 Cobra for the entire month of July, and we are starting with the most essential Cobra figure ever, the 1982 and 1983 version of the Cobra Trooper. I've been saving this one just for this occasion. They couldn't hit the broad side of a barn! Well, since I'm apparently in no danger, let's carry on with the review. HCC788 presents Cobra. This is the Cobra Soldier, also known as the Cobra Trooper, although officially he was just called Cobra. He was introduced in 1982 in the so-called straight arm version. The figure was reintroduced in 1983 with a change in the articulation. He had a new point of articulation at the bicep referred to as swivel arm battle grip. We'll take a look at the differences in articulation later in this video. The swivel arm Cobra Soldier was available from 1983 all the way to 1985, so he was on the pegs longer than most GI Joe figures were. Collectors refer to these guys as Cobra Soldiers or Cobra Troopers. They're also sometimes called blue shirts, for obvious reasons. In public appearances, Larry Hama, the writer of the GI Joe comic book, also refers to these blue shirts as Vipers. In 1986, the Cobra Infantry Trooper, called the Viper, was introduced as an updated basic Cobra Soldier. Some fans consider the Vipers to be a separate unit from the blue shirts, perhaps a more advanced infantry unit. Larry Hama seems to view them as the same unit with different uniforms and equipment. I like to think of them as separate troopers serving separate roles, with the blue shirts being the lowest ranked and least skilled trooper. These figures were intended to be army built, meaning kids were supposed to buy multiples of them and build a whole army. They were like the storm troopers from Star Wars. There was nothing to individualize them, so you could buy multiples of them and pretend they're different guys. Since adult collectors also like to army build these figures, prices tend to run above average for a single complete figure. Let's take a look at the Cobra Soldiers accessory. He came with only one, the Draganov SVD. This accessory is based on the real world Draganov SVD, which was a Soviet era sniper rifle. It began service in 1963 and is still in use. It has a 10 round magazine. This is an odd choice of weapon for an unspecialized soldier. These guys are not snipers. The Cobra officers AK-47 may have been a better choice for the rank and file soldier. Whereas the sniper rifle may have been a more appropriate weapon for the Cobra officer. It would be easy to swap these out. Based on original concept drawings that have surfaced, this is the weapon the Cobra soldier was intended to come with. There was no mix up. So for some reason the design team did think this was a good accessory for this figure. Let's take a look at the articulation for the Cobra soldier and here's where we get into the major difference between the 1982 and 1983 version. The 1982 Cobra soldier had the standard articulation for figures of that year, meaning he could turn his head from left to right. He could lift his arm up at the shoulder and he could swivel at the shoulder all the way around. He also had a hinge at the elbow so he could move at the elbow about 90 degrees and that was all the articulation on the arm. In 1983 however they added swivel arm battle grip which was a new swivel at the bicep that allowed the figure to swivel his arm all the way around. This was to allow the figures to hold their weapons with a two-handed grip and I consider it a great improvement. Beyond that their articulation is the same. The figure was held together with a rubber O-ring that allowed him to move at the torso a bit. He could move his legs apart about so far. He could move his leg at the hip about 90 degrees and he could bend at the knee about 90 degrees. Let's take a look at the sculpt design and color of the Cobra soldier and it's useful to point out the similarities to the Cobra officer who was released the same year. These guys look a lot alike. They are the same color. They even share similar sculpted details but in fact there is only one part shared between the two of them and that is the waist piece. Other than that all the other parts are different. On his head we have a sculpted on helmet, a black mask that goes over his nose. He has brown eyes which were later changed to black. This helmet looks a lot like the classic steel pot helmet. However in the G.I. Joe comic book it was often drawn to resemble the Nazi Waffen SS style helmet. Although the Cobra soldier's head looks almost identical to the Cobra officer's head they are not the same. The Cobra officer's helmet has a sculpted chevron that the Cobra soldier's helmet is lacking. He has a blue shirt hence the nickname and he has a red Cobra emblem on it. And this Cobra emblem is slightly off center. I don't know if you can see that. It is tilted slightly and I don't know if this is because of poor quality control or what. But whether by accident or design the Cobra emblem is not straight. He has black straps