Cobra Mercenary: Wraith G.I. Joe Modern ERA Review [Archive] - HissTank.com

Eopie Herder

10-02-2008, 08:47 PM

This was a figure that I thought might be pretty cool. A character from the DDP comics that was somewhat interesting and looked cool. It was nice that Hasbro included some of the newer things into the new line, and I was accepting of that now that it no longer was considered the "25th Anniversary". Prototype looked kinda crappy, huge helmet it seemed, but that was not how the production figure cam out. I have to say that overall, the helmet was the most pleasing aspect of the figure. The rest, while in the package looked great, I find it to be far from it. The small hoses on the arms are TINY, and very fragile. They also prohibit the arms from having a full range of movement. Unless you break them. Kinda limits the poses in my opinion, which was a bummer. His gun is also too large, and does not fit well in his hand, the length of it causing his arm to rest in a strange way. He comes with removable chest armor, said rifle and a Cobra stand.

Overall, this figure was a letdown for me, but by far not the worst of the wave.

Figure Rating: 5 out of 10

yourfacehere

10-02-2008, 08:59 PM

I think they just added that p90 as an extra,I don't think they meant for him to use it at all.And I can see what you mean by tiny hoses Boba fett had similar hoses I broke them to give him movement it didn't bother me much.

I was just upset he didn't have the blade.

Now that you mention it....
I don't remember him having those in the prototype pics.

gunslingercbr

10-02-2008, 09:03 PM

the character was lame in the comic and the figure is equally lame. if it wasn't for the variant madness, nobody would think twice about him.

Deckard

10-02-2008, 09:09 PM

who wants to bet this head minus the mask will be used for an iron man figure on the hasbro 3 3/4 inch marvel figures? anyone ? :>

sgt.bludhound

10-02-2008, 09:30 PM

who wants to bet this head minus the mask will be used for an iron man figure on the hasbro 3 3/4 inch marvel figures? anyone ? :>

after seeing the unmasked figure in the review i thought the same thing!

A.V.A.C.

10-02-2008, 09:31 PM

i don't know much about this character, but i do like the figure. i like the clear plastic. i wish it wasn't a variant figure though, i'd like to get a lot of these. i'll have to use the parts of the common one, if i find that, for custom parts.

foor

10-02-2008, 09:41 PM

I forget, was Wraith made up of all new parts?

Deckard

10-02-2008, 09:44 PM

no...hes got snake eyes upper legsm, torso and waist and upper arms. His lower legs are crimson twin lower legs. the fore arnms MIGHT be new i don't know.

yourfacehere

10-02-2008, 09:49 PM

I still think he's a good use of molds.

Deckard

10-02-2008, 09:50 PM

yeah but that hitler stash needs to go. im removing it if i can find a wraith.

yourfacehere

10-02-2008, 09:58 PM

I don't remember that mustache on the prototype either.
It looks like they gave him unnecessary things in the production model.

Deckard

10-02-2008, 10:01 PM

i dont like the 'stasch. Get rid of it.

Monkeywrench

10-03-2008, 12:05 AM

thanks for the review

Dream

10-03-2008, 12:32 AM

Did he have a mustache in the comic series?

DOC

10-03-2008, 03:25 AM

IDK if he had one in the comic? Yourfacehere is right tho there was no facial hair in the photo's from whatever con they pre viewed Wave 10 at.

spacemonkeymafia

10-03-2008, 03:29 AM

I forget, was Wraith made up of all new parts?

No he shares the mold with wave 7 Snake Eyes..........New Lower legs maybe......and new hands and lower arms maybe.........

Sergeant Slaughter

10-03-2008, 04:28 AM

Looks great. I'm down with a GI joe Boba Fett.

TheFallen

10-03-2008, 05:13 AM

I was hoping to see a review of the standard version. I like the look of this figure but I am not sure it will be all that good, especially after reading this review

Tom-1

10-03-2008, 08:03 AM

Wraith didn't have a 'stache in the comics. It looks like they were trying to relate him to TonyStark, or something. Meh.

