Snoova's Top 10: FAVORITE COBRA VEHICLES
Last Top 10 I did, it was all about the vehicles of the G.I. Joe Team! Obviously, this time around, we are looking on the other side of the fence at the vehicles of Cobra (and maybe some Iron Grenadiers for good measure)!!
It's amazing how many awesome "villain" vehicles were released in the span of this toyline! Narrowing it down to ten wasn't TOO difficult a task though. For the most part, my favorites have pretty much ALWAYS been my favorites.
So in order of release... here's what I got...
1.) Cobra HISS Tank, Series 2, 1983
The iconic HISS Tank!!! I mean seriously, how could it not make the list??? One of the first vehicles released for Cobra. I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking it looked incredible! I bought it at K's Merchandise the summer of 1983. I think I put it together in the car because I remember rolling it down the driveway as soon as I got home! Man, my HISS saw so many battles I practically wore it out! Then, a few years later when it popped up in the mail-order catalogs, I got another one!
2.) Cobra Water Moccasin, Series 3, 1984
I remember seeing the Water Moccasin in the G.I. Joe comics and it was just one of those vehicles I HAD TO HAVE! I don't think I had seen it in the catalog yet, but we were heading on some family roadtrip (I don't think it was vacation, it was earlier in the year) and I was talking to my friend before we left. I remember telling him I was hoping to come back with the new Cobra boat (I don't think I knew it's name) and its driver Wild Weasel (he drove it in the comic). Well... I DID find and buy it... but I remember thinking "who is this Copperhead guy??? And where is Wild Weasel???
Another vehicle that saw MANY battles! As the first Cobra "boat", it took on missions in the tub or our little plastic swimming pool. It was so much fun and that fun increased when I got the WHALE for Christmas that year!
3.) Cobra Rattler, Series 3, 1984
I still recall my friend Greg calling me up all excited and saying "I saw the Cobra Rattler at K-Mart!!!" I think I was out the door and on my bike in minutes... I had to see it! Cobra's first jet and it was awesome! I remember the commercial where the boy is "flying" it in his yard and he turns it sideways and you could see that massive payload of missiles and bombs!!!
Then after I got it, it was even better, because unlike the Skystriker that was enormous, this one was a bit smaller and much easier to handle while flying it in the backyard or through the house. Plus, bonus... I finally got Wild Weasel!
4.) Cobra CLAW, Series 3, 1984
Why is this small little thing on the list??? Well, anyone could go and name all the BIG vehicles on a Top 10 List. But let's be honest, when us kids took our allowance or mowing money to the store... THIS is the stuff we bought. If I got any of the big vehicles it was usually for my birthday or Christmas. So I had a lot of the smaller vehicles.
This one had some appearances in both the comic and cartoon that helped sell it in my mind. Plus, it bridged a gap for me in that I wanted the Viper Glider but never got it. So the CLAW was my stealth vehicle, or attack vehicle or escape vehicle... whatever. Very versatile and fun!
Ohhhh man, the Hydrofoil... Yep, Christmas 1985 I got the Morey! Finally, Cobra was showing the Joes and their WHALE who was boss! This vehicle was a beast! It was big and had room for so many passengers. I would LOAD this thing up with Cobras and Dreadnoks and attack my Joes. This thing had massive machine guns and torpedos... not to mention all the depth charges, missiles, etc. And if all that weren't enough - top it off with the cool Lamprey figure!!! The Morey was a winner all the way around!
6.) Cobra Wolf, Series 6, 1987
As I mentioned in Snoova's Top 10 Army Builders (Ice-Viper), I got this in a trade. My friend Aaron had it and I thought the vehicle and figure were amazing! Strangely, he wasn't impressed with it. So we traded and his loss was my gain (I have no idea what figure or vehicle I gave up...?)!
This vehicle is great with the cockpit and gunner's seat to one side and the armaments on the other. It just looked sleek and fast and Cobra was long overdue for a snow vehicle! It also carried more weaponry than a G.I. Joe Snow Cat... so the Joes needed to lookout!!!
