Review: Hasbro 3-3/4 inch GI Joe 30th Anniversary Cobra Techno Viper

The Facts

• Primary MOS- Field Maintenance
• Secondary MOS- Combat Engineer
• Battlefield Technician
• Masters of makeshift maintenance
• Motto: fight ‘em fix ‘em, frag’em!

Sculpt/Paint

This is an all new sculpt and is pretty basic throughout, the helmet is the real highlight here.  His tunic is removable and he features some nice padding and sculpted hoses on his forearms and torso. Techie has a wondrous new helmet sculpt, while the original techno viper had a very bulbous and round helmet this one is a bit more angular and modernized, kind of a cross between a WWII German helmet and a Darth Vader mask, yet I get a Fu man chu look out of this. (Is it just me?) The paint is nice but very grape! Much like the original there are two shades of purple used, silver accents, and black boots, I have two of these babies and one has a silver stripe on his helmet and the other does not. One of them also has a silver blotch on the left of his helmet, so a little sloppy on the paint but all in all it works. The metallic gold painted eye coverings are a nice touch of detail. The giant Cobra symbol on his chest is a win! His back pack has two tanks painted red for an extra sense of realism while his tools and guns are all molded in a light matte gray plastic.

Articulation

Techno Viper #24 (or whomever he is) features 12+ points of articulation and the great much talked about wrist joints that Hasbro needs to spread elsewhere in their toy empire. He can hold both his sidearm and his main gun with ease or convincingly hold his main gun with two hands. He works well in the running action pose and I do not detect any faulty or loose joints on my figure.

Accessories

Ok, Techno Viper likes to shop at the Cobra hardware store.  He comes with a welder pistol, pneumatic shears, hammer, claw, and a hose to connect is power backpack with his main gun and tools. Techie also features a unique fluorescent green Cobra safety cone which is candy for diorama builders! They are a fine assortment of accessories that all manage to be stowed upon the figure, except for the safety cone. Thank you Hasbro for including a holster for the sidearm.

Pros

1. Great menacing helmet sculpt
2. Nice simple not overdone update to a 1987 classic
3. All accessories can be stowed on the figure itself
4. Safety cone is a nice real world accessory
5. Excellent  troop builder

Cons

1. Fairly monochromatic paint
2. Spotty paint apps(not much to complain about really)
3. Hose kinks much easier than the original

I really enjoy the “grunts” of the GI Joe and Cobra teams; they always seem to pack cool accessories and a unique look. This figure is no exception. One of my favorites as a kid and I like this update even more. I can definitely see this as a troop builder/diorama starter type figure. Pick one up especially if any of your Cobra vehicles need repair!

Dashing through the night… Cobraaaa!