Air Chariot With Serpentor G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Review

[Shogi]

Serpentor’s Air Chariot is possibly one of the few vehicles in the first wave of vehicles that isn’t immediately loved by most fans. I like it, but that may be for nostalgia reasons, I don’t know.

Looking at it, there appears to be very few additions to this vehicle. This myth is compounded by the fact that the original date stamp of 1986 is on the bottom of it. However, most of the detail on the bottom are concave lines on the original but are raised ridges on this new version. The cannons are obviously new and have been bulked up in size. (Probably to prevent breakage) The handlebars have had ridges added to them and below them, where we used to have stickers for the gauges, we now have detailed plastic parts. The inside of the shroud/snake hood has been updated with detailed wires, gauges and buttons all with silver paint apps. The foot peg has been moved closer to the controls probably due to the new peg hole in the middle of the feet instead of in the heel. The most noticeable change is the movable mouth on the snake head. This is a cool little feature that wasn’t needed but is welcomed by me. The front and rear vents have been painted black which only adds to the plus side on this vehicle (It can use all the positives it can get)

I didn’t notice this till I pulled out my old Air Chariot, but the rotor in the back sits on top of the upper body, but the original had it inside the body. I believe one reason Hasbro moved the foot peg so close to the controls is due to the rotor sitting on top of the body taking up more room for the foot (The other reason is listed above, both are pure speculation on my part though) The rotor can still fit inside the body but now the peg used to rotate the rotor is too long to allow the Air Chariot to sit flat.

By itself, the Air Chariot looks great and is a wonderful update to the original. However, the main problem with this vehicle is how Serpentor fits on it. He can be made to fit on it and still look fairly good, but it takes some work. If you just casually put him on it, he’ll most likely look bad.

Vehicle Review: 5 out of 10

[Shogi]

When I first hear about Serpentor’s Air Chariot being released, I thought we would get an all new “classic” version of Serpentor. That was not the case here. What we got was the same Serpentor we already had with a few differences.

The good thing about this Serpentor is that he has a fixed crotch to allow better leg movement. After that, there isn’t much else to write home about. The gold paint apps that were on his chest are now gone along with his cape (He probably remembers what Lt. Falcon did to him in the movie) but the snakes that hold the cape in place are still there. The helmet is also now devoid of any paint apps. (They were pretty sparse there anyway) The gloves are completely green as are the lower legs. The rivets on the boots are still silver and the skirt has all the same paint apps it had before. Serpentor comes with his helmet and a Cobra stand.

This Serpentor may be good for fans that never got the single pack version and thankfully has better leg movement but a cape and perhaps even a pet snake would have been nice additions to this figure. You’re probably better off using this one for customs and getting the single pack version to go with the Air Chariot.

Figure Review: 5 out of 10

[Crimson Rage]

For all it's quirks I still like the Air Chariot. It was never intended as a major addition to Cobra's arsenal, just a conveyance for Serpentor. It's daft to be sure, but then it always was. As such it works for me.

I moved the fan inside the body, added a thick washer to stop it wobbling and trimmed the peg so that it's not too long. Looks a lot better now!

[Shogi]

For all it's quirks I still like the Air Chariot. It was never intended as a major addition to Cobra's arsenal, just a conveyance for Serpentor. It's daft to be sure, but then it always was. As such it works for me.

I moved the fan inside the body, added a thick washer to stop it wobbling and trimmed the peg so that it's not too long. Looks a lot better now!

Yeah, I moved the fan inside as well. Pretty much as soon as I looked at the original blueprints :D

[Syn3sthesia]

Hey I never had the original so I welcome this with open arms!

[Pimp Daddy Darklon]

Any side by side comparison pics of the old & new one?

[artiepants]

i really can't believe they wasted a vehicle slot with this.

[Shogi]

Any side by side comparison pics of the old & new one?

I'm trying to keep all the pictures in the reviews of only the toy I'm reviewing. I'll add a side by side comparasion to my comparasion thread here (http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-joe-real-american-hero-modern-toys/13338-new-old-vehicle-comparasions.html)

[artiepants]

BTW, shouldn't these be in the reviews forum :p

[spacemonkeymafia]

You can do what I did and go to yojoe.com and look at the org...and this one ....

[Pimp Daddy Darklon]

I see. Thanks

[Banshee]

Serpentor looks like he's about to cry. Chariot's not so bad, though.

[Deckard]

its funny cause I hated this thing when I saw and even when I picked it up before I opened it I was ready to just toss this to the dog as a chew toy, but once I opened it (and my brother offered me only six bucks for it which I told him no I want a Red Ninja or nothin) its kinda grown on me. Granted I need a Serpentor to put on it as the one that came with it was promptly butchered but its grown on me. I Still wanna make the custom joke I had in mind but now I want to keep one normal as well. Weird huh.

[Agent-GHQ]

It would have nice if the chariot was a bit taller for Serpentor to hold on to. At least give him the cape or something.

[Gerrorism!]

ofcourse he looks like hes gonna cry! First he was packaged without an Air Chariot and then when they finally released him with one he doesnt fit on it! I dont recall if I ever thought the Air Chariot was cool or not growing up but after seeing Serpentor in the DD comics he quickly became one of my most favorite bad guys.

I think this Chariot should of had a classic style Serpentor to suit it better or it should of had more changes to it to make it suit the newer Serpentor... thats just me though.

