Thursday, August 21, 2025

Action Figure Review: Frag-Viper from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   More Cobra troopers incoming! 

   Thanks for those who have checked in on me since I have been absent for a couple weeks now. Nothing's wrong; just a mix of work and church duties, back to school time for my daughter, becoming obsessed with the video game Blue Prince, and spending time with our new rescue dog, Krypto. Oh, and I've been working behind the scenes on reviews for this year's 31 Days of Toy Terror. Can't forget that! 

   Anyways, how about we check out another G.I. Joe: Classified Series review. The line might have been a bit slower during the first half of 2025 but the second half seems to be absolutely loaded with new figures. I've already looked at Blowtorch and Darklon from this series/ wave so now it's time to check out the Frag-Viper. He's another 1989 offering, which is very welcome in my book. I really think 1988 to 1990 might have been the best years for the G.I. Joe: A Real American line in terms of designs, accessories, and engineering. Yeah, the characters might not be as iconic or used as often as the earlier years, but the figures were absolutely just straight fire. The Frag-Vipers were just one of the many excellent Viper specialists from 1989 and the Classified team did an incredible job of updating and expanding them. Ready to check out the new and improved Frag-Viper? Then join me after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 6 3/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball-jointed drop down hips, ball-jointed waist, hinged mid-torso, butterfly pecs, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Helmet, mouth tube, backpack, bicep pouch, forearm guard, cesta/ manual hurling basket, grenade, grenade feeding tube, sash, 2 holsters, 2 submachine guns, and 2 magazines. 

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars



Comparison:

* Here's a quick shot of the Classified Series Frag-Viper (on the left) with my vintage childhood Frag-Viper (on the right). I'm missing the grenades, but who isn't, right? This is a figure that translated to the Classified Series very well with more detail and a few new and unique ideas. He's a nice update of a figure that didn't feel outdated as it was. It's surprising how few times the Frag-Viper came out in the 1/18th line. Other than the original there were two G.I. Joe Collector's Club exclusives: The Operation Flaming Moth jungle version in 2006 and a more classic inspired Frag-Viper in the 2013 Joe-Con set.





The Positives:

* I'm starting with the helmet off here, but we'll get to it in a minute. The Frag-Viper looks great with a burnt orange jumpsuit accompanied by touches of brown, black, and dark blue. His harness is a separate piece, though it's not removable. His sash is, though (more on that in a moment), and so are his arm guard and his holsters. Interestingly, his colors are kind of mirrors of the Cobra Mole Rat, another figure with a funky extra unmasked head. Some kind of weird connection, maybe? This guy looks like he has plenty of room to carry all kinds of necessary equipment out in the field while not being too over encumbered. 







* The Classified Series Frag-Viper has a removable helmet, showing him with a very creepy face. What is he? He's supposed to be some sort of cybernetically enhanced trooper. The vintage Frag-Vipers seemed to be regular guys who utilized a bizarre mixture of high-tech and low-tech gear to more stealthily and accurately deliver grenades faster than a traditional grenadier could. This guy, though, has been enhanced. Modified. What the heck has Dr. Mindbender been up to? These guys remind me of the T-600s from Terminator: Salvation a bit. Cobra isn't above modifying their troops, are they?



* I'm really interested in the sash that the Frag-Viper wears. Why? It's ornamental, but that doesn't seem like something the Frag-Viper would need to be concerned about. The vintage figures has a similar strap, but it's what keeps his belt and such up and backpack on as there's no web gear. It's removable if you don't like it. I almost wondered if it was intended to be a piece of gear that could be used as a primitive shepherd's sling if his gear broke down.







* While his right arm has the cesta/ manual hurling basket, the left arm is covered with some armored plates and a couple pouches. They're removable if you pop off the right hand. 


