Fangs of Nostalgia: Exploring the 1989 Cobra Fang II at The Outpost
Story By Mitchel Smith
Welcome to The Outpost. Today I’m taking a look at the G.I. Joe 1989 Cobra Fang II. 1989 was a year I received many figures and vehicles including the Fang. I did not have the original Fang so this was something new and cool. At the time I did not think about all the other great vehicles that had been made up till this point. Let’s face it many vehicles and figures from the early eighties were so awesome a second version was like watching “Speed 2”. The original Fang was just an iconic vehicle even for 1989, so getting a Fang 2 may have seemed strange for those who grew up with the original.
I have always been neutral on the 1982-1994 run. I realize the original team was brilliant and just wanted to create awesome toys for kids and maybe the odd collector for those days. As new people were added things got a little gimmicky to attract kids. Nowadays everything is being recycled faster than we can keep up with. Some things are great and some things are awful. It was always exciting for me to see new and interesting designs.
This one was interesting to me and one of the few pieces I still have in my collection from my childhood that doesn’t look like Frankenstein. Although mine has been through a few battles when I look at it I think of all the great times I had with this as a kid. Overall this is a solid vehicle and I’m happy I had it as a kid. Who else had this back in the day? Make sure to check back next week for the next discussion at The Outpost.
