Alexx Shorts: DG Snake Eyes (8/28/12)

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.


90's Snake Eyes is here to rap with you about drugs!  (It's just Snake Eyes sitting on a backwards chair, staring at you with those cold, emotionless goggles.)

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Yay! I never thought we would make it here, to be honest.  I mean, when Hasbro makes Snake Eyes, they almost always give us the all-black versions, but here we are with Snake Eyes' fourth version, from the 90s!   Thankfully this wasn't the only time he had some color, but it was the first! I call that a milestone.

Amazingly enough, I don't have a whole lot to say about him. Since this is a dollar store figure, Snakes only has one accessory and his harness.

Of course, being Snake Eyes, he had to come with a sword.  The sword is black, save for the dark green handle (no idea why they chose green), and it gets rid of the thing you probably remember most about the original v4 Snake Eyes. BUT...the simple stuff first:

Snake Eyes is a mix of other Snake Eyes' and a Storm Shadow.  The main body is Snake Eyes v3 from the 25th line (or Snake Eyes v34, but you know what I mean.  He's a remake of v3). His arms are from Seppuku Storm Shadow, and his head is from the famous PoC Snake Eyes (that I never bothered to review). I haven't figured out where his shins and feet are from, and his harness is driving me crazy 'cause I know I've seen it somewhere but I can't seem to find a match.

And that is your most basic Snake Eyes! Not even a sword sheath, though you can slide it in the side of the harness if you like.

In terms of articulation: The legs work great, because they're from that v3 25th SE, and that figure had an AWESOME range of movement in the legs.  He can bend forward well enough, his head works pretty well here (though not as well as the head originally intended for this mold), and he has no problem holding his sword or other items you might wana shove in there. My only gripe is with the arms, as they're just a bit too big for the sockets at the shoulders, which makes posing them a little tough. Still, it seems to get across the "beefy" look that the original figure had. 

Speaking of which: The meat of the review is basically retro junk! Wasn't sure what else to say about this guy, honestly.

I have the original, though I never had him when I was a kid. My friend did, and it was pretty much the only Snake Eyes I could ever get my hands on, back in the day. Needless to say, he was coveted! It's funny how that works.  Think about it: I had a heck of a time coming across the most recognizable and popular character in G.I. Joe.  If you weren't around at the right time, you didn't get certain figures! That's just how it used to work. Nowadays EVERY wave MUST have a Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow and Duke and bluhblahbluuuhhhhh you know the drill. 

My point is that Snake Eyes came around every so often, and he was mostly the same thing each time. Black, or black with some silver. Three trys, and on the fourth he magically gets some color!

This new figure means that we have nearly all the vintage Snake Eyes' remade! Cool! If you look at 'em all side by side you really don't see a huge blast of color or anything. Blue ain't bad for a ninja, and he's mostly black like usual anyway, save for the goggles and the harness. The crazy thing was this:

I don't think I needed to add the little squiggles to make it obvious. If you take a look around 1991, you actually won't find a huge amount of bright weapons. In fact, other than the B.A.T. v2, I'd say that Snake Eyes lights up '91 with his weapons alone! Kinda crazy, even if they all ended up being bright before it ended in '94. Still, I wonder what thoughts went into that choice? They only added a moderate amount of color to Snakes himself (though I guess it's a lot when compared to his usual) but in a year of mostly silver and black weapons they go ahead and BLIND you with neon swords and a gun!

I almost suspect that his weapons alone were some sorta 90's emitters that ushered in the bright weapons that followed.

In the end, if you look at his accessories and just make them black or silver, you would have had a much more popular Snake Eyes. Granted, I friggin' loved him regardless, but I was used to those colors by the time I saw him. Still, I think you would see more customs of him, or people would talk about him more, or something. He's just not the Snake Eyes you think of when you say his name. But he is for me!

This guy has been on my mind for years and, since I figured he would be ignored, I had been looking for items to sorta recreate him. I don't have much on hand, but I tried my best. First off:

I like the harness they used, but I had this one set aside for a long time with the idea that it would be a great harness for v4 SE, and I stand by that. It's too bad they didn't use it! 

Next:

His original loadout was two swords, an SMG-thing, and that massive grappling hook launcher/backpack (which I really think should have had some storage space for his swords). I tried to recreate the idea with a silenced SMG (with a similarly long silencer), and the backpack with the grappling hook from the PoC Alley Viper. I think it worked out well!

I'm not sure how to really sell this guy. Nowadays, it's yet another Snake Eyes in a tsunami of Snake Eyes'. Still...it's a remake of v4. I think that's all I can really say beyond the fact that it's a fun figure that works. If you like or have any nostalgia for Snake Eyes v4, then you'll want this guy. He looks the part and plays it perfectly. If you're tired of Snake Eyes and you never really liked that version, then this is an easy skip.

But this is awesome and you should buy it.

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Not much more to say here!  I still love this one, and I'm so glad Hasbro took some time out of their 80's rehashing days and rehashed a 90's figure.  This was my main Snake Eyes, back in the day, so it naturally holds a high spot on my favorites list (even if I had a little fold-out catalog that showed the v3 one and I wanted it badly as well). 

If you happen across this one, I'd pick it up!  Only downside I can find nowadays are the elbows being a little restricted.  Other than that, he's golden!