 Here, it's time for another vintage Cobra toy review, and this is the final video of Cobra Convergence 2. Thank you to FormBX257, Timmer from Half the Battle, GI Joberg, JoFan82, Strident, and Sanitarium Productions. And that's not all. We had a lot of other channels contribute to Cobra Convergence 2, so I'm going to list everyone's channel in the description of this video. I hope you check them all out and subscribe. What a month it has been! Instead of getting one Cobra review per week, we got a lot of Cobra reviews from a lot of different channels throughout the whole month, but there's still one missing. It's my turn. For this one I have to thank a couple people. Thank you to Byron Kellogg who helped me complete this figure. Byron, I said I was going to save it for something special. I'd say this is pretty special. And thank you to Eric Brink for helping me with the file cards. Very good of you, sir. HCC788 proudly presents the 1985 Cobra Frogmen The Eels. This is the 1985 Eels, the Cobra Frogmen. This figure was first available in 1985 and was also available in 1986 and was discontinued for the year 1987. 1985 was probably the best year for Cobra army builders, introducing the Cobra Eels, the Crimson Guard, Snow Serpent, Televipers, and Lamp Reys. A notable admission from 1985 was the Basic Viper, which was released in 1986. 1984 was probably the best year for new Cobra named characters, introducing Zartan, Storm Shadow, Firefly, Wild Weasel, and Copperhead. But 1985 gave us the best Cobra troops. There were a couple later versions of Eels in the vintage line. Version 2 from 1992 was wildly different from version 1. It also came with a robotic shark that shoots a missile out of its mouth, which is both absurd and awesome at the same time. Version 3 was a recolored release of version 2, but without the robot shark. I had the version 2 Eel when I was a kid and he was the only aquatic Cobra figure that I had, and I loved him. He was great. I thought the sculpt and design, although I wasn't really thinking about that in those terms when I was a kid, I thought it was a great design, and I love these fins that are on the side. He's a very unique sculpt, great head design, and I just really liked him. And great accessories, including that robotic shark. That was excellent. That was a very James Bond villain type of accessory. But as an adult collector, I would like to see this version made in modern form, modern design, but I would change the color. I wouldn't use the very bright, bright yellow again, maybe substitute it with a black or black and gray, and have a few highlights. You could still use this yellow, but just very, very sparingly throughout. And somehow keep this, I really like this Cyclops-type visor he's got on the top. But I think a modern version of this would look really cool. There were other water-themed Cobra vehicle drivers, but the next carded Cobra diver was the 1988 Hydro Viper. Even though the Eels are advertised as Cobra Frogmen, I did not limit them to that role. Complete Cobra Eels can be kind of expensive because of the often-missing air hose. However, you can get incomplete Cobra Eels pretty cheaply, and there's a lot you can do with them. The Eels are not just divers, they are the backbone of the Cobra Navy, so you can use them to man Cobra sea vessels. This is particularly helpful with the Cobra Moray Hydrofoil, which is a large vehicle with lots of slots for figures, and the Eels look great in those spaces. The 1986 Cobra Hydro Sled is a two-man vehicle, and I can't think of any figures better for it than the Cobra Eels. The Hydro Sled even has a gun that mirrors the Cobra Eels Harpoon gun. You can even put them in that ridiculous battle barge from 1988. The colors go well with it, and they can even sit in it without removing their backpacks. The Cobra vehicle I don't think the Eels go well with is the 1984 Cobra Water Moccasin. The colors just don't match up very well. But the Water Moccasin was more of a swamp boat than a sea boat. I don't typically army build figures, even figures that are intended for that purpose. It's just not my thing. But I have picked up several Cobra Eels, and I could see myself picking up even more. They just look that good, and the incomplete ones can sit in vehicles. The Cobra Eels appeared in the G.I. Joe Order of Battle miniseries in issue number 3, but the design they had for the Eels was wildly different from what we got. And this was published in 1987, a couple years after the Eels figure was released, so I don't understand how this design gets put in for a figure that had been out for a couple years. This design looks more like undertow, a figure that wouldn't come out until 1990. Wow, talk about artistic license. Let's take a look at the Eels