HISS Tank Reviews The HISS Tank V5

The iconic HISS Tank is a venerable ground assault vehicle for Cobra. Over the nearly 30 years that 3.75" GI Joe has been around, the HISS Tank has had a few different incarnations. The V5 is one of the more unique designs, and something I don't think anyone was expecting.

While some versions of the HISS Tank have been hit or miss in the past, most of them were decent with one IMHO, being stellar. With that said, expectations are high for one of Cobra's most important vehicles. Does the HISS Tank V5 live up to those said expectations? Read on...

The HISS Driver from GI Joe Pursuit Of Cobra is a neat update to the original design. I've added a comparison shot with the 25th Anniversary HISS Driver. What this figure does is pay homage to the original, this time with a detachable vest(from Resolute Pilot Destro).

For a franken-cobra, Hasbro did a good job. On its own it looks cool, and collectors can tell immediately, who this pays homage to. Another cool thing is that unlike some of the other vehicle drivers from before, Hasbro packed in some accessories with this guy:

• Pistol
• Cobra staff(the one that the leaked mail away Cobra Commander came with)
• Backpack

The joints are tight, no looseness, and the Armored Cobra Commander parts suit this figure well. In fact, I like this figure more than it's Modern Era predecessor.

The HISS Tank V5 is a departure from the HISS Tanks that came before it. Its styalization is more futuristic, and it has one thing that NONE of the others have; working rubber treads! Yet there are more than meets the eye...

The HISS Tank V5 is a vehicle that you have to assemble once it's unpacked. This accomplished 2 things:

• Saves shelf space for retailers
• Brings back that feeling of nostalgia

Now the former is the more likely reason why the vehicle is disassembled in box, and the latter is the inadvertent result. Assembly does not take long. I chose to sticker it up before putting all of the parts together, so it took longer than it would have had I done it the other way around.

Assembly is smooth, but be careful when attaching the main body to the chassis, as the bending "legs"(as well as the spring on the main twisting joint) somewhat work against you, and you have to align the tabs of the main body correctly with the hole on the chassis.

The big guns peg into the modular weapons ports rather easily. There are 6 total:

• Towards the back on top x 2
• Same area but underneath x 2
• Sides down the middle of the main body

The chin gun fits into place easily too. The ammo belt on the cannon fits snugly. The only parts that might fall off easily are the 2 cables on the chassis. They fit well but have come loose while extending the body. This doesn't happen often but it happened enough that I thought it should be mentioned.

The rubber treads are a great addition, and from here on out, I think ALL future HISS Tanks ought to have rubber treads.

The attack mode is basically when the HISS Tank V5 main body is elevated from the chassis. So you might be thinking, "okay, so it elevates, so did the canopy on the 2002 HISS". Yet the attack mode of the V5 gains the capability to...

...attack in ANY direction! Yep, in standard mode, the HISS Tank can only aim it's cannons. In attack mode, the entire main body can aim any direction you want. So you can have the V5 cruising alongside some Snow Cats, with some other GI Joe vehicles behind it, and the HISS Tank can aim at ANY of them. You can have the cockpit facing the opposite direction while the 2 rear guns shoot anything to the sides.

That's pretty cool in my opinion, and the attack mode boosts playability. In this respect you can use it as a mini playset with Joes and Cobras duking it out on the chassis and treads. This is the 1st HISS Tank to have the ability for the entire main body to swivel in any direction. I never liked the 2002 HISS but I think this POC version blows it away.

While I do prefer the look of the standard(unelevated) mode, because it's more in line with what I am used to seeing, the elevated attack mode is more fun to play with. The only thing that disappointed me with this mode is that it's too easy to activate. You have to press a button on the top, aft of the canopy, to activate attack mode. Unfortunately, during my photoshoot, and handling of the V5, the attack mode would elevate when I wouldn't press the button.

This hasn't happened often but it was enough to be noticeable. Hopefully whenever Hasbro releases the inevitable repaint and/or retools this thing, the tab on the main body is made thicker or more secure.

The HISS Tank V5 has a good amount of panel lines molded, and enough detail that results in a more modernized look that makes the original HISS Tank look dated(see below). The rubber treads have good sculpted details. The cannon(not the missle launcher one) spins with exposed barrels.

The detailing reminds me of the A Real American Hero vehicles, where high detail evoking a sense of realism was the gimmick. The only place this falls short is in the gunner's cockpit. The interior is bland, with just a sticker to add detail. Not to mention, the cockpit just seems empty; as if more thought went into everything else but that. You can put a figure in there(I shoved a Neo Viper inside), just make sure to bend the knees a bit so it has enough clearance to fit.

