Tag Archives: pulse exclusive

May 17 2024

G. I. JOE Classified Cobra HISS Techno-Viper & Heetseek Missile System by Hasbro

Well, we all knew this was coming! When the HasLab HISS arrived I had fun speculating over that little tow hitch on the back and how long it would be before we got something to tow around with it. And here we are less than six months later and Hasbro delivered with the Cobra HMS! This mobile missile system is based off of the 1985 Sears Exclusive mobile missile platform that was towed by a red HISS. Of course, that toy in turn was a repaint of the original 1982 Mobile Missile System, which was part of GI JOE’s arsenal and towed around by the VAMP. But, the direct lineage can be traced back to the 2009 Rise of Cobra release of the Heetseek Missile System, a repaint and retool of the previously mentioned toys. I never owned Cobra’s version of this weapon system, and I was eager to make my HasLab HISS even more formidable, so picking up this one was a no-brainer for me!

The HMS comes in a box designed to match the one used for the Classified HISS with more of that bitchin red and black deco that makes it look like you’re viewing the art through a Virtual Gameboy screen, only without the crippling headaches and nausea. In addition to the weapon platform you also get a Techno-Viper repainted to match the deco of the figures that make up the HISS support teams, which reminds me I still need to review that HISS Fire Team set! And speaking of things I haven’t reviewed yet, I’m in a sticky situation here, because I have yet to check out the regular release Classified Techno-Viper here, and I don’t usually like to review repaints before the originals, but I’m going to have to let that slide here. So, I’ll just be treating the Techno-Viper like a brand new figure, and I’ll do comparisons when I get around to looking at the single boxed release. So, let’s start with the figure!

The original RAH Techno-Viper was released in 1988. I was a few years out of JOEs by then and he wasn’t in the cartoon, so I didn’t know these guys even existed until I returned to GI JOE as an adult collector. And that’s a shame, because I love the concept behind these fellas. These are fully combat-trained Vipers, capable of fighting their way through the battle lines to ask if you if you’ve tried turning off your weapons platform and turning it back on again. I kid, but it makes perfect sense to have these guys capable of on-site repairs of everything from HISS Tanks to Weather Dominators. And of course, I’m sure this guy is well versed in HEETSEEK Missile Systems. This is a straight repaint of the single release and I think he looks great in the gray, black, and red color scheme Classified has adopted for the HISS crew, particularly with the silver hoses and trim.

And oh boy do I love this helmet design! It’s got a little bit of Stormtrooper-Cylon vibe going on, but manages to be all its own thing at the same time. I dig how deep set the eye lenses are in the mask and the way the helmet and mask are all layered. It looks like the visor piece is designed to be removed and it all adds a lot of depth and credibility to the head sculpt.

The backpack is quite similar to the original RAH design. It has a pair of red tanks up top, containing who knows what. The lower half is designed to hold three repair tools, which simply slot in. There’s a grab bar on the bottom, which can also be used to secure the rifle by the handle, although I don’t think that’s intentional, rather just a place you can tuck it. The included hose can be attached to either of the pegs on top of the tanks with the other end pegging into either the rifle or any of the other tools. Frankly, I don’t understand what’s going on with this system of tanks and hoses. Why could you possibly need to connect spanners to the same tank as a rifle, and what’s any of it for? Don’t know, but it looks cool!

The rifle is an interesting sci-fi design with a prominent scope and a skeletal stock. There’s a hole in the barrel to take a blast effect part, if you have some lying around, although I have no idea what it’s supposed to shoot. Lasers would be my guess. The hose could use a little more slack to work with as some poses with the rifle will cause the hose to come unplugged and that can’t be good, because I’m guessing it needs that to fire.

As for the spanners, there are two claw-like wrenches and a hammer. These are no doubt used for the fine, precision work needed to keep Cobra’s equipment running well. Banging things with a hammer usually works! They look like they would be equally useful for taking swings at JOEs.

The Techno-Viper also packs an automatic pistol. It’s an interesting design that looks plausible with just a bit of sci-fi flavor. The detail in the sculpt is excellent and it looks like it’s got some optics mounted below the barrel. And like the rifle, it has a socket in the barrel for blast effects. The sidearm has a home in the holster strapped to the Techno-Viper’s left leg.

