Friday, February 28, 2025

Action Figure Review: S.A.W.-Viper (Semi-Automatic Weapon) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   It's time for another G.I. Joe: Classified Series review and this time we get another Cobra trooper: The S.A.W.-Viper (Semi-Automatic Weapon). A 1990 original, the S.A.W.-Viper is infamous for both the massive weapon included with the figure (it was at least as long as the figure is tall) and because of its connection to the S.A.W.-Viper named Robert Skelton, a S.A.W.-Viper from the Marvel Comics series who executed Doc, Thunder, Crankcase, and Heavy Metal (and later became the character Overkill). The S.A.W.-Viper is overall quite nicely updated here, though Hasbro has retained the mistake of the vintage line in asserting that S.A.W. stands for "Semi-Automatic Weapon" instead of "Squad Automatic Weapon." Unless referring to the fact that this guy comes with an autoloader, or automatic, pistol, this was surely a goof as he clearly is using a light machine gun of some sort (or maybe a medium or general purpose machine gun), which would be classified as a Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). Semantics aside, this guy is pretty cool though I do have a few issues. Ready to check him out? Then join me after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 6 3/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, 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, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Helmet, collar, 2 shoulder pads, 2 forearm guards, pistol, backpack, ammo belt, ammo box, machine gun, handle, and chainsaw attachment.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars





The Positives:

* The original S.A.W.-Viper was a pretty unique looking figure, especially because of his magenta and purple color scheme. That's all been brought back here, though the detail on his outfit and armor is much more impressive with visible armored plates and pouches. This guy isn't built for speed; he's built to withstand some hits and keep moving forward. He kind of reminds me of one of the Juggernauts from Call of Duty. His vest is a separate piece fitted over his torso. It's not removable, but the armored shoulder pads and forearm guards are. The colors look great together, making this guy really stand out nicely. 









* Here's a look at the S.A.W.-Viper from the back so you can see the armor and padding he's sporting. There are lots of interesting textures here to show off the different materials and accessories he's wearing.













* The S.A.W.-Viper is a troop builder, so he's wearing a black balaclava with very little of his face visible. He's also sporting an earpiece with a microphone which is sculpted onto the side of his mask rather than the helmet. I could honestly see this portrait being kind of popular with customizers wanting to make a generic black hooded terrorist kind of troop. 





 

* The bulbous helmet from the vintage figure is included and it looks great. This thing is supposed to be loaded with optical enhancers and such and it has a really wide lens. The lens looks more yellowish in my pictures but it is actually more greenish in person. Not as bright green as the belt buckle, but close. 







* The armored collar fits over the unhelmeted head to provide extra padding and protection. The inside looks padded while the outside seems to have a steel plate. There are even sculpted straps that sit over the S.A.W.-Viper's shoulders to make it look like it's strapped down.









* If you're desperately wanting a very "retro" S.A.W.-Viper, you can remove the shoulder and forearm pads and the collar, leaving you with a figure that's pretty faithful to the original 1990 release. I like the extra gear and having this guy all armored up, but if you were building a small squad of these guys you could mix things up a bit.












* The base articulation for the S.A.W.-Viper is great and like pretty much every other Classified Series figure you can think of. His heavy vest does restrict his torso movement, obviously, and the inward lateral movement of his shoulders, but being that he's a guy in a lot of bulky armor I think that's to be expected. What is impressive is how easily he can hold his machine gun with both hands and still balance. He looks great posed with his weapon for sure and it's incredible how realistically he can wield it. 




* The vintage S.A.W. Viper came with a wildly oversized weapon that apparently was the result of a mistake at Hasbro (it was supposed to be produced at 1/2 that size). This version is definitely more manageable though it's still a pretty sizeable belt fed weapon. What's it look like? It reminds me of a cross between the back of a portable minigun with the body of a Mk48. I'm pretty sure this is a Franken-weapon, so not based off of anything in particular, but it does look like something that could really exist. 






* While this weapon is belt fed, it also has a removable ammo box that's maroon or light purple. Hasbro's pictures show both the ammo box and the ammo belt attached at the same time, which is odd, but I guess it could work somehow. Use your imagination! The handle is hinged and can be moved forward and back to give the S.A.W.-Viper a better grip on the weapon.






