G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary 3 3/4 Inch Action Figure Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper
What’s up zombie fans? Today I’m finally getting around to posting a review of a zombie action figure I picked up many months ago: The G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper. I’m still shocked at the number of zombie fans that aren’t aware of this one so I figured it was time to make time to post a review.
Long Story Short:
This thing is bad@$$ and there is very little I don’t like about it. For those who prefer a little more detail, let’s take a more in depth look at this awesome G.I. Joe zombie action figure!
Detailed Zombie Review:
The Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper figure is part of the 4th wave of the G.I. Joe 30th Anniverasry collection. This awesome zombie action figure hit major retailer shelves in late 2011 or early 2012 depending on location. The 30th Anniversary collection celebrates 30 years of the 3 – 3/4″ sized G.I. Joe figure we all know and love. This particular figure combines G.I. Joe with zombies in a splendid mashup of zombie action figure perfection.
Back Story:
Cobra has the perfect way to create ruthless warriors that never question orders or think for themselves. Cobra developed a new secret blue substance known as “Compound-Z”. By giving “normal” Cobra infantry soldiers this secret substance via a hose attached to a special containment helmet, they can create the ultimate undead super soldier.
Details:
The Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper possesses all the standard G.I. Joe articulations. It measures about 3 and 3/4 inches tall and comes with the following accessories:
Compound Z containment helmet
Removable tattered harness
Compound-Z bulb with hose,
Black display stand with the Cobra logo. Stand is labeled “Zombie-Viper”.
Detachable hands interchangeable with the two included tendril arms.
Retail Price:
In the past I’ve spotted the Zombie Viper Cobra Trooper on store shelves from $6.99 to $10.99, with the $9.99 to $10.99 being the most popular pricing point in my area in the midwest. It’s pretty much a moot point now, because you’ll be extremely lucky to find one on a store shelf anywhere! If you do, I suggest grabbing all they have because they will NOT last long.
What We Love:
This thing is all kinds of zombie awesome! What’s not to love? The sculpt and level of detail are pretty incredible considering this is a mass produced action figure priced well under $20.00. I’ve seen hand made custom figures with less detail and love put into them.
The sculpting and paint work on this thing are incredibly well done. The figure itself is a wonderful sickly grey color. It features just the right amount of shading and detailing. I really love the fact that there are random bright blue veins and vasculature highlighted throughout the figure. It really drives home the point that this was a zombie created by that eerie Compound-Z substance.
The detail on the head and face of this figure are pretty epic. The highly detailed mouth is frozen in a horrible grimace. The expression captured with the eyes definitely imparts a sense of fear and dread into anyone who lays eyes on the figure. One look at this zombie face, complete with a ripped open forehead and evil gaze, and you know this zombie means business.
The figure is sporting what is left of his olive colored drab green Cobra infantry uniform. The legs and arms of his clothing are pretty tattered, ripped and torn. For some reason he has lost his combat boots and roams the battlefield barefoot and ready to kill.
One of the coolest features of this figure is the fact that he has detachable hands. You can swap out his hands for the included tendril arms. Although we prefer the traditional human handed zombie, when attached the tendrils really add to the creepy look of this zombie action figure.
We prefer the look without them, but the option to display this zombie action figure with the Compound-Z helmet and hose is pretty cool. We really like the fact that Hasbro made pretty much all of the accessories detachable. They easily could have taken the easier route and molded the harness and other items onto the figure.
Click images below to open a larger view in a new window:
What We Didn’t Love:
There seriously is almost nothing about this figure I don’t like. We try to post very fair and unbiased zombie reviews here, so I forced myself to come up with something. It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to come up with a tiny complaint or two.
One of the things I didn’t like about the figure was the fact that it was pretty damn difficult to snap on the hands or tendril arms when swapping things around. It could be done, but it was pretty tough. We had to worry that our hamfisted zombie -selves were going to break something! They DO go on, it just takes some oomph. We’re not sure whether this is an issue isolated to our figure or if it is common. I suppose having a tight fit without worrying about things falling off is probably desirable. Things probably get easier to swap once you’ve done it several times. It’s certainly not a major drawback. We don’t plan on swapping the arms out often so it’s not even a real issue for us!
Another minor complaint is the packaging. This is just a personal opinion and really has nothing to do with the actual figure, but I don’t like the zombie illustration used on the front of the packaging. It’s an awesome job, but with a head full of dark black hair it just looks too different from the zombie figure the package contains.
My final complaint is again something not directly related to the quality of the action figure. I’m simply upset with product availability. These simply flew off the store shelves. It is now nearly 6 months after they first turned up on store shelves in my area and I’m still kicking myself for not buying every darn one I came across! If I saw them and would go back to the store the next day they’d be gone. This speaks volumes about the zombie awesomeness of this figure!
Our Final Word and Rating:
This is one of the sickest zombie action figures you are going to see! Hasbro could have taken the easy way out and sprayed one of their existing figures green and called it good. Instead they put an immense amount of time and love into creating a Zombie G.I. Joe action figure and it shows. I really wish Hasbro would capitalize on the current pop-culture zombie craze and make an entire line of these zombie figures. I don’t think it is likely, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed anyway.
I highly recommend any zombie fan adds this to their collection. In the event you manage to shamble across these at a reasonable price I urge you to grab them all and send them to me!;)
Our Rating: 5 out of 5 brains!
Where Can I Buy One?
That’s the big question my zombie friend. If you’re looking to purchase local at the major retailers you are probably out of luck. In late 2011 or early 2012 you could have probably scored one of these off a big box store’s shelves. While it’s not entirely impossible to find one, I definitely would not count on it. (I’ve been searching high and low here for the last 3 or 4 months and haven’t found any.) Your best bet is to order online and that source is quickly drying up as well. You can still find these online from sites like amazon or ebay in the $15 to $30 range. Check out the links below and grab one of these before they’re gone entirely!
Did You Know?: The Cobra Hazard Troopers are the specially trained to handle and administer the hazardous Compound-Z Zombie toxin. With their hazmat suits, gas masks, and biohazard labeled Compound-Z canisters these G.I. Joe figures are the perfect companion to the Zombie-Viper figures!
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Awesome! I like it!