Tom

jignacio_2k

10-03-2008, 09:41 AM

That is seriously fugly. More clear wraiths for you guys! :D

Thank God the BBB)did him in.

fogger1138

10-03-2008, 09:49 AM

Overall, this figure was a letdown for me, but by far not the worst of the wave.

Wonder who that'll be?

soundwavempl

10-03-2008, 10:03 AM

Wonder who that'll be?

As long as it's not Mutt & Junkyard or Croc Master, it's all good. Those are the best 2 figures in the wave for me.

I could've done without the Cobra Para-Viper and Bazooka Trooper. I'm tired of figures that were not in the original line.

jignacio_2k

10-03-2008, 10:10 AM

I'm tired of figures that were not in the original line.

My thoughts exactly. Hasbro has been pretty good in throwing "scraps" with the real food...and the majority of the people are buying into these "scraps"...

If you like these scraps, keep buying. As for me, I'll stick to the real deal.
Wow, just noticed that my backyard needs mowing..off to mow the lawn, well after I eat breakfast. hehe

Kalibus

10-03-2008, 10:30 AM

Well if i find one i'll pick it up and use it to trade or sell it on ebay. Not a keeper in my book.

Cavbeast

10-03-2008, 11:28 AM

Great so I'll just pose him in various positions so the Baroness can execute him over and over again. :)

Golobulous

10-03-2008, 11:37 AM

this figure looks sweet to me and i always thought wraith was awesome in the comics, i just hope i can buy both versions of him

C.I.A.D.

10-03-2008, 12:03 PM

the character was lame in the comic and the figure is equally lame. if it wasn't for the variant madness, nobody would think twice about him.

Eh, I agree/disagree. Whereas I totally agree that the "Variant Madness" has drawn a lot of attention to the figure, I definitely have to disagree that folks wouldn't think twice. I for sure have been looking forward to this figure for awhile now. :D Rounds out my Iron Grenadier Army!

Eopie Herder

10-03-2008, 12:19 PM

As long as it's not Mutt & Junkyard or Croc Master, it's all good. Those are the best 2 figures in the wave for me.

Nope, those two are great. Which, I was surprised at how much I liked Croc Master...it wasn't one I was looking forward too, but it's pretty cool.

Imperial_Serpentor

10-03-2008, 01:30 PM

the character was lame in the comic and the figure is equally lame. if it wasn't for the variant madness, nobody would think twice about him.

I dunno if you can say all the issues that had him in it were lame. Like when he broke Major Blood out of Blackwater Prison, or when Alexander has him kill Destro's competitors. Those were nice moments imo.

Character wasn't too bad, it was interesting that he was a merc who actually switched sides, working for Destro then the Gov't.

edit: and as for figures not based on figures from the original line? that's a good thing, Hasbro should be expanding the line with new characters instead of just doing Snake-eyes from issue X and Cobra Commander from issue Y. Wraith was introduced in the comics before GI Joe turned 25 so even if it was still the anniversary, that'd be fine.

ChaplainAsst

10-03-2008, 02:56 PM

In the comic, he had a lot of stubble on his face but, if I remember right, his hair was blondish/brown - certainly not dark brown/black. It is certainly a stretch to go from the comic face to this one no matter how you cut it.

flywheels

10-03-2008, 03:05 PM

Thanks for the review. My set just arrived today @ work from the GIJoe Collector's Club and I was surprised to find the clear variant in my case. Not planning on opening it though, I'll stick w/ opening the regular version whenever I can find one.

pud333

10-03-2008, 03:13 PM

Thanks for the review. I'm glad I didn't pre-order him now from BBTS.

Grimwing

10-03-2008, 03:20 PM

That's just terrible.

I thought I'd dig wraith because of the command and conquer nod trooper feel of the armor. One of the few figures I was looking forward to ruined by restricted movement. A poorly painted face and fragile parts.

Thanks for the review you saved me some money.

Thal J.

10-03-2008, 06:40 PM

That sucks, I was really lookng forward to this figure. I've got all of his appearances, & Mr. Halifax has 5 o'clock shadow no 'stash

Derek2783

10-03-2008, 08:10 PM

edit: and as for figures not based on figures from the original line? that's a good thing, Hasbro should be expanding the line with new characters instead of just doing Snake-eyes from issue X and Cobra Commander from issue Y. Wraith was introduced in the comics before GI Joe turned 25 so even if it was still the anniversary, that'd be fine.

