When fascism comes to America, it will not be in brown and black shirts. It will not be with jack-boots. It will be in bright pink and orange outfits, wearing a cheeserag, talking like a kid with a lisp, shooting lasers, and looking up at the sky like a chicken trying to drown itself in the rain. This is COBRA. And you will fear them. Or die laughing.

Name: Night Creeper and Air-Viper
Line: GI Joe, Defense of Cobra Island Seven Pack
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2009
Price: Online: $35.00-$60.00
Scale: 3.75 in.
Accessories: Night Creeper - Crossbow, Machine Gun, Backpack; Air-Viper - Pistol
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys-$44.95

 

 
      In short, the Night Creeper is a smaller leaner figure, well-suited for a ninja. The Creeper has the arms of a muscular yet emaciated guy. They look tumerous, to be honest. And one leg is shorter than the other. Yikes! The torso is the standard 25th Greenshirt/Snake Eyes model, but it's covered-up by the harness and backpack, making this figure seem all the more original. The legs are thin enough to pass for a female's, hell, put some boobs on this figure and it makes a great conversion.
      You're not alone if you're wondering why a ninja would need to dress like a nomadic cyber-shinobi. And even that is slightly acceptable, almost believable, but then they had to go and wear purple outfits; WTF? Were they all out of the cool colors at Wal-Mart Cobra-Mart? Or are these guys so badass that they wear these laughable shades just to hear you giggle, so they have an excuse to kill you? I'm gonna have to believe that one. The character's design is pretty nifty, it just needs a paint makeover. The soles have cleats, the shins have sculpted leather armor (I think it's supposed to be leather, there are laces down the back of it), there are wrinkles all over the clothes, the helmet gear all blends together smoothly. This fig even has one of my more favorite details on GI Joes: A wrist-watch.
      A few of the parts used for the Air-Viper I recognize, like the torso from Wild Bill and the upper arms from Barbeque, but I'm told a lot of the parts are new, and they look great! Together they create a cohesive uniform. The thighs have slots in the side that I'm guessing a previous figure used to carry gear, but they've been plugged with raised bits of plastic that match the pattern running along the leg. Not sure why they're raised bits, they look weird, but not a problem. Speaking of weird, the helmet is off somehow, it's too small maybe? It makes the pilot look like he has no chin.
      Details are all over this fig, the wrinkles, ribbing, and scalloping on the armors looks good throughout. I have to admit though, I wouldn't think this guy was an attack pilot at first glance.

Night Creeper Sculpt Score: 9 / 10

Air-Viper Sculpt Score: 8 / 10

     The figure is mainly cast in corresponding colors, with areas painted as needed. The camo is all painted cleanly, the crotch is painted, the helmet, and the sliver above the elbows, among other little bits. There are some random flecks of silver on the shoes and face-mask, I think those are there accidentally. There's some paint on the crossbow and sword too. All apps are neat and tidy, an impressive sight after seeing all the sloppy paint-jobs on DCUC figures (that's my last shot at Mattel for the week, promise! :P )
     I don't mean to harp (yes I do) on the purple paint, but seriously, what the heck? I love purple and lavender and all their variations, but this just looks doofy. It looks almost as stupid as a SWAT guy painted all orange.
     HSSSSSSSGH! Ooooo, do you hear that? The sound of a billion Alley-Viper fanboys hissing!
      The Air-Viper has more paint-apps, and with that comes more chances to screw them up. The helmet looks good, but there's noticeable overspill along the straight-edges on the harness. It's completely painted so it's stiffer than usual and looks like leather. The shins are also entirely painted, but could use another coat of red. The black on the thighs is paint and there are other bits painted as well, like the neck and pouches on the sleeves. There's enough paint on the figure to add heft and make it feel like the more expensive Wolverine Origins figures.

