Retaliation Tactical Ninja Snake Eyes

by KansasBrawler

Sometimes you buy a set of figures for one character, sometimes you buy it for customizing potential and sometimes you buy it for the accessories. This version of Snake Eyes is in my collection specifically because of his awesome webgear. However, it’s really a good thing that his two packmates from the three pack were far better than I ever could have expected, because even with the webgear, this version of Snake Eyes is honestly pretty disappointing.

The second Pursuit of Cobra Desert Snake Eyes was an amazing figure, it still is. However, the Tactical Ninja Snake Eyes honestly brings almost nothing new to the table. The only difference is that he only comes with the head that’s based around the 1985 visor. That’s good for me because I prefer to have the PoC Snake Eyes displayed with the more commando mask-inspired look. Beyond that, they’re almost exactly the same figure. The only paint difference is that on Tactical Ninja Snake Eyes the kneepads are also black where on the Pursuit of Cobra version they’re painted gray. There’s really not much to say about this version beyond that. The mold is great, but honestly, its appearance here is a little unnecessary. If you own the PoC version, you have this figure in almost the exact same color scheme. I really think that had Hasbro done something a little more inventive with his color scheme I would like this version a lot more, or at least wouldn’t feel like I have another somewhat unnecessary Snake Eyes.

The accessories are where this Snake Eyes is made different-ish and honestly, their success is marginal. I love the webgear that this Snake Eyes came with and I am glad to see it’s finally seen the light of day. Originally designed for a Jungle Assault Storm Shadow, that figure became one of the casualties when the line was rebranding itself from Rise of Cobra to Pursuit of Cobra. While in hindsight, I’m not sure the Storm Shadow it was attached to was the greatest figure that got scrapped from that era, I have to admit it was a neat look and the unique webgear really sold that figure for me. However, unless you’re willing to participate in the international gray market of G.I. Joes, buying factory samples from sketchy Asian dealers, that particular look wasn’t going to end up in your collection. So imagine my surprise and excitement when the Tactical Ninja three pack was released and Snake Eyes was wearing a harness that I hadn’t seen since Joe Con in 2009. Unfortunately, there’s one glaring problem with that webgear. Snake Eyes’s leg pouches and holsters prevent the leg harnesses from resting properly on the legs. While it doesn’t look like it makes much of a difference, those few centimeters (at least on mine) make it next to impossible to properly secure the sword backpack. If they had used a different pair of upper legs without pouches on them (maybe the Pursuit of Cobra Zartan legs), it could have saved this. However, unfortunately, that poor planning on Hasbro’s part really makes this figure less than successful in my eyes. If anyone has any tips on how to get the harness to rest lower, please let me know, I’m all ears. Despite that flaw, the harness is really well designed and I love how well the pair of Uzis hook into it. That was what sold me on it back in 2009 and I still think it’s a great piece of engineering.

The rest of Snake Eyes’s accessories are an interesting group. I understand that Snake Eyes is always going to have a pair of swords and I really do like the backpack they are using for swords in the Retaliation line. Again, it’s just a shame that a little poor planning led to it not working as well. It’s a double shame since the paint jobs on the harness and the backpack are nice and mesh well together. I never would have thought that a blue-green and gold harness and backpack would look good together, but it really is a neat pairing. Since it’s a Snake Eyes based around the PoC design he also comes with a nice pistol (with removable silencer) and knife combo that can be stored in a pair of sheaths on his right leg. I’ve always really liked that combo for Snake Eyes and I’m glad to see it here again. I also find myself impressed with the pair of fighting claws like Vega from Street Fighter would use. Hasbro has done this type of accessory many times with varying degrees of success since the original ARAH line and I like how they’ve accomplished it this time around. The claws fit nicely over Snake Eyes’s hands and forearms and stay secure. The gold also looks good here but is limited to cross pieces instead of the blades like the Ninja Ku Storm Shadow had with his swords. I’m not quite sure what to call the other set of hand blades that Snake Eyes has. I’ve seen them a few times during the modern era and Retaliation line and I’ve never been a huge fan. I just find them a bit cumbersome to work with and they don’t look that good on his arms and I think that’s a huge flaw for any accessory. If it doesn’t look right on the figure, I’m not going to use it and I think that’s a wasted opportunity.

Despite the lackluster nature of this Snake Eyes, I have to admit there’s a lot of potential here. The PoC Desert Snake Eyes is a great mold packed with detail and articulation. However, making him the cost-saving figure in the three pack really hurt him a lot. By not switching out some parts, the webgear (which was kind of the centerpiece of the figure in my mind) didn’t work as well as it could. Leaving him in all black just made him feel like another carbon copy Snake Eyes. The painters did some neat stuff in pairing two colors that I wouldn’t ever think to pair and yet still look good together, but over a blah black base, he just feels kind of cheap. Honestly, had they done something along the lines of the Red Ninja five pack color scheme from the 25th Anniversary line where he’s wearing a dark blue shirt and dark green pants, I think this would be a figure to write home about. As it stands, he’s boring and while his accessories are good, some execution errors really make him fall far shorter than I’d hoped.