[TAO's Note: Just let me tell you ahead of time, Wes really likes this figure. Find out what's so great about this Sigma 6 Cobra Commander from Hasbro by reading Wes' glowing review!]
Name: Cobra Commander
Line: G.I. Joe: Sigma 6
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2006
Price: Retail: $14.99 (original); Online: $5+ loose, $15-$25 new
Scale:
8 in.
Accessories: Weapons case, missile launcher, flame-core missiles (x2), fusion blaster, thermogen staff, pistol, power stone canister, helmet, and blinking red light!
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys-$14.95
Cobra Commander looks so good that I'm hard pressed to come up with something that I'd improve about the sculpt. Some folks dislike the blocky, stylized look of Sigma 6 toys. I personally don't mind it, but it doesn't even matter here -- Cobra Commander's in full body armor, so it makes perfect sense that he'd look bulky and angular. Furthermore, whereas swivel-hinge joints at the knees and elbows can sometimes look very ugly (see some of Hasbro's Marvel Legends, or any figure with a skintight outfit), Cobra Commander's armor -- not to mention the black plastic -- makes those look natural as well. And while almost all figures with decent articulation suffer from some ugliness at the hips, the Commander's got a skirt that minimizes the look of those as well.
Of course, it's not enough to just note that Cobra Commander's sculpt manages to minimize or overcome the potential shortcomings of the style and articulation model -- we've got to touch on its positive elements and details as well. I haven't seen a lot of the Sigma 6 cartoon, so I don't know how closely this outfit matches the animation model (or how closely it's supposed to, for that matter -- I'm not even sure this version of the Commander appeared on the 'toon), but there are lots of lines and panels on the suit that help to give it the appearance of armor. The are shoulder straps with tiny cobra-like "buttons" and segmented areas at the abs and neck (moreso at the neck) that recall the underbelly of a snake. The belt has four little capsules on it (as well as a clip in the back to hold the pistol), the forearms have big armor plates, the knees have huge armor spikes, and the armored shin pieces flare out at the bottom. The boots are large and angular, and the exposed portion of the ankles sport more of that cool segmented design.
Then there's the face. Cobra Commander comes with a removable helmet that recalls his classic cartoon look -- it looks a bit more like Megatron's bucket helmet with the face completely covered, but it works. There are various lines on it, two rivets on each side, and even a small cobra ornament at the top. But while I popped the helmet on as soon as I got the figure out of the package and never took it off, I'm now seeing that the hooded face underneath is great, too. The sculpted brow "knit" on the mask and the angular eyes give him a dangerous look, and the wrinkles on the lower half of the mask are convincing if not properly "realistic." He is a cartoon figure, after all!
And while it's not technically "sculpted," did I mention that there's a cool cloth cape? I love cloth capes! The sculpting on the accessories is pretty great too -- they all look very mechanical and gunlike and flamey and such, and there's even a wicked cool cobra on the thermogen staff.
Seriously, the only flaws here are par for the course for a mass-market toy -- obvious mold lines in some places (though the black plastic helps to minimize those as well), visible articulation that detracts from the look of the figure (really only at the wrists; everywhere else it blends in quite well), and the small holes on the forearm guards (for use with the fusion blaster, though other figures' accessories can plug into them as well). In fact, I probably would've scored the toy a 10 even with those minor blemishes if it hadn't been for these weird, random indentations on my Cobra Commander's shins. It's almost like the plastic has fingerprints -- very strange.
Sculpt Score: 9 / 10
Cobra Commander doesn't have much paint, but what he does have is pretty much par for the course for a mass-market toy. There's silver on the shoulder straps, forearm guards, knee spikes, belt capsules, ankles, and facemask; maroon on his elbows, sides, belt, and inner thighs; and spots of bright red on the tiny Cobras near his shoulders and on his helmet. It's all up to standard, though there are some areas with overspray, slightly jagged lines that were clearly painted by an unsteady hand, and poor coverage -- especially with respect to the maroon areas. There's also one patch on the front of his belt where the maroon is considerably lighter than the paint on the rest of the toy, as if that one spot got perfect coverage and everything else is still dark due to the black plastic underneath (not that the darker maroon looks bad). And there are a few spray spots of silver here and there.
The maroon Cobra faction symbol on Cobra Commander's chest is definitely well done, though, as is the (ironed-on? glued?) larger symbol on his silver cloth cape. Cloth capes are pretty great as it is, but impressive symbols like this make them even more awesome. The weapons also have paint applications on par with those of the body, but the coolest thing about them is that some of them are comprised of translucent yellow plastic with orange paint highlights -- making them look appropriately flamey and badass. In fact, whereas I have no reservations about firing the plain and often brightly-colored missiles that work with most toy missile launchers, these missiles look so great that I don't even want to shoot them.
Oh, and the masked face! The green eyes are well painted and menacing, and the skin -- which is (appropriately?) pale and deathly -- adds to the look. There are a few missed areas around the eyes where the maroon plastic underneath shows through, but these only make the Commander look angrier. The missed areas at the corners of the eye slits are less attractive, though.