But why not get the good characters we haven't seen yet? I agree, no more SE/CC reissues would be nice, but lets get known characters like Outback, Zap, hell, Captain Gridiron would be preferable to branching into "Bazooka Troopers"

fred V

10-03-2008, 08:12 PM

hey,its tony stark...lol..

Eopie Herder

10-03-2008, 08:13 PM

But why not get the good characters we haven't seen yet? I agree, no more SE/CC reissues would be nice, but lets get known characters like Outback, Zap, hell, Captain Gridiron would be preferable to branching into "Bazooka Troopers"

I disagree with one point. I'll take more troop builders like Bazooka Trooper over Captain Gridiron any day. But hey, that's only my opinion.

mandingo_rex

10-03-2008, 09:58 PM

Glad you didn't like it. Hopefully others won't either. I am not so much against this guy as Matt Trakker, as he at LEAST has something to do with GI Joe. But I'm with the camp that's whining about mainstream Joes not made yet...

And I'd be superpissed if I actually LIKED him, and he came with a head that wasn't really his comic head. I don't get that at all, Hasby.

Agent-GHQ

10-04-2008, 02:06 AM

Reminds me of the movie Tron.

Deckard

10-04-2008, 02:10 AM

like i said that hitler stasch on him has to go. I'll buy him cause he looks good for custom potential.

cobraslave

10-04-2008, 04:19 PM

That is f*cking sweet! But with my luck finding variants, I'll probably never get my hands on it.

xFlintx

10-04-2008, 09:24 PM

The coolest thing about the mask is even though it is translucent it still hides the face when it's down.

Whatever Wraith I obtain is fine with me. I'm not particularly worried about finding this variant.

fred V

10-04-2008, 09:27 PM

a love child between tony stark and robocop....lol,thats what he looks like...:)

STORMSHADOW 666

10-05-2008, 12:29 AM

hey man your crazy giving that figure a grade of 5???? that thing looks awesome. a 10 absolutely, hope i can find one. how many are in each case?

This was a figure that I thought might be pretty cool. A character from the DDP comics that was somewhat interesting and looked cool. It was nice that Hasbro included some of the newer things into the new line, and I was accepting of that now that it no longer was considered the "25th Anniversary". Prototype looked kinda crappy, huge helmet it seemed, but that was not how the production figure cam out. I have to say that overall, the helmet was the most pleasing aspect of the figure. The rest, while in the package looked great, I find it to be far from it. The small hoses on the arms are TINY, and very fragile. They also prohibit the arms from having a full range of movement. Unless you break them. Kinda limits the poses in my opinion, which was a bummer. His gun is also too large, and does not fit well in his hand, the length of it causing his arm to rest in a strange way. He comes with removable chest armor, said rifle and a Cobra stand.

Overall, this figure was a letdown for me, but by far not the worst of the wave.

Figure Rating: 5 out of 10

mandingo_rex

10-05-2008, 01:47 AM

I'll be honest, I'm not really looking forward to the figure, but I'll get a spare regular one to open, because he is kinda badass looking. I could care less about the character, and still don't think he should have been made (at least not yet, with more important guys in queue still).

I don't think he fits in with the rest of the 25th Joes that well, he's more along the lines of Battle Armor CC, who I think looks a tad futuristic to go with the rest of the Joes... which is why I didn't open BA CC yet. (I also haven't found a spare, and I'm waiting on one of the white cards, but I plan to open both BA CC and Wraith to put together on display).

The blue clear version is just silly, it doesn't read as "invisible" at all, more "hologram", and I think a "transparent" plastic figure is goofy to begin with... If he's invisible, just pretend he is! I think they just jumped all over the opportunity to make a variant for a variant's sake... It makes more sense than black-head Destro, I guess, I still don't think it is that valid. If I find one, I may keep it for gits and shiggles, but I will NOT be actively searching for one. The regular one looks much cooler, and I'm looking forward to that.

