Welcome back to another Dan's ToyBox Action Figure Review. As we close out the last week of April, we'll end the month with the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series Cobra Officer figure. He was part of the same wave, released last year with Storm Shadow and Spirit Iron-Knife. As you may know, it really wasn't until recently that I decided to start adding more Joes to my collection and seeing this guy on sale, I couldn't pass him up.
The Cobra Officer is distinguishable from regular Infantry by the silver Cobra emblem on their chest, the Silver officer insignia on their helmet and a rank/insignia on their arm. These skilled officers typically lead Infantry squads into combat and are highly trained in small to medium arms, infiltration, and sabotage techniques. Cobra Officers can advance to speciality positions, and become Vipers, with a specific focus such as: Tele-Vipers (Communications), Alley-Vipers (Urban Assault), or Techno-Vipers (Battlefield Technicians) among their numerous choices.
We will focus on the Accessories, Appearance, Articulation, and Affordability of the figure. Each category will receive an individual rating before the figure receives the overall grade of zero to 10 ToyBoxes. Please remember, though I try to be as objective as possible, these reviews are solely based on my opinion. My goal is to help you, my fellow collectors, decide if a figure is worth purchasing for your own collecting enjoyment.
ACCESSORIES
The Cobra Officer, as with the majority of the G.I. Joe Classified line comes with a good deal of equipment. He has a removable helmet, combat knife, Mauser style pistol, side-fed submachine pistol (I'm assuming something Destro created as it is just different enough from a Sterling to not be that brand of firearm), an AK-47 rifle, two removable magazines, a side mounted scope for the rifle, and a back mounted case for the rifle. I am suitably impressed with the amount of detail that each of these accessories has. I did read that the Officer comes with fewer accessories than the regular Cobra Infantry. I'm actually looking to purchase some basic infantry figures so, when I do get those, I'll be sure to let you know. I do like the fact that there are numerous methods for storing the equipment on the figure. There is a sheath for the knife, holster for the pistol and pouches on the back of his belt for the scope and one of the two magazines. I'm looking forward to getting the infantry trooper and learning the difference, but for now, I'll give the Officer a solid 8 out of 10 for accessories.
APPEARANCE
Clad in the typical blue and black that characterizes Cobra soldiers, the Officer is an excellent looking figure. Granted, there are actually very few paint apps on the figure, but what is, looks good. The flesh around his eyes and the paint on the eyes and eyebrows themselves is really nicely applied. The silver on the insignia and helmet are clean for the most part and stand out nicely against the blue suit. There is some silver on the boots, the knife blade is also painted, and there is a small application of brown paint on the rifle. What really sets this figure apart though is the sheer amount of sculpted detail. What I noticed first, was actually the leathery look to the rifle backpack, sheath, and his holster. There is texturing that is very visible, which gives a realistic look to each of those items. The wrinkles and lines running throughout the suit itself aren't just limited to one or two places, but rather appear throughout the entirety of the body. There is a significant amount of detailing applied to the Joe Classified line and the Cobra Officer is not shortchanged at all. Looking at this figure, it's easy to imagine it was based on an actual para-military trooper. I find that the detail in the weapons is also very impressive. The fact that for this scale, Hasbro has been intentional in making their weapons look realistic, shows dedication to accuracy. The only real issue I have with this hyper-accuracy is the fact that there is a strap sculpted on the holster. You might not think anything of this, but when the pistol is in the holster the fact that there is no retaining strap OVER the pistol makes it look a bit funny. Granted, I noticed this because of how closely I had to examine the figure for the review. To be completely honest, I didn't even realize it UNTIL I started to study the figure, so it's pretty well concealed. I also really like the fact that there are little Cobra insignias on his arm band and even sculpted into the rifle case on his back. The attention to detail is what helps, given that there isn't a lot of paint detail added. I'll give him a 7 out of 10, but only because the pictures I've seen of the Cobra Infantry look like it has more paint detail, than this figure does.
ARTICULATION
The Cobra Officer's articulation is fairly standard, but there are a few small issues to work around, based on character design. With helmet on or off, he can look up very well and turn his head side to side easily. There is some limit to looking down and virtually no head tilt at all. I had thought the neck was on a moving joint, but either it's not, or mine is stuck. The shoulders raise out very nicely to a T pose but are prevented from going higher due to the sculpted pieces on his shoulder. Much to my delight, the butterfly joints at his shoulder have very decent range, which enables forward and backward arm motion. His bicep swivel works just fine and the double-jointed elbows bend in all the way, allowing his hand to reach his head. I was surprised to find that his gloves have a pivot just below the elbow, as well as the traditional wrist pivot. His hands will hinge, but in this case, it's the vertical hinge for weapons, rather than the typical horizontal hinge we generally get. As with previous Joe releases, he also has the upper diaphragm joint, but thanks to his harness, it will only bend forward and back roughly one click, which limits his ability to crunch. His belt floats, allowing the waist swivel to work without hindrance. Removing his knife and pistol allows you to put the Cobra Officer into a full split, which makes high kicks look awesome! The legs also drop down, allowing you to kick them forward exceptionally well. Mine were a bit loose on one of the two Officers, and a bit gummy on the other, which was kind of frustrating. The upper thigh cut is fine and works as it should, not hindered by the holster and sheath straps. His knees are double-jointed and bend in deep enough to bring his heel to his back. There is a boot cut for moving the lower leg and his ankles feature great pivot and hinging. Other than the limits to his crunch, once again, we get a figure with respectable motility engineering. Aside from the small issues I had, I still feel like these figures are designed better for posing and will give him a solid 7 out of 10.
AFFORDABILITY
So, I actually lucked out with this figure. BBTS was having a one-day sale and I was able to snag the Cobra Officer for $14.99 each. They are still available at the regular retail price of $24.99 each. I do feel that for the price, we get more value added than with other toy lines at the same retail. Sticking with the rating I've given other Joe Figures; the base retail gets a 7 out of 10. Of course, if they were only $14.99 each ALL the time, this score would jump!
Overall, this is a solid figure and worth army building. I feel like the Joe Classified line is, in and of itself, one of the better lines out there now. They appear to have fixed many of the QC issues that plagued earlier releases and hopefully will continue to do so moving forward. As for the Cobra Officer, I feel like he's earned a solid:
7.75 out of 10 ToyBoxes
He's fun, posable, and looks solid with the other Joes and Cobra figures on my shelf. I'm looking forward to adding to this line and can't wait to bring you more figure reviews on them! Until next time... GEEK OUT!!!
Comments