the wayside as better sets were released.  Today, mint, complete with filecard Major Storm figures sell in the $30 - $35 range.  They aren't overly common.  But, the low demand keeps them cheaper than a more popular character of similar rarity.  Considering that it's been over a decade since this figure was released and the fact that he was never revisited in any form, those prices are probably fair.  But, for a collectibility standpoint, I'd be hard pressed to spend that much on this figure.

In the end, I'm still torn by this figure.  Really, I have no interest in him and have never used the figure in any capacity.  He doesn't fit with any vehicles.  And, if I had a vintage General, I'd get the vintage Major Storm to command it.  At the same time, I'm glad that someone as obscure as Major Storm got a chance to be redone during the 2000's.  There were so many Duke, Snake Eyes and Roadblock figures that collectors were inundated with sameness.  The rare, obscure gems that did appear are now great breaks from the sea of sameness that defined the retail releases.  I think it really comes down to the fact that I'm happy this figure exists.  I just wish it was a little better.

2002 Gift Set Firefly

If you went back in time to the summer of 1997 and posted to Usenet or the Pit mailing list (how's that for dated technology!) that collectors would be sick and tired of the Firefly mold just 8 years later, you would have been laughed and flamed out of existence.  There was no way possible at that time that Hasbro would take such a beloved mold and make collectors rue the day it was created.  But, that's exactly what happened.  And, while the 2005 collector was REALLY sick of Firefly, by 2002 the mold was already becoming stale.  Collectors had seen the figure in 1998 and 2000.  As 2002 wound down, the third Firefly of the era, and the beginning of Firefly's diminished appeal, appeared: the Gift Set Firefly.

The repaint era of 1997 through 2006 created a large sea of banality in the Joe line.  When taken in retrospect, there is a lot of sameness throughout the years.  There are obvious gems as well as some real losers.  What was rare, though, was something so different that it's inherent oddity overcame the fact that the figure was pretty poor.  This Firefly is a perfect example of that.  The figure is cast in a basic red.  Not crimson, or any other red color associated with Cobra: bright red.  The figure is a better match for the Plastirama Satan than he is for the Crimson Guard.  If you can forgive the base coloring, though, you are left with a few other, bizarre color choices.  The figure's gloves and boots are copper colored.  It's a metallic copper paint that is easy to miss, but is basically unique to this figure.  Copper was not an oft-explored color in the Joe line.  So, its inclusion here adds to the uniqueness of this figure.  To complement the two inexplicable color choice so far is a greyish/blue accent paint application that highlights Firefly's holster, bandoleers and leg attachments.  Again, it's not Cobra blue and isn't, really, a great accompaniment to the bright red.  The figure is finished off with some additional, brighter red explosives and black grenades.  The crowning touch, though, is the brown head.  (The figure was dubbed the poo-headed Firefly by some at the time, but those with a more literary slant could refer to him as Gen. Scheisskopf.)  It's an odd topper to the figure and just completes one of the most head scratching color combinations on any figure in the entire line.

There is something to be said for figures that are so terrible they become good.  Figures like Rumbler, Big Brawler and even the Create A Cobra have all found collector followings just due to the absolute awfulness of the figure.  While this Firefly remains obscure, it has fascinated me.  There's something about it that makes me keep it around, even though there is no non-completist reason to do so.  The fact that the figure is so bizarre and out of place is the main draw.  This has no relation to the Firefly character I know.  (As an aside, there is an unproduced version of this figure available that replaces the base red with a green color.  It is a substantial improvement, but extremely hard to find.)  He really doesn't fit with any other Cobra figures.  Is this who Firefly really is and what he wears when no one is looking?  Or, is it a red herring and something Firefly dons when he wants to completely rattle anyone with whom he meets?  Either way, it's a uniform that gives some levity to the Firefly character.

The Gift Set which included this figure was an odd item.  An 8 figure set including Snake Eyes, Stormshadow, Dial Tone, Undertow, Fast Blast Viper, Wet Suit, Roadblock and Firefly, the Gift Set was packaged into a massive cardboard box that was logistically challenging to ship.  This fact is important as the Gift Set was only released regionally in the U.S.  The set was originally commissioned by the BJ's Warehouse chain.  At that time, they were only in slightly more than half of the states.  Some of their corporate partners, mostly regional grocery stores that also stocked retail items, eventually sold the sets, too.  But, the reality was that for many collectors, the set was simply not available at retail in their local market.  As the set was "exclusive" only a couple of online dealers were able to get any.  So, for those outside of the retail footprint, this set was extremely pricey.  Dealers rarely sold it below $35 and the large, heavy and overly long box added another $10-$12 for shipping to the cost.  After a few months, the retailers began to clearance the sets.  Many collectors were left rather non-plussed at the fact they had paid nearly $50 to get one set and were now hearing of collectors leaving stacks of them on the shelves at $12 in locales lucky enough to have a retail seller.  The result is that this was the only Gift Set ever created.  (Some dealers who acquired a supply had stock left sitting unsold for years after the set's release.)  And, beginning in 2003, Hasbro looked only to more national retailers for exclusive offerings.