Sure some can say "yea it looks bland but it's not like your going to have it open a lot and you can't see the figure inside anyways", but it's noticeable enough to me. I wish more thought went into designing that part. A more secure way of fitting the gunner within would be cool too, the only thing that does is some handle bar.

Speaking of details, one aspect Hasbro did not overlook was the sticker sheet. It comes with a lot of stickers to detail and personalize your HISS Tank V5. I opted to have different numbers. There are between 2-3 sets each per letter and numbers 0-9. I bet kids will have fun figuring out which words to use for display on their HISS Tank V5's. Hopefully Hasbro will include more sticker sheets like this on their upcoming vehicles.

A big thing I noticed about the stickers, is that they would look better on an all black HISS Tank V5. The reds in the stickers would really pop out that way. I'm not saying this just because the original was black; some original paint schemes don't look good on modern toys, just as some G1 paint schemes don't look good on movie Transformers. I'm saying this because the stickers on a black HISS Tank V5 would look sinister and pretty damn cool. Not to mention, those are colors Cobra uses a lot.

Up for comparison with the new HISS Tank V5 are:

• DTC HISS Tank
• 25th Anniversary Target Exclusive HISS Tank(retooled V1)

The 2 aforementioned HISS Tanks are shown here because they are ones I have in good condition(my HISS II is busted from childhood). Also, the DTC HISS is a personal favorite of mine(but not THEE favorite HISS Tank), and looks like a modernized V1.

So how does the V5 stack up? 1st off, the V5 wins points for having functional, real rubber treads. The fact that the entire body can elevate and swivel 360 degrees is another added bonus. However it does fall short in some respects.

The V5 has an interlinked cannon swinging gimmick. A switch between the top modular weapon ports can be slid left or right. However the cannons do not swivel all the way with this gimmick, just to the left about 45 degrees. I am not sure if this is on everyone's V5 or just unique to mine. You are better off swiveling the cannons manually(they can be swiveled 360 degrees manually instead of using the switch).

The DTC HISS can accomodate troops, not just a gunner. It can seat at least 5 troopers or more in it's cabin. It is also a very solid and very sturdy/durable vehicle.

The main thing that the 25th Target HISS has going for it are it's cannons. The DTC HISS lacks cannons like that, meanwhile the V5 has cannons but for a modern tank, they look small. In the future, when Hasbro considers releasing a retool/repaint of the HISS V5, I hope it has bigger cannons included.

Personally, my favorite HISS of all time is the HISS II. It could carry troops AND had big cannons too. It was a great follow up to the 1st HISS, and with bigger guns, the V5 could somewhat follow in its footsteps.

A cool thing about the HISS Tank V5 that some of you may not have been expecting, is that it absolutely dwarfs previous HISS Tanks. That to me, adds more cool factor. What the V5 has over the DTC HISS and V1 are size(and in due to that, shelf presence), and playability. You can simply do more with the HISS Tank V5 and it's a more dangerous addition to the Cobra arsenal due to what it can do over the DTC HISS/V1.

In conclusion, the HISS Tank V5 is worth getting. The versatility and playability brought about by the extended attack mode surprised me. It adds more fun to an already cool looking vehicle. Could it be better? Sure. Add a more secure locking mechanism for standard mode, so that the main body doesn't elevate unintentionally, and bigger guns would be cool too. I can live without the interconnected gun swiveling gimmick. A repaint in black would bring out the vibrant stickers much more too. Not to mention, that would be a surefire hit with collectors due to nostalgia(and IMHO would just look better, nostalgia aside).

Is it the best HISS Tank ever? No, I think that distinction still belongs to the HISS II, but the HISS Tank V5 is one hell of a re-imagined design. I wouldn't mind seeing this again, retooled as an offscreen GI Joe Renegades vehicle. It's cool and I think has long legs and much potential. Hopefully Hasbro will make more use of the modular ports, as more weapons would make this HISS even better than it already is.

This isn't a HISS Tank with a highly compromised design and other aspects that make it fall short of it's predecessors. It's a new HISS that while it isn't the best, it certainly comes close and I think kids and collectors alike will be happy with it. I've seen other re-imagined GI Joe vehicles that fared off much worse and were compromised much more. The 2002 HISS Tank is evidence of this.

GI Joe Pursuit Of Cobra is off to a good start, this vehicle did a great job of kicking things off. I got the Wolfhound too, and had more fun playing with the new HISS. In conclusion, I give this an8/10.

Badass, I'm looking forward to adding one of these to my shelf.

great review and pics. can't wait to get my hands and dremel on this.