that continue around to his back in this Y pattern. And on this strap he has sculpted a grenade launcher with a pistol grip. We know this is a grenade launcher because on concept artwork for the Cobra soldier it is labeled as such. Grenade launchers with pistol grips do exist in the real world. For example there is a pistol mount for the M203 grenade launcher. Although this is not based on that. This is probably just a made up design. His arms are blue with long sleeves and blue gloves. And on his right arm he has a piano wire sculpted and painted silver. He would use this to strangle his victims. On the swivel arm version that detail is moved from the side of the arm to the front of the arm. On his left arm he has a couple bullet shaped objects which are probably grenades for his grenade launcher. On his waist he has a black belt with some pouches and a circular belt buckle. Some detail on that. The waist piece for the 1982 and 1983 version are almost identical. They are the same in structure. The only difference is the date stamp on their butts. The 1982 version says copyright 1982. The 1983 version says copyright 82-83. Again the Cobra officer reuses that waist piece and it is identical as far as I can tell. Even in color. This waist piece was reused for a lot of other figures. It was used for the 1983 His Tank Driver, the 1988 Tiger Force Duke. It was used on version 1D and version 1E of Steel Brigade. It was also used for Steel Brigade version 2, the Gold Head Steel Brigade. His legs are blue continuing that blue uniform. On his right leg he has a pocket. On his left leg he has a bayonet. He has some fairly plain black boots but most importantly he has knee pads. They are great knee pads and they are the first knee pads introduced in GI Joe. The entire mold of the 1983 Cobra soldier was used to create the 1983 Cobra Viper Pilot and the 1989 Python Patrol Officer. I think this uniform evokes a Nazi vibe. It has a large logo, the iconic Cobra head and you could easily picture a swastika in its place. The Cobra soldier is not camouflage. I think Cobra intends for you to see their troops coming. They want to inspire fear upon their approach. The designer of this figure for Hasbro, Ron Rudat, said he wanted the Cobra soldier to have a mask because he wanted the enemy to be nameless and faceless, not designating any specific ethnic group. I imagine the mask as a symbol of the submersion of the individual's identity into the collective cult of Cobra under the absolute rule of Cobra Commander. It's not to hide the soldier's identity. Who really cares who's under the mask? It's to show that his identity no longer matters. He has joined with something that he considers greater than himself. Let's take a look at the file card and I have a couple here because I have a variant. The text is the same, but most file cards were clipped from the carded retail packaging. So you'll see some of the artwork on the flip side. This file card has a plain red backing, no artwork on the back, just plain red. There were a few ways to get these red back file cards. One was through mail order. The Cobra soldier was available as a mail away direct from Hasbro for a while. Another way was in multi-packs, which were available very early in the line. Also, the Cobra soldier was among the figures packed with the 1982 Sears Exclusive Cobra Missile Command Headquarters and those would have come with red back file cards. It has its faction as Cobra and it has a portrait of the Cobra soldier here and I do love this artwork. I've been mesmerized by this artwork since the first time I saw it. Up here it says Cobra, not Cobra soldier, not Cobra trooper, just Cobra and it has his codename as the enemy. And of course that's not really a codename. This was done really on all of the early Cobra file cards. The Cobra officer just says codename the enemy, the his tank driver has codename the enemy and even Cobra commander just has his codename as enemy leader. His file name is unknown and of course we're not talking about an individual. He would have various file names. His primary military specialty is infantry. Secondary military specialty is sabotage. Birthplace is various countries and grade is E4 or equivalent. I think of these blue shirts as the troopers who have completed whatever Cobra considers basic training. So their ranks should be the lowest like E1 through maybe E4. Troopers that have advanced to higher ranks and received advanced infantry training would become vipers. This section says one of the nameless faceless legions of Cobra command. Each Cobra, again referring to him just as Cobra, is highly skilled in the use of explosives, all NATO and Warsaw Pact small arms, sabotage and the martial arts. Qualified expert Scorpion VZOR 61 machine pistol, Draganov SVD sniper's rifle, Uzi submachine gun and M16. This bottom section has a quote. It says Cobra's swear absolute loyalty to their fanatical leader Cobra commander. Their goal to conquer the world for their own evil purpose. This