City Strike Snake Eyes


Here it is- that which is assumed to be the pinnacle of the Rise of Cobra tie-in line. And it's based on a design seen not in the movie, but the animation GI Joe: Resolute. Hasbro basically ran out of time to release all the Resolute figures they had designed before the movie stuff came out, so they've gone with the only option left to them: pepper the line with a few of them. (For instance, Roadblock was recently released in a Wal-Mart exclusive set called Outpost Defender.) Is this Snake Eyes worthy of all the hype?

Sure, Snake Eyes kicked a lot of ass in the animation, and this figure looks spot-on to that design. The traditional visor was done away with, which I like to see. And the figure isn't all black, which is another plus. You have optional sword placement as well- you can place it high on his back, or lower at the waist, as seen in the animation. The figure features a nice selection of guns, fitting the commando part of the Snake Eyes equation. There's a large rifle, medium rifle, and a small handgun. I think he looks best holding the medium rifle with both hands, but that's me. The articulation is also fantastic, as it should be on a modern GI Joe. The paint is great, but it's kind of hard to mess up SE's muted colors. Most of the color is just the color of the plastic it was molded in, but it looks nice so it's not a nitpick. I still question the wisdom of the Arashikage symbol in red on his right arm, as most movie SEs feature. It just as well be a target. I'm sure it's for the kids, if they or their parents could find this figure.

Yes, this is an absurdly difficult figure to find. It really isn't too surprising- this is undoubtedly the best Snake Eyes figure ever produced. Yes, I know, blasphemy in the face of the 1985 version 2 of the character, but c'mon. It's like saying a 1985 Chevy Camaro is better than the 2010 model- it's not true, and the only thing either thing from 1985 has going for it nowadays is nostalgia. The newer car has many more features and better quality, as does the newer figure. You don't have to worry about this toy's o-ring breaking (he doesn't have one anyway), the thumbs and crotch breaking, and you have a place to store the sword so you don't lose it. Plus, it's a new design for Snake Eyes. You're going to buy it anyway, so you don't need my recommendation. Like me, you probably own most of the other 42 versions Hasbro has done of Snake Eyes, and since he's the most popular character, you know it won't be the last one you buy either.

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