Today I'm checking the Hasbro Pulse exclusive Snake Eyes deluxe figure from 2020's hit G.I. Joe: Classified Series. Snake Eyes is listed as release 00 in the line and was released shortly after Toy Fair 2020 earlier this year. I passed on him at the time and after his prices skyrocketed I just assumed I'd never own him. Fortunately, Hasbro put up a number of these figures on Hasbro Pulse after their HasCon event a month or so ago so that gave me a chance to pick one up for a normal price (I'm still waiting for my Snake Supreme Cobra Commander to ship, though). I was content with not owning this guy but now that I have him in hand I'm very impressed with him. Not only is he a solid figure but he comes with a ton of accessories and one heck of a nice box. This guy is pretty incredible! Let's check out Snake Eyes Deluxe after the break and see what all the buzz is about...
The Facts:
Height: 6 1/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs,
balljointed drop down hips, balljointed waist, mid-torso hinge,
butterfly pecs, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged
elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, hinged neck, and a
balljointed head.
Accessories: Sword, sheathe, pistol, suppressor, uzi, knife,
holster, leg sheathe, two pouches, bandolier, backpack, art print, weapons rack, 2 sai, 2 axes, 2 kama, 4 interchangeable hands, nagamaki, katana, and a yari.
Non-Scalper Price: $40 dollars
Comparison:
* The Hasbro Pulse exclusive Snake Eyes is on the left while the standard Snake Eyes is on the right. What's the difference? Other than the weapons rack and accessories, not much. The standard figure is all black (like the vintage toy) with only a few red and silver paint details while the Pulse version has a silver visor and grayish-green pants and webgear. The Pulse exclusive Snake Eyes also has a more realistic Uzi and pistol versus the more sci-fi inspired weapons of the standard release.
The Positives:
* For the Classified Series Hasbro went with a figure that seems to draw more from the 1985 "ninja" Snake Eyes than from the 1982 "commando" Snake Eyes. He still has visible details of military styled equipment (holsters, pouches, webgear) but the sleek, armored suit (loaded with textures) seems more reminiscent of the ninja side of Snake Eyes. Despite having so many figures made, Snake Eyes' overall look doesn't change much and so you can draw comparisons between this figure and plenty of others. He really makes me think of the Valor Vs Venom Snake Eyes, particularly due to the colors and the webgear, as well as the Sigma 6 Snake Eyes, and the Rise of Cobra Snake Eyes. He much more "colorful than the standard figure due to the grayish green used for his pants and gear along with the silver details and the red Araashikage symbols on his belt and harness.
* Snake Eye's is wearing the armored visor and helmet combination from his 1985 variant (that was used pretty frequently afterwards) and, while it's the same headsculpt as the standard figure, it's a huge improvement due to the silver visor. Painting the visor a separate color really makes this work and brings out much more detail in the sculpt.
* There's a lot of going on with Snake Eyes' uniform, especially on his torso. There are two removable straps with pouches that fit over his biceps and a removable bandolier with sculpted grenade that fits across his chest. The straps with the Arashikage symbol (on his upper torso) are a separate piece, though you'd have to remove Snake Eyes' head and really work it over his arms. I wonder if this is a removable piece so that the torso can be reused for other versions of the character in the future?
* Since he was the first figure introduced in the line Snake Eyes' articulation scheme gave most folks an idea of what to expect. Of course, the articulation is really nice and incredibly useful in getting excellent poses out of the figure. There are plenty of joints and they all move quite well. Hasbro has been on a roll for quite a few year now, making some of the sturdiest and most well designed 6 inch scaled action figures on the market and thus far the Classified Series has been another hit. Construction wise, this might be the best line Hasbro is putting out right now.
* While the standard figure doesn't have alternate hands, this one does. You get an alternate right hand that is open with a small blade or climbing claw strapped to the palm and a left hand holding a non-removable shuriken. It's nice to have some options, particularly with the left hand. That shuriken looks amazing!
* Snake Eyes must be toting around a lot of gear as he has a fairly
large backpack. It's the same grayish-green as his pants and harness with silver buckles and lots of sculpted
pouches. There's also a hole on the right side for storing the scabbard for his sword.
* Snake Eyes' sword is definitely designed after the 1985 v2 figure as it has an unusual blade with a heavier tip and a serrated blade closer to the hilt. It looks really cool and the figure hold it quite well.
* Snake Eyes's sheathe for his sword is very nice. The sheathe has a rather impressive texture, the blade fits inside perfectly, and it's adorned with the Arashikage symbol. It also has the grayish green coloring on the fabric looking part of the sheathe, different from the standard figure. There's a peg on the sheathe so it can attach to the side of Snake Eyes' backpack or plug right into the backpack hole on his back.
