Cobra Trooper (2004)
I’ll say this about the classic style comic packs. I loved ’em, warts and all. For someone who grew up following the comic, they were a dream come true. Seeing figures representing characters from the pages of the comic was something my ten year old self always wanted to see.
My favorites of the bunch were the Cobra troopers. Red masks, bright yellow straps and bright blue uniforms all give it the feel of having jumped right off the page. The absence of the original mold’s unique upper arms (I miss the garrotte!) and waist is a bit disappointing. The use of the original head mold is odd considering that around the same time a new smaller head was made for the trooper six pack, and other comic pack figures from the same time featured smaller-re sculpted heads.
That’s not to say that I don’t dig these old style melon-headed Cobras. They still hold a fascination for me all these years later. Though the sculpt may seem archaic compared to today’s hyper-realism, it’s the stylization that draws me in. Adding bright comic colors simply made it more striking and toyetic.
Wow, two days in a row with figures I own. I also love this figure, having bought it at a local flea market three years ago. Colors are terrific, really an awesome toy.
I have a soft spot for the melon heads as well but I’d never noticed details such as the garrotte until you mentioned it now! Those comic packs were some of the best gifts Hasbro gave early collectors of the line. I’m still thankful for the Oktober Guard, General Lawrence Flagg, the revisited original members with revised head sculpts, FA Kwinn, and my personal favorite, ‘Nam/Origin Snake Eyes (“Classified”) complete with his sister’s pic! I gotta say that Hasbro really knows how to treat old school RAH fans when they put their minds to it.
I love this figure. I miss Hasbro repainting and rereleasing old o-ring figures. I hope they return to it one day.
Great, iconic figure: the Enemy!
I missed out on these figures, but I’d love to Army build them. the classic blue with yellow details is really appealing to me.
IIRC, there was word that Hasbro lost control of the new o-ring trooper molds they made for the Toys R Us 6-pack, that they were in some factory the Chinese government closed. Not sure that was ever confirmed.
I like the look of the comic pack trooper, but the right hands on these guys stink, and I see why for Night Watch, they ditched the original lower arms.