file card depicts a fanatical enemy that cannot be reasoned with and is bent on world domination. The perfect enemy for GI Joe. Since the Cobra soldier was the basic GI Joe enemy, he was all over GI Joe media. They appeared in the very first episode of the cartoon series and frequently thereafter. They still appear in the cartoon after the introduction of the Cobra Viper. And they even appear sometimes in the same episodes as the Viper, which confirms that they were not replaced by the Viper. The Cobra soldiers were notorious for shooting a lot of lasers, but never being able to hit anything. Maybe if you guys moved a little closer, that would help. Still nothing. In the GI Joe comic book, they appeared in issue number one, surrounded with a lot of fascist imagery. They even flashed Nazi salutes. In issue number eight, which was notably not written by Larry Hama, we get a glimpse of the Cobra soldier's fanatical loyalty to Cobra commander. As they choose to die, rather than be rescued and taken prisoner by GI Joe. In issue number 38, through flashbacks with the aid of the brainwave scanner, we see the beginnings of the Cobra army. With the earliest soldiers wearing street clothes and masks tied around their faces, they are marching under the promise of something greater. How does Cobra gain the loyalty of so many recruits? In issue number 43, we see how Wade Collins joined Cobra. Wade Collins was a war buddy of GI Joe's stalker and snake eyes and the ninja storm shadow. And he eventually became a crimson guardsman. He was a disaffected Vietnam veteran who was searching for something to belong to. That's how Cobra would get their grip on people. They would find people who felt downtrodden, like outsiders. They would find them at their lowest point and promise them a role in their movement. They may be a small cog in the machine, but at least they meant something. The Viper didn't replace the basic Cobra trooper in the comic book either. The blue shirt continued to appear after the introduction of the Viper. Looking at this figure overall, even though it's kind of a plain and simple figure, it will always be a top tier figure in my book. I was super excited about this figure when I was a kid and I still love it. This figure embodies what Cobra means to me. Even more so than iconic figures like Cobra Commander and the Baroness, these blue shirts are the backbone of Cobra. And the Cobra trooper was a monumental figure. Look at what this figure launched. It introduced an enemy for GI Joe, which immediately gave the Joe universe more depth. It provided a color for the enemy, blue. So if all you wanted to do with GI Joe was have play battles, you had your blue team and you had your green team and you didn't have to go into any more depth than that. It gave us that iconic Cobra logo in its most recognized color, red. And that logo was emblazoned on everything. It was a visual cue that required no explanation. It became a stand-in for any enemy of the United States, particularly drawing on Nazi imagery. This idea of the brainwashed enemy that's bent on destruction was the incarnation of all of our fears. And most importantly, he introduced D-Pads. When the new GI Joe was created by Hasbro, there was no enemy for GI Joe. If you look at the earliest cardbacks, you only see the Joe's listed, not Cobra. Kirk Bozigian, who was in charge of the GI Joe brand at the time, just thought GI Joe would fight other toys in the kids' toy box. GI Joe would fight Star Wars, just the same way that Hasbro was fighting Kenner in the marketplace. That's really a marketing mentality. Since the marketer is fighting against Star Wars, the assumption is that's how the kids will play as well. When the concept was presented to Marvel to add their creative input, it was Marvel editor Archie Goodwin, who first suggested an enemy for GI Joe called Cobra, similar to Hydra in the Marvel Universe. It seems so elemental now, but Marvel understood what Hasbro hadn't quite figured out yet. Marketing toys in the 1980s wasn't just about hawking plastic. It was about universe building. It was about using media tie-ins, such as cartoons and comic books, to create characters that kids would connect with and stories that would become the basis for their play. GI Joe followed that 80s formula to great success, and in a lot of ways it blazed the trail for other toy lines. They did it better than just about anyone else for a long time, and the introduction of Cobra was vital to that success. Right, that's enough of that. This is my video, and you guys better clear out of here. Retreat! Retreat! That was my review of the 1982 and 1983 Cobra Trooper. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, make sure you subscribe on YouTube so you don't miss anything. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, comment, and share this video. You don't want any of your friends to miss Cobra Month. Cobra Month continues next week. I'll see you then, and remember, until next time, only Cobra is Cobra.