Cobra Air Assault Team

Delta Force operators ride to battle on the MH-6 Little Birds of the 160th SOAR (Nightstalkers). Well, Cobra Commander’s blue troopers can do no less, using those small and nimble FANGs.

These FANGs, just like their MH-6 counterparts, would be modified for this task. In this case, the four missiles (two on each skid) and the bomb slung underneath the chopper are removed to take on the weight of two more troopers.

Unlike the Little Birds, however, these FANGs have not been modified much when it comes to trooper comfort, if not safety. Definitely no seats for the assault team. They just perch on the skids and perhaps secured to the chopper with safety harnesses. Well, Cobra Commander is not that worried about these lowly foot soldiers–there’s more where they come from, anyway, or so his philosophy goes.

Clap of Thunder!

Definitely one of my favorite ARAH vehicles, the Slugger looks  sturdy with its boxy shape (so ’80s!) and six wheels. I also like the camouflage paint scheme which was standard Army color until Desert Storm ushered in desert tan. One drawback of the Slugger is that it can accommodate only the vehicle commander. No room for a driver or even foot pegs in the vehicle’s sides or rear. Also,  the Slugger has no revolving turret, its cannon fixed in its forward position. No surprise there as this G.I.Joe vehicle is a self-propelled artillery, or in layman’s terms, a mobile cannon. Unlike the usual artillery, which has to be towed, the Slugger is more mobile, enabling itself to get closer to its objective and fire for effect. And what effect it would have had on poor Cobra blue troopers, with its 175 mm Howitzer cannon. The vehicle commander, in this case, Thunder, has a .30 caliber machine gun mounted on his cupola.

Speaking of which, this is one nice thing about the early Joe vehicles. Hasbro really tried its best to provide them with neat details. In this case, the cupola has a sliding hatch cover. Thunder can crouch inside, or pop up and man his machine gun. This vehicle’s engine can also be inspected once you open the cover. And, as a testament on how strong that 175 mm Howitzer can kick, the Slugger has a telescoping (meaning you can pull it out) stabilizer at the rear, so that the vehicle would remain in position each time it fires.

Thunder is one of my favorite action figures in terms of uniform and sculpting details.  This guy has a stern-looking face that says he’s all business and won’t take any BS. He has a tanker’s brown leather jacket. Though Hasbro didn’t provide him with a sidearm like the other drivers (Steeler comes to mind), that .30 cal would do nicely! He does, however, have a monocular so he can better observe the battlefield. He’s got also a neat helmet with a dark visor that can be slid up and down plus a headset. Pound for pound, he can give Thunderblast–Thunder’s 25th/ROC series version–a run for his money. As an aside, I’m interested in getting a Thunderblast figure and have it a try sitting in the Slugger’s cupola.

I bought the Slugger along with the Wolverine more than a year ago. As I have said in a previous post, they didn’t come with their drivers.  It was nearly a year later that I was able to get a complete Thunder figure. As with the Wolverine and Cover Girl, man and machine have been finally united.

Cover Girl’s back on the saddle

More than a year ago, I was able to buy a vintage Wolverine missile launch vehicle from a US-based seller. It didn’t have driver Cover Girl but I still bought the vehicle as it is nearly complete (lacking only the tow rope) and is in good condition. I knew that the search for Cover Girl, as with any G.I.Joe driver issued in the early- to mid- 80s, would be a long and expensive quest. I was wrong on both counts.

A few months later, another online seller abroad turned up selling a Cover Girl in good condition for a lot lower price than I was expecting. I immediately purchased it, so finally, man (or rather, girl) and machine were reunited.

Folks, meet Cover Girl and her ride:

Back in the Philippines, Cover Girl is one of the hard-to-find and hard-to-get figures. Even if you find one, you’d be fortunate to get it at less than P800.  Or come up with similar hard-to-find Joe characters that the seller might demand for if you go for a figure swap.

Cover Girl is an interesting character in the G.I.Joe Universe. She is among the early batches of female figures, along with Scarlett and later on, the Baroness. According to her profile, she was a former model who had a change of mind and joined the Army. You would have expected her to be the military’s, uhm, poster girl, to get more recruits. But no. She went on to attend Armor School in Fort Knox and became a tank driver. One can imagine her all immersed in grease and stinking of diesel fumes. Her card also says she’s proficient also with a variety of light and heavy anti-armor missiles, so Cobra troops riding HISS tanks better wipe the smirk off their faces and head for the nearest cover.

Over-all I’d rate the figure’s condition when I bought it at 8.5. Almost no paintwear or scratches at all. The joints are still tight.