And the final accessory is a holographic readout that plugs into either of his wrist computers. The piece is cast in translucent orange plastic and has some schematics and information sculpted into it. It reminds me a bit of the holographic images that The Four Horsemen have been releasing with their Cosmic Legions figures. It’s a neat idea and well implemented here. All in all, this is a great figure, but do I like it better than the regular release? Well, I’ll reserve judgement until I get to do a proper comparison. Hopefully in the near future. Now, onto the HEETSEEK Missile System…

Here is the HMS with the stabilizers down and ready to fire! The four legs lock into place and hold the platform with the wheels suspended off the ground. In addition to a lot of great sculpted detail, the HMS is absolutely littered with cool markings, stenciled warning labels and general information. The missile cradle can rotate 360-degrees and elevate to adjust the targeting range.

And holy crap, these missiles are absolutely huge! And yes, the curious spelling of HEETSEEK is pulled directly off of the vintage toy release. These red bringers of destruction have white lettering on the sides, along with a black Cobra emblem near the tip. The missiles tab onto the cradle and remain secure, but can be removed and hurled across the room at that approaching VAMP. There are sockets in the back of the missiles for effect parts, and I really wish some smoke trails were included with these as it would have added a lot more value to the set.

There is an access panel on the side of the platform that can be removed to access the programming and launching console. On the original toys, this was a remote pedestal with a cable that connected it to the platform. I guess it’s more convenient to have it integrated into the platform itself, but considering the price of the set, it would have been nice to get an optional remote console as well.

The hitch folds up into the platform, but still has the connection bar hanging out. It seems like there could have been a way to make this retract all the way and be more flush with the device, but at least they added a little articulation to it so it’s not just hanging on the ground for people to trip over, because than you have to get the OSHA-Vipers on the scene and nobody wants that. If you are buying this as a stand alone piece, it definitely works for play or display all by itself. But, the real draw here is getting it all hooked up to the HISS. Unfortunately I don’t have a backdrop or lighting rig for something this big so I’m going to have to shoot these pictures in the Classified Room under less than ideal conditions.

Oh, hell yeah! And if this doesn’t look like enough obscene overkill, I might remind you that Classified HISS has rocket pack saddlebags that I don’t have installed at the moment. With the stabilizer legs flipped up and the HMS hitched up, the missile platform rolls along on it’s two wheels and pairs perfectly with the High Speed Sentry. The matching colors make this look like a natural extension of the HISS rather than an Add On. And setting it up to fire beside the HISS with a full compliment of HISS Crew makes for a great display.

I’m extremely happy with this set! It takes an already epic toy like the Classified HISS and adds even more wow-factor to it. Plus, I just love the idea of getting a Techno-Viper dedicated to HISS and HMS maintenance. It really rounds out that crew nicely. Personally, I think it really needed some firing effect parts for the back of the missiles and a pedestal console certainly would have been nice. I’ve seen a fair amount of complaints about the price on this set, which retailed at $79.99, but I don’t think the asking price is all that out of line, when you consider the Trouble Bubble and Ferret both retailed at $59.99. As with those sets, you get a figure and with the huge missiles, this beast definitely involves a lot more plastic than those other small vehicles. Is it $20 more? Well, that’s up to you. I will say that if the price on this one is goosed a bit, I have to imagine it’s because it’s really an accessory for an expensive vehicle that is no longer on the market and fewer collectors will own. I mean, it does display just fine on it’s own, but you’d be missing out on the connectivity feature, at least until the inevitable release of the Cobra Stinger. The HMS is a Pulse Exclusive and at the time I’m publishing this it is still available for purchase.

Apr 29 2024

Marvel Legends (The Avengers): Giant-Man and Wasp by Hasbro

It seems like most of my Marvel Legends buying these days is stuff on deep discount, but every now and then Hasbro tosses something out there that gets me a bit excited. This time it was a new two-pack featuring Hank Pym as Giant-Man and Janet Van Dyne as The Wasp. It was an interesting reveal, coming shortly after the Giant-Man HasLab project just squeaked by, begging the question why wasn’t this pair of figures part of that project? If these were included, it would have given me the push I needed to back it, but since it wasn’t, I was able to pick up the figures off of Pulse and saved myself about $200 and the bother of finding somewhere to stand that huge figure. What was even more surprising is, this pack went up with a lot of people, myself including, believing it was a pre-order, but it actually shipped right away!

