G.I. Joe Classified: Wave Three - Cobra Island (Target Exclusive)

I'm a little confused by the order of release that the G.I. Joe Classified series is being put out. The Cobra Island wave is technically wave three, which begs the question of, "Where is wave two?" According to sites such as Hasbro Pulse and Entertainment Earth, not shipping until November of 2020.

Whatever, right? I guess we'll take them as we get them...When we get them...If we get them...

Yes, I'm still talking about the elusive, and bane to many Joe collectors, the Target exclusive Cobra Island. Fortunately, for today's post, we're actually opening and looking at that set. That is with the exception of the vehicle / figure pack, which as of this writing, appears to be holding firm to the August 14th street date (click HERE for my post on The Baroness). I'll update this post with it if / when I get my hands on it. For now, we'll dive into the three basic assortment figures.

Unlike wave one, the Cobra Island figures came packed in their own individual cases of six, meaning when (if) Target starts to get these in abundance, statistically, they should be easier to find than some of the other figures. Mind you, I didn't get my hands on any full cases, nor would I have wanted them, so unlike my post on the original wave of figures, I won't be showing any photos of the cases.

With exception of the Cobra Island logo and insert behind the figures, the packaging is consistent with the series (to date).

The symbols return on the side of the packaging, and I've come to find out, this isn't just a clever design aspect. Each one actually has a specific meaning, and you can find those on the G.I. Joe Classified main site, or by clicking, "HERE". If you actually hover over the symbol on the site, it will pop up with an information blurb, as well as, show you the characters to date associated with them.

While it's a cool feature, I don't honestly see myself running to their site every time I buy a figure to compare notes. Of course, I say that here on my blog, while in the back of my mind I tell myself, "You probably will," as I'm typing this sentence.

I really like the artwork side of the packaging so far. I'm really enjoying how it's unique to each character.

The back of the package has been updated to now showcase a map of Cobra Island. Admittedly, there is a definite feel of something missing, and that something would be the file cards. This would have been the perfect place to not only include a box size file card, but incorporate all the definitions of those symbols noted above.

Alright, with packaging out of the way, let's dive into the individual figures.

In my original wave one post, I listed out some pros and cons for each figure. I think that's a format I'm going to step away from for future reviews of this series. I'll provide comments here and there where I'd like to, but I'm not going to lay it out in a bullet point presentation.

Beach Head, figure number 10 in the series, was definitely a must have for me. I never had the original 3 3/4 figure as a kid, and while I rectified that as an adult, he's always been one of my favorite characters in the line and original cartoon series.

From his unique quirk of not wearing deodorant, to his hard edge training style of his teammates, Beach Head stands out as not only one of the most unique characters on the Joe team, but one who often got explored through comics and cartoons.

Say what you will about his design, I love it. Hardened soldier, with a hint of mystery. Not to mention a slew of accessories.

Speaking of which, I'm admittedly not a fan of the solid green color scheme of the weapons. At the very least, I would have preferred them to be black. Of course, if I wanted to be super expectant, it would have been to have nice paint jobs, such as those on the weapons of Destro, Duke and the wave one Roadblock.

For a twenty dollar figure, is it really asking too much to have some thought put into the accessories? I don't think so. I think it's a perfectly reasonable request. I really hope that Hasbro doesn't lure us all in with the detail at first and then suddenly goes full on cheap for the remainder of the line. That would really be disappointing.

At a glance, there's no denying the design and paint job is spot on. This is Beach Head. No ifs, ands or buts. A lot of people have complained on how "simple" he looks, but really, that's how he was represented in the vintage line as well.

If I had one complaint about this figure, it would be that once again the peg hold seems flawed. While the backpack accessory fits in it, the slightest nudge seems to make it fall off. I'd really like to see Hasbro explore other options for these.

Once again, the figure gets its own unique look, while tying it to the Joe team with that common theme of the communication device on his right shoulder.

Beach Head comes with a nice assortment of weapons which include an assault rifle, pistol, knife, crossbow, backpack and hat. As I mentioned above, the color on the weapons doesn't work for me. It's ugly. There's enough green on the figure, and with them being the same color, they don't stand out. I'm also not a fan of the hat. I don't recall the character wearing one in the show, and the vintage figure doesn't have one either.

While I initially thought the crossbow was just the bottom section of Scarlett's two piece weapon, it's actually not. As for the pistol, it's just a green version of the one packed in with Duke.

