[jlw515]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HissHissFangFan

Finally got another Walmart Retro Cobra Trooper with two good legs. I thought my mind was made up on this guy, but after messing and photographing this guy in morea and explored ways, I've got many more thoughts. Lots more in the next few days...



"Call me a Fortnite figure again..."

Dude, if you have somehow polished that turd of a Cobra Trooper, I'm gonna freak out. I think the torso and head have some merit, but the arms and legs just don't do it for me. I've been thinking of seeing if the arms off of Star Wars Bespin Cloud City Guard would work, since both torsos use the "boil and pop" style arm joints. The legs are a different story though. I think for me it's the chunky 25th Anniv looking holster. With all Hasbro has evolved with the POC and 50th lines, that chunky monkey just seems like backpedaling in the wrong direction.

But I'm super interested in seeing better pictures of your work with the current retro figure. It's hard to tell, but it looks like you may have swapped out the web gear for the 25th Anniv gear and added some paint details.

Jason

[46 Zone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlw515

Dude, if you have somehow polished that turd of a Cobra Trooper, I'm gonna freak out. I think the torso and head have some merit, but the arms and legs just don't do it for me. I've been thinking of seeing if the arms off of Star Wars Bespin Cloud City Guard would work, since both torsos use the "boil and pop" style arm joints. The legs are a different story though. I think for me it's the chunky 25th Anniv looking holster. With all Hasbro has evolved with the POC and 50th lines, that chunky monkey just seems like backpedaling in the wrong direction.

But I'm super interested in seeing better pictures of your work with the current retro figure. It's hard to tell, but it looks like you may have swapped out the web gear for the 25th Anniv gear and added some paint details.

Jason

I agree. Let's see if you can change my mind about this figure.

[nighthawk]

Wow...all your stuff looks awesome!

[TheOverlordCorp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HissHissFangFan

G.I. Joe vs Cobra, Concept Class of 1982

This is like being a kid in the aisle of Toy Chest and staring up at a great wall of packaged action figures. Excellent work. Dr. Venom is an appropriately fiendish addition.

[HissHissFangFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxtrot Delta

HHFF, IMO your one of the best action figure customizers on this site, Hasbro needs to get a clue, these are how action figures should be made period.

Thank you for the praise. I'm proud of my work, but in the end I just cobble, tweak, and paint figures from existing stuff. No idea how to put one together from scratch at almost any stage except to frankenstein existing figures. I wish there were more videos or classes on that stuff that I find fascinating. I love the info that Bobby Vala has shared over the last few years, as well as Scott Neitlich, but it all makes me realize I don't much at all about making a commercial action figure...

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlw515

Dude, if you have somehow polished that turd of a Cobra Trooper, I'm gonna freak out. I think the torso and head have some merit, but the arms and legs just don't do it for me. I've been thinking of seeing if the arms off of Star Wars Bespin Cloud City Guard would work, since both torsos use the "boil and pop" style arm joints. The legs are a different story though. I think for me it's the chunky 25th Anniv looking holster. With all Hasbro has evolved with the POC and 50th lines, that chunky monkey just seems like backpedaling in the wrong direction.

But I'm super interested in seeing better pictures of your work with the current retro figure. It's hard to tell, but it looks like you may have swapped out the web gear for the 25th Anniv gear and added some paint details.

Jason

In my next post--and teased by the previous photo--I'm trying to convince people like myself of looking at and enjoying the new figure in a different way than we've done previously. Definitely way different than the direction my shelf collections and my customs approach have been going for the last 6 years.

Your arms idea is interesting--I pulled that Bespin Guard figure out of tacklebox to get an idea on how it would work. But really I'm not swapping any parts on my guy, except swapped out feet for Stalker feet. There are positives to the parts that I'll delve into...

Quote:

Originally Posted by 46 Zone

I agree. Let's see if you can change my mind about this figure.

Yes, we will see. Ulp! Lots of words coming up, some different pics, took a few more tonight. Might need more? Definitely let me know what you think afterwards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nighthawk

Wow...all your stuff looks awesome!

You are awesome. Thank you very much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOverlordCorp

This is a bit like being a little kid in the aisle of Toy Chest and staring up at a great wall of packaged action figures. Excellent work. Dr. Venom is an appropriately fiendish addition.

GiJoeVsCobra_82-00_2019-1116dc by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Yeah, I was looking to evoke that old catalog//brochure sensation from back when, but without going too nuts (text, white borders, 80's resolution//exposure). If anyone's wanting to take the image to those extents themselves, let me know.

