Canceled Arctic Assault Snake Eyes Review |
| Posted on 09-07-2010 at 01:20 AM by Shin Densetsu |  |
An unfortunate byproduct of changing plans is the cancellation of product(s). For example, JoeCon 2009 saw the debut of many Pursuit Of Cobra items, most of which were delayed from their intended release dates. Some were changed, retooled, repainted and what have you, others outright canceled. Arctic Assault Snake Eyes was one of them.
Nonetheless it's always interesting to check out "what could have been", and that's just what we have for you. Hit the title bar to check out Steel Brigade's review of Snake Eyes(Arctic Assault)!
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| Credit: Steel Brigade of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 4,110 |  |
Some originally planned POC figures, like Jungle Assault Duke, & Desert Battle Zartan, found a new home in POC with dropped actor likenesses heads. Others like (the former mail-away cobra carded) Cobra Commander stayed as is (because it was already changed enough from the movie likeness), but became a chase release & lost a cool accessory in transition. Still others like Arctic Threat Duke (now coming as Alpine) & Desert Battle Ripcord (now as Sky Dive) & Arctic Threat Snake Eyes (now as Desert Battle Snake Eyes) were re-decoed/re-headed/or renamed & made into the final line with some minor aesthetic changes.
Although not much has changed with the canceled Arctic Threat Snake Eyes vs the Desert Battle final version, it is glaring to most fans that with the overall look of this Snake Eyes, that he might be suited better for cold environments. Deserts can get cold at night, & Snake Eyes should be moving in the shadows, but for most, this figure was still originally intended for Arctic regions.
This Snake Eyes is our 3rd arctic version (4th if you count the DVD pack "radioactive" themed figure) of the Joe Team's most popular character, as both ME & ROC had arctic versions of Snake. This release has a lot of cool gear, a new version of his trusty wolf Timber, & some new tooling involved that easily separates him from his earlier cold weather counter parts.
Most of the body was used on the ROC Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes, but now he has new knee-guards (non-beneficial as it actually is more of a hindrance in his balance/movement than a help), & new arms for a well-padded look. The head also appears to be retooled, & you can actually raise the visor on this version, although his eyes & face are unpainted as opposed to how the final desert version was released. The color scheme is outstanding on this version, it's clear that the head coloration is based on his arctic ROC appearance, but what really shines is the great metallic blue accents he has on his uniform, a color we have not seen on previous figures. Other than the additional weapons, this is what really distinguishes this version from the Desert Battle final release.
Which brings us to one of the reasons why POC is such a hit with fans...the gear!! Now many samples of Arctic Threat Snake Eyes did not include all of this gear, so I guess I'm one of the lucky ones! Snake Eyes comes with a modern version 3 of Timber (with a howling action when the tail is activated - the colors are near identical *maybe a lighter under-wash* to the retail version), new vest & harness, an Ice Drill, 2 storable ice picks (repurposed w/Arctic Threat Destro), 2 storable Mac-10 submachine guns (previously seen w/the unreleased Jungle Assault Storm Shadow) the assualt rifle that was included with Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes, a katana/sheath, & a ROC stand.
On the downside, the figure's overall bulk does not lend well to cool armanant posing, & although the Mac's look great, they work better in Storm Sahdows hands than Snake's, because of the thickness of his sleeves. On the plus side... technically, this figure can carry all of his gear!!
A POC Arctic Threat themed Snake Eyes never made it to retail, but his place in POC's early history makes for an interesting figure, & shows fans how many changes a character can go through just on deco alone.
It is good to see that even though the colors/purpose of this Snake Eyes was changed, the figure was not overall canceled, & the mold & detailed gear in the final "Desert" version, is probably the most available in the 1st 2 waves of POC.
Arctic Threat Snake Eyes is one of the hardest to come by of all the unreleased ROC/POC figures, easier than the very rare City Strike Scarlett, or Desert Battle Heavy Duty, but harder than the common figures like Arctic Threat Destro, & Elite Ice Viper. If you can find this figure on the secondary market he is definitely recommended for "Canceled Joe Figure Enthusiasts" & Snake Eyes fans.