accessories, starting with his weapon, and the contents of the packaging call this a JLS double harpoon with stunner. It has two harpoon points, so it could be a two shot weapon, or they may be fired simultaneously. It has a coiled spike, which is probably the stunner. Maybe it is electrically charged a nod to the Eels codename. The next accessory is the air hose, and this is without a doubt the most frequently lost accessory on this figure. It connects to the action figure on the face and to the backpack. You can remove it. It pegs onto the face, and then it has the air hose that pegs onto the backpack. You can pull that out. There is some detail on the air mask and hose, but not a lot. It is a soft, pliable plastic, but even though it is very soft and pliable, I do find a lot of these broken. This accessory is difficult to find, but the Cobra Eels actually looks pretty good without it. I was thrilled to get one from Byron Kellogg, so thank you again Byron. The next accessory is the air tank with jet pack. It is a two-piece backpack. It has this top portion that connects to the air hose, and it has some additional sculpted on hoses here, so it looks kind of like a rebreather. The jet pack portion is removable. You can pull that off. It pegs into some holes there on the backpack with the very tiny pegs. Even though those are tiny pegs, they can snap off. I have another jet pack with those pegs snapped off, and then, of course, it won't reattach to the backpack, so be careful about that. Presumably, this jet pack is for moving through the water, not flying through the air like the jump jet pack. Finally, we get to the flippers or swim fins. They are black. They are pretty plain. They connect to the feet by foot pegs. These flippers were later used for the 1986 GI Joe Navy Seal wetsuit. With the accessories out of the way, let's take a look at the articulation on the Cobra Eels. He had the articulation that was standard for GI Joe figures by 1985, meaning he could turn his head from left to right and look up and down. He could swing his arm up at the shoulder and swivel at the shoulder all the way around. He had a hinge at the elbow. He could move at the elbow about 90 degrees. He had a swivel at the bicep, so he could swivel his arm all the way around. The figure was held together with a rubber O-ring that looped around the inside. That allowed him to move at the torso a bit. He could move his legs apart about so far. He could bend his leg at the hip about 90 degrees and bend at the knee about 90 degrees. Let's take a look at the sculpt to design and color of Cobra Eels starting with his head. On his head he has a gray non-removable helmet and a diving mask with pegs that connect to the air hose. He's got a tiny little knob antenna on this side and that can be broken off, so keep an eye out for that. You can see his eyes through there. A non-removable helmet is fine for Cobra figures since we expect them to hide their identities. On the chest piece we have some gray shoulder armor that carries around to the back and we have a black undershirt or wetsuit. On the chest we have a red chest plate with a silver Cobra emblem. This red chest plate is a gorgeous flash of color on an otherwise muted figure. Because it's a darker red, it doesn't seem out of place. My only criticism is the big sculpted pectoral muscles that kind of look like man boobs. On his arms he has gray shoulder covers over black sleeves. Then he has gray forearm braces and black gloves. His waist piece is gray with a black belt and then down the center of his crotch he has this black, I don't know, I guess maybe this is supposed to be a zipper for his wetsuit. His legs are gray and pretty plain which works well for this figure. He just has a black knife and strap on his left ankle. Let's take a look at the Eels file cards and we have two of them here. That's because they were issued in two different colors. In 1985 it had this peach back file card but when it was reissued in 1986 it had a gray back file card. The text is the same though. It has as faction as Cobra, it has a portrait of the Cobra Eels here. It says Cobra Frogman, singular, codename Eels. So I take it to mean that Eels is actually a singular, not a plural. Full name is classified, primary military specialty is underwater demolitions, secondary military specialty is marine engineering, birthplace of various countries. Of course this is an army builder, not an individual. His grade is E4 or equivalent. A frogman of course is a combat diver which fits with the Eels expertise. This top paragraph says Eels are the underwater demolition specialists of the Cobra legions. They man and operate the Cobra marine outposts disguised as offshore drilling rigs and augment the crews of larger Cobra