Paint Score: 8 / 10
As you see, swivel-hinges are the joints of the hour -- only the neck, torso hinge, and waist are configured differently. The swivel-ball neck is pretty cool, as it's basically a regular ball-jointed neck that connects to the head via a swivel. Sure, it doesn't technically add any articulation that a ball joint wouldn't already provide (most ball joints are capable of swiveling, after all), but it does make posing easier since that swivel turns much more fluidly than an entire ball in its socket housing. Anyway, while Cobra Commander can look down and up to the sides effectively, he can't look straight up from the front very well. His neck does allow for all kinds of tilt and personality in all positions, though. The ab crunch is a bit limited -- though still useful -- and the waist spins 360 degrees for all manner of turning.
And ah, those swivel-hinge joints! Cobra Commander probably has the most useful swivel-hinges I've seen yet, as they're barely limited by the sculpt -- the angular style means that muscles needn't remain "rounded" at the ends, thus ensuring that the figure can get 90 degree bends (or reasonably close to them) out of every hinge. These joints are also soft ratcheting (that is, they contain built-in "click" joints), which help to add stability to the Commander's awesome poses.
That said, given that it wouldn't have impacted the visual design of the figure at all, I do wish that some of these joints had swivels at both ends, like Revoltech joints, instead of just at the top. While this would arguably be superfluous -- for example, having a Revoltech-style joint at the elbow would result in a swiveling forearm, which would arguably be unnecessary since his wrist swivels -- it would allow for even cooler poses. A swiveling forearm as noted in my example would allow the forearm guard to face front despite the position of the elbow, which allow for even cooler poses with the flamey fusion blaster accessory. And it's obvious how Cobra Commander would benefit from having rocker swivels at the feet, as they would allow him to get his feet flat on the ground in deeper stances. As it is, you kind of have to balance him on the edges of his feet. It works because his boots are large and angular, but it's not ideal.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10
Cobra Commander has something for everyone. G.I. Joe fans (which I am not; I just like Cobra Commander) get a wicked cool figure of the evil terrorist leader. Kids get a large toy that'll stand up to outdoor play and comes with with a honking big missile launcher that fires really cool-looking missiles. Collectors get a figure with excellent poseability and a whole bunch of neat accessories, both of which allow for tons of display variety on the shelf. (In addition, while the 8" scale may be offputting to many, it does mean that the figure can stand alongside Megos... make of that what you will.) Less-organized collectors who are constantly misplacing accessories get an included crate for easy weapons storage (not to mention that Cobra Commander can store the gun on his belt and the fusion blaster on his forearm). And the person whose television remote is out of juice gets a bonus pair of AA batteries (they power the blinking red light that's standard issue for Sigma 6 packaging). This toy really does have it all.
Seriously, I can't understate the fun to be had with Cobra Commander -- I even gained a greater appreciation of the figure while taking these photographs. There are so many danged accessories in that weapons crate that I didn't even take notice of all of them until now! And they all do look really cool and add something (well, except that power stone thingy... not sure what's up with that) to the Commander's playability and shelf presence. Had I realized how cool this toy was when I first got it, I probably would've purchased more Sigma 6 figures in the interim.
Fun Score: 10 / 10
I happened to snag this guy during a buy one, get one free sale, but even without the deal I would've scored this guy a 10. For $14.99, you'd have gotten not only a really well-made 8" figure, but a really well-made 8" figure that comes with a crapload of cool accessories. Seriously, I've paid $14.99 or more for figures that don't even consist of as much plastic as the Commander's accessories, let alone the boss himself. Yes, $15 for a standard action figure does seem a tad expensive (and probably seemed even moreso in 2006), but the sheer volume of toy here definitely justifies the purchase price.
Value Score: 10 / 10
9 / 10 - Great detail; armored look is appropriately imposing and minimizes the exaggerated Sigma 6 style; awesome weapons and cool cloth cape; some visible mold lines; weird plastic fingerprints on shin armor.
8 / 10 - Standard mass-market fare; some poor coverage on maroon areas; painted weapons (particularly flamey accessories) and Cobra emblem on cloth cape look fantastic.
9 / 10 - Nifty swivel-ball neck; well-done swivel-hinges make for great poseability; Revoltech-style joints (at the elbows and especially at the ankles) would have made the Commander even more poseable.
10 / 10 - Large, sturdy figure with great articulation and amazing accessories and even a flipping case to store the weapons -- fun for even someone who knows jack about Joe. COBRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
10 / 10 - An 8" figure with a 6" figure's weight in accessories -- not to mention free batteries -- for only $14.99. 'Nuff said.
96 / 100 - This is a Wonderful Toy
Cobra Commander does well in all categories and shines like a shiny doomsday device thingy during the most ambitious Cobra plot EVER when it comes to fun and value. Minor paint issues notwithstanding, this is about as close to perfection as mass-market toys get.
-Wes
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