7.) Iron Grenadiers DEMON, Series 7, 1988
As a tank, it's pretty unconventional... but that's how Destro rolls. So to me, this "different" tank makes sense. The gold and black Iron Grenadier color scheme looks fantastic and it is loaded with features... plus you had the awesome Ferrit figure! The cockpit was cool in how it had 3 operators and their was so much detail in there. Only thing missing was some foot-pegs for some additional troops to hitch a ride!
I was almost done with Joes by this year. I had pretty much stopped spending money on the vehicles and was just picking up the figures I really liked. I could not pass this one up though! The whole Iron Grenadier assortment that year was awesome, and I got them ALL!!!
8.) Iron Grenadiers Razorback, Series 8, 1989
So with the DEMON, I said that in 1988 I was almost done with Joes... well, 1989 was even more so. I think I got a handful of "cool" figures and eventually called it quits. However, I did keep reading the comic book for awhile and I really liked the Iron Grenadier's Razorback.
Fast forward to several years later and I eventually picked one up in perfect condition at a G.I. Joe Convention in Ohio in 1995. It was as cool as I thought! I don't know what Destro was planning on firing above... because both the DEMON and Razorback had the ability to elevate, but it was a cool feature! I also liked the ball gun-turret too! Unfortunately, the Wild Boar figure was a little underwhelming.
9.) Python Patrol Conquest, Series 8, 1989
It's a repaint!?!? Yeah, well, I think this jet is crazy-cool!!! I loved the Joe Conquest and I thought this one was equally as awesome! This was one of my first purchases when I returned to Joe collecting in 1993. I have already told the story of how I was playing drums in a rock band in 1993 and I bought this on the way to practice. I threw my jacket on top of it in the car so that my bandmates wouldn't see it as they may think the whole collecting thing was uncool! When I started parting with some of my Joe collection many years later, it was in my head that this vehicle was one of the things that was NOT leaving!
I always though the Python Patrol "snake skin" grid pattern and crimson/black colors were great - and it was perfect on the Conquest! I do, however, think they missed an opportunity to add a really cool "pythonized" figure with this vehicle!
10.) Cobra Rage, Series 9, 1990
This is another vehicle that I, A.) did not get when it was released because I was out of Joes, and B.) found at the Ohio G.I. Joe Convention in 1995. This only had a brief appearance in the comic, so it was never really on my radar. But I got a great deal on it and it looked great, so I bought it!
After I got it, I just thought it was such an awesome vehicle! Oddly enough, I think I like it because it has a slight resemblance (to me, anyways) to the tanks in the original Tron movie. They ride low to the ground and the main cannon is off-set from the middle. Other than that, it is loaded with features - from the elevating cannon and the mine dispenser - it was such a cool vehicle! Again, the only problem was, a vehicle this size really should have had a figure included!
...And that wraps up another round of Snoova's Top 10! This list was pretty easy for me, most of them were no-brainers! There was no way the majority of these couldn't make the list! I will say though, that the Flight Pod almost beat out the CLAW. They swapped places a few times, but the CLAW eventually won out. So I guess honorable mentions would have to go to the Flight Pod and Zartan's Swampskier.
What Cobra vehicles would make your Top 10? Hit me with your list below. I'm always curious of what other people would pick as their favorites!
As with all the Top 10's, the pictures come from various items in my collection...
-- The Cobra HISS Tank art is from the box of the 2020 Retro-Line HISS.
-- The Rattler and Morey are from the G.I. Joe Impel card series from 1991.
-- The Water Moccasin art is from Marvel's G.I. Joe Order of Battle.
-- The CLAW is from the G.I. Joe Action Cards series from 1986.
-- The Wolf is artwork in my collection from the GIJOE365 project by Chris Hemsworth. Check out his awesome work at www.gijoe365.com.
-- The DEMON, Razorback and Python Patrol Conquest is from the 1990 G.I. Joe catalog.
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