Review and photos by David Yeh
Arguably two of the most popular Cobra enemies would be Firefly (my personal favorite) the sabotage expert and Storm Shadow the ninja. Hasbro releases both of them in a new comic pack with all new styling as well as a new comic by Joe Guru Larry Hama. But wait a minute… Cobra allies are going against each other? That can't be right. Indeed it is a bit confusing for the toon followers but if you've been reading up on your Joe comics, the story is more on the poetic side that resolves itself in an unconventional way. You'll just have to read "Backstabbed" for yourself to find out how.
Firefly (v15) makes use of the v14 body all over again but features darker camo paint, which actually looks cooler. The accessories he comes with is what makes this Firefly awesome. He comes with removable goggles, belt, removable vest, and backpack. The backpack is probably the most appropriate for the saboteur than those previous as it opens up to reveal hidden accessories that really do add to the play value of the character. Items like a flashlight, explosives, and more fit perfectly inside. Oh, and of course there are also his firearms!
Storm Shadow (v26) is a combination of many different parts that include Gung Ho (v18), Cobra Trooper (v5), head from previous versions of Storm Shadow, and new lower legs and feet. Storm Shadow has been released several times already since the 25th Anniversary began so how is this one any different? For starters, this is probably the closest we've ever gotten to the Devil's Due version of Storm Shadow. Sure, this one is shirtless but the upper body armor is there for customizers to go wild.
Storm Shadow's upper body gear is separate from his backpack which follows the older model of a peg plugging into a hole on the back. The backpack itself has holders for both of his included swords and has an open flap feature that reveals more accessories that are unfortunately sculpted on rather than included. It does hold his uzi, however. Storm Shadow also comes with a claw hand attachment and a rope-blade weapon.
Sculpt and paint for both figures are just fine although Storm Shadow's upper body feels longer than necessary, both are still great looking figures. I found no paint errors on either figure which is a good thing.
Articulation is like all other Joe figures but I'm still not loving the elbow joints as they can't fully achieve a 90 degree angle. They can get close but close doesn't cut it. Especially on figures that need strong poses to be most effective, the elbow joints leave much to be desired.
Of all the variations of Storm Shadow, this one at last is one that I felt interesting enough to get and the Cobra symbol on the forehead is a great look indeed. Firefly too is an impressive figure with all the added accessories making it incredibly hard to pass up. Even if you're not a follower of the comics, it's hard to deny how cool these two look in this set. Now if they can just improve the elbow articulation and give all Joes their tight grip back, I'd be in Joe heaven. And remember, this set also helps you get that much closer to a mail-away Doc figure!
Archive entries:
Firefly (v15)
Storm Shadow (v26)
Issue 4
Editor's Note:
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More action shots:
Images from the collection of: David Yeh
Additional image from the collection of: Phillip Donnelly
Figures courtesy of BigBadToyStore — get your G.I. Joes and much more at BigBadToyStore!
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