Snake Eyes (2010 Resolute)

Which came first, the City Strike or the Resolute? Or even the Target Rescue Mission? Regardless, this Snake Eyes mold got some heavy use within a couple of years. I had some trouble finding that late line Rise of Cobra figure (who didn’t really?) and didn’t pick up the all-black Rise of Cobra/Resolute pastiche until very recently.

For me, this was the most rockin’ Snake Eyes figure of its day. If the movie version’s costume had been designed like this, I would have been a much bigger fan. As it stands, the Resolute animation and its counterpart figure presented an updated look that brought in elements of the original 1982 commando. I can’t help but think of the all-black original when I see that mask. It’s also not the first time that Snakes has been featured wearing a sleek uniform shirt and loose pants, but the design still seems fresh.

The accessories have the edge over the City Strike version, including the previously cancelled glider pack. The spring-loaded element is a nice little action feature, and the fact that it’s not annoyingly huge is a plus. Even the sword gets closer to the animated version, being a but more compact. Finally there’s the cool Resolute rifle, standard issue through the Joe pack. Too bad it wasn’t done up in a multi color to match the figure, as a little grey would have looked nice.

I also dig the straight black version from the Target pack, but the lack of the proper head takes that figure down a notch or two. Next to the movie accurate Ninja Duel Retaliation Snake Eyes, this Resolute version stands out as one of my favorite modern reinterpretations of the character.