Alexx Shorts: RoC Nano-Viper (6/8/10)

Well, this is it: I've finally decided to start reposting my old "Alexx Shorts" G.I. Joe reviews.  They're the reviews that lead to what eventually became this blog!  I'll be posting them in straight copy-and-paste format, separating them with bold dotted lines so you know where they begin and end, and then I'll post some final thoughts on what I think of the figure currently.

For those unfamiliar: I used to take random pictures here and there, but by the time the Rise of Cobra toys came out, I was getting annoying with how much people had been bashing the figures which were clearly better than the previous 25th Anniversary offerings.  I set out to show people how awesome they were, and things went from there, forming into "Alexx Shorts", named so because I thought I was going to keep to a short format with a few pictures.  I did not do that.


Whoa, from January to June!  Was this my first big hiatus, back then?

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Hey, was I still doing these? Oh yeah! 

Alright, back by popular demand (of a couple of people) it's Alexx Shorts! I will, of course, be covering the new stuff as it comes out, but it was suggested that I get into gear and finish off the rest of the stuff I bought but never reviewed, so here's the first: 

The Nano-Viper, a figure that confuses you right off the bat by packaging him with crazy sparkly vines and not even mentioning them once on the filecard!

The filecard, however, is actually the best thing about this figure:

Although I totally loved the RoC line, I will say that most of the filecards were complete duds. They wasted space with a "preferred weapon" section that had the same dang weapon listed most of the time, and the "information" was usually limited to what they did for the team. What I loved about the cards back in the day, was that it fueled the imagination with little tidbits about the character! This one has just as much space as the other RoC cards, but manages a little old-school flair by saying something interesting.

First off, this guy is a singular character. Next, he's a super soldier among super soldiers, so he's a freak (I mean, beyond the toxic green he's sporting). The card even mentions that his armor and body are fused with nanites, which takes a normal repaint and throws him up with the likes of Venom Troops as some sorta ultra powered crazy guy (as the card also states that he's got some unpredictable responses to situations). 

....but it doesn't say anything about the vines.

But hey, there's a review going on, right?

The NV comes with the standard load that the Viper Commando came with, sans backpack. The knife no longer has a place to go, but it's a cool little stabbin' knife, so I don't mind. Also, he comes with the mysterious vines, that I can only assume represent the "nanotechnology experiment." 

So I suppose that's the easiest explanation. Beyond that, the character came out in a pretty cool green color, due to the experiment.

If you didn't like the Commando before, then you may not like this one. However, I think he looked cool before, and the green and super-freak soldier background make him even better! In fact, this crazy looking alien armor works great for the idea.

So, in the long run, I love the heck outa this guy, and it's all because of the filecard. The vines are obviously some kinda nano-thing, but I sorta use them as tendrils coming off the now bio-altered armor, making this guy a nanomachine constructed Venom, in a way.

So I gotta recommend this guy, especially if you skipped the Commando, 'cause the filecard and the organic-looking armor finally match up. I had already planned on using the Commando as a singular character, but now this guy has filled that slot!

...now, of course, I had many jokes planned. I love this guy, but he is also hilarious. I had to narrow it down to two, and I couldn't think of a way to slip them into the review, so here are some other reasons for the color change:

MAN this one has a lot of pictures! Maybe I should have put a warning. Okay, one more, I promise:

So there you have it.

A.) This is a cool figure with an actual good bio and some vines for you to do with as you please. 

And

B.) if that doesn't impress you, this is a hilariously painted figure, randomly packaged in the act of fighting off vines. Two good reasons to buy this figure if you find him.

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One of the stand-out figures from Rise of Cobra, and all because someone decided to put a little thought into the filecard!  I still love this one, and I'd pick 'em up if you see him (unless you're a customizer and can just paint it yourself).  I mean, he's probably not going to blow you away, but the ideas the filecard presents makes him WAY cooler. 

And that is a jazzy green, man.  Look at it!  S'nice.  Good stuff.

Alright get outta here, you rascal.