And here’s the snazzy packaging! Hank and Jan come in a colorful window box with a white front and lots of artwork on the side panels and the back. The figures are set against a blue background and when combined with the red and blue Avengers logo, this presentation really pops beautifully! The window is absolutely cluttered with accessories and extra hands and heads, making this feel like a decent value at the $50 price tag. I’m going to start with Hank, but let’s check him out as Giant-Man first…

We last saw Hank Pym as Giant-Man in Marvel Legends ten years ago as part of the Ultron Wave, and HOLY SHIT… TEN YEARS??? That was an OK figure, but it was definitely not my preferred version of the costume. Here, we finally get the good stuff, as Hank dons the bright red and blue suit, and the coloring here is absolutely gorgeous. Sure, the red paint above the zig-zag patterns on his boots doesn’t quite match the red plastic on the legs, but it’s a minor discrepancy on a tiny area. The black V-decoration on the torso is pretty sharp and you get a segmented silver belt worn around the waist, which does have a habit of riding up and needing adjusting.

The head sculpt shows some excellent definition in the facial features and it looks like the lower face is sculpted separately from the rest of the mask allowing for razor sharp lines. The red hood is broken up a bit by the white shingles on the sides of the head, the eyes are printed very well, and his antennae sweep up prominently from his brow.

The proportions on this figure are certainly a lot better than what we got last time and it features the wonders of pinless technology. The articulation follows the usual Legends formula with the bonus of butterfly shoulder crunches. You get two sets of hands, which include two graspy hands, as well as a right trigger finger hand and a left fist. The trigger finger hand is a strange choice, but it does actually work well with some of his accessories.

And I do enjoy that one of his accessories is a Quinjet. Is it supposed to be something that Hank shrunk down or is it a normal sized jet for Giant-Man to play with? I like to imagine it’s the later and he flies it around making whooshing noises, while The Avengers trapped inside scream in terror.

Swap the head and toss on his white coat and you have a Hank Pym to putter around in his Lab. The coat is surprisingly well tailored, considering this is kind of a first for modern Legends. It fits the figure nicely, the stitching is pretty tidy and while it lacks a ubiquitous pocket of pencils, I like it a lot. Had I picked up that West Coast Avengers boxed set, I would probably use the jacket on that Hank Pym figure, but with how much that set is being discounted these days, I may wind up with it eventually.

The head sculpt looks to be the same as the one included on Hank in that set and I dig it a lot. Pym is sporting his best serious scientist expression and the hair is sculpted as a separate piece and attached to the head.

Pym comes with a number of science accessories including including two pieces of glassware, which if my High School Science Class serves me well, I believe are a Florence Flask and an Erlenmeyer Flask. These are both frosted with some blue plastic inside ot look like liquid. You also get what looks like a data pad or perhaps a circuit pulled out of Pym’s latest invention. I guess it could be whatever you want it to be. Whatever the case, it’s a nice assortment of science lab stuff for Pym to work with. Now, let’s move on to Janet…

We’ve had plenty of Wasps in Marvel Legends, but I do believe that this is the first time we’ve got Janet in her classic (and IMHO best!) costume. The red dress with the flared shoulders, the high boots, the black undersuit, and the plunging neckline exposing her blue W, and the canisters on her belt… I just love this costume! If you have any of the previous Wasp figures from Legends, the wings should be familiar to you. Hasbro has certainly got their mileage out of these. The two sets plug into her back on hinges with the lower wings pegging into those, offering a good deal of posability.

Like Hank, you get two heads for Janet: One in costume and one out and both are gorgeous! The costumed head features her pointed cowl, complete with headset and antennae. The antennae are actually jointed inside where they connect to the head and can be articulated a little bit, which is really cool. The microphone on her headset can also be raised or lowered. The face is sculpted separately from the hood, offering a clean line between the two. And boy is the face beautiful! The printing on the eyes is just about perfect, there’s some nice color to her cheeks and her lips are fantastic!

And the other head is quite spectacular too! It’s a different face sculpt with notable differences to the eyebrows, but otherwise pretty close. The vintage style coif is sculpted separately from the head in an almost chocolate brown plastic with some adorable curls at the ends. I’d definitely say Janet here ranks up there among Hasbro’s best female portraits.

Like Hank, Janet’s body is pinless and if I still reviewed Legends figures as much as I used to, I’d probably stop pointing that out by now, but it’s still kind of new to me. It’s really nice to see the gals getting double hinged elbows and bicep swivels as opposed to just the rotating hinges in the elbows. The joints here all feel really nice and you get two sets of hands: One pair of fists and one pair of gesturing hands.

With Legends going for about $25 these days, the $50 price tag on this set seems about right. Actually if you include all the extras, it’s probably even a bit better. Given how much I love these characters, this set was a must-have for me and with it being a Pulse Exclusive, I wasn’t willing to risk not getting it to see if it would eventually be clearanced at the Pulse Outlet. I buy so few new Legends these days, I don’t feel bad about splurging on a set like this. Both figures are excellent, but for me it was getting the classic costume Wasp that really made my day!