COBRA OFFICER (v1)
THE ENEMY (straight-armed)
Year: 1982
Series: One
Cobra Officer was one of the first figures released carded in the first series (1982). Like all of the original sixteen figures, Cobra Officer was released with "straight arms."
In late 1982, the figure was also available packaged with the Sears exclusive Cobra Missile Command Headquarters.
Figure Views
Accessories
Cobra Officer came with a black AK-47 assault rifle.
Packaging Information
Filecard Information
File Name: Unkown
Grade: 04 (or equivalent)
Birthplace: Various Countries
Primary Specialty: Infantry
Secondary Specialty: Artillery, Intelligence
COBRA Officers are front-line fighters who lead COBRA attack units into battle. Many are also believed to be operating as spies at defense plants, nuclear power facilities, etc. All are martial arts experts, masters of disguise, deceit, and demolitions. Qualified Expert: AK-47 Assault Rifle; PM-63 Machine Pistol; M-16; Ingram M-11 Sub-machine gun.
"COBRA Officers are dedicated to destroying G.I. Joe and the American way of life. Beware...they are extremely dangerous enemies!"
Variations
Some versions of Cobra Officer came with the eyes and eyebrows painted in red, while some came with the eyes and eyebrows painted in black. Neither variant is more difficult to find than the other.
When the new version of Cobra Officer was released in 1983, the straight-arms were replaced with arms that could swivel at the bicep. Also, the date stamp on the figure was changed from "1982" to "82-83." While technically only a variation, the changes are substantial enough to consider this a new version. However, as many people consider this only a variation, we have chosen to list this figure as version 1.5, rather than version 2.
There are two versions of Cobra Officer's filecard. The one that came from Hasbro Direct has a glossy red backing, while the one that came with the carded Cobra Officer does not. Filecards included with the Sears exclusive Cobra Missile Command Headquarters also had the red backing.
The silver logo on Cobra Officer's chest scratches off very easily. If you find a Cobra Officer without a silver Cobra logo, more than likely the figure has seen some wear and the logo has worn away.
For the JC Penney's release, some Cobra Officers came with Short-Fuze's mortar and bipod.
Body Construction
Note that the figure's head only turns left and right - it does not allow the head to look up and down. The heads only turned left and right until the the swivel ball head that was introduced in 1985 (Series Four).
The modified v1.5 body mold was used in 1984 for the Cobra Stinger Driver, and the later was used for the Python Trooper from the eighth series (1989).
The same waistpiece was shared with Cobra Soldier, H.I.S.S. Driver, Tiger Force Duke, and some versions of Steel Brigade. The same arms of Cobra Officer were recolored and used to create the arms of Cobra Commander.
International Variants
In Brazil, the Cobra Soldier was released in light blue with an Estrela stamp on its back. In Argentina, the Cobra Soldier was released with no markings.
Versions of Cobra Officer
Reference Information
The below information contains information about references to various collector's guides, Hasbro references, original retail prices, and other reference material related to Cobra Officer (v1).|
Original Retail: $1.99 Hasbro Product: 6424 RAHC: n/a Lee's Guide: GIJ-82010 |
Desimone Guide: #10 Tomart's Guide: #GI5019, #GI5069c (cobra hq) The Ultimate Guide: Pg. 13 (1st Ed.), Pg. 18 (2nd Ed.) Action Figure Archive Guide: n/a |