Nice to have something all new but this design has no appeal to me.
I would take the Wolf Hound over this just for the fact that you can cram that thing with figures.

Nice review Shin. I really like this vehicle. I can't stand the HISS V2. The guys are TOO BIG and long for me. I do love the troop carrier ability.

If the V5 could hold troops, this would be the ultimate HISS.

Mine pops into attack mode really easily on its own all the time, which I find kind of annoying. I also hate that the sticker that goes in the rear cockpit doesn't have a flat centered surface to stick to.

I love how in every review there is always someone that votes "1" but then doesn't post to say why.

Best new vehicle yet.

I still think it needs to be silver and flying around the set of a terminator movie.

im still a fan of the original this doesn't do much for me

Damn good review, through as hell.
I'm gonna wait until I get one to vote, but I like what I see.
However, my original issue w/this Hiss was the fact it couldn't carry a lot of troops.
Now I see that it dwarfs standard Hiss Tanks which is cool, but then I'm thinking this sucker is gonna take up a lot of space AND it can't carry troops!?
I don't know how any of these I'll get, but I'll still probably get a few.
I'm thinking of putting the Red Resolute Troopers f/ the 5 pack in the gunners station.

Edit: LOL I just saw what you did with the decals, classic!

I'd buy it, if I hadn't sold all of my Joes. I really hope you guys have a blast with POC. It looks promising! If I was still in, my debit card would be shaking!

Sizzling review, Shin.
as for Pursuit of Cobra Desert Battle Hiss Tank
I rated it an 8.

I can't get past the color. I just can't. When I first got my 'prototype' we all assumed that the color was going to be something far different from ... whatever color it is. we saw the green and red one in the video from Toy Fair and the black one on the back of the box and even the art on the side of the box looks almost... urban-esque-ish-ous.

But otherwise I think it's a damn fine vehicle (even though I think the driver could have been MUCH better compared to the rest of POC).

as bruce wayne once said....does it come in black?!?!?


once it does i shall buy 4

I dare someone to use every sticker that comes with it.

in the cock pit.

I do love what Shin did there!

I cannot wait to get one of these.

This Hiss is pretty cool except the color. Just got mine today and Im already painting it flat black. BUT all in all this is a pretty awsome incarnation of the HISS

I gave it a 9 I really like the driver. Anyone who doesnt want theirs drivers I'll happily trade for or buy it off you.

in the cock pit sounds like such a horrible place.

Could be worst, could be in the poop deck

Very thorough review and I definitely will purchase one but the only thing I have to say is... Look at the RESOLUTE HISS TANK ARTWORK!!! That Hiss is the Piss yalls!!! Please let me get that one... Probably will never happen but a dreamer can dream!

Shin really hits upon all of the important points in his review.

Overall I still the think the HISS v2 is the best update done in toy form since the original & think the Resolute HISS may have been a better product than this version (if made).

The worst aspects are the spring action feature which requires a little to much locking down & should be better made for an easier transition, & the ammo belt should be longer when loaded on the swivel feature back so it gets more action when activated, I also feel the treads should move easier. Needs foot pegs & the drop-down could be better.

The V5 does have some great innovative aspects that truly standout though & make this a very worthy purchase. A very cool sleek design that really stands out on the shelf, the modular weapons, menacing presence, working treads, swivel chasis, & included figure all make this a a great addition for any Joe fan's collection.

Very well done & thoughtful review Shin & some really great pictures!!

I got one today from TRU in Greenville NC. Wish some one made a window that was atleast partly transparent for the thing. Looks like a terminator hunter killer made out with a hiss tank and had a baby. Tread that works is awsome but I could only give it a 5.

Fantastic review...and let the jealousy ensue!!! I can't wait to get 4 of em'

No No No No HELL NO!!!!

How can you even think that? The rubber treads suck! You can't move the damned thing. They don't work! I'd take the old plastic treads with the small wheels over these things any day. My only complaint about the new HISS are the horrible rubber treads. It's a total pain in the ass to try to make this thing roll.

Ok, I don't understand why you're having a problem with this. You can look at the hole where it locks from the underside. You can make sure the gray tab fully locks into place so it will never unlock unintentionally. Mine locks in tightly as long as I adjust it from underneath. It has never unlocked by itself. In fact mine is kind of a pain in the ass to unlock, I have to push down real hard to unlock it & then it won't pop up from the pressure. I have to push the button down & pull the body up at the same time. Mine doesn't really want to spring up on it's own at all.

Nice review...thanks

Nice review. What do you think they have planned for the HISS, there are definitely add ons planned. The pair of clips underneath the guns what will attach there? The handles above the chassis cables, the small holes located throughout the vehicle.

I love the vehicle. the roomy cockpit the control stick. this is a well thought out vehicle. I just want to know what the additions will be. My only complaint is the instructions really had to study them to find where the cables, and the crash bar went

Because mine does not lock into place well and does not stay down as well either, that's why. You have one that does not do either of what I just mentioned, so good for you.

The rubber treads work on mine, I even rolled the HISS Tank on bed sheets and the treads worked. Rubber treads have been desired on the HISS Tank for who knows how long, so I'm glad to finally see them. They were shown at JoeCon 2009 and most of the fans here were overjoyed. Most fans would be pissed if the final production V5 had plastic treads instead of functional rubber treads. No one wants a compromised vehicle, especially considering how compromised some of the vehicles from Rise of Cobra turned out.

Examples: Underwhelming Night Raven, Ice Sabre/Crimson Hydra being charged $10 more than what they should have been, Steel Crusher without 2 rear seats since a missle gimmick was incorporated, a Dragonhawk that was too small, underwhelming Mole Pods; I could go on.

I'm not sure what Hasbro has planned for future versions, but I just hope that each new version features new modular weapons, so that I can buy 1 of each new HISS and swap weapons between all of them. That's fun and something kids can enjoy too. Modular weaponry was a great gimmick introduced in DTC and I'm glad it returned for POC.

Couldn't figure out what the clips were for, even busted out my Walmart Missle System from ROC last year and couldn't figure out how to get it towed by the new HISS. Had the same issue with the instructions too, had no idea where the crash bar went.

Hopefully a future version will have a clear canopy with painted rails; it would look cool that way.

I came close, about 3/4 or more through.

Thanks man, and honestly man I was HOPING that the Resolute HISS was the new HISS revealed last year. The RESOLUTE HISS was awesome in the cartoon, I still hope we will see it, and the Tomahawk and Skystriker from Resolute as well. Resolute got a lot of praise for being a mature GI Joe cartoon, but it's vehicle designs(albeit only onscreen for a bit), were excellent.

Thanks man! I agree, HISS 2 and Resolute are best..hoping the latter can get a toy..I'd even buy an "offscreen" version in Renegades if it's released.

Thanks. I'm pretty much content with 1 of these V5's, but if Hasbro repaints it in black, or makes another with new modular weapons, I will buy those too.

As for the mechs, I like them but I've seen a good number of fans here who dislike them. The mechs are very well made, and fun to play with. I have an Iron Hammer from Sigma 6 and it's very cool. So I am definitely buying the POC versions.

Nice Review. I will pick up at least one of these. If I like it, then I may get more. I actually like pretty much everything I've seen coming out other the POC banner. The only thing iffy with me is the mechs. Not sure how they will be be in person. As of the moment. I plan on getting all I can of POC.

wow Shin. What a fantastic review! Awesome details and pics. However this is a major pass for me. I don't like the design, color, or driver. Maybe my opinion will change if I see one in the store and I'm holding it, but as of right now, I won't be getting one.

I totally agree. This new HISS is a cool vehicle (hate the color, too), but the Resolute HISS is where it's at. Maybe when Renegades comes out...;-P

The Hiss tank would have been perfect hat it had bigger gun or multiple rocket launcher. It also looks like its ready to fly, why not make it also a flight pod. And does the Hiss drone fits behind it? It would really be better if the drone is with the tank.

Great review! I'm jealous that you appear to have fully working tracks on yours - mine get stuck before completing a full revolution :\

I hope it comes with Charmin.

I rotated the wheels some to loosen them up a bit.

Not sure where the drone goes. There are 2 sets of clips on the back, underneath towards the weapons ports. I did read that this HISS is able to tow the upcoming HISS Scout. I have yet to figure out how though.

Everyone knows that the trolls live off 1's and 2's.

I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. First thing though is it's getting painted. The more I see of it, the more I like it, but really, brown? Ug. I'm still up in the air if I'm going to spray it flat black, carbon fiber black or gloss black

Thanks for the great review, I can't wait to have some old school fun putting this together (once the paint dries).

i got mine yesterday. i am going to repaint it so that it is flat black. then i will be hitting up cobra stickers for some bullet holes and my new hiss will be all set

Great review, really looking forward to getting this now!

I gave it a "1". They took a neat updated design and painted it turd brown. The "Hershey's HISS" will stay at the store.

I will await the inevitable repaint. Don't drink the Kool-Aid boys and girls.

nice review and the get off my lawn is pretty good lol

I am A fan of the new Hiss. It has A great design and the damn treads finally move finally.