1986: The Figures, Part IV The Viper: Eclipsing an Icon

By Destro Designs – Viper Den Studios

G.I. Joe1986 barrels on with this installment: The Viper. 1986 brought us so much in pop culture, movies, and a reaching maturity that helped us better understand the military acumen of the line. So much about this figure featured modern-day equipment, and my understanding of it was key.

The Viper is such an important figure in the entire line because it is the replacement for the Trooper/Officer, a staple of the Cobra Army.

The Trooper is such an iconic figure. It’s up there as the face of Cobra. They looked so realistic in their basic cloth uniforms with a simple face covering. But it was menacing, and they embodied the mean and crazy nature of Cobra itself. I LOVE the Trooper. The look, the feel, the troop-building aspect — all of it. I always looked at them as the heart-and-soul representation of the Cobra Army.

So when it came time to introduce a new edition, it had to eclipse the O.G. and leave no doubt that this new version could either be a more elite evolution of the Trooper or simply a full replacement.

And they did just that, in my opinion.

Now, I just looked at them as upgrades or a higher rank of infantry. You started out as a Trooper, and after kicking some ass, you got called up to become a Viper.

But they were, in fact, a replacement per the Sunbow cartoon, so that was major. Honestly, the kids I played with viewed them as a replacement too. But let’s get into what they got right with this design.

Arguably, the most important aspect is that they kept the figure looking attainable as a Viper by simply exposing the arms. With the Trooper, you could see his eyes, and it left no doubt that it was just a dude — a crazy dude, but still just a dude nonetheless. So with the exposed arms on the Viper, it helped maintain that “just a dude who is expendable infantry” feel. Loved it.

Next was something important for almost the opposite reason. They not only got a new helmet, but also a battle mask that felt familiar in the same way Cobra Commander’s battle mask did. It was what made them elite compared to the Trooper. The Vipers got a new, better helmet, but also a super-protective face mask with goggles that, per the comic, offered thermal and other optic options more advanced than what Cobra Commander’s battle mask provided. This was so damn awesome. Clearly an upgrade with that mask.

The uniform itself was also a major upgrade. The Trooper wore something that, let’s be real, would look like a janitor’s uniform if it weren’t for the helmet and weapons. Awesome, but plain as shit and honestly boring without the military-style accessories.

The Viper had killer boots and more detailed, protective-looking pants held up by a tactical belt featuring a sweet Cobra logo.

The short-sleeve shirt under the tactical vest looked so awesome, especially combined with the forearm guards and gloves. They looked functional while also providing actual protection, especially for the arms and the backs of the hands — and they just looked badass. But the vest is what really elevated the uniform. It looked tactical and protective while still being functional, housing two incendiary devices up near the left shoulder/collar area. They could be flashbangs or frags, but either way, it rocks the house and further advances the design of the uniform.

Never mind the fact that the Trooper didn’t even have a backpack — the Viper came with a top-notch black-and-red backpack. It was a top-tier accessory and absolutely kicked ass. Anything would’ve beaten a blank back, but this thing stands alone as crazy awesome.

The eclipse is almost complete.

The coup de grâce was the rifle.

This thing looks like an SR-25 fitted with a new barrel and an under-mounted single grenade launcher. It had a sweet foregrip that helped with posing and realism in a way that was unmatched in the line — except maybe Firefly’s or Beach Head’s rifle. Add in a nice optic that most rifles in the line didn’t even have, and you’ve got one of, if not the, coolest weapons in the entire line. It truly made Cobra’s infantry not only badass, but formidable as hell.

Everything about the Viper was a total upgrade from the Trooper, and thus the eclipse was complete. In the same way Snake Eyes V2 was an upgrade to an icon, the Viper was the same kind of upgrade to another banger figure most people thought couldn’t be eclipsed.

But they did it.

And I applaud them endlessly because the Viper is a Top 10 figure in the line and one of the coolest upgrades introduced in Season 2 of the Sunbow cartoon. Right from the jump in the new opening sequence for Season 2, you see them standing on the Terror Drome, and the animation upgrade was immediately apparent with the Viper.

Total eclipse of the Trooper: complete.