It seemed like for a while I was doing nothing but reviewing GI Joes from the Rise of Cobra line. That seemed to slow down a bit and now I'm ready to review another. I've had this guy for a few weeks but finally decided to break up the monotony around here and do a Joe review to freshen up the pace. As much as I'd like to talk about Gamera every day, I gotta broaden my horizons.



Apparently Cobra is broadening theirs as well with this brand new trooper, known as the Night Adder. According to his file card he's security guard for Cobra but also an interrogator of sorts. I imagine him a bit like Croc Master but with dogs. Apparently these guys keep Joes from infiltrating their ranks as well as run some general security protocol.

Immediately you'll notice this guy is fierce. He's huge, he looks like he came from the bad part of town, he's covered in tats and a creepy mask and if that doesn't bother you perhaps his snarling Rottweiler will. If you're going to be the guy running security inside of Cobra, obviously you need to be a badass. This guy might as well be called the Badass Shock Trooper cause that's what he looks like.

Packaging:
Have you read any of my other 900 Rise of Cobra figure reviews? If not, you should and if you have you'll know that I'm a pretty big fan of the packaging on these guys. It's not quite as pretty as the GI Joe 25th Anniversary packaging but it's quite nice.



The back of the package has the bio and file card as well as telling about the rest of the guys in this wave. I picked up almost all of these guys except for the "New Goblin" trooper. I want to get him too, but I'm not made of money and had to wait. Haven't seen him since of course.



One of the things I love about these packages is that they are resealable. If you're careful in removing your figures you can fold the package back up and it looks nearly good as new. I'm sure Hasbro didn't plan it this way, but it is handy for me.



Inside you have your shell with the figure. I'm happy to report that Night Adder doesn't have his arms shoved through any holes on the inside and pops out without a lick of trouble. His weapons came out easy too.

Articulation:
Seriously, why haven't you read any of my other reviews of ROC GI Joes? What is wrong with you?! Because if you had, you'd know all about the articulation for these guys. Do I have to make a little graphic every time breaking down the articulation? When will you learn?! Jeesh.



Night Adder has all the modern Joe articulation. He has a ball jointed head, pin/post style ball shoulders, pin/post style ball elbows or Hasbrows, swivel wrist, t-bar crotch ball jointed legs, double jointed hinge knees and pin/post style ball jointed feet. That means he doesn't have rocker ankles, and I have to remind you of that or Dr. Nightmare will get on my case.



I think he's pretty perfectly articulated. He has plenty of joints in all the appropriate spots. Someone might think he needs more, but I find him to be about perfect. It's a good thing Night Adder is so articulated, because his trusty dog Rusty doesn't have a single point of articulation.

Sculpt:
Night Adder is one of the cooler looking figures to come down the line. He's a completely new creation that isn't part of the Rise of Cobra movie or an existing Cobra Trooper. This is basically a continuation of the 25th Anniversary/Generation 3 line of Joes where they were still making new Cobra troops.


Sit Ubu sit, good dog. (Points if you know where that's from!)
Him and his dog both look good. He has a huge musclebound chest and he's a very big figure. I think this might be the body for Roadblock from Resolute, but don't quote me on that. He's easily one of the biggest Joe figures to come out in a long time though and when you combine that with his strange muzzle-like mask, he creates an ominous presence.


Considering that this guy's job is to keep wackos like Raptor in line, I think it's understandable that he looks a bit crazy. He has a bunch of cool tattoos on him including the "scales of justice" which I found amusing. He has moire underneath his vest as well. Speaking of the vest, it's really detailed and has bullets all over it. It's an eloquent sculpt.


One of the other things of interest is that his body is pretty plain. That is to say, he doesn't scream Cobra trooper. This means that you could use him in your Marvel Universe lines as a crazed Punisher villain or even as a alternate version of Crossbones. He definitely looks that cool.


Night Adder has to be one of the best troop designs to come down the pike in a long time. Despite all the cool and creepy demeanors of the more modern ROC troops, this guy stands out. He can fit in with your 25th stuff as well, but I don't know if I'd try to squeeze him in with the vintage troops or not... He might make them crap their pants.

Accessories:
Night Adder comes with a decent amount of accessories but he certainly looks under equipped compared to some. He has a black version of Flint's shotgun. I imagine this is the kind of guy who'd hold this gun with one hand and blast it with no problem.


He also has a knife that I'm sure is recycled from someone else as well as a pistol. These weapons are pretty average, but considering that this guy is all about brute strength and intimidation, he's not really one for a lot of weapon usage. It's a good thing he's not a battlefield trooper though because he'd be seriously at a disadvantage since he lacks a giant missile launcher.


His other accessories include a stand and of course Rusty his dog. Rusty is a good sculpt and he has a long chain with spiked collar. This looks like it's the same sculpt as Junkyard but he's painted a little different so he looks less friendly. His vest is also removeable to show off more of his tattoos.

Additional Notes:
There are actually two versions of this figure for you completists. The other version has a slightly different tone to him and black tattoos. Speaking of the tats, there are a couple of nods to old school Cobra stuff with the words "Springfield" as one of his gangster style tattoos. Springfield of course being the home of the Simpsons and Cobra Commander being a big Matt Groening fan... Or it's Cobra's base of operations. Up to you to decide.

Value:
$7.99 ain't cheap but this figure is fun, he's bigger than most Joe toys so you have a little more to him. I don't feel as bad paying $7.99 for this figure as I did paying $10 for Freddy Kruger. I do wish Hasbro could get the price back down to about $6.50 and I'd spend a LOT more money on Joe product than I already do.


I am justice and I demand a pound of flesh.

Score Recap:
Packaging - 7
Sculpting - 7
Articulation - 7
Accessories - Rottweiler, Shotgun, Knife, Pistol, Stand
Value - 7
Overall - 7 out of 10

This guy is a great figure. Not someone you have to own. Not the best Joe ever made. Not even in the top ten. But he has an undeniable cool factor. If you're looking for a badass, this is your guy. As I said even if you don't collect Joes he'd go great in a Marvel collection. I don't advise putting him in your DC Infinite Heroes collection because he'll break all their spines.


I enjoy long walks in the park, blonde hair and I like to smash medulla oblongata.
GI Joe, Rise of Cobra and Hasbro continue to produce some cool figures. Hopefully this guy sees some wider distribution as there is starting to be a bit of shelf clog on the current figures. If you can't find this guy at retail I suggest you check one of my online sponsors.