Zanzibar (2011)
I suppose you could say that Zanzibar here is stretching the bounds of believability, even for the GI Joe line. Even taking into account the fact that a lot of the Cobra characters (especially the Dreadnoks) dress rather dramatically, you’d be hard pressed to find another figure that looks more like he’s on his way to a costume party.
You wouldn’t have to change much at all to fit him into a pirate toy line like Pirates of the Caribbean. He’s got all the pirate trappings: saber, flintlock pistol, thigh-high boots, and eyepatch. Speaking of which, I guess he magically switched his bad eye somewhere between 1987 and 2011.
I do have a couple gripes about him: his build seems a bit on the scrawny side, and the shoulder pads/harness just kind of floats around on his chest. Maybe he just needs to gain a little weight so it will fit better. Overall, if you don’t like the more outlandish aspects of the GI Joe line, you’ll have a hard time taking Zanzibar seriously. But if you can suspend your disbelief, he’s a pretty cool figure in the end.
Zanzibar is available along with six other figures in the Dreadnok battle pack at BigBadToyStore. A GI Joe set, Slaughters’ Marauders, is also available.
Sadly, he doesn’t look as dastardly as his first figure (kinda like all those years with the Dreadnoks had demoralized him). As for the eyepatch controversy, I personally am just going to presume he never had a bum eye and just wore the eyepatch to complete the pirate shitck.
As a pirate figure, he works. As a Dreadnok, Zanzibar has always been a bit of a stretch. Bikers and pirates working for a terrorist organization? Looked fine on paper, not so much in practice. I always thought his eyepatch made him look like Major Bludd decked out for Halloween. Too much repetition. This figure will also disappoint any Zanzi fans expecting accuracy in regards to the vintage version.
Good eyepatch teory!
I don’t have mine yet, but I like this figure quite a bit, and I think he’s underrated. I absolutely love the head sculpt.