SCC Figure Spotlight - SLICE

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"I fear no mortal man in face-to-face combat, but my sword cuts easiest from behind!" - Slice

From the 1992 G.I. Joe Catalog.

COBRA NINJA SWORDSMAN - SLICE (Version 1)

    When the Cobra Ninja, Storm Shadow, defected to the G.I. Joe Team in 1988, he left a large void in the Cobra Organization.  When he was with Cobra, his main adversary was Snake Eyes.  Both were deadly warriors and brought a lot of mystery and intrigue with them.  Yet it wasn't long before the Joe Team had BOTH ninjas on their side!  How would Cobra counter this?

    Cobra added the Night Creepers in 1990... but these ninjas were troop builders.  No one Night Creeper stood out from the other.  While this ninja group was a nice addition to the toyline, they just didn't hold the weight that Storm Shadow brought with him.

    So they took another shot at it.  In 1992, Cobra added the ninja duo - Slice and Dice to their ranks.  Both were a part of the Ninja Force sub-group.  Between the two, Slice was the prominent ninja getting updated figures in 1993 and 1994.

    Slice was the Cobra Ninja Swordsman.  His file card drops a juicy piece of information about him that says captured documents reveal that he "might" be a renegade from Storm Shadow's ninja clan.  Nothing else is said about it.  Yet, he does wear a red uniform, similar yet different from the red ninjas that are also associated with Storm Shadow's ninja clan. So is he connected to the red ninjas or does he work apart from them?  Does Storm Shadow know who he is?  See?  Now we have the beginnings of an interesting character to add into the ninja mix!

    Other information contained on the file card mentions that he created his very own special sword technique - the "Scorpion Slash"!  He developed this by observing the fighting movements of scorpions.  Slice enjoys working with his ninja partner - Dice and driving the Cobra Parasite.

 
    Slice's uniform is primarily red with black stars concentrated around his mid section going up from his waist and down his legs.  He has black boots, belt and gloves with the black stars around his wrists.  His head is totally obscured with a mask.  I've always thought it looked like a fencing mask.  It has a silver, mesh mask protecting his face and a black balaclava.  He has cloth "tails" coming from the back of his hood and his black belt.  He came with a hook sword, a large butterfly knife and a figure stand.

    All Ninja Force figures had a spring-action "ninja move" gimmick.  To use Slice's "Scorpion Slash" move, you pulled his right arm back and it would spring forward.  Not sure how he got that from scorpions, but admittedly I have never sat around observing their movements.  So I'll just assume Slice knows something I don't.

    Slice is from that brief era where I was out of G.I. Joe.  In fact, 1992 was probably the year I was most disengaged from the toyline.  I was aware of the character since I occasionally checked in with the comic run and Ninja Force was featured pretty heavily.  When I returned to collecting in 1993, I had a hard time finding this version of Slice.

    Slice was a worthy candidate to inherit the mystique of Storm Shadow.  By the time Slice was released, much of Storm Shadow's back story had been revealed.  We needed someone to add another dimension to the tale and Slice could have done this.  Unfortunately, the comics didn't really delve into Slice at all.  He ended up being a character that would show up, appear threatening, and then would be easily defeated because Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were unstoppable.  This was a character with a lot of unused potential.

    One of the worst moments in the comics was when Slice was going to take on Destro.  Destro was holding a red ninja sword in his hand and Slice said "you are probably good with a sword, but how are you against a Master Swordsman?"  You are thinking Destro is about to get slammed, but he pops a smoke bomb and escapes through a hidden passage, leaving Slice to look like a buffoon.  So disappointing!!!

    I liked Slice though.  The figure was great looking.  A ninja wearing red and possibly being a renegade from the Arashikage clan would be an excellent ally for Cobra.  The weapons are cool, though giving him 2 butterfly swords would be better than one.  As far as the spring-action gimmick - I could do without it.  Technically, these features should add something to a figure, but I felt they took away as they limited the waist and arm movement.  Still he was a good figure and could have been a great character if handled a little better.  I'm giving Slice here a rating of 4 out of 5 Cans of Cherry Slice soda!!!  Come on, if you are from the 80's, you got to remember Slice soda, right?  Cherry Slice was the best!

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COBRA NINJA SWORDSMAN - SLICE (Version 2)

    G.I. Joe was on a "ninja craze" as they competed with other martial arts toy-lines like Mighty Morphen Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  As a result, Ninja Force got a second run of figures.  Slice carried over into the 1993 Wave of Ninja Force, but not without some changes.  He was re-released with the same figure mold and same spring-action move (the Scorpion Slash).  The most obvious difference was that now his color was bright orange instead of red.

    The file card was generally the same as the original, but they did remove the reference to him driving the Parasite.  This makes sense as the Parasite had been discontinued in 1991.  They also removed the reference to his partner-in-crime Dice, who did not return with the 1993 line-up.  Now it says he enjoys working with other Cobra ninjas.  Alas, poor Dice, we hardly knew you!