Night Creeper Paint Score: 9 / 10

Air-Viper Paint Score: 8 / 10

 

     I've come to like the standard articulation on GI Joe figs, it suits them well. I can live without a thigh-swivel but the single-hinge elbows are still annoying. Can't complain too much because the Night Creeper can hold his weapons semi-competently. Firing a crossbow requires it to be braced against your body, and this figure's elbows won't allow that. So I guess I can complain some more. The armor gets in the way a little too, but at least it doesn't block the mid-section pivot...much. The head is severely limited.
     I didn't relaize how much of a problem the cleats on the shoes would be. Did I say "cleats"? I meant Super Secret Stealth Climbing Spikes of Death, yeah, that's better, these guys hate soccer anyway. The spikes make the figure's stance unstable because there's less friction with the floor so there's less to keep the fig solidly on it's feet. And the balance is horrible with all the gear equipped, so prepare to make full use of the included stand.
     Similar problems are present in the Air-Viper; Hard to stand (tiny feet), limited elbows, but the torso can move a lot more freely. The ball on the neck is set too far back, so this guy looks like he's always looking slightly upwards, which is fitting, really, if you think about it. This poor Cobra pilot has to defend Cobra Island but doesn't have a plane to do it with, so he just watches the skies helplessly! I think Hasbro should have included a F-22 Raptor in the package for free. :)

Night Creeper Articulation Score: 8 / 10

Air-Viper Articulation Score: 8 / 10

      There are several cool accessories included with this Night Creeper, and like the figure's sculpt, they aren't lacking any details either. The items are: A file-card, a stand, a snakey-sword (stores on backpack), a badass crossbow (with removable bolts), an equally-impressive-to-look-at gun, and "high-tech espionage" backpack gear, which I can only assume is used to satiate their "predilection for advanced electronic stealth and infiltration technology" like the file-card mentions. The armor/harness and head-wrap are removeable so you can count those as accessories too. The crossbow fits securely in the right hand while the gun can fit into the left (the trigger-finger even slips into the trigger-guard!). Everything fits naturally so this fig looks good on display and while playing on your battlefield.
     A pilot without wings is no fun to be around, they're usually sulking and look defeated. But this Viper has an air of pride and confidence and doesn't need a plane to rough you up. The holstered gun on the harness is sculpted, but a second similar gun is included so he can shoot things to vent his frustration. He can't hold it too well though because the trigger-guard gets in the way, but you can cut it off and make it work just fine. 

Night Creeper Fun Score: 7 / 10

Air-Viper Fun Score: 7 / 10

     Thanks to the folks at Hisstank.com, I found-out this 7-pack is an internet exclusive, so the price depends on whatever an internet store decides to charge for them! Sounds like bad news, eh? Just keep in mind, a single Joe fig sells for about $7-$8, and there are 7 in this pack, so even if you pay $60, that's still not too big of screw-job.
     In terms of whether this set is even worth buying in the first place, YES, the figs included have slick updated designs of the older 80's figs. And hey, I thought a lot of the old figs looked ridiculous, but they look pretty sweet with this modern sculpting. Makes me wonder, why weren't these figure sculpted like this way back then? Was there a shortage of people who ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT A HUMAN LOOKED LIKE? Heh.
     I'd buy both these figures at retail, the Night Creeper is good for female customs and has great accessories while the Air-Viper is just plain cool. And remember to get him a plane! 

Night Creeper Value Score: 7 / 10

Air-Viper Value Score: 7 / 10

 

Night Creeper - 80 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

A silly name befitting a silly outfit doesn't make the Night Creeper any less awesome. I mean, if you saw a ninja running at you, would his purple costume make you less scared, or MORE scared?

Air-Viper - 78 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

The Air-Viper is every bit as good as his bretheren, he's just not as comfortable when out of his element. Displaying this figure on your shelf instead of in a Cobra aircraft is like Aquaman riding down the street on a Segway, it just isn't right.

-DrNightmare

*The figures in this review were provided as product samples by the manufacturer, but every effort is made to objectively review all figures.*

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