Twenty four figures in that shot. The two ladies got somewhat new HHFF builds in the last year. Will they all get replaced with new build customs in the next year? Find out in the next post...tomorrow night (I think I need a few more pics, and have again run short of time).

I feel like I owe all that checked back in here another pic, but I really need them for the overall assessment post. Maybe a small overprocessed one ok?

[89PILOT]

Ridiculous amazing as always!!!

God damn that hasbro print on the thigh though, right?! That stuff would survive a nuclear blast!!

[HissHissFangFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 89PILOT

Ridiculous amazing as always!!!

God damn that hasbro print on the thigh though, right?! That stuff would survive a nuclear blast!!

I forgot about that leg stamp. I cooked some yellow into the light areas of the photo so the lettering really shines bright. Tonight I tried to remove it with acetone//nail polish remover. The bright coloring is mostly gone, but the lettering is a bit etched in, and the blue in the area is now a little faded. The acetone seemed to worked better on Retro Stalker--might have to do with the Stalker's leg being a brighter color. Either way, be warned if trying to remove it on the darker blue Cobras.

[HissHissFangFan]

WAL-MART RETRO COBRA TROOPER:


2021-08-27_01-20-10 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

I finally picked up a good Walmart Retro Cobra Trooper. I picked 2 up months ago when I found Stalker(s), and the one I opened up had bum leg. The left lower leg was extremely loose at the knee and immediately turned me off to the figure—so much so that I wouldn’t open my other one to retain some sort of value (first time that ever happen to me).

Since then, I’ve been waiting to find another in stores (never did) while waiting for a loose one to show up on ebay at a decent price, and last week I finally got a loose (as in uncarded) one. I actually preferred to get one loose for fear of not wanting to open it (see above). All the parts were good, so finally I could take assess the figure objectively and take some comparison pics with other modern era Cobra troopers.


2021-08-22_10-37-04 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

I was determined to find some positive things about the figure, because like other people feel, I hate the sculpt, color, and proportions of this figure (just to start). Also, there is no way this new figure is going to replace any of the figures in my current Cobra O13 set or in my larger Cobra Shelf Collection. With that in mind, I set to take a bunch of comparison pics to the 30th/POC Cobra Trooper to show how superior it was to this newer figure. As it turns out, the 30th/POC Cobra Trooper didn’t totally dominate the new figure in all ways…


20210818_223915 (1) by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

First, a comparison to the POC//30th//DG/50th Trooper. Three above are extras not used and not tweaked for my shelf collection. The 2nd from the right is from my Cobra O13 set with tweaks to help him stand better (and look better doing it). The 2nd from the left has “non-invasive” tweaks to help him stand and pose better, and the ones on the end are as the figures come out of package and posed to stand without falling. No magnetic footpegs used on any above, as this would be an initial test of balance and sculpt.

The POC sculpt is superior from top to bottom. The sculptors were at the top of their game in the POC//30th years, and it shows here—especially considering this version of the trooper is a kitbash of Shock Trooper, POC Snake Eyes, 25th trooper gear plus later 25th head and helmet.

The Retro version lacks the nice creases and wrinkles in the body suit, and has unneeded armbands, wrist bracers, and a large prominent electronic box on his right thigh. I know these unneeded parts are carry overs from the FANG pilot, but they really needed to provide new arms and legs for this basic and iconic figure, and those parts will likely have major reuse for later figures.

Bits of the Retro figure’s parts are also out of whack proportionately. Immediately offending are the comically big feet. The hands have been noted by some to also look big. Wrist to finger they aren’t much bigger than POC hands or even MTF hands—I think the hands are sculpted WIDE, left to right which makes them look...cartoony. The bracers make the lower arms look to big, and combined with the big hands and feet make the whole figure look cartoony, drawing comparisons to Fortnite figures. Lastly the head is tall and narrow, and the eyes spaced to close together from the front view (probably a function of the narrow head).


2021-08-21_10-47-33 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

The pros of the Retro figure mainly are found in the playability and posing of the figure, but sculptwise has the advantage of the POC where the legs meet the torso. The biggest sculpt problem of the POC version is the legs are too wide where they meet the torso. This can be somewhat fixed (see above 2nd to right), by dremeling out some interior stuff in the leg and pushing the leg pieces in, and by using belts//webgear with pouches that hide the transition area. On the Retro figure, the leg to torso joint is nice, clean and streamlined without any mods needed.

