G.I. Joe: Retaliation Alley Viper Figure Review

by Jay Cochran
February 15, 2013

As the release of the new G.I. Joe Retaliation movie FINALLY approaches, Hasbro’s line of toys based on the movie has finally started to make their way to retail in full force. Today we take a look at one of the figures in that line with the Cobra Alley Viper. Though this figure technically falls under the Retaliation banner, it is in fact a repaint of a classic character from the 80’s line. So does this new figure hold up to the original version and does he fit in with the other Retaliation figures? Read on and find out.

Check out hi-res images for this figure in our GALLERY below.



Packaging - The packaging for this figure and pretty much all of the Retaliation line is the same. You have movie images of Roadblock (The Rock) and Snake-Eyes at the top with the G.I. Joe logo. The figure and it's accessories are displayed on the cardfront with the figure’s name at the bottom. A brief description about G.I. Joe is on the side while a brief description about the character and images of the figure demonstrating its features are on the back. On the right side are tiny images of other figures being released in the wave.

The packaging is generic and not terribly graphically pleasing but does the job of catching your attention with its lighter yellow and brown colors.



Sculpt - As I mentioned in the intro, this figure is a repainted release of the Alley Viper figure that was originally released in 2009 in the Defense of Cobra Island multi-pack which differs some from the Pursuit of Cobra version released more recently. Though this figure isn’t quite as nice as that POC one, this figure has nice details and sculpting. Their are some differences between the 09 Alley Viper and this one. They switched the torso on this Retaliation figure so it now uses the same one found on the first Retaliation Duke, as opposed to the Snake-Eyes torso used on the 09 one. The headsculpt seems to be a little different as well. Everything appears to be the same on the figures. There are some differences with the webgear which we will get more into in the accessories part of the review.



Paint - This version of the Alley Viper has the best paint apps over the previous 2009 version or even the more recent Pursuit of Cobra one in my opinion. The paint scheme is identical to the 2009 with its camo patterns and everything, but instead of using the gaudy orange and blues like the original this one uses a nice combination of reds and grays, which makes it more similar to the POC figure. I like it better than the POC one because that actual figure was basically all black with some gray pads. The red on that figure was only on the webgear itself. I also like the crimson used on this version more than the maroon used on the POC version.



Articulation - As mentioned before this figure is a straight re-paint of the Defense of Cobra Island multi-pack Alley Viper, so if you are familiar with that figure you are familiar with this one. The head is attached on a ball-joint which gives him a pretty wide range of movement. He’s able to turn his head 360 degrees and look up and down. In fact because the way they designed the webgear on this one, he actually has a little more added movement in this area over the original. He’s got the ball-hinged joints at the shoulders, swivel-hinged joints at the elbows and ankles, swivel wrists and waist as well as double-jointed knees giving him a nice range of movement all around.



Accessories - He comes with the shield, helmet with visor that lifts up, nightstick which will attach to the back of the shield, a tiny dagger that fits in a sheath which is sculpted onto his right arm, and a larger knife which has a sheath sculpted onto the waist area of the webgear. This is different from the previous two Alley Vipers. He also has two machine guns, the shorter submachine gun that both the 2009 and POC versions came with and a longer machine gun which replaces the grappling gun found with the previous two figures. One thing I don’t like is that you can’t put the shield on his back like you could with the previous versions. The webgear covers up the hole on his back so you can’t fit the nightstick handle in it like before. This version also doesn’t have any kind of backpack, but it does have a zipline which seems to be a common feature among the Retaliation figures.



Fun - This figure is a lot of fun just like its two predecessors. He has a lot of cool accessories and can be posed in many different positions allowing you to put him in some great battle scenes.



Overall - If you like the Alley Viper character, then this will definitely be one you want to pick-up and probably army build with if you can find more than one. I think he may be packaged 1 per case so finding multiples may be difficult. The thing that makes this one stand out over the previous 09 version is the paint scheme. As I mentioned before, because the colors are similar to the POC figure, I actually like this version a little better. It’s more in keeping with the original Alley Viper look but looks more respectable in the ranks of Cobra than those old orange and blue colors did.

Score - 4 out of 5
Image 1 of 38
1 of 38
Image 2 of 38
2 of 38
Image 3 of 38
3 of 38
Image 4 of 38
4 of 38
Image 5 of 38
5 of 38
Image 6 of 38
6 of 38
Image 7 of 38
7 of 38
Image 8 of 38
8 of 38
Image 9 of 38
9 of 38
Image 10 of 38
10 of 38
Image 11 of 38
11 of 38
Image 12 of 38
12 of 38
Image 13 of 38
13 of 38
Image 14 of 38
14 of 38
Image 15 of 38
15 of 38
Image 16 of 38
16 of 38
Image 17 of 38
17 of 38
Image 18 of 38
18 of 38
Image 19 of 38
19 of 38
Image 20 of 38
20 of 38
Image 21 of 38
21 of 38
Image 22 of 38
22 of 38
Image 23 of 38
23 of 38
Image 24 of 38
24 of 38
Image 25 of 38
25 of 38
Image 26 of 38
26 of 38
Image 27 of 38
27 of 38
Image 28 of 38
28 of 38
Image 29 of 38
29 of 38
Image 30 of 38
30 of 38
Image 31 of 38
31 of 38
Image 32 of 38
32 of 38
Image 33 of 38
33 of 38
Image 34 of 38
34 of 38
Image 35 of 38
35 of 38
Image 36 of 38
36 of 38
Image 37 of 38
37 of 38
Image 38 of 38
38 of 38






FIGURES SHOPPING ONLINE

Search Online Stores for GI Joe: Retaliatio



Toys Shopping Oniine


MORE




This site uses cookies for site configuration, advertising, and analysis. By using this site you accept our policies - Read Full Site Policy OK
Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Forums Communities: Toy Fans - Marvel Fans - Transformers Fans

@ToyNewsI Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

@MarvelousNews Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

@Tformers Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

@JediInsider Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE