2010 Black Major Blue Cobra Mortal - Random Photos of the Day

In the case of this figure, I couldn't do an around the web feature.  The reason is that there's nothing out there.  So, instead, I'll just post some of the various photos I've taken of him over the years.

Back in 2010 or so, when this figure first showed up, I thought that the Cobra blue body combined with the chromed head created an incredible visual.  Back then, factory customs were pretty new.  And, there was only a couple of dozen total figures.  So, this figure felt very fresh.  It seemed like something that could have been released.  And, it was actually much better than any official version of the Cobra Mortal character that had seen production.

Now, the figure seems almost quaint.  When compared to the current crop of factory customs, this figure is akin to comparing a 1982 Joe to one released in 1992.  They have evolved to a degree that the originals are easily recognized.  And, I kind of like that.  It shows that there is still work to do in the Joe world.  Despite that, these early figures retain a type of innocence from their early design period.  

1993 Nitro Viper Around The Web

The Nitro Viper is another of those figures who just fascinates me.  I love the colors and simply can't get enough of them.  While they got expensive for a bit in the boom years, they've come down and are relatively affordable, again.  They're just still kind of hard to find.  

I've profiled this figure twice.  The first of which is one of the earliest profiles on this site.  And, I've even looked at his vehicle, the Detonator.  There's some content on him out there.  Sadly, I'm not sure if the Outrider links will still work.  (I put this together a long time ago and JoeDios is hit and miss if the images will load these days.)  Which is too bad as he did more with the Detonator and Nitro Vipers than anyone else out there.  I miss his work.

Nitro Viper Profile 2017

Detonator Profile

Nitro Viper Profile 1999

Nitro Viper by Outrider 1

Nitro Viper by steelbrigade

Nitro Viper by gen_liederkranz

Nitro Viper by Outrider 2

Nitro Viper by cyko

Nitro Viper by Outrider 3

Nitro Viper by Outrider 4

Nitro Viper by Steel Brigade

Nitro Viper by djv

Nitro Viper by gvilla74

Nitro Viper by evilface

Nitro Viper by viper_space

Nitro Viper by fun_time_at_serpentors_lair

Nitro Viper by SteelBrigade

1993 Headhunter

In December of 1992, I walked into a crowded Toys R Us store just a few days before Christmas.  I was there to buy a couple of G.I. Joe figures.  I was in college and confident enough to be a collector, even if I was an adult.  I was on my lunch hour from the deli where I worked.  So, time was a factor.  When I found the wall of Joes, it was overwhelming.  I hadn't really spent any time looking at Joe toys in over 4 years.  I had no idea what was available or who, really, any of the newer characters were.  I did find a Gung Ho and Destro, though.  And, the familiar character names with solid designs made them must buys.  In looking at various cardbacks, though, one figure really jumped out at me: the Headhunter.  The design just looked amazing.  But, I didn't find any Headhunter figures that day.  And, I didn't return to a Toys R Us store for another year.  The Headhunter fell out of my mind.

At the end of 1995, though, I visited a friend in the town I now call home.  His local K-Mart had some Joe figures.  (The K-Mart is long gone, torn down and replaced by high end condos and apartments.  Honestly, it's much better.)  Here, I found Mace and Muskrat.  It was on their cardbacks where I, once again, found the siren song of the Headhunter.  I would never, though, manage to actually find one at retail.  As the 1990's wound down and online marketplaces became a thing, my ability to find pretty much any G.I. Joe figure increased.  Slowly, I ticked off my most wanted items until I came down  to the Headhunter figure.  By this time, I knew there were two versions: the brown 1992 and the green 1993.  And, really, I didn't care which one I could find.  

In mid 1999, I found a massive lot of over 200 late run Cobra army builders on Ebay.  It included a whopping 4 Headhunters!  I had never found a single Headhunter in any of the 1990's lots I had purchased.  They were hard to find.  So, this lot seemed like a dream.  I bid over $300 (an unimaginable sum at the time!) on the lot.  On Saturday, I went to check to see if I was still winning.  But, I found that the seller had pulled the auction and sold it to his local comic shop.  The bids weren't large enough for his liking...even though the auction was days from ending and everyone knew the price jumped at the last minute.  I was left, once again, with no Headhunters.  In the fall of that year, I took an entire Saturday to scrounge every local comic shop and flea market in a vain attempt to find the figure locally.  Again, I was shut out.  Left with no other means to acquire the figure quickly, I turned to the only Headhunters that were, reliably, available: the multitude of carded versions that were overpriced and didn't sell on Ebay.

Here, I broke down and bought a carded Headhunter.  I could not, though, bring myself to open it.  But, with this figure in hand, the floodgates opened up.  And, within just a couple of months of acquiescing to an expensive purchase to get one of the figure, I now had several loose versions of both the 1992 and 1993 versions.  In hand, the figure didn't disappoint.  Not only was the mold every bit as good as I had wanted but, his accessories were even more amazing that I could have imagined.  In a lot of ways the Headhunter was a nearly perfect figure.  And, I promptly didn't use him much at all.

Originally, I planned to profile this figure back in 2013.  You can see him in the photos from the 1993 General Hawk profile I did at the time.  I just didn't find the right things to say about the figure.  So, that write up never got off the ground.  And, it's taken over a decade for me to come back around to the figure.  The main reason for that is that the Headhunter is very much like the 1985 Snake Eyes.  Both figures are amazing pieces of sculpting that include awe inspiring accessories.  They are so well done that it's difficult to come up with things that are worthy enough to show off the full quality of their design.  I've struggled to take pics of both figures just because they never look as good in the photos as the figures do in real life.  That disappointment leads me to not use them.  Not because they are bad.  But, because they are, actually, too good.

Back in the late 1980's, I read Spider Man comics pretty regularly.  In one issue (Amazing Spider Man #279), a character named Silver Sable appeared.  She had an army with her called the Wild Pack.  They dressed in orange and grey outfits.  This look resonated with me and I thought they would have made for great G.I. Joe figures.  For some reason, the Headhunter has always reminded me of that image from my youth.  In looking them up today, there is no resemblance between the characters.  But, the memories languishing in the darkest recesses of my brain connected the two.  So much so that I went to confirm it for this profile and was instantly able to find the exact issue from my childhood that contained the images of the characters.  It's not something pertinent to the history of the Headhunter.  But, speaks to a reason as to why this figure always captured my imagination...even if it was just from the small artwork on the back of another figure's card.

The reality is that collectors tended to dismiss this 1993 Headhunter as "neon".  And, for years, there was a large price disparity between the 1992 and 1993 figures.  Slowly, those have ironed out.  And, collectors have come around on bright figures.  It is the bright green, though, that is this figure's calling card.  It hearkens back to an era where kids loved audacious coloring and wanted toys that were fun.  The "modern, gritty realism" that's infected any property that's beloved by adults had left a generation of kids with dull, boring play things.  It's a shame.  And, one of the reasons why fandoms struggle to attract younger generations of fans.  (It's also why LEGO kicks ass in the toy aisle for both adults and kids.)  

Headhunter's accessories are amazing.  He features an amazing shotgun that can be holstered into his backpack.  the pack is full of amazing little details that showcase the sculpting prowess of the Hasbro designers of the time.  He also includes a spring loaded missile launcher, missile and battle stand.  The spring loaded weapons aren't great.  But, they are more than made up for by the quality of the standard gear.  Personally, I like to add an Alley Viper rifle to the Headhunter's ensemble.  (I also give Headhunter gear to the Headhunter Stormtrooper.)  It's a nice complement to the shotgun.  If you're a sadist, the Headhunter's shotgun is available in a variety of colors in Brazil for you to seek out, too.