The Retro figure’s articulation, joint range, and ease of movement are really where this figure shines and surpasses the POC Cobra Trooper. This was immediately apparent to me when I set up the five figures above—the Retro figure took no time to pose and straighten, will I have to fidget with the other 4 not only to stand without aid, but also to stand straight without distracting bends at any of the joints. The joints might feel weak or loose because of what we are use to, but they’re tight enough to hold position.

For this post I decided to put the Retro head-to-head in some basic comparisons with the POC figure as well as the original 25th figure (2007 from the box set I believe).


20210820_003836 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Above is a basic unassisted vanilla pose test. Again, Retro does well here—the only issue is that the knees are a bit restricted from bending fully straight. On the POC figure, the tightness and ratcheting locations of the locations make this basic pose more difficult than it should. The right leg is longer than the left, so to have the torso stand straight you have to bend the mid-torso joint as far as it will let you. It’s also a very tight joint, one that most may not know bends left and right.
The POC torso also needs to be bend as far back as possible (which is not enough). This helps to straighten out the neck and lessen that hunched-over look you may see in many photos on the interwebs.

Finally, the knees don’t straighten out easily without a little work. If the legs aren’t straightened, the torso needs to be bent more forward to balance, magnifying the hunched look. Above I bent the legs as far as the mold would take, almost bending in the reverse direction, where the joint would rachet to a straighter position when pressure was released. Finally, the feet are turned outward as much as possible without being too much of a distraction. Turning the feet out helps to fight the figure from leaning backwards, which means you don’t have to lean him forward as much.


20210821_024202 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Above, I’ve replaced the unmodified POC figure with my O13 Trooper which has “invasive” mods. Right leg was shortened at the foot, interior at the upper legs cut down to squeeze in the legs at torso, knees modified to straighten the legs, and head hole redrilled and reset to pull the head back and up. Also a little work at the elbows on the lower arms, to increase bending range.

None of this stuff needed for the Retro figure, except I did cut out a little at and behind the upper knee to help the legs straighten. The figure didn’t need the work to stand, I just wanted straighter legs from side views. I also did add some black and silver paint to various bits—having these parts sculpted but unpainted made the figure looked cheap, especially with the weird hue and light translucency of the blue molded parts.


2021-08-22_12-48-23 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Next test would be the basic two-handed battle-grip, but first a comparison of various Dragunov based rifles. Top: SVD from Winter Solider, Captain America First Avenger series (later cast by Broken Arrow Toys). Mid: SVD from new Retro Cobra Trooper figure. Bot: SVD from 25th Cobra Trooper and many others later).

For my collection, The Trooper and Officer switched rifles (AK-47<>SVD), with my Officer welding the larger version shown above. Though better than the bottom undersized one, I always wanted something more like the new middle version. It’s still a little big but works better and will be switched out in my collection.

As many have noted, the new rifles are too rubbery where the barrels go out of whack. However the flexibility at the back stock makes it more easier for the POC figure to grip. The Retro’s big hands are actually great at gripping either of the two larger rifles, so for tests below, POC will be using the Retro’s rifle while Retro will be wielding the CA version.


20210821_015904 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

TWO-HANDED BATTLE GRIP:
The two-handed battle grip was one of the main reasons I switched up my 25th CT’s for the POC ones. I don’t remember actually being able to get this grip on the 25th figure before. But just before setting this up, I did some mods to the lower arms at the elbows that I did with my 25th Joe O13 to help the situation. So now we can to the two-handed grip but can’t get much elevation of the rifle in that grip.

The POC can handle the 2-hand grip will with the help of the ball-jointed wrists. The elbows have better bending range than the 25th, but I also modded my POC figure at the arms to increase the bending range. The bendiness of the Retro rifle also helped.

The Retro figure handles the two-handed battle grip the best, even with the stiffer and bigger CA rifle. The elbows have extended bending range to improvements to the joint as well as a thinner lower arm and flatter areas on the arms at the elbow bend. The hands have big open grips to allow lots flexibility in the rifle’s positioning and angle. The only gripe may be that the hands looked too big.

Retro wins this test, although POC comes in close.


20210821_212447 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

CARD ART POSE TEST:
I did this pose with the POC figure way back in this thread. This time I tested without aid of back support strut—only means of balance was the single foot magnet on the metal plate floor. I am surprised 25th could pull it off decently, though he’s restricted by the arm bend range, lack of side bending at the mid-torso, and no ball hinge joints at the hands.

Retro did very well in this pose and was easy to set up. The new points of articulation really helped, and the joints loose enough to position quickly but hold that position. The new joints that were most useful were the new dumbbell neck, mid-torso with ample 360 range, and swivel at the upper thigh, and the newer style ball joint at the foot (for overall balance).