(Are we getting a review of the regular version?) :)

fan_again

10-05-2008, 11:26 AM

how is he height wise? that snake eyes torso is kinda short and i got my boyfriend to stop using it on customs cause it makes guys really short

gijoevscobra4ever

10-06-2008, 05:48 PM

I usually don't do this but I have to say that this figure blows. Arms don't move unless you break the hoses which are tiny and fragile. Really useless. Not a character with any kind of playability. Bummer.

Steel Brigade

10-08-2008, 12:19 AM

I just found the regular Wraith figure today at SS&S... ^_^
I noticed his card doesn't say "Cobra The Enemy" in the right hand corner... I know he is a Mercenary, but I was wondering if this was done on purpose...

The only contradiction is that he has the Cobra emblem on his armor... ~_~

CrimsonGuard101

10-08-2008, 12:40 AM

I found that too all of my Wraiths have the logo issue, I think it is on purpose since he was not with Cobra for long. Only other Character like this I have found is the GI JOE version of Storm Shadow, LOL i always thought he was evil, somehow I missed the memo SS swicthed to GI JOE when he went with his Camo look...

And for his mustache, he is French after all...maybe they went with the Muskateer look? HAHA

Snow cat

10-11-2008, 10:36 PM

Thanks for the review. Im going to get it just for the variant value.

Killjoy

10-11-2008, 10:56 PM

Dr. Whom

10-16-2008, 08:14 PM

I just got a clear Wraith and I think he is cool. Everybody should get one

spacemonkeymafia

10-16-2008, 08:16 PM

the character was lame in the comic and the figure is equally lame. if it wasn't for the variant madness, nobody would think twice about him.

I wanted the Non Variant....

Dr. Whom

10-16-2008, 08:21 PM

All versions of the Wraith are sick

spacemonkeymafia

10-16-2008, 08:25 PM

Geez guys. If you don't like the figure, leave it on the shelves for the guys that WANT it. Guys and gals like Cobraslave deserve it. Not guys that make comments like "not looking forward to it, but I'll get a second to open".

Sorry, but that is just frustrating.

Yeah I dont get this either.....if you dont really want it leave it for someone who does want him........Some people collect Every Carded Fig.

COL Abernathy

10-16-2008, 08:32 PM

Wraith as a character was both original and he fit right into the joe universe perfectly. He has all the makings of a classic character (more intriguing than even some of the so-called-classics). To dismiss him as "lame" is a thoughtless remark. Let's hear some reasons why he's lame first

code_red_shockwave

10-16-2008, 08:41 PM

I think it's because people are ticked off at how he beat up Snake Eyes. The figure looks ok...I might pick him up but not sure.

kingsurlycrab

10-16-2008, 09:06 PM

meh.

that said:
i was really looking forward to this figure, looked cool.
picked up two of the regular version, not a fan of the clear stuff.
traded the 2nd one for a cobra trooper if that says anything...

gonna replace the wiring on the arms of the one i kept and mod the arm cannons. hopefully that will help. the face paint looked a helluva lot better than pics i'd seen online though. so that's a plus.

Dr. Whom

10-16-2008, 09:33 PM

I think it's because people are ticked off at how he beat up Snake Eyes. The figure looks ok...I might pick him up but not sure.
What issue(s) did he beat Snake Eyes? I'm going to order another one just for that. He's back on HTS now

Tomahawk

10-16-2008, 09:53 PM

cool, thanks

Gunzlingr

10-17-2008, 10:13 AM

Thanks for the review. I don't want the variant tho, just standard. I have a no problem with a new character here or there, as long as we get a Recondo, Blowtorch, and Zap sometime. Actually I like new characters better than crap from other lines (aka Matt Crapper..er..Trakker) or even PP or TF.

arch2b

10-17-2008, 10:32 PM

pardon if this has been asked but how does this figure actually hold hiw weapon?

1SGHauser

10-18-2008, 06:21 AM

pardon if this has been asked but how does this figure actually hold hiw weapon?

He doesn't.

Though this could be modified by cutting off the 'trigger' of the weapon to make the handle thinner thus allowing the figure to grip it.