One of the great things about the re-releases of Firefly was that they all included his original accessories.  Even the 2003 Wreckage, that used the Firefly mold, included the iconic gun and backpack.  There is one lone exception, though.  This Gift Set Firefly did not include any of his original accessories.  For most figures, this would be a huge detriment.  However, there are times when new accessory complements can breathe some life into a figure.  The Gift Set, largely, failed in this regard as figure included non-sensical accessories.  (Stormshadow with an AK-47, Wet Suit and Undertow with no flippers or underwater gear and Dial Tone with a bazooka.)  However, Firefly kind of works.

The figure includes a gun metal grey version of Beach Head's submachine gun.  (Oddly, this would not come with the Night Force Beach Head just 18 months later, but that's something for another time.)  In the context of Firefly, it is acceptable as it is reminiscent of his original rifle but gives him something different.  He also includes a silver version of Hit and Run's knife.  The fact that it's silver is great.  But, there is not a single vintage or repaint version of Firefly that includes any edged weapon.  For a character who was a ninja master, this is an odd omission.  So, finally having a figure with a knife is a solid addition to the character.  The figure is rounded out by a silver version of the 1991 Dusty's pistol.  It became a ubiquitous accessory in the repaint era.  But, the silver color is somewhat fresh and gives the weapon a bit of a shine for Firefly.  The last piece is a silver version of Firefly's original rifle.  In silver, this would have been an awesome upgrade to this figure.  But, alas, it has a fatal flaw: sound attack.  The rifle is not the classic version and, instead, has a massive sound tab on the side that renders the weapon useless.  For me, overall, though, this accessory complement only adds to the oddity that is the figure.  It makes is stand out even more and gives it a bit more cachet.  (And, if you really insist on classic Firefly accessories, they are now so common that it's easy to find a set from this figure's contemporaries and outfit him with those.)

As a collector, this is a great figure.  Not great in the sense that it's the definitive Firefly and should be included in every display of Cobra command.  It's quite the opposite.  If I could only keep one Firefly figure, this would be the first to go.  But, the figure is great because it's so different.  In an era where Hasbro tried so hard to placate collectors and so often misfired, it's refreshing to find some figures that defy that trend.  This Firefly is rather terrible.  But, that awfulness makes him awesome since he's so different from pretty much everything else released during his time.  Copper, brown, bright red and blue do not a classic figure make.  But, in this case, the combination creates something that's fun and odd.  The vintage line was good at doing that every now and again.  The repaint era mostly created duds.  So, the few times that Hasbro released something like this figure should be enjoyed.  The Gift Set Firefly makes my collection different and is so out of place among the rest of my figures that I have to appreciate him for the ugly duckling he is.

Funskool Night Viper

In the early 2000's, collectors were army builder crazy. Hasbro couldn't put out enough army builders fast enough to satisfy the demand. As such, collectors were starved for new offerings that gave them figure molds they desired in colors that were acceptable. In early 2001, an enterprising group of collectors mass imported Funskool Joe figures and sold them directly to the online collecting community for cheap prices. While there were many gems of figures in this initial offering of around 40 different figures, it was the opportunity to acquire some new, cheap army builders that really go collectors interested. One of the most popular Funskool offerings was their take on the Night Viper.

Colored almost identically to the American figure, the Funskool version only had two issues: a neon eye piece and a neon backpack. As the figure was still the awesome green and black, though, collectors were forgiving of these two, minor shortcomings. As such, the initial shipment of Night Vipers sold out in a matter of hours. In June of 2001, when SmallJoes.com opened, their stock of Funskool Night Vipers also sold out in the first day. There was just a huge demand and it took most of the rest of 2001 before Night Vipers would remain in stock for more than week at the major online Joe dealers. But, the figure lived up to the hype and was one of the most popular army building figures of the early 2000's.

At its core, this figure is pretty much the same as the American figure. There are differences in the yellow logo, the general plastic colors of the greens, flesh tones and blacks. But, these figures integrate very easily into American Night Viper collections. While the pack is bright orange and the eye piece is bright yellow, these aren't overly essential accessories. So, the figure with just the black rifle and green headpiece avoids all the trappings of neon and helps these figures integrate more seamlessly into American armies. And, that was the appeal of the figures from the start. Of all the Funskool army builders made available, the Night Viper was the most similar to the American figure. And, in the case of the Night Viper, the American figure was a well regarded and somewhat expensive member of Cobra for collectors to acquire when the Funskool figures first appeared.

