[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Snake Eyes w/ Tornado Kick

Note: This review was originally posted at TS118's Forumer site on November 4, 2010. 

Is this figure Jungle Assault Snake Eyes? Technically, this figure is NOT Jungle Assault Snake Eyes. That's because nowhere in the packaging will you see the label "Jungle Assault." But if you read the details on his file card, the last sentence states, "He expertly swings his nunchaku and crescent blade, then slams his enemy to the jungle floor with a tornado kick." So, I guess it's safe to assume that this IS Jungle Assault Snake Eyes after all. They say that when you assume things, you make an ASS out of U and ME, but let's not get in to that.

So, this is actually the second Jungle Assault Snake Eyes in the Pursuit of Cobra line. Remember that we already got a Jungle Assault Snake Eyes figure with the Jet Storm Cycle (Rip Attack vehicle). That figure was just a mish-mash of parts, but don't expect Mr. Tornado Kick here to be a lot better.

Snake Eyes is everybody's favorite Ninja Commando. Even if we're flooded with different action figure versions of him, Snake Eyes never fails to sell. So, is charisma enough to sell this latest version of our favorite Ninja Commando? Well, read on... 

Upon opening the package, we'll get:

-A Snake Eyes figure w/ a belt which is not readily removable
-A removable vest
-A nunchaku
-A kusarigama
-A crescent blade
-Two hooked swords
-A figure stand w/ two foot pegs 

 

I'll be straight with you, I DON'T LIKE THIS FIGURE. If not for my buy-everything-that-is-available-now mentality, I wouldn't be here reviewing this figure. This figure just screams BAD. Yes, this figure's parts are mostly new. In fact, except for the head (which is from City Strike/Resolute Snake Eyes), every body part this figure has is new. But I'd rather get a figure that's full of reused parts, as long as the parts look good together, than get something like this. Sadly, in no way does this figure look good.

 
My complaints:

The head doesn't seem appropriate for the body. The figure is quite short compared to other figures. The figure has an action feature. And the figure doesn't have a single gun! Where's the Commando part in this Ninja Commando? Aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh! 

Articulation-wise, he's at par with the rest of the Pursuit of Cobra figures. He doesn't have a mid-torso joint, due to his action feature, but you won't miss that much because he gets a swivel waist in return. His arm guards slightly restrict how much you can bend his elbows, but that's not too big of a deal. By the way, the arm guards are not removable, they're part of the sculpted arm. 

His action feature is labeled as a Tornado Kick. Wind his lower extremities up, push the button on his torso, and his legs swings back. The button is quite tiny, it's barely noticeable with the vest on, and that's a good thing. Most of us dread the inclusion of action features on our figs, but on this one, the action feature doesn't really affect the figure negatively. This figure is so bad that even an action feature can't make it any worse. 

By now, you already know how I feel about this figure. Needless to say, I don't recommend it, not one bit. For me, this is a waste of resources. Not even Snake Eyes' charisma can pull this figure through. I think I can find another Snake Eyes figure that looks a lot better and is more suited for some jungle action. Stay away from this figure, unless you're a Snake Eyes fanatic, of course. Save your dough, don't buy this crap!