Review – G.I. Joe 12″ Cobra Commander

“Absolute power! Total control of the world . . . its people, wealth and resources — that’s the objective of Cobra Commander. This fanatical leader rules with an iron fist.”
— from the back of the box

Last month I popped open and played with the 12-inch scale Cobra Trooper by Sideshow Collectibles (review here) and today, since Sideshow is posting Firefly for pre-orders (mentioned here) and I felt I owed it to you guys, we’re diving into the 12-inch scale Cobra Commander action figure. Sideshow has this guy up as a second chance opportunity*, so if you’re a hardcore G.I. Joe fan and missed him just go grab one now.

Yes, he’s that good.

It’s Gotta be the Accessories!

Cobra Commander comes as well-equipped as the Cobra Trooper did, with several accessories — and lots of working pouches and holsters — that really turn a basic 12-inch action figure into a spectacular piece of work and the best Cobra Commander action figure I’ve seen at any scale.

“The Cobra Commander 12 inch Figure features:

• Fully articulated Prometheus male body with 30+ points of articulation
  
• Hooded Cobra Commander Portrait
  
• Shirt with Cobra emblem
  
• Pants
  
• Trench coat
  
• Boots
  
• Detailed belt with Cobra Command buckle
  
• Pistol with holster and 2 x ammo magazines
  
• Magazine pouch for Pistol Ammo
  
• MP-7 with short magazine, silencer, and 3 x long magazines
  
• Magazine pouch for MP-7 Ammo
  
• Dagger with scabbard and chain
  
• Cobra Commander gun
  
• 3 sets of interchangeable gloved hands
  
• 12-inch display base with G.I. Joe logo”

Wait a second, guys. “Hooded Cobra Commander Portrait?” My toy didn’t come with any miniature portraits. And there isn’t one showing in the photos at the Sideshow site. What gives? Where’s my special Cobra Commander portrait to hang on the wall?

It’s not really a big deal, but I am a bit confused as to what that bullet point in the product’s description actually means. Was there going to be a tiny painting of the Commander or am I completely misunderstanding what that line means?

The photos above show close shots of some of the accessories that are packed with the action figure. Above left you can see the dagger and scabbard and the magazine pouches; yes, those pouches actually have working fasteners. And above right you can see one of the Commander’s pistols with the slide pulled back, revealing a round in the chamber. The magazine’s also removable, making this just one more over-the-top detail that is making Sideshow’s G.I. Joe series so absolutely fantastic.

The Same Articulation You Already Expect

Using the exact same Prometheus body that was used with the Cobra Trooper (review here), Cobra Commander doesn’t have any surprises when it comes to his articulation. Again, as with the Trooper, the costume restricts some of the articulation (especially when the trench coat is worn) but there aren’t any significant issues that would cause me to say the toy is flawed.

In my review of the Cobra Trooper I complained that the hard boots restricted the figure’s feet articulation; well, the Commander’s boots are more forgiving and flexible and a marked improvement over the Trooper’s boots. Hurray, Sideshow. Excellent step up and a real improvement over the Cobra Trooper.

His Hood Is Plastic?

I do have a couple of complaints with the toy, the biggest of which has to be the fact that Cobra Commander’s hood is a chunk of plastic that’s his entire head. You can’t remove the hood! I’m sure this had more to do with the “keep the Commander’s face hidden” than anything else, but the guys at Sideshow should have used the mask under a mask trick I’ve seen in comics. By using a hard plastic head with a ski mask-like design and then draping a cloth hood over the head the Commander’s appearance would have been drastically improved. As he is, though, we get a weird blend of real cloth and plastic cloth on the figure. The head’s really just not quite right when you examine the toy up close.

But That Coat is GREAT!

I can’t stress enough how good Cobra Commander looks in his trench coat. The coat feels good, and there are bits of wire or something in the lining that allow you to shape the lower edges of the coat so that they hang the way you’d like them to and not the way gravity wants them to. Visually this Commander isn’t quite as cool as the G.I. Joe Resolute Cobra Commander (reviewed here), but that’s only because I would have preferred the chrome face plate to the hood. Plus, the Resolute Commander has that cool skirt piece that just looks great.

Yeah, this Sideshow Commander may be the best version of the character we’ve seen in action figure form, but that Resolute character design has to be the best version of the Commander that has ever existed. Plus, he was just fun in the Resolute animation (mentioned here).

Still, $100 is a Lot for a Toy

Cobra Commander is extremely cool, but that still doesn’t make up for the fact that he’s priced at $100. That’s a lot of money for a toy (hell, my first car when I was 16 cost me $125), especially a toy that isn’t really going to get played with by a kid, but it’s really not too much when you look at what’s packed with the action figure. If you consider that several collectibles — statues, definitely — cost $100 and up, the price for the 12-inch scale Cobra Commander isn’t too high for someone who really loves the eighties-style G.I. Joe series. I wish Sideshow was offering these for less, but at the short runs they produce (only 3,000 of this figure) I can understand the price.

I honestly can’t decide whether or not these are something I’d recommend to anyone but the most devoted of G.I. Joe fans. Anyone who would spend $100 on several toys from Hasbro might be happier skipping lots of little toys and just getting one high-end action figure, but it’s such a personal preference that it’s hard for me to say which way you should lean. I think I’ll stick with getting a few of each, with a mix of mass-produced G.I. Joe toys and short-run Sideshow figures making up my G.I. Joe toy needs for the immediate future.

Closing Thoughts

A poor choice when manufacturing the head can’t keep this from being an awesome 12-inch scale action figure, but that head really does bother me. Either the ski mask/cloth hood trick — or, better yet, the chrome faceplate — would have turned this into an even better action figure than the Cobra Trooper, but as he exists I’d say the Trooper and Commander are tied on the cool-o-meter.

Sideshow makes fantastic collectibles, and I’m extremely happy that I ordered Cobra Commander back when I did. The accessories — especially the coat — are beautiful, and this is an excellent addition to my 12-inch action figure collection. As with the Cobra Trooper, I’m pretty sure this guy will survive any “thinning of the herd” that I’m forced into as space becomes an issue.

I need some better shelving in the house.

*Affiliate link: Orders using this link earn battlegrip.com cash, which is applied to buying toys.

Philip Reed now has to decide whether or not to pre-order a Firefly. At the moment his only 12-inch scale G.I. Joe action figures are the Cobra Trooper and Cobra Commander, but Firefly sure would look cool standing next to them.