Steel Brigade

10-18-2008, 03:39 PM

I just mount the gun on his back, between his backpack & back using the opening closest to the firing end & placing the backpack peg through the opening & into his back... holds it fine.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/teelamotu/GI%20Joe/wraithtechnique.jpg

888 POST!!

Banshee

10-20-2008, 02:53 PM

Openend one of my regular Wraiths today. He's a great looking figure, but I actually snapped the tiny wires off from the upper arm piece on purpose to achieve better poses . the fact that they're not attached anymore is barely noticeable, but now he can rotate his forearm for cooler gun poses. :D

I'm still debating wether or not to get the variant. If anyone want to part with one, I'm ready to offer two MOSC wave 10 figures for it.

kingsurlycrab

10-20-2008, 02:58 PM

I actually snapped the tiny wires off from the upper arm piece on purpose to achieve better poses
agreed. that was first thing i did having read about the fragility and realising it was gonna happen eventually anyway. thinking of replacing them with elastic string or some other flexible thin tubing. still not sure i like him though... just doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the figures.

tigpoppa

10-20-2008, 06:32 PM

I like the regular version better. This is just unpainted plastic. I mean geez variants should be cool not like they didnt want to spend the money to put it on the assembly line for detail work. They could have done alot more with this in the translucent form like the dvd pack snake eyes. Good pictures though thanks.

sgt.bludhound

10-20-2008, 08:23 PM

alrighty! i got my wraith in today! and I love it! I cut the wires off and now he has full poseablity in his arms! and yea he looks like tony stark but I prefer to keep his face plate over his face...lol
so yea awesome figure! great review!
only gripe would be the P90 weapon which is huge! and the arms which were a breeze to fix! his face looking like tony stark but also another quick fix by leaving the face plate on.
i was so pumped to hear about this figure and am so stoked i have one!

RolandofGilead

10-21-2008, 02:57 AM

I just opened my regular edition tonight. He looks cool but I can't do shit for posing. He can't hold his gun and cant turn his wrists without snapping the hoses. So all he's good for is just standing with his arms straight down.

The biggest surprise? Lift that helmet and "my god, it's Tony Stark."

Gunzlingr

10-21-2008, 10:56 AM

I opened mine last night and I noticed the hose thing too. I do like the figure tho, and I swapped his gun with a marauder p90 and was much happier.

Banshee

10-21-2008, 01:42 PM

I took the backpack and katana from V3 Snake Eyes, and IMO it looks wicked on Wraith. The backpack is silver, so it blends better than his brown one, and it's techno-looking enough to fit. The katana also fits very well. Makes him look totally badass!

On a sad note I broke the arm off my second wraith. The ball joint that connects the forearm and the upper arm didn't want to rotate in it's upper arm socket. I tried hot water, but it was just stuck. it finally broke. :(
I'm gonna have to glue it back, and then it'll be stuk in a shitty pose, again.

roboticplanet

10-21-2008, 04:14 PM

Just got mine in from HTS today.

The hose thing doesn't bother me at all. There still seems to be a sufficient range of motion with them attached. It's the chest armor that seems to be more restricting (even my g/f noticed that in the seconds she was fiddling with it). All the other articulation is great. I dig the flip-up mask.

It's kind lame that Wraith can't even hold it's own gun. At least Wraith is already armed.

Overall, I like this figure a lot. Great design.

harkiri

10-21-2008, 04:42 PM

Got mine the other day, and really the face doesnt bother me all that much. the chest armor actually works fairly well for me, unless you want him shooting straight up at the sky, he seems posable enough for me.

The only real complaints I have are of course the p90, which can be modified, and I would have prefered they went with the blades he had in the comics instead of guns on both arms. One blade, one gun.

Xerofall

10-22-2008, 02:49 AM

sgt.bludhound

10-23-2008, 02:06 AM

I had to modify my Wraith slightly to achieve better posability.

I cut off part of his large collar so his head could move to the side better. I made cuts along the front and back on the shoulder pads of his armor so he could lift his arms up higher and I removed the part where the wires connect to his arm, they are still there, just not attached. I can re-glue them on his gauntlets.

He poses so much better now... I'll get pics tomorrow.

really? I thought about cutting off the collar too, and slightly on his shoulder pads as well...but to me, he's more of a posed figure to display than play with. I would like to see the mods done to him!