For me, the availability of the figure lead him to a greater role in my collection. While I had acquired an American Night Viper in the summer of 1990 (my only Joe purchase between 1988 and 1992), I had never viewed the figure as an integral part of my Cobra army. But, the cheap masses of Funskool Night Vipers changed that. The figure's mold is just cool enough to warrant large inclusion in a collection. So, having them available for cheap simply made that dream a reality. With my ranks swelled by Funskool Night Vipers, the figure became me de facto jungle and forest Cobra. Here, my armies would tussle with Joes and you can see the figure as a staple in many of my earliest photos. Today, that still remains the same as my Night Viper army survived the purge of my collection and these figures remain a display piece that outweighs their availability.

There are variants to this figure. The most notable are the accessory variants. From the 1990's through 2003, most Night Vipers were packaged with a black rifle. However, in late 2001, for a very short time, Funskool changed the rifle color to grey. While the grey rifles are harder to find, this was during the time of mass Funskool imports, so quite a few of them got to collectors in the U.S. Along with this gun variant, the figure's themselves show subtle color differences across different production runs. So, it's possible to acquire Night Vipers that were made over several years and see very distinct greens or flesh colors in each figure. It's not a variant that's overly exciting, but it is something that can add some diversity to an army.

For many, many years, this figure was available for $4 for a carded version. In 2004, though, the supply started to dry up and prices rose. Still, through the 2000's, it was very possible to get this figure for under $8 for a carded version. And, since so many collectors had opened up armies of these Night Vipers, loose figures were available for about 1/2 that amount. Now, though, the supply is further absorbed by the collecting world. Carded figures run into the $16 range, though you still can find them for cheaper. Loose figures are not as ubiquitous as they once were. But, mint and complete with filecard versions will go for $6 to $8 per figure. It's a small price to pay for a figure of this quality. And, I don't think that the price difference between the American and Indian versions are enough to justify an army of the Hasbro figure over the Funskool offering.

1989 Frag Viper

In 1989, I was out of buying Joe toys. As I had been out since the beginning of 1988, even my younger brothers' interest in the Joe line had pretty much ended. A figure or two showed up at various points that year, but it was more of a one off rather than any effort on their part to actually collect the line. In the summer of 1989, though, I went with my parents to visit some of their friends in Vermont. These people had children who were about one year younger than each of the three boys in my family. So, the ages matched up well. While there, though, I found that they were very much into the 1989 Joe figures. They had a large selection of new characters I had never before seen. I spent many of the bored hours I was there rummaging through their boxes and baskets of toys to find all the G.I. Joe figures and accessories I could. Not having cardbacks or catalogs as reference material, I managed to put the figures together as best I could. In the end, the figures that stick out to me were the Annihiltor and the HEAT Viper. Those two were found with most of their gear, so their impression upon me was much more memorable. However, they had two other Cobras that I recall: the Alley Viper and the subject of this profile: the 1989 Frag Viper.

The Frag Viper is odd. He's odd in that he's cast in a base brown color with light blue highlights. He's odd in that he includes a Jai Alai basket that is used to toss grenades. And, finally, he is odd because he has a bug inspired helmet that is such a bizarre design that it stands out even among Cobra as being extraordinarily creepy. But, all that does not add up to a bad figure. The general sculpting and proportions of the body are well done. The figure is muscular, but not so much as to be noticeable. But, the greater bulk helps to offset the large head and keeps the figure in a general scale that works quite well. His jumpsuit is well detailed and the brown coloring actually works with the light blue that is used as the primary accent color. In all, he's an oddball that's put together in a way that works as a toy.

But, as I never owned a Frag Viper as a child, seeing him as a toy was always difficult. In my early collecting years, I focused heavily on lots of figures from 1989 through 1991. Those were the years that were new to me so I spent a great deal of time tracking them down. Through these purchases, the first few Frag Vipers entered my collection. At the time, I thought they were a decent addition to my Cobra Urban Assault forces. While Annihilators flew into the center of a location and fought their way out, Alley Vipers surrounded the location on the ground and fought their way in. The Frag Vipers were teamed with HEAT Vipers and Range Vipers as the specialized units that were called in when something slowed down one of the teams. They carried heavier ordinance and would be used to pry open an artery that was blocked during the attack. This was great in theory. But, the practicality was that why would Alley Vipers (who had their own grenades) need to call in a grenade specialist? At least the HEAT Vipers made sense in case the Alleys ran into a tank. But, in very short order, the Frag Viper simply fell out of favor.