The Headhunter had a strong life.  There is the 1992 and 1993 versions released by Hasbro.  In 1998 or so, a member of the Joe newsgroup found an early site for Estrela Toys in Brazil.  Here, you could find some promotional photos of the late waves of the Comandos Em Acao line.  If you could get the photos to load (that was hit or miss) you could see that Estrela released a Headhunter, too.  This figure wouldn't become widely known for another three or four years when the Brazilian line was better documented.  After that, the Headhunter disappeared.  There were rumors that the molds had been lost in Brazil.  But, in 2008, Master Collector found the Headhunter mold and used it for Convention releases.  Here, we got the oddball Headhunter Guard and the Headhunter Driver.  Of the five uses of the mold, 4 use an all black base.  Only the Guard is different.  Through the years, factory custom makers have teased Headhunters as a possible release.  And, seeing the mold in Cobra blue is enough to warrant their appearance.  But, as of 2024, it hasn't happened, yet.  While I'd love a blue version of the Headhunter, that's really the only paint job I'd care for.  

1993 Headhunter figure pricing is very volatile.  You can still find carded figures for under $20 if you are constantly looking and quick on the draw.  At the same time, you'll see mint, loose and complete with filecard figures sell for $40.  Dealers are really trying to drive up the price of these figures.  But, left to market forces, the figure is worth about $30.  But, it will take you a while to find even one.  It's a far cry from the days when the carded figures wouldn't sell for $8 each.  And, the 1992 Headhunter is definitely a better figure.  In fact, of all the Headhunter releases, the 1993 is probably the worst.  But, it might also be my favorite.  I wouldn't want to pay today's prices for one.  But, I'm grateful for my little squad as they are a reminder that cool things can be made for kids.

X Ray Eye (Power Commandos) - Around The Web

The Power Commandos have become one of the more recognized series of G.I. Joe knock-off toys.  This is, entirely, a function of them becoming relatively available in the last 10 years.  Since they're kind of weird and have cool gear, it makes sense that they would have been accepted by collectors.

X Ray Eye isn't one of the more recognizable Power Commandos.  But, he's in line with the aesthetic of the line.  And, he makes for an interesting side villain to accompany your Cobras.  The figure is fun to have around and can be very useful in the right setting.

With the newfound popularity of the figures, you can actually find some content out there that showcases them.  So, take some time to stop by each link and see how others have used X Ray Eye.

X Ray Eye Profile

Power Commandos Wave Breakdown & Release Info

X Ray Eye by thedragonfortress

X Ray Eye by toysandtomfoolery

X Ray Eye by nightforcetunnelrat

X Ray Eye at Toys of the Past

Power Commandos by nijirain

X Ray Eye by jaredscoolcollection

X Ray Eye by toysandtomfoolery

2004 Comic Pack Snake Eyes - Arctic Gear

I was never a fan of the Anniversary style G.I. Joe figures.  I always thought the chest joint was stupid and ruined the aesthetic of the toy.  There were two times, though, where I was tempted to start collecting the line.  The first was on a random trip to Target.  My local store happened to have both a brand new Hiss Tank and a couple of Python Troopers available.  I thought about how cool it would be to walk into a store and find a vintage combo like this.  (Hasbro never got close in the repaint era.)  So, I thought about getting some.  But, cooler heads prevailed.  And, I then went home and bought a nice vintage Hiss Tank and 3 vintage Python Officers and had them all delivered to my house for under $50...only about $10 more than what the Anniversary toys would have cost me.  (Man, those were the days when it came to vintage pricing.)  The second time was when Hasbro released an arctic version of Snake Eyes based on his appearance in the second issue of the Marvel comic.  The figure looked spectacular.  Everything from the card art to the actual gear included was just perfect.  It was a figure that I had always wanted.  I held him in my hands a couple of times.  But, eventually, passed him and the rest of the Anniversary series by.  Besides, technically, I already had a figure of Snake Eyes in that look from a Comic Pack that had been released in 2004.

The first wave of Comic Packs were highly anticipated by collectors.  Hasbro had a publicity date on the photos.  So, many dealers (who, back then, were also active forum members) had access to them before collectors did.  They tantalized the figures with slavish praise.  When the images were released, the reaction was pretty much in line with the early rumors.  Collectors were in love with the looks and figures selections.  Shortly after the images appeared, the first packs were found in the summer of 2004.  Collectors quickly scooped up the packs at retail.  And, were disappointed a bit.  Many of the figures had quality issues with poor paint, loose joints and the plastic ties used to hold the gear in place in the packaging would mangle hands and strip paint.  On top of that, figures that looked great in the photos weren't quite as good when inspected up close.  In short order, what had been the most anticipated collector themed product since the advent of the Toys R Us multi-figure sets quickly turned into another problematic release that left collectors with something far less than their expectations.