If I had to make a wager, it would be that this next figure is going to be the first peg warmer in the line. When it was announced, nobody seemed excited that Hasbro was already releasing a second Roadblock. While I was initially among that group, I do see aspects in this figure that I like. Yes, it is 90% repaint, but it has some high points.

For starters, I do like the overall paint job of the shirt. From a standpoint of liking the G.I. Joe logo, it's fun to see it (somewhat) incorporated into the paint job. I also like that Hasbro bothered to put a little effort into it, and actually provide an all new head sculpt.

While I'm sure it will be a piece that many people will lose over the years, I do like the aspect of the removable glasses. I think it's all the more cool that the lenses are somewhat transparent, and you can see the figure's eyes through them.

It's a decent figure, but I still would have preferred someone else be released with this wave. Even now, it's the lowest costing one on secondary markets, as there seems there's very little demand for this one. Like I said above, I think he's going to inevitably become a peg warmer. It will be that figure that when you're looking at Target for wave eight you're saying, "Well, they have plenty of Roadblocks."

There's honestly not much more I can say about this figure, but I'll get into the accessories a bit more below.

If Hasbro was going to insist on creating a repaint (for the most part) already, then the least they could have done was created a new weapon for the character. Instead, they just slapped a new coat of paint on the one provided with the wave one version, removable magazine and all. It's just not exciting, and it's no wonder fans are already showing with their wallets their overall disapproval of this figure.

Last up in this exclusive assortment of the basic figures is the one that seemingly everybody wants. The army builder, Cobra Trooper. This one rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. How was Hasbro going to make one of the most popular troop building figures a Target exclusive. Fans are still not happy about how this figure is not only unavailable, but ridiculously priced on secondary markets. I don't blame them.

Out of the three figures, he was definitely the one I mostly was excited about. I mean, let's be honest, he looks cool. While I don't necessarily condone hoarding the figure, I can also see why everyone wants one (or ten). However, with that said, the figure is not without its flaws.

For starters, I'm not a fan of the goggles. They cover up all that wonderful detail in the eyes of the figure, and quite frankly, they just look silly with their serpent slits. I wanted to attach this to the top of the helmet, as shown in the Hasbro production photos, but I simply could not make this work. It was a tight squeeze, and I honestly felt like forcing the matter was only going to result in a broken strap. While I initially took a photo of the figure with them on, I eventually settled for dangling them around the chest knife sheath.

I'm also not a fan of the arm sash. I just don't think it was necessary. However, because I didn't want it to ultimately become a lost part, I ended up putting it on the figure. That in and of itself was a challenge of pulling and wiggling.

Lastly, I was disappointed that while there are peg holes to attach the two weapons to the back, it's a flawed feature. This is because the additional holster on the back of the vest, for the second pistol, gets in the way, making for a tight squeeze to get both larger weapons attached at the same time. I ended up settling for the sniper rifle being on his back and the assault rifle in its hand. However, ultimately, this was not how I wanted to display him.

Overall design wise to the sculpt and paint are awesome on this figure. Execution wise of the accessories, there are flaws which detract.

In looking at these photos of the figure, it really does need the helmet on. It looks rather silly without.

There were a ton of accessories included with the Cobra Trooper, and much like the other figures in this line, I was pleased to find that there was a place for everything.

And here they are all decked out.

I was glad to find a reason to hold onto that Deluxe Snake Eyes box. It makes a great backdrop for photos. You may have noticed it first in my Order Of Battle posts for the line.

It has some facets that can be nitpicked, or honestly directly complained about, but overall, this wave of figures was a solid addition to this series. It's fleshing out nicely, and I really hope that Hasbro can get its distribution issues in order to keep it going for some time.

At some point, I see myself needing to be a little more selective in the figures I buy. One, I don't have the capacity to really store 500 six inch figures, nor would I want to. Secondly, my tastes in the characters fall into that 1983 to 1989, maybe 1990 era. Beyond that time frame, I not only don't know who those people are, but have no real desire to own them.

Red Ninja comes to mind as the first one in this series that I will get from the case of wave two, but probably won't end up opening. Instead, it will go into my trade pile. This is a line I want to enjoy collecting, and one way to make that happiness dwindle fast is...Well, let me get another cheap shot in, screw up the whole distribution aspect, but what I was more so going to say was to force myself to buy figures I don't want just to have them all.

What about you? Are you going for the 100% club with this line? Have you already given up in light of the massive debacle the distribution has been? Or are you going to be selective, and pick only the characters you truly have a vested interest in?

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