The figure's color certainly didn't help. I have long held brown to the sole domain of Major Bludd within the Cobra hierarchy. (Few Cobras in the vintage line used this color.) And, Bludd was always a loner. He had no need for troops. (Even the Convention Skull Squad Troopers, which are pretty good figures, simply don't really work for me with Bludd.) So, having a Cobra in brown didn't really match. Plus, the Annihilators and Alley Vipers were complementary orange and the HEAT Viper's yellow wasn't too far from that. The brown Frag Viper simply didn't fit with those figures that formed the core of my armies. The brown does look decent when posed on a classic HISS. But, that's a small use for a figure like this. Even the Frag Viper's overall quality wasn't enough to save him from obscurity and the figure has languished at the bottom of my collection ever since.

Upon closer inspection, though, this figure is very well done. The metal rivets on the helmet combined with the stitch like look of the jumpsuit fasteners give the figure a bit of a "Frankenstein's Monster" vibe. Had the figure been decked out with black accents in lieu of baby blue and had the stitching been white, this figure would have had quite a monstrous appearance. Little changes like this can go a long way towards making a good figure great. But, 1989 was when Hasbro was in the dead center of what I call the "Yeah, but" phase of the line. The first few years all had nearly perfect figures with a few less than stellar ones thrown in. By 1988 and 1989, though, that changed. Pretty much every figure was good with one "yeah, but" detail. For the Alley Viper, it was the bright orange. For Recoil, it was the baby blue weapons. For Downtown, it was the red highlights. Pretty much every figure had some little detail that was big enough to keep that figure from eclipsing the classics from the line's first few years. (In time, Hasbro moved out of the "Yeah, but" phase and into the "If only" phase where figures needed much more work than one small detail.) For the Frag Viper, the blue highlights are the "yeah, but" item. They aren't terrible and certainly don't destroy the figure. But, were they black, or silver or even olive drab, they would have made a world of difference and this figure might be more popular today.

The Frag Viper's accessories really help to make the figure special, though. 1989 was a great year for weapon and equipment complements and the Frag Viper is right up there with the best of the figures from that year. The cesta for throwing grenades is well detailed and unique, even if the practicality is suspect. The figure's small machine gun is perfect as a secondary weapon and is small enough that it can be used with the figure even when he is fully loaded down with his pack and launcher. The figure includes 2 hoses: one the standard black plastic hose of vintage Joes. But, the other is a unique, flexible, thick, detailed hose to connect the launcher to the backpack. It is a great way to enhance the figure. The real greatness of the accessory complement is the backpack, though. This pack is detailed with tons of small grenades (the filecard indicates the number is 50.) that feed into the cesta for manual launch. If that weren't enough, there are pegs on the top of the pack to hold either 2 of the loose grenades that are also included with the figure, or three grenades if you choose to not attach the hose from the figure's head to the pack. The whole complement screams that this is a grenade launching specialist and is on part with gear from the contemporary Alley Viper or Annihilator in terms of design and functionality.

The Frag Viper mold was used just this one time in the U.S. Around 1992 or 1993, though, it was sent to Brazil. There, Estrela used the mold to produce the collector favorite Letal figure. Letal used the entire Frag Viper mold, but in a bright, lime green. The figure is relatively hard to find and tends to sell for substantial sums of money. At that point, most collectors assumed the mold was dead. Hasbro all but confirmed that most of the Brazilian molds were gone. Some of Letal's contemporaries, like the Toxo-Viper, had shown up in India. But, there was no real trail to track. Then, out of the blue, in 2006, Master Collector found the mold and used it in their Operation Flaming Moth series. The figure was colored in a darker green and was meant to be both a Letal homage and upgrade to the original Frag Viper. That was the last use of the mold. It would have been nice to see this figure in a more traditional Cobra color. But, those are the desires unfulfilled that keep collectors around.

During the army building craze, the Frag Vipers were mostly ignored by collectors. While Alley Vipers rose to prices of $20+ and Night Vipers were breaking $30 for mint, complete with filecard versions, Frag Vipers stayed under $10. While collectors would get a few of them, they were so specialized and oddball that very few collectors would seek them out, even as other army builders from their time rose in price precipitously. Today, the figure is relatively unchanged in price. Mint and complete with filecard versions tend to sell in the $9 - $11 range. Sacrificing the grenades or the unique hose, though, tends to drop the price quickly. You can also get them cheaper in lots of less popular army builders. So, there are options: all of which are fairly palatable. Personally, though, despite the relative availability of the figure, I've found that I have few of them in my collection. They just aren't a figure that's really high on my list to track down. They are a great scene filler and do bring a lot to an army. But, after acquiring three or four, the returns of each subsequent figure diminish. So, I find myself with few Frag Vipers. That doesn't take away from the fact that this is a decent figure. It just shows that even quality can have limits when the figure's speciality is too obscure.