The line, though, had other problems.  Wal Mart didn't buy the initial wave.  The Hasbro brand manager went so far as to warn collectors that they weren't buying them in enough quantity to keep the line afloat.  Despite that, though, Comic Packs continued on at retail through 2005 and were a staple of the DTC offerings.  (The Hasbro guy went so far as to introduce Comic Packs to the Star Wars line where they were much more successful.  Though, they were also much better than the Joe offerings.)   For $10, the three figures and a comic were a retail steal.  But, parents didn't really find them compelling.  I suspect a big part of that was that the toys weren't as visually appealing as other retail offerings of the era.  And, the comic definitely dated the look of the packs at retail.  The upside, though, is that pretty much every Comic Pack outside of the Oktober Guard wave ended up at clearance and discount sellers.  So, it was even easy to get this Snake Eyes and his packmates for $5.  It's a shame cheap toys don't really exist like that any more.

The selling point of the 2nd Comic Pack was the debut of Kwinn.  Kwinn had never been released in the Joe line.  So, collectors were mad to finally acquire one.  The Scarlett in the pack was also a selling point.  She featured a new, more feminine head that featured a sculpted pony tail.  She was given Jinx's body and was the second most desirable figure in the pack.  That left this Snake Eyes as the odd man out.  What's odd to me, though, is that this Snake Eyes is the 3rd best figure of the original 9 Comic Pack figures.  He was just included in a pack with the other two who ranked above him.  As collectors had Snake Eyes fatigue and it was already known there would be yet another Snake Eyes (YASE as it was known at the time.) in the next wave of Comic Packs, they left this figure as the unsung release o his era.  You'd often see him posed with Kwinn, just to make up a comic homage.  But, even in those cases, Kwinn was always the focal point of the photo.  Snake Eyes just didn't resonate with collectors and also didn't seem to have an impact upon casual buyers at retail.

The colors on this Snake Eyes are very well done.  While I'm not sold on their applicability in the arctic, they are visually appealing.  The pea green on the figure's pants is a dead ringer for the colors used in the vintage Night Force and Tiger Force subsets.  You can see how similar it is in one of the photos below.  Seeing this figure as a Night Force Snake Eyes kind of works.  Except, of course, for the fact that no other Night Force figures use the old swivel head molds.  So, it's not a perfect match.  But, it does allow for this figure to be used in different settings than just the snow and ice.  There's still enough black to ensure everyone knows this is Snake Eyes.  And, the parts choices are good enough to establish this as a figure who is supposed to be specific to an environment.

One of the aspects of Snake Eyes character that I like to explore these days is that of the absolute crazed psychopath.  Snake Eyes is a guy who, without the benefits of his ninja training, would have absolutely shot up a crowded parking lot at a football game in his post military life.  Without the theatre of war, his killing instincts would have consumed him.  But, the ninja training helped to temper his psychotic and violent tendencies.  But, even with those safeguards in place, the completely unhinged Snake Eyes can come out at times.  Someone who kills as indiscriminately as Snake Eyes has will, in time, be unable to value human life.  In his mind, he'll know that someone under his control is still a person.  But, the impulses can overtake him and he'll just kill someone who didn't really need, or even deserve, to be killed.  It makes him an effective special operative.  But, also someone who can't really be unleashed into normal society.  So, Snake Eyes stays on the G.I. Joe payroll so that he doesn't harm civilians who might cut him off in traffic.  Here, he gets enough action to keep his deep psychosis buried.  But, it will come out at times when he's dealing with Cobras.  

That's not a take on Snake Eyes that fits with his movie-hero portrayal that Hasbro wants to push.  But, it's a more realistic view of who Snake Eyes would actually be had he gone through all those traumas in his life.  Larry Hama alluded to the very dark side of Snake Eyes at times in the comic.  And, even when  Snake Eyes was being "heroic", he was doing things that, with a slightly different context, would have him a most wanted criminal.  It also adds a new dynamic to the Joe team.  Because, this Snake Eyes isn't someone the Joes want to befriend.  They keep him at a distance because they realize that people close to him could be the victim of one of his rages should he snap outside of the battlefield.  This brings a level of suspicion to the team as once you question the stability of one operative, you start to have doubts about all of them.  

