CLASSIFIED DESERT SCORPION

If You Can't Take The Heat...

THE CHARACTERS OF G.I. JOE

    "In the barracks, each Scorpion thinks of himself as a desperate, isolated individual surrounded by thieves, cutthroats, and scoundrels - and he's right!" - from the file card, 1991.

COBRA COMMAND

Cobra Desert Trooper - DESERT SCORPION

File Name - Various

Birthplace - Various

Specialties - Desert Scorpions come from other branches of Cobra.  Their specialties vary.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION...

    Cobra has troops for all kinds of different environments and they have never had a problem finding those particular people to serve there... except for the desert!  Snow Serpent's are okay with facing below zero temperatures, Eels make their peace with shark infested waters, and Range-Vipers are willing to deal with the fact that they will be dumped in the deep jungle and forgotten.  Apparently the scorching heat of the desert is where Cobra recruits draw the line!

    Nobody is lining up to become a Desert Scorpion.  No one!  So Cobra High Command uses the position as a form of punishment.  You screwed up in Cobra??  Congratulations, you're off to Desert Scorpion duty!  

    If you can manage to make it through a whole year with a clean record, you can be reinstated to whatever division you originally came from.  So Desert Scorpions are particularly ruthless to everyone!  They are relentless when fighting the Joes because they want to impress their superiors, but they are equally ruthless to their teammates.  They might be able to elevate their own position, by causing those around them to fail.  The only place they work cohesively is on the battlefield where they are basically forced to pull together.  

      Desert Scorpions are eager to get out of that particular line of service.  They know if their track record gets any worse, then they will find themselves as members of the Toxo-Vipers, aka "the Leaky-Suit Brigade"!

Original VS. Classified...

    The original Desert Scorpion from 1991 was an awesome figure!  So what did that figure bring to the table that would be important to retain with the Classified update?  Also, what flaws exist and can they be corrected?  Let's take a look.

    What made the Desert Scorpion great, in my opinion, starts with the head of the figure!  The noggin of the original had a cool-looking mask and goggles to protect him from the harsh desert environment.  Like Dusty from 1985, the Desert Scorpion also had a soft goods havalok on the back of the head.  The figure additionally had a hose that ran between the helmet and backpack.  The backpack was an interesting configuration where you could take the figure's gun and connect it to a post on said backpack.  Then the Scorpion's hands are free to use his digger claws that he also came with and the gun could be fired from the backpack mount (which also featured a small missile).  He also had a rather large scorpion "pet".

    There aren't many downsides to the figure, however, the backpack does reveal one slight flaw.  He only had one small weapon and if it was not attached to the backpack, it looked a bit incomplete.

    Hasbro's Classified version of the figure keeps the great aspects of the mask and goggles, the havalok, and the crazy backpack... and cranks them all up a notch.  The mask is now a removable piece, and they give you a face piece to replace it with.  So your Scorpion can be unmasked.  The soft goods havalok is back, but he also gets a tattered cloak as well.  And the backpack now has it's own little weapon thing, so he doesn't have to give up his rifle!  Nice!

    It that wasn't enough... they gave him his digger claws, and a cool pike weapon that can also snap onto his backpack when not in use.  His main weapon is the Alley-Viper rifle, which which I feel is getting a little over-used at this point.  BUT, it is cooler than his original gun, so I'll just go with it.  The pike is my favorite weapon for him!

    If THAT wasn't enough, they also gave him his pet scorpion.  Only THIS thing is a gigantic, mutant beast!  Predominately brown but with several color decos on him, it is done really well.  TOO well!  I know the possibility exists that one of my kids might smash it one day thinking some nasty creature got in the house!  It has multiple points of articulation.  This thing is big compared to a normal Classified figure, that it reminds me of the old 80's movie - Clash Of The Titans (1981) where they fought those big crazy-looking scorpions... 

    So it goes without saying that Hasbro really knocked this figure out of the park!!  I have been looking forward to seeing what they would do with this figure, and he is finally here, AND he does not disappoint!  What do you think of the Classified Desert Scorpion??

What else can I say about the Desert Scorpion???

--  I found this figure at Walmart, in January, on my birthday, on clearance - for $25!!!  Oh yeah!!!

--  These pics were taken on the beach at Topsail Island!  This figure is so photogenic!  I did not take the scorpion though.  Didn't have the room...  Sorry...  I'll get him in some future pictures.

--  Not sure why the mask can be replaced with the normal face???  I don't plan on having an "unmasked" Desert Scorpion...