1SGHauser

10-23-2008, 02:13 AM

opened mine and his left leg broke off not two minutes after removing him from the bubble card. All I tried to do was an articulation test by 'breaking' him in. I didn't even get around to scoping out the rest of the figure. Immediately repacked him and shipped him back to HTS for a replacement. Now I have to wait who knows ho long before I get another.

I have the variant so I know the ins and outs of the figure but I WANT the regular version.

mandingo_rex

10-23-2008, 02:49 AM

Wraith REGULAR version:
(I don't want the blue one, it's stupid)

Okay, I still don't like that he was made ahead of Footloose, etc...

But I was planning on shitting all over this guy when I opened him.

I think he's pretty cool, for a character I could give a damn about.

I popped off those arm guns so the little wires wouldn't break, then twisted his arms around so they could bend... Once I snapped the "seal" from the factory and the arms loosened up, I reattached the guns to the posts and he poses just fine.

The arm guard things actually float freely on mine on TOP of the arms, so the gun wires don't get as much tension, because the wrist guard swivels like it does.

The biggest flaws he has, other than being a bit stiff straight out of the package is that terrible gun. I don't even know which end is the barrel, butt, handle, whatever. I put it under his backpack hole and popped on the backpack, and it just sits on his back now.

I had no problem with the backpack like some have stated either.

The collar restricts head movements, otherwise, he impressed me highly.

For a figure, he'd be a 9/10 if you ask me... Losing a point because I really don't give a damn about the character.

Xerofall

10-24-2008, 08:53 PM

Here's the pics...

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e213/Surlon/GI%20Joe/100_0467.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e213/Surlon/GI%20Joe/100_0468.jpg

I cut off the front part of his collar and cut up along the seam of his shoulder pads...

I also dry brushed his guns with aluminium paint to drown out the green plastic look.

sgt.bludhound

10-25-2008, 03:27 PM

the mods look great! he has better poseablitly! I might just have to do that too!

Dr. Phd.

10-25-2008, 04:20 PM

the mods look great! he has better poseablitly! I might just have to do that too!

Just did it to mine, and now he poses really well.

Monkeywrench

10-25-2008, 05:31 PM

MTN

10-25-2008, 11:21 PM

Just got my Wraith figure in today, I'm very pleased. He's one of the coolest figures I've seen so far. My favorite is the Para-viper. He has the exact same articulation as the wave 7 snake eyes. The only thing new on him is his head and lower legs. His lower arms have gauntlets that slide over the wave 7 snake eyes arms (I took a picture with his gear removed). The mustache is awful looking though.

This figure is just too awesome, it deserves a lot higher than what it was given.

http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee336/MTNCUSTOM/stuff/HPIM1663.jpg

http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee336/MTNCUSTOM/stuff/HPIM1664.jpg

http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee336/MTNCUSTOM/stuff/HPIM1665.jpg

1SGHauser

10-25-2008, 11:25 PM

I love this figure. I don't know anything about the character other than what I've read from his filecard, but I welcome new figures into the line - even though I am a diehard 80's original fan - I'm ok with this. Besides, with all of the players on the Joe side, it's nice to have a few more added to the Cobra side apart from troopers and vipers.

Fast_Draw

10-27-2008, 07:55 PM

I got both versions today from BBTS. I really like the figure. The wires on the regular version seem stronger than on the variant. What I did for both was pop the guns off the gauntlets to adjust the arms (rather than remove the wires completely). One wire on each side of the variant broke, but I super glued them and they're fine. The guns are permanently connected via the wires and removable at the gauntlets. As far as the huge gun, I just have him hold it like he's carrying a briefcase and pretend that's how it's supposed to be held.

Gothiczartan

11-06-2008, 04:10 PM

I got my wraith in the mail just today. the three small hoses that connects to the arms, I broke them to get his arms to move. most of all it's still a good figure to use as a display. I don't know why hasbro didn't do a good job on the hoses attach to his arms and guns.

I hope they didn't mess up blowtorch and rest of the upcoming figures based on the new cartoon.