Retro wins this test again, with POC a close second again.


20210821_034816 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

KNEELING TWO-HANDED BATTLE GRIP:
This is not a pose I try too much with Joe figures due to known articulation restrictions to it pull off right. I found the JoyToy figures pull this off quite well, and given similarities to the new Retro builds’ articulation and articulation range, I expected the new Retro figures would do well here.

The POC and 25th figures can get in this pose decently—but neither can get then get the rifle pose any where near what the Retro figure can do. You can almost get his eye on the rifle scope at the right proximity and angle and still have rifle pointed in a good angle and height.


20210821_030800 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

STALKER RUMBLE TEST:
Stalker. Wins.


2021-08-23_03-33-14 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

WEBGEAR SWAP:
The 25th webgear was always a tad short on the POC figure, and I was expecting the new Retro webgear to be longer and maybe work better for by shelf troopers. Turns out the webgear is about the same length on both versions, so I won’t be swapping out webgear on my shelf troopers (wallet approves).


20210821_222015 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

I thought I’d try swapping webgear on the 25th and Retro figure. I dig the swap myself, as the Retro webgear sits better on the shoulders of the 25th figure than the old gear that slides all over the place. For the Retro figure, the 25th gear is less bulky, but still works visually.


2021-08-23_03-06-09 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

In vanilla poses, the figure is pretty awkward looking all over the place anyway, so the 25th gear doesn’t hurt or help that. It does however make playing with and posing the Retro figure easier, especially with loosing the bulk of the bigger pistol and knife on the front chest straps.


2021-08-21_11-22-48 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

PLAYABILITY AND POSEABILITY:
To me, the poseability of the Retro figure like in the pose above and many possible more not considered with older figures makes this figure worth its price and worth getting more. Its playability is tremendous, especially since parts and joints are not too stiff but also not too loose or bendy (though it may feel that way compared to figures of the last 14 years).


2021-08-24_11-48-02 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

This is a figure you or your kid can keep in your pocket, and just mess with playing and posing when bored. The joints don’t fight you, and with so many points and ranges of motion can easily find balance in different positions.


2021-08-26_01-19-36 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Throw in a foot magnet on a magnetic or metal floor plate (and some obnoxious vintage ninja force swords). The pegs+pegholes on the new figures are larger diameter, so the Hobby Lobby foot magnets are a lot easier to insert (and remove). By the time I got to this photo, I also lengthened the eyebrows out towards the sides and added more eyeliner out to the sides, trying to lessen the Sesame Street Bert look.


2021-08-24_11-25-57 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Two-handed pistol grip works really well on this figure, despite not having butterfly joints at the shoulders. The flexibility of all the parts help, as do the big hands which allow them to wrap around each other.


2021-08-26_12-26-25 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

Single foot magnets only above. The Stalker figure—despite being a much better looking//sculpted figure with the same type of build and articulation—has a lot stiffer joints, so he doesn’t play as well, while the Cobra Trooper bends and poses quickly, fluidly, and easier making him more fun on the spot.

Above is just a taste of what this figure can do given a few days of opening my mind to this guy’s strengths. I applaud the new build direction, and really like the Retro Cobra Trooper a whole lot more than I did months ago when I first got him. Further, I think the sculpting will get better with time and more figures—maybe even to the point where we get an updated build for this guy.


2021-08-25_02-03-10 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

I recommend getting the figure—at least one to open and play with. He’s not really shelf pretty, but he’s fun to mess with and may bring back good memories of playing with Joes back in the day. At this time, I like how all the parts work and move together, so I won’t be swapping parts except the feet and webgear. I might look at cutting off the left thigh holster and replacing with an MTF knife and sheath, and I expect to find other little tweaks in the near future. We’ll see what happens, especially when I get the upcoming Officer in hand.


2021-08-23_01-31-00 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr


20210821_212723 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr


2021-08-24_11-48-13 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr


2021-08-26_12-34-35 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr


2021-08-22_10-00-24 by HissHissFangFang, on Flickr

[rip_cord]

Wow. Great review - Thanks for taking the time to put this together!

My Retro CT is still sealed on card and about half way through your review, I'm thinking I may just return this goofy trooper, but by the end, I'm thinking I gotta tear this sucker open and play with him!

[FredVIII]

I've been wanting/waiting for someone to post a pic of the new retro webgear on the old 25th trooper--thank you!

And it looks good! Unfortunately I didn't pre-order any Retro Troopers for fear that it wouldn't. :/