naval vessels. This bottom paragraph says Eels undergo a rigorous two part training program in the warm shark and pirate infested waters of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and in the frigid dark depths of the North Atlantic. Their training regimen includes marine structural engineering, explosive ordinance, underwater fighting techniques and marine geology. The Cobra Eels was a very influential figure. It influenced a lot of other Cobra figures throughout the vintage line. I've invited Timmer to elaborate on that. You want more information on Eels? Dude, been there, done that, bought a t-shirt. Just troll the clip. In the Cobra organization, Eels are a step above the Vipers, which are the lowest tier of Cobra soldier. The Eels then branch off into other naval and arctic specialties. I've got a list here of all the file cards that mention the Eels. Eels training is required for lampries, snow serpents, sea slugs, ice vipers, hydro vipers and even bio vipers. Though I'm not sure you're really need much training to be turned into a monster. Oddly, there's no mention of Eels training for the Secto Vipers, the Cobra Bugs up marine driver. Eels may be the most influential army builder, since they pop up in file cards throughout the vintage Gaijo toy line, even in years when there was no Eels on the retail pegs. The lampries and snow serpents were the first branches of the Eels tree. Oh, well thanks again and thank you for rescuing me from the clutches of the evil Toymaster. You are my hero. I was happy to help out with the rescue, but remember dudes, you now owe me one. And I intend to collect one day. Looking at how Cobra Eels were used in Gaijo media, in the cartoon series they first appeared in the episode titled Cobra Stops the World. They had a handful of appearances, but they were not used extensively. They were more prominently used in the episode titled The Germ. That was an episode that focused on airtight. In the Marvel Comics Gaijo comic book series, they first appeared in issue number 47, titled Sea Duel. They had two purposes in that issue. First, they piloted the Cobra Hydro Sled, which was invented by Dr. Maynbender. Oddly, the Hydro Sled was a 1986 vehicle. The Eels were introduced a year late in the comics. Second, they fought Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow on a Cobra Moray hydrofoil. The two Ninjas hijacked the hydrofoil to escape Cobra Island, but the Eels were hiding out inside. Although the Eels ultimately failed and get eaten by sharks, they did give the Ninjas a good fight. The next appearance was in issue number 53, when a squad of Eels took part in the raid on the pit, Gaijo's secret underground base. Flint single-handedly took on the whole squad, trying to slow them down while Lady J alerted the other Joes. Looking at the Cobra Eels overall, I LOVE the Cobra Eels, it is a beautiful figure. From the details, to the colors, to the accessories, top to bottom, it is exceptional. It is perhaps my favorite Cobra troop builder. There are so many ways to use the Eels. Yes, they are divers, but they don't have to stay in that role. They look great on the Moray hydrofoil, on the Hydro Sled, and pretty much any of your Cobra watercraft need the Eels. They can go up against Gaijo's Navy Seals, torpedo and wetsuit. They are similarly equipped, and since wetsuit doesn't have any weapons, his only hope is to blind the Eels with his big flashlight. If I have any complaint at all, it's the sculpting on the chest. The pectoral muscles are a little too boob-like. But that's a very small complaint, and it does not detract from the overall look of the figure. This is a top-tier figure easily, and it may be the one figure that I actually army-build. I'll take as many Eels as I can get, and I have plenty of spaces for them. That was my review of the Cobra Eels. Thank you for watching, and thank you to everyone who was involved in Cobra Convergence 2, and thank you for everyone who followed Cobra Convergence 2 from beginning to end. That means a lot to me. The fact that we can try an experiment like this and do something new and do something that's focused on the community and that people would still follow, that means more to me than I can tell you. That's what makes this project worthwhile. It's you. I will be taking the next weekend off. There will not be a new review next weekend, but I really miss you guys. So I'll probably throw up a short video or two between now and then. And the following weekend will be another Patron's Choice Review. So if you want to help decide what will be reviewed next on this channel, just skip on over to Patreon and find out how. Thank you. Sincerely. Thank you all. And remember, only G.I. Joe is G.I. Joe. Sanitarium Productions. Joefan82.