    The second file card ADDED a small bit as well, it listed his birthplace as Jonestown, U.K.  In my opinion, this little piece of information revealed way too much information about Slice.  Now it's likely that he is not a blood relative of Storm Shadow and he is not native to the country that Storm Shadow's family resides in.  Personally, I would rather keep the character shrouded in as much mystery as possible.  

    The 2nd version of Slice got a weapons upgrade (or downgrade, depending how you look at it) with a 1993 weapons tree.  Rather than most figures having unique weapons, now they would share the same weapons in a variety of colors.  Thankfully, Slice's were black!  Now he came with a jab-hook sword, 2 double-knives, a bo-staff/spear, an axe, a butterfly sword, and a figure stand.  Strange that Dice is no longer available, but Slice now has his gear.

    I picked up orange Slice soon after I returned to Joe collecting.  I was disappointed though.  Although the bright orange was eye-catching, I thought the color was dull and nowhere as cool-looking as the red on the original.  The red uniform was a potential clue to his possible connection to Storm Shadow's ninja clan.  Not sure what the orange would represent.  Maybe Dress like Orange Sherbet Day?  I'm not sure.  It was the only Slice I could find at the time though, so I still bought it.

    So now we have a second Slice in 2 years, but now with a color and accessories that I consider not-as-interesting as the original.  I still like the concept of Slice.  This figure is okay, it's not bad, it's just doesn't bring the mystique the original did.  This evil renegade ninja now carries his buddy's equipment and dresses in a color that he could only use for camouflage with Easter decorations.  So for rating this figure, I'm going to have to give him 3 out of 5 cans of Orange Slice.  Orange Slice was tasty, but not as tasty as Cherry Slice.

    So we have Cherry Slice, we have Orange slice...  What else could we do?  Maybe Invisible Slice...?

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"I fear no mortal man, now that I possess the power of a wraith!" Slice, 1994

COBRA NINJA SWORDSMAN - SLICE (Version 3)

    The year 1994 brought even more ninja figures to the G.I. Joe toyline, only now we were trading Ninja Force in for the Shadow Ninjas.  This new sub-group reused figures from both the previous waves of Ninja Force but added in a whole new gimmick.  Now the figures could turn invisible with "Inviso-Power!"

    Thanks to the technology of color-change plastic, the figures included in the Shadow Ninjas could go from colored to a white or translucent appearance.  This was dependent on what temperature they were exposed to.  Warm temperatures would activate the Inviso-Power.  Cold temperatures would make the figure's color come out.  It was suggested that kids use hot or ice cold water to get the change to take place.

    As a figure from 1994, Slice (v3) unfortunately got one of the "reduced size" file cards.  Now they were the size of a baseball card.  With less space, Hasbro opted to just reiterate information from the other file cards, just adding in a minor quip about his "inviso-power".

    Slice (v3) again uses the same mold as the other two figures, thus retaining his signature "Scorpion Slash" move.  The only paint apps on the figure was his silver mask and his black belt.  With the color change plastic, his uniform now appears to have a weird green color.  His weaponry is the same as the 1993 figure, only now they are cast in a translucent green.

    I returned to G.I. Joe collecting in mid-1993, so by 1994 I was picking up nearly every figure available.  I picked up all the Shadow Ninjas, but opened only a few - including Slice.

    Not everyone loved the Shadow Ninja set, but personally, I thought the Inviso-Power was a fun little trick!  I could do without the "Ninja Action moves" though.  The figure's colors were limited due to the plastic used, Slice got stuck with one of the not-so-great colors.  The green translucent weapons were interesting, I suppose.  I guess to rate Shadow Ninja Slice, I would have to give him a 3 out of 5 cans of Lemon/Lime Slice... you know, the "clear" one!

    So in order, the original red version was by far the best.  It's a toss-up on which is better between the other two...  The orange version is okay, but I'm on fence with the Shadow Ninja Slice.  The green color was kind of ugly, but the clear version was cool.  So I guess as long as he's "invisible", he's better than Orange Slice!

    So what are your thoughts on the three Slice figures?  Did you have all three?  Which was your favorite?  Did you like the "Inviso-Power"?  Let me know in the comments below!

 

More of the nitty-gritty on Slice, Slice and Slice...

---  The first file card mentions Slice driving the Parasite.  That is a Cobra troop transport vehicle.  Why would you put your ninja in that???

---  Unfortunately, I don't have the "red" Slice figure, even though it is my favorite of the three.

---  Why did Hasbro do away with the Slice & Dice team after 1992?  I really thought that was a great idea.  Just another example of those 2 getting the short end of the stick!

---  To active the Inviso-Power on my Slice, I gave him a blast with a hairdryer.  To get his color to re-appear, I put him in the fridge for a bit.