* Another difference between this Snake Eyes and the standard release are the firearms included. While the basic figure has a more sci-fi/ Nerf inspired "blaster" this figure comes with an actual Uzi, which has been Snake Eyes' weapon of choice since 1982. It's a nice sculpt with a lot of detail and Snake Eyes looks wonderful holding it.
* Snake Eyes' pistol is also different, too. It's not immediately identifiable to my eyes but it's definitely a more realistic looking firearm rather than the sci-fi inspired "blaster" included with the basic figure. The pistol has an extended magazine, a modified barrel, and the ability to utilize the included suppressor. The Uzi can use the suppressor as well, just FYI.
* This Snake Eyes also comes with the same knife as the standard figure. It's a solid sculpt and different than the knives that come with the other figures in the line, so it seems to be a unique accessory for Snake Eyes thus far.
* Here's a quick shot of Snake Eyes' sword and scabbard attacked to his backpack. Looking at this, I really like how the grayish-green visually breaks up the individual elements of the figure.
* And here's a shot of Snake Eyes' gear stowed on his hips. His holster holds both the pistol and the suppressor while the sheathe on his left leg holds his knife.
* The big selling point of this figure is the dojo weapons rack that comes with Snake Eyes. It's pretty large and pretty awesome! It's around 5 1/2 inches tall and 6 inches wide and is double sided. The back side is very ornate and looks like it has two oni on it battling in the clouds. On the sides of the display are two wolves which, of course, seem like an allusion to Timber.
* Like any good ninja Snake Eyes also comes with a pair of sai. They're simple but effective weapons with a hexagonal tsukagashira, which is the head of the weapon's pommel.
* Last up are a pair of kama. These are different than the kama included with Arctic Mission Storm Shadow and, like the axes, seem designed with a bit more of a tactical aesthetic.
* The longest weapon in the set looks like a yari, a long, double bladed spear. The blades on the end are quite sharp looking and seem like something that would be useful for taking on a few foes at once.
* While Snake Eyes comes toting his scimitar like sword he also has this ninjato to use as well. It's slim, straight, and looks like a very modern take on an ancient weapon.
* Last up is a nagamaki, named for the long wrapping around the katana like handle. Half blade, half handle, this is a crazy looking weapon and one that has been in use for over 1000 years.
* This Hasbro Pulse exclusive Snake Eyes has some seriously cool packaging that was designed by artist miQ Willmott. Included in the very ornate box is a print of the front of the Snake Eyes box. This is pretty cool, right? In the Hasbro Pulse article I lined to Wilmott talks about how he designed the image as a blend between eastern and western aesthetics and as perhaps a tattoo that Snake Eyes might be sporting on his back. It's a really nice art print and looks gorgeous, almost as if it was done with charcoal.
* Here's a shot of the packaging which is fairly collector friendly. There is a slip cover which can be removed to show off the gorgeous shiny black box on the left (it was tough to photograph but the image is an all black version of the image above). The box is very sturdy and opens to reveal Snake Eyes in his own standard sized box (he's listed as figure number 00) along with a foam insert to hold the weapons rack and all of the ninja weapons needed to fill it. This is some of the best packaging of the year, hands down.
The Negatives:
* Like on the standard figure, Snake Eyes' backpack has the tendency to pop out of the hole in his back. It still hangs on via his bandolier, but it seems odd that something as simple as a functional backpack wasn't nailed perfectly.
* I'm not too concerned about breakage but the hands don't swap out as easily as I would have liked. It really would have been ideal to have them swap a bit more easily.
Snake Eyes is hands down one of the best figures of the year. Hasbro has been doing a terrific job of making awesome looking figures that are fully functional toys and Snake Eyes excels in both areas. He's a great figure who is loaded with extras and who comes in a fairly collector friendly package that really is impressive on it's own. This guy gets an Epic from me. Originally I thought he was going to be an easy pass but having him in he's one of my favorites. I'm really glad that Hasbro pulse restocked him last month and I hope they continue to do that with their exclusives. All fans of this line deserve to own this guy as he's stellar.
If you're a fan of Snake Eyes check out my reviews of the G.I. Joe Sigma 6 Ninja Paratrooper Snake Eyes, Snake Eyes from the G.I. Joe Retaliation Tactical Ninja Team, and the standard G.I. Joe: Classified Series Snake Eyes.
Glad you managed to snag one. Impressive piece. The packaging itself was awesome. The figure is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed! He is incredible! I'm all caught up now, too, though still waiting for my Snake Supreme Cobra Commander. I also skipped the Regal variant, which may have been a bit of a tactical error on my part though I really don't want to get into straight up repaints in this line.
DeleteI wanted this guy, but went for the regular release, what a killer fig!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Hasbro Pulse will dig out a few more leftover exclusives at some point in the near future to get these back out to collectors. This Snake Eyes is pretty incredible.
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