[Shin Densetsu]

Dissapointed due to lack of cape, but the Chariot will be saved for the DVD pack version in my case.

[vision_vanson]

Hasbro really needs to get Serpentor right and stop doing him so dirty. I mean for crying out loud this dude is Cobra's Emperor and he gets shafted in soo many ways. I fell in love with the custom Serpentor figure that was posted last week from the G.I. Joe vs Transofrmers: Art of War series bc it prooved to me he can be done a lil different with a more futuristic look and still look bad ass. They need to put that kind of work into him and bring his character back to life again. Also why don't they have a Dr. Mindbender figure in the "Arise Serpentor Arise" DVD battle pack? Absolutely ming boggling.

[CG76]

Can you fit the old Serpentor ('86) comfortably with the new chariot?

Thanks.

[sgt.bludhound]

It's actually not that bad of a toy, at first I thought it was corny for the legs to be bent and looked weird. I actually like it now, and it grew on me, its not the BEST of the set, but its bearable.

[murphbri]

Serpentor’s Air Chariot is possibly one of the few vehicles in the first wave of vehicles that isn’t immediately loved by most fans. I like it, but that may be for nostalgia reasons, I don’t know.

The most noticeable change is the movable mouth on the snake head. This is a cool little feature that wasn’t needed but is welcomed by me. The front and rear vents have been painted black which only adds to the plus side on this vehicle (It can use all the positives can get)

Vehicle Review: 5 out of 10

Nice review! I had to track a MISB Air Chariot down off of Ebay a couple years back for nostalgia's sake. It is a iconic vehicle imo, especially memorable to me for the scene in the movie where the open fan results in Serpentor getting his ass kicked. :-P

It's a bummer to hear that the fan is misassembled on these, but that's easily fixed. It blows my mind that Hasbro spent money to tool an articulated serpent head (which is nice but I'm pretty sure not many were asking for it) instead of fixing it so the vehicle was more in scale with the 4-inch Serpentor.

I also agree with your criticism of the included figure. I know Hasbro cut corners to make this thing fit into a $15 price point, but that fig is embarrassingly bad. THD(

[MAJOR WOLF]

Great review. I am glad they released this because I lost my chariot years ago and Serpentor needs his ride!

[flywheels]

For me personally, it's a pass. I've jet to buy any vehicles outside of the Target exclusives from a few months ago, but I'll probably pick up the Air Chariot set after I acquire a black HISS!

[Imperial_Serpentor]

Yes, at last my royal chariot is ready. All shall fear me, THIS I COMMAND!

[Axelay]

I just picked this up recently and I thought I'd share a few things. This vehicle and driver need a LOT of work to become satisfactory.

First, the problems:

- I compared the paint apps of both the single card Serpentor and the Air Chariot Serpentor, and I decided that the single card is the one to go with as the driver of this vehicle solely due to the better paint apps. This creates a problem, though, in that the single card has a diaper crotch, and his cape means that he has REALLY bad limit of movement at the hips.

- Serpentor is simply much too tall to be posed on this vehicle in any manner that looks like he's not preparing to drop a deuce.

- The Air Chariot itself has the problem with its "fan" being mounted incorrectly. It should be housed inside the rear platform.

My solutions:

- Range of motion can be improved considerably by simply unbuckling the belt for his kama. It's still firm enough that it'll stay on.

- Unbuckling the belt still doesn't solve the height problem. However, what it does do is allow Serpentor to kneel pretty convincingly.

- The fan can be mounted inside the rear platform by gently pulling the top half of the air chariot apart from the bottom half. The "spinning action" peg is now just slightly too tall for the back of the chariot to rest on the ground, but it's not bad at all. If you really wanted, you could easily cut the peg down shorter.

- Unbuckling the belt and moving the fan now allows Serpentor to have room to kneel with his left foot on the peg, and right knee on the deck of the chariot's rear. He's a great height for this, and the pose is actually pretty dynamic. I may try to get some pictures to post here to see what y'all think.

- The next thing I may try is a parts swap to get the lower legs of the Air Chariot driver onto the single card. I'm not sure if that'll allow him to stand more effectively than before, but I seriously doubt it because of the increased height.

[Dark 5cythe]

I had the original and it was stolen by kids in the neighborhood So im glad to have this one!

The RAH serpy fits on it great and holds on perfect.

As for the new fixed crotch serpy, He gets the custom treatment with the new helmet and hood and a new paint app!

[Cobra-Love]

I just picked this up recently and I thought I'd share a few things. This vehicle and driver need a LOT of work to become satisfactory.


- The Air Chariot itself has the problem with its "fan" being mounted incorrectly. It should be housed inside the rear platform.

My solutions:

- The fan can be mounted inside the rear platform by gently pulling the top half of the air chariot apart from the bottom half. The "spinning action" peg is now just slightly too tall for the back of the chariot to rest on the ground, but it's not bad at all. If you really wanted, you could easily cut the peg down shorter.

-allow him to stand more effectively than before, but I seriously doubt it because of the increased height.

Just got Serpy and his Chariot today along w/ wave 9 from BBTS. Fixed the rotor on the chariot. Looks way better! Thanks for the tip!

[Zefram]

My carded Serp's getting the standard rotory grinder treatment I use on all my Cobra drivers. It's not the prettiest solution, but with a little sanding it's almost invisible unless you get in real close.

And yeah, I don't think Hasbro realized making Serp into such a big mofo would be a problem. It does make him a lot more intimidating though (until you see his face).