Last year, Hasbro released version 3 of Cover Girl in time for the Revenge of Cobra movie. Though I didn’t want to start collecting another Joe line, I was enticed to buy one since no version of Cover Girl was released in the 25th Anniversary line. Though she now sports a blonde hair in version 3 (after the actreess who played the role inthe film), Cover Girl here has a better sculpt and articulation and is garbed in an urban camo.

As an added bonus, she has weapons! Version 1 didn’t have any, but this latest one has a bullpup type rifle and two pistols.

One minor downside, however, is that the new figure does not fit in the Wolverine as snugly as the first version does. It would take  a little push and manipulation of version 3’s knees and legs to make it fit better.

Here they are, versions 1 and 3. Now, I’ll be looking for version 2, aka Agent Courtney Krieger.

On Target

This is one of the first pictures I took of my G.I.Joe collection. One of my favorites, too, not to mention a milestone in my hobby.

Taken in late 2007 on the rooftop of our former apartment, I was initially planning to pose some figures with Bbi weapons. The results were gratifying! The cloudy weather undoubtedly helped with the lighting (I took the pictures at noontime!),  along with my attempts at getting depth of field for the shots,  but the over-all features of this red Cobra CLAW really carried the day.

I placed the figure on top of a damaged box-shaped water tank, with the satellite dishes, the door to the rooftop and the coconut fronds at a distance, giving the illusion of real-life scale to the Cobra CLAW.

But when I peered through my viewfinder, I was struck by the rich details of the CLAW, along with that weathered look. My Canon digicam’s macro feature really kicked in, bringing those fine details into sharp focus.

The Bbi Stinger was also a winner. Bbi definitely beats Hasbro when it comes to accuracy in scale and details. If only the material used is not that brittle…

My favorite shot. Look at the details of the Stinger’s sight! And the realistic weathering of the CLAW!

As I’ve said, these photos were a milestone in my hobby because they convinced me to appreciate (and collect!) G.I.Joe  and Cobra figures released between 2003 and 2006 (excluding the ARAH repaints). These so-called ‘new sculpts’ have more detailed features and they have matte surfaces, making them come out really nice in photographs. (The vintage ARAH figures, though I appreciate them for their sentimental value, appear too glossy in pics).

Desktop Dio: Lady Jaye captured

The Joes can be great fun while I take a break from my computer work at home. I’d pose them in my workspace, using the desktop PC, the table, paperweights and other knicknacks as props for a makeshift dio. Here’s one of them: Lady Jaye getting apprehended by a couple of Cobra troopers in gas masks.

…while a squad of Green Vipers cover them.

Exhibit A

Finally, a glass display case for my G.I.Joe action figures! I was able to buy this case in Yaowarat (Bangkok’s Chinatown) in March this year with the help of another collector, Pandit. At 500 Baht each, this display case is a must-have. It can accommodate up to seven figures (more, if you don’t mind cramming them). It comes with three steps so that each figure can be given some prominence. Will try to get another one soon!

Cover Story

Toysoldier118 had a thread about coming up with dioramas in homage of comic covers from Marvel’s G.I.Joe series. One of my favorite storylines is the Cobra Civil War. I recently got hold of another HISS tank, along with a 25th Anniversary boxset Baroness and a single pack Serpentor. I tried to place a 25th Anniversary BAT in the tank’s cockpit, as the comic cover showed, but it was a no go–the BAT seems too big for the cockpit. With some strings snatched from my wife’s sewing kit, here’s my modest tribute to this particular cover:

Video Vipers

What Cobra Vipers do during their downtime:

 

Viper 1: Hey guys, what’s up?

Viper 2: Sshhhh…!

 

Viper 1: PIGGERY!!!

Viper 2: Piggery? Bakit?

Viper 1: E kasi binababoy niya si Katrina!

Viper 3:  Ssshhh! Quiet! Di ko marinig iyong lyrics ng “Careless Whisper”!

Stranded

With the Defender out of commission, the only chance for Hawk, Breaker and Rock and Roll to get back to base is to call for a ride.  Breaker reports getting only static. Looks like it’s going to be a long march ahead for the three of them.

On the ground

Some studies of a Cobra Paraviper who just landed.

 

I had just finished shooting the snipers when my son Paulo started egging me to take picture of his Paraviper (he got it for Christmas). So we looked for an open spot in the park, someplace ideal for a DZ. It would’ve been better if I had a parachute and paracords for the paraviper, but well, we have to make do with what we have. So in this scene, the paraviper is assumed to have already shucked off his para gear and is getting ready to move out. I like how it turned out. I love the paraviper’s details: the balaclava, the MP5, the wrist altimeter, the oxygen tubes. Hhmm…I’m thinking of army-building this unit!