Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified: #06 Cobra Commander Action Figure Review

Sssssssssooooo awessssssome to have you visssssit Dan'sssss ToyBox today for our latesssssst review.

Ok, I'll stop now. Welcome to Dan's ToyBox as for this review we are looking at the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified #06 Cobra Commander Action Figure. From a purely aesthetic point of view, this is an amazing figure. Unfortunately, there are a number of issues that I've found, at least with mine. I do realize that one figure isn't always indicative of the entire run, but it could be a concern. I also know that there have been QC issues with some of the early Classified figures and it seems mine has run into them.

With his identity hidden behind his battle mask, Cobra Commander presents a fearsome foe. As leader of the terrorist organization, Cobra, his goal is nothing less than world domination. Working with the likes of Destro and The Baroness, Cobra Commander has built the organization into a formidable opponent for G.I. Joe! Protected by his bodyguard, Storm Shadow, the Commander plots his next move against the Joes, with every evil intention of wiping out the heroes and taking over the planet. The infamous leader of Cobra's first appearance was in the pages of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1, in June of 1982. Cobra Commander's first action figure was a "mail in" released in 1982. As with the other original 16 toys, this figure had straight arms and was plagued by a slight appearance issue. The cobra sigil painted on his chest was nicknamed the "Mickey Mouse" due to its more rounded appearance. In 1983, it was re-released with an updated paint scheme (read: correct cobra emblem) and the swivel arm feature that became a staple of the 3.75" Joes.

Let's get ready to jump into our four categories: Accessories, Appearance, Articulation, and Affordability. After discussing each, the figure will receive an overall grade of zero to 10 ToyBoxes, with 10 being the "must add" rating. As always, these reviews are based on my opinion alone and are meant to be as objective as possible, in order to help you make the best-informed choice as to whether or not to purchase a specific figure or toy.

ACCESSORIES

While most of the Hasbro G.I. Joe figures come with a great assortment of weapons and gear, Cobra Commander is fairly limited. He comes with one weapon holding hand, one open/grasping hand, one fist, and one finger pointing hand. He also has a flint-lock style specially sculpted/customized pistol and a ceremonial cutlass, with a sculpted cobra head handle. I'm honestly disappointed. Only one hand can hold either weapon. The open/grasping hand is pretty useless as the sword cannot fit properly into it. The pointing hand is all right, for posing him giving directives in battle and the fist is fine for posing as well. The weapon holding hand needed a bit of softening though as getting both the pistol and cutlass into the bent fingers was a task in and of itself. Speaking of which... I will admit that the cutlass is very nicely done. The blade has very nice, sculpted detail and the handle/hilt with the Cobra head is also sculpted very intricately. I do like the gold paint application on the handle as well. The cutlass also fits nicely into his scabbard, but, the end of the scabbard is open, allowing the tip of the blade to protrude. I'm not overly thrilled with that. The pistol, on the other hand, is kind of awful. While I will admit that the sculpting is really neat with the snake design along the barrel and grip, the entire piece is silver. There is no wash or paint detail, which might have at least given the weapon a more genuine look, as the rest of the Joe figures have. Moreover, I question why he would be carrying a flint-lock style pistol. While I'm sure in comic continuity it's likely a specialty weapon designed by Destro... it looks to be more ceremonial than effective as a weapon. In fact, it seems kind of ridiculous that the leader of a paramilitary organization would carry something like this. Overall, I am disappointed with the accessories and give them a 3 out of 10.

APPEARANCE

This category is where I will say Cobra Commander makes up a lot of ground. The design of his uniform takes the original look and ramps it up to a more regal look, befitting the Supreme Commander of Cobra! His battle helmet features an updated sculpt, while still retaining the menacing blank, silver faceplate, and the silver stripe on top (which, in the comics, slid open to reveal that the helmet was lined with C-4 explosive to prevent unwanted removal.) First off, let's discuss the sculpting. The design of his jacket and pants are militaristic, reflecting the nature of the organization. I was surprised to realize that the cobra sigil on his chest was sculpted in and not merely a paint application. Even the gold chain between the two top buttons on his coat. The "scale" design on his coat, and the seams of his trousers gives us the feeling of "snakeskin" and the sculpting is very precise, which is really excellent work. The belts and straps around his torso also have an intricate level of detail to them as well, with a ribbed look, resembling a snake's belly. The greaves on his forearms are also exceptionally well done, not only with paint application (though one of mine does have a bit of splotchiness to it) but also with the cobra emblems actually sculpted onto them. All of the trim and ornamentation on the figure is surprisingly well done. The shoulder epaulette and cloak have both great sculpted detail and clean paint to them. Honestly, the more I exam the figure, the more impressed I am with all of the different details sculpted and painted on it. I think my biggest area of concern is the red striping on his trousers. In some areas, the paint is just a bit too thin, allowing the blue underneath to just be shadowy enough to be visible. Additionally, the figure is not pinless, so the blue pins at the sides of his knees are very visible. I would have liked maybe another layer of paint to really make the red striping "pop" more. I've said before how impressed I am with the look of the G.I. Joe Classified series figures and Cobra Commander is no exception. I would say that of the relatively small sample size of Joes I have, he is right near the top in appearance. With the exception of the few tiny concerns, this figure looks fantastic and easily earns a 9 out of 10 for appearance.

ARTICULATION

From the heights of great design to the lows of engineering. Cobra Commander's articulation is average at best but is hindered by design elements. His head will turn side to side easily enough, but there is virtually no tilt or up/down movement. His shoulders will rotate a full 360 and can raise out to a decent T pose, but his left arm is limited by the cloak piece. The bicep swivel works fine and the double-jointed elbows bend in fully, which is nice. The hands will rotate, but due to the design of his greaves, are limited in their ability to hinge decently. The diaphragm hinge is stiff on mine and even though it works, the belts and straps do pose a bit of a problem. The waist hinge works; however, you must make sure that you aren't holding the bottom of his coat as it is actually an overlay wrapped around the bottom half of his torso. Sadly, in spite of the relative soft plastic, the legs are a bit limited in their ability to both split and kick upward. Thankfully, the thigh cut works fine and the knees will bend in fairly deep. Though, I did have to heat mine as both lower joints were stiff when I received the figure. The boot cut works nice and is hidden very well and the ankles hinge and pivot beautifully. One of the biggest surprises for me was how nice the articulation was engineered on the Classified line. I have heard several reviews though, on the older figures highlighting problems with it and as this is one of the first to be released, suffers from some of those issues. I don't think you'll be getting Cobra Commander into many dynamic poses, and as such give him an average 5 out of 10 for articulation.

AFFORDABILITY

I grabbed my Cobra Commander from BBTS for the retail price of $22.99, which is reasonable, considering that I'm finding G.I. Joe Classified figures at Walmart for $21.99, while the retro carded figures are going for $24.99. I do wish he'd come with a couple more accessories, perhaps a more realistic looking weapon and at least another item holding hand. If you are collecting these figures and don't have Cobra Commander, I'd grab it at this price while you can. It's worth the price and earns a 7 out of 10 for affordability.

Overall, while this isn't a spectacular figure, it is good enough to have in any G.I. Joe display. I wouldn't say it's a "must have" unless you are a Joe purist and are putting together an entire collection. Certainly, you can't have Cobra without Cobra Commander, but I wouldn't say this is a priority purchase and as such earns:

6 out of 10 ToyBoxes

There you have it folks. Our take on the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified series: #6 Cobra Commander action figure. Hope you enjoyed this review. Please like and comment below. Until next time... GEEK OUT!!!