Snake Eyes gear is fine.  He includes the standard Uzi as well as a black backpack from a mold that originated with the 1991 Dusty.  By 2004, this pack was passe and had been included with many figures.  But, it actually worked in the context of this figure.  He also included the cartoon standard XMLR rifle.  This was always a welcome inclusion.  Thought the rifle was now more common than it had been just a couple of years before, they were still relatively sought after.  So, getting extras was nice.  The figure didn't include the weasel skull necklace.  This was a key selling point of the 2008 Anniversary figure.  But, the Kwinn figure in the pack was wearing the necklace.  It would have been a bit weird to have 2 figures in the same pack wearing the same necklace.  So, you can give Kwinn's necklace to Snake Eyes to complete the look.

Snake Eyes' body construction was pretty basic.   It features the classic 1982 Snake Eyes head on a repainted 1983 Snow Job body...mostly.  The Snow Job body had been used a few times by 2004.  But, it was about the only swivel headed body wearing winter gear that Hasbro ever made.  I've have loved it if Hasbro had attempted something different like the 1989 head on an Iceberg body or something.  But, the fact that Hasbro was willing to release a Snake Eyes that wasn't mostly all black was pretty revolutionary...even as late as 2004.  One little oddity on the mold is that it uses the upper arms from the 1986 BAT.  Despite collector calls for it, Hasbro never released a 1986 style BAT in the repaint era.  Supposedly, the mold was damaged.  However, the figure's waist and legs were used on every Viper repaint that occurred between 1997 and 2005.  And, now, the upper arms appeared on this Snake Eyes.  So, what, exactly, was damaged?  And, with Hasbro very willing to resculpt Scrap Iron, Mutt, Lady Jaye and others, why didn't they just fix the damaged BAT parts and release a figure that would have sold in any incarnation they attempted?  The mismanagement of the Joe line by the early 2000's Hasbro team is so remarkable that it should be studied.

One of the main reasons I wanted to look at this figure is because he is such a perfect candidate for the Super7 ReAction+ line.  Here, a figure could be created in the vein of the anniversary figure where it's an all new sculpt that is, actually, comic accurate.  And, that would be spectacular.  Super7 has stated they plan to mine the obscure for figure releases.  They seem equally likely to look at the cartoon and comic.  The promise that the ReAction+ line gives is that we might see figures like this Snake Eyes.  But, this time, done up properly.  I like to think of an accurate Oktober Guard or weird outfits that Joes wore in specific issues or scenes.  (After Dr. Venom and a real Kwinn, though!)  And, while these could be releases that are considered, we're not going to see them offered in a 3 pack for the cost of a lunch out.  It will suck to acquire a real Oktober Guard over 4 years.  But, at least we'd have them.  The upside to a figure like this Snake Eyes is that it is Snake Eyes.  And, despite best collector efforts, any line is going to need major characters in order to sell well enough to continue for years.  So, we'll see what happens.  No matter how long the ReAction+ line runs, collector desires will never be 100% sated.  But, it would be nice to have one last shot at a few of the also-rans that didn't get the best effort during the repaint era.

While Comic Pack figures did see a significant increase in value during the Joe price upswing between 2018 and 2022, they have come down a bit.  Dealers will still try to get $30 for this Snake Eyes figure...thinking that the pandemic highs are still feasible.  But, you can buy all three of the figures for less than that.  Left to his own devices, this Snake Eyes is, at best, a $10 figure.  Considering it's 20 years old, now, that's probably a relatively fair cost.  At, at the price, I'd get one if I wanted him.  But, I paid $10 for the whole set back in 2004 and thought it was fair then, too.  Right now, I'm pretty much out of the vintage Joe market.  I haven't bought any figures in nearly a year.  I don't miss it, either.  But, that's what happens when you have a large collection focused on the things you like.  Eventually, you run out of new stuff to buy unless you find it stupidly cheap.