One & Done: NIGHT-VIPER

COBRA NIGHT TROOPER - NIGHT-VIPER

    By 1989, Cobra was feeling the pressure, not only from the continued growth of G.I. Joe's forces, but now they also had the Iron Grenadiers to contend with.  They continued to build upon their legions with more specialized troops.  Cobra took a step towards claiming the the night-time battlefield with the addition of the Night-Viper!

    As the Cobra Night Fighters, it was the job of the Night-Vipers to do their dirty work under the cover of darkness in the late hours.  The file card explains that the helmets of the Night-Vipers are very technologically advanced, containing multiple options for finding their enemies at night.  It also mentions that their suits and weapons are specifically designed to reduce their own heat-signature - making them extremely difficult to find.

    It is a possibility that the Night-Vipers were created to counteract the Joes' own night operations sub-group - Night Force, which by 1989, had expanded to 12 members and had multiple vehicles.  In addition, in the same year there were also new versions of Snake Eyes and the G.I. Joe Night Spotter, Low-Light... both quite capable night fighters.  The Night-Vipers had plenty of competition.

    The figure appears to have a dark green bodysuit with a yellowish Cobra symbol on his chest.  His gear, gadgets and straps on his body are mostly black.  He has some great molded on details like a knife on his shin and an explosive charge on his left leg.  The outside of his legs seem to have black armor attached and on his right leg are two pegs where his rifle can be connected for storage.

    His helmet is all black but his eyes are visible.  He has a 2-piece visor which snaps onto the pegs on either side of the helmet.  Then there is a peg on front where you can put his scope.  It can be lowered or raised over his eyes.  

    His fourth final accessory is his black backpack, again with some great molded on detail.  It has an antennae and what appears to be a knife handle?

    So how do you improve on this figure?  I'm not sure that's possible...  I think the Night-Viper figure is fantastic!!!  He already made it into my Top 10 of Cobra Army Builders.  He has a great sculpt, colors and accessories!  I love the way all the accessories conveniently attach to the figure.  It all works together so well!  I would imagine someone at Hasbro had a lot of fun creating this figure!!!

    Surprisingly, Hasbro only made one Night-Viper.  In the 90s, several troop builder figures returned with an upgraded uniform and new gear.  The Night-Viper was left out of the mix, however.  It's okay, they would be hard-pressed to top the original!!!

    When I picked up this figure, I was nearly done collecting.  I was beginning to close up shop and be done with Joes.  But it was figures like this that made it hard to let go!!!  This was one I HAD to have!  So it should come as no surprise that the Cobra Night-Viper nails a score of 5 out of 5 Starlight Scopes!!!    A round of applause, please!  Nice job Night-Viper!!!

Behind-the-scenes and random nonsense:

--- Man, it was tricky getting a picture of this guy at night!  You want to be able to actually SEE the character, yet still be able to tell it's dark out!  Then add in the difficulty of having this guy blend in with his surroundings (which... is the point of being colored the way he is).  I'll just take it as a testament to how great this figure is... he is doing his job by being difficult to see in his element.

--- Fact or Fiction?  Rumor has it that Night-Viper training includes knocking on Flint's door at 3 am and then evading capture...