New Cobra Soldier review and pics. Updated with Pt. 2!!!

[sinchicken]

I am a casual collector of sixthscale figures. I collect some of the higher end stuff and some of the cheaper figures too. I have many brands from many time periods (60s to present). Basically if it appeals to me I'll buy it.

I spotted the new 12 inch figures at one of the local WMs today. I had originally planned on skipping these guys based on the pictures I had seen online. When I picked one up to examine it more closely my opinion immediately changed. I liked the Flint figure but I am a sucker for anything Cobra and they only had one Cobra Soldier left, so I put him in the cart.

Enough of my rambling, on to the review:

Part 1: The base figure.

I forgot to take a picture of the packaged figure, but here is one with all the contents (minus the missile ).



The paper insert:



Like many of my peers, I have a great disdain for 12 inch figures with "sculpted on" clothing. To me, it kind of takes away some of what 1/6 scale figures are all about. There is just something about the little guys having their own wardrobes and uniforms that they can change into and out of. That being said, I can understand why toy companies take the "sculpted on" approach: It's cheaper. The more accessories or clothes that the companies put in the package, the more its gonna cost. If they can cut a little of the cost and then still make it appealing to kids, the company will sell more product.

With the Cobra Soldier, the sculpted clothing is limited to his sweater and face mask. The mask, to me is forgivable, due to the fact that I will only use him as the intended character. Also, it would be hard to get a real cloth mask to fit well.





The shirt is a little more annoying, but it has some nice detail (the texture, folds, and Cobra symbols). I also like the fact that the "shirt" is tight fitting and low lying so that it can be easily be covered by pretty much any cloth shirt or jacket that you want from the same scale. I have a new sweater ordered from monkeydepot. (I'll post pics as soon as I get it.)





I don't think that the shirt needs both the insignia and the word COBRA. I believe the symbols would be just fine by themselves. But, no big deal.





I like the cut-off glove look for the hands and the articulation is good. The fingers open and close with the index finger being separate. There is no Kung-fu grip, so they don't grab on very tightly.











The figure has good articulation and poseability overall. And check out those Cobra blue undies. I wonder if those are issued to you when you sign up.



I'm getting kinda sleepy now, so be here tomorrow for Part 2: The clothes and accessories.

[Django]

WOOT!

he looks good,Im going to get him today Shhh! dont tell the wife.

[Adventure_fox85]

ooooooooooo i like it! 0w0 army build tiem!!!!!!!!!

[destro]

call me crazy.....but i really do hate the original M16.....i like the A2 through A4 versions better., i have dusty in 12in and was thinking flint, but i cant get passed his having an original M16 and bazooka having an A2

[sinchicken]

Sorry for the delay folks, I got a little busy this week.

Anyway, here we go with Part 2:

The boots are pretty standard for a 12 inch Hasbro figure, good detail but nothing out of the ordinary.





Same goes for the elbow pads, nothing spectacular but a nice inclusion.



Now, the pants I really like. They are a nice shade of "Cobra blue" and the take a little of the attention away from the sculpted shirt. The two pockets near the waist are just decorative and cannot hold anything. There are two thigh pockets and a calf/shin pocket that are all functional. The right thigh pocket and the shin pocket have a fold over flap like most BDU pants. The left thigh pocket has no flap has more of a "dump pouch" feel to it. It could be a quick place to store things that he doesn't want to spend time packing up in the heat of battle (empty mags, etc).









The pants also feature a nice RAH style logo sewn inside.



The helmet is also nice. A little plain but nice. It seems to be a basic helmet with, again, a nice blue application and a crisp Cobra emblem. The helmet straps are stretchy with a slide hook to fasten them.



I'm not a big fan of the belt but for the price point I can't see Hasbro including a cloth belt with functioning pouches and the works. However, for a molded plastic belt the details are great and it does its job. It feature many sculpted on pouches, a holster for the included pistol, and two unused open "pouches". One of which, I have no idea what the function is, I just slipped a knife and sheath into it. The other looks like it could be used for a collapsible baton or maybe a small can of pepper spray.





I have mixed feelings for the weapons. The M-16 style rifle is just a single piece. No removeable mag, no strap, plain jane. It looks good from a distance, but to me its forgettable.



The grenade launcher is a very nice piece. I don't see every Cobra soldier carrying one but its a great option. The launcher features a good weathered wash that looks a lot more realistic than the other accessories. It also has a folding stock that feels sturdy in its operation and looks great open or closed. There is also a missle that fires from the launcher. I have always hated spring fired action features. I understand the playability aspect but the mechanism or the trigger usually takes away from the look of the weapon. On this one however, the trigger is hidden very well in the sights. If you leave the missle out of the barrel, the launcher is a convincing piece and one of my favorite parts of the set.









For me, the suprise of the set is the semi-auto pistol. When I saw the pistol in the belt I assumed it would be the same quality as the M-16. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the magazine was removable. Then what was really suprising was that the slide actually moved. I have seen this on other sixthscale pistols but not yet on a 12" Joe (you guys may have seen them, I just haven't bought one in a while). Most other sixthscale weapons I've seen with this feature slide open and stay open. This one has a spring that automatically closes it again. (In the picture I had to hold it open with my finger to show the open action.) A very cool feature in my opinion and not a necessary one for the price point.







Here is a comparison picture with an HK Mk23 with non spring loaded slide made by Dragon:





Hope you guys enjoy the pics. I'll post some more soon with action shots and my variations in gear.

[swampmojo]

Did anyone notice that the head sculpt for this trooper is an updated version of the Cobra Commander head sculpt from the first H.O.F. series?


And I am working on the same ideas as you SIN, I need to find the sweater link you got but I added a soft mask, glasses and kneepads as well as a different weapon and removed the pocket on the end of the pants leg (it obstructed the boot). I swapped the hands but that was just a test, the gloved ones look better.