* It took me a minute to recognize that the S.A.W.-Viper's backpack is shared with the Tiger Force Roadblock (from the two-pack with Tiger Force Tripwire that I never reviewed). It is quite similar to the vintage S.A.W.-Viper's backpack in shape and function as it's designed to be a mobile ammo canister and also hold a little bit of gear. It's a been given the same color scheme as the S.A.W.-Viper's armor, so it blends right in with him. There's even a carrying handle on the top for ease of toting it around and loading it. 






* An ammo belt is included that connects the backpack ammo box to the machine gun. Again, Hasbro's glamour shots show both the purple ammo box and the grey belt attached at the same time and attached to the right side of the weapon, so that seems to be the correct way to assemble it. It does stay together quite nicely when posing the figure and looks cool. 








* There is a peg on the backpack that does hold the machine gun. Is it impractical? Yeah, a little, but it does function and it's nice and secure. Does this guy ever need his hands free? You betcha. 




* Also included is a really cool little chainsaw bayonet. Yes, it's a handheld chainsaw that is designed to attach underneath the barrel of the machine gun Gears of War style, baby. It can also be used as a melee weapon or tool. I'd imagine this would be really handy for taking down doors, chain locks, and fences, allowing the S.A.W.-Vipers to help their squads move through their areas of engagement with ease. 



* I'm not exactly sure if this pistol is based on a specific model of a real firearm, but it looks awesome. At a glance it almost looks like a tricked out take on the Springfield Hellcat, though it's not a 1:1 comparison. It does have an extended magazine, optics on top, possibly a laser aiming module underneath, and what I'd suppose would more likely be a compensator more than a suppressor. With a hollow barrel for adding firing effects, this is one of the nicest looking guns in the Classified Series. 







* The pistol fits securely into the holster on the right side of the S.A.W.-Viper's belt.



* He also comes with a small knife with a contoured grip. Do you think anyone even dares get close enough to this guy for him to have to pull out a knife?








* The knife is sheathed right on his lower back in a small sheath attached to his belt. 
The Negatives:

* In my review of Leatherneck, I mentioned that the plastic quality of the weapons in this series feels much stronger and more durable than ever before. It's not rubbery at all. That being said, the weapons seem a bit less detailed. On most of them it's no issue, but this large machine gun looks a bit bland, doesn't it? I'd expect more detail on something this size. I think the vintage weapon had more interesting textures and sculpting.




* The chainsaw is supposed to attach under the front of the machine gun but I couldn't really get it to work. The peg on the chainsaw attachment seems to small. I did end up adding some Loctite in the hold and slid the peg in and out a bit, creating a more solid grip while still being able to remove the attachment, so I got it working. It just took some modifying/ glue.






   You know what? Since the chainsaw attachment not fitting perfectly was an easy fix, I'm not going to hold that against the S.A.W.-Viper much at all. Heck, this guy might be my favorite figure from this series so far. Yeah, I've only reviewed Leatherneck so far (and I haven't found Dial-Tone yet), but I love the colors, the design, and the accessories. If you want you could always give him an extra M249 from an Action Force set (that's what the modern 1/18th figures have given him, starting with the DTC release) but I like the S.A.W.-Viper's cutting edge weapon. Maybe it's something Destro designed specifically for the S.A.W.-Viper crew. He's an Epic figure and comes with a ton of stuff, which is always a good thing.


This is the only S.A.W.-Viper I've reviewed. For more G.I. Joe: Classified Series reviews check out the following:




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4 comments:

  1. 555February 28, 2025 at 7:52 PM

    At least they had the good taste not to include Doc's glasses, as shown on the HasbroPulse website. Great looking figure, though the plate colour and chainsword put him more in the Slaaneshi cultists category than Cobra. Dear me, he even has a kill for each of the Ruinous Powers...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17March 7, 2025 at 7:48 PM

      Doc's glasses sold separately, body bags not included.

      Slaanesh cultists, huh? I had to look that up and I can see it. Cobra's willing to hire about anyone with a pulse, it seems.

      Delete
  2. GIJigsawMarch 2, 2025 at 9:11 PM

    I passed on this guy, though I do like the colors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17March 7, 2025 at 7:49 PM

      Your Joes will thank you for that! I actually really like him, though. Looking around, I think I may have embiggened the hole myself by attaching the large SAW to the peg on the backpack, which it wasn't originally intended for. My glue trick seems to have worked, though, and all is still well. No sign of Dial-Tone still.

      Delete

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