* Ok, let's get to the helmet. This isn't just a standard helmet; this thing is supposed to be located with tools to help the Frag-Viper on the battlefield. Since he's been cybernetically altered, perhaps the helmet connects right with his brain? Or maybe he's just been altered to have less fear of hurling grenades everywhere. The helmet fits great and has a cool, almost insectoid look to it. I assume there's communications equipment, optical enhancers, and probably sensors to help point out various threats on the battlefield. I would imagine they're warned if they're too close to one of their own team's grenades.



* There's a simple tube that connects from the mouth to the backpack, probably supplying fresh oxygen in case these guys are in the midst of too much smoke or toxic fumes. These guys seem like they'd be pretty hardy. The tube stays connected very securely and looks pretty cool. 








* The Frag-Viper backpack is a slight upgrade from the vintage figure, though the design isn't too different/ He has multiple rows of grenades in their, along with communications equipment (there are a pair of antennae on top), pouches, and presumably some oxygen in there somewhere. The sculpt is fairly sharp, though the grenades aren't painted.


* Let's talk about the cesta/ manual hurling basket. Yes, as a kid I thought this was a giant claw with a machine gun (I'm surely not the only one, right?) but the Frag-Viper actually uses the cesta like claw (resembling the tool from the game jai alai) to hurl grenades further and with peak accuracy. It's an interesting idea that improves modern warfare through a primitive tool. Of course, the Frag-Viper is supported by a large tube that "feeds" the grenades into the cesta basket, allowing for a quicker reload. It's a crazy concept but it seems effective. The large tube connecting the cesta and backpack stays in place fairly well, too.





* The cesta does look like a blade, so I'm sure it could still be used like a claw in an emergency. It's meant for accurately hurling frag-grenades, though. There is still what looks like a machine gun barrel on the top, so I've always assumed that both this version and the vintage version could also fire off a few rounds from this when needed.







* A grenade is included with a smoke trail of sorts. Why a smoke trail? I don't know. It's cool looking, though, and there are two holes on the cesta basket to plug the grenade in. The red looks good on the grenade itself. I'm assuming that once it is launched the grenade perhaps automatically arms, so we're seeing the flashing now that it's moving through the air?






* The Frag-Viper isn't wearing a ton of armor but he still has quite a bit of gear in place. He still moves pretty well, though, and most things impeding him in any way are just due to stuff like his harness or various tubes.   He's a lot of fun to mess around with, particularly when you're using his different flame attachments. It's fun to try to get him in a truly great throwing pose. I definitely didn't get it here, but I believe it's possible. This guy is sturdy and well articulated, so have at him and have him hurl frag grenades to your heart's content.


* Rather than the carbine the vintage figure came with (he also had a weird antique looking weapon on his left hip), the Frag-Viper comes toting two HK MP7s. These are reused from Shockwave  and are probably a pretty good choice for a trooper who usually only has one hand available. He gets two, though. Better to be overprepared than underprepared. These are solid accessories with detailed sculpting and hollow barrels for holding firing effects. 






* They also have removable magazines for magazine swapping action!












* The holsters are not the same as Shockwave's holsters, interestingly. These seem to be new to me. They hold the MP7s securely and look to have some armored panels on them.


The Negatives:


* You know what my only negative here is? I really would have liked to have had a spare grenade, or maybe one or two grenades that popped out. I know we get the cool "hurling" grenade, but it's permanently attached to the smoke piece. It would have been fun to have. 






   This most recent series of G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures has been amazing. Darklon and Blowtorch were both fantastic, and now the Frag-Viper? Hasbro just continues to nail almost every release. This guy is just a cool design with some really neat new ideas like the dual MP7, the techy attachments on the shoulder straps, and the almost zombie-like face. Cobra's up to some shady stuff again! This guy really makes me appreciate the Frag-Vipers more than ever before and I can just imagine how devastating they could be. Quietly darting around, hyper aware of everything going on around them. Silently lobbing grenades from hidden positions, immune to the smoke and chaos surrounding them. Just Epic.

This is the first Frag-Viper I've reviewed on the site. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:


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