Sunday, January 23, 2011

Snake Eyes

Primetoystore.com is a great site for picking up anything vintage (or new) in the action figure/toy front.

Aside from the enjoyment of browsing hundreds of toy lines (most of which I never even knew existed), Randy Herkowitz (owner) does fantastic reviews of a lot of newer released toys and rates them on a "value" rating of between 1 and 5.

Now, I'll admit that I was never the biggest GI Joe fan growing up. For me, it was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, and Transformers. Despite that, what child doesn't know who Snake Eyes is?! He was pretty much the biggest badass in the Joe world (although Stormshadow is a close runner-up).

Anyways, Hasbro recently released an incredible Snake Eyes figure that only retails for $7-8 on your local retail shelf.

Continue reading to see Randy's complete review of the new figure (including photos).

"Not everyone grew up in the 1980's and had the joy of coming home from school, plopping down in front of the TV and watch cartoons such as Transformers, Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe. I sincerely feel bad for those of you out there who were not fortunate enough to share in such a delight. Nevertheless, most Americans are still familiar with these cartoons I mentioned whether it is from the nearly unwatchable movie counterparts or even perhaps modern versions of cartoons based on these popular toy properties.

As far as the toys go, G.I. Joe was the one for me. There was a great variety of characters both good and bad. The action figures were loaded with great articulation and accessories and could be had for under three bucks. Which meant I had a better chance of convincing my mom to buy me a Joe than a Transformer.

Snake-Eyes was a definite favorite of mine and most kids my age. How could you go wrong? He wore all black and had swords. Well, at least the second version of this character did. Snake-Eyes started out as a Commando but soon his mythos got more complicated and he was turned into the silent ninja. Over the last twenty-five plus years, Snake-Eyes has become one of G.I. Joe's top brand characters. Therefore, in nearly every new incarnation of G.I. Joe you can almost guarantee to see several newly designed Snake-Eyes action figures. It has gotton to the point where I, and many other Joe fans are sick of seeing this once adorned hero.

With Hasbro's most recent (and greatest) series of G.I. Joe - Pursuit of Cobra, Hasbro has already given us two new Snake-Eyes figures. However, this time- three's definitely a charm.

The designers at Hasbro clearly were going for the end all be all of Snake-Eyes figures here as they went all out and skipped no minor details.

The sculpt is absolutely brilliant! The figure's design is modeled after the 12" collector version released by Sideshow collectables a couple of years back and features much to gaze upon. He shares both the aesthetic of the original commando and the popular ninja.

The articulation is where this figure really begins to get fun. Any modern Joe collector is familiar with the extent of the pose ability of the current action figure line but what sets this Snake-Eyes apart from the rest is the added wrist articulation. The wrists don't just turn but can be moved up and down to add some exceptional posing.

The accessories are a plenty. Perhaps even too much for one figure. He includes two swords with sheaths, a samurai sword, a couple hand guns, a larger machine gun and his signature Uzi. In addition, he has two silencers which not only attach to three of the guns but one can actually be stored in a holster attached to his leg! However, the best accessories (if you can call them that) are his two different heads. Hasbro clearly did not want to pick favorites with this design and gave us both the original styled commando head and the famous ninja head with the visor. Both heads look fantastic and I believe the favorite is an issue of personal preference. I prefer the ninja head myself. However, I do believe the body may be a better match for this more realistic uniform.

I really could go on and on about this brilliant action figure. I myself have gotten a little carried away as I seem to buy this figure every time I see him on the store shelves (I think I am up to eight). In my defense, I often give them to friends hoping they see the brilliance in it and share some of my enthusiasm.

Whether you grew up with G.I. Joe or not. If you have any appreciation for action figures of any kind, YOU MUST PICK UP THIS ACTION FIGURE! You will not be disappointed especially for the seven dollar retail price. I've loved G.I. Joe all my life but the new Pursuit of Cobra series by Hasbro has truly brought out the kid in me.

YO JOE!

5 out of 5"



For more photos of this review and the reviews of hundreds of other toys released within the last few years, check out Primetoystore.com reviews!

1 comment:

  1. This toy's worth the cost of admission. Even if you aren't into toys, but are a male between 20-40, you'll find yourself recreating battles on your desk. $7-8 well spent IMO.

    ReplyDelete