The Target exclusive Air Viper with Rocket Pack from the G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra line has been reviewed! Featuring a crimson clad repaint of the popular Air-Viper/Strato-Viper, and the return of a classic Cobra vehicle, this set features items that appeal even to non-movie collectors!
The Jet Pack has been absent for years until now. Was it’s return worth the wait? Click the discuss button to find out!
Shin Densetsu says
Sporadically released in past months, and starting to arrive in more areas recently is the return of the classic Cobra Jetpack! Only now it comes in a Target exclusive set, Air-Viper with Rocket Pack. Originally made in 1987, the Jetpack has been absent from the various G.I. Joe lines for many years. With it's surprising return in the Rise of Cobra line, was it worth the wait?
Shin Densetsu says
The Air-Viper in this set is a repaint of the Strato Viper/Air-Viper we've seen before, be it in the wave 5 Modern Era FLAK set, the Defense of Cobra Island 7 pack, and the driver that came with the movie Night Raven. This time, this figure comes painted primarily in red, for a striking appearance. Despite the change in paints, the paint job suits this figure well and still evokes Cobra.
The only other Air-Viper figure I have is from the movie Night Raven. While I liked the sculpt a great deal, the figure itself was of low quality. The hips were not only loose but moved in a very weird manner. When you unscrew the legs, there are caps that fit on the metal ball joints. The caps on my Night Raven Air Viper looked deformed. I found this to be a common problem all across the board.
Thankfully this has been fixed on the Target release with the Rocket Pack! The hips on this Air-Viper move just fine and ALL of the joints are very tight. It's one of those figures that won't have that "worn out" feel. It's NOTHING like the Night Raven's Air-Viper with regards to quality, this one is so much better. Not to mention, I like the color scheme better.
So I'm glad Hasbro tinkered with the tolerances and made improvements for this release. It also comes with a Hekler and Koch rifle that came with the original Outback more than 2 decades ago. It's a fitting gun for an elite M.A.R.S./Cobra test pilot, so I'm glad it returned for this release.
Shin Densetsu says
The Rocket Pack comes molded in red and dark gray, similar to the original release but a bit brighter. Not too bright thankfully, it's predominantly crimson. It's almost identical to the original release save for the stickers. It even retains the copyright date of 1987.
The Rocket Pack has been retooled so that the backpack peg can fit the 25th Anniversary style figures. While this is to our benefit, unfortunately the Air-Viper does not fit well. This is a combination of the harness from the Air-Viper getting in the way, and the backpack peg being short. Hopefully, if this mold is reused in the future, the peg is retooled to be a bit longer. It comes with:
- Short range missles x 2
- Flight control console
The Rocket Pack is very, very sturdy. It's refreshing to handle something of this quality. It's a tough toy that can take a beating. The only parts I'd watch out for are the clips for the flight control console, but even then it's made out of stiff, durable plastic. Aside from that, the stickers stick very well, and are printed on clear film, not paper. Nearly all Joe fans prefer this so I'm glad Hasbro stayed away from paper stickers(unlike the Movie Night Raven).The main cannons in the middle can pivot up upwards using the vertical stabilizer as a lever. The missles stay on very well, they are nothing like the missles on the Target Rattler and Conquest X-30 exclusives from last year.
The sticker sheet included features stickers from the original along with the stickers from the movie with the futuristic fonts(the ones from the M.A.R.S./Cobra vehicles. Unfortunately, some of the stickers, specifically the ones that go on top of the intakes, are too wide so the edges go over the surface. This is annoying because eventually this leads to stickers pealing off. If you have an exacto knife or some scissors, you might want to trim some of the stickers.
Shin Densetsu says
While the Air-Viper does have a hard time staying connected to the Rocket Pack, it looks great with it on! The colors are a good match and visually, it's a striking set. This is definitely one of the best Target Deluxe Figure sets released so far, in my opinion, it's superior to all of the 1st wave sets. Definitely worth the $9.99+tax that I paid for it! I only wish that:
- The stickers didn't have as much excess film
- The backpack peg was longer so that it's easier for the Air-Viper to stay on
It's great to see the Air-Viper return with much superior quality to the one from the movie Night Raven set, and it's even better to see the return of the classic Jet Pack! This set is great even for non-movie fans, since it has a great repaint of a classic Viper(Stato Viper), and the Jet Pack. Highly recommended!alexan2dros says
thanks for the review..
HonestAbeJoeHooah says
This looks awesome, and thanks for the great review!
Now only if there were a Target within driving distance our my area.
Regardless I want one!
RolandofGilead says
I just picked this up at Target yesterday. I really, really like this version of the Strato Viper. He's become my official Crimson Guard Pilot. Now if only I had the Crimson Copter from this year's Joe Con for him to fly.
The Rocket pack on the other hand is an eyesore for me. Kind of huge and ungainly. Like most of the other Target Exclusive vehicle packs, I don't really want it.
Tankster says
cool found mine today it was a decision between the snake armor and this and well the (strato-viper) air viper won
but mine has the weird right leg is this part of the molding or stance?
Shin Densetsu says
but mine has the weird right leg is this part of the molding or stance?
Zoltron says
Awesome figure. Awesome rocket packet.
Keep reading: Target Exclusive ROC Air Viper With Rocket Pack Review - Page 2
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