SCC Figure Spotlight - COPPERHEAD (Version 1 & 2)

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"Hold it right there!  Well, well, it looks like what we got here is a couple of G.I. Jungle Rats.  The only thing a rat is good for is target practice." - Copperhead, Jungle Trap cartoon episode.

Thanks to Wayne Bartley for this awesome pic of Copperhead and Destro cruising in the Cobra Water Moccasin.  Check out more of Wayne's awesome pics on Instagram at Relinquished1979!

COBRA WATER MOCCASIN PILOT - COPPERHEAD

    In 1984, Cobra ventured into the swamplands.  Cobra Commander was now working with the mercenary - Zartan and his gang of Dreadnoks, all whom operated out of the Florida Everglades.  Cobra utilized their own agent and vehicle at this time - Copperhead and his vehicle - the Cobra Water Moccasin.  

    Though his birthplace is unknown, the file card explains that it is believed that Copperhead is very familiar with the Florida swamps.  He was racing speedboats in Monaco and Japan and started placing major bets on his own races.  This backfired and Copperhead ended up owing a lot of people a lot of money.  So he joined Cobra in effort to pay off his bookies.

    Copperhead's uniform was decked out in mostly teal with lime green highlights.  He wore a helmet of the same colors and sported a silver Cobra insignia on his chest.  He was paired with the Water Moccasin swampboat but otherwise had no accessories.

    The Water Moccasin made it's comic debut in G.I. Joe #24 and 25.  Cobra's ace pilot, Wild Weasel, was at the helm.  I distinctly recall going on vacation and telling my friends I was hoping to return with the Water Moccasin and expecting Wild Weasel to be with it.  As luck would have it, I DID find the swampboat, but with some strange dude named Copperhead that looked NOTHING like the pilot from the comics.  I remember saying "who is Copperhead?"

    Later I figured out Wild Weasel came with the Rattler jet and that for some strange reason - Copperhead never showed up in the comic at all.  He did make a few sporadic appearances in the cartoon though.

    Whatever the case... I had so much fun with the Water Moccasin!  This was by far, one of my favorite Cobra vehicles back in the day.  Unfortunately, Copperhead never became a top-tier figure to me.  I liked him, but he usually just drove his boat, chauffeuring the other Cobra's to their missions.  He looked pretty tough though, so when he DID get out, he was hard to beat.

    Not a favorite and not a loser either, Copperhead here is going to get a rating of 3 out of 5 Coat Hangers (you know, to rebuild his V-8 with).  He's right down the middle.  Maybe a little more spotlight on this guy back in the day would have helped!  In his defense though, he had stiff competition in 1984 with Zartan, Baroness, Storm Shadow, and Firefly!!  3 out of 5 isn't bad though!!

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PYTHON PATROL SWAMP FIGHTER - COPPERHEAD

    Copperhead returned in 1988 working with Cobra's Python Patrol.  Thanks to G.I. Joe taking his swampboat and repainting it for Tiger Force, he was now was without a vehicle and released on a standard cardback.  Thanks to his experience operating in swamp territories, Copperhead was now Cobra's Python Patrol Swamp Fighter.  Updated with a uniform that had been "pythonized", he would now be even more of a threat to G.I. Joe as he could now avoid radar detection!

    Copperhead's new file card has some oddities to it.  Instead of being familiar with the Florida Everglades, it now states he is familiar with the rain forests of the Amazon basin.  It also says he owes "Cobra" a lot of money and joined Python Patrol to pay them off.  Maybe Cobra paid off his bookies and now he owes them directly?  I don't know.

    Copperhead's body mold is the same as the original, but colored very different.  He now sports a uniform with bright yellow and dark green.  He has some black and red highlights, and the green has the Python Patrol grid on it in yellow.

    Since he originally came without accessories, he is now geared up with Leatherneck's gun and backpack, both molded in black plastic.  I guess this is fitting after the Joes took his boat!!  Maybe they made a trade?

    I got Copperhead for Christmas as my "collecting Joes" days were winding down.  Still I thought he was interesting.  Having him now as a Swamp Fighter was a great idea.  Finally outfitting him with accessories was also nice.  The Python Patrol colors were outlandish though.  Bright yellow?  Strangely though, there was still something cool about this figure.  My only gripes were the lack of a Cobra symbol on his chest and the all-yellow waist piece that makes him look like he's wearing his underwear outside his pants... and maybe he is.  Who knows?

    I will say, I may like this figure just a tiny bit more than the original one.  Although it's not enough to put him in a higher rank.  So Copperhead (Version 2) is going to catch a rating of 3 out of 5 Yellow Speedos!!!  Still right down the middle.

    So where are you at with Copperhead?  Which one do you prefer?  Did he ever steal his boat back from the Joes?  Let me know in the comments below!

A little more yap-yap about our guy Copperhead:

---  Why didn't they release a Python Patrol Water Moccasin instead of repainting it for Tiger Force?  I think it would have made more sense for Cobra to keep it!!

---  As all the other figures in Python Patrol were army builder figures, Copperhead was the only "individual" included in the group.  As such, he is sometimes viewed as the leader of the team.

---  Copperhead would eventually get his revenge for Wild Weasel driving his Water Moccasin!  He was seen flying the Python Conquest on the jet's box artwork.  A proper pilot would have been a repainted Wild Weasel, but he never appeared again in the 82-94 line. 

---  Copperhead was released this year in the G.I. Joe Classified line.  A repaint of the figure in Python Patrol colors was recently announced!

---  Remember to check out Wayne Bartley's cool